Design Wall Monday

Linking up with Judy over at the Patchwork Times.

I took a class at Fiddlesticks last Thursday with my cousin, Jackie.  The pattern is called "Boston Logs," and it is by "Little Miss Sloppy."  Apparently, her REAL last name IS "Sloppy!"  That's awesome.  There are more blocks in process, but they're not ready to be on the design wall - YET.

This first photo is just after I had all of the fabric (for the entire quilt) cut - this was just to get an idea of how the block would look when complete.  No fabrics are in any of the blocks more than one time.:

The second photo was of the first block that was complete and squared up to the correct size:

The third photo is of the first 6 blocks on my design wall.  Notice that 5 of the blocks have not been trimmed/squared down yet, and they are "wonky."  This is the way it works with the process used to sew the blocks together and is not an error.  All of the wonky gets cut off - no worries!  At least the top/middle block IS squared up.    :)     :

Just 30 more blocks to go!!  I will be bringing this project to a quilt retreat the 2nd weekend in March if I don't get a chance to work on it a lot between now & then.  I want this one DONE - and fast!  I'll be quilting it myself on my longarm and will use some sort of red thread (I stick with King Tut thread for the longarm work).

Whatcha' Readin'?

I'll be linking up with Judy L. over at Patchwork Times...  :)

I'm currently reading the book Ten Years Later, by Hoda Kotb. It is a non-fiction collection of stories regarding six different people "who faced adversity and transformed their lives" (book cover description). As an example, one story is about a woman who lost well over 300 pounds and was nearly killed in an abusive relationship, and how she is doing after ten years (I struggle to not say how she is doing in my blog post - you'll have to read it to find out). I've read through the first story so far (the one of the woman above), and look forward to reading more!


Amazon's description includes the following: "Ten Years Later is a firsthand testament to the enduring power of the human spirit. Through inspirational life stories, Hoda shows how adversity can unleash our best qualities: resilience, perseverance, gratitude, empathy, and creativity. This book will inspire you to believe in the future, no matter how dark the present, and tap into the ability to reach your highest potential."

UPDATE: This book is great for people who can't, or don't want to, sit and read an entire book in one or two sittings.  Each person's story is basically it's own "chapter," so you can read a story at a time.  Also, the stories vary in length, too, so you can choose to read longer or shorter stories depending on how much time you have.  Example - the first story is 35 pages, the second story is 63 pages, and the third story is just 22 pages long.  Nice.

UPDATE #2 (2/19/2013)
Ok, I'm still reading this book!  I've only been able to read a little bit at a time.  I do hope to finish in the next week.  :)

Design Wall Monday

Linking up with Judy L over at the Patchwork Times!

I'm thrilled to have a NEW project up on the design wall today!  I took a class on Saturday.  The pattern is "Crazy Cats" by the Buggy Barn, which is in the book "Undeniably Crazy."  I finished one entire cat, and the "bodies" of two others.  (the nose does show up better "in real life")

Yesterday afternoon, I finished the faces (whiskers included) of the other two cats and am happy to say that I remembered the proper technique!  Yes - I learned in class that reading directions really helps - a LOT!  :)

I really love these cats, and I love the Buggy Barn technique even more!  It would be similar to paper piecing (the final results, anyway), if I had to give an explanation.  However, there is no paper to sew through!  You do use wax paper to copy the master design, then iron that onto the top of a stack of fat quarters.  But, after that, no more paper.  PHEW, because I don't think I am particularly great at paper piecing.  I sew the "sections" nicely, but when it's time to sew the sections together, they come out warped.  Ok, not always, but sometimes.  In my opinion, "sometimes" is not OK.  So I've been avoiding that process altogether!  So, with this process, the block sections turn out "wonky," as you can see in the photo above.  Each time you sew on a new piece, you straighten ONLY the edge you're sewing.  So, when I go to add the kitty ears, the top of the faces will be straightened out.  Simple as that.  And when the entire block is complete, you then square it up to a certain size.  It's not really close, either - there is plenty to cut off & not much chance you'll mess it up!  

I would recommend this pattern to a very comfortable beginner or experienced quilter.  You'll have a lot of fun!

Design Wall Monday

I finally finished all of my Buck-a-Block blocks (actually Buck-for-TWO-Blocks) this past week.  Now I need to do the frames for all of the blocks, sashing & corner squares, and borders.  I hope to do much or all of that this next week.  All of the half-square triangles were done with Thangles, which I absolutely LOVE!  

