Something old, something older

With moving, the holidays, and getting the kids settled into new schools, I have fallen shamefully behind on my Piece Bee With You bee blocks.  Though the bee is over, I have three outstanding blocks to make, plus a siggy block to send with a fourth that was made months ago.  And also the last block for Design Camp. 

Inspired by a recent quilt finish, I'm determined to make good on bee blocks owed.  Poor Phuong has been waiting for her photography-related Piece Bee block SINCE JUNE!  The idea for her block has been percolating for quite some time, but I finally put pencil to paper and drafted it out this afternoon (and was consequently late picking my kids up from school because I lost track of time).

Because I love vintage anything, I chose the Kodak Brownie Beau for Phuong's block.  As soon as I figure out how to do the circles, I'll be off and running.

Aside from bee blocks, I re-discovered a quilt top that I made for Martina almost two years ago.  It was the second quilt (top) I ever made, and I put it away because my tastes had changed.  Martina still loves it and requested that I finish it before I get back to her Poetica quilt.  And so I spent the morning basting it on the dining room table.

While I'm addressing old projects, I may as well add the oldest UFO to the bunch.  I bought a vintage chair at an estate sale well over 2 years ago.  My husband purchased and cut foam cushions soon after.  

 The kids have had fun picking away at the foam the past couple of years, which I've had fun vacuuming up.  So with cushions cut to fit and fabric washed, there's no excuse to put it off any longer.  I think it's time to sew up some boxed cushion covers so we can retire the blanket that's been hiding the unsightly foam.

[ETA 1/10/13] And here's a pic of Martina's Poetica quilt blocks. 

They need to be sewn into a top, then basted to batting and a minky backing (my first), quilted and bound.

I'm linking up the last two three UFO's to the 2013 Finish-Along hosted by Leanne and Project UFO hosted by Angela.  Head on over to the Flickr groups (here and here) to check out all the other great projects.

WIP Wednesday

Summer sewing... I have every intention of making myself a dress.  I purchased this fabric and this pattern, with an eye towards making View B (the knee-length version).  Because of my limited experience in apparel-making, I will definitely have to make a muslin first.  And there's the rub- if I'm going to spend the time making a dress, I want the immediate gratification of wearing it right away!  So the fabric and pattern sit in a neat pile on a shelf.

Here's a recap of what actually did make it to my sewing table this week:

June's Piece Bee theme was houses.  Eva asked for small details inside the house as well as in the garden.  I'm wishing I had framed the windows to make them look more like windows, but other than that, I like how the block turned out.

For this month's Love Circle block at do. Good Stitches, Jacey asked for scrappy improv blocks with citrus colors.  I dove into the bucket o'scraps and had fun using up crumbs I had been saving for Bottled Rainbows.  When those ran out, I pulled some fabric from the stash and cut small pieces to finish the blocks.  I really like the look of these blocks:

I've also made progress binding a charity quilt.  It's been a little challenging working on this quilt because the weather's been so gorgeous and warm- I've felt a little claustrophobic underneath the weight of it.  But just one more side to stitch down on charity quilt #1 and hoping to move on to charity quilt #2.

The only box left to tick on my list is Design Camp's June project.  In lieu of a block, we are making mini-quilts for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative.  I've got the design and fabric worked out, it's just a matter of finding some time.  My older children have plans to make cookies this afternoon while the little one naps- perfect time for me to steal away and sew for an hour.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced...

Dash to the finish

Not one to buck the system, I find myself sewing like mad to finish up my monthly sewing commitments.  Going into this last week of May,  I still have an apron for a swap with a fellow guild member, and blocks for Piece Bee and Design Camp.  I've been blocked (har-har) coming up with ideas for the two remaining bee blocks.  It was pretty much anything goes for both, and I find that challenging. 

My Design Camp block is hot off the machine.  Christine requested playful "bumper sticker" blocks.  Something to make her smile or giggle without being too raucous.  Tough one.  There were a few phrases I considered, but my sense of humor leans towards the inappropriate.  After much dithering, I settled on "Cheers!"  Because I'd waited until just about the last minute to start, there was a steep learning curve on free-form piecing the letters.  A few mistakes were made, but all in all, not too bad.

I'd gotten as far as C-H-E-E, then suddenly this Mike Meyers character popped into my head.  Twist!  I just had to make this:

It came out a *tad* large (10"x21"- yikes!) because of the change-up.  Hopefully, Christine can make it work.

