Foxy - Quilt Top

Sometimes simply patchwork is the best. Let the fabric speak for itself. I needed that this week, some easy piecing - sew press repeat. Cute fabric is definitely a plus. Now to find something for the back of this baby quilt. I'm thinking I might have to make a trip to the fabric store for some soft and cuddly minky. 

Gus was not overly impressed by our mini photo shoot this afternoon. But like a trooper he hung out with me. He has been pretty needy these past two weeks, not leaving my side very often. I'm rather enjoying his company.

Pink Kitty Quilt - Finish

Kitty fabrics, pieced kitty blocks, and lots of pink! I know a little girly who is going to be super happy when she sees this. 

I let the fabric speak for itself with this simple patchwork layout. I used Here Kitty Kitty fabric from Alyssa Thomas supplemented by some other pinks I had in my stash. I pieced some large cat silhouettes to highlight the cat theme.  

The patchwork is straight line quilted following both sides of the seam lines. For the cats I stepped outside my comfort zone and tried free-motion-quilting. I only did the white background. I wanted to make the cats really stand out.

Psst this is only the second time I've ever tried FMQ! You know, besides practice sandwiches which really don't count. I am rather happy with how it turned out. Not perfect by any means but I will never get better unless I jump in and try it. I signed up for a Craftsy class and think it has really helped me out. Love Craftsy - I don't have to leave the house and can stay in comfy pants! AND replay the lesson over and over!

For the back I stayed with the pink theme with a little grey added in there for balance. Pieced backs are my favorite. I think they add some much to the homemade nature of a quilt. 

Now to wait for Christmas to gift this. It's going to be difficult....

Pink Kitty Quilt - Stitching

The past few days I have commandeered the dinning room table and have been stitching away.

 

 

Last night I while Mr. B was watching a documentary on Spinosaurus, I was finishing up the quilting on this lovely. It's meant to be a Christmas present but I don't know if I will have the patience to wait until then to gift it!

 

Postage Stamp Quilt - Progress

After some contemplation I opted to go with an alternate lay out. While I know the edge to edge postage stamp blocks would have made an stunning quilt I am so glad I changed it up. I did a happy dance as the star took shape over the weekend. Not just on the inside I did an actual dance of joy in my sewing room. 

But I'll let the finished quilt top speak for itself. 

The whole time i was piecing the star I was scheming on how to quilt this. I'm definitely going to give free-motion-quilting a go and there will be some straight-lines in there too. 

Now to find the perfect backing fabric, I think I will stick with the scrappy nature of the quilt and go for a pieced backing. I'm sure I'll be showing you more soon. I'm just to in love with this to put in aside for another project. Not to say I don't have several on the back burning. What quilter isn't without a stack of WIPs. 

Postage Stamp Quilt - The Beginning

Fall is officially upon us. It's time to get out there and cut back the gardens and rake the leaves. Ok, I don't rake, I mulch them with the mower. More accurately Mr. B mulches them with the mower, while I work in the gardens. You know we should really get started on that. But Mr. B has been working late most of this week and the sewing machine has been calling. It's a call I cannot ignore. 

Time for a scrap busting project, my bins are nearing the point of overflowing! I've been working on a postage stamp quilt. Each of those little squares finished at 1.5 inches. 

My intention is to make a large throw quilt. That would mean making 99ish blocks. I'm starting to think I might need to devise an alternate layout - still using mainly scraps! We'll see....

Had to share this nice shot of Mr Erwin. 

He's so handsome. 

Orange and Blue Churn Dash

 

I’ve wanted to make a quilt using the traditional churn-dash block for a while now. When I found out my cousin was expecting a baby boy I knew that it was the perfect excuse to do it. I just love the combination of blue and orange for little boys; especially with the bright white for a background.

I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process of making this quilt from fabric selection, the repetitiveness of piecing the block (cut sew press trim repeat), and the quilting. Ok not the whole process I’m not a fan of basting never will be. If anyone out there likes crawling around on the floor putting in handfuls of safety pins let me know – I got a job for you!

