Back to sewing...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  Hope you all had great holidays and are back to sewing.  We had our entire family here for Christmas and 13 of the 14 of us were fighting something ranging from a cough and sniffle to full blown influenza.  It was still nice to be together.  Misery loves company, right?

Here is a little something I was working on before Christmas.  Can you guess what it is?

I have also been working a little bit on this:

And I have started the baby quilt for some friends who are expecting a new child any day.  They live in Bermuda and the baby is a boy.  Can't wait to see his picture!  Here are the fabrics I am using.  It is unusual for me to work with ocean related fabrics since I am a Midwest girl.  I love fun fabrics.

My plan was to lay out the simple squares and then add white corners for a snowball kind of block.

But once I saw this on the design wall, I liked the look of the simple squares and am going with it. I can envisions this quilt on the sand at the beach with the beautiful blue ocean in the background.

:o)

Just thinking out loud...

I had a post all ready to post yesterday and just couldn't do it.  What I am doing in Ohio is so trivial compared to what families in Connecticut are dealing with.  It is going to take some time to process this.  (I have a grandchild in first grade and another in kindergarten.  My daughter is mental health care professional for children.)  It's so hard to think about what these Newtown families are feeling right now and what is ahead of them.

There hasn't been much sewing here this week.  I have been getting ready for my kids and grandkids to come next week.  There will be 14 in house for several days.  If I am not ready for them, who cares.  I just want them to all be here and hear their laughter and get their hugs.

When I do get a minute to sew, here's what I have been working on...

 

 

 

In case you don't already know it, I cherish my friendships with each and every one of you!

My first tablerunner...

I am always inspired by my blog friends who make hostess gifts and little things for their friends.  I finally decided it was time to try a tablerunner as we were invited to an annual holiday open house that's always fun, and I wanted to show my appreciation.  (Never mind that I was sick the day of the party and my hubby went solo with my gift in tow.  I received a sweet thank you note from the hostess.)  I did discover that experience counts when it comes to tablerunners and I need some more experience! 

Here is a peek at the topside of the tablerunner.

And here is the backside which I happen to like the most.

I liked the back so much that I am making a runner for our table with both sides being just like the back of the gifted tablerunner!

:o)

I'm back again...

Hi dear blogfriends!  As hard as I try, my blog posting is becoming a once a month thing.  My goal has always been twice a week.  I blog because it is fun, after all!  So maybe one of my New Year's resolutions will be...naw.  My goal will be blog posting for fun.  I do keep up with reading the blogs I subscribe to as much as possible.  There are so many great things going on out there in quilt blogland.

Just because I haven't been blogging, doesn't mean I haven't been sewing.  (A girl has to keep her sanity, doesn't she?  I am blessed with a little bit of peace each time I slip into my sewing room!) I will try to post more this month to prove that I have been playing at my machine and my fabric.

First I had a finish!  I finished my godson's new baby girl's quilt about two weeks after she was born.  It has been mailed and I do hope they like it.

I also included a little something for her big brother...a Thomas the Train book and matching pillowcase.  Hope that keeps him occupied for a couple of minutes anyway.

:o)

Baby quilt progress

This has been one crazy week.  I have been doing most of my quilting in my head.  I did manage a little sewing and here is my baby quilt progress...if the sun would ever shine, I could get better lighting for my picture.  Since my design wall is still filled with the Asian quilt, I am back to using my floor.  Maybe I need an extra wall...hmmm...where to put it...

Can't stop thinking about all the people without homes, basic needs, and housing on the East Coast.  Thankfully some creative people are coming up with quilty ways to help.  My daughter biked from Brooklyn to Manhattan to work on Friday as there is still no public transportation for her.  I can hardly think about her riding a bike on Manhattan streets without my heart racing.

:o|



Happy Halloween!!!

Finally...

I knew I wanted to make a baby quilt.  But it took me forever to come up with a plan.  Do you ever just draw a blank?  The baby is a little girl (expected in November) and I want the quilt to be sweet.  I remembered a fat quarter bundle I won a while back in a giveaway.  The selections are from Piggy Pirouette by Benartex.  When I opened up the fat quarter bundle, I discovered that there had been some fading on the folds.   So I opted for a square in a square plan and did a lot of fussy cutting to eliminate any faded areas.  (I had hoped to try something different from several quilts I had made in the past, but maybe next time.)  I am also using some fabric I found in my stash from Basic Grey...a pink with a splash of yellow grunge design.  Perfect!  The project is cut out and I am ready to sew.

:o)

Making Progress

I have the blocks made for my quilt in progress.  These are my favorite fabrics:

 

And here I go with the layout...

 

I am really starting to love this quilt!

:o)

A Splurge

Part of the time I was in New York City last month, my daughter was feeling under the weather.  So we didn't get to go out and shop.  We had fun hanging out at her apartment and web shopping.  Since I saved all that money by not shopping in the city, I got us each a treat...the new Kona Cotton Color Card with the new 28 colors included.  I will say the card is not laid out as well as the old ones.  But it does the trick and we have both used it already!

 

:o)

New York Finds

I forgot to show you what I bought at City Quilter in New York!  I found these to add to my New York fabric collection.  This one is a grayscale night scene with some sparkle in the windows.

 

This one is a bright depiction of many different places of interest in NYC.

 

 

I am not sure where this NY fabric will end up.  (A few bits went into my grandsons' I spy quilts found here.)  But I am drawn to all things New York as I have many fond memories of trips to New York with my daughters (one lives there now) and with my whole family.

 

I love this Flea Market Fancy and wish I had bought a couple other pieces in this line.

 

 

I also found a backing for my Japanese taupes quilt.

