Somethin' New - Tuesday Archives!

Last week, when Val from Val's Quilting Studio hosted TGIFF, I stumbled onto a new (to me!) link-up. It's...

Each week, Val chooses a theme and bloggers link up their old posts... no need to prepare a new post! It's perfect for those of us who find it tough to post a lot during the week. And this week's theme is Modern Quilts. It's like it was made for me! Only how will I choose just one post!!!

After much deliberating, I went for this one - my finish post for Into Every Life.

Next week's theme is Mystery Quilts... I've never made one :( But I'll keep an eye on future weeks. This could be fun!

J

P.S. If you're looking for a new link up, why not check out Quilt Along.net! They have a list of link-ups organized by day. Be forewarned... there's also a massive list of quilt-alongs. You may have to exercise some willpower!

Around the World Blog Hop

Hi all! It's my stop on the Around the World Blog Hop! Thanks to Kate from Thread Everywhere who asked me to be part of the hop. She was also a part of the Plum and June New Quilt Blogger Hop earlier in the summer.

As part of this hop, each participant was asked to share a little about our creative process... here's my 2 cents!

1. What am I working on?
As per usual, I have a number of projects on the go (and I'm not afraid to add something new if I feel like it!) Since January, I've been following the Pile O Fabric Skill Builder BOM. It pushes my limits in the technique department, but I've been really pleased with the results.

 I might just have concurred my paralyzing fear of appliqué... maybe.

 Since I'm soon to be a MoM (Mom of Multiples), I've been making a lot of baby stuff lately.

I have a few WiPs floating around the studio...

There's my Plus Two quilt(s).... it's now  layered and ready to quilt. And then there's this strip quilt...

It's the last hurrah for my batik stash and is destined to be donated to my local womens' and children's hospital for their youth mental health program. I kind of have a thing for making these super easy strip quilts. They're great scrap busters!


2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Honestly, I have no idea. I don't try to make it different... sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. I try not to be too influenced by what's going on out there in the blogosphere, but sometimes it's fun to have the collective feeling of a QAL or a bee. One of my favourite quilt-dorky things I like to do is to photograph my finished quilts in interesting locations, often outdoors.

 Miss K's Dare

 Mr & Mrs Cousin's Wedding Quilt

Transformer

3. Why do I write/create what I do?
As I joke whenever I introduce myself at my local modern quilt guild, A Quarter Inch from the Edge isn't just a blog name, it's a lifestyle. There are a lot of days when I'm anxious or depressed and making some time to be in my "studio" helps with those feelings. Making stuff makes me happy. I don't have to be sewing - I can be organizing fabric or gathering ideas on Pinterest. It's also the thing I do that no one else in my family does. I'm the quilter. I make stuff.

Go Your Own Way 

4. How does my writing/creating process work?
Sometimes I make things just because I feel like it... I might have seen a similar project on Pinterest or someone's blog. A lot of the quilted and sewn things I make are destined to be presents, so I'll fall in love with something and think "That would be perfect for X!" Then I'll get to making it.

 Oh Deer!

Now for the pay it forward part of my post...check out these great blogs!

Anja Quilts - She's a sister member of Maritime Modern Quilt Guild well as both the real life bees to which I belong (Do Bees and Q-Squared). Lately, she's been cranking out a pile of finishes!

Jada's Quilting Adventures - Another MMQG member and a newer quilter and blogger. Her recent owl quilt is super cute!

Buttons Quilts - Lynn's a Kona lover too and not afraid of a little Truth Tea now and then!

Thanks for visiting!

J

P.S. Pop back tomorrow for a little secret I've been keeping... there might even be a giveaway! ☺

TSN Thursday!

Nope, I didn't spend all day watching The Sports Network (that's TSN in Canada). I tried something new... my own version of TSN! As usual, it was the Pile O Fabric Skillbuilder BOM pushing my boundaries... so many new techniques! I've been putting off this month's block... not just because my studio's a wreck, but because it's more appliqué. And not just appliqué, but layered appliqué. It's the paint by number of quilting!

Here's the first of my new somethings! I printed on freezer paper. That's right. I've never done it before. I was always afraid that somehow I would gum up my printer. But it went off without a hitch! I can see so many possibilities here... no more printing and tracing onto fusible web. This freezer paper thing is growing on me!

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I also spent some quality time making a fabric colour key. This time, the instructor didn't give the specific colours she used, but rather she gave a guideline for us to choose the proper values. Yikes. I'd be lying if I said this was a quick process. Sorting through Kona scraps (my happy place) choosing just the right pieces and using my trust Colour Card to identify them... fun, fun, fun! I should have done this months ago to make the block patterns less confusing... but I just wanted to sew, sew, sew!

Once those templates were roughly cut out, I ironed them onto my starched scraps. So many tiny bits. Then I had to cut them out... even tinier bits!

Since beginning this course, I have bought more new notions than I thought possible. This time it was Liquid Stitch, a super thick, strong glue that dries clear. So happy that I managed to find it at my LQS! In this pic, I'm spreading glue on the back of each little piece and laying it in place based on the pattern. That Liquid Stitch sure does stick, especially when you set it with a hot iron. Another new thing!