I really love the colors in this quilt.  The pink is a pomegranate color, which I think is actually part of the name of some of the batiks.  It's pretty girly, so I will just "have" to claim it as my own when it's done.  Poor me!  ;)

I am guessing that I will be using a form of beige thread for quilting, but I haven't decided on the quilting pattern yet.  Probably something simple for this one.  I'm totally OK with simple & this isn't a quilt that demands something complicated.

I did the 2011-2012 BOM through The Quilting Loft in Seattle and I will be linking up with Judy L's Design Wall Monday blog post at the Patchwork Times.

Show Us Your Socks!

Ok, it's Thursday Sock Day, and I'm linking up to Judy L @ Patchwork Times!

This is the 2nd pair of socks made for me by my sister-in-law, and very good friend, Carol.  I bought the yarn in Alaska.  Carol and I were there on a stop while on a quilter's cruise (so fun!!!) in May/June of 2011.  I love them!  They're a bit stretched out, though, because I've had them on for awhile.

Update from last week: I have purchased some needles and yarn.... Next step - find a class and take the time to start my knitting lessons!

Come on over to Judy's blog & SHOW US YOUR SOCKS!!!  

Show Us Your Socks!

Judy L. at Patchwork Times does a weekly linky blog where people show their socks.

So, guess what - I'm joining in the fun.

 The socks I'm wearing today are a pair that my husband's sister made for me a few years ago.  I bought the yarn, and this is what I received in the mail a month shortly after!  LOVE these socks!  She's made 2 pair for me.  Now, after seeing all of the socks Judy made last year (13 pair!!!!!!), I've finally decided to take the plunge.  I hope to take a knitting class in the next month.  :)

Linking up to the Patchwork Times!

Design Wall Monday

I'm currently working on finishing the blocks to a "Buck-A-Block" BOM done by Thangles. I did mine through a super-fantastic shop in Seattle, called The Quilting Loft. I love them! They've got tons of batiks, which are my favorite. What are YOU working on?

 What's on your design wall today?

Linking up to the Patchwork Times!

Design Wall Monday - January 14, 2013

Happy Birthday to me! I am finally sewing again AND posting on my blog again. YAY! Here is what is up on my design wall. It is 25% of a quilt I'm making to fit our king-size bed. It's going to be a monster! I love the fabrics - they remind me of fall. They're not too feminine, and not to masculine - just perfect. The design is a Disappearing 9-Patch. I've never made one before, and I saw one on the Longarm at my favorite local quilt shop (Fiddlesticks, in Vancouver, Washington) and just knew I had to make one! Turns out that I LOVE making this pattern! There are so many ways to put it together - I look forward to making several more, including baby quilts. Perfect way to showcase certain fabrics, or go completely scrappy.

The top photo is a better color depiction for most colors, but the bottom photo shows how it looks when 25% of the quilt is complete (I'm loving the results so far!). I have a total of nine fabrics for my quilt, with the center block the same for all blocks. Then, the rest of the fabrics are pulled randomly from a basket. My only rule is that I'm not putting the same fabric side-by-side. So, if I pull the same twice in a row, it goes back and I pull again. Hope you like it! Comments/Feedback are welcome. :) Linking up with The Patchwork Times, by the one & only Judy Laquidara!

Manic Monday Linky Party with Sew Happy Geek

Ok, so I'm "linking up," for Sew Happy Geek's Manic Monday Linky Party but I can't post a photo of my newest finish on my blog until it's delivered to its' recipient in about 3 weeks... The photo is on my "link" though!

So, the quilt top shown is one made for a friend who was injured in an accident. Scrappy "Jake's Heart" blocks were collected, and I designed and pieced the quilt top from those blocks, adding a few of my own blocks as well. I just LOVE the way it turned out, and so far have received good reviews from a few others who have seen the photo. PHEW! I've been SUPER worried about whether people involved in this quilt would like it or not!

This post is going to be SO boring without a photo!! Please be patient ~ I already have a blog written that includes the photo, but it won't post for about 3 weeks... :)

Oh, and by the way... please feel free to follow me! I'm HOPING to do some more tutorials and possibly a few giveaways this year!! :)