It's a Piece of CakeI

Last Saturday morning the hubs agreed to help me take pictures, since this quilt is too long for my usual hang-on-the-fence method and I really didn't feel like chasing the kids off the playground equipment at the park on a Saturday morning.  But between the humidity that kept fogging up the lens on the camera and the whining about "Are you done yet?" my photo shoot was pretty frustrating.  It was exceptionally humid and uncomfortable out there (which made me super grateful for my lovely air-conditioned house). 

This is the last of the quilts I started at Stash Bash, although I have yet to quilt the Single Girl.  This one is called Piece of Cake 3 by Camille Roskelly.  It's from her Craftsy Class "Playful Piecing".  The fabric is Vintage Modern by Bonnie and Camille.  It was super easy to put together and I really enjoyed the process of piecing this one. It was perfectly straightforward. 

1.  Slice up the layer cake.
2.  Rearrange the strips.
3.  Sew them back together.
4.  Arrange the blocks.

This one went together super fast, which was totally what I was going for.  I started it about 9:00 one evening and had the top finished before I went to bed.

I wanted something light and breezy for the quilting so I tried the cute little flowers I saw on Allison's blog.  It was really fun and fast, but I some are definitely better than others.  And next time I'm going to work on getting from one to another more gracefully.  But I'm not unhappy with this one.

With all the whining, this is the only shot I got of the back (see way up there at the top?)  I used a piece of another Bonnie and Camille fabric - I think this one is from the Happy Go Lucky line.  It was just a smidge too narrow so I added a 4" strip of that Eat Your Fruits and Veggies dot you see in the binding up the back.  Not very original, but it gave it some interest and had the added benefit of making the back of the quilt wide enough, which I thought was a real plus!

I really couldn't get a good picture of the binding at all, probably because the pieces I used were anywhere from a 6 to 18 inches, but I did a scrappy binding from pieces left over from the 2012 Block of the Month project which also used Vintage Modern.

So this was my last finish for June, which turned out to be a pretty productive month for quilting here. I hope you had a great quilty month also.

Not sure what July might bring in that area, I'm off on a "great adventure", but so looking forward to it, since it includes seeing these guys.  Can't wait!

Five Easy Pieces - Part IV

On the way out the door to head for StashBash, I had the thought that maybe I would need an easy project to play with while I was there.  I grabbed the layer cake on the top of the stack, which happened to be Bonnie and Camille's Vintage Modern and stashed it in my overflowing tote bag. 

I also had a few patterns with me, one of which was this Piece of Cake III pattern by Camille Roskelly from her Craftsy class, Pre-Cut Piecing Made Simple.  The pattern was super simple and super fun. 

One of the things I really enjoyed about it was laying it out on the floor at StashBash and having so much help getting the blocks just right.

All it needed when I got home was borders, and a quick trip to my LQS solved that problem.  I love how every line of fabrics by Bonnie and Camille coordinate with all the others.  Vintage Modern is scarce as hen's teeth, but my LQS still had some Happy Go Lucky Skip Red, which was perfect!

So, here's another quilt top in the to-be-quilted pile.  Time to get on that, I suppose.

A Crazy Weekend Tale... And a Winner Too

I know I'm late posting the winner of the April Showers polka dot bundle, and I'm terribly sorry.  It has been a wild and crazy weekend around the prsd4tim2 household.

I think I mentioned that it was WH's birthday this weekend.  So, we celebrated.  I had a big plan - Friday we would go out for an early dinner, then a movie, then home for cake and presents.  Except that somehow the plans always get altered.  WH didn't feel like a 5pm dinner on Friday, so we put that off until Saturday.  (Clever boy, getting to celebrate his b-day for 2 days, rather than just one!)

So Friday night we headed off to the movie.  We saw God's Not Dead,  a Christian film which, despite the decidedly un-grammatical title, was actually very good.  I always like a good movie that leaves the sex, violence, and innuendo out, and this one was perfect.  Not to mention that the message was something I'd like to see more of.  I honestly hadn't heard of the movie before Friday, but it was very enjoyable.  Afterwards, we decided we were hungry after all (or maybe it was just that it was 9:30 pm), so we had a quick (and cheap) dinner at Steak 'n' Shake.  Then we came home for cake and presents and a FaceTime call with our youngest, who hadn't been able to reach her daddy earlier in the day.

