Block-of-the-Month 2013: Block #6

 

This block was both easier and more difficult than the other blocks I've made for this quilt.  A traditional version of this block is very straightforward, squares of the same size, and quarter-square triangles, all the same size.  Figuring out the measurements for a smaller block than the pattern called for was pretty simple.  But since I am making each of the blocks in this quilt wonky in some way, and because of the construction method of this block - joining diagonal rows together, there were a couple joined units that were tricky to figure out the math on.

I cut the center square and pink squares to size, and then the corner squares as well as all of the triangles a little large.  Combined with the wonky piecing I had a lot of units to trim down.  For the pink square and dark purple triangle units, I used a small square ruler to first trim along the sides of the purple triangles to line up with the square edges:

Then to trim the long purple edge, I used a larger ruler to measure a 1/4 inch from the edge of the pink square, using the 45-degree line to run along one side of a purple triangle, and the bold white line to run through the points of the square to make sure it was straight:

The outside corner units were more difficult to trim.  The purple square was larger than it should be and the triangles had been sewn on wonky, at different angles.  I ended up sketching out a paper template and using that to help with placing the second green triangle before sewing and then to help line up my ruler to trim afterward:

The photo above shows how I trimmed the sides of the purple "squares".  I used the small square ruler to measure the correct rectangle size on the bottom portion of the unit, and then lined up a triangle ruler along the top edge to cut at a 45-degree angle to get the side of my square.  To trim the other purple edge I would rotate the square ruler 90 degrees and line up with the left edge and then flip the triangle ruler, line up, and trim.

There were a lot of bias edges in this block, and because of making the corner units wonky I also ended up with bias edges on the outside corners of the block.  Those corner squares ended up pretty close to square but not perfect.

While it's not my favorite block I've made for this quilt, I do like it quite a bit.  The color scheme was pulled from the border fabric I have planned for this quilt.  So far I've been using darker pinks and lime greens, but it was time to start pulling in some mint green and lighter pink.  You can probably spy the green, pink, and blue flower in the border fabric that I used for this month's color inspiration.

Linking up with Finish it up Friday.

Fabric Shopping - Done!

A couple months ago some friends and I set the date for an all-day fabric shopping adventure - Saturday March 9.  It seemed like it took forever for the day to arrive, but yesterday finally came.  With lots of excitement and lists in hand, we set out at 7:30 in the morning to spend the day in the most dreary weather.  Gray skies and a wintry mix of slush, sleet, snow, rain, and slick roads accompanied us throughout the day.  We counted six cars in the ditch on our way north, but it didn't stop us.  We were dedicated.

Our first stop of the day was Country Fabrics and Quilting in Brainerd.  I think it may have been a year since I was last there; we stayed for two hours.  And I realized after I got home that I really didn't look around enough!  I meant to look through the shelves in detail, but got distracted by a little project I've looked at several times in other quilt shops but didn't think needed to be on my must-have list.  When I saw the samples at Country Fabrics they were just so darn amazing that I changed my mind and ended up buying the pattern and enough supplies and materials to make two!  The pattern is Terry Atkinson's Classmate.  Isn't this mix of Echino and Melody Miller lovely?  Plus fun colored zippers and Echino webbing...I could just about say eek.

I lucked out yesterday as Steffani, who runs the shop with her mom, was working.  Such a treat to chat with her about all things fabric- and sewing-related.  She gave me names of a couple designers I'm not familiar with (can't wait to look them up!) and was so super-helpful w/ project details.  She (and her mom) often make additional samples, modifying the pattern in some way, which is great visual inspiration to help you see different ways to work with the pattern.  And they're always willing to talk through the samples with you, sharing any special techniques they used when making the project.

Here are a couple pics from Instagram of one of the Classmates Steffani made - outside, inside, and all filled up and ready to use.

I love their shop and wish I lived closer!  Planning to make sure it's not another year before my next visit.

After stopping at the other quilt shop in Brainerd, Colorz for Quilts, and lunch at Hardee's, we headed back down to St. Cloud for a stroll through Gruber's, Crafts Direct, and JoAnn's.  I stuck pretty close to my list the rest of the day.

I picked up pink and orange solids, and that brown and white text print at the bottom to go with this little bunch of fat quarters I had put together from my stash.  I've had a plan for this set for a little while now, but needed the solids to go with it.  I had been envisioning pretty pink and orange shot cottons, but I don't think any are available in these particular bright shades, a bummer as I really wanted that soft texture and extra depth.  Luckily I found shades of Kona at Crafts Direct that perfectly matched my vision, and they were on sale for $4.98 a yard (All Kona is on sale through the end of the month if any of you need to stock up on solids).

