Welcome 2013!

A very happy and blessed New Year to you! :)

As a school bus driver I have had the last week off - splendid holiday, and some much needed down time.  When I wasn't here and there visiting with family - my FAVORITE activity has been playing with my Christmas present!  Hubby got me the EQ7 - and I just LOVE it!

In an attempt to better manage my time and limited space, I will be trying something new.  Since I am cutting and sewing all on the same small table area - it takes a great deal of put/picking up and getting out/setting up to plan, cut, or sew.  It's very frustrating and time consuming going between tasks.  So I thought if I could plan out what projects I'm interested in working on, say this month, then cut, cut, cut for the first week of the month, as many projects as I can - then I could put up my cutting mat, clear the area, and set up for sewing for the remaining 3 weeks.  I don't actually know if I can cut enough for 3 weeks - but then I guess there's always playing on my EQ7 if I run out of things to do until my next "cutting" session!

So, with this being week 1, I'm going to see what I can get cut and prepped for sewing this month.  First up is a red and white log cabin.  I saw this quilt a year ago on one of my favorite blogs Alycia Quilts.

I've been dying to make one ever since.  One of my first projects I toyed with on my EQ7 was this log cabin.  After getting the hang of the software I played with another version of the layout also.

So this is what I've cut out this morning, and I've got the foundation blocks cut for an applique project.  I saw the Rose of Sharon Block Challenge in an old issue of Quilter's Newsletter, and I remembered those blocks - and ALL additional blocks from the various quilters who participated in this challenge - were available for free download from the ElectricQuilt website.  

So my background blocks are ready, and I think I may applique 1 or 2 blocks each month making this a long-term project.  I don't know how many blocks were downloaded with the file - its all the blocks everyone involved in the challenge created - not just the blocks from the book.  I got dizzy after I got through looking at about half!  Really! Several hundred - just beautiful!  Just trying to just pick out a few to make a quilt!

Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut!

One thing I LOVE about New Year's Eve and New Year's Day - Twilight Zone!  I've got my little TV, and all those wonderful black and white episodes to keep me company! :)

Been Busy . . .

Been busy cutting, and cutting, and cutting, and well . . . cutting.  I found this Super Mario Quilt Along

over on Cut to Pieces - and being the Mario junkie that I am, I couldn't resist!  Actually, this quilt will be for a Christmas present for my grandson - he's just as big a Mario Brothers freak as I am - I LOVE it! 

So basically, all the characters are made on a grid and pixelated like the video game.  The initial instructions called for Pellon's Stick n Wash - which is super easy to use since your fabric sticks on it, and then after you sew you can just wash it off - but for 12 yards - it also super expensive.  Instead I opted for a cheaper Pellon product - I think it was P44 - at 0.99/yd, and used my 40% off coupon at Joann's.  Of course, there was always the option of just piecing everything without the foundation - but I'm not even thinking of trying to sew all those individual blocks, and fighting with all those points/corners!  I'm quite comforted to think I can iron, fold, and sew, and everything will be exactly where it needs to be!

I marked my grid on for 1 1/2" blocks.  My quilt blocks are 16 grid blocks x 16 grid blocks - making each block 24" and finishing at 16" after sewing.  All pieces/blocks for the characters are 1 1/2" squares.  So as I mentioned - I was cutting . . .  I mean the kind of cutting that requires new rotary blades, and a full list of programming on your DVR . . .

 Nope - not even close to everything I need to cut!  But dag gon' it!  I'm gettin' bored with cutting!  I needed to make a block!  So today I was able to sit down and get my first block done :)  I opted to use a washable glue stick (not purple!) just to gently swipe the fabric squares.  There was hardly any glue on them at all - I just needed a touch to keep the blocks from slipping out of place or twisting before I had a chance to iron them down.

My fusible was only 19.5" wide so I had to add 3 more rows for the top . . .

Once Mario was all together my first seam was to join the two pieces, then I folded and sewed the remaining seams horizontally.  I clipped the seams along the fold lines and pressed the seams open.  This was a little tedious but I thought if I pressed them to once side, and then folded the fabric again to sew the vertical seams there would just be way too much fabric and each intersection.

