A Reveal!!

This summer I posted a couple of posts about this fabric

and making this quilt.

It is a combination milestone birthday gift and upcoming retirement gift.  The quilt has now been delivered and I can show it to you! 

:o)

More fabric acquistions...

I bought these yummies from my LQS.

I am anxious to start using them.  Here is my inspiration from the December/January 2009 issue of Quilt Magazine:

:o)

Aboriginals Update and Some Pondering

Here are the pressed fronts, backs and bindings for Quilt #1 and Quilt #2. 

Now they need sandwiched and quilted.  I think I have a quilting plan, but I am waiting while I decide what to do about my machine.

I love my machine...a 25 year old Bernina 1230.  But it has started to act old lately (just like me!  LOL!)  I recently had it tuned up and it's still doing some funny things (again...just like me!)  Roscoe's Pa told me to look at new machines.  Yes, he really said that.  I am taking it seriously!!!  So I don't want to quilt these quilts until I make a decision about whether or not I am going to get a new machine.  I want to go look at the new Bernina 550QE, which has a moderately extended free arm to the right of the needle...more room for quilting.   I am now in my 60's.  If I get a new machine, it might be my last machine.  Lots of pressure here to a make a good decision!

:o)  

Yesterday...

My sewing for yesterday can be summed up with this picture:

On a cheerier note, I received this in the mail on Thursday from Hawthorne Threads:

It is for my next project which has a Christmas due date!

:o)

A couple more gadgets...

My good friend Sandy visited me recently from Arizona.  She brought me some little quilting gifts as she knows I am possessed by quilting!  The first item is:

I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but it should come in handy when dealing with those tangles that sometimes occur when you hand stitch the binding to the back of your quilt.

And the other item is this:

This is a great marking pen...easy to use and makes a fine line.  The words on the pen read 'remove by friction'.  However, my friend had seen a demo of the product, and heat was demonstrated as the way to remove your markings.  I tried friction to no avail but heat worked fine.  I would caution you to test first though.  I used the pen on a white fabric, and the line faded but didn't completely disappear.

Thanks a bunch, Sandy!                            

  :o)

First Preview of Quilt #2

I didn't think it would be possible to like Quilt #2 as much as I like Quilt #1.  But I do!  This is my first preview.  I already see a couple of places I need to tweak but I am really amazed that the orange version pleases me this much!

And another WIN!!!

Alissa at Handmade by Alissa recently held her 2nd annual fundraiser recently for Action Kivu, a wonderful nonprofit that helps women who are victims of the conflict in Eastern Congo by teaching them to sew.  The fundraiser raised $15,135 this year!!!

I participated in the giveaway and was the winner of this:

 
And a signed copy of this:

            Thanks Alissa!! 

                              

   :o)

Blocks Ready

I have sewn and pressed the blocks for Quilt #2.  Next step is to move them to the design wall.

:o)

Moving right along...

The top, the backing, and the pieced border are finished for the quilt I have been working on and sharing with you these past two weeks.  I forgot to photograph them before I put them away.  I will sandwich, quilt, bind and show you Quilt #1 at a later date.

Now I have begun the second colorway for the fussy cut Aboriginal fabrics that I have shown you previously here.

Quilt #2 with orange Kangaroo Fan fabric will take on a different look from #1 with the Aboriginals framed in Kona Black. 

:o)

The first layout

This will give you a better idea of where I am headed with this quilt.  I am ready to sew the blocks together.  I love how the black colorway makes the blocks seem to sparkle.  The next decision is...border or no border?

:o)

A New Gadget

My daughter-in-law asked me what I wanted for my birthday.  I had recently seen this gadget in a Keepsake Quilting catalog.  Voila!   Thanks, Kelli (and the gang)!



Since my Bernina walking foot doesn't have a slot to attach a seam guide, I really wanted to give this a try.

I won't lie.  It's a bear to install this contraption on my walking foot.  But once it's on, it fits my machine quite nicely.  It's now awaiting a project to see how well it really works.

:o)

Sewing blocks in one colorway...

I chose black to outline as my first outline color choice.   It really sets off the colors in the prints.

:o)

Auditioning some colors

Here are some photos of colors I am considering to add to the individual quilts.

Kangaroo Fan in Orange

Kona Ash

Kona Black

:o)

I Won a Lil' Twister!

I was the lucky recipient of this awesome gadget called the Lil' Twister.  I won it from a giveaway at Jackie's Canton Village Quiltworks blog a while back.  I was waiting to post about it when I could show you what I did with it.  Alas, I haven't had a chance to try it.  But you can see what can be done with it here.  Thanks so much Jackie at Canton Village!!  Stop by her blog.  It's a great blog, and she has lots of giveaways! 