Once again I used the Juki to straight line quilt in a grid pattern using the seams as my guide. This has become my go-to quilting method lately. I haven’t given up hand quilting completely – I have one in the works right now. Maybe I’ll show you some teaser pictures of that tomorrow. But for now enjoy the simplicity of the churn dash quilt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eggs in the 'Bator

I have the most wonderful, exciting news! We have baby birds!! Ok well not yet, they are still growing but in about 20ish days we will. Yup you heard me right still growing; they have yet to hatch. Mr. B got word of a soon to be abandoned nest, mama built it in the middle of a landscaping project.  Well he knew how sad I was over the fact that there would be no goslings this spring. (and he’s a softie he didn’t want to see them abandoned either)  He told the guy that we would come and pick them up.

So Sunday afternoon, Mother’s day how fitting, we drove to the farm supply store to pick up an incubator and then on to rescue some babies. All ten of them are tucked away in the ‘bator at a nice 99.5 degrees with 55% humidity and are being rotated twice daily. We candled when we brought them home and we will look again in a few days to check for growth. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

On the crafty front I managed to finish this pillow the other day from the leftover triangles from piecing the Starry Splendor quilt.

Pink Plus - A Finished Quilt

I finished this up late last week. It has already been packaged and sent off to it's new home. 

I'm in love with this pattern and am already thinking about starting to stash fabrics for a bed size for me. I have had this pattern pinned on my quilty inspiration board for a while. I used the wonderful tutorial from For The Love of George for my dimensions and cutting instructions. Love it when someone has figured out the math for me!

For the back I used pink and yellow paisley print.

As I mentioned a few days ago I quilted this on the Juki. I am in love with that machine! I did straight lines in a grid 1/4 on both sides of the seems. 

Something extra special for the back. 

My labels came in a few weeks ago and this is my first chance to use them! Of course with a feather motif on them. Had to tie in the goose-girly somewhere. 

On My Table

Immediately after I typed that post title I thought of the show Dexter. Have you ever seen it? In the past Mr. B and I were really into it. The eighth and final season has been available on Netflix for a while now and we’ve had the first disk sitting on the tv stand for a few weeks. We just haven’t been in the mood to watch it. Perhaps I should throw in the towel, just give up on it, and move on to more important things like the third season of Game of Thrones. Perhaps I’ll give it another week or so.

Any who, how was your weekend? We have been battling nasty sinus-ey head colds at the Acres and are just starting to feel human again, hence the lack of updates.  So, not much exciting going on here. We did plug away at the spring cleaning this weekend. I found a check list online and decided this was the year; the house would be thoroughly cleaned. I think it will be the first time some of windows have been washed since we moved int. Speaking of washing windows, I have discovered Mr. B’s talent at it. A-mazing job, which is great because it is one of my least favorite things involved in cleaning. That and finding nasty globs of hair stuck in the drain. EEW!! You can find the printable here if you are intrested in using it for your own spring clean.

I have also been puttering away at a new quilt. A friend commissioned me to make one for her friend’s baby shower. Only requirement: pinks, yellows, and greys. I love having a little bit of direction but the freedom to do my own thing! I have so many ideas and things I want to make bounching around in my head; it’s nice to have a push in one direction once in a while.

 I’m in love with the way this is turning out! I might have to make a larger version for myself.  Last night I had the Juki out on the dining room table to do the quilting, straight lines echoing the seams. It is so much easier to manipulate a quilt with the larger table space than my set up in the crafty room. I just have to be mindful and put my things away when I’m done. Mr. B does NOT appreciate my stuff taking over more of the house!

Speaking of a table, we finished the coffee table this weekend!!

Full reveal later this week.

(Hopefully tomorrow but no promises)

Think Spring - A Finished Quilt

I managed to find some time last week to finish the quilting on the Think Spring Quilt. And I was able to sew on the binding over the weekend. Perfect timimg. Over the weekend I must have seen at least a dozen robins! And the wild geese, ducks, and cranes are starting to return.