Last Sunday I was at Millie P's looking for binding fabric for a different project, and they had Posy in stock; I didn't have my fat quarters along, but took a gamble and bought some, planning ahead for the backing of this quilt, and was pleased to find when I got home that it was a great match.  Here's a shot of it all together:

Spring-y and fun. Yum!

Aside from the Classmate supplies and additions for the project above I picked up a few random pieces:

I have tentative plans for the typewriter fabric and the gray fat quarter at the bottom, but the rest was for fun.  I've been keeping my eye out for black fabrics that I like, picking them up here and there for a future quilt, but letting that one simmer for a while and collecting slowly.

The pigs are from Heather Ross' Nusery Versery line - as a side note my favorite project with that line was Rachel's mini quilt.  I'd love to have a piece of the mice on white; they're just so cute.  Looks like this shop still has some and it's even on sale...but, saving my pennies for an upcoming bus hop I'm going on with my mom.

All in all a fun day with friends that had us feeling excited and inspired to get sewing!

Matching Purses

Last night I finished up a set of matching purses for my nieces' birthdays, which are only a few weeks apart.  I came up with a sketch and made two as they like to have the same things as each other! :)

They have a pocket inside and a nice long handle so they can wear over their shoulder or across the body from the opposite shoulder.  Hoping to post a tutorial for these this weekend.  For now I'm on my out the door for a day of fabric shopping!

Linking up to Finish it up Friday.

Little Tracks Quilt

Last week I finished up the baby quilt I'd been working on.  With all the swirls and floral motifs in the fabrics I decided on large open stippling for the quilting.  It's been several months since I last stippled, but luckily it didn't take too long to get back into the rhythm of it and I was pretty happy with the results.

Most of the fabric in the top was given by quilt guild members for charity sewing; the remainder of fabric needed for the top plus backing and binding were from my stash.  This little quilt finishes at about 32"x41".  

I don't normally name my quilts, but this one felt natural - I used this cute little bird print for the backing and the quilting lines ended up looking like wandering bird tracks.

Sunday Skirt

This past weekend involved working from home Friday night and a long day at work Saturday, leaving little time to work on a planned birthday present (a skirt) for a birthday party my daughter was attending on Sunday.  I thought for sure we'd end up at the store picking something off the shelf, but as it turned out I woke up a bit early on Sunday and thought...if I start now, I'll still have time...

With a cup of coffee in hand I slipped into my craft room and got to work.  Mornings are my favorite time in there.  The windows face south and east, so there's lots of wonderful sunshine coming in that time of day.

I already had the fabrics sitting out and had ironed the main fabric.  I'd also read through the directions on the pattern a couple times in previous days, so I was able to do a quick re-press on the fabric and get cutting.

I used this cute wood-animal print and a coordinating shot cotton I had purchased last year, originally intending to make my daughter a light jacket.  Knowing I just wasn't going to end up using the fabric that way, I was excited to be able to use it here.  It's such a cute print and perfect for kids clothes.  I had just enough fabric to make my daughter a skirt as well so we had planned for matching skirts for her and her friend.

The pattern I chose was Addie Jo Skirts by Izzy and Ivy Designs.

The great thing about this pattern is that you get five different skirt variations in one pattern!  The pattern itself does not contain full explanations for all techniques, so I might not recommend if this is your first piece of clothing.  But if you've sewn a couple of other clothing items the instructions are simple and straightforward.  For this skirt I went with View C.

One of the things I wasn't sure about is that they have you cut four pieces for the bottom ruffle; I wondered if I should have just cut two longer strips, but when it came time to match up the ruffle with the skirt seams I was so happy to have those two extra seams to guide my pinning.  It was much faster than having to do additional marking to make sure that the gathered ruffle was lined up correctly.

Just in time I got the elastic in and finished up the last stitches.  My husband was such a great and willing helper, getting my daughter ready so that I could finish up sewing.  I snapped a couple quick pics and we wrapped it up (along with a girly lego set to go with it) and headed to the party.  I love gifting handmade items and even though it was a bit of a challenge to get it done in time, I'm so glad I did.  My daughter was really looking forward to giving the skirt as a gift and I felt good using and giving purpose to some of that fabric that had been languishing on the shelf.