:o)

More cutting finished...

Here are the centers of the blocks for the two quilts. Doesn't look like much yet, does it?!?

:o)

Cutting progress...

Lots of fussy cutting!

These pieces all came from the same fabric.

:o)

Trying to get back in the routine...

Yes, I have been away from blogging for a good part of the season.  It has been a weird summer.  It hasn't been horrible but it has had its challenges (Roscoe's Pa extra busy with consulting jobs and me with pneumonia for weeks and weeks with lots of drama due to something abnormal with my x-rays that resulted some further 'investigating'.)  I am fine now and the challenges have left me noticing that the sweetness in my grandkid's faces is a little sweeter, and colors are more vivid, and the breeze is more refreshing...and well, you get the idea.  Anyway, I am getting my life back together.

And, I am finally sewing again!  I finished some UFO's in the past couple of weeks.  I didn't take many photos as I was out of my blogging routine.  Here's a stocking I made for my newest granddaughter to match the family collection I've blogged about in the past. 

 This weekend I began working with my Aboriginal collection that I have shown you off and on earlier in the year.  And I am having lots of fun.  I love this fabric and have four quilts in my head with a possible string quilt somewhere along the way.  I even ordered MORE Aboriginal fabric from Canton Village Quiltworks this morning.  I have started cutting the first pieces to make two quilts for special relatives that I hope don't read my blog!  While the basic concept is the same, I'll be making each quilt unique and learning a few things about color along the way.  I'll post progress and you can see what I mean!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I really appreciate my blog friendships!

:o)

My Scrubbie Story

A friend who worked with my husband sent home a 'scrubbie' for me to try.  Someone made one for her and she loved using it when washing dishes and pans.  I was 'hooked' figuratively and literally.  I thought to myself, 'I could make these.'  And the google search for a pattern began.  Turned out there were lots of patterns being shared out there in cyberspace.  I chose this one.

I begin by cutting nylon net (the coarser the feel of the net, the better) into two inch strips.

I use a rotary cutter and layer the netting to make this go faster.  Here is what five yards each of three colors looks like.

This will make at least 30 scrubbies!

Next I tie the strips together making a simple knot (these knots work easily into the backside of the scrubby) and then roll the strips into balls.

Now you are ready to crochet.  I use an N hook instead of an I hook.  I start out with three chains and slip stitch to form a circle.  The pattern calls for four chains but that doesn't work for me.  As you go, put the knots in your nylon 'yarn' to the back of the scrubbie.  You'll see what I mean once you get started.

I love to make these scrubbies because, yes, they are mindless.  You can do this while watching kids play or while watching TV, etc.  Easy peasy...and these aren't heirloom items so if a stitch doesn't look perfect, well, so what.  They are for SCRUBBING.  I use them for scrubbing dishes and pans, preparing baked potatoes, scrubbing the shower, exfoliating feet, treating stains and spots before laundering...well, you get the idea.  You can wash them in the washing machine or the dishwasher.

And you make friends if you make scrubbies!  LOL!  I have many requests for replacement scrubbies once they are worn out.  My Amish neighbors, who bake all sorts of goodies at Christmas time to share with their neighbors, get scrubbies from me, their non-baking English friend.

:o)

We did it!!

From this--

To this--

Beautiful, Karen!

:o)

Okay.

Ya know how you hope when you wake up, you'll be wowed?  That didn't happen.   So I went back to work and now I am satisfied.  I really wanted an AH-HA moment.  But I've come to the realization that I am not going to get one unless I branch out, try somehting different, and push harder.  I do like this quilt and think it will be comfy, snuggly, and match a decor.  That was my goal.  The soul searching was a bonus.

:o)

Up on the wall

I randomly placed the squares on my design wall keeping in mind the way the colors and values played off of each other.  I have made my first pass at a layout.  I digitally photographed my layout and edited the photo to be grayscale to check for a pleasing contrast throughout the quilt.  Now I am sleeping on it.  I am sure there will be much tweaking tomorrow.

:o|

Pressing, sorting and squaring

After sewing the rectangles together, I pressed open all the squares and began sorting by both color and value.  This will help me when I lay out the squares on the design wall.

I also had to square up the blocks to be sure they were 6" squares.  I usually try to avoid having to do this step by cutting accurately to begin with.  But for this quilt, I had some adjustments to make.  I used a rotary cutter, a six inch square ruler, and my turntable cutting mat.

:o)