Quilting: Background Choices

Yeah, that's the Kona Sunrise bundle...and I bought it a few months back because I just love it!

Now I've found the perfect pattern to use it in...I think it will show off the fabric quite perfectly and become a quilt I'll want to use forever.

It's a star quilt...where I'll need a background fabric to offset the star fabric.
   The star will be one of the fabrics from the bundle..
   The star will be embedded in a solid block of color, a different fabric from the bundle.
   It will be embedded in a block consisting of another one of those fabrics.

And there will be a third fabric...a background fabric to the star.

Which background fabric should I use?

Normally I'd just use the Kona White...it's my go-to background fabric, and it'd offset the blocks perfectly.

But I'm second-guessing myself....when I went to the fabric store, I brought home a bit of the Kona Aqua...and it works perfect with these fabrics.  Besides stars come from the sky..and should reside in a blue fabric, right?

Decisions, decisions...the safe choice is with the White, but I really love the Aqua.

Help a girl out...what would you choose?

Quilt: Scrappy Trip Around the World FINISHED!

Woohoo!

First finish of 2014!

Scrappy Trip Around the World
  Fabric: Fun Flowers by Holly Holderman of LakeHouse Dry Goods
  Pattern: Scrappy Trip Around the World found at Quiltville.com
  Quilting: Lisa Alexakis at Sew Modern

I had started this last year...
  completed the top rather quickly....
  because it was an easy pattern.

Found the backing fabric...
 pieced it together...
 got it to Lisa for quilting...
 who did a marvelous job!

And there it sat....
  for almost six months...
  just needing binding.

I detest handsewing...
  and binding is handsewing.

But it's been colder the past few nights here in California, and I got it done.
  I was nice to have on my lap...keeping my legs warm while I sewed it down.

Thinking I should learn how to machine bind, as I've got another in my WIP pile just needing binding too!

Sewing: Hubby Ripped Them for Me!

Some tiimes you need something simple to sew...welll at least I do on occasion.
  Something really easy-peasy...
  Something requiring no pattern...
  Something you can do in your sleep...

And this was one of those times.
    And it needed to be in the colors featured in the front room...
    Kona Peapod was the first up...
    Sort of a bright citrus green guaranteed to brighten your day.
    Perfect contrast to the stark brown leather sofa.

I went searching on Pinterest and found the Plus and Minus blocks.
   They could be based on a 9-patch block
   Center is white...
   Corners are Peapod...
   Center is striped white/Peapod.

Easy enough, right?

It was...until I started doing math and tried to figure out how to speed piece these blocks.

I stripped together three sets of:
    4.5 inch x WOF of Peapod
    4.5 inch x WOF of White
    4.5 inch x WOF of Peapod
 and then subcut into 4.5 inch rows for the outside of the block.

They were perfect...
   the seams were straight...
   I was so proud of myself for coming up with a shortcut.

But then I realized ALL 24 ROWS WERE SEWED INCORRECTLY!
  That center white piece should be a striped Peapod/White block!

And then Dear Hubby came to the rescue and RIPPED ALL THE SEAMS FOR ME!

That, my dears, is true love!

Quilt: Rooftop Garden Facade

It's finished!

First thing I do when I've finished a quilt is show it off to the Hubby.

Sometimes he likes them...
 sometimes he dislikes them....
 then there's the one he told me needed to leave the house because one color didn't work.

This one is different.

It's Hubby approved...only the second time in years that he's approved a quilt that I've done.

Direct quote: It's one of my favorites, ranking up there with the Canyon Sunset quilt. The white with the colors...the design makes it pop!.

A little close-up of the front of the quilt.
















A little close up of the back of the quilt...a large floral on gray.   Isn't it just scrumptious?






The color of the fabrics, the pattern design, and the quilting make this a wonderful quilt that we're proud to display in our home

Credits:
Pattern: Facade by Rachel Griffith Designs, www.psiquilt.com
Fabric: Rooftop Garden by Moda Fabrics, www.unitednotions.com
Quilting: Lisa Alexakis at Sew Modern, www.sewmodernonline.com

Last Week In Review

Hey there!

It's been a busy week or two...

First, Edgar celebrated his first birthday!  Look at the difference between puppy Edgar and teenage Edgar...he's grown up!  He's a total redhead, weighs in at 82.5 lbs at the moment, eats four cups of dog food a day, and loves to play ball.

Next, I was lucky to take a class with Emily of Carolina Patchworks at Road to California. I learned a lot, especially the fact that I could actually handle a quilt with a lot of small pieces.

And finally, I attempted to make a Scrappy Lone Star with Janice of Better Off Thread.  Janice gave me the confidence to actually do this and not to worry if things weren't exactly perfect.

Other than that, I managed to finish my Scrappy Trip Along quilt top...or at least I thought I did.  When it came to laying out the quilt, I found myself ONE block short....so now I'm scrounging around a bit for matching fabric to finish that last block.  (p.s. If you have any old Lakehouse in your stash, would you let me know? I need a strip of the pink and orange and green...)

