Quilting Saves the Day (Again)

This morning I woke up feeling unhinged...fretful and anxious and just. not. right. I did my chores and ran errands, knowing that after lunch I had to work on my thesis. Chapter 2 is still unfinished.

Once home I had lunch and instead of unhinged I began to feel as if the the hinges were broken and the lid had been ripped off....I did a little school work, but couldn't shake my feelings of "I don't want to" so, I just didn't.

Instead I finished a tiny bit of quilting on the pink quilt and attached the binding. The I layered, basted, machine quilted, and bound the little orange and green owl quilt. Yes, you read that right I FINISHED something today! And the pink one just needs the handwork and it will be finished too.

I put on music, drank some Dr. P, later I had some chocolate...the sun was pouring in and I wasn't worried about anything. It turned into a glorious day and guess what?....

The world didn't stop turning because I didn't do what I was supposed to do.

Yippee!

In other news: Several people have asked about the chicks. All are well and the hatchery is sending another order this week. I'm worried about a repeat of last week, but I'm trying not to think about it.

Vintage Dahlia blocks

Bought these lovelies (actually there are 20 of them) at an antique store. They are hand-pieced and hand-basted to white sugar sacks. Of course, my photos are crap. You know to expect that right? I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them just yet...I'm not thinking big quilt though...several of them say pillow to me. Not sure what these are saying...of course, I have zero spare time right now, but I am enjoying the "what if" process of thinking about these and all the possible things I could do with them.

Too Cold to Work Outside!

The hubs decided it was too cold to work outside and we both retired to our separate corners to do our own thing today. I spent the day piecing a scrappy log cabin variation. Fun stuff and just what I needed to feed my soul.

A FINISH...can you believe it?

Finished, bound, and on the bed. You remember this one right? I won it in a blog giveaway. The piecer is unknown, but it is hand-pieced. It was a little wonky, but I sorted that out with a wide border and some strategic pulling and pinning. I hand quilted it....I should say Utility quilted it....big sloppy stitches.

It turned out so well....the white bits in between the flowers must not have been pre-washed because when I washed it the crinkle came out just a bit. I LOVE it and what's more....it is king-size and I finished it while meeting all my school deadlines.

As for school....it still stinks, but I have to finish one more paper (4 pages to go) go to one more class, revise my thesis prospectus, and work 10 hours next week then I am done until January. The spring semester will be my last...one class and my thesis and then I get to figure out the job thing....this is a source of intense anxiety and worry. I feel fretful just saying "job." Enough of that now....just a few more days and I can play a little during the break.

Little Dish Rack Quilt

Forever and always we have used this ugly green towel under the dish rack. When I deem it dirty and it isn't laundry day it gets replaced with a clean towel that is even uglier.....tan and raggedy. Awhile back I saw a great idea for a dish rack quilt in MaryJane's Farm magazine....and true to form I stored the idea away for another day. Though I used the magazine article for inspiration I didn't follow their directions except that I bought the recommended June Taylor polyester fusible batting.

I had the center star block pieced....you know one of those, "that's looks cool, I think I'll try it" things. So, I try it, make just the one block, and put it in a pile of lonely solo blocks. I decided to make it the center and then I just rummaged around for something that would work with it. Since the center star was American Jane I found some 2 1/2 strips of the same and a little rectangle that was just enough for the corner squares. The yellow was about an 1/8 of a yard from the "stash" and sadly, the binding is a lovely yellow with bird tracks on it....the bird tracks aren't really in keeping with the American Jane style, but being binding you really don't notice the tracks....had I not used that I would have had to purchase something and I'm really trying to bust the stash down a bit.

I did this in the "quilt as you go" style meaning I (sort of) fused the backing to the batting then sewing the top together right there in place. It was the perfect project for me today and met all my current criteria for sewing and crafting.....

1. Doable in a day

2. Pretty and Practical

3. Make from things I already own

Wonky Dresden Plates

Yesterday Mom and I had a sewing day. I was determined to make some progress on the Dresden Plates. The prototype (the pic I posted a week or so ago) had gone together with no issues and laid pretty flat. I suspect that made me a little over confident. After cutting about 300 wedges and sewing the ends shut to make the point, I made one: wonky. I made another, being more careful: still a little wonky. I made a third, being even more careful: nice and flat.

This afternoon: wonky! I don't want to feel frustrated so I've moved on to other things, but JEEZ! I need 11 more of these and I don't know if I can stand the disappointment and frustration of piecing them.

Dresden Plate: Take 2

I didn't much care for the machine applique on the curves mostly because they were raw edges and they looked unfinished. I decided to try this, what I'm calling the necktie version, because the points are turned. It looks much better. One down and 15 more to go!

