Some time ago I made an inspiration board. At the time I liked it, but for the last several months it has been getting on my nerves. I need a cleaner look throughout my workroom.
The other day I got out some tools and the fabric I bought on the trip and went to work. I redid my inspiration board as one piece of the effort of redecorating my workroom.
Refreshed Inspiration Board
It has a much cleaner look and is much less exuberant. I’d like to get a frame, paint it white and hang the inspiration board in that. I’ll have to go look at thrift stores and that is one of my least favorite activities.
Inspiration Board with Buttons
My old inspiration board was blue with dots.
Inspiration Board tools
I reused some of the ribbon, because it was nice. I saved all the buttons as there was nothing wrong with them. Also, some of them are special.
I made some I Spy pouches for my various templates. The I Spy pouches are from Sara Lawson/ Sew Sweetness’s Minikins Season 1. These are not difficult and there are a number of designers, including the Road Trip bag from Crafty Gemini, with similar patterns. I like this pattern, because mostly you don’t sew on the vinyl.
Small I Spy Pouch
My idea is to put my acrylic project templates in these pouches. Many people have told me that it is silly to make these for my templates, but for now I am making them anyway. I like the idea of seeing my fabric in use. It makes me happy. I may stop at some point, but for now I am making them.
I thought the small pouch would fit my Falabella pouch templates, from Minikins Season 3, but it is a little small. There are several pieces of the acrylic templates and they are a little too thick for the small pouch. I think the medium might fit the Falabella pouch templates better. I’ll make either the medium or the large for these templates. In the meantime, they won’t fall out.
Large I Spy Pouch
I am also thinking about making some of these for my upcoming La Passacaglia project. I may need some larger ones for the EPP sections of the La Passacaglia project. I’ll have to see.
This large pouch is 10.5×8 inch and I think I might need an even larger size for EPP. I’ll have to see when the first installment of the La Pass instructions come out. It fits the Piebald Pouch acrylic templates very well.
Medium I Spy Pouch
The medium pouch fits the Hackney pouch, also from Minikins Season 3, templates pretty well.
These are a pretty quick sew and very satisfying. If I had a bag in which to clip them, I could easily add a leash with a lobster clip to keep them in the bag. That is something to think about for another day.
As I mentioned, a dozen quilts were handed in at Sew Day which will go to the community organizations that the guild supports. Many were tops I had sewn in the past. I am glad they are making their way to Peggy and the Community Quilt team.
For those of you who celebrate, Happy Independence Day! For those of you who do not celebrate, have a great day.
Happy 4th!
My wish, again, for this 4th (although it is not a gift giving holiday) is that we return to kindness, civility and working together to make a better future for our children. I have wished this before for various reasons. Post pandemic, I hope it will be easier to incorporate some of these traits into our lives as a society.
I was slightly horrified at the large pile of paper napkins on the YM’s dining room table. I came home and made napkins for the YM and the YMG from fabric I bought at Pioneer Quilts in Portland.
I sent them off and I hope they like and use them.
Google will be removing FeedBurner from its suite of products. I don’t know when. They sent me an email some time ago and I thought I would deal with it later. Well, it is later, unfortunately.
This means that if you get an email from this blog every morning, you will need to make some changes. I have begun subscribing people on the list. I suspect you will get a message asking you to verify your subscription. If you don’t want to have to do the whole process yourself, click the verification link. Otherwise, there are two ways to make the change:
First, I have added an email subscription box to the right sidebar. It is right under the search box. Put your email in and click subscribe.
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Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials
Moda Blockheads #3 has an archive of all the blocks, the blog posts and the instructions. What a great idea! Thanks to Cyndi W.
Crafty Gemini has a new, free mesh tote bag video tutorial. If you need something for wet bathing suits, this is your bag.
My mom told me about a Missouri Star Triple Play video she watched. She loved the special surprise in the middle of the video. I liked that segment as well, but I REALLY loved Natalie’s version of their Missouri Star quilt. It is a small Missouri Star block in a large Missouri Star block. I think what I really like about it is the True Kisses by Heather Bailey fabric she used. I might have to make a block to see if I want to make a quilt. They use a perfect trimmer**, which I have never seen before. I may need to try one.
