More than meets the eye!

Transformers! No, I'm not watching 80's cartoons...it's Saturday's workshop organized by my quilt guild.

I was so excited to go sewing for the day that I whipped up a snazzy new thread catcher from Merriment design. That's it hanging off the table. More Amy Butler and Kona! 

Here's my workstation all ready to go... 

With this amazing technique, you take a basic block, cut it up, and sew its parts back together to create a different block.

I chose to slice diagonally... just one of many options. I only cut once, but some of the options have you cutting twice. With the 6 inch block, the inner portions would be lost.

Once you get the blocks sewn back together, more decisions await you. There are so many options for layouts. After three, different options I had to stop. It was dizzying! I made really good use of the design wall... so much so that I'm thinking it might be a good addition to my studio.

And here's the completed top... 48 6 inch blocks. I wasn't sold on the chevron at all before we put it on the design wall. Just goes to show you should try stuff you think you don't like! The asymmetrical-ness just makes it even better. I love it so much that I'm considering whipping up another 48 to make this quilt into something large enough. Technically, it strikes one item off my Wanna do list (a project using all Konas)!

Q-A was at this workshop too... working all in oranges - her favourite! She opted for the same diagonal cut blocks. But her layout is completely different. Sorry, no pics of the finished product to share. You'll have to check her blog! :)

To top things off, I spent much of today at the sewing machine. I finished off the last three blocks to a challenge I'm doing for my guild. The participants each put a total of 2m of fabric in a lunch box. You could choose 2m of the same, 1m of two, whatever. Then the boxes were swapped around. Each participant makes a lap sized quilt with the fabric they received. You can add  fabric, make any kind of block... just so long as you make a 60 by 80 top. I'm working with this...

And as much as I'd like to show you the finished product, it'll have to wait until the big reveal in May! I'm excited to see what comes back to me. And once I put some borders on it, I get to strike something off the Gotta do list!

I also made some progress on my qui-vet - that's a quilt - duvet cover hybrid). The duvet cover back is pieced and pinned to the quilt that will make up the duvet cover top. I also got the ties all made (what fiddly work that was!) and the binding's done too.

All in all, a very productive weekend!

Thanks for reading!

J

Kona Love!

So exciting... a late Christmas present arrived this week! My Kona colour card!

243 colours of L-O-V-E! And they all have names!

I haven't done too much sewing this week... I keep getting distracted and looking at my colour card!

The next project I'm plotting is an all-Kona project. My guild, Mariner's Quilt Guild, has a workshop next week.  I needed a light, 3 mediums, and 3 darks. Here it is! Thanks to Q-D for Saturday's colour consult. In case you're wondering, that's kumquat, school bus, peacock, bahama blue, peapod, honeydew, and ash!

Now I'm just waiting on my first Kona fat quarter of the month collection to arrive in the mail. Oh the suspense! Will it be monochromatic or random? I'll let you know!

J

Inaugural WIP Wednesday!

A couple years ago, Q-A made a list. A considerable list. It was of all the unfinished (and some un-started) projects floating around her sewing room. She decided that she wasn't going to start any new projects until she had finished her UFO list. I'm not sure if she's finished off her list yet, but she's stuck with it. She generally only starts new projects that have a purpose (gifts, charity, etc.).

Well, I was inspired, as I often am by my Squares, to make my own UFO list. I keep it taped to the wall behind my sewing machine so that each time I sit down to work, there it is. It's really satisfying to cross things off the list... A type or what?!  I generally update it every January. 

I'm not bound to the list in any way... I can begin new project whenever I like. But it is a good reminder of what's tucked away needing completion. This year's list is soon to be posted!

It has three sections: UFO's, Wanna do's, and Christmas do's. UFO's are UnFinished Objects. Some have been around for quite some time... Child's Play was likely begun sometime in the early 2000's. Maybe this year will be the year it moves off the list! The Jewel Squares may morph into a different project; they began as a full size quilt and could easily become blocks for baby quilts.



