Third Quarter Finish Roundup

This one is kind of fun because I didn't check the list throughout the quarter.

Normally I print it out (or make a written copy) and keep it on the cork board by my machine.
I think I forgot this time.

The Third-Quarter List: Link with pics and descriptions here
1- ZZQAL
2 - Grape Soda
3 - Bloomers
4 - Bottled Rainbows
5 - BB quilt
6 - Hush Bella
7 - Hexie Pillow/Mini/Something to use up Random hexies
8 - Weekender
9 - Bookshelf Quilt
10 - Farmer's Wife
11 - Tardis


Finishes: 

Grape Soda:

I really do love this quilt. The Mr. has stolen it. Maybe someday he'll go out of town and then I can use it. 

Bloomers: 

They've held up rather well considering I wear them every chance I get. Bloomers are super comfy. 

Hexie Canvas: 

It's still hanging out on the bookshelf. I have't found anywhere else in the house that I like it.

Weekender: 

Quite possibly the biggest finish of the bunch. It's all ready for me to fill with Sewing Summit goodies. 

Four isn't terrible. Once again I finished a lot of things that weren't on the list but they weren't planned when I made it so that's alright.

Looks like I'll have a bit of carryover again.

I wonder if there's a prize somewhere for "quilt on the most to-do lists"? I'm sure that ZZQAL could be in the running for that one. 

Weekender!

I still can't believe it's finished. I keep looking around the studio to see if there's a piece I missed or something.

But it's done!

Indoor pics since it's rainy rainy rainy.

The exterior fabric is home dec. weight Amy Butler. Months ago when I went to Whipstitch to purchase the pattern, they were having an amazing sale on this bolt and I just couldn't pass it up. I got this fabric for less than I would have spent on quilting cotton.

I lined all the exterior pockets with the same solid that I used for the piping/handles:

For the bag interior, I wanted something different but not too crazy.
I think light green with white polka dots is perfect.

Like many other people who have made the bag before me, I found the 30" non-separating zipper almost impossible to find. 

The only place I found one online wanted triple the price of the zipper in shipping. 

Ick.

So I purchased a 36" parka zipper and added fabric stops. 

I wanted to add feet to the bag but I find purse feet generally ugly. 

My solution?

Size 60 covered buttons. 

It's certainly not a perfect bag. I can see places where the piping bunched in the curves that I wish were laying flat.

Yet it wasn't nearly the bad experience that I had expected.

I will be making another. It's very likely that my mother will steal this one from me anyway.

Thinking that the next one might be the Quilt as you go method. Primarily because Laura is making one that I'm incredibly jealous of.

Things learned:
-Using fusible tape for the piping is wonderful. Less stitching of piping is always a good thing. So I'll certainly be doing that again.

-Next time I'll be using fusible tape to hold down the seam before attaching the zipper. I'm not sure if I didn't pin enough or if it was just something else I was doing but the fold kept slipping which meant I had to rip the seam and resew. I think fusible tape would just be a good safeguard.

-Buy a new pack of needles. Or two. There were three needle breaks total (on the triple layers of Peltex and the double layers of piping). When I started the bag I had two jeans needles and thought that'd be alright. Bet if I have a whole pack next time I won't break a single one.

I'm certainly glad the bag is finished and I can move onto other projects, but at the same time I'm glad it's finished because I can pack up a bag I made for Sewing Summit.

Way better than going to Target and buying luggage. 

Farmer Friday -Quickie Edition

I am dangerously close to finishing my Weekender so this is going to be a quick one.

I fear if I stop for too long I'll lose my momentum. I've already battled it on step 11. Lining and false bottom are all that are left.

So close.

# 68, 69 and 70

Oh Farmer's Wife Blocks, if there's one thing that this bag has taught me it's that I love you and your tiny pieces. 

I know we have our problems.

But you don't have piping. 

Which means I can now forgive all your ridiculously small triangles. 

