Leap Day wip

Happy Leap Day! One extra day...I know I always wish for extra time, but today doesn't feel like extra. It just feels like a normal Wednesday. It's one extra day before my birthday arrives...keeping me 31 for just a teeny bit longer. That is nice... yay for Leap Day! (I sure turned that around quick, didn't I? hehe)

I still have way more projects on the go than normal. All the fabric I need for finishing has arrived, so that excuse is now gone!
Sparkle - waiting on 5 more blocks, sashing, etc
Aviary 2 - haven't started on the back yet
Baby Swoon - haven't started the back yet
Pips Zig Zag - sandwiched, waiting to be quilted



That is my ironing board. Not that I can iron without moving everything off of it first! Where does the pile go? To the cutting table of course. Then back to the ironing board, etc, etc. It's a vicious cycle!
 Where do you keep your quilt tops/sandwiches?  I hate to fold mine up, so they get draped here once I need the design wall space for something new. Maybe this is why I prefer to go start to finish on one project!

I am quickly falling behind in curves class. Here is my Scallop quilt so far.



I'm fussy cutting the flower bits. Usually when I try too hard, I suck. So far, this looks like it might work out okay though. Speaking of trying too hard...my seams are not perfect. They are okay. Funny thing is, the best ones are the ones I did when I realised I had 7 mins before Parenthood started last night. Zipped right through them & they are awesome. Sheesh. Also, if you have not been watching Parenthood, you have been missing out. Truth.




I'm off to see some other freshly pieced creations over at Lee's!

Completely Unplanned

Why? Why do I abandon my 'to do' list and start on something totally unplanned & random & with no place to go*? My WIP's include more Keyka Lou wallets, Aviary 2 baby quilt, Sparkles top, solstice stars/Craftsy BOM blocks, some prep for Curves Class...this is what I did instead of finishing any of that.




I saw Jeni's tutorial at the Moda Bake Shop on Tuesday. I guess it stuck with me because on Saturday I was tidying up fabric, came across a Pips charm pack & went straight to work! I only had 1 charm pack, so I didn't follow the tutorial - it's the same idea though. My top is 44 x 49".
I've ordered some more grey puppies, scarves & blue play dot fabrics for the backing/binding.

Without all the grey added in, I don't think I would like this top as much as I do. I tried to be a little random in piecing my charms (as much as I could handle!) and after it was all sewn up I saw some squares I would like to move around. Not really used to that! I *did* have to unpick one charm after it was already sewn into a big HST. The puppies were upside down, and that was not cool with me!

There is a local craft show coming up in May and I'll have a table there. A table for sure, not too sure what else will be there, other than this quilt.
*So. I guess it does have a place to go after all.  :)

See all that grass? This weather is so unusual. Nice, but it feels wrong. It's February & I live in Canada, so taking outdoor quilt photos without a coat & wearing running shoes is not something I've come to expect! It was really windy, that's why I stuck my top to some warm & natural, to try & help stabilize it a bit. It was whipped around really good out there!

It's almost swing weather!

Linking up my 'finish' to {sew}Modern Monday (I don't think of a quilt top as a finish, but I think it counts for this purpose!)  and Manic Monday!

Summer Sampler, so far...a couple seasons behind!

There was absolutely no start to a new block last night, so I will just show you what I have finished to date. I hadn't looked at these blocks in a while [months] and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I really like them! I remember liking them before, but I guess I forgot how much! It is totally motivating me to get paper piecing some more!





I finished up this top last night. I kind of needed the design wall space, so I figured I should get crackin on it. The corners aren't sewn on in this photo because it was snapped at nap time. I am not brave enough to sew at nap time, it is for cutting & ironing only!




I really love it! Might have to make the backing this weekend, finish it up & get it in the hands of it's rightful owner...she is coming up on 5 months old now, so I am beyond 'fashionably late' at this point!

w.i.p. - my first of the year

Now, I listed & linked to my plans for the immediate future in my last couple of posts, but here are some photos I took today. You know, the proof!

Swoon. I am really unsure as to how many of these blocks I will do. My 3 yr old niece was looking through my flickr favs of this block & saying, "that is so pretty", "I love that one", "look at those pretty colours!". She basically said every. single. one. was her favourite, and I feel the same way! It confirmed that my original swoon idea of making her a pillow was a good one. It also got me wondering if I should try some hand sewing with her soon...the fabric love seems to be there!
Here is my start. Medium Grey Kona & some Heirloom...

 


Next up - solstice star #1, ribbon star. Made up with Modern Meadow to fit in with my Summer Sampler blocks from last year. (Missing some background Raffia Kona in this pic, as I forgot to cut it out! Laid the block pieces out like so & thought, "how did I miss those?!"


 


These are the fabrics I've picked out for my Sparkle quilt. I hope to make it a baby sized (9 blocks) but am starting with these 4 to see how I like it. I believe cutting instructions come tomorrow, so my 1.5hrs of nap time is already spoken for!





