Friday, April 19, 2013

FMQ Friday - Solace

Free Motion Quilting Friday

Today is Free Motion Quilting Friday over at Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting Project.

The rules are simple:
  1. Link up with a post that features something about Free Motion Quilting (FMQ). 
  2. Somewhere in your post, you must link back to Leah's site, or you can just post the FMQF button in your sidebar. 
  3. Comment on at least a few of the other FMQF links. Share your love of free motion quilting and make this weekly link up a fun way to connect!  
So it's been some helluva week, right?  It's getting to the point where I just want to go back to bed and pull the covers over my head - no news, no phone or facebook or twitter...nothing except a few episodes of 24 because I know Jack will get the bad guys.  On top of all the national news, we've had several people close to us get some shattering health/marriage/job loss news this week as well, and I'm on emotional overload.

Between my new work schedule and the other personal stuff, I've hardly touched my quilting.  Yesterday morning, though, after the news of the explosion in West, Texas, I needed it more than ever.  I pieced the back for the Family Ties quilt and basted it before work.

This morning, my boss asked me not to come in until 10, so I had another chunk of time to quilt and soothe my anxious heart with fabric. I'm so grateful.


I'm just getting started, but I love this quilt so much already.  My only concern after starting this spiral is that it is too dense a quilting pattern for a newborn.  I'm seriously considering ripping it out, which might be the straw that breaks the camels back and sends me right around the bend.  But I want it to be right.  Thoughts?
 
By the way, the baby girl for whom I'm making it is now officially EIGHT days late.  Good for me; not so much for her poor mama who is ready to get this show on the road. 



Wednesday, April 10, 2013

WIP Wednesday - Sneaking Sewing In

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

I'm linking up with WiP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.

I haven't gotten too much done this week as I'm working a temp job.  (Prayers that it turns permanent!  I love this company!)

But I have taken the wisdom of many working quilters and the March Along to heart; yesterday I had about a half an hour between when everyone else was out of the house and I had to leave.  I put together these strip twist blocks for the Prayer Quilt Ministry.


It wasn't much but it's forward progress.  I hope to add the borders little by little and get the finished top to them by the next meeting.

How do you sneak in your quilting when the schedule is busy?



Monday, April 8, 2013

Q2 FAL Goals - Let's Try This Again

she can quilt

It's time to list our 2nd quarter goals for the Finish-A-Long.  Let's hope this quarter goes better than the last!

I'm going to put the Family Ties quilt on this list, because the baby should have been here by now.


I'm also putting that dang Christmas table topper back on the list.  I want it DONE!


Last will be my dad's 70th birthday quilt.  I have just started cutting novelty fabrics for this one.

I hope that choosing only three projects, two of which are very goal oriented, will help me stay on track.

What's on your list?



Sunday, April 7, 2013

Spring Break

We just got home from a blissful week at the beach.  Normally Spring Break = Staycation for us, but since this is our last year with all three kids on the same break (~sniff~) we decided to splurge on a real vacation.

My main objection to going away this crazy week is the crowds and the traffic.  We went to Disney World one year and I swore:  NEVER AGAIN!

This year The Pit Boss handled all the details and sent me a text with the location.  He chose this quiet barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico.  I didn't have to worry about crowds.  Or lines. 


The main attraction every night was the spectacular sunset.  It was the busiest time of day on the beach; sometimes we saw as many as twenty other people.  Even on the nights when the sky wasn't totally clear, we all agreed.  A cloudy sunset at the beach is still better than a good day at home!



This is also where our vacation personalities were exposed.  The Pit Boss would much rather have been at Disney or Universal or MGM (or even Epcot).  The Bear might have preferred Destin or Panama City Beach (or anywhere with more teenage girls.)  Gracie might have chosen somewhere with less ecology and more shopping.  They all sacrificed a little bit so I could have the perfectly relaxing week of nothing but sun and sea.

But my oldest child is one with my heart.  He had no trouble relaxing.  He walked for miles on the beach, searched for lightning whelks on our kayak trip, and painted the shoreline. 


I caught up on podcasts, made 100 hexagons, and let the sound of the waves soothe my soul. 


I hope you find some time this week when your heart is truly happy!



Friday, April 5, 2013

FMQ Friday - Learning Process

Free Motion Quilting Friday

Today is Free Motion Quilting Friday over at Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting Project.

The rules are simple:
  1. Link up with a post that features something about Free Motion Quilting (FMQ). 
  2. Somewhere in your post, you must link back here, or you can just post the FMQF button in your sidebar. 
  3. Comment on at least a few of the other FMQF links. Share your love of free motion quilting and make this weekly link up a fun way to connect!  
I already posted the picture of this on Sunday, but I wanted to share a few things I learned from this project on FMQ Friday.


First, cheap thread is hardly ever worth it.  This spool was such a pain in the neck, and not just because of the thread quality.  Although it was pretty bad.  I had a lot of this.


Do you see the edges of this spool?  It is practically designed to catch and snag the thread and completely screw up your tension.  One time it even snapped the tip off a needle.  This prevented me from using the spool horizontally.


There is a reason that Aurifil spools look like this.


I finally used a tool that came with my machine, but which I had never before needed.  For some reason, when it was vertical this thread would occasionally jerk or spin and some of the thread would fall down around the spindle and knot up.   This little net kept the thread from doing that.


As I mentioned last Friday, a metallic needle was the only way I could keep this from making a huge mess. I still used FOUR needles on this little tiny project.

