64 patch

I've started working on a 64 patch quilt top. This is going to be fun.

(This is only 36 but they are actually 4 patches I tossed on the board!)

I had a some strip sets I ordered last year from Connecting Threads - the Bed and Breakfast and Canterbury samplers. One set was cut a little off - it was only 2.25 inches instead of the full 2.5 inches. Of course I didn't notice this until my friend started hacking into them for a project she was working on.

I have been wanting to make something postage-stampy for a bit, so I cut each strip into thirds and sewed pairs together. I then cut the strips down to 2 inches to even things out and cut the sets into dyad units. I tossed these in a bag to mix them up before assembling the 4 patch blocks.

I mixed them up by putting them in a bag and shaking it up!

I have a lot more sewing to do on this one. It is the end of the semester so things are starting to get nuts. I hope to get a couple tops ready to send out at the start of the year. I've been looking at my money and think I might be able to splurge a bit and pick up a midarm sewing machine. I really want to do more of my own quilting :)

Too many projects, not enough time!

finished top

Wow, it has been a while since I have posted. This last month at work has been nuts! However, I've been slowly working on projects here and there.

The big accomplishment over the last month is finishing the top for this quilt that is going to be my mom's holiday gift. I'm also very excited because this is my first top I've sent out to be long arm quilted! It is about a big full/small queen and that is just too much to work with on my baby Brother.

The pattern is from Lay Cake, Jelly Roll, and Charm Quilts. It is a great book with neat projects. This top is bigger than the one in the book - I just made more blocks and recalculated measurements. I'm really excited to see this come back from being quilted... that will be a different post!

wonky blocks

That is all.

I have nine done. I think I need 20. Might have to do the math again since I think I first "mathed" with 9 inch blocks and I decided to go with 6 inch ones. But I like what I am seeing so far!

wonky baby quilt

My best buddy from highschool and his wife are having a baby in February. This means it is time to make a quilt for them. They decided to do a gender neutral primary colors set. I thought, ohh, this will be fun to work with. They are both into more contemporary art, so I thought it would be a good time to try my hand at a wonky log cabin quilt.

I went though some solid color combos at the shop before getting an idea. Remember inkjet printers and those silly 3 color cartridges? I decided to do that for the quilt. Magenta, yellow, and cyan with white and a black/white print.

I really like that print. It reminds me of bowling balls. The woman who cut it at the shop said someone else had bought some earlier in the day to make a baby quilt. I told her that was my plan too! I wanted a contemporary black and white print that wasn't too big and this fit the spot. I love the little yellow bits in there!

I plan to chop into this tonight and get some blocks done. First I need to decide if I want to do 6 or 9 inch blocks. Choices, choices....

star quilt along - top done!

I finished my top for the stars quilt along hosted over at happy quilting. I first posted about this little diddy back here.

Ta da! I'm quite pleased with out it turned out. My sweetie bear helped me lay all the blocks out and figure out the order they looked best in. That took a while - I decided not to sweat it more than I have to since I should be, I don't know, working on work or something. Next stop is to get this baby sandwiched and quilted. I've been debating boarders on this - what do you all think? I thought maybe it would be a different experiance for me. Heck, the wonky blocks were a new experiance for me!

The last month has been pretty busy for me - semester starting, new courses to prep and teach, 250 students, and a lot of freelance writing work (mostly writing test banks - yuck!). Work stuff and family stuff has kept me from sewing as much as I have wanted but I hope to get back into things shortly. About the time I figure I am caught up enough to get back to blogging something comes and bits my bootie. C'est la vie!

Anyways, it feels good to get this top done in time for the parade on Friday!

using my stash for good

You'll often see talk about "using one's stash" or "stashbusting" on quilt blogs. I'll admit, I have a fabric problem (which, when I think about it, is MUCH BETTER than most "problems" I could have!). No worries, I'm not going into debt over my fabric habit. But it does make me think "How can I bust out my stash to start new projects?"

I had a good opportunity to bust a move on my stash when I learned about a fundraiser my sweetie was organizing for her nonprofit group. They were putting together an art show during a local city's "art night out" and I thought, I could make some baby quilts. This last week I managed to get four of these sandwiched and quilted! These were all fabrics that came from my stash, mostly swapped charms (the black/white/red quilt) and from Connecting Thread charm packs I received for the holidays last year. I have a "bold" sampler strip set (two actually) that I'll pull parts from to make the sashing as best as I can and use stash for the rest. What a great stash buster AND for a great cause! The pattern is from Oh, Fransson! and goes together quickly.

They look pretty sharp on my friend M's clothes line! A bit wrinkled but I think they will be okay. I'm really happy with how this pattern turns out - quilt and easy and it looks great! - and I'm excited to see if we can get them all sold!

Pets on Quilts Show - My Kiddos!

SewCalGal is doing a Pets on Quilts Show and I decided to play along by doing a post. Cool, eh?





I have two cats, Mimi and Cory, and many, many cat friends. And, like many cats, they like to help.

 Mimi is a quilt cat. She loves everything about quilts, especially claiming them as hers! She likes to "help" around the sewing table by trying to eat thread and fabric that is on the floor. I've become very good at tidying up to keep her safe!

My other girl, Cory, enjoys the sleeping and destroying part of quilting. Here she is in a big pile of fabric, high as a kite on catnip. Good thing that pile was in the "to be washed" pile - she had fun tossing it around.

 This is Mr. Munchchichi. He decided to burrow a nest into this top that I was piecing together. He looks quite satisfied with himself. He also enjoys a good nap on my quilts and cuddling with my sewing box. He is the child of M, my buddy.

This is Siobhan, another kitty friend and child of my buddy S. She was helping me model these swap blocks.

I guess I don't have a lot of pictures of my cat friends and quilts but the ones I do have a very cute. I will continue to look for the one of my sister's cat Baby who "helped" me "arrange" some blocks once. It is very cute! Hopefully I can find it somewhere.