So what have you been up to???

Quilting: Scrappy Trip Around The World

If you haven't figured it out, I'm an InstaGram junkie lately...even my husband comments that I can't put it down.

And on InstaGram there have been lots and lots of quilters starting out the New Year making a Scrappy Trip Around the World quilt...simple, colorful, and uses up your scraps/stash...seamed perfect to me.

So I went to my stash to pull a few things out...and instead of scraps came out with two old jelly rolls...colorful and bright...just what the cold, rainy days here in Southern California needed.

However, there was no backing fabric anywhere near those colors in my stash...nor was there anything close to a binding fabric...those colors were a bit out of my colorway back then.

Scoured the internet for a bit provided some yardage, but I will be doing the scrappy back as I only found enough for the binding and two pillowcases with a bit left over for the back.

Pillowcases...check!

Binding...check!

Scrappy Hearts...check! Wait...how did that get in here?

Can you say unexpected inspiration?  Valentine's Day block + Pellon's Quilter Grid made it easy to put together...thinking either a pincushion or a throw pillow...haven't decided yet.

Now that everything's settled I'll start working on the quilt blocks...want to join in?

Quilt: Her Graduation Quilt

Sorry for the not-great picture...2:00 a.m. in the hotel room doesn't have the best light.

But I had just finished binding the quilt...we were giving it to her after the graduation ceremonies.

Four years....

I figured I had plenty of time....

Especially since I had the top pieced together since her first semester at Purdue for years before.

All I needed to finish was the machine applique on the center medallion and to have it quilted...

Time catches up quickly with you, doesn't it?

Sewing: Official Support Team

Umm...I'm sorta obsessed with The Christmas Story movie...remember Ralphie Parker and the pink bunny suit Aunt Clara makes him?

I need to go to his house in Cleveland...really, truly NEED to go!

And I was planning on going in December, as I would be in Indiana for our daughter's graduation...it's just a few hours to Cleveland, right?

And I could visit a few friends and a few quilt shops along the way, right?

But someone said the nasty word...December means SNOW in Indiana and Ohio...lots and lots of snow.

I live in Southern California.  We have rain, thunder, lightening, winds, maybe an occasional water spout over the ocean....but only have seen snow twice where I live.

I have never driven in the snow...I've passed through Chicago airport enough to know snow can mess up airplane schedules...and since my travel would be the week before Christmas, I've decided to postpone my visit until the Spring.

Until my visit, Ralphie Parker will remain my Official Sewing Support Team...but who knows? I might have to make him a pink bunny suit just for fun.....

Quilting: Edgar Ate My Block!

Today is a bit of a quiet day...
  Because I have no car.  The rats got into the engine, ate some wires, and it's being repaired....

I thought I might work on my quilt again...
  The one I started a few months back...
  The one I've already pieced the blocks together three times...
  I'd really like to finish it....
  I only need to do the sashing on each block and square them up...
  I think it's gonna be warm and cuddly.

And you know what?

EDGAR ATE THE CORNER OF THE BLOCK!
   I know it was him...
   He's having issues with eating things he shouldn't...
   Like four pillows, two waterhoses, and .... and.... and...
   He's just a puppy...
   Only nine months old...
   Hopefully he'll grow out of it soon!

Good thing I have some of that Kona Green left over to repair...

Quilting: My Machine Applique Secret

Today I'm busy...

I have THE most important quilt top to finish...

The daughter's GRADUATION QUILT top...

Which has a lot of machine applique to finish...

Today, as tomorrow it must be delivered to the quilter to be finished in time for graduation.

Yes, I fully admit I've procrastinated on this quilt.  It was started four years ago, but somehow I kept on putting it off...thinking four years was a long time off...well, I only have one day before it needs to go to the quilter tomorrow.

The center of the quilt is the Nursing School's logo...all of which has been fused to the fabric, but still needs to be machine-appliqued down to the fabric.  I know I could just leave it and let it be quilted, but I'd always worry about those edges....for years and years to come.

The tools I will be using today are pretty standard...a new needle, lots of black thread (satin stitch), and stabilizer...my handy-dandy box of Deli Wrap.

Yes, I said Deli Wrap...we're extremely budget conscious in this house, and I use Deli Wrap as my stabilizer for machine applique.  It works wonderfully...it's totally inexpensive...and it rips off real easy.

Now to go hunt down a large diet Dr. Pepper and some chocolate.....it's gonna be a long night!

Quilt: Stitching Blocks

There are some days I wake up knowing I need to create...and today I'm wanting to stitch a few quilt blocks together.

Many different fabrics, many different colors...

Just a block or two will satisfy the craving and then I can move forward with my assigned tasks for today. But then again, I might just get lost in the world of creating blocks and not accomplish anything but a quilt top...is that so bad?