After all that, though, I think it may be my favorite free motion piece I've ever done.  I love the colors and textures created solely by the quilting.  It really did turn out almost exactly as I imagined it.

The main thing I've learned is that practice really does make perfect.  By the time I did the practice postcard and then moved on to this, I was no longer intimidated by any of these four designs.

Thanks so much to Leah for the inspiration and encouragement!  



Thursday, April 4, 2013

Q1 FAL - Close But No Cigar

she can quilt

This is where I'm supposed to link up my first quarter finishes for the Finish Along, so it's going to be a short post.

Back in January I had reasonable goals.  I did make some progress on getting my Christmas table runner quilted, but my indecision about those triangles lingers.

I haven't even touched the bag or the 4" block swap quilt.

And though it wasn't really on my list, I did get the top finished for the Family Ties quilt.  I also finished non-list items like the bag for my niece, the fabric postcard and the mini quilt for Easter.

I suppose this is exactly why I have so many UFOs to begin with; I plan to work on one thing and then get sidetracked by the new shiny thing that catches my attention or stirs up my creative juices.  In the end, what really matters to me is that I keep on creating. 

How did you do this quarter?



Wednesday, April 3, 2013

WiP Wednesday - Hexies on the Beach

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

I'm linking up with WiP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.


We are on Spring Break this week, so I'm working on something way outside my comfort zone...


HEXIES!


I can't honestly say I love them, but I don't hate them quite so much anymore either.  It is nice to have such a compact project to take along in the car. 

What are you working on?



Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Greer's Sister's Quilt AKA Family Ties

I am so happy with how this quilt turned out, and thought I'd share a little bit about my process.


As you may remember from my design post,  I got the original idea from this post over at The Thompsons.  I tracked the pattern she used back to this post on Moda Bake Shop.

After playing with the design and getting input from all of you, I chose this design:


Note:  the main difference between this design and the other patterns is that there is no sashing; also the pink blocks are turned 180 degrees so that the blocks appear to link together instead of all of the blocks being oriented the same way.  This is important when you are piecing the blocks.  I learned this the hard way.  However, if your center fabric is NOT directional, then it doesn't matter at all and you can just piece the blocks all the same way.

My finished blocks are 12" square; the finished quilt is 48" square.  I made 16 blocks in a 4x4 setting.

The fabric requirements for this quilt are:
  • Focus Fabric - I fussy cut this so I needed quite a bit more.  If you are simply cutting squares, you need 1/4 yard
  • White - 1 yard
  • Pink - 2/3 yard
  • Purple -2/3 yard 
  • Back - I chose to piece the back.  This is an awkward size to back with just one fabric.
  • Binding - 1/2 yard

You need to cut:
  • 16 4 1/2" squares of your focus fabric
  • Pink
    • Eight 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" strips
    • Sixteen  2 1/2" x 6 1/2" strips
    • Eight   2 1/2" x 8 1/2" strips
    • Thirty-two  2 1/2" squares
  • Purple
    • Eight  2 1/2" x 4 1/2" strips
    • Sixteen  2 1/2" x 6 1/2" strips
    • Eight   2 1/2" x 8 1/2" strips
    • Thirty-two  2 1/2" squares
  • White
    • Thirty-two 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" strips 
    • Thirty-two 2 1/2" x 8 1/2" strips 
    • Thirty-two 2 1/2" squares
  • Binding
    • For 2 1/2" straight of grain binding, cut six 2 1/2" strips.
    • For 2 1/2" bias binding, cut a 27" square
  • Backing - leftovers or fabric to make a 52"- 56" square

I chose not to assemble my blocks the way they did in the Moda Bake Shop Post.  I cannot justify cutting apart fabric just to sew it back together again when one piece would serve the same purpose.


First I took the 4 1/2" squares of focus fabric and added the purple/pink strips log cabin style.

 

Note:  A great leader-ender while you are piecing these blocks is to pair each of the 2 1/2" white squares with a colored square (16 of each color).  You can then sew those 8 of each color pair to a white 6 1/2" strip (set B) and 8 of each color to a white 8 1/2" strip (set D).  You can sew the leftover colored squares (split evenly by color) to a white 6 1/2" strip (set A) or a white 8 1/2" strip (set C).






I sewed a Set A strip to the left side of each purple block and the right side of each pink block.  This is where you have to pay attention! The colored block should be at the top regardless of color.


Next, sew a Set B strip to the bottom of the block.  The colored square should be in the lower right corner for the purple blocks and the lower left corner for the pink blocks.









Next, sew a Set C strip to the other side of the block.  The colored square should be closer to the bottom.


Last, sew a Strip D set to the top of the block.  The colored square should be in the upper left on the purple blocks and the upper right on the pink blocks.

I cannot find the picture I took of the completed pink block, but you can see how it looks in the photo below.

Now it's time to play!  Arrange your blocks on the bed design wall until you find a layout you are happy with.  I wanted to make sure that the same girls were not right next to each other.


Instead of piecing my quilt in rows, I sewed them into bigger chunks of four blocks.  Then I sewed those four big blocks together.

I chose not to use a border, but you could.

Even though this is kind of a prissy girly quilt, I think the block design would be great for a guy quilt.  What would you do with this block?

If you make this quilt, I would love to see pictures.  Also, please let me know if I have made any errors.  I tried to take lots of notes and pictures while making it.

Next week we'll start quilting and see if we can beat the baby to the finish line!



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