Saturday morning was full of errands (WH didn't tell me until Friday he needs a new suit - and quick!), LDS Conference, and a headache the size of Texas.  We finally did get our fancy dinner (and the best steak in Pensacola) on Saturday evening.  If you ever visit Pensacola, McGuire's is the place to go.  (Yup, those are $1 bills on the ceiling - the tradition is to sign them and hang them anywhere and everywhere; then about once a year they count them - for tax purposes - and move them all higher.)  A bit of local color.

Sunday morning, I had WH at the airport at 5 am and had just come home to take a nap when he said he wouldn't be able to get out of Pensacola, but there were seats on the Gulfport flight.  So we drove to Gulfport.   It's about 120 miles to Gulfport and takes about 2 hours from our house.  Usually when I drive him to Gulfport, I turn around and head right home, but this time something said to hang around, so I had breakfast, and sure enough, before I was finished, he called with the bad news that the Gulfport flights had filled up too (there were more than 30 seats at 8 am!) and he was going to rent a car and drive.  But the only place that had cars was Pensacola.  So we drove home and he finally got on his way about 4 pm, roughly 12 hours after the alarm went off.

Exhausting!

And then there was the plowing through 275 emails so I could read all the bloggy comments before I wrapped up this giveaway...  So here I am on Monday afternoon picking the winner of the FQ Bundle of April Showers Dots (kindly supplied by Westwood Acres Fabrics) that I should have done on Saturday.  So sorry.

Cue the drum roll...

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

81 

Timestamp: 2014-04-07 21:43:52 UTC


Who is my good friend Jess from Australia, who said:

81  Jess @ Scrappy n HappyApril 2, 2014 at 4:31 AM

Surely I like you on FB! I will go and double check now :)

 So congrats to you, Jess!  I'm off to email you now!  

Thanks to everyone who helped me celebrate my Blogiversary!!   I really enjoyed reading everyone's comments about their Easter traditions! 

More Swappy Stuff

You know, I seem to go in spurts.  I say I'm done with swaps and I'm going to concentrate on finishing up some quilts, and then all of a sudden I'll lose my resolve and commit to several swaps.  I used to joke that it was an addiction, and I'm beginning to think it really is.  And what was I thinking committing to so many that are due between now and Christmas??  Dumb.  Really dumb.  But I'm making a lot of progress and having fun, so what the heck.

This one is a Reverse Modern Maples mini quilt for my partner in the Schnitzel and Boo mini quilt swap.  My partner said she liked autumn, and what is more autumny than leaves?  I quilted it with loops and leaves and it went pretty fast.  I apologize for the picture - it's the only one I took and the package is already on its way to my partner.  I need to remember not to rely on iphone pictures.

I've been playing along in the Super Swaps group for a couple of years now, and the items to be swapped are always different.  The item this time was an ornament, and I found a cute pattern in a book called Sew Merry and Bright.  I loved the wonky tree a couple of the other projects, but the book hasn't arrived yet, so I had to fake it.  I think it turned out kinda fun.  Hope my partner likes it.

I made my pinwheel blocks for the Pinwheel Passion hive of the 3x6 Bee.  I used one of the tutorials from Rachel Griffith's (ps i quilt) Block of the Month tutorial.  I think this one was month 6. I tried another block first, but just didn't like the way it turned out, so went with this somewhat less detailed block, although I really like it.

When I receive all my blocks, I should have enough citrus blocks to finish up the last citrus quilt. 

I'm working on a gift for my ECMQG swap partner even as we speak.  This one needs to be finished TODAY, since we're exchanging them at the meeting tomorrow.  My partner wanted something a bit non-traditional, so I dug into the remainder of my Ruby FE bundle (by Bonnie and Camille) that Amanda got for me at Sample Spree at Quilt Market in SLC in 2011.  I have made at least 2 quilts and 3 or 4 other items from this FE bundle.  I am continually amazed at how far a fat eighth will go.

