Design Wall Monday - 4/30/12 - Sylvias Bridal Sampler (SBS)

I start teaching a class in the fourth quarter this year, Sylvia's Bridal Sampler.  It is only 140 blocks and they are 6'' which right now seems tiny in comparison to my DJ.  I decided with this class I wanted the quilt done beforehand, especially since I will still be doing Dear Jane (we will be doing DJ a year in June and I am having a hard time staying interested in it...good thing I have the students to keep my on my toes), anyway I finally decided on the fabric so I am hoping this week to get started on it.

I had wanted to start it a couple of times in the last few days but I told myself I couldn't until I finished my DJ blocks, and after a 2 hour paper piecing session for one block they almost didn't get completed.

We picked browns, blues, greens and pinks and my backgrounds and sashings will be scrappy creams.

The bottom one is the border and the green is the sashing.

I did this block when I started this a couple of weeks ago and then decided it would be better to have the border first and then match the blocks. I really hate when I can't find a border to match and since we may have kits for this at work it was just easier to start over.  I originally had 4 blocks done but my colors were a little to bright.  What can I say it seems I am a bright girl working in a pastel shop.

This is the border fabric we chose and I actually like it. I think this will be a very pretty "girly" quilt, which I am really not one of but what the heck sometimes we need to step out of the box.

Hopefully I can show some progress on these blocks soon.  I would like the class to start in September so I need it done and quilted before then. 

Michelle

PS. This quilt will be right up there with my DJ, which will take a little over 2 years.  SBS will be 5 blocks a month so that will be a little over 2 years as well.  Gotta love the job security.

 

For more design walls head on over to Judy's

Stash Report 4/29/2012

I havent reported in almost a month. The first two weeks I didn't do any sewing...after that I was busier than busy.  Football season started for the little one and I was also really busy trying not to do the things that needed to be done so I wasted a lot of time., but I think I am back on track. Well, maybe not totally on track but I just decided that things aren't going to get done if I don't do them.  It doesn't matter if I like to do it or not but if I just spend a few minutes everyday doing something it will become a habit. Believe it or not just doing 10-15 minutes of something (sewing, knitting, applique, cleaning) every day...by end of the week you will be amazed at how much you get done.  I have a tendency to get side tracked on the computer (farmville anyone). So now with the new motto I have been able to cut kits, finish a couple rows of knitting, crocheting, still working on some of the cleaning though, and I feel tons better.

Anywho, back to the reason for the post.  I finished a couple of tops this week. I have the binding on my Orca Bay and can't wait until that is done (might be awhile....binding takes me forever). I also miscounted some fq's a couple of weeks ago, couldn't read my hand writing and I couldn't remember buying 60 FQ's..well a couple of days later I remembered---- I knocked over a brand new FQ tower I bought...my fabric doesn't even let me forget.

I have almost all of my blocks done for Dear Jane this month as well, just need to finish appliqueing two of them...I really need to force myself to finish them by Wed.

 

Used this Week: 19.84 yards
Used year to Date: 93.79  yards
Added this Week: 48.84 yards
Added Year to Date: 121.34 yards
Net Used for 2012: -27.55 yards


Not the greatest numbers but I did buy all of the fabric to make the top of my Sylvias Bridal Sampler...I have 2 more QOV to finish this week---one needs the binding the other needs quilting, and I have one more ready to piece together....now if I could just get busy....


For more stash reports head on over to Judy's .

Michelle

I had to do it

I had to do it.  I had to use that naughty 5 letter word.  I didn't want to but a disaster was in the making...I had to CLEAN. 

Friday night hubby was doing homework (we are such entertaining people) and I thought I would go up and sew (but I was procrastinating working on them DJ blocks) but I walked up to the studio and stopped and said what the heck. I can't find anything, everything is piled everywhere so why not start cleaning...it doesn't have to be spotless and I don't have to get up early in the morning.  so I tuned into the Rockies game and off I went.

I turned all of that into this. I put all of my BOM in their proper get to it in another life box.

By no means is it perfect but it is cleaned up, maybe one of these days I will take some pictures to show my other areas of shamefulness in the quilty arena...but I have to psyche myself up for that because I will won't to show before and after pictures and right now I don't want to clean it.

Stitch n peace

Michelle

Design Wall Monday 4/16/12

I really should have been sewing. I have DJ blocks to get done before the 1st of the month and I have Sylvia's Bridal Sampler I need to get crackalackin on.

I did get almost a complete quilt top quilted on Betty Lou.  I hope to finish it this afternoon. It is a simple meander on a QOV quilt and for my fist attempt I don't think it is looking half bad.

Saturday I ended up doing this... mine is the oddball in the group...the one wearing the black helmet.

It was a relief that this game turned out better. The first game of the season we ended up in the ER...he was QB and ended up blindsided...in a knee brace for a weekend. Luckily it wasn't anything major and he was back on the field by Thursday.

I took a beginning knitters class on Sunday (1 of 4), by the time I was home I had the urge to knit so that is what I did almost all day in between laundry and various other chores.  I guess this will be put on the back burner for a couple of days so I can get these blocks done for class.  Oh if only there was more time in the day.

I decided I like the way the seed stitch looked so I decidedd to make a scarf.  Hopefully I can continue full steam ahead and get lots of things done.

Have a wonderful week everyone..Head on over to Judy's for more design walls.



I'd Rather Be Quilting

I would rather be quilting than doing what we are getting ready to do.  We will be spending part of every weekend for the next couple of weeks, weather pending, fixing the yard. 

