Complete Quilt(s)

Well, time has gotten away from me again.  in my absence, I did finish the quilt I have been posting about.  Both the monster big one and the baby quilt were completed and mailed off last Tuesday.  I can't wait until the mom-to-be gets it and I hear how she likes it.  Here are some photos of them finished.

Complete with border and binding.

Quilt with baby quilt laying diagonally over it.

Quilt with baby quilt laying diagonally over it, back side up.

Getting things done

So, I have the binding made and sewn onto the large quilt.  I have the mini quilt top complete and ready for the quilting frame.  That should go fast since it is so small.  Then I will be ready to finish both up with hand stitching the binding to the back.  I know I have said it before, but it really should be done by this coming weekend.

On a side note, my hubby is moving along with the basement.  It gets me excited.  He needs just 6 evenings to complete the heating and plumbing.  Then he will take another month to finish up the electrical.  At that point we will be ready for inspections and dry walling my craft room!  We are on track.  Yay!

Work in Progress

Work in progress...  And the quilt continues.  The quilt is off the frame and ready for the next step.  I will cut 2" strips out of more of the blue fabric, sew them together length wise to make a long snake.  Then I will iron the 2" strips in half lengthwise.  This will be the binding.  Then I will sew the binding onto the quilt on the front side only.  FINALLY, I will hand sew the binding to the back by wrapping the folded end over the raw edge and hand stitching it over the back just enjoy to cover the stitching from the front.

That's the plan.  I took a little week break before finishing it on the frame.  I sick baby and busy nights cut into my time.  This is the best stitching I have used for quilting.  I would love to get a larger machine so I can do more than lines across but all in good time.  I used variegated thread for this one which I hope you can see in the bottom photo of the blue back.  I used polyester instead of the cotton I am use to and didn't really enjoy working with it looking back.  It caused tension and thread breaking issue periodically through the quilt.

Hope you enjoy the quilt.  Next pictures should be of it complete. 

Quilt top quilted and ready for binding.

Close up, hoping you can see the stitching.

Backing.

Quilt on frame...

#1 Put backing & top on bars.  Connect backing to leader.

#2 Place batting between the two while the top is still rolled up.

#3 Put top in place making a sandwich and pin.

 

#4 Quilt all 3 layers together.  The quilted part is rolled up to the right.

Quilt on frame.  It took me 1.5 hours to set it all up.  I have been quilting on it another 2 hours and still have at least an hour left to go in quilting.  I rarely enjoy this step.  It is an area that causes stress on me.  My needles break, my thread breaks, stitches get skipped, ect.  I want so much for my quilting to look good and that is hard to do if my machine is giving me problems.  Today was no exception.  I am sure if I understood tension, differences in needles and threads more than I do, things would go better.  I also threw in more complications by using nylon thread over the cotton I always use.  It just looked like cool thread.  Hopefully my issues will not be too noticeable to many and the recipient will be pleased.  Once this is complete, I get to make the binding, machine sew it on and then hand stitch it.  That is my favorite part.

Thanks to my husband for watching the kids all day while I did last minute shopping for this and then worked on the quilting.  Impossible to do while watching a 1 yr. old.

Quilt Top

Here is my finished quilt top.  It stressed me out some again today but hopefully it turns up as good as it looks now.  I will be putting it on the quilt frame tomorrow and hopefully quilting it some as well.  I need to first run to the store and pick out a thread color I want for the quilting.  This will be the thread that everyone sees.  Any suggestions on a color?  Peter suggested yellow.  I was thinking maybe blue.  If I pick blue, the stitching won't be so noticeable in the darks such as the blue boarder.  If I pick yellow, it will be very noticeable on the darks.  Hummm....

Colorful and car themed with some yellow cars in the mix.  Just what Grandma-to-be ordered.

