Sew much to see

Ok it's a bad pun but hey...So I've been checking out the HUNDREDS of quilts in the online quilt festival being hosted by Amy at Park City Girl. I have visited over 600 blogs, yes I said 600, and none of those today so there are probably more. It has been a lot of fun, but it has meant very little sewing has been going on, well until tonight.

Over the last few days I have been playing with some squares from Metro Blue, a line from a few years ago. I had gotten them out to make a purse, but well, they had other ideas. They decided they wanted to be pinwheels, but not just any pin wheels, ones made according to this different method. Well. When fabric insists, it insists. So I made all of these.


But what to do with them? Nothing seemed quite right, and I didn't want to make more. The method wastes fabric, and the seams were so bulking I had to press them open, which I don't like doing, and being a klutz burned myself a few times.

So they sat. I stared. Nothing. Then, just as I was about to start another project (all the while ignoring Lillebet) it came to me. Yes singing angels and all lol. I even had left over fabric from the first time I attempted a purse with this line, and I say attempted because while it was fully functional and got compliments, it really didn't turn out as I wanted, so will never be photographed and shown here.

Hmm...getting there but not quite. I discussed this with DH, who is actually pretty decent at seeing and giving advice on design or colour, wanted or not lol.
And here is what I finally came up with.
I think it turned out nicely...the only thing...I'm thinking it could be a little bigger, it's currently 24" square. What do you think of flying geese, with the geese being made up of the fabric line, and the wings being white?
I'm going to bind it in the other strip fabric from the line, so it will get a little bit more scrappy from that.
I can't decide and since my Schnibble pattern and fabric are still not here I'm at loose ends right now. I'm wondering if it's going to get here in time for me to finish it for the 31st. Oh well, hazards of online shopping cross border.

Be sure to check out Emma's giveaway and her Etsy shop. Some beautiful little quilts. She is giving away a kit for the quilt below.

First Year of Schnibbles

I got the top done for the first project in the Year of Schnibbles, I doubt I'll get it quilted before teh surgery on Monday. And after I'm out of commission for about 4-6 weeks, no lifting anything more than 5lbs, and no real movement for 1-2 weeks, I'm only in the hospital for 4 days though.
My geese all turned out badly, but since I didn't have another charm pack they got used anyway. I fudged the browns (wow that sounds dirty) and they are ok but there wasn't much hope for the reds. Since Little Bit decided she liked this one it will be made into a quilt for her "babies". Which will put it on the back of the couch half the time probably. Though one of the puppies looks like he wants to claim it.




I don't think I'm going to add applique. The fabrics were strong enough to not leave too much empty space. And the holly leaves I tried to add just didn't look right so, no applique this time....but it will happen lol.

Lover's Knot

So I got the 49 four patches cut down to 6 1/2 inches. This is NOT my favorite thing to do but it's done now. Here are the cuttings from that...well a 3/4 of them. The other have been stolen for another small scraps project. More on that later.


I have appliqued 21 of the blocks. I need to prepare more of the pieces before I can do anymore on this one.

Yesterday we got the batting and backing for DH's quilt. Tomorrow I plan on ironing the backing and getting the whole thing basted. I also am having Little Bit's new, to her, captain's bed brought over. Which require me cleaning her room. Which will not be fun but oh well. It will make things easier.

Progress

I got the last border sewn on DH's surprise quilt. Now I just have to find a long arm quilter.



I got a lot of applique ready while Little Bit was at the park this morning. All the sashing is cut out for Lillebet's Garden. All the blocks are done, and the applique is going well. Little Bit and I picked up 10 spools of embroidery thread this morning. She got to choose one and she chose, huge surprise, dark pink.
This is the prep. I have found I love having applique ready to glue baste. This is such a nice thing for me to have at the park etc when Little Bit is playing. I can watch her, but still be occupied. I have to confess that, after a while, I really do find it boring, sitting around watching her play. Especially after a few hours at the park.



Little Bit for DH to help dress up on of the dogs...they are so patient with her.

More Lillebet's Garden

I'm really enjoying doing this applique which for me is odd. I'm terrified of applique.
Seriously, it makes me want to cry. But not this method. It has me actually contemplating more applique. Crazy.
Here is 54 flowers, and a jar of the cutting from it.