Hoop-la-la Flickr Group Open!

The Flickr group for the Hoop-la-la Swap is open!

This is an international swap so you must be willing to send internationally. (A hoop and some extras shouldn't be *too* heavy of a package).

This group is open. So anyone who signs up is in. I'll be closing sign-ups on the 4th of Oct. or at 80 participants, whichever comes first.

Partners will be mailed out by Oct. 7.
Last day to send is Nov. 8.!

Here's my inspiration mosaic to give you an idea of what we'll be swapping:




Zakka style hoops that have an organizational aspect to them are acceptable as well! Like the Zakka Message Hoop or Hoops that have pockets in them to store things.

Y'all will be able to mention on the swap form whether or not you want a hoop that is just art/decoration like above or if you want something that has a function. Saying that either is okay is fine too.

Full details and rules are on the group discussion board. Please make sure to check out the Rules thread and comment if you want to participate in the swap.

I still need to make the survey but I'll have it completed no later than Monday morning to send out to everyone.

Here's the link to the group!

WiP Wednesday - I Miss Quilts Edition

I see them every day. Poor abandoned quilts all over my studio. Some in baskets. Some in ziplocks. Some just in piles on top of the printer that threaten to topple over onto the floor.

It's been bag-mania around here lately. There was my Pretty Little Pouch Frame Purse. And the bag I made for Modern Scrappy. I've also done some zippy pouches for swap at Summit.
And of course the Weekender.

I miss you quilts.

Roundup: 

Completed!:

My major complete for the week is something that can't be shown off for a couple of months.
It hurts me as much as it hurts you because I'm super in love with it.

Just one peek you say?
I think I can manage that.

Brr! bears are love.

Pretty Little Pouch:

I need to order more frames so I can make one for myself. I was so tempted to keep this one.

Ongoing: 

Weekender: 

It is in the machine as we speak. 

Even if you're reading this tomorrow it's probably in the machine.

Going to be making a solid push to get this finished since it's the biggest thing on my Summit to-do list. 

No Progress:
Can I just say everything?
No?

Here's the list then:
Bottled Rainbows
WWC

Oh. Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Coming Soon:
Tardis
Scrap Vomit
Hush Bella
ZZQAL
Mario QAL
Swoon


Finishes: 2
New: 0
WiPs: 3+ 

That plus sign is there because I have various "I really would like to make X thing for Summit" projects. I don't want to make a whole list of them here because there's no telling which ones I'll actually work on.

Linking up with Lee, as usual! Her button has a permanent place on my sidebar.

Every day I'm hustlin'

At least that's what it feels like.

Of course it's not hard to feel like you're hustlin' when you have multiple WiPs. We all know I skate that line of double-digit projects in progress.

Thankfully there's an awesome new link up to help me establish some sort of priority list for the rest of the year.

There's 100 days left in the year.
Wait.
I'm putting my list up late.
So I think there's 97 now.

That's slightly panic-inducing.

I'm going to stop counting them now and just focus on my list.

Hustle It: 

1) ZZQAL

Someday I'll be surprised when this *isn't* on a "Please finish me" list. 

2) #SuperwomanUndies with tutorial 

-These have been in the works far too long already. Hoping to have everything written up when I get back from Summit. 

3) Weekender

The pieces for this thing are on every surface available in my studio. 

4) Farmer Wife Top

I feel like the Tortoise with this thing. That pile keeps growing and growing but never reaches the finish line.

5) Scrap Vomit Top
-I forgot to take a pic of this but it's just a box of squares at this point.

6) Plaid Pants

Because sometimes a girl just needs plaid linen pants. 

7) Pieces for the shop

I have one thing finished but I really would like to have ten or so items in the shop. Rather than making a complicated list of everything it's just easier to condense it down into one item.

Not too crazy!

There are certainly items that I'm working on that aren't on this list but I tried to only include priority things here.