 

For the quilting I used the walking foot on my Juki and stitched about a quarter inch away from the seam lines to make a grid. I didn't think that was quite enough, so I added diagonal lines across each large square.

For the backing I used a vintage sheet that has been in my stash for a while. The floral patter reminds me of spring and the color scheme matched perfectly. This seamed like the perfect opportunity to use it.

The quilt finishes at about 64 x 56, a good size for lap quilt.

My Little Helper

Did you survive your weekend and the time change? I couldn't fall asleep last night. I tossed and turned and listed to the coo-coo clock chime of every half hour. I find that very stressful don't you? Not being able to fall asleep and oh my goodness I have to work tomorrow and I'm going to be sooo tired and it's only going to be Monday and this going to set the tune for the whole week. I blame the time change, granted it might have a little to do with the three hour nap I took yesturday afternoon.   

I did manage to find some quite time this weekend to work on the Think Spring Quilt. You know in between naps and learning all about aperture and shutter speed, light and ISO settings. My big sista and I took a class to become photography gods. Be prepared to have you mind blown by my skills. (OK not on this photo, this was with my phone at 9:30 last night, but soon I promise.)

As you can see Mr. Erwin made his way on to the table to supervise my sewing. For a while i thought he was going to try and pounce the machine. He soon lost interest and went to harass the dog and bug Mr. B for a bed time snake, cause as you know he is always hungry. We never feed him and he is waisting away to nothing.

Think Spring Quilt - Progress

It's warming up! Our positive thinking is working. Yesterday

it reached 40! Gus and I enjoyed a run outside and didn't freeze any of our cheeks. Things are starting to melt! Bring on the mud!

I was also able to finish the Think Spring Quilt top last night. Hopefully I will be able to find some quite time this weekend to baste and quilt it. 

Think Spring Quilt

It's March. Things should be starting to warm up and thawing out. They should be. But alas they aren't. On my way to work this morning it was -10 with the wind chill if felt like -20. The daily high has been colder than the average low for this time of year. It seems like winter just wont let go.

I'm trying to banish the cold with the power of positive thought. This weekend I pulled some  fabric from my stash and started a new quilt.

All colors that remind me of spring.  

Starry Splendor Quilt Top

This past weekend Mr. B went back to our home town to try and spear an elusive sturgeon. I on the other hand stayed at home were it was warm and toasty. I spent the majority of the weekend in comfy pants puttsing with the Juki and watching chick flicks with the fur babies.

 I was able to stitch this quilt top together.

Not a bad accomplishment for the weekend. I'm still pondering at how I'm going to quilt this one, by hand or straight line on the machine or take the plunge and try free motion quilting with the Juki. But first to find some backing fabric. Might have to do some online shopping, oh darn.

Penny Sampler Quilt - Sneek Peak

Over the past several months I've been plugging away at my newest masterpiece. Right after my crafty room was set up I started taking an online quilting class. We learned several different skills applique, paper piecing, and precise piecing. The practice projects were blocks that were sewn together to make a sampler quilt. Erwin is so gracioulsy modeling it for you.

Two weeks ago I finished the top and am now diligently working at hand quilting. I had originally planned to tie it with pearl cotton. But the more I looked at it and thought about it hand stitching was the way to go. Rather than an all over pattern I am stitching each block individually, decided on the different designs as I go. Once the thing is done I promise a post with an overload of photos.

The Sunshine Quilt

If you can remember back a year ago, I showed you this photo. I was just starting the process of hand quilting the Sunshine Quilt. It was going to be the very first quilt I started with every intention to keep for myself.

Well It's finally finished!! The picture really doesn't to it justice. You have to see this one in person to appreciate the quilting. I'm really proud of the way this one turned out. I stepped outside of my normal quilting of following the seam and block patterns. Every large square has four petal flower, similar to a dog-wood flower. The rectangles and borders have loopy designs, if you look closely at the picture above you can kinda see it.  

 From the amount of snow in the picture, or lack there of, you can tell it's been done for a while. A good thing to, it's been so very cold and dreary outside. It's nice to have a warm quilt that reminds me of spring to snuggle under.