Gotta think of a name for that quilt...never really named my quilts but this one needs a name.  Any ideas?  This backing fabric is not a Japanese taupe but is perfect anyway.  (Oh, I had a Japanese taupe type backing fabric I bought in Washington but I miscut.  $!$!  It happens.)

My daughter took me to the Garment District and took me to a couple of places I had missed on previous trips.  Pacific Trimming is amazing.  I never saw so many trims, cool buttons, and high quality zippers.  The prices were very reasonable.  She also took me to Mood Fabric which is a must see if you are ever in New York.  We hit some other places but those two jump out as noteworthy.

What a blessing sewing is!

:o)

Procrastination

Two weeks ago I was overwhelmed by upcoming events..trip to NYC, houseguest coming, garage sale coming, baby quilt needed started...all good things but crammed into a short span of time.  Like a great big magnet, my sewing room refuge pulled me in to a quilt I had planned a few months ago.  At least this was productive procrastination, right?

My maternal grandmother had a huge influence over me as I was growing up.  She was so awesome.  Yes, she sewed and taught me a few sewing things.  But she taught me a lot of about life and shaped who I became in many ways.  I am lucky enough to have some pictures that belonged to her and hung in her tiny living room.  She loved things to be very simple, and she loved these Asian themed pictures.

They now hang in my loft above a guest bed

 

 and above an antique settee

 from my husband's grandmother.
.

I thought the bed needed a proper quilt of with Asian influence and found these wonderful Japanese Taupes when I was visiting in Washington last spring.

This fabric must be magnetic too because when I entered my sewing room, I went straight for the stack in my sewing cabinet and a quilt began.

:o)

New York, New York

 

:o)

UFO's

I am happy to say I did accomplish a couple of things this summer besides making a skirt for my granddaughter (see this post).  I now officially have two UFO's.  My Ruby quilt is pieced with the backing made and the binding ready.

And my pinwheel quilt is now in the same situation.

The bad news is I won't be quilting them for a while...probably not until January...due to life happening (mostly regular stuff.)  The good news is I am going to NYC in a few days to visit my younger daughter and her husband!  I just might have to visit The City Quilter and PurlSoho while I am there.  And I just might have some purchases to show you when I get home.

 

 :o)

Pinwheel Layout

Right side up

I finished making the pinwheels and now have them all up on the design board in search of a pleasing layout.  Do I want the colors spread or concentrated?  Where do I want the light to fall?  Do I want a random layout, a planned layout, a symmetrical layout, or elements of each.  I take pictures of the layout and then try to look at them in different ways.


Sideways

Black and White

Upside down

I usually leave the layout on the design board for a few days to look at it in daylight and evening light.  I tweak until I am happy with it.  How do you layout your blocks?

 

:o)

Pinwheel Progress

I am back working on my California Girl pinwheel quilt.  I am almost finished with all the blocks.

 

  This quilt will be very traditional with borders.  I love traditional quilts.  They are so warm and cozy.  But I've discovered some things.  This is not the kind of quilt I really enjoy making.  I am not that keen on using solid white either (even though some of my favorite quilts I see online use white.) I know I'll like this quilt okay when I am finished, but my pinwheel days are probably behind me!

Something Fun

This summer two of my granddaughters, ages 5 and almost 2, came to visit while their parents were on a trip.  We didn't get to do a lot of things away from my house because the workmen were here working on my windows.  I have a lot of toys...things I kept from the 70's and 80's when my kids were little...like the Fisher-Price Village and the Sesame Street Clubhouse with the original little people...and Barbies...and whole roomful of other things.  No one was bored. 

 

I asked my five year old granddaughter to help me choose a pattern to make a skirt for her.  She chose this one.  It's all about the twirl!  We then made a trip to Miller Dry Goods in Charm (about 4 miles from my house) where we shopped for fabric.  Look at what she chose all by herself!  The child has a good eye for color.  The blue color in this photo is actually a lavendar shade.  You know.  Princesses wear pink and purple.

 

 

I couldn't wait to get started.  I sewed and sewed and used up one spool of thread with a LOT of sewing left to do.  I had to stop until I could get to the store to buy the next spool.

 

 

I finished just before spool #2 ran out.

 

 

And here is the test drive!

 

 

 

:o) 

Where's my stash?

Did someone ask where I keep my stash?  I keep it behind closed doors.  This is to protect the fabric from the sunlight that pours into this room.  Also, I will come clean...LOL!!  It is NOT organized.  I will bear the shame and show you.  Here...

and here...

There are actually a couple more drawers full and a bin of scraps, but you get the idea.  Maybe someday I'll get this organized and show you the results!

 

:o)

Catching Up!

Hi all -- where did the summer go?  How did I only manage a couple of posts in the past three months?  The summer was a bit HOT, and a bit DRY, and a bit CRAZY.  One of the best things we did was attend a national family reunion in Albuquerque.  It was fun to catch up with relatives and I discovered one of my 'cousins' follows my blog!  Hi Betsy!  We also took our oldest two grandson's along with us.  Here is a shot of them playing on a mountain top...Sandia Peak...they loved it!

My sewing room is almost done...except for six pieces of wood that have to be ordered and restained to match the rest on the windowed doors.  How do home improvement projects always seem to get so complicated?  At any rate, this past week I moved my 'stuff' back in to the sewing room and reclaimed our bedroom as a place to sleep and not a place to just fall over things.

Here are some shots of my sewing room.  I am so lucky to have a dedicated place to sew with plenty of light and a view.  That being said, it is hard to arrange things when all four walls have big doors.  I am trying a different arrangement right now than I had before.  But I have my doubts that this is the final scheme.

 

 

Here is hoping I will be back sewing in no time.  I have a couple of works in progress I'd like to finish up plus I acquired a 'few' stash pieces over the summer.  Glad to be back!!!

:o)