This list seems possible.
Maybe.
Except for that ZZQAL. I feel like there should be some sort of prize at the end of that one because I've lost all my motivation. 

Pin It to Win It at Fresh Squeezed Fabrics

If there's one thing I know it's that quilters can never have enough fabric.

Fresh Squeezed Fabrics has an amazing contest going on right now.

Amazing right?

This post here has further details.

I picked a gorgeous Madrona road bundle because it's something I've been eyeing for quite some time now. Of course it needs 36 repins to win! Eep! I looked at all the smaller Madrona bundles but they didn't have those luscious oranges in them.

Here is the link to my bundle!

I thought I'd leave this blog post up for anyone to leave me their link. So any link you leave me in the comments I will absolutely repin for you. Share the love, yeah?

I've had a miserable morning anyway so spending the rest of the day looking at yummy fabric on Pinterest might just be the thing I need.

Farmer Friday - 3 (+1) Edition

Searching for a camera cord in the dark isn't exactly what I'd define as a fun time. My handy dandy phone-flashlight doesn't extend very far under the chair/couch/bed/other various "forts" the cats keep their "treasure" in.

Note to self: You need light bulbs.

I started off the afternoon honestly worried about the blocks I was going to make. Mainly because I opened the book, saw block 65 and immediately sent a picture of it to Instagram with a note about how the Farmer's Wife hates me.

While I thought about the tiny triangles that my machine was sure to devour, I skipped ahead to 66 and 67:

I love how in comparison to the other blocks 66 reads as muted. I think I'm going to need to make some more specific fabric choices in the future to make more that have that same overall tone. 

With two blocks safely completed, I went back to 65 which is called Peaceful Hours:

See that center ring of white triangles. 

They're tiny.

The whole block is 6.5". 

Itty bitty triangles. 

That one on the bottom got eaten a little.

My machine's a monster. 

While I was sewing, I was chatting with the very lovely Diane on Instagram. 

She had a brilliant idea to piece the block in more of a wonky star method.

So this block is my +1. 

Wonky Hours:

I made some of them super wonky. 

I love it. 

There might be more of them. Maybe a whole quilt worth if I think of the right fabrics. 

I never would have thought of it. I'm so thankful for Twitter and Instagram and this whole community that inspires me every day. 

 And gives me the best ideas when I'm complaining about tiny triangles. 

Voting in the Softly Against Black Contest

Today is brand new glasses day which means my vision is a bit wibbly-wobbly. I'm still carefully working on Farmer's Wife blocks so there will be a post with those in it later tonight.

But, in the meantime, I wanted to let all of you know that my bundle is a finalist in the Stitched in Color' Softly Against Black mosaic contest.

Wings at Dawn

I love this bundle. So much. I can't stop thinking about designing a quilt for it. I've been spending my free-time going through Flickr/Pinterest looking for design inspiration. 

I'm so very excited to be a finalist. 

If you have a second, would you please head over to this post and vote?

 There are 16 bundles of fabric in the finals and honestly, there are things I like about each one of them. 

Any one of them would be great to see in the Fresh Modern Fabric shop. 

(Of course, I'd be over the moon if you voted for me).

Voting is open all weekend. 

I might just be glued to my page refresh button on Monday morning to see the results. 

Swaps and Maybe a QAL

There have been a lot of things in the works behind the scenes here.

And by "behind the scenes" I mean in my brain...and a little on Twitter...and mostly on scraps of paper all over the place.

Exhibit A:

So...yeah.
As I'm getting things finished and getting more organized I'm realizing that I've got time to make stuff happen.

Which is what this post is all about.
Making Things Happen.

First Up:

Sailor Mouth Swap - Round Two

This is the one I get asked the most about so it's priority. Round One is wrapping up and there will definitely be a Round Two!

