All this counts as sewing

SUNDAY


Me:  I would like to sew today, so I need you to do that other stuff without me.  

Husband:  Well, Ok, I need to do blah, blah blah.

One hour later

H:  I thought you were going to sew?

Me:  I am, but I'm looking at some photos on Flickr first.  And reading what blocks I'm supposed to be making.  And looking at some blog posts, and that new magazine I got, you know catching up.  

H:  Cause if you aren't sewing I could use help with blah, blah, blah

Me:  Well, let me sew some of these bee blocks first, and then I'll help you.  

One hour later

H:  I thought you were going to sew?

Me:  This counts.

H:  Ordering fabric?  That does not count.  

Me:  It does too!  And I'm saving money this stuff is on sale.

H:  Buying is not saving money.

Me:  Don't get all technical.  

H:  Do not buy any fabric!
Leaves the house.
Me:  Fine, he didn't say 'don't buy shoes', if we are being all technical.  

One hour later.

H:  Are you ever actually going to sew on your sewing day?  

Me:  I did sew, you weren't looking.  

H:  Well, now I'm finished with blah, blah, blah so I can watch some of the Olympics. 

Mission Accomplished.  

Really I did sew some things, like this Crazy Quilt block for Quilt Around the World II, this was my very first Crazy Quilt block ever, and it was fun.  I'm not sure I could make a whole quilt of these, but one was totally doable.  I used linen, silk, upholstery fabric, embellished with buttons stamp and some velvet ribbon; all on a foundation of muslin.  This package is now on the move to the next person.

This block is for Block Party Bee, we each are choosing blocks from the Block Party book.  She chose "Connecting the Dots" block.  The circles are fused and zig zag stitched around the edges.

And I also completed a block for Annaliese in Running with Scissors Bee, I only had to make one block for her, and she made it very simple by having all the pieces pre cut for the group.

Surprise!  I went on the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show 2012 photography site, and found my block!  Arrhhhhaaa!!!  I don't know if I will win anything, there are some great blocks on display, but I felt so good seeing my block on display with everyone else's.  Here is my block:

And here you can see it right at this lady's elbow, plus a lot of other fantastic blocks (I love how her outfit matches all the blocks):

Don't forget to enter for your chance to win the Kona Color Chart Give Away! Here, Drawing Aug 1, 2012.

Keep Calm and Sew On.  

Oh, Hai, It's a Give-Away!

I am so happy to host my first give-away!  

The Color of Cloth

Karen at The Color of Cloth has generously donated a Kona Cotton Solids color chart for this give away.

This color chart includes all the 28 New Kona Colors!  All 243 Kona Cotton Solid colors are on this chart.

This color chart is invaluable!  I use mine constantly, and I couldn't wait to get a look at the new New Kona Colors, new neutral colors like Parchment, Oyster, and Putty.

If you just can't decide on one color, you can order the whole stack of New Kona Colors in a Fat Quarter Bundle.

I will randomly draw a winner for the Kona Color Chart on Wednesday August 1 from your comments.

For entry:

1.  Follow my blog

2.  Leave a comment saying you follow and how much you would just love to win this wonderful color chart

3.  One entry per person, please

4.  Check back constantly to see if you won, even though it isn't Aug 1 yet.  (That's what I do when I enter a give away, I'm not sure what I think they are going to do - sneak the drawing by me?)

Random Drawing from comments Aug 1

Please visit my sponsor The Color of Cloth for all your Kona Cotton Solids.  She will sell colors by the bolt by request.

Christmas in July :)

AHHHHHHHHHH!  THE NEW KONA COLORS.........

I'm hyperventilating.......just a little

Break open the package?  YESSSSSSSSS!!  Oh, these neutrals.......

The brights..........

Oh, my, I don't know what to do......excuse me while I mop up my drool.....

These two greys, Iron and Steel, thank you Kona!  You're my bestie.

Come back on Sunday, I'm hosting a give away - and you're going to love it!

Check out Color of Cloth to order all your Kona colors!

Add this to the list

I worked on this top over a year ago, it's a pattern from Jaybird Quilts.  When I put this top together, I just was in the mood to use up these dark Kaffe Fassett prints.  The circles were cut from the print squares using a circle cutter, then the edges were sewn down with a straight stitch going very slowly using a walking foot.  

Now, there is someone in mind for this quilt.  I was going to start a whole new quilt for him, but time was a factor, and hello - I have this awesome top already pieced and ready to be quilted.  I find the colors to be masculine, I had purchased the awesome backing fabric last year and kept the top and back fabric together, for whenever the time was right.  

The person I have in mind for this quilt is a large man, so I laid down under the top (you do that right?) to see if it was large enough without a border.  Originally, I figured to keep the top as is, without a border.  It wasn't large enough as is, so  I used some of the back fabric for a border, cut 4".  I had a 3 yard cut of the back fabric, so I cut this along the length of the fabric vs the width of fabric, and 2 sides of border required no piecing, and the other 2 sides required just a small piece added.  I'm glad I did it that way.

