Batik Jacket

I found this delicious fuchsia batik at Beverly's Fabrics.  Last night I cut out a jacket, from the pattern by CNT Pattern Company called "A Little Somethin' Jacket".  I wanted to try this pattern out first in a light weight cotton for summer to see if I would like it in perhaps a corduroy or a blended wool for winter.  It went together incredibly fast!  I don't think I spent more than an hour on this.  There are a total of 6 seams in the jacket and then you will need to hem the sleeves and the bottom and stitch down the neckline.  Here's how it turned out...

I think I will sew some light weight shoulder pads for it today.  It has a nice drape, no buttons, self facing, really a very easy pattern.  I have a Fuchsia dress that this will go nicely with and I think it would look nice over levi's or slacks too.  

Here is a link for the pattern company, they have a great selection of patterns, many which would be great quilted!  http://www.cntpattern.com/Patterns.html

Quilter's Church in Newcastle, Maine

Quilt show at the 2nd Congregational Church of Newcastle Maine 16 July 2010 .  I love how the folks display their quilts across the pews.  I'm sure, although it seems a bit irreverent to me to use a chapel for that purpose, that Heavenly Father loves those beautiful quilts.   And if folks are coming to see them, well then, that's certainly a way to get them into church!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/genevogt/4799871483/

Dogs

I don't know who this little dog is, he was featured on my puppy of the day link on this blog, I love his face, he reminds me of my dog Bummer who is in the picture at the right.  That picture was taken at Jenner Beach in California in 1971.  He was an awesome dog, you could pick up a big log, toss it out to sea and he would retrieve it, smiling the whole time.  He use to chase squirrels when we would go on a hike together in the hills above Sonoma where I grew up.  Well, you are missed Mr. Bummer, you were a mighty fine companion.  I'm sure the little guy above will be a special companion for someone as well.

Drunkard's Path Video by Elisa Wilson & Auditioning Fabric

The lovely thing about taking a photo of your fabrics before you cut them...you can see in a moment, the one that doesn't work.  So I will continue the dig tomorrow for one more that will work in place of that glaring one in the middle of the pack here.  There are actually two in this bunch that I'm not sure about...3rd row center and 3rd row far right.  Below is a video of the quilt that I will make with this fabric.  She is using charm packets in her video, I will be using fat quarters and a larger template for a bigger quilt, rather than a table runner.  I may pop in more light fabric...we'll see, I'll have to hover over this for a bit before I cut.  I met Elisa Wilson at the Pacific International Quilt Show about 5 years ago and have made one quilt with her plexiglass templates. Easy and Fun.  Thinking about another using some different techniques she has demonstrated in other videos.

3 1/2" Drunkards Path from Elisa Wilson on Vimeo.

Blooming 9 Patch

This is the next project that I will be quilting on Deanna's quilting machine.  She was kind enough to offer and I have been dying to get this one finished up.  This was so much fun to make.  Picking out the fabrics was the best part.  The sewing is basic strip pieced 9 patch blocks sewn together with simple squares, it actually goes together very fast.  This pattern is from the book "Tradition With A Twist" by Blanche Young and Dalene Young Stone, published by C & T Publishing 1996.  The pattern is on page 78.  Sometimes the most basic pattern can work into something wonderful.  I am delighted with this quilt top.  Below is a close up of the piecing.

One of the most helpful things my friend taught me on this quilt was to make a fabric map.  Cut a 1 inch piece of each fabric and assign it a letter or number as indicated by the pattern, helps you keep it all straight.  If you click on this photo it will open in another window and you can make out the 9 patches and the simple squares, you can see how easy it is for yourself.  Dramatic effect.  Fabrics with white or ivory bits add sparkle and others blend seamlessly, one into another...and that's the objective!

Patriotic Quilt

Well, making progress, the center is simple strip piecing, cut into 10 inch blocks, turned on point and stitched together, all done on my serger which made it really fast.  Working on the corner stones which are paper pieced and then I will tackle the stripe border which will have a bright gold in it, should make it pop a bit. The quilt below will be a fellow patriotic quilt, it's the Turning Twenty pattern, but I'm not sure what I want to do for the border of it yet and I think I'm going to applique some stars about in the same gold fabric used in the quilt.  Not sure yet.  Pretty clear on what I 

want for the one above.  Turning Twenty is 

quick and easy but I'm not enamored with

the outcome.  I will, however, keep us warm

this winter while we are watching TV.

