Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
I arranged the squares for Fabric of the Year 2019 to the point where I felt I could start to sew.
I started in the bottom left hand corner as I thought the dark part was mostly to my liking.
I wasn’t 100% happy with the center and the photo shows that I cleared out all of the Slate Grey squares in the center. I thought it might look better, but I am not sure I will keep it that way.
Rock Candy is finished so I am on to Candy Dish. This will be for my youngest niece since the others have gotten their cushion covers.
Candy Dish** has two ‘patterns’ included in the little fold up pamphlet. In reality, it is one pattern with two color arrangements. I believe the goal for the Journey2Nebula project is to make both pillows, but I am only making one.
I pulled out my pink bins and started going through them to find the pinks that would create the vision of the pillow that was in my mind. I found I have a lot of peachy pinks, which I no longer enjoy. 🙁 I’ll have to figure out a use for them. Another lesson in using fabrics up sooner than years later. I seem to be getting a lot of these lessons recently.
**I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
I made this quilt to represent the rights I thought were in danger in 2016. I think they are in even more danger. The worst part is that most of them reveal that lawmakers are thinking too much about sex when they consider women.
Go Vote and think about what YOU want your future to be like. Don’t consider what others are telling you. You are smart enough to decide for yourself.
I have been looking at the Pop Parade fabric by Metro for P&B for years, but specifically recently as I rummage through my dots yardage. This week, I saw a quilt on Instagram and it called to me.
I have had this fabric since 2008, so it is past time to use it. At the time, I wanted to just use this fabric, but I think, now, I will add some tone-on-tones or solids to the mix plus a background. These are all fat quarters so I won’t be able to make some of the blocks in the size I want, because I don’t have enough fabric.
The problem with this fabric hanging around for years is that I don’t like it as much as I once did. I don’t dislike it, but it doesn’t use the clear colors I am now excited about. This is an advertisement for using fabric you are excited about when you get it.
The design of which I am now enamored is an X design. I made a pillow some time ago for Maria that I think has a similar design: lozenges. The thing I like about this design is the variety of sizes. I also think this design will go really fast.
What I have to think about is whether I want to start on it now or finish FOTY 2019 first. I could do both at the same time using leaders & enders.
My fabric usage was small for October as I didn’t sew as much as I expected. Still I am up to 92 yards used, which is 7 yards more than I used at the end of last year. Of that 29% is for charity quilts.
Finished 2020 Quilt Projects
Four quilts are now complete for the year. I am thrilled.
Finished 2020 Small and Non-Quilt Projects
This category covers bags, toys, aprons and knitting as well as other non-quilt projects.
I feel like I have made more of these small items, but I can’t find any others.
Doing Good
In Process
The ‘In Process’ is used to denote projects on which I am actively working or are on the design wall waiting for me to stitch. I am continuing to try not to put away projects. I find putting a project away ensures I never work on them, because I just lose steam.
Small Projects to Make or in Process
Most of my progress involves thinking or just cutting.
Handwork
I decided that some of my projects are in a different class because they are hand piecing or embroidery or beading. They take longer. Thus I created a new category and have moved some projects here.
Ready for Quilting
Nothing at the moment.
In the Quilting Process
In the Finishing Process
Nothing at the moment.
Still WIPs
I still have WIPs. Who doesn’t, after all? A project in the ‘UFO’ category means I am stalled. A nicer way of saying UFO is a WIP. The list is a lot shorter and the projects are newer, for the most part.
Fabric, Notions, Supplies, Books & Tools
Sweet Home Quilting has Sue Spargo wool!
Friends Sonja and Alison have Sew Perfect tables. I was finally interested enough to go and look at them when Sonja said hers could move up and down so she could sit or stand at the machine.
Jennifer Sampou’s Chalk and Charcoal Collection by Robert Kaufman is wonderful. They have warm and cool colors as well as a number of widebacks. I really like the light grey.
Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials
Christina Cameli has online classes. I love the look of her Pathway Pillow project. The quilting is simple, but very effective.