I'm still agonizing over my Piece Bee block.  Alli's theme is "Favorite thing."  How to narrow it down to one?  I love so many things, and I honestly can't decide what one thing is THE favorite.  Probably over-thinking this one.

I suppose I should get started that apron.  If I could just remember where I (mis)placed the pattern and fabric...

Love and Piece

Whew!  Three more blocks are finished and ready to go.  They were definitely the most time-consuming blocks I've made this month.  Every minute of my spare time the past few days has been spent on them.  But there's no rest for the weary... I've still got two potholders for Bee a {modern} Swapper and two charity blocks to make before month's end.

For this month's Love Circle block, Rachel chose Polaroid blocks based on this tutorial.  My kids saw them in progress and asked what Polaroids are (aren't they cute).  So we hopped on Google, and through the power of the interwebs they learned all about Polaroid cameras, and now "Hey Ya" makes a little more sense to them.  Of course now we're in the market for a Polaroid camera (one of the older models, which I've seen at estate and yard sales).

The tutorial recommended paper-piecing the individual polaroids, but I opted to chain-piece them based on the measurements given for the fussy cut centers and white strips.  I attempted to make some of them jauntily askew, but it sort of looks like I wasn't precise with the squaring up.  The thought came into my head to un-sew the blocks and skew them a bit more, but then out it went.  I might have done so if these were the last of my sewing commitments (maybe).

Kelly asked for blocks pertaining to being sick with cold and flu for Piece Bee.  My first couple of ideas were claimed right away.  Then I though back to my childhood, and every single time I or one of my siblings had an inkling of a cough, out came the Vicks Vaporub and the humidifier.  Vicks, along with Mercurochrome, were my parents' weapons of choice against childhood ailments and injuries.  (I had forgotten all about Mercurochrome until this month's theme came up.  Here's why it isn't sold anymore.)

On the docket this afternoon are two charity blocks that a fellow guild member is collecting for a Quilts of Valor project, and then some much-needed housekeeping. 

So many blocks, so little time

Nine blocks down, five blocks and two potholders to go.  I coasted too long on that sense of accomplishment after finishing up my 3x6 blocks and now find myself in a pretty pickle.  I was hoping to mail everything off tomorrow, but that clearly isn't going to happen.  It will be down to the wire with the potholders and other blocks.

 Last week was spent piecing bee blocks in earnest.  Two were improv style blocks, and these blocks took longer than they should have because of my need for structure and order.  (Structure and order in my sewing and quilting life, that is.  The housekeeping these days is laughable.  But I digress.)   I also helped a friend with a donation quilt to benefit her son's little league.

Two blocks were made for the Aqua and Red Bee.  Shanna sent fabric and requested Converging Corners blocks based on this tutorial at Film in the Fridge.  This block required a bit of un-sewing because I miscalculated the width of the strips for the outer logs more than a couple of times.  But I love this block, and I may choose it for my next bee block.

Lynne sent fabric and asked for non-wonky star blocks of our choosing.  I didn't realize just how many variations of star blocks exist!  After much agonizing, I finally chose the Amish Star, which I love.  

A word about flying geese.  I am unable to make pretty flying geese using the variety of quick and easy methods.  My flying geese come out much more crisp and precise if I do them using a traditional method (plus I like that there's no waste).

Suzy sent us fabric for April's Design Camp block and asked for Improv Chevrons using this tutorial from Six White Horses.  This is a wonderful tutorial, and the block should have been quick work since I made two for do. Good Stitches in March.  I think I spent the same amount of time making this one block as I did making the two last month.  To be fair, last month's blocks had two chevron panels, whereas this one has three.  A lot of effort went into lining up the chevrons just so.

I love that Suzy chose three prints and sent coordinating solids for her block.  I added a few solids from my own stash in complimentary colors because I was worried I'd run out of fabric (I didn't). 

Next up on the docket is my Piece Bee With You block.  Kelly's theme for April is "Cold and Flu."  I've got an idea that I've sketched out, but it needs a little refining.  I'm fearful that while I'm piecing my block, someone will post a pic in the group's photo pool with the same idea.  My hope is to finish the block by tomorrow evening (!), then get to work on the Polaroid blocks for do. Good Stitches.

March Recap

For some reason, I was feeling like I did a lot of sewing in March.  After creating a mosaic of my sewing accomplishments,  I'm feeling like that is not the case.  Maybe that bump to the head I had earlier in the month affected me more than I previously thought!