 And here's my version of the rotary cutter block... not too shabby, if I do say so myself!

I can hardly wait to get to work on the scissors block. Since I've already got the templates ironed to the selected fabrics, it should come together more quickly than the cutter.

How about you? Did you TSN today or recently? Leave me a comment and let me know all about it!

J

P.S. I'm linking up to Celtic Stitches' New to Me. This is my first time for this link-up so another TSN!

Sew-vivor - A Quarter Inch from the Edge

I'm a Sew-vivor. Not gonna give up. I'm gonna out-cut, out-piece, and out-quilt. Well, I will if I get chosen for this year's edition of Sewvivor (Season 3: Quilter's Edition) organized by Family Ever After.

When I read about this amazing competition/challenge, I got really excited. There are four rounds of challenges - nautical, a tote bag, hexies, and a lap quilt. You can read even more details by clicking the link given above.

But then the doubt crept in... can I really do this? Am I biting off more than I can chew with two mini humans on the way? But it just looks like too much fun...so I'm throwing my proverbial hat in the ring! As my audition entry, I've selected Into Every Life... completed last fall.

I loved making this quilt. I improv pieced the coloured blocks and when I started, I had no idea what they would turn into. I took a page from my quilt-y pal, Q-D's, book and didn't repeat any of the fabrics used. Then I played around with using a temporary design wall in my studio... it really does help your perspective if you can get your blocks up off the floor!

I quilted it in lines with little drops building up on either side of the line. I was thinking of water droplets sliding down a window on a rainy day. I don't make a lot of quilts that are 100% my own design, but this one is. Just another reason it makes me smile!

Here's hoping I get past the audition round and into the Top 16. They're the ones who will actually compete in challenges! Keep those fingers crossed for me, dear readers!

J

My stop on the New Quilt Blogger Blog Hop!

Welcome! I'm really excited to be participating in Plum and June's New Quilt Blogger Blog Hop. It's an annual event that showcases new, modern quilt bloggers. It's a great chance to see new blogs and share this blog that has become a big part of my life over the past two years.

My name is Jenn and I live in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. When I'm not quilting and blogging about it, I'm a Middle School French teacher at a local independent school. The most exciting non-quilty news in my life these days is that Himself (as I refer to my husband throughout the blog) and I are soon to be parents of twins. Have I started their quilts yet? Nope! Still waffling on a design choice! ☺

*A note about the smudgies in the above photo. Not smudgies, but actual Canadian snowflakes.

A few fun facts about me and my blog:

• I'm a life-long Girl Guide.
• I use a LOT of Kona solids in my projects and (one of) my dream job(s) would be to name new Kona colours.
• I have a weakness for chocolate and peanut butter - together, apart, whatever.
• I can't throw away selvages. Just. Can't. Do. It. Especially if they don't just have dots on them...
• I like to take my finished quilts to fun locations for photo shoots.
• I use nicknames for friends and family on my blog and I rarely show anyone's face. Just because I have a blog, doesn't mean they want to find themselves on it!
• I don't talk much about my non-quilty life on my blog. I figure people read quilt blogs 'cause they like quilting - not because they care what I made for supper last night or what TV show I'm obsessed with (and that would be Downton Abbey BTW).

My tip for new quilt bloggers is to keep your blog layout simple. Let the star of your blog be your lovely work showcased in big, well-lit photos. I also like to include lots of links to resources I've used to make my blog not just a fun place to visit, but also a useful one!

And my general quilting tip? Make what you love. Period. A number of years ago, my practicality crippled my creativity. I was constantly worrying about where the quilt was going to end up, what it matched, etc. Now, if I feel like making something, I make it. There's always someone out there happy to give a home to your quilty love. Lots of my "just because" quilts make their way to the local women's and children's hospital. It brings me such joy to share them.

Now, my dear readers (and blog hoppers), before you hop over to check out the lovely blogs listed below, why not leave me a comment? I'll even give you a topic (said in Linda Richmond Coffee Talk voice). Perhaps you'll even talk amongst yourselves. What's your quilt-y guilty pleasure? Discuss!

 Elli @ Lovelli Quilts

Marcie @ Marcie's Quilt Therapy

Sharon @ Motherdragon's Musings

Cynthia @ Cynthia's Creating Ark

Jane @ Jersey Jane Quilts

Sally @ Wonky Patchwork

Bee @ Pink Almond Quilt

Debbie @ Quilting Makes My Heart Sing

Leanne @ Devoted Quilter

Karen @  Capitola Quilter

J

P.S. My quilty guilty pleasure is... Robert Kaufman's Kona solids. I love organizing (and re-organizing) my Konas. They're stacked in warm and cool piles and labeled with yardage and the colour name (even though I own a Colour Card!) I even have a scrap bin just for Konas! I can hardly wait for the 32 new colours to be available!

I'm so excited...

And I just can't hide it! I'm about to do my first blog hop and I hope I like it!!!

It's....

 

It's going to be a doozy! There are so many blogs participating that my head is sort of spinning! I'm not on deck until July 16th, but there will be lots of cool blogs to check out starting June 4th.  If you don't follow Plum and June, you should. You'll be in on the hub of the blog hop and not miss a single day of new quilt blogs!

J