Off to wash the dogs...s

A Finish and a Start

Mom and I officially started our 2011 Shop Hop, but before I did anything I made myself finish the wall hanging I made for my sewing room. That weird bit at the top is the sleeve for hanging and eventually a rod will replace the three thumbtacks that are holding it now. Anyone want to lay bets on how long it stays thumbtacked?

For this year's "shop hop" quilt I thought I was going to do a Dresden plate, then for two days I mulled it over, waffled, waffled again, and finally decided to just try the pattern. What you see in the picture is just pinned to the background, but I'm in a quandary as to how to applique' it. Usually, I do fusible, but that just seems like a waste of fusible and a recipe for not getting it smooth since you would have to cut the fusible after your have pieced the plate....or at least that is what I'm thinking. I've never attempted needle-turn and I don't much like the idea of this project dragging on and on while I try to master something new AND do the hand work at a snail's pace. I'm sort of thinking I will attempt to machine applique it, but am worried that I won't get it secured enough to prevent shifting and puckering....Ai Yi Yi. I think I will tackle it today, so I'll keep you posted.

Almost....

This is close-ish detail of my sad machine quilting. Since this is a wall hanging that I made specifically for my sewing room I thought I would expedite things by practicing my machine quilting....it isn't heinous, but it isn't perfect either. Acceptable. I thought I would finish it tonight and though every thing is cut and ready to go for the binding and the sleeve I think I'll take a shower and read a bit before I go to bed.

Tomorrow, Mom and I are heading out for Day One of our Summer 2011 Shop Hop. My personal rules are one yard only at each shop, preferably in quarters, fat or otherwise. I'm hoping for stash building in the 30s and Civil War fabrics, but since I never met a fabric I didn't like I won't be bothered if a shop doesn't carry either. Not a problem, really.

A Finish! Woo Hoo!

Finally another finish. I've been absent lately because there have been birds to watch, gardens to water, dump truck loads of dirt to move, mulch to unload, bulldozers to watch, anniversaries to celebrate, houses to clean, walks to take,....you get the picture. But I have been quilting too.

This is the fabric I bought on our 2009 Shop Hop, mostly "Nest" by Tula Pink because I loved the one piece that is birds drawn out of sticks....love it! The back is "Nest" also....white with blue bird footprints, and teal with black footprints....love that too! Anywho, I bought the fabric in 2009, without a plan. Then last summer I went for fast and easy and did a big snowball. I started quilting it in the late summer (just before the semester started) and made quite a bit of progress, but then I got busy with school, and we moved, and so on and so on. For the last 6 months or so it has just sat in the frame....it sat so long it gathered dust, but after three partial days of quilting and countless episodes of M.A.S.H. it is done!

Yesterday's Project

This is what I worked on yesterday. Since you all know I'm a stinky photographer I won't even apologize for the crappy photo, but hopefully after I quilt it I can get a better one.

I have decided that anything new that I start this summer has to fit two criteria. 1. It has to have a point and a purpose (ie. this wall hanging was chosen and created specifically to hang in this space in my sewing room). 2. It has to be do-able this summer.

I'm making two exceptions: The Elizabeth Crockett Quilt and the Farmer's Wife....I intend for those to be WIPs in the upcoming months. There is no way I could finish either in just a couple of months. Other than those two quilts, everything else either has to be a "finish" or do-able. I can't handle the burden of my UFOs anymore! With that said, I haven't taken a single stitch today and it is already 4pm and I still need to make a trip to the grocery store. BLECK!

Project NO UFO: "finish" #2

Since yesterday, about this time (2pm) I've finished putting together three tops. The blocks were all sewn together, but there they sat screaming "UFO, UFO, UFO". That black and yellow one has been in the works for years. I do mean years, something like 10 years to be exact. I so loathe the sight of it and it is a mystery why I, who hates yellow and black together, chose that color combo. Since I have nothing appropriate to back it with it is going into the Project Linus donation bag immediately and I hope to never see it again. The little blue and yellow one is also being considered for donation, but I do have something that might work for a back for it, so perhaps I'll tack it and donate it finished or maybe use it as a practice quilt for quilting on my machine....I'm certainly not going to hand quilt it. It needs to be finished sooner than that!

The patchwork with the pink sashing is MINE! It makes me happy to look at it and I pieced those blocks while house-bound during last winter's many snow/ice days. I was working on my grad school "stuff" and was plenty busy, but finally cracked and broke out some sewing. I pieced all of one day and a little the next, but then I had to get back to work. They've only been sitting a few months, but they were starting to whisper "ufo, ufo, ufo."