See this is one of the things that drives me nuts about applique. The waste. Some of it is me, and my terrified of not enough, so I cut to generously around my applique, and then give it like 1/2" turnover allowance, which ends up meaning fewer shapes, and more waste. But some of it is inherent to to whole concept of cutting random shapes from large rectangles.
Hmmm...this is sounding more and more like life. I'm starting to conquer fears, especially that of failure and censure. Trying to take random events in my life and create something beautiful from it.

Here are most of the leaves and some of the berries or whatever the yellow is supposed to be.

I'm going to hold off finishing them until tomorrow or later. I think this may be a good thing for me to do at the park while Little Bit plays.

She's coming home today after an 10 day vacation with her bio dad. I miss her terribly. I'm hoping she has had a fun time. She didn't want to go, but normally comes back generally happy and in good health.

So, I'm off to work on the sashing to Lillebet's Garden and try and find a long arm quilter nearby for Prairie Paisley.

A break from Paisley for Lillebet

I took a break from DH's Prairie Paisley to work on Lillebet's Garden. A BOM I started last year and got tired of the ugly fabrics.
I still think most of them are ugly but I'm hoping in the larger overall look you won't notice that.
I've now finished all the sampler blocks, though I may redo the the last one. It was the third on with Y-seams yet it was the one that is kinda wavy.





We'll see after I get all the evil sashing done, and finish the applique.
I have all the flowers cut out and pressed to the fabric. I'd say I have about half of the shapes glue basted. The pattern has a 56 flowers and 80-something leaves.


The leaves get interesting because I had started last year by using freezer paper but have discovered something new, I haven't finished testing yet, so no grade or mention til I'm sure of my feeling towards it. I'm hopeful of an A though.

With all the rain I've been enjoying the clouds and just the refreshing way things have been looking. Yes there has been a lot of rain but it hasn't been dark and grey and blah. It's actually been nice.
I'm always surprised by the the little things.

Here one of my flowers that never bloomed or really grew much on my balcony decided to give some beauty after all, eh?

HST and JK graduation

I've been making half square triangle for the Gather Leaves pattern I started months ago. Lots and Lots of HST. Which I find to be incredibly boring to make.


There are 93. Now I have to sew them into beautiful and equally boring quarter square triangles. As you can see, the pattern is mostly made up of them.
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Little Bit had her last day of Junior Kindergarten Friday. She still doesn't really get that fact. Since she loved her teacher it's going to be hard to explain she doesn't get to go for the next two months. Hopefully daycare, which she also loves, will be an ok substitution for her. She hasn't slept well this week, getting up early and not falling asleep until late. So Friday around dinner I found her like this. She slept for about 13 hours straight, and then took a 3 hour nap in the afternoon yesterday.
Hopefully it means she'll be in a better mood this week. She is one cranky child when she is tired.

Birds and the Bees BOM

I finished these blocks a few days ago but didn't get around to taking a picture until yesterday.



I'm getting a bit better at the applique. Doesn't look too bad. I guess. Ok, I'm trying to convince myself I'm getting better and I will. I hope.

Two Colour Challenge

I know I promised to decide on my pattern by yesterday but obviously that didn't happen. I am going to try a triple Irish chain.
Here are a few of the blocks. I wouldn't put these specific ones next to each other because I made them using strip piecing so are too similar but at opposite ends of the quilt I don't think it will be too noticeable.



So my cyber friends, do you think the chain will be obvious enough? Or are my blues blending too much into the neutrals? DH think so but I think it might be ok still. My neutrals are not horribly neutral and I wish I had a lot more of them, but I'm trying to stash bust/diet a little right now.

5th paper pieced block

Here is my fifth paper pieced block. The colours are off for some reason. It is the same black etc used in the other blocks but there is a definite blue hue to them in the picture. I am finding when sewing the patches together that the add bulk of the paper, even the really thin disolvable kind, really makes it difficult to put the patches together nicely. And pressing them becomes a nightmare trying not to stretch the fabrics.

I went to Walmart trying to find the papers I preferred and could not find them. I was really bummed about it, and I could not find an associate to help. Which is a constant problem there. Which, among a million other reasons, is why I don't buy fabrics/craft stuff there very often.

I went to the doctor yesterday because I have been coughing like mad since Sunday. Apparently I have bronchitis that is attempting to become pneumonia (which is the weirdest word, not even remotely close to how it sounds and not following any real rules of the English language). So I'm loaded up on antibiotics and was given two inhalers. Luckily, if you can call it that, Little Bit is going to see her biodad for the weekend so I will be able to rest some.