FTLOS Swap, Aqua and Red Bee, do. Good Stitches, Piece Bee With You

Since March was my month for a couple of bees, I didn't sew as many blocks as I normally do.  I did, however, design and sew a mini-quilt and potholder. 

This week will definitely be down to the wire, sewing-wise.  Four blocks for the BAMQG  A-Z Quilt-along and Echo Challenge, a charity quilt top, and four more 3x6 Q2 blocks.  I'm already tired just thinking about it!

Next month's recap will be block-heavy.  Sixteen to be exact.  Plus a couple of potholders.  And an apron.  Over-commit much?

Of birthdays, bags and blocks

Another birthday has come and gone.  I've reached an age where birthdays are quietly celebrated, and I value a relaxing day off from domestic duties more than anything else.  To that end, my husband, who knows me so well, arranged for a friend to watch the little guy all day, as well as shuttle the older kids home from school and to their various sports activities.

With no responsibilities to see to, my husband and I drove down to Monterey and whiled away the morning at an antique mall.  From there we went to Carmel for lunch and an afternoon wandering the quaint downtown area and footpath along the beach.  It's very rare that my husband and I have time to ourselves, so this was the perfect way to spend the day. 

Before we left on the birthday jaunt, I received a package from my FTLOS Swap partner.  As soon as I saw the point of origin on the envelope, I knew the contents held this gorgeous bag and mini wall-hanging I was hoping against hope were for me as soon as I saw them in the swap photo pool.

The bag is ideal for library books (with three kids we usually check out loads of books) or sewing projects, and the wall-hanging is the first handmade to grace my (tiny) sewing area.  Louise at lululollylegs got it just right.  She even (unknowingly) timed the package to arrive on my birthday!

The last week of the month brings the usual flurry of work on bee blocks and guild projects.  For this month's Piece Bee With You block, Jacqueline requested cat blocks.  I wanted to do something a little different, so I settled on the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.  He's meant to look like he's disappearing, leaving his grin and facial features.  My children think it's a little spooky- Martina described it as haunting.  Hope Jacqueline doesn't find it too creepy.

The rest of the week's tasks are settling on a project for the BAMQG Echo challenge, choosing a block for the 3x6 Mini Sampler bee, and some prep work for the guild's Q2 charity quilts.  I've fallen hopelessly behind on the A-Z Quilt-along, so I'll just do the letters for April and catch up later.

Slow but steady

It was so nice to knock out a few projects and blocks last week.  As I've noted before, nothing like knowing I should be resting to get me in front of my machine!  Despite a slow-healing elbow, slight lingering headaches and back pain resulting from my fall, I was able to start (and even finish) a few things.

For the do. Good Stitches Love Circle block, March hostess Natalie chose improv chevrons in turquoise and robin’s egg blues paired with oranges, yellows, and greys.  Luckily, with these hues my stash overfloweth.  These blocks, as all other improv blocks I've done so far, came out looking very planned and more precisely cut and pieced than I would have wished.  But I still love the end result.  A great block design with a beautiful color palette.

Leona, one of the Aqua and Red queen bees for March (I'm the other), sent lovely aqua and red 4" charm squares and pointed us to this tutorial to make a Reverse Starburst block.  This was my first attempt at a wonky star, and I'm wondering why I haven't tried one before now.  It was great fun and I love the result. 

 

And, as blogged in the previous post,  FTLOS mini-quilt and potholder were finished and sent off to Camille of Hermit Goodness.  Check out her blog to see them in their new home.

Lastly, I've started the block for Piece Bee With You.  Jacqueline requested cat blocks for March, and after working in fits and starts, I've settled on a design and have started the cutting.  Here's a little peek at what I'm up to:

Lots of cutting left to do, so off I go!

So much to do, so little time

February is busy, busy with bee/swap commitments, charity and retreat planning for the BAMQG guild, and chairing Girl Scout cookie sales for Martina's troop.  Egads, why is February a short month?  

I managed to eek out a couple of bee blocks, but neither are ready to be shipped off.  In my previous post, I shared my Retro Flowers test block for the do. Good Stitches Love Circle.  I didn't press the seams open, so I'm either going to make the block again, or take the test block apart and re-sew with seams pressed open. 