Started out super big!  After stitching the horizontal seams he looked squashed.  Then sewing the vertical seams made him just right!

There's lots of great blocks that all the participants are making.  This is just my first, and I need to get cracking so I can get finished in time!  You can check out the other blocks on the flickr group! :)

A Fun Night Out

Las night fun was had by all at the Berry Basket Quilters.  Some of the highlights were the donations for our community outreach.  Quilters are such generous people.  There's always beautiful quilts every month whether for QOV, our local hospital pediatric ward, and or community efforts for families in need.





Then there were those who finished this month's BOM - the Boston Star - did not get the entire line of people - a lot of blocks!


And the lovely young lady in the top row with the birthday hat on is Betty - we all wore hats for the evening (and ate delicious cake) to help her celebrate her 90th birthday!!  This lady is absolutely AMAZING!  You just can't keep up with her - you CAN'T!  I told her I wish I was as young as she is.  And then our over achievers :)  These two are ahead on their star blocks for our 2012, and have assembled these gorgeous tops!



Last night was also the end of our guild's "Name Your Space" challenge.  It was great to see all the different ideas everyone had.  The "Fabricologist" piece won :)


My camera batteries were dead by the time we got to show and tell, and the birthday party. . . but I was having too much fun to worry about pictures anyway! :)

Long Time No Sew!!

I have not touched my sewing machine since my last post!!  Ugh!  The entire summer has gone by without anything to show for it.  Life Happens!  I had to take on a second job at the end of March which cut my available time down considerably, and recently due to the foundation of our house sinking, and other timely incidentals, we have now relocated to my mother's home, with the majority of our belongings stowed away in storage.  Regardless of the fact that there is ABSOLUTELY no room for fabric, tools, and sewing machine, I ignored my husband's protesting and brought them.  Well, as much of them as I could without looking insane.  A great deal of fabric is storage - this pains me - but I managed to smuggle two totes worth of scraps and fat quarters covering the spectrum of all colors one could possibly think they might need to have a smidgen of on hand! :)  So, I've been driving around with the said smuggled items in the back of my car for 4 weeks now - did I mention I was trying to not look insane?  With the only space available to work in/on being the kitchen table - I can see this going to be difficult, but I intend to perservere.  So I took my fabrics & tools out yesterday -- knowing I had an hour on hand that no one would be around, and I wouldn't be in their way or visa-versa -- and I cut out fabric needed for my September BOM for guild (meeting tonight).



Then today, same time, I was able to sew my block together!


At least I have a little relief.  Sewing for me is like therapy and I've been missing it sooooo much!  And having the night off so I can attend a guild meeting??  That like a 2 for 1 kind'a day! :)

March BOM

Into every quilter's life . . . a little scrap must fall.  :)  Thank goodness for that!  Got some time to sit and sew - gotta get it while the gettin's good!  Today I get to work on my March BOM for guild.  I have to admit, I really don't like cutting all that much - I'm impatient and it seems like a chore keeping from my "play". . .

. . . but I sure do love the hummmm of my machine!

Victory!

After missing my sewing time yesterday (that's another story) I finally got to sit down today and finish my NYB blocks - from last week!

I am very pleased with how it turned out (and thankful I managed it!).  I would love to dive right in to this week's block - but I've gotta get to work. Hopefully I'll be at least cutting it out tomorrow!  If you haven't done so yet, check out the flickr group for the NYB sew-a-long - very BEAUTY-ful stuff!

Ugh . . .

Worked on my NYB block today.  The Slow Quilter warned me it would be a lot of cutting . . . truly NO EXAGGERATION!  For some reason this block was really a problem for me. My brain would not work right today at all. :(

These triangle centers gave me a dickens of a time . . . rip, rip, rip!  For some reason I would either put the gray where I wanted the green, or wrong sides facing instead of right sides facing, etc., etc., etc.  FINALLY I got all four done.


The rest of the pieces went together fairly easy. . . 

Thank goodness, because I think I was about to CRY!