I knocked a lot of projects off the list in 2012 - including a this Kaleidescope Bali (a graduation present for honourary Q-Square SuperKate)..

 

UFO's 

•  Child’s Play  – needs to be layered & quilted – donate to IWK? Sell?
•  Jewel Squares (Kaffe Fassett) – finish paper pieced blocks, etc.
•   Sashiko fish – finish appliqué & sashiko stitching, construct
•  Qui-vet for spare room – add duvet backing & finish edges
• C & S’s wedding quilt – MUST start!
• Mariner’s Lunch Box Challenge – Finish by Spring 2013
• Madame P’s retirement quilt  - Yet to be started, finish by June 2013
• Miss K's birthday quilt – Yet to be started, finish by July 2013 

The Wanna do's are just what they sound like. They're projects I've dreamed of making, but just haven't gotten around to. They're based on patterns purchased on vacation, collections of fabrics I bought without a clear purchase, inspirations from books/mags/Pinterest... you name it. As of this week, a lot of Wanna do's moved to the UFO list for 2013!  

Wanna do's

•  Canadian Guiding quilt (as second camp blanket)
•  Small seasonal quilts for the classroom (Back to school, spring, summer, New Year's, Chinese New Year)
• Guide Law quilt
• Project using Kona solids

For reasons of national (okay, not quite national) security, the Christmas do's don't appear here. I can tell you, without endangering anyone, that after making two tree skirts in 2012, I am finally planning to make a tree skirt for our home. I've even decided upon the design AND have half the fabrics purchased. Thank you, Atlantic Fabrics, for your 50% off Christmas sale!

Here's the photo set on Flickr It's not exactly a tutorial, but I think I can make it work. 

Hope you'll come back on the second Wednesday of next month to see how the UFO's have progressed!

J

Happy New Year!

Ah... the first post of 2013! I am proud to say that my New Year's resolutions of 2012 still stand. I have continued this blog for months now AND I purchased absolutely no quilting magazines, patterns, or books for an entire year. I was sorely tempted by some new releases, but stayed strong. Santa was kind and brought me two of my favs - Block Party and We Love Colour. I've had my nose stuck in them since Christmas morning!

I managed to whip up a couple more projects before 2012 drew to a close. My Mom's birthday falls between Christmas and New Year's, so Christmas themed presents do make their way into the mix. I used a tutorial found on Ellison Lane Quilts via Pinterest and made this in roughly three hours. 

 I had a little trouble with the strips of squares not fitting perfectly with the centre block (I suspect at times that my 1/4 inch seam allowance isn't scant enough). I was down to scraps of the cream Holiday Flourish, so a do-over was not a possibility. I quilted it every 1/2 inch (the tutorial suggested every 1/4 inch... ack!). I had so much fun that I made another for friends. This time, I made the strips of squares first, then measured and cut my centre blocks. Much more successful. Though my quilting had to be curtailed to every 1 1/2 inches... I was low on thread and it was far too late to go the store!

One would think this would hit my Christmas stash pretty hard... alas, no. It's still considerable. Though I may stop in at my local fabric store tomorrow in search of Holiday Flourish on sale!

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And the last project of 2012...pillow cases for my camping pals. I love a project that puts orphan blocks to good use. Orphans are the blocks I have left over at the end of a project. I had a LOT from Miss E and Miss O's quilts since I did a very poor job of re-sizing a pattern from a magazine. I started out just planning to edge the pillow cases in the white blocks, but quickly discovered that I didn't really have enough of any one of the fabrics from their quilts to make a full pillowcase. Opting to be thrifty (Old School Girl Guide that I am!), I used blocks for the top/front, and pieced the backs. I was worried the tops/fronts wouldn't be durable enough to withstand weekly washings, so they're actually layered and quilted!

Almost time for my newest quilt convert to arrive... she's only made one quilt so far, but I'm pretty sure she's hooked! Time to quilt!

J