I've learned a lot of things from Round One and I'm really excited about the next one. It will no longer be a personal invitation only swap but there *are* requirements for joining(I'm listing the requirements here. They'll also be on the Flickr group page) :

-*- Participants must be adults with no hang-ups about "naughty" language. This swap features adult words. There will be a section on the form in which you can specify which words you do not want in your home. Everyone participating will pay close attention to their partner's word limits and honor them. However, I can't guarantee that words you may personally dislike won't appear in the group photo stream because they are being used in a piece for someone else. 

-1- Participants must be willing to ship internationally. 

-2- Participants must have an active Flickr account. They must also have successfully completed a swap/bee on Flickr. It doesn't have to be *this* swap which was completed just a large group swap (examples: Pretty Little Pouch, Pillow Talk, For Love of Solids, Modern Scrappy etc). This will be checked by the administrators. 

-3- Participants must make an inspirational mosaic. (It doesn't have to be filled with swear-word crafted pieces although there should be a couple in there. An idea of bag styles/pillow patterns/etc can also be included). 

-4- Participants must post photos of their fabric choices/works in progress/finished pieces. You also need to be active in commenting on photos. This swap does have secret partners. The only way your partner can know if they're on the right/wrong track is with the comments in the group. Please check the discussion boards/photos and respond.

-5- Lastly, please be committed to making something awesome tailored to your partner's questionnaire. There will be spots on the form for fabric likes/dislikes plus item preferences. If your partner lists that they really don't want a bag, please don't sew them a bag.On the same note, there will be a list of words that your partner does NOT want in the questionnaire. Please honor this.  This isn't a swap for something quickly thrown together and sent out. 

Round Two sign-ups will begin either right before Sewing Summit or right when I get back (depending on when everyone receives in round one). Shipping time will be early December. Because everyone wants naughty words for Christmas, yeah? 

--------------------------------------------------

A QAL Maybe? 

I loved my last quilt along. A lot. And I've really wanted to do another for the fall. I've been flipping through books and drawing out sketches and constantly contemplating what to use for it.

Then the other day I sat down and asked myself "What do I really want to make? And what do I wish there were a million of?"

And this is the answer:

TARDIS quilts. Lots and lots of TARDIS quilts. 

I know for sure that I'll be making one. It's been on my WiP Weds "coming soon" list forever. That was because I've been working on a design to make a patchwork version. And deciding how much applique/embroidery it would need.

It'd still be a couple weeks out before I started it (Week after Sewing Summit most likely). And I'm just wondering if anyone would like to make one with me?

Upcoming Swaps (after Round 2 of SMS is sorted) :

*Hoop-la-la

Yeah....I already made an inspiration mosaic. This one will certainly happen.

Quilted hoops. What's not to love?

**Hexie Swap (Still need a decent name for this one)

Can't decide on a format for this one.

-Option 1 is to make it like the Picture Perfect Polaroid Swap where you send in as many hexies as you want and receive that same number in return of different fabrics.

-Option 2 is to set up blind swap. Everyone gets a small hexie-crafted item but also a stack of 25 basted hexagons in whatever size they specify.

I'm leaning towards option 2.

---------------------------------------------

There's a couple other things in the works but this is already a terribly long post.

I mean...really long. Sheesh.

So if you've made it this far, let me know what you think about the QAL. And if you have a name/opinion on the Hexie swap.

Or you could just tell me I'm crazy.
I'm certainly not going to start all these things at the exact same time but there will be some overlap.

Yeah...

I'm crazy.

Love It, Pin It, Win It

The Moda Bake Shop has an awesome contest going on right now:



You pick out your favorite MBS project(s) and pin them on Pinterest.

Make sure to include the following tags:
#modabakeshop
#modafabrics
#lovepinwin

Four winners are going to be picked to win a kit to complete the project that they had pinned. Which just rocks.

There's another two chances to win by linking up a blogpost here at the Love It, Pin It, Win It Contest page.

That page also has a more detailed description of the rules.

I've already seen a couple of pins of my Moda Bake Shop project which just absolutely, completely makes my day. There are some amazing projects at MBS and I still have trouble believing that you can find something of mine on that site.