Media
It is worth checking on this NY Times article on crafts, What We Learned from a Year of Crafting, for the following quote “And the qualities that craft teaches — resourcefulness, resilience, flexibility — were much needed in a year filled with so much uncertainty and loss….”. It talks about crafting during the pandemic, how it took off, the benefits, how people returned. A great acknowledgment of something many of us do on a daily basis.
Check out Friend Julie’s Cornucopia post. Lots of interesting links to follow.
Books, Fabrics, Notions & Supplies
Check out the Remarkable Rainbow Block Resizer from Tartankiwi. The Remarkable Rainbow Resizer is a simple table which will allow you to increase or decrease the size of a wide variety of blocks.
I really like Joanne Sharpe’s work. Take a look at her website.
**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.
In Process or To Make
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.
Quilts
The circle quilt start is on the design wall
Small Projects to Make or in Process
Most of my progress involves thinking or just cutting.
One Hour Basket for my stuff that tends to accumulate on the dining room table. I may switch to one of the Minikins projects or a Catch All Caddy for this purpose.
One Hour Basket for DH’s stuff that tends to accumulate on the dining room table. I may switch the pattern to one of the Minikins projects for this purpose.
Percheron Pouch cut out and ready to sew
Retreat Organizer – another project from the Crafty Gemini Organizer Club, also on my list, but not yet started. Recently, I saw one of these made up and I am not so nervous about it
Superbloom tote using Hindsight fabric – not started
Tessuti Japanese Apron – cut out and ready to sew. I am figuring out how to make it reversible.
Ultimate Project Organizer – another project from the Crafty Gemini Organizer Club, also on my list, but not yet started
Ultimate Carry All Bag gift – Bag-a-Long for BAM – I have the inside pockets as well as the front panel made and am looking forward to the next step
Ultimate Carry All Bag for me – I have the inside pockets as well as the front panel made and am looking forward to the next step
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.
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.
Handbag Sampler – this is still the forgotten project. It should be on the UFO list. The blocks were teaching samples when I taught a sampler class some time before I started writing the quilt class sampler tutorials. I found one block recently, but otherwise I actually don’t know exactly where the blocks are hiding. I crawled up in the far reaches of my fabric closet to see if I could find them and they weren’t where I thought. I am sort of mystified as to where they could be. I haven’t even found a picture of all the blocks. Sad.
Lobster – I think I might make this into a tablerunner for the buffet. I think that will be a good and fun use of the piece even if the colors aren’t quite right for the dining room.
Pies and Points from 2016 Victoria Findlay Wolfe class. The last time I worked on it was when Julie and I had a playdate in April 2018. I brought this piece with me so I could cut more elements (Julie has a Sizzix). I lost my excitement about this piece shortly thereafter and still have to get it back. Thus, I had to move this to the WIPs area.
Pointillist Palette #4: Fourth is a series of 6 quilts; needs tiny square patches sewn together. No progress.
Serendipity Lady – I am still planning to take this piece to be framed.
Who Am I? – This piece is still languishing. Perhaps having a larger design wall will help me regain momentum. The amount of satin stitching I was facing was a problem until I thought of BIAS TAPE. I am going to make the words with bias tape, perhaps different widths, then I won’t have to sew the satin stitching. Red Scribbles and Friend Julie helped me come up with this solution. Now I just have to do it!
I worked on this project in a desultory manner, but the project just got real. DH said he wanted to paint the room instead of me hiring someone and he took time off work next month to do it. I spent time last weekend clearing off more shelves and putting my workroom stuff in boxes.
Books and other Workroom stuff
The YM’s room is looking pretty full at the moment. Good thing he doesn’t need to sleep there as more stuff needs to be stored there. I am out of the boxes I have been using boxes that stack up nicely together and need to find others.
If you have already read this post on the 15th or the 17th or the 20th or the 25th, you can skip it and get back to your quiltmaking. You will be able to take the steps below anytime.
Google will be removing FeedBurner from its suite of products. I don’t know when. They sent me an email some time ago and I thought I would deal with it later. Well, it is later, unfortunately.
This means that if you get an email from this blog every morning, you will need to make some changes. I have a list of subscribers and have subscribed all ‘active’ users. Active users are people who have verified their request via some link or two factor authentication. If I have time, I will work on subscribing the rest of you. As a result, if you get an email saying you have subscribed to this blog, then click on the link and continue reading. If you do not get an email or are new to this blog, follow the directions below.
There are two ways to make the change.
Subscribe via email box
First, I have added an email subscription box to the right sidebar. It is right under the search box. Put your email in and click subscribe.