Sew... Frustrating

So, I have been working on the cars quilt.  I sewed all the strips together over the last couple of nights.  Now since this was more like a scrappy type quilt, I did not plan out the lengths of all the stripes.  Last night was the time to cut the excess off to make the quilt a solid rectangle.  Easy, right?  I was pulling my hair out last night and snippy at everyone.  I actually told my son last night, "Do you see Mommy is upset?  I'm not upset with you but that can change very quickly.  Please make good choices."  My problem was, I could not get my line to cut the fabric straight and once you cut, it's over.  You have cut the fabric and no turning back.  I measured one side of the quilt 72 inches.  Then I measured the other side 72 inches.  And yet, it was clear that they were a good 2 inches or so off of each other.  We could not figure it out.  Fabric stretches and gets wonky as a friend use to tell me.  The only solution to get it done right was to seam rip ALL the stripes apart, cut them each to 72 inches and then repin and sew.  That was going to set me back days!  Finally, my math man for a hubby suggested I measure the diagonals.  If it is really rectangular (or the goal) the diagonals should be the same.  He did the math.  I assume he used a^2 + b^2 = c^2 as that comes back to me from hs.  Anyway, we marked where the corners should be and ta-da it was pretty much on.  We used a very large level from the garage to be the guide for my rotary cutter and it seems to have worked beautifully.  Wow.  That was a lot of stress!  Next time, I will have a goal in the length I want the strips to be and take care of it before I sew them all together.

Then I had to decide if I wanted a boarder.  I was thinking no but the hubby was suggesting yes.  I had purchased 4 yrds (at $3/yrd) of blue fabric to be the stripes between the colorful stripes (which I never used).  So, I figured how much of that could I use for the backing of this quilt.  I figured out that I would use all but 24 inches of the 4 yards.  So, I then had a 40 x 24 piece of blue fabric left over.  I figured how many 40 inch strips I would need to create a boarder and then did the math to see how big those strips would be.  They came out to 7 3.25 inch strips.  Perfect.  With that math, I was able to use up ALL 4 yrds without waist and got both the boarder and backing for $12.  Good price.  I will still need to get to the store to buy more blue for the binding but will only need 14 inches of it. 

I have also decided that I can take the parts that I labored over cutting off and make them into a baby quilt.  There is just enough.  Now I have to get the 8 stripes that are differing lengths to be 5 stripes with the length of 45 inches.  Will buy some more blue for the backing and binding for that quilt as well.  It will be a surprise baby quilt for the recipient (if she doesn't read this before she gets it).  I did most the work already and she has already paid for the materials.  I may as well make a matching baby quilt with the left overs.

I will post pictures in a day or two...  maybe in a few hours if I get some more time to sewing.  I am so close to getting this on the quilt frame and finishing it up.  That will feel SO good.  Once I get it on the frame, it should take about a week to finish given the life interuptions. 

Sew Happy Swimming

I love making these hooded towels.  I think of the child who will enjoy it for years.  Years of playing in the tub.  Years of it at the pool side.  Here in Michigan, it is years on the beach.  I never had trouble getting my kids out of whatever when I have their hooded towels in hand.  They love them.  This particular hooded towel is for my boys' second cousin who is still on the way.  It's my first Hello Kitty towel and I have faith she and her mom love Hello Kitty.  I can't wait to see pictures of this little sweet pea all cozy in her towel. 


Surprisingly, it is not very hard to put one together.  No, I am not going to share my secrets here as I do find them my best seller.  But if you really want to learn how, you will find a way.  I never followed a plan.  I purchased one for my son and then studied the construction.  I found that the one I purchased fell apart quickly so I improved on here techniques.  You can do the same.  This works with lots of things you see at craft shows.  Study it.  Find out what it is called and google it.  Many bloggers put tutorials on the web for you to follow along.  Some days I just sit for hours seeing what tutorials I can find and then print off the cool ones.  I keep them all in one 3 ring binder and create my own "book" of future projects.  I love how easy sewing can be and how you can surprise yourself with all the cools stuff you can make in a short amount of time.

The last birthday party is today and then I need to refocus on sewing and finishing the quilt I got such a great start on.  Here's to cooperative boys- both big and small!  (fingers crossed)

Sew... Happy Birthday!

I have been spending the last week juggling a sick baby and preparing for/ baking for a 6 yr old's birthday.  My oldest turns 6 tomorrow... Valentine's Day.  I always found myself sad and disappointed when it came to Valentine's Day, growing up.  It is nice to have big celebrations to focus on now.  Who knew Jesus could make a holiday so special?  I made a Transformer cake and we had a small party for his friends at the church, Saturday.  Tonight, I finished the cupcakes.  They will go to school tomorrow during the Valentine party but won't be eaten until Tuesday.  (I just pray my big boy doesn't get sick between now that then... the cough has started.)  Saturday, family is on their way for another little party.  Guess who will be making another cake.  lol.  I have had lots of practice and improve each time.  I will try to post the picture of the cake I made for my hubby last year.  You will see how far I have grown in a year.  :)

Can you tell the frosting was too thin?  Fingers crossed.

Wish the red was redder and the blue was deeper.  Next time...

The cake I presented to my hubby a year ago.  Can you tell it was a flop... literally?