Full project details here

The Love It, Pin It, Win It contest is running until Sept. 22.

What are you waiting for? Go forth and pin!

Farmer Friday - I thought it was Thursday Edition

I really don't know what's up with my sense of time this week. I kept telling everyone it was Thursday.

No one corrected me.

Yet I do have two blocks for the week!

FW #63: 

Yeah. It's that bright.

That's...some orange. 

I know it'll blend in with the overall quilt.

Still. Let's look at the next one. 

FW #64:

Whew. That's much better.

I think the thing I'm happiest about with this one is that all my white fabric ended up going the same direction. Even if the words are cut in half, it's still annoying when they're upside down.

I'm gonna go keep thinking that today is Thursday. The day is already more than half over. Might as well keep with the trend.

 Maybe I'll figure it out tomorrow.

Stitched in Color's Mosaic Contest

Rachel's site is often a source of inspiration for me. It may not be apparent in my work but I always find her pictures and way of seeing things really motivational.
They make me choose bolder choices in pairing and bring home fabrics that I would normally pass by.

The latest contest is no exception.

Based on a quilt that she had pinned with the note 'softly against black', she's challenged readers to make fabric mosaics based on that theme.

All the details can be found here.

While my first instinct would have been to go in the Halloween direction, I kept myself from taking what felt like the easy road.

Instead I chose a print from Field Study. One in which I would never see myself using.
And then I began to think about how (what seems like a long time ago) I used to get up at dawn to write letters. On actual paper. It was my favorite part of the day. I'd watch yellows and pinks break against grey. Butterflies would wake up and begin their day and I'd finish letters, sometimes wondering if I was sending the words I didn't say off into the wind.

I started picking fabrics based off of those memories.

I've named my bundle Wings at Dawn:




The first print reminds me of the iron fence around my old porch. Then I added a soft text for the letters and of course the Field Study butterflies.
A little peach. A little aqua. More grey to deepen it.

Now I want to think of a suitable design and turn this bundle into a quilt.
It needs something geometric but that reads soft. I don't think I'd want too many hard lines.

The contest is running until Sept. 20th. I've been having a wonderful time looking through all the great bundles that have already been created.

If you feel inspired, you should certainly add one to the mix!

WiP Wednesday - Slow Edition

Between an impromptu trip to Six Flags and class registration for Sewing Summit, it's been a slow sewing week around here. 

Roundup: 

Completed!:

Late night conversations with me can be exceptionally geeky. One night a few weeks ago, I made a comment to the Mr. about how I bet Real-Life Batman would have to get a job at Walmart or McDonald's. It ended up being this long giggle fest about how it sucks because the Bat Signal will show up but he doesn't have any 15min breaks left. Or Joker will come in and order outrageous things and then ask to see Batman's manager. 

It was quite possibly the best midnight conversation of the year. So I turned it into a hoop. There's a Joker one planned as well. 

Tetris QAL Top: 

I'm glad I got this top finished. Scrap vomit inspired tetris mini quilt. It ended up being a bit bigger than I thought even with using 2.5" squares. Just gotta decide how to quilt it. 

No borders because I decided to use a chunky binding instead. 

Ongoing: 

Pretty Little Pouch: 


Quilted a grid onto some shimmery linen. Now I get to applique some patchwork pieces down and turn it into a frame pouch.
I'm rather nervous about screwing this one up.

No Progress:
WWC
Present A
Bottled Rainbows
Weekender

Coming Soon:
Tardis
Hush Bella
ZZQAL
Mario QAL
Swoon
Finishes: 2
New: 0
WiPs: 5

That's really not bad! Much better than I expected. Sometime this week I'm going to sit down and figure out all the projects/hops/pattern tests/bee blocks that I have due within the next month but haven't written down here.
I'm sure I'll find out that while it looks like I'm catching up I'm still just as swamped as ever.