January 30, 2013

wip Wednesday {1/30/13}

So our Wednesday morning started off with an automated phone call from the school district at 6am announcing that school was cancelled due to "a weather event." I can still see grass poking up through the little bit of snow we got overnight so I'm not sure what prompted the closing but whatever. That means I have my little helper with me today so I probably won't get much sewing done but it's always nice to get to hang out with him.

My Madrona Road quilt is so, so close to being finished and I have to get it done today so I can upload a photo to the finished projects flickr group. I've worked too hard to not have it done by the deadline! I need to finish sewing on the binding and add a few little details then it will be complete. I've started sewing my bindings by machine but there's always some missed spots I have to go back and sew by hand.


Last night the Omaha Modern Quilt Guild exec group got together to chat and sew and I was able to finish up the quilting on this whole cloth baby quilt made with a yard of Riley Blake large chevron fabric. This one is my favorite colorway. The quilt is for my brother who needs a baby gift for a neighbor. (I think I told him I could have it done by Thanksgiving so I'm a little late on this one.)


I've got so many quilt top ideas floating around in my head but I will resist starting another top until I have at least started the quilting on this top from the WIP pile and another chevron baby quilt for a coworker.



WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

January 23, 2013

wip Wednesday {1/23/13}

The only sewing I've done this past week in on my Madrona Road quilt. (Well, maybe I made yet another infinity scarf.) I had the day off today so I was able to get it quilted.

I did straight-line quilting--5 free-form lines in each white area. I also quilted 5 lines along each border piece and I love the little squares it made in the corners. 

This quilting made a neat diamond pattern on the back.

I ordered some of the text fabric for the binding. Hopefully it gets here soon so I can finish my quilt and get it uploaded to the flickr group for finished projects by the 31st!

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

January 16, 2013

wip Wednesday {1/16/13}

I don't have a lot of sewing/quilting progress to report this week. I did get some more of my Madrona Road quilt top done. I'm going to get this quilt done by January 31 so I can add it to the finished projects flickr group. Violet Craft will be choosing her favorite project and Michael Miller Fabrics will also choose projects to display in their booth at QuiltCon. (There is more info on these challenge updates here at The Modern Quilt Guild.) My blocks are coming together nicely and I am so, so happy that my points are lining up!


Today I bought the perfect blue fabric (Kona Candy Blue) for the border and backing.


I wasn't going to buy any additional Madrona Road (I was challenging myself to only use the fat eighths we were given along with some solids) but I think the black text fabric would be perfect for the binding.

I could use some quilting suggestions since that's always where I get stuck. Right now I think I may quilt some slightly wavy lines in the white areas. I've also considered pebble quilting the white areas. Your thoughts?


WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

January 9, 2013

wip Wednesday {1/9/13}

I've missed out on a few wip Wednesdays lately and I'm going to try to better about blogging this year. I'm pretty happy with how much I accomplished in 2012 even with working full-time and having a very busy little guy who started kindergarten in the fall. I want to accomplish even more in 2013 so I've decided to make lists to try and stay more organized and on-task. And how I love crossing things off my to-do list!


So today I'm working on more half-square triangles for the Madrona Road challenge.


And siggy blocks for an exchange.

For our January do. Good Stitches blocks, the WISH circle is making Arkansas Traveler blocks in raspberry, peach, coral, cream and navy blue. I had to buy some fabrics for these because aside from navy blue, those are not colors I normally use! They are going to make a beautiful quilt, though. The block is from this Freshly Pieced tutorial.


I signed up for the Lucky Stars Block of the Month Club with Don't Call Me Betsy. I am excited at the prospect of having a quilt's worth of beautiful star blocks at the end of the year but I'm already stressed about getting behind! I think I'm going for a scrappy quilt to keep costs down and use up some of my fabric scraps.

I'm continuing to add to the pile of knit remnants on my sewing room floor.  I've got to stop buying fabric or start sewing more infinity scarves. I'm addicting to making and wearing them but how many scarves does one person need? :)


WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

January 8, 2013

Madrona Road progress

As a member of the Omaha Modern Quilt Guild, I jumped at the chance to participate in The Modern Quilt Guild's Madrona Road challenge--beautiful (free!) fabric to sew into something amazing. We finally received our little fat eighth fabric bundles at the January meeting.
(photos from Michael Miller Fabrics)
In a move very unlike me, I came home from the meeting and almost immediately cut up my entire stack of fabric without having a really solid, thought-out plan. (I'm the quilter who likes to admire pretty stacks of fabric and I have a really hard time bringing myself to finally cut into it!) There was a slight "oh crap" moment as I looked at my beautiful fabric all chopped up into 4 inch squares. I considered buying more fabric but decided to forge ahead with the challenge of using just these fabrics and solids from my stash. So I started pairing up my squares with squares of Kona White and am making piles of half-square triangles. While making the half-square triangles gets a little tedious, I love their versatility and with so many options I'm still not set on a layout for my quilt. I think I need a design wall.

It's so easy for me to get discouraged and tell myself I don't have enough time to complete the projects I want to. I've tried to be better about getting off the computer and just going for it rather than over-thinking it and eventually convincing myself it's not possible. So I'm okay with cutting up all my Madrona Road without a set plan. I've also started breaking down projects into manageable pieces so they don't seem so overwhelming. I have 10 squares of each fabric. My mini goal is to sew the HSTs for at least one fabric every day. There are 7 fabrics, so my 140 HSTs will be done in a week. (Possibly sooner if I get really motivated or have extra time.)


I had to do the same thing with my converging corners baby quilt. I set a timeline and knew how many blocks I had to complete each week in order to have them done in time to quilt and bind it. It took 2 months from start to finish but was actually finished a few days before the baby shower.  One of my sewing goals for 2013 is to complete more projects than I did in 2012. . .and I was pleasantly surprised with my 2012 accomplishments.