I'll have to piece a back now, as I used up some of the backing fabric for the border.  The background color of Kona Nutmeg is difficult to photograph inside.  I'm hoping for some daytime photos later today.  I could kick myself, as this quilt was no where on my radar, and I did not add it to the FAL - third quarter.  

There hasn't been much time for sewing the last few weeks, but my insomnia is helping me get through a few bee blocks, like this one for Quilt Around the World II, this quilters concept is a neighborhood.  I added a spooky old house to her neighborhood.

And I finished these (only 1 in the photo, but there were 2)  SUPER sized Granny Squares for Gone Quiltin' Bee, she used one of my favorite, Joel Dewberry.  Still have bee blocks for July to finish up on a few more sleepless nights - plus one lone June block that is now moved to the front of my list.  

And I shall, Keep Calm and Sew On.  

It's 4 a.m., of course I'm sewing

I have issues sleeping - like I can asleep in the car / plane/ train / boat within 5 mins of the movement starting - but in my own bed, I can't stay asleep.  I often see 4 a.m., it's quiet, not too hot, no one is stirring, nothing on TV; often I will do things like pay bills, laundry, clean the kitchen floor.  Real exciting stuff.  Or sew.  

This week I have seen precious little of my sewing room, I won't bore you with all that I have to do - it's life, sometimes it's boring/ busy, and it only is a burden to me.  I'm sure all of you have your own boring / busy schedule to work around.

While seeing 4 a.m. on Tuesday, I just thought I would die if I didn't get through some bee blocks.  

These are for Bee A Modern Swapper Bee / Swap.  What I like about this Bee is that we use our own fabric stash.  However, this caused me a little problem one month when I completely forgot about the Bee because I didn't have a little packet for a visual clue!  This month I am on time!  I'm probably already known as the late swapper, and on the bad bee'er list.

This block is for a girl in Running with Scissors Bee, she is in the UK, so I wanted to get her block back on it's way across the pond.  This block was fun, fun being after I realized there were two different size arrows and I didn't mess up her block.  I can mess up my own stuff any time all the time, but when I think I'm sewing someone else's block all like I never have sewn a seam before, I feel like crying.  And usually, it is the simple blocks that get me, this one wasn't hard at all.  Look at it, does it look hard?  The pattern for this quilt is in Moda Bake Shop, I like it, so I'll keep this one on my list to go back to one day, in that bubble of time that exists in my imagination where I have all the time in the world to sew everything I want.  With all my stash, because that is what I am saving it for - the apocalypse.  Zombis need to stay warm too.  

I joined a group Quilting for a Cause, anyone on Flickr can join.  If you have need of a charity quilt, you list your needs on a new thread and people jump in to help.  You can ask for help or make blocks for others.  I made this block for a lady in Canada, she is making a quilt for someone she feels deserves it.  She asked for grey / aqua / yellow improv blocks.  I like this concept, you jump in when you can and you are helping someone out.

I'm getting to these pretty pets maybe next week.  

I'm going to heed the mantra:

Keep Calm and Sew on!

FAL - Third Quarter 2012

First of all, can I just hyperventilate for a moment - We are in the the third quarter of 2012!!!!!  Where has the year gone?  I have to get motivated to finish a few projects, and here is my motivation, I'm linking up with Rhonda's Finish Along 2012 for the third quarter, because there are prizes!  

My List of UFO's that I want off my shelf in the next three months:

1.  Tokyo Subway Map:  This top I finally completed here, in March.  I have pieces for the back cut, but not together yet.

This one is just for fun, I have no one in mind to give this too, I just love the colors and the patterns.  

2.  Sunflowers:  This one has been up on my wall for way too long - I would like this top together and quilted.  Really, someone paid me for this one and it has been months.  Luckily, they are patient or afraid me - one or the other.

3.  Wedding Quilt:  For my son and his bride who were married in May - a signature quilt, everyone at the reception signed one of these squares.  

4.  Aqua and Orange Bee Blocks:  I want to get this one finished mostly because I have fabrics set aside for the blocks that I would like to drop back into my fabric pool.  I'm still playing with the configuration of the blocks, this is a photo of one way the blocks could go.  This Bee has been over for a few months now, and I think I have had my blocks for not quite a year, I think I should get them together before I hit that year mark.

5.  Aqua and Red from NuBees:  Now this one, I am getting this together!!!  I came across this photo looking up UFO's and I have totally altogether forgotten these blocks existed.  I got them all after several months in NuBees Flickr Group last year.  I love this monthly group, because you can hop in and out as your schedule requires.  Honestly, I don't even know where these blocks are, and it looks from the photo as if they are ready to go, I can sew a few seams, and done.  I'm hunting these up today!