Got the itch...

What is it?  I got the itch to have a mini- can do in one day of interruptions- type of project.  I was shopping yesterday and came across this fabric and was ready for something new.  I like to just figure it out as I go with no pattern.  That is much easier to do once you have some quilting skills.  I always worry that my calculations will fail me and it just won't work- will be too small.  This is another example of a project made as close to the line of no return as possible.  Another quarter inch smaller and it would have never worked.  I always find myself wanting to add a half inch to the next one so as not to cut is so close.

I like the colors of the fabric and the print reminds me of water.  It reminds me of the lake I grew up on in Indiana.  I remember the seaweeds clinging to me feet and the slight thrill that gave me.  But... I'm not sure I am in love with the fabric.  So, what next....  I guess I will enjoy it but when I see fabric I could die for (figuratively speaking), I will be remaking this.

Did I tell you what it is?  It is my new Kindle case.  Not sure it is visible in the photo, but there is clear plastic holding the kindle into a pocket.  The first case I made a few months ago was only a sleeve to slide the kindle into.  I can not read from it while it is in that case.  This one gives me more options.  I take joy in being able to whip something up quickly and easily.  It probably cost me less than $5 to make this and took an afternoon and evening (with the interruptions a mom and wife get) to complete it.  These things go for like $30-$50 online.  I get to pick my colors and if I don't like it, I can try again (or tweek my design).  I love sewing.  It has opened up so much for me and my family.  I hope you are discovering fun things to create as well.

 

Please vote: strips or block

Sew happy today.  Big shout out to my baby boy who took an abnormally long nap and is still sleeping as I post.  I was able to finish the last strip, display strips for photography, post this, and also sneak in some facebook time and a chat with my sister.   Days like this are great!

Anyway, the 8 strips are done.  It took me longer than normal due to sick kids and a hectic time of year.  (We have started our 2 months of birthdays.  Four birthdays down, three more to go before a nice break from that.)  But, the strips are done.  Now it is time to sew them together.  I have photos of them laying on my living room carpet.  My question is, should I sew them all together as one big block with blue framing around it or in four strips of two (like the last one I made) with blue between the rows?  I'd love to see comments left on what you think.  Did I meet the goal of it being a car theme and colorful?  As soon as I figure out which route I want to go, I can stat the next phase.  At this rate, I plan to have the quilt complete by the end of February, assuming interruptions are still in my near future.  Don't forget to post your vote!

Strips layed together to form one big block.

Do you see my goof?  Directional prints need attention.  Just one goof and an easy fix for another day.

Strips in rows of two.  Picture my carpet being blue.

Notice the strips are not the same length.  With the process I used, this will happen.  I will take a portion off the longest strip and add it to the shortest.  Then I will shorten all strips to the size of the current shortest strip.  Left overs will be used for another quilt or project.

Coming Soon: Craft Room

I have been blessed with a nice home and the potential to make it nicer.  My wonderful husband has been working off and on remodeling/ finishing our basement.  Trying to craft without having a space of my own is so disfunctional.  I have things all over the house, amongst toys, saw dust, you name it.  I can never find what I need as everything is in large bins and as soon as I locate an item, my wonderful husband moves the bin and never remembers doing so.  I DREAM of the day I can have my own space.  Here is a glimpse of the progress we/he has been making.

So, don't tell my husband, but I am planning/ hoping that this craft room will be ready for paint and moving in sometime this summer.  He is already working on the plumbing and electrical.  (There originally was only 2 outlets in the entire basement.)  I talked him into focusing on only my room once the electrical and plumbing inspections have been passed.  That way I can get all my stuff in one place and be functional.  I will be so excited to really get into all the crafts I have in bins.  I am so worried about my sewing machines getting all that dust on them.  It will be so great to seal them up in their own room.  Maybe by the time this is done, my youngest will actually let me sew, realizing that mom's sewing machine is boring instead of very interesting.  Do you know how hard it is to sew with an 18 month old on your lap?  Impossible. 

My quilting frame in the crazy basement.

My future craft room.  It's impossible to even walk in.

This is in my craft room.  I will have a walk-in closet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I insisted that this window be place on an interior wall so that I can see the boys play while keeping the noise out.

 

 

 

 

Jesus is Alive!

All day, I have had this song replaying in my head.  But it is not like the usual- I have a song stuck in my head.  I can actually feel it coming from my heart.  Jesus is moving me today.  I felt lead to just stop what I was doing and post this.  I would be nothing without Him. 


