Baby (girl) quilt

I've been working on my baby girl quilt today. I was able to piece the back, make the sandwich and get it mostly quilted. I'll work the quilting a little bit more when my daughter goes to sleep - if she ever goes to sleep - tonight.


Here are some photos of the progress:

This is a triangle that I made but decided not to use on the back

I decided to go with just a strip for the back which I cut in half to make two strips

The quilting in process

 This is my second time using the spray baste and the brand that I used doesn't stop the pieces from shifting. I'm not really happy with it. Also, it smells horrible and I even used it in a very well ventilated room. I don't know - I'm not impressed so far. I suppose I still needs some more practice using it. I'm stitching on the diagonal and then 1/4" away from that line. I'm using a pink thread on the top and the bobbin - I like to be able to see the stitches. I may add another quilting line, but I haven't decided yet. I'll add the binding tomorrow and have a completed, small quilt for Friday! Whoo hoo!

Linking up to Freshly Pieced.

Happy Hump Day!

Tuesday night cluster headache

I've been fighting it all day and I've finally succumbed to this (what I feel is a) cluster headache coming on. I didn't have my coffee this morning and that seemed to start this whole thing. My body needs a certain amount of caffeine or it won't work right. My insomnia is actually worse if I don't have enough caffeine in my day - it's weird. Anyway, I'm working on it now, but I think it is too late.

I want to link up to Better Off Thread's Sew Cute Tuesday, so here is a rehash of my first zippered pouch:

lining

so cute.

I have been doing a ton of knitting lately and I'm enjoying knitting almost as much as sewing. It must be the sock knitting. I like to be able to make a sock in a few sittings. I also love to knit hats - anything in the round, really. So fun!!! I'm finishing up my first two, toe-up socks and I'll have to make the mates to those. Then, I'm going to go back to ankle down socks. I think I like the construction better. I want to make some sweet cables in the heel gusset stitches on my next pair and I think it will be easier with the ankle-down method. Also, I tried to work the two-at-a-time socks with the magic loop and that didn't seem to make any sense to me at all. I hope that I didn't lose the ability to adapt and change when I turned 40. LOL!

I'll post some more photos tomorrow and I also hope to get some sewing done. I did make a pot holder today using this tutorial, but it didn't completely work out. More on that later.

I wish I would've made the hot/cold aroma therapy packs already - a cold one would come in handy for my stooopid headache.

Make some sh*t.

A legitimate Friday finish!

I have completed my garden fence top. I love it. I'm keeping it - for me! MINE. I love the cool, beachy colors and overall feeling the quilt envokes. It's very calming and tranquil. I wasn't a fan of the garden fence design, but these blocks are really lovely together.

I visited my LQS yesterday and picked up some really nice Robert Kaufman butterfly fabric and a pretty floral for the back - the idea being the flowers and butterflies are just behind the garden fence. I can't wait to quilt it. I have big ideas for this, too. I want to try my hand at some pebble quilting. I really hope I can pull it off and not ruin my beautiful quilt top.

And without further ado, I present my garden fence quilt:

I love this top!

Close up of butterfly detail - some butterflies even made it to the front of the quilt.

I would like it if I could make it just a few more inches larger. I may add another border, I can't decide. It's measuring about 52" square. I'm not always a fan of a square quilt, but I could handle it if it were a wee bit larger. We'll see what happens.

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts.

Have a great weekend. As always, make something.

WIP Wednesday - late post (as par usual)

Greetings!

I have been working tonight to get some more blocks finished for my Garden Fence quilt top made with squares from the Simply Modern Bee. The bee concluded in April and I'm just getting around to putting together my quilt. I actually didn't receive all of my blocks and that made me a little angry. It was my first bee and I just thought that people wouldn't sign up unless they were going to honor their commitments. I suppose that was a little Pollyanna of me. Anyway, I'm still active in a couple of bees because I like the challenge - I just have to hope that all the people that signed up will follow through.

So... this is what I'm working on:

Garden Fence top started - bee blocks received

first block started

Centers and other pieces

I cut all the pieces and I'm just putting them together. I'll be working tonight after my daughter goes to bed - hopefully that will be soon (It's 11:17 PM). She's a nightowl like me and we like to stay up and sleep in. Which is fine, except when I'm trying to work.

Linking up (at the last minute) to Freshly Pieced.