Here's a look at the finished skirt:

And a closer look at the waistband.  I used white thread for topstitching near the blue ruffle, but used a blue-green variegated thread for the topstitching around the waistband and the elastic casing:

The fabric pieces for the version for my daughter are cut out and pinned; planning to sew that up with her this weekend.  Hurray for more finished projects!

Linking up with Finish it up Friday.

Looking back...looking ahead

It's still January, so I figure there's still time for me to write this post - looking back at 2012, and looking ahead to the rest of 2013.  (This one's mostly words, but I've put in a few pictures for fun.)

2012 was a good sewing and quilting year for me. I spent much more time sewing at home on my own, and much less time sewing socially. Our quilt guild stopped meeting, and sewing nights at my local quilt shop also ended early last year and didn't start up again in the fall. So I found myself home a lot more, and it turns out I get a lot done when I'm focused and working on my own. While I definitely like going out to sew with friends, I also love working on my own. It fills me up to have that alone time and just sink into whatever I'm working on, and I've really liked having more of that time in the last year. Sewing at home also has the great time-saving benefit of my area already being set up, so I don't have do all that packing and unpacking and lugging things in and out of the car, not to mention saving time on driving.

I finished quite a few projects; some of them had been in progress for ages and it felt good to cross them off the list. I also evaluated all my WIPs and where I was at, and decided to let some of them go. I cleared out some fabric by participating in a garage sale through a quilt shop. It felt good to let go of those things, to focus on projects that I was interested in and put effort into finishing things that I was excited about...I'm still working on that this year.  I also went on my first bus hop and attended two weekend retreats.

My list of finishes for 2012 includes:

• 2 dresses (Easter, Christmas)
• 1 pair pajama pants
• Wool cape
• Tutu
• 2 large floor pillows
• 1 small pillow
• 3 pillow cases
• 6 Quilts
• 2 sewing kits
• 3 Drawer liners
• Happy Ever After Doll pillow
• Wall bunting
• Drawstring bag
• 3 fabric gift bags
• 2 BOM blocks (for 2012 BOM)

I thought about skipping out on this year's block-of-the-month program at my local quilt shop because I don't really need another project on my list, but it's now the one time a month that I'm there and I like hearing about what's going on at the shop and around the region. My mom and I go together and I bring my daughter as well - my daughter and I have a lovely ritual of stopping for a donut on the way for breakfast and some nice time talking in the car together. So I decided to participate for another year (runs September - August). The BOM quilt is always very traditional and with this quilt and the one before it, the quilt blocks are at a more advanced level. I decided to do more leg-work up front and figure out how to make this quilt more "me", so that I'd be more excited and more likely to put in the time needed each month to make the block. I'll do a separate post on more of that process, but in general so far I'm glad to be making the quilt and happy with my choice.

Looking back at 2012 I was very happy with the work I'd gotten done, and how many projects I'd brought to completion.  As I started looking ahead to 2013 though I felt a little overwhelmed.  I tend to have lots of projects in process at one time, and I'm always getting new ideas of projects I'd like to start.  This makes it difficult to finish things.  Looking objectively at the sheer number of things I'd like to do this year is a bit of a downer as there's no way I'd be able to finish them all, even if I was home sewing full-time! :) So, I've had to do a bit of thinking on how to find balance between working on some of my existing works in progress, finishing things, and still having time to start new things, because one of my favorite parts of quilting is the planning and then pulling and mixing fabrics, and I want that to be a part of my year.  I'm working toward having a smaller fabric stash at the end of the year than I do now, and I'm also hoping to take a few classes this year - not to add any more projects to my list, but to learn new skills.

So far I'm off to a good start; I've completed a couple more WIPs since the first of the year, made a few small things, started and completed a quilt top, and started a new quilt that I'm super excited about. I've also signed up for a quilt class that will be held in March. While I might not be able to keep up this pace each month, I am hoping to keep up this balance - and to do more blogging as I have lots of projects that I haven't talked about here yet.  Hoping to get back on track and share those more regularly.

Here's to looking forward to a year of fun (and productive) sewing!

A quick finish

Last night I had some sewing time, and wanted something easy and relaxing; so I pulled out a stack of blocks I had set aside for a baby quilt (intended for donation).

I had already had all the blocks cut, laid out, and pinned into neat little stacks, so after a short evening of sewing I now have this fun little top done:

Thinking I might try to get this one quilted and finished up this weekend...we'll see.

Linking up to Finish it up Friday this week.