So, that's what I've got done so far.  I still have two more swaps to finish, and then I'll begin working on Christmas gifts.  I have big plans, as always.  Don't know yet how many will actually get finished.

Wish me luck!

A Productive Sewing Day

I had a pretty productive day at the sewing machine yesterday, which is a good thing, considering that my items for the Modern She Made swap need to be mailed today.  To be honest, I like this tote so much it's kind of painful to mail it away.  That said, I just made myself a new bag, didn't I???  Well, as one of my readers said, "Can a woman ever have too many bags?"

I bought some Melody Miller fabric awhile back, which became the focal point for this tote.  Then I started browsing through the fabric scraps in those colors and found a much better selection than I thought I would.  The theme of this round is stars, hence the wonky star....

I used some of the Dear Stella FQ scraps from the Dresden pillow I made last fall, and some of the AMH feathers and the RK Quilter's Linen I scavenged for my Scavenger bag, plus some of the Vintage Modern scraps from the BOM I'm working on (the colors were perfect!), some DS Quilts leftovers from various projects, plus a tiny bit of the Architextures I bought a couple of weeks ago...  Oh, and the floral was from some decorated towels I made for my sister's family last Christmas.  It was fun pulling the fabrics for this one.

The bag is loosely based on Elizabeth Hartman's Perfect Tote, but first I decided that I didn't want to do the piece-as-you-go method, and from there it was a downward slide to do-your-own-thing. Just one more example of that problem I have with following directions, I guess.

This is the first time I've used cotton duck as the interfacing for the bag.  I liked the structure and substance it gives the bag, and will probably use it again. One thing I did learn though - if you're using linen, the linen itself actually needs some stabilizing before it is quilted. The linen stretches and the duck cloth doesn't so it makes for some shifting in the layers.  This might not have  been an issue if I had actually done the QAYG method, but since I pieced it first, and then quilted, I found that I was fighting with the linen all the time as it stretched.  If I were to do it again, I would definitely use a lightweight iron-on stabilizer on the piecing before I quilted the project. 

I did some basic patchwork for the back of the bag.  I haven't done basic patchwork in awhile.  It was fun.

And I had a little catastrophe when I assembled the bag - oops, I sewed the top as the bottom.  And I had already cut the corners.  Made for some interesting moments.  But I managed to salvage the project.  Whew!

The inside has a zipper pocket and a patch pocket on one side - something I hadn't tried before.  It was an idea I got from the original pattern.  I also attached a loop - an idea I got from the AMH bag I made last week.  It's a cool touch, I think, though I'm not sure what to use it for?  Keys maybe?

And a double patch pocket on the other side, for cell phone, business cards, or whatever. My I-phone fits perfectly in one side. 

I had a little extra patchwork left over, so I cut a few more squares and made a fabric basket - my first one.  I love that there are so many fun tutorials on the internet!  It's so easy to find instructions for just the item you have in mind.

And since I was having so much fun, I grabbed some of the AMH Loulouthi scraps youngest daughter donated to me and made my basket for the Fabric Basket Swap.  It feels weird to make something so far in advance - this one isn't due to mail until June 5th.  What's up with that?  It's so unlike me...

All in all, a very fun day sewing yesterday.  I think I'll do it again.  There are certainly some advantages to being retired.

Hope you have a fun sewing day too.

BOM - ing

A few weeks ago, I was talking with my friend about my desire for a Go! cutter, but how, since I am now unemployed retired, there wasn't much chance of buying one.  My friend said she had one that she was thinking of selling because she never used it.  Well, one thing led to another, and we worked out a trade.  She had some projects she needed to have finished, and well, I've got some time right now.

The first project I'm working on is the Fat Quarter Shop 2012 Designer Block of the Month.  I'm really enjoying creating these blocks.  The fabric is lovely - Vintage Modern, by Bonnie and Camille.
And the blocks are really fun.  I don't think there is a single block that I don't like (even the ones that are mostly gray - shhh, don't tell!)

One of the fun things about these blocks is that FQS is so generous with their fabric, I'm getting two blocks from almost every kit.

A quilt for my friend...

And a quilt for me!

Because my very generous friend said I could keep the second quilt...

 Now THAT's a good deal.

 I'm really glad, because the more I see of this quilt, the more I like it.