The Juki

As I mentioned earlier this week I took the plunge and got a new sewing machine. Since moving into my crafty space downstairs, I've been sewing more. And while my litter Singer is great, it was starting to become obvious that I was eventually going to need to take a step up.  

Last month I quilted a lap size quilt on it. Man was that a challenge wrangling all that fabric and batting! And poor Betty, that was a bit much to ask of her. If you look closely at the stitching you will notice that even though I used a walking foot she had some issues keeping her stitch length even. Overall the finished product was amazing. I loved the look, texture, and drape of it. Not to mention it only took me two evenings of stitching to complete. It was rather therapeutic, like mowing the law. Back and forth making my strait lines, following the seams. I know I'm weird, but something about the monotony of mowing the lawn or in this case quilting I find relaxing.

After my first large project of machine quilting, I was hooked, already dream of my next 50,000 projects. I was going to need a work horse, something that could handle the demands of quilting. Enter the Juki TL-98Q.

I did my research and the Juki seemed to me like it would be the best fit. I didn't want a fancy-pants computerized machine; I needed something simple, solid, and would handle any task I put to it. Preferably something that you can drop the feed dogs, the little teeth that pull your fabric through the machine on the bottom. One of my goals is to give free-motion-quilting a try. For my non sewing readers, that's where you are in control of pushing and pulling your fabric, this enables you to do all sorts of nifty loopy patterns. The only down side of a machine of this caliber is the price tag. Yikes!! I was lucky enough to find a lightly used one, you guessed it, on Craigslist. Still an investment, but so far worth every penny. 

I've had her for almost a week, and I'm completely smitten. She just purrs. I'd have to say that one of my favorite bonuses is the automatic thread cutter. So convenient! Press a button with our foot and presto, threads are cut! I've yet to try the knee lift but I think it will come in handy while machine quilting. Of course I will let you know in a few more weeks how she's treating me, along with some details on my latest project!

 

Keepin' it Real

Remember how I showed you that sneak peek a few days ago, well good thing I did. This is what my crafty table looks like tonight. 

I started a online quilting class shortly after we finished my space. The creative juices have been flowing the past week. Unfortunately I have a hard time being neat and creative.. Perhaps the tour will have to wait until this weekend. 

Scrappy Stars Quilt Top

This morning I woke up early. I was unmotivated to clean the house and it is cold and windy, didn't really want to work in the gardens either. I decided to get re-acclimated with Betty, my sewing machine. It's been months since her and I sat down to work together.

I had these star blocks put together since this past winter. All that was needed to do was to sew them together with sashing. A nice easy project to get back into the swing of things. A few hours later I had it all put together. 

Now to decided how to quilt this one. I haven't decided if it would look best hand quilted, machine quilted with straight lines, or tied. Or there is always the possibility of a combinations. Tying might look nice with some hand quilting  to highlight the stars.

Any suggestions? 

Now I best go clean the house...

Scrappy Baby Quilt

I started this quilt top early last fall. I was using up some of my scraps, trying out this method. I made enough blocks for a baby quilt. I sewed them together and added a boarder. Then it sat for months.

I was recently invited to a shower for Mr. B’s cousin. They are expecting their first baby, a little girl. I pulled some pink, yellow, and purple fabric to make a quilt for her. Then I remembered the scrappy rainbow one. I couldn’t decided if I should make a “girly” quilt or give her the one that was already pieced. I opted for the scrappy one, it had bits and pieces left over from the wedding quilt I made for her parents.

I was brave, and crunched for time, and the amount of seems was intimidating for my un-thimble fingers (really never figured out how to use one of those) I opted to quilt this with my machine instead of my go to hand quilting. I started in the middle and worked my way out in a swirl/rectangle pattern. I finished off the binding, washed and dried it. Now it’s off to the post office to be sent to its new home.

On another note when we came home from church and brunch on Sunday, where I had the worst bloody mary ev-ah (all vodka with a splash of watery tomato juice, no spice no salt YUCK!) and discovered that I heart eggs benedict, we found this on our porch. Talula-Bell is starting to nest!