I like paper piecing for this purpose, it allows me to create a design which I normally couldn't piece without difficulty.  Makes it quick and I'm all for quick!

If you have ideas for a border for the one below, let me know, drop me and e-mail or make a comment.

Been looking around for ideas for my next project after I finish my patriotic twin quilts for John and I to snuggle under.  I saw this site with "boxy stars".  They look quick, easy and fun, so I think the next design will be something around this...

http://www.quiltville.com/boxystars.shtml

Also on her website is this photo of her stash...I can relate!  I have been folding boxes of fabric for weeks and sorting into colors, but you know what?  I realized that I have a lot of fabric, I don't need to go to the store for any fabric, I can clearly work out of my stash for many years to come.  I am a fabric junkie and you only have to ask my husband how I twitch when we pass a fabric store, it's pathetic.  If I had unlimited sums of money, I could wander for hours and hours, touching and feeling all the pretty colors, dreaming of future projects (ignoring those that have gone unfinished in my drawers at home)  My commitment to myself this year is to finish at least two of those UFO's.

So I have this pile of scraps on the living room floor which are not large enough to fold and keep with the stash, so I am on a mission of what to do with these pieces that are too small to fold but too big to toss.  I cannot bear to waste fabric, I don't know where that came from.  This last quilt that I am currently working on, I have forced myself to toss out anything that is less than 1 inch in width.  And every time I toss a piece into the trash I feel like a chicken killing dog.  I hear my grandmother's voice in my head "there are children starving in China".  I guess I could save them and send them off to China, but send them to who and exactly how much would that cost?  These are the kinds of obsessive compulsive thoughts that ramble around in my head.  Moving back to the ironing board or the sewing machine and continuing with the project, I try to refocus on something else to force them out of my head.   Sometimes it works and then sometimes I find my self standing over the trash to see if I inadvertently tossed out something of value.  SICK!

Patriotic Quilt

This is my design.  I started the center with strip quilting 10" blocks using up old pieces of blue and red fabric.  The finished center is very scrappy looking.  Simple strips for the border sashing 8" wide and the corner stones are 8" New York Beauty blocks with an extra tip in the center to extend the ray.  I'm happy with the design and with the center finished, I will work on the corner stones this weekend and perhaps the sashing as well, we'll see how far I get.  Should have this top finished up in a couple weeks and ready for quilting!  Stay tuned for the final product.

The Weekend Plan 6/18/10

This weekend I plan to set up my quilting machine tracks which allow me to essentially use my regular sewing machine as a quilting machine.  I plan to set it up in the living room (don't tell my husband)(first I'm going to see if it will fit in the master bedroom) and finish up some quilts that have been calling my name lately.  Also I have a design that I'm working on for an art quilt for winter and during my fabric folding, came across two pieces of fabric that are going to be absolutely perfect!

     How is it that when you are "organizing" things seem to get a bit messy first?  I have a pile of scraps on the living room floor left over from my frenzied folding this weekend (ah Red Bull, a girls best friend when you need to get something done!)  I am getting fierce with tossing out the random small bits, proud of myself for that.  Stripping up the bits that are 1 1/2 inches or larger in width and tossing them into the pile.  I think some plastic shoe boxes will work for the color sorting and then I will start working up some strip quilts to donate this year and get that stash off my shelfs!  

     I have a dear friend Mona who lives in Ukiah and my next BIG quilt project will be for her.  She has been an amazing friend and I really don't know where we would be without her!  Right now her brother is very ill and needs all our prayers.  Her favorite color is blue and I have a pretty good idea of what she would like, so I am sorting with the thought in mind of fabrics that will work in her design.  I sorted and folded 5 boxes this weekend and there are STILL several more to go!
    Okay...so take a look at this!  Here is what I can do with all my tiny bits...http://www.quiltsbyann.com/Shredded_Quilt_Technique.html  Am I losing my mind???  Here's another method...http://www.hgtv.com/crafting/fortune-cookie-challenge/index.html

Finally! It's On The Bed!

     This photo just in from Andrew!  I finally got his quilt finished and he was able to carry it home to London, England in his suitcase.  I think he's really happy with it, I know I am!  Almost sad to see it go, it's been such a part of my life for the past year.  I'm grateful to Deanna Wright for letting me use her quilting machine, I would not have been able to finish it without it.  So much fun, I really want one now...have to save those pennies for a long time though, they are rather costly. 

     Starting on a new project this weekend, a red white and blue quilt from strips with kind of a basket weave effect and a little pink baby quilt out of some left overs for donation.