February's Piece Bee theme for Lynne is tropical fish.  My inspiration was this picture of an Emperor Angelfish.  Lynne wanted bright colors and indicated batiks were okay.  I raided my stash and found some fabric I bought for my brother-in-law's Deadhead quilt (which I have yet to design, much less start).  The block feels very murky instead of the bright and colorful block Lynne requested.  I think I'm going to start over.

Blocks for Aqua and Red Bee (Flying Geese for Dawn) and Design Camp Swap (shipping containers for Jaime) blocks are also due this month.  Plus, I've also got to make test blocks, then cut up and ship out fabric for these same two bees, since March is my month for both. Thanks goodness the BAMQG retreat is coming up- it's going to be all about the bees and swaps for me.

Amidst all these deadlines, Jen and I have been trying to organize quarterly projects and track the piecing, quilting and binding of the guild's charity quilts.  When we first met to discuss the program launch in December, we settled on a target of 2 quilts per month.  We've got such enthusiastic members that 3 completed quilts are already done.  We've also got 6 quilts out amongst guild members in various stages of completion, and the first quarter isn't even up!  We are a guild of over-achievers!

Yikes!

     My little guy loves to roll his Thomas trains all over my sewing machine.  All over.  Yesterday he kept having train crashes.  One of the crashes knocked the thread take-up spring on the tension unit out of whack.  To quote Sir Topham Hat, this has caused confusion and delay.  I didn't notice it until I tried to finish a secret swap project for this week's BAMQG meeting. 

     So now my machine has to have some unscheduled maintenance done.  I may try to do it myself... there are some good references on the vintage Singer yahoo group.  If I muck things up, I can always take it to a repair shop.  Thank goodness I have a backup machine.  Which the little one is now rolling his toy truck all over.

    There were a few things I managed to complete before the fateful crash.  Two 12.5" log cabin blocks for the BAMQG Heirloom Challenge. 

There was a third in the works, but I scrapped it.  I also made a gift for the guild's December Secret Swap, but the photo won't be posted until after the meeting.   

     My November bee blocks were mailed off just under the wire.  I usually finish bee blocks well before the deadline, but the procrastinator in me doesn't like to send them as soon as they're done.  I'm always rushing to get them off a few days before month's end.

    The November block for Piece Bee With You was Geese In A Ring in aqua and orange.  This was lots of fun to make.  The next time I make one, I'll pre-cut the fabric.  Although this isn't a quick block by any means, it took much longer to make than it should have.  Alisha also asked for a small siggy block.

     The theme for November's Design Camp [think outside the block] Swap was Ocean Dreams.  We were sent a mix of beautiful solid cottons and linens and asked to improvise a block with a beachy feel.  The block I made was inspired by striped beach cabanas along a boardwalk. 

 

It doesn't look as improvised as it is.  It sort of looks paper-pieced, but I suppose that will happen if you're rotary cutting with a ruler!

A bee for a Bee

     I've been hijacking time here and there from my domestic and child-rearing duties to work on a blog button for the Piece Be With You Flickr group.  My kitchen table was the sight of some furious paper piecing last night.  I thought I would be able to knock out the actual block for the button image during the little one's nap yesterday.  But those two hours were spent divvying up the design into sub-units and numbering the pieces.

    Here's a sneak peek that leaves little to the imagination, but it's fun to see the block before the paper was torn away.

    The big reveal will be on Flickr.  After I figure out how to make the actual button.  I'm hoping it's as simple as finding a piece of code, then copy-paste-replace.

Mission (almost) accomplished

   It's such a nice feeling to have fulfilled all of my bee/swap blocks for this month early.   So different from my college days of all-nighters, pots of coffee, pleas for divine inspiration, and vows that the next paper would be started earlier than the night before it was due.

The blocks for Teal We Meet Again, Design Camp, and Piece Be With You sit on my hutch, ready to be packed up and posted.  And the Scrapbuster Swap blocks were mailed weeks ago. 

     It was such a relief to get those blocks done, because I had a commitment to this guy:

    
Yesterday was his 2nd birthday, and I promised to make him a birthday cake from scratch.  He talked all day about his birthday cake and being "2 old."  We celebrated by having our special occasion dinner (Pan-Roasted Pork Pork Loin with Leeks over rice), followed by an eggless vanilla and chocolate cake with ice-cream.  It's pretty amusing to watch a 2 year old open gifts. 