I have been using the Spoonflower zipper installation, which installs a zipper in the top (or bottom) seam. The guild sent me to a page of Sotak Handmade’s site and she has some instructions for installing a zipper in the back of the pillow.
Sotak Handmade has a big list of tutorials, some of which would make great gifts (holidays are coming!). One that was used at a recent retreat I attended was a little flower pot. It can be used for schnibbles, as a quick gift, for paperclips or as storage for a myriad of other things.
After watching the video to make the Retreat Bag I mentioned a few weeks ago, I saw that the host linked to a cosmetic bag pattern. I liked the interesting shape of the bag. There is a video for that one as well. So Sew Easy has a whole bunch of different videos, mostly lingerie and a variety of different bags.
Other Artists
Tim recommended Lauren Mormino’s YouTube channel to me. She is a bagmaker and creates videos for making bags. I get the impression that the bags are made by her, but are not her patterns. Tim is sewing a Noel Bag and following Lauren’s video. According to Tim, she talks about the most efficient ways to make the bag, provides some hacks and generally walks you through it. She, apparently, has two IG profiles, Sewing with Lauren and MoreMeKnow. I see a little duplication, but one seems to be more whole life while the other is bags. Her website is MoreMeKnow.com
Media, Exhibitions and Shows
Barbara Brackman showed some winners and related quilts from a 1927 quilt show in Seattle. You may view the show catalog on the Hathi Trust site. You can download it from that site as well. It reminded me of the APNQ – Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters – show I used to attend in Seattle.
I went to listen to the interview I did recently with Jeff Rutherford. I am pretty proud of the way it came. I actually sound like I know what I am talking about. Then I went back and listened to the other episodes. It is interesting to hear how people answer the same questions. Also, I have never heard of these people! Am I just behind the times? One woman was Jessica Alexandrakis.
The Blue Improv quilt top that I thought I might turn into pillows for my SIL is back in the donation top pile.
I found a piece of fabric that I don’t have to piece for the backing. Less bulk will make the quilting easier.
The page with all of these Color Improv quilts has been updated as well. I was amazed to see that I have made 6 of these scrap improv donation tops!
I finished Rock Candy over the weekend, but still needed to do the binding. That is always a good hand task to work on at Craft Night, so I finished the binding on Monday night. This has been a banner week for finishes: Rock Candy plus 3 donation tops and backs.
On to Candy Dish, which is the next Journey to Nebula project
I was able to finish the top and back of one donation piece during the Retreat. This will be a small quilt, but the Community Giving team has an organization that makes boxes for new mothers. They want small quilts that fit in these boxes, so I don’t feel as bad about making a small quilt.
Peggy made a few of these with the 16 patch blocks I made earlier this year after seeing Cheryl Bricker’s quilts in the presentation at the meeting. I decided that I would make one as well since I had some 16 patches I had made and giving them to Peggy wouldn’t do much for her except add to what she had to store. This was a better option, though the blocks aren’t super cohesive.
I am thinking of making one of these with charm squares. It would go faster and be larger.
I finally got my act together and put Traffic Jam #2 together. Seeing Peggy churn out donation quilt after donation quilt at the Retreat really kicked me in the backside. I got the blocks out and just started sewing them together. I had to find fabrics for sashing, so I did that and eventually sewed it all together.
I have to make the back, but I can do that this week, then it will be ready to go.
I finally had a good amount of time to work on Fabric of the Year 2019. I had to redo the math. I spent a lot of time on Saturday sticking squares up on the wall, adding rows and trying not to fall of a stool.
This was really the first time I had gotten on a stool since my foot injury. I have a very stable step stool, which made things easier.
As soon as I got going, I really made a lot of progress and I am happy about that. I still have to rearrange some of the squares, but all of the squares are on the design wall so I am much closer to sewing than I was. Perhaps later this week?
Today we are cutting hexagons from strips to make the hexagon block for our sampler quilt. This tutorial is a follow-up to the Large Hexagon tutorial. The principles are the same; the sizes are different.