That's five, which is slightly ambitious on top of other things for the quarter.  I need to get sewing.  Like, right now.  It's 110 degrees here today anyway, and I'm planning on not setting foot outside.  

Keep Calm and Sew On!

Step 1 Step 2 - The Two Step

I have not been working on this for a LOOONNNGGGG time, I started wayyyy back here.  To refresh, I'm in a challenge with a LQG, we are doing a series based on color.  Making a finished 12" block for each color choice.  The first step was yellow.  

 My thought process started with tea bags and maybe a tea cup in a window, but where I ended up was with a 'Cinderella Moment' and a dress hanging, waiting.  Maybe it's waiting for tea.  My thoughts do not take a straight line.

I was going for an open window and wanted a bird to play a part in this block.  I ended up stamping a bird on the window cloth, using Staz On - Timber.  He's a cutie!  Gives me a reason to justify all those stamps I have.  At least this one.

All done.  The dress is hanging waiting for Cinderella to arrive.  

The dress is a piece of silk and at the bottom I attached a gold Godiva Chocolate wrapper, the whole thing covered in tulle.  I stitched the hanger free motion.  The saying is 'Every Girl Deserves a Cinderella Moment'.  

Step 2 is (was) Purple.  This was due in May.  Pink is actually due now - but let's not get too far ahead of me.

Ok - starting with a piece of PFD cotton, larger than the 12' finished - approx 15".

This one was almost a 'winging it' situation - I did purposely decide to combine two elements I love - stamping and quilting.  I stamped this onto the PFD piece, the stamp is text in French - I have no idea what it says, probably something like 'shop here and spend your money'.  I obliged.    

Then I took these kick-ass watercolor crayons and colored all over the piece - just like first grade - you don't even have to stay in the lines.  (these are available at Dharma Trading - perhaps other places.)  Another purchase justified!  I'm on a roll.

After stamping and coloring this is what the piece looks like. 

After taking water to the crayon markings, I used a q-tip, which I don't recommend, but I didn't have a small brush. The q-tips took forever.  You can blend the colors and outline, the stamp ink is Staz On, and that is what it does, makes a nice outline to follow for the coloring and the following thread painting.   

Thread painting is really just stitching.

Finished Step 2 Purple 12" square

Taa Daa.  Now I'm only one step behind.  Story of my life.  I would never make it in the corporate world, I can not stick to a deadline.  I forgot to add the sleeves to the back, now I'll have to HAND STITCH them on.  I might die, I'll keep you posted.  Now, I'm in search of more purchases that I can justify by using once.

Stay Sweet - and Sew On.

Where'd June go?

I'm linking up today with Lily's Quilts  and the Small Blog Meet.

Sometimes the end of the month gets here, and I notice that all my plans for the month have been set aside, pushed aside, cluttered up the floor and cutting table, and just in general not gotten too.  Hey, it's summer!  We've been doing stuff!  Fun stuff!  Like lounging on the sofa because it's too hot to do anything.

I did manage to get to a few sewing obligations and other wise.

1.  My block choice for Quilt Around the World II

2.  A wonky house block to finish up a month in Design Camp, I'm loathe to admit this block was way way past due, I had a block trying to finish this block for the bee.  

3.  My block choice for Sister Outdoor Quilt Show block challenge, this came out pretty good, even though she started out as an owl - someone called her an owlephant, I died laughing.  

4-6.  We will just call this Shanna's row, because I had to make her blocks for 2 different bees, plus I made her this little emergency stash pouch, for when she runs out of Ash.  Emergency Ash Stash, get it?  Go to her blog and see.  This month, I'll be making Shanna more blocks, we seem to gravitate to the same bees, or pull each other in kicking and screaming, whichever.

7.  My very large family has 4 weddings this year,  I seem to have started something with making signature blocks for each wedding, which will become a quilt.  These squares are for the next wedding coming up - dark pink and light pink.   I make these blocks with a 5 1/2" base so there is more room to write a wedding message.

8.  One of my favorite blocks, the uneven stacked coin, I made 4 of these for NuBees on Flickr

9.  And finally, I made a few cards for some friends - My other hobby or the other activity that makes a huger mess than sewing.  

There were a few other bee blocks I made and one other very late bee block, which all could go in this mosaic, but I didn't want to make a mosaic of just bee blocks I made for other people.  When the end of the month arrives and I look back at what I have accomplished in the sewing room, sometimes I am disappointed that there weren't more finished projects.  But I do know that sometimes I only have a short amount of time to commit to the sewing room, and it is nice to get something checked off your list, like a bee block.  What I have done is cut back on my bee commitments, cut back on my swap commitments and I plan to take an inventory of all my stacks of bee blocks and swap blocks that I would like to finally get together.  As soon as I finish those last of June bee blocks I'm working on today........tee hee.

~Mary~