Whoo hoo! Zippered pouch

YES!!! I finally made a zippered pouch. I don't think my MIL's Galaxy II Tablet will fit in there, but I'm gonna send it to her anyway. I'm so excited! And without further ado... here it is:

I made it.

I love the V & Co Simply Color fabrics.

Lining is a cheapo fabric I got at Big Lots, i think.

So, I finally figured out the whole turning thing and the next zipper project I make I will use a zipper foot. I thought that I had one from my Grandma's sewing kit that she gave me. There was a foot that I thought was a zipper foot and I tried to use it, but it's either too old, or just doesn't quite work with my machine, or it's not really a zipper foot. I ended up using my regular presser foot and it worked fine.  Thanks for all the wonderful encouragement from the blogging world. I feel great right now. I'm off to dance class with my hubby.

Linking up to Better Off Thread.

Make something!

Monday ? madness, maniacal, modern... anyway...

Today is Monday. A new week is upon us. What are you gonna make?

Me? I'm working on:

1.  backing and quilting my baby quilts
2. waiting on word from Moda Bakeshop
3. making five more garden fence blocks
4. making a block for my month of the Simply Solids Bee
5. this is the week that I finally make a zippered pouch
6. finish up the tablet case for my MIL's Galaxy II

I think that's enough things. I got to do some sewing this weekend. It was so much fun. One is my Sparky quilt top that I submitted to Moda, so I can't show you that, yet. I also started putting together the blocks from the Simply Modern Bee that I was in  last November - April. We all made garden fence blocks in two colors of the queen's choice. I chose green and blue (sea glass colors). Here is the result, so far...

sea glass garden fence blocks from Simply Modern Bee (11/12 - 4/13)

There are some really lovely fabrics that were used on these blocks (I love that Madrona Road block).
I have one block left to use that was made for me and I will make another five. I think I will add some white borders and some lovely floral for the back - as if the flowers are just beyond the garden fence - get it?

I also discovered that the siding on my house and the apartment out back is magnetic! I'm gonna get some really strong magnets and use the apartment as the backdrop for lots of quilt tops. Awesome!!!

Well... get to making stuff and I hope to see y'all with some terrific finishes this week.

Linking up with Plum and June.

WsIP... but finished tops

*** I have to use this post again because I recently got a virus on my computer and have no access to my photos. -will post more later when I get my machine cleaned later today. Green***

Today I've got baby quilts on my mind. I'm sandwiching my girl baby quilt and my boy baby quilt tonight and I can get started on the quilting tomorrow. I hope to have them both finished by Friday for a fabulous finish into the weekend.

Here are both tops completed:

Baby girl quilt

Baby boy quilt

They are both made with HSTs, just different configurations. I'm not sure now if my aunt is going to buy one of these quilts. My mother told me that my aunt wanted to buy a baby quilt from me once she knew the sex of the baby. I started making these more traditional kind of baby quilts for that specific purpose and now she may not buy one??!!?? Oh well. If she doesn't buy one, I'll just post them on etsy. They were really fun to make so far. I'm just going to do some stitch in the ditch quilting to keep them puffy - thinking about using a high loft, poly batting for these as well. The poly batting is warmer (so I understand). They are pretty small, but I remember that I didn't want to take a giant, full-sized quilt when I had my daughter - these are the perfect size for cuddling with in the carseat or stroller.

I'm also working on the quilted bag for my MILs Samsung Galaxy II Tablet. I'm still contemplating putting in the lining and all of that - my brain gets so confused about which to flip inside out, which side to put the velcro tab, and all that...

I've also been obsessed with knitting socks. I started a pair for myself with Loops and Threads luxury sock yarn (60% fine merino superwash/30% nylon/10% cashmere) in Ocean colorway. These are toe-up socks and I'm actually getting pretty fast knitting on the size 1 needles. I spotted an awesome pattern on knitty for some double heelix socks that I'm itching to make. How cool are those?

So much to finish... Linking up with Freshly Pieced and crazy mom quilts.

Make something!

Sabado

Tonight is the opera. Today I'm having lunch with a HS friend. I just don't see much sewing getting done today. I can/will take my sock with me to knit on at lunch and the car ride up to Santa Fe for the opera. I should stop in at Michael's and pick up the #2, long circulars to knit two at a time toe up socks.

my messy workspace

working on the patchwork outer

quilting started

outer, inner and zipper

I started my quilted tablet case/pouch last night. The front is all Simply Color patchwork and the lining is some very cheap, Wal-Mart fat quarter. I can't decide whether to use a velcro-tab closure or put in a zipper. Decisions, decisions. I'm gonna look for some fabric to make my messenger bag - I usually buy fat quarters, but the bag needs some larger pieces. I'm gonna get a couple of half yards for it.