     The only other thing I've got with a hard and fast deadline is the Habitat Challenge through BAMQG.  We were given fat eighths of Jay McCarroll's Habitat in the Brights colorway .  Here they are in their uncut glory:

     There are a couple of ideas percolating in my head.  The first is one which involves a lot of applique which would be beyond my skill level and patience.  The second idea is much simpler.  Given the impending deadline, I think the second one is the way to go.  Could be cool, could be a disaster. 
     

The devil is in the details- Girl Skipping Rope take 2

     After 3 days of sewing, unsewing, design tweaking, and re-working an entire section, the first paper-pieced block I've ever designed and drafted on my own is done.  So much work never went into a 10-inch block!  
     Meet Ginger:

    

She's more than a little patchy- a testament to my lack of paper-piecing skills.  The head section was the part I had to tweak.  Those pesky y-seams!  The second incarnation was done without them, and came out much neater.  There are a few other spots that didn't need to be chopped up so much, but I wasn't looking at the big picture when I was piecing, and then the block came out a rectangle.  For me, squaring up meant adding fabric, not trimming back! 
    Nevertheless, I think she turned out well (I can't bring myself to refer to her as an inanimate object.  We spent too much time together).  I'm very sad to see her go (as are my children), but this week she'll be on her way to her new home in Melbourne, Australia.  Hope you like her, Jane! 
     Next month's Piece Bee With You block shouldn't be so much of a struggle for me now that I've got one under my belt.  Some takeaways from constructing Ginger:

• The first sketch should not be the final draft
• Draft the design using squares, rectangles and triangles.  Here I did the opposite- chopping the design up into squares, rectangles and triangles, which resulted in umpteen teeny pieces
• Avoid y-seams if at all possible
• Know the targeted block size beforehand
• Measure twice, cut once (an oldie but goodie)

Just for fun, here is a pictorial history of Ginger's progression (first blogged here):

girl skipping rope

     Oh my sainted aunt!  I jumped in feet first with this block!  For the Piece Bee With You October block, I sketched out this for Jane, who requested girls in dresses.  All those tiny pieces- what was I thinking?  I'll tell you what I was thinking... I fell in love with the sketch and knew she had to be made.  So post her in the swap's Flickr pool I did, to make it official.  Now I'm committed.
     See how nicely the lower half of her body came out?

 She was easy, until I got to her upper extremities.  So many teeny pieces of fabric to maneuver through my beloved, if temperamental, machine.  There are a couple of places where y-seams are required- putting those newly acquired skills to use (though still in the process of trying to master them).  Because of this, and the teensy weensy pieces in the top third of the block, a few bulky spots were unavoidable.  I'm hoping that the recipient will love her so much that she won't notice :)
   p.s. I unintentionally worked some Denyse Schmidt's Katie Jump Rope into the block.  I was looking for green in my stash to represent grass, and this was the only thing that could pass.  How neat is that?

What's that buzzing sound?

 
     The Scrapbuster Swap blocks, both monochromatic and mixed, have finally been squared up.  They were finished last week but squaring up is my least favorite part about quilting, so they sat in a pretty pile in my living room.  I finally decided yesterday it was time for a trimming so I can post them.   

     Because four quilts-in-progress and a sweater-in-progress seem not enough to keep me occupied, I have joined two new quilting bees via Flickr.  I'm a little apprehensive, as they both involve blocks with which I have very little experience.  But I've always been a quick study, and I'm eager to stretch myself as a quilter.

     The first bee is Design Camp [think outside the block] Swap.  This is a modern block swap with improvisational blocks as the focus.  I consider myself a modern quilter in that I use modern fabrics in my blocks.  I love the bright colors and bold graphics.  But I have yet to piece an improvisational block.  Hopefully this experience will help me let go of that need for symmetry and order.  It's time to get a little crazy with the block piecing!
    
     There are some very good discussions about modern quilting and improvisational blocks out there.  I'm eager to try and hoping that the blocks look improvisational by design, not from laziness to follow a pattern or to match seams and points (matching seams and points perfectly is something I'm still trying to master).

     The second bee I joined is the Piece Bee with You Swap, a foundation piecing bee.  I've done exactly one foundation pieced block- the square-within-a-square.  Not exactly challenging.  I'd better practice before the bee starts up in October.  I bounced around the web looking for suggestions on how to create and piece your own design, but there wasn't much on this topic.  I'm sure experienced foundation piecers would think it quite easy to know where to begin piecing their own original design, but I am clueless.  Looks like it's time to hit the scrap pile and figure this thing out!  And if anyone who may be reading this has any references they can point me to, I'd greatly appreciate it!