I also have to vent just a little bit. My local quilt shop does not carry the types of fabric that I love. It's okay though, internet shopping is good to me! What I would love to pick up locally are things such as Best Press (or something similar, since I don't know the difference yet), an assortment of rulers (a square smaller than 6.5" specifically), fusible interfacing, insul-bright & quilting gloves. That was my list & the shop had nothing I needed. The woman working there told me to check walmart. Um...really? I was a little surprised that 1- she thinks walmart has all this stuff & 2- that she would rather I shop there. (Has anyone in a Canadian Walmart ever seen Best Press on the shelves?) I wish my LQS was more impressive. It would be so nice to purchase some items in person (no stalking the post office) & in CAD!

Linking up at Freshly Pieced today :)  

WIP Wednesday

I have a few things on the go right now that I can't post about without ruining surprises.

There's a quilt waiting to be quilted that I really should finish up. This is the first time that I have basted & abanded, I usually like to start quilting right away. Maybe with a to do list so long, I am trying to spread out a little bit. It will be straight line quilted so I'm not worried about being able to finish it in time anyway. Photos to come after Christmas!

Then we have this one from my last post, still waiting on my design wall...


I can show you this pillow! It will be a before Christmas gift for someone. I used the Kona charcoal, eggplant & olive that was added into the Aviary 2 quilt above. I love them together & it should suit it's new owner just fine (hopefully!) This was my first time hiding a zipper this way (in behind that strip down the middle) You can't feel it with your face, but I think I still prefer an invisible zip in the bottom. I wasn't sure how to do that with the binding around the pillow though (first time doing that too!) Okay, I also didn't have an invisible zip & wanted to use what I had on hand.





Lastly, a work in progress that will be played with later today. I picked up a cute Keyka Lou pattern on sale last week with a plan, to make two 'wallets' for two specific people, for a very specific purpose. Well, after trying it out...the list has now grown. So far I plan to make FOUR more. I can't say that number won't increase at a later date though. They are *really* cute!





Linking up to

In Love

…with this quilt-to-be!
Aviary 2 with some Kona solids mixed in…yum.



You also get a peek at my sewing room. The sign I use for craft shows (until I make something nicer)…a little mini & a couple pouches hanging behind my closet door…Chuck Norris. You know, the usual. 

Mini...now finished!

I really, really wanted to have a completed mini to share for the party today, but it was not in the cards. Starting on Wednesday evening could have a lot to do with that! I am happy with how quickly it came together to this point though & hope to have it quilted up soon. I used the starflower block tutorial from Jennifer @ Ellison Lane. The Summer Sampler Series had me literally cursing half square triangles (HST's) and then I decided to make them for fun? Weird - but I totally liked them better this time! It's so satisfying to trim up my sloppy looking squares into perfect little HST's. I enjoy the teeny tiny scraps they make too. They are so little, I don't feel the need to hoard them. haha.

'Son of a Bee Sting!' pencil in anticipation of swears!

I am so happy that all my points lined up so well! Good results really fuel the HST love!




Go check out all the other [finished] minis that joined the party today!

Edited: Finished this little one today & here she is! 14 x 21" and not washed up yet.
Not sure why I had a little bit of puckering, haven't had that problem since getting my walking foot. It was my first time using a fusible batting & maybe that is the culprit. (?!)

Natural light is not available at the moment, unfortunately - this is the best I could get!

This little mini is destined to be a doll quilt for the owner of the Pretty Bird Quilt.

Getting back into the s[e]wing of things

I can't say if it has been the warm weather finally arriving or what, but I have not been able to sew much lately. Sewing is always on my mind & I frequently go look at my fabrics/ideas, jot down notes & to do lists, organize bits of my 'studio'...but I haven't been all that productive. And there are things that need to be done around here!
This top is waiting for a back....



Pretty Bird quilt

It must wait for coordinating pillows to be finished up first, but things are moving along now.  :)

On the to do list:

• Baby boy quilt
• Baby girl quilt
• Helping my young neighbour make a baby girl quilt
• Mom's quilt

Here's hoping for a few productive days coming up!
Happy Saturday!





What's coming up...

... photos of a completed table runner, if the sun ever shines again. It will be a wedding gift & I love it, even if I've personally never used a table runner before in my life. It's pretty!

I am currently working on a commissioned quilt for Little Miss M.  After the quilt (& pillows!) are all finished up, I think I will start on something new I've been thinking on. A solids only 'plus' quilt that I might want to turn it on it's side, which would make it an 'x' quilt (?). Either way, I am thinking lots of greens, with greys & purples thrown in. Nothing is set in stone yet...my sketches are more colourful than I was envisioning, so we'll see what happens. Later, when I get to it!

Add caption

table runner beginnings

table runner beginnings a photo by twelfthzodiac on Flickr.

A tiny peek at how this project is coming along...I'm surprised at how quickly things are materializing now that I finally figured out what type of pattern to use!
I'll keep ya posted ;)