I can honestly say I would rather clean toilets everyday of the week than work in the yard.  I hate getting dirty. I don't like dirt in my nails. I don't like the sweat. I don't like the sun beating down on me. I hate working in the yard...but....a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.

The last two weekend my husband put these bricks in.  We are trying to keep the rocks from shifting downwards.  We have to fill it with rocks and smooth is out and this section will be done.  My mom suggested I take out the rock between and plant flowers.  There will be rock in there soon.

Here is a view from the front porch..there used to be grass in there but the hubster and kiddos took care of that real quick. Those bushes along the side walk out there will be removed and the trees that you can see the shadows of will be removed as well..one is dead the other almost.

The kiddos already pulled the wood that was the border between the rock and used to be grass area.  We will be expanding the rock to where the bushes are, and yes the bush on the right is history too,  and up into the dirt area.  We will end up with a circle in the center of the dirt section that we will section off and put and island of grass there.  I would do all rock but since this is my mother's residence will be doing what she wants.

This is the other side of the driveway. I will be filling this area up with flowers.  I plan on buying some of those lay out strips and filling this sucker full. I will also be cleaning out and fixing the other sections along the fence which also goes down the side of the property in an L.  Those will be my only concessions, well except for little ones garden in the back, to getting dirty in the dirt.  There are quit a few pots that I will plant some flowers in and spread around the yard in the 10 tons of rock that will be laid down. 

The flowers above have bloomed beautifully since this picture was taken. I am expecting any day to going out there and seeing them gone,  the deer love to come around chomp on those puppies.

Off I go....uugghhh\

Michelle

Quilts of Valor Progress

I am making progress on my QOV challenge of the year.  I have 2 tops completely done and ready to mail, 2 tops ready to quilt and 2 cut out ready to sew.  Now I just hope I can get the hang of my BettyLou (midarm) so that I can get them totally done.

I have been collecting red, white, and blue fabrics.  Right here is 42 different ones..perfect for home made jelly rolls.

Some fq's and yardage that will be used as well.

Three Jelly Rolls cut up....still didn't put a big dent in the piles either.

With my first jelly roll I decided to do my own little Jelly roll race.  No..I didn't time myself I know it took my a while but I had to keep getting up since my butt was getting sore.  I can tell you that the first two rows were the most difficult...they seemed to take forever and then it was...wow...I'm done.

The top done or so I thought...after further pondering I decided to add two borders.

I was having a hard time deciding what color to put as the inside border.  I decided on a goldish yellow. If I would have thought about it more I would have made it 1.5 or 2 inches instead of the 2.5 I used.  It is a little bit more yellow than I thought.

I then added a 4.5 inch border and called it good. It only took me the afternoon to get it done since I did the cutting yesterday.  I am sure I would have had it done quicker if I wouldn't have kept stopping to do other things.

I think with the other jelly roll I cut out I will do another one of these.  They aren't difficult and with all of my upcoming commitments it will be nice to do.  I only have 8 more to go before the end of the year.

This is the quilt that is on Betty Lou so hopefully I can report a completed top, well except for the binding of course by next week.  Wish me luck.

Michelle

PS...The best part is that all of the fabric including the backing and batting came out of my stash...yeppers this was all already in the studio. Maybe my numbers will start looking good here soon.

I Finally Did It

After almost a year, I finally did it.  I loaded my mid-arm and played with it.  It really wasn't as bad as I thought.  Well...once I got off the frustration and tears of 2 hours of trying to load the practice pieces on there...can anyone say stubborn.

I had trouble when I first turned on the machine....like it was going by itself and I couldn't figure out how to stop it....then I remembered the handles in the front with the black and red buttons on it...duh...I only unplugged and plugged in twice before I remembered.

I had a few tension issues but then once I figured out how to put the thread in properly and set the top tension to 7 (my regular machine is 5-6) I was making progress.

Bad tension for sure...you should have checked out the back....horrible.

Ok ...I'm catching on now

Just playing around now. It is much easier to free motion that is for sure. 

I have not almost loaded a quilt....I forgot how to load one again so I spent 45 minutes figuring that out and now the batting bar is coming apart so I have to wait for hubsters to come home to fix that then I can get busy..top and back are loaded. 

I hope I don't have too many problems when I go to quilt since this is my QOV4 for the year.  I will show that later.  It turned out nice I think considering it was a quickie.

Well off to rest after a full day of sewing.

Michelle

Design Wall Monday 4/9/2012

I have been really busy for the last couple of weeks but I am hoping that even with all the chaos going on I can get back to blogging.

I finished the following 2 samples for the store,  luckily they didn't take very long. I also finished my 10 Dear Jane blocks for the month and a couple of Sylvia's Bridal Sampler blocks as well.  I even finished a schnibble top which will hopefully be a class starting in July.

I made this one up in an afternoon.  Picture is not that good..I really need to get better at it.  I think I it is called Sugar Blossoms but I don't remember. 

This one is made with Hello Luscious fabrics and that is the pattern name as well.  This one uses a jelly roll and some yardage.  It was really easy to go together. I love all things Basic Grey so that was why I was given this sample.

Here is another picture.  It was too big to hang on the clothes line to I had to wrap it a little bit and then of course the wind picked up.

Don't you just love the dirt area underneath the clothes line.  That area is on our project list for this summer we have a bunch of paver like things we are going to put under there once we clear it out and get the paver sand. I have this area, re-landscaping the front yard and the youngest wants a garden so that will be on my list for the next month.  The ironic thing is I absolutely detest working in the yard.  I hate getting my hands dirty and yes I admit I am lazy.  But we had a garden growing up so I want him to experience as well and he brought up the idea, and is way stoked.

Check out more design walls over at Judy's .

Michelle