Leave a comment
Alternatively, you can re-subscribe while leaving a comment. Please go to the top left of any post and click on ‘Leave a Comment’. You don’t actually have to leave a comment, though I love your comments and welcome any you choose to leave!
Blog-by-email
In the comments section of any post, check to make sure you are logged in. In the image, I am logged in (see arrow). If you are not logged in, you will see a form asking for your name, email and URL. If you do not have your own URL, you can leave that blank.
If you are logged in, or once you log in, click the bottom option, “Notify me of new posts by email”. You will receive an email asking you to verify your email, then you should receive a new email every time I publish a blog post.
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I know this is a hassle. Blame and complain to Google. I appreciate your patience.
I have a new, year long work contract that is going to be taking a lot of my time. Between the time I found out and the day I started, I had about two weeks where I finished other projects, sewed like a demon and saw friends. Fortunately, the COVID cases were down enough and we were all vaccinated, so I felt comfortable going to people’s houses. One thing I did was have a mini Sew Day with Gerre. Mostly we talk and eat, but this time we sewed quite a bit as well. Our last Sew Day was too long ago.
Finished Gelato at Gerre’s
I took my batch of Gelato strips to Gerre’s house and worked on sewing them together. The numbered pins really helped. In a flash, I was able to finish it. I think chatting and sewing made the project go faster.
Gerre held it up for me so I could take a photo. I was pleased to see that in different light and against a dark background, the quilt still glowed.
Gerre worked on her Ring quilt and was able to finish the top.
We had Thai food, which I like and don’t get a chance to eat very often.
I have started to make donation blocks again. When it isn’t convenient to work on the yellow improv donation quilt, then I work on a 16 Patch block. Both will be used eventually in some way.
I made good progress at Craft Night on Gelato. I got all of the background sewn to the precut strips.
I wanted to prepare for my mini Sew Day with Gerre. This quilt was on the agenda. By sewing all the background to the strips, I could get it ready to transport. It was important to me to keep the strips in a certain order. I was able to use the numbered pins** I bought some time ago (and thought were useless) to good effect. I also used giant WonderClips** to keep the strips together.
I didn’t have a design wall at Gerre’s and with the numbered pins, I was able to keep the whole thing in order so I could sew it together.
**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.
My Put a Ring on It quilt is back from Colleen. It showed up while I was traveling. I haven’t had a chance to put on the binding, but I am closer to being done than I was when we last discussed this quilt.
It is a lot darker than the others in the guild due to the dark blue Martha Negley fabric I used for the background. I like the quilt, but am not sure that I love it. I used similar colors to Frolic!, but the dark blue makes the look totally different. I am really interested in that blue and red-violet combination.
Put a Ring on It back
The back looks good. I may regret using that rings blue, but it goes with the theme and has been sitting around for ages so on it went.
If you have already read this post on the 15th or the 17th or the 20th, you can skip it and get back to your quiltmaking.
Google will be removing FeedBurner from its suite of products. I don’t know when. They sent me an email some time ago and I thought I would deal with it later. Well, it is later, unfortunately.
This means that if you get an email from this blog every morning, you will need to make some changes. I have a list of subscribers and have subscribed all ‘active’ users. Active users are people who have verified their request via some link or two factor authentication. If I have time, I will work on subscribing the rest of you. As a result, if you get an email saying you have subscribed to this blog, then click on the link and continue reading. If you do not get an email, follow the directions below.
There are two ways to make the change.
Subscribe via email box
First, I have added an email subscription box to the right sidebar. It is right under the search box. Put your email in and click subscribe.
Leave a comment
Alternatively, you can re-subscribe while leaving a comment. Please go to the top left of any post and click on ‘Leave a Comment’. You don’t actually have to leave a comment, though I love your comments and welcome any you choose to leave!
Blog-by-email
In the comments section of any post, check to make sure you are logged in. In the image, I am logged in (see arrow). If you are not logged in, you will see a form asking for your name, email and URL. If you do not have your own URL, you can leave that blank.
If you are logged in, or once you log in, click the bottom option, “Notify me of new posts by email”. You will receive an email asking you to verify your email, then you should receive a new email every time I publish a blog post.
Email me if you have a problem at poste [at] artquiltmaker [dot] com.
I know this is a hassle. Blame and complain to Google. I appreciate your patience.
