Tuesday, July 31, 2012

I Should Have Just Bought The Dang Pattern



Every time I go to a class or a Quilts of Valor meeting, I'm always under prepared.  It's a big hassle to get things ready before you go.  You basically have to dismantle your sewing room and hope you remembered everything.  Spoiler alert, I never remember everything.  So, in order to make my life easier, I've made a few things I'm going to keep ready to go at all times. 

I made a little carrying basket to hold thread, rotary cutter, pencils, needle keeper, and such.  I still have to buy a variety of patriotic threads for my Quilts of Valor meetings that I won't use for anything else.  (We'll see if I can stick to that plan)


I also never have a proper ironing surface.  I saw this really cute iron caddy that folded up to a little bag to carry your hot iron in.  I don't know why I didn't just buy the dang pattern.  Theirs folds up and buttons closed on the outside all cute and perfect.  I thought I could do the math with the fold lines.  It didn't work out.  Then, I made the tragic decision to add snaps.  I don't know how to apply snaps.  After putting holes in it for snaps that didn't work, I settled on hooks and eyes...mine works, but it's not nearly as cute or awesome.

 Then, I saw this super fabulous bag on Shabby Fabrics website.  Of course, I didn't buy the pattern.  I made it wide enough to hold my thread basket and iron caddy.  The outside pocket is wide enough to hold my super awkward 6.5"x22" ruler.  A folded QOV fits perfectly in the center as well.  I'm pretty happy with the bag.  Please note the patriotic color theme of all items.  I know, clever, right?
My most recent Pinterest project is this t-shirt.  I used a bleach pen to draw on it.  I wish I had chosen a darker color shirt, the bleached part would have been more striking.  I also would have made the design more towards the front and less towards the side.  The important thing to notice in this picture is that I've lost 3 lbs. from quitting Dr. Pepper.  You could tell, right?  :o)

This pineapple cut work block is going to be part of a quilt for The Applique Society.  Several of us in the local group have agreed to make the same block in different colors.  Someone will put them all in a quilt to be displayed at our quilt show next summer.  Then, one of us will win it.  Please.  Please.  Please.  I have to say, this is a personal best for me.  I've never done points this well.  Thanks to those fabulous tutorials that we had at the last meeting.  Bethany was making fun of me on my way to the last meeting because I had loads of stuff with me.  I was like (in my best prestigious voice), "It's The Applique Society, Bethany!  We have serious things to discuss."

Last but certainly not least, The Wish.  I've been following an Australian quilt designer, Red Brolly's blog and she has graciously started putting the directions for her Christmas quilt on her blog for FREE.  I am ridiculously happy about this project!  Love it!  Back in February (of last year?), I won the red Fat Quarter Raffle.  So, I've got lots of red to choose from. Admittedly, perhaps too many of them are either polka dotted or hearts, but I love dots and hearts.  And, I am pretty limited with the white with red.   I may need to add to the collection but I promise to try to keep myself in check.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Guess what I've been up to. And, it's not laundry!

 Ethan Mantz, sushi lover extraordinaire...  Since Hunter and Bethany were busy having adventures, Ethan and I had a lunch date last weekend.  This boy LOVES him some sushi.

Yesterday, Sierra and I had a girls night.  We saw Spiderman, ate at Bella Melano, visited a comic book store, had dessert at The Cup and then finished off the night with Captain America on DVD.  Big fun but no pictures.

  Last Saturday, I visited the National Quilt Museum for the first time with my friends Cindy Hagen and Vicki Root.  What a great day!  We were amazed by all the talent and inspiration.  Then we shopped.  More big fun!  Bethany had been sending me pictures of her trip to Florida.  So, I sent her one of me in a quilt shop.  Which, I happen to enjoy more than the beach.

  

This is my latest in the Sew Tweet Block of the Month.  They're playing in a pie pan of buttons.  Those buttons were a wee bit time consuming.  On Wednesday, I took a class from Karen Kay Buckley.  She invented the perfect circles and we had a tutorial from her on how to use them.  I'd been using them, but not correctly.  Needless to say, the buttons on the first half of this quilt suck.  And the buttons on the second half will be considerably better.  Sigh.  What are you gonna do?

My Pinterest projects.  I'm not totally happy with the H but will continue to add interesting things as I come up with them.  I have a salmon colored floral skirt that I have had the worst time finding things to wear with.  So, I finally found a white blouse that wasn't a t-shirt but it was too much white with the crocheted necklace I'd made for it.  So, I found some fabric at Wal-mart and made this pompom necklace.  Total cost, under $2.


 Last week after Paducah, I finished my Civil War quilt!!!!  I'm so happy to be done with this project.  It was WAY too much for me.  Between the year of piecing the blocks and 6 months of piecing the sashing.  Definitely, time to move on.  Now to save the money to have this bad boy custom quilted.  Can you say small fortune?  Maybe even in time for the next quilt show...
So, naturally, I had to jump right into another big project this weekend.  I assembled my spool quilt and cut out the applique pieces last night while I was watching Captain America.  Then today I spent HOURS placing them on.  I was absolutely in love with it until I started stitching it all down.  My machine tends to not  do well on blanket stitch.  I used a neutral grey thread and I might be 1/3 of the way done.  Had to stop because I was getting really angry with my uneven stitches.  And my wrists are sore and my head is killing me.  And I'm crabby.  And Rich keeps nagging at me for not doing my housework.  Photography does not do this quilt justice!  If you participated in the strip exchange, you need to make this quilt!  The colors are really stunning!  Unless you ruin it with crappy blanket stitching.


Friday, July 6, 2012

Thank you, Benjamin Franklin

 
Baby Pies!! OMG!  These guys are so cute.  I used my normal pie recipe but used the cupcake pan to bake.  The top of my raisin container was the perfect crust cutter for the size I needed.  I'll admit I prefer a larger fruit to crust ratio but the personal size is super cute.  Thank you Pinterest!

  I also did a few quilty projects.  The first was a wall hanging "Grand Old Flag" by Black Mountain Quilts.  I've had the pattern and Toile for a long time.  I know what you're thinking.  That toile isn't very American and that there are always creepy French people on Toile.  Nay, I say.  This particular one only has farm houses, no creepy people.  And, I'd also like to mention if it weren't for the French, the Revolutionary War would probably not have gone in our favor.  Thank you Mr.  Franklin.


 
I also made this super human cute table runner.  Also from Pinterest.  I may need an intervention.  The original was done in orange and  black and had no prairie points.  So off to Walmart I went to stock up on ribbon!  They didn't have any orange fabric that I liked.  And I loved the red, white and blue.  So this is how I spent my 4th.  And cooking.  Will probably end up with one for every occasion :)

 Lastly, I made ANOTHER necklace.  This is the third so far.  First one was too short.  Second one, I had skipped a step.  Third one was the charm.  Until I put it on and the clasp fell off.  And the threads were too short to reattach.  Do I like it enough to make it a fourth time?  No.  So I super glued the crap out of it.