The burden is starting to lift....still haven't made that list yet, and maybe I won't. This "walk in and work" technique seems to be working, so I'll try to keep it up.

Project NO UFO: Finish #1

I'm on a mission to finish UFOs this summer. I'm pretty sure I said that last summer. I'm not going to vow not to start something new, but I'm going to plug away at "the finishing". I would love to start the fall semester with a few WIP projects that I can pick up and put down, but be unburdened of the ones that I'm not absolutely in love with and excited about. I'm headed back to my sewing room and I might make a list, but it might just be healthier for me to tackle them one at a time without knowing how many there really are....oh yeah, you would be right in identifying this as Bunny Hill's Tisket Tasket minus eight blocks.....I had five done, threw out the one I didn't like so well, filed the pattern, made the wall hanging, FINISHED (and yes, I know that is cheating).

Hodge-Podge

I saw this quilt at the Dallas Quilt Celebration...of course, I don't know who did it...come on, you know me by now. In fact, I'd like to use this quilt as an analogy and not having a clue as to who made it plays into to that analogy perfectly.

So, the hodge-podge of my life quilt analogy.

I can't seem to decide on anything so there's a little of this and a little of

that. Big things and small things get equal value...ie. I sweat the small stuff as the saying goes. Some of the pieces are JUST.NOT.RIGHT, yet they are right in the middle of it all. It is discordant, and distracting, but somehow it works and that is just how things are feeling right now. If I could extract the red bits, particularly that little rectangle of random flying geese it would be much better....but then again, if you remove the icky bits then there are gaping holes....which is worse? icky bits or holes?

But I would really like my life to be like this: a BALANCE of order and chaos....BALANCE....

Saved by Quilting

This is a quilt that I posted about earlier. I almost chucked it, but then I reconsidered, ripped it completely apart, bought more fabrics in more colors and put it back together. I added a fabulous print for the border and I still wasn't too happy with it....but I have to tell you that the quilting saved this one. My friend Donna quilted it for me and it is AMAZING! Can you see those windy waves? I love it! I don't think I will ever do that modern blocky thing again, but if for some reason I do I am going to have her quilt it....the quilting makes it.

Little Cedar Tree

This is the quilt from the quilting bee....with just another day's worth of work I finished it, quilting and binding. I did cheat on the binding...maybe I'll create a tutorial, but really it was a no brainer. O and I had noticed that Tricia Cribbs seemed to sew her binding on with the machine instead of by hand. I figured if it was good enough for Tricia Cribbs then it was good enough for me so, I decided to try it and it worked like a charm. I was finished in no time. If I was doing this by hand it would six months on the back of the couch...I'm just too slow.

Last Summer's "shop hop" quilt

Last summer Mom and I did our own "shop hop". We had rules like you had to buy fabrics that would work together toward one quilt, and you could only spend $10 in each shop. I ended up with a lot of the fabrics in the Nest line, but a lot of random pieces too. I loved the colors, had a pattern in mind, but stuck it in a box and left it.

Sunday, after two long days of working on the house I gave myself a day off of sorts and while doing six loads of laundry I pieced this quilt. What you see here is the sandwich and at 9:45 that night I put it in the frame and started the quilting.

Mom and I are leaving this morning for a little road trip, hitting some quilt shops down south and generally just messing around. I figured that I really couldn't justify doing another "shop hop" this summer when last summer's fabric was in a pile...SO THERE!

See you in a few days, the laptop is staying home.

Rusty Garden Heart: ALMOST done

At Last...

I just finished stitching my last three hearts for the Rusty Garden Heart. Yet another of my UFOs and technically it is still a UFO, but the stitching takes me a long time. Hopefully, I'll get to put it together soon.

Elizabeth Patton Crockett's Quilt

I've been eyeing the Elizabeth Patton Crocket book....I can't remember what it is called....

Scraps of Life (thank you Google/Amazon for letting me get the title without going downstairs to get the book).

Anywho, I've been eyeing the book, but thinking that maybe I wasn't up to piecing such small pieces (1 1/2 inch), but my friend O watched me ogling the book and the lovely sample block and gave it to me for my birthday. It's interesting to read, but it is the quilt I'm most interested in. The top apparently was never quilted after being pieced between 1850 and 1860. It was passed down through the family and finally ended up at the Alamo according to this book (I've not finished reading it, but she doesn't seem to cite any sources so it is all hearsay as far as I'm concerned). The book has a photo of the poor, old tattered top and then each block is photographed and the fabrics isolated so that you can see each one. I made an attempt to "match" the fabrics used in the first block BUT I'm only going to use scraps.

(yeah, yeah, I know I shouldn't be starting anything new, especially something so ambitious, but I'm working on my other projects too)