Well I've procrastinated enough, I have to finish my readings for class tonight.

Another PP'd block

I finished another of the paper pieced blocks. It is a beautiful pattern but I could not sew it properly to save my life. Nothing matched up properly and I ripped out more seams than I care to remember.
I use the disolvable papers, which normally are so much easier for me to work with, but they don't take having seams ripped out very well. They'll survive one or two oops but after that the paper tears and has so little bulk left to work with. Normally the lack of bulk makes it easier for me but not when I really shouldn't be sewing. I ran out of the papers a little while ago so really have to get to the store to find some more. LQS doesn't carry them and I really don't want to wait to order them online so I think I'll take a trip out to Walmart tomorrow. Shhh...don't sic the Walmart/Quilt police on me for shopping there. I know, I really do, and if I had a lot of money I wouldn't shop there but I don't, so I do, so :P

In other quilty news, I have narrowed down my choices for the two colour quilt challenge to Lady of the Lake or various sizes of stars, probably sawtooth, although the stars and chains still keeps popping up when I think about it. Ok I am the most indesive person. And I really do want to get on with the fun part, cutting and sewing. I'm not big on the actual quilting part, and I hate, HATE, doing bindings but piecing I love.
I'll think about it some more today. I promise I will decide by Friday.

Tomorrow I have my first meeting with the Palliative Care team at the long term care centre I am volunteering at. I'm really nervous. I'm so afraid I'll make an idiot of myself. I know my stuff but it is scary going into a new setting with people who have been together a long time, and I do not know how receptive they are to my field. Death, Dying and Bereavement are not exactly big topics, even in the health care field.
And next week I start agency visits for my practicum. Things seem to be happening really quickly, even though they have been over a year in the works.
Ok deep breathes...and remember to breathe and everything will be fine...right?

Paper piecing and a New BOM

Here is yet another paper pieced block. I really like this one and may make some more another day. I had originally thought I could make all the blocks like stars using colour but I have decided I'll just go with the flow and make them as I'm inspired.

I started a new Block of the Month through the Fat Quarter Shop. This is one of my favorite online quilt shops.
The quilt is called Birds and Bees and is designed by Quilt soup. They really have some cute patterns.

This block is called Honey Bees. It was ok to make. I remembered while I was making it that I don't like applique and am not very good at it. It looks wonderful and beautiful but I'm really not very comfortable with it. I had to make two of these.

I'm still trying to decide on my fabrics for the Two Colour Challenge, (checkout Nicole for info) I can't decide. I did get the book The Simple Joys of Quilting. I haven't had a chance to check it out but hopefully it will give me some inspiration.

When DD is away, Mama will Play

Little Bit went to grandma's for the night so I got out my fabrics and decided to just cut. So I cut and I sewed. And viola!
The flying geese...





Than it occured to me that I kinda need my center before I can use my geese so...




And I need another star...

Hmmmm....maybe one more? Yes lets add another star, with corner blocks...



And here is one of the puppies checking out the block. Probably looking for another quilt to steal as a bed.


Now I only need 3,5 or 7 more to make a quilt out of. Or maybe a table runner, I'd only need one more than...hmm and I have enough fabric to make a few placemats...
Off to fondle the fabric and debate myself.

Go Bama, Roll Tide

I thought I'd post a picture of the pillow I made hubby. He is a massive Alabama Crimson Tide fan. Well for football anyway. It's the homestate Tarheels for basketball. Anyhoo, I found this fabric over a year ago but made the pillow last month for him.



To give you an idea of the size, hubby is 6'6''.

I'm hoping to work on the sashing and cornerstones for the Lillibet's Garden BOM

Late Night

I had a late night last night. I got to sewing and remembered I had some baggies filled with cut pieces for my Moda U quilt, the one that used the Allspice Tapestery bundle from Fig Tree Quilts, which is my favorite designer. Joanna has lovely lines, and her patterns are fun too. It was fun but I don't tend to sew too much until after DD has gone to bed, which was around 8 last night, and I didn't start until about 9:30. I finished about 12:30.





I also started a BOM from the Quiltery, it's called Lillibet's Garden. It should be very pretty. The only thing I'm concerned about is the cream is a white from the block I have received but the cornerstones and sashing are still a cream/beige.
I'll just have to wait and see. This quilt has a large amount of applique, which I'm still not horribly comfortable with. But it will be a good experience.