Supplies
Cut your strip the unfinished size of your hexagon. In the example, I cut mine 2 3/8 inches. This is 1/8″ larger than I need, but I have a little wiggle room in this block. If you don’t have wiggle room, cut the strip the size of the unfinished hexagon
Fold your strip in half lengthwise
Position the strip so the fold is closest to you.
Line up your Clearview ruler with the tip on the raw edge
Place a post-it note on the ruler. Line up a post-it note with the fold of the strip
Move ruler up until the post-it note is lined up with the raw edge of the strip. N.B. I rotated the post it note, because I couldn’t cut with the edges hanging over.
N.B.2- Be very careful if you cut towards you on the left side. It is never a good idea to cut towards you, so I recommend getting a rotating mat. Place your strip on the rotating mat, make your first cut the rotate the mat and make your second cut.
Cut on both sides of the ruler
Your hexagon should be perfect. N.B. As I said above, I have a little wiggle room with this patch, so I cut it slightly larger, which is why the template looks a little smaller.
Move the ruler along the strip and cut the next one
Note: you will not be able to cut every single bit of fabric. You will have small triangles leftover from in between the hexagons. You can use these leftover scraps to stuff pet beds.
**I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
It has been a little while since I worked on this, but I finally got back to it. I had to do the math, which I was trying to avoid. Finally, I just did it.
That gave me a structure, so I started putting all the squares up. I had to redo the bottom left hand corner to add some greys that were hiding. I had to remove some duplicates. I still have to rearrange a bit to add more pink and a bunch of purples that came out of hiding as well. Still, I am making progress and will soon be able to put this piece together. YAY!
Mary and I were talking about something else when I remembered the Retreat Bag she and I decided to make. Neither of us have done it, but we both have all of the supplies, including the wire frame. This is a free pattern from Emmaline Bags. The pattern shows the frame you need and that is not free, sadly, but having a free pattern is helpful. And we have to support women owned small businesses.
The bag really doesn’t have anything to do with Retreats – as in going away to sew – I think that is just the name.
I also noticed that Laura Coia of SewVeryEasy has a video on how to make the bag with the addition of an outside slip pocket and handles. This video is linked from the pattern page on the Emmaline site. I also saw a video from Birdcage and Thread that shows how to make this bag. The techniques in the two videos are a little different and one might work better for you. It’s good to have a choice.
I have two frames, so I can make two of these with the supplies I have on hand. I have been trying to think about what types of items/supplies I would store in this pouch and haven’t come up with anything yet. I could make one, or both, as a gift.
I am also thinking it might need a handle, leash or shoulder strap.
I seem to have a strong desire/need to finish things. I know I should be more enamored of the process. I have been trying for years to be more about the process, but I think I am sick of looking at things in my workroom and need to just make the projects and be done with them. OR fall in love with the process once I have tried it and go back for more.
Bottomline: many bags and not enough time.
Despite a lot of ripping, I finished the Mega Pinnie on Sunday in the mid-evening. I thought it would be a quicker project than it turned out to be :(. Now I am going to have to scramble for some content this week.
I am pleased with the way it came out, however, and think someone at the retreat will enjoy it.
When I was printing my last label, I had some extra space, so I decided to print the BAM logo on some fabric and use it for part of the Mega Pinnie. It will also be a souvenir for the Retreat. I adjusted the size of the pocket on that side so the words wouldn’t be covered up.
I made the handle a little smaller than the pattern called for this time, so I had an extra piece. I decided to sew it in as a way to attach the Mega Pinnie to another bag or a place for clips. I didn’t think about putting a lobster clip on this time. I completely forgot!
I did make a super cute Mini Pinnie! I really like the fabrics and the way the Mini Pinnie came out. I think it is a cheerful addition. I also made the needle safe a little different this time. I sewed it to fabric RST, then turned the piece and top stitched. It worked ok.
I forgot to top stitch the pockets, but that isn’t critical; it just makes the piece look a little nicer.
This is kind of large, but I think I might try and make one using charm squares. It would be smaller and might not work for some tools, but might be more convenient to transport.