Quilting: An Unexpected Manicure

Yesterday was not a good day (to put it mildly)....

I was cutting up fabric for the school wardrobe oh so carefully...

Had my ruler lined up properly for the three inch strips I needed for the oh-so-girly pink ruffles...

Spread my hand over the ruler to maintain consistent pressure on the ruler...

Opened the safety on the rotary cuter and proceeded to cut....

OUCH!!! OUCH!!! OUCH!!! (There were bad words said, but I'm being polite and listing only the nice ones)

The rotary cutter jumped the ruler landing on my finger...and not just nicking my finger, but landing smack dab in the center of the nail bed cracking the nail.

OUCH!!! OUCH!!! OUCH!!! (There were more bad words said, but I'm being polite, and once again listing only the nice ones)

But the worst of it happened last night once I went to change the bandaid...the top half of the nail got snagged in the bandaid and ripped off parts that weren't already hurting.

OUCH!!! OUCH!!! OUCH!!! (There were more bad words said, but I'm being polite, and once again listing only the nice ones)

So you see that pretty pink Hello Kitty bandaid?  It will be part of my life for the next three months, a little bit less if I'm lucky. I'm hoping I'm lucky...

Quilting: Swamp Land in the South

If you believe that one, maybe you'd like to buy some swamp land I have in the South?

Just one of the phrases the Momma used to say when I was young...

And last year I would have said the same thing if you were to tell me I'd be using yellows and grays in a quilt...and like it!

But these are warm yellows and grays...the sort that draw you in, wanting you to caress them...the sort that will make a bed inviting.

Proudly I am stating the Rooftop Modern Facade quilt top is finished (top right), along with two pillowcases (left), and oodles of binding (bottom right).

Just waiting on the King Tut from Superior Threads to arrive so I can start quilting it....

Yes, I Use Starch

I don't listen to the Quilt Police...

I don't read the pattern all the way through before I start...
   why waste time?

I don't measure twice before cutting...just go ahead and do it.

I do use steam in my iron...and my seams lay flatter.

AND...
   (note the use of large letter for dramatics)

I do use STARCH...

   on all my fabrics, spraying my fabric before it's even cut to a nice
   cardboard consistency...

   and then spraying again once the block is put together so it lays nicely
   and the seams play well together...

   and I have a nice quilt top that always lays flat for quilting.

PS: Starch also makes it easier if you have to reverse sew...your blocks just pull apart in the same shape...did you know that?

Fabric: Ric Rac Rabbits

My eyes spied this fabric while reading blog recaps of Quilt Market this week.

It has bunnies (properly called Rabbits)....but they're still bunnies...

More importantly, they are PINK BUNNIES....and they are MINE, ALL MINE!

I'm not sharing...don't even ask!

And I'll probably get more, maybe even a WHOLE BOLT!

And I'll make a quilt JUST FOR ME!

Maybe I'll even sew up a tote bag...for my pink wallet and pink nail polish and my pink cell phone...and maybe put a few Cadbury Chocolate Bars for emergency purposes only, of course.

PS: Thank you Creative Thursday for this fabric...

Postage Stamp Quilt - It's Finished!

It's done...and I absolutely love everything about it!

The cast of characters:
     Pattern:     2011 Postage Stamp Quilt Along
                     p.s. i quilt
                     by Rachel Griffith
     Fabric:      Spirit
                     Lila Tueller Designs
     Thread:     King Tut Cleopatra
                     Superior Threads

Full views:

Close-up: I kept the quilting pretty simple as I was doing it myself...#12 on my machine increased to 3 inches.

The back: I just love, love this fabric...the movement, the colors, and the fact it sometimes hides the fact that I didn't stitch straight..

And finally, my visitor who was extremely curious to see what was going on....I was lucky to get a shot from the car before they left....

Fabric Shopping

More and more I'm drawn to brighter colors these days....and I love 1001 Peep from Lizzy House.

The theme of the fabric line...

The contrast between colors...

The happiness just looking at the fabrics brings to me....

Hmmm...I think I should add them to my stash and use them in my quilt.

Postage Stamp Quilt

We're off...again!  After a bit of a hiatus due to a rather large "gather" in the backing, the Postage Stamp Quilt is back on the machine.

And there are only six very LONG seams to do....

Think I can get her done this weekend...along with the binding sewn on the front...all ready for the final stages of handsewing....

I surely hope so!

Quilt Show Eye Candy

 Love going to a great quilt show, don't you?

Lots of color...lots of inspiration...and get to enjoy the day out with my friend!  What could be better?

Christmas Tree Rag Quilt

One less UFO in the cabinet...one fabric bin empty...

Presenting the Christmas tree rag quilt...

OK...the picture's  not so great...sorry about that. I'm electronically-impaired this week.

But at least it's finished, washed, and hanging up for Christmas...that is until the Dear Daughter comes home for Winter break and takes control of it.