I hope ya'll get some sewing/project time in this weekend between all of your fun  plans.

Sew on!

WIPs (under the wire) Wednesday

I can just get in my WIPs today under the wire -

It's 11:33 PM here in Albuquerque and I'm watching YouTube videos on putting in zippers and sewing bags. I found a great bag here and hope that I can follow the tutorial and have it be my first bag.

I'm not actively working on sewing anything, although I have tons of things in my head that I want to make. I'd really like to make a little quilted/zippered pouch for my MILs Samsung Galaxy 2 Tablet. I did make her a knitted button pouch for it

it will look much better once it's blocked.

I'm also learning a new way to knit socks. I recently came into five skeins of really nice sock yarn. It was given to me by a friend who is going to be a traveling nurse for the next two years. She sold her house and gave away/sold most of her things, since she won't have a home for a while. She gave me lots of acrylic yarn that she had around, but when she opened the box with the wool sock yarn and other hand-dyed, Peruvian yarn offerings the caveat was that I could have the yarn if I made her one pair of socks. I told her that I would make her a pair of socks from each sock yarn. I knitted a pair that didn't quite match up, but they were okay - then my goat of a puppy decided to snack on them in the night. I'm now working on a pair of orange/cream stripey toe-up socks. I have never made toe-up socks, but I like that I don't have to worry about running out of yarn for the important bits.

I'm not always a fan of the self-striping yarn, but this is cute.

 I really want to get over to Michael's to pick up some super-long, #2 circulars so that I can work my toe-up socks two at a time with a magic loop. Now, if you are not a knitter that just sounds like a lot of gobbledy-gook, but two at a time, toe up socks using the magic loop are awesome because you don't have to suffer from second sock syndrome (which I am inflicted). I get so excited as I'm making the first sock. Then I finish and it's like... what? I have to make another one?!? UGH! I don't wanna. I wanna do something else!!!  I figure if I make them at the same time, I will save myself a relapse of my sickness.

Tomorrow I'm going to take photos of my quilt pattern and post to Moda for the bakeshop. I really hope my pattern gets chosen. It's a major goal of mine to be published this year. I still have some months left, but the sooner the better.

I'm also working on a paper-pieced block for my bee(ful) of paper. For some reason, it was really hard and I've had to take it apart to resew the pieces together. I was going to make two blocks from the fabric Queenie sent, but I just couldn't do it. I almost didn't make one - this month has been a chore for some reason. I'm going to write a post about when paper-piecing goes horribly wrong.

the pieces

so sew frustrating when it doesn't work out right.

Linking up with Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday.

And the winners are...

I had two giveaways end recently and I have emailed both winners. Here are the winners of the Four Architextures fat quarters:

#103 Sarah and #42 Deborah.

Thank you to all who entered. I'm planning a new giveaway in the next few weeks, so keep checking back.

Have a great weekend!

Green

Finish it up

Today, I will be working on finishing up a few things before the weekend. I have a few knitting projects that I plan to finish this weekend, and I don't know that I want to be doing any sewing, so I'm going to try and finish up my sewing projects today. Here's what I have in the works:

Need to make two of these blocks for the Bee(ful) of Paper

Need to add on three rows to this baby (boy) quilt

I will be ready to back, sandwich, quilt and bind the two baby quilts next week (yay!!!)

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts.

Get to it and sew something today!

July's finishing goal

Greetings! This will be a short and sweet post.

This month I will finish my HST baby (girl) quilt. The top looks like this: 

I'm not sure if it's going to get a boarder or what kind of quilting it will have - it's all a mystery right now, but I have a few days to decide and then I will get working on it.

I also plan to finish up my HST baby (boy) quilt. That one is a pile of pinned squares on my table right now. I'm going to work on getting the HSTs made today and then I'll finish up the top this week. Both of these quilts will be ready for quilting next week. Yay! I'm feeling more and more productive lately. Can't wait to get back into the finishing mode.

Have you planned your July finishing goal yet? You have the rest of the week to link up to the Lovely Year of Finishes.