I am not the type who sings all day everyday.  But today it is just radiating from me.  I started singing and my little one joined in with his own version of praise.  But it feels so good to just confess God's existence and love for me.  Speak it out loud.  Confess it verbally and see how just doing that not only changes your day, it changes your life.

Now everyone... Rise and sing! 

Sewing... finally.

One strip done.

I was finally able to sew today.  First I had to divide my neatly stacked and organized strips into 8 equal piles for 8 massive strips.  Then I developed a system to reorganize these mini strips so that they will attach to each other in randomly.  I had a true method and it seems to work well.  I'd like to tell you it is a secret, but honestly, it just isn't that interesting.  Once everything was in eight piles and the piles were "randomly" organized, I got to sewing.

Close up...

To sew one pile of mini strips into one long strip, I used a chain stitch.  I really like this technique as it saves time and thread (and $).  It keeps things very organized for me.  I sewed two mini strips together, one by one in a chain.  Then I took each pair and used a chain to sew two pairs together to make a strip of four.  This continued until it was all sewn together.  I have one strip of 8 done with one in process.  It really doesn't take long IF you have little interruptions and you don't have an active 18 month old sitting on your lap.  I was pleased with the results and look forward to seeing how the others come together.

 

Sneak Peak

I am involved with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and have the honor of planning the craft each month.  My friend, Dena, came over tonight and we tried out our project.  We plan to make broaches or pins out of polymer clay.  I hope you like the results.  It should be fun and interesting.

Cutting out a quilt

Quilt blocks and strip cut and ready for next step.

Today I spent my time cutting.  One reason I like quilting is that there ARE so many steps to complete before you have a complete quilt in hand.  It is nice to be able to focus on a small task and know that once you get it done, you can shift directions and do something entirely different even though it is all for the same project.

I managed to cut all the mini strips out of the 13 different prints I purchased.  Cutting is fairly easy as long as you have the right tools and focus.  I like seeing the pieces take shape and how the print looks different once cut smaller.  There is one aspect of cutting that I hate doing- ironing.  It isn't necessary for every print but some can come very wrinkled when purchased.  Taking the time to iron such pieces makes for cleaner cuts and a better quality quilt.  I never throw anything away... well, very little at least.  If you are going to be a quilter, scraps from past quilts will come in very handy.  This year, I found a way to put even the salvage to use.  My son's teacher asked for fabric squares for the classroom.  So, now nearly nothing goes to waist.

 I am a teacher by trade and heart.  I feel the urge to teach a little.  So, this blog may turn into an outlet in more ways than one.  I would love feedback and questions.  I know I have a few followers out there.

This is the quilt that has inspired the one I am currently making.

   

Fussy Cutting with a fussy tot

Fussy cutting

The favorite

Four cut blocks

Sew... today I started cutting the fabric for my focal/ inspirational blocks.  To do the quilt justice, I decided to fussy cut the blocks so that one car is in the center of each.  I don't fussy cut very often.  It is time consuming and waists fabric.  But some prints just call for it.  I got 7 blocks cut before my fussy tot woke up.  Not sure how many I plan to have in this quilt but may cut enough to have 7 in each row with a plan of 4 rows.  So, 21 more blocks to go tonight.   

Beginning a blog?

Ok. So it seems everyone has started a blog. I actually got this account so I can start reading my friends' blogs. I wonder if anyone would be interested in the things that brighten my day. I could blog a little and see what happens.

Sew-today. I didn't actually sew but did the next best thing... I bought FABRIC. This fabric is for my wonderful hubby's aunt's 1st grandchild. Follow that? It is fun to go through fabric, find your inspiration and see what you end up coming home with. I started the process last week looking for my focal fabric. I was asked to make a quilt for a boy, focusing on cars (one with yellow paint would be the icing on the cake) and very colorful. I went to Erica's last week and found the perfect focal fabric and some fun ones to go along. Today, I was able to go to JoAnn's to pick up cheaper, filler, colorful fabric to round off the quilt. I am always amazed at the bill at the end. I haven't heard anyone claim that quilting is cheap. It would be cheaper to just go to the store and buy a blanket if that is all you want. But, nothing will be as special as what you can create yourself. I always hope the recipient appreciates the amount of energy, hours, and yes cash that went into his/her quilt. When it comes to this quilt in particular, I know the recipients are very excited and will not take my work for granted. That makes creating this quilt all the more fun.

*I must disclose that this is my 1st commissioned quilt.  It is fun to shop and create when you don't have to pay the bill, as well.  :)