The colors are gorgeous!

 Isn't it fun to work on a project you really like?

Happy quilting!

Friendship Bag Swap

Well, my resolution to ease up some on my swapping barely lasted a month, but this one was just too good to pass up.  This was an easy little project filled with fun goodies for my partner.

It started with an adorable little quilted gift bag made from Rachel's tutorial (of psiquilt fame).  And isn't it so much more fun and environmentally friendly than those cheap paper ones you buy at the dollar store?

For the outside, i used strips from that same FE bundle of Bonnie & Camille's Ruby that BD#1 got me at Sample Spree a couple of years ago - yup the same one that I made the Simple Merry Christmas Quilt and the Love Pillow from.  It's really amazing how far a FE bundle will go!  I used a scrap of texty print from the Waterfall pillow as the base.

My partner said she liked texty fabric, so I lined it with a texty print in the same colors as the outside.

And then the fun began....

I started filling it up.  I had the best time!  I hope there's something in there that will make my partner feel special.

Because that's what friends are for.

All You Need Is LOVE

Last Saturday, while I was at the Emerald Coast Modern Quilt Guild meeting Kira did a paper piecing lesson using kelbysews wonky alphabet pattern. 

Many of us, including me, I'm proud to say, completed the L-O-V-E under Kira's helpful tutoring.  I brought the letters home, and they were just sitting there on the cutting board.  Last night I decided that if I didn't do something with them by Valentine's Day, I probably never would.

So I sat down at the sewing machine and put together this pillow, just in time for V-Day.

The fabric is the leftovers of a FE bundle BD#1 picked up for me at Sample Spree in May of 2011.  I am always amazed at how far a little bundle of fabric can stretch.  I have already made a quilt from this bundle!  I had the fabric for the backing and binding left over from the Simple Merry Christmas quilt.  And the outer sashing was 1-1/2 inch strips left over from yet another Ruby project.

The quilting was fairly simple - straight lines in the sashing and hearts (or attempted hearts, anyway) in the letters.

So, on this Valentine's Day, I hope that your life is filled with LOVE.

SUTK Swap Package

My package for the Spicing Up the Kitchen swap is finally done.  After several abortive ideas and much frustration, my package is COMPLETE!  I am so glad.  It seems like I have been working on it forever.

I started with the idea of a reversible place mat.  My original color choices were based on a piece of Amy Butler fabric that was lovely, but the only fabrics I could find that coordinated were pink, and that received a resounding thumbs down from the SUTK Flickr group.

Then, I thought I would do little birdies in green.  It was maybe just a little too green.  Note the Amy Butler fabric in the picture below.

 Then I fell in love with Kumari Gardens and wanted to showcase the butterflies.  Sadly, they did not want to be showcased as badly as I wanted to showcase them.  This is where most of the frustration came in.  I took them apart and put them back together too many times to count.  And then, when I finally did finish them, they were bigger than their partner and wouldn't work for reversible place mats at all.  I may finish them for a wedding gift or something.  They really are pretty.

And so, I did what any self-respecting quilter would do who was running desperately short of time - I took what was to have been the other side of the double-sided placemats and went full steam ahead.  I don't think I have a scrap much bigger than a charm square left of any of these fabrics.

There are 4 placemats, each with a different applique.  The applique patterns are from Sandi Henderson's Bits and Pieces book.


Note that I am too short to get a really good picture of these.  This was taken standing on the couch.

I made a decorative dish towel.  I pieced a decorative border for the bottom of the towel.  I was amazed that I had a towel the perfect color in my stash.  Such forethought (NOT - purely accidental!)

Each of the fabrics is "quilted" onto the towel.

I made a double sided pot holder from a tutorial I found here.  It was super easy and fun to make.

I did discover that my sewing machine, which does not really like to FMQ at all, REALLY does not like to FMQ on Insulbrite - especially two layers of insulbrite.

This is the outside.  

And this, of course, is the inside, with two little pockets for your hands and a little loop to hang it up.
















 Finally, I made a modified fat quarter apron.  I used the same border idea on the apron as on the dish towel.    I thought it turned out pretty cute.

I really hope my partner likes it.