Old Red Barn Co. Quilt Along Tops

I decided to make two lap quilts instead of a big one. One is four rows by four the other is 4 x 5. I don’t have a need for a near-bed sized quilt right now. I bought some light grey/blue fabric to border them and I’m going to use some leftover strips cut into squares outside that. The backing is another thing. I don’t really know what I want yet. Any thoughts?

Home Life

Happy Birthday to my boys.

Truer Words Were Never Spoken

Photo courtesy of a big boy camera spree. Sign courtesy of Mom.

After cleaning furiously for a birthday party for the boys, I was exhausted by the time the party came. What’s a little dust between friends, right?

Sewing Machine Meme

It’s Sewing Machine month at the Sew, Mama, Sew blog and they’ve introduced a sewing machine meme. Here’s mine.

What brand and model do you have?

Elna 2003

How long have you had it?

6-7 years

How much does that machine cost (approximately)?

$275

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)?

Quilting mostly, some bags and pillows, an occasional potholder.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?

I wish it was daily but usually 3-4 days a week I’m able to get in some time.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?

I like my machine well enough but not enough to give her a name.

What features does your machine have that work well for you?

Easy, straight sewing.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?

Tension problems.

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it!

Actually, I did find mine under the Christmas tree. I had sewn a few baby quilts on my mother-in-law’s borrowed sewing machine. I wouldn’t say I was hooked yet but my husband thought to get me a good starter machine to see if I’d like it. The rest is history. (Can I blame my fabric addiction on him?)

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?

If you’re looking for a well-made, decent starter machine, this is a good one. I’d like a few more features now that I’ve been sewing for a while.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?

Now I’m looking for a drop-in bobbin, needle stop down feature and a long bed for machine quilting.

Do you have a dream machine?

I dare not dream just yet. It will just make me sad that I don’t have it yet. When it looks possible, I’ll start looking at Janome and Bernina.

And let me introduce you to my new iron. Luckily for me I found a forgotten Joann’s gift card in my wallet just as my ancient (college-era) iron no longer produced steam.

Now get me into the sewing room, for goodness sakes.

Quick Quilt-along post for a busy weekend

I’ve decided to go with two lap quilts for the Old Red Barn Quilt-along. Here’s my first go at a layout for one. Digital cameras are great for this. I can look at the photo and see any spots that I want to change.

Busy weekend, gotta run, and yourself? Enjoy!

Catching Up

In addition to some larger projects that I’ve started, I’ve also joined the Old Red Barn Quiltalong, a Stash Busting Virtual Quilting Bee and a Quilt Block Exchange. I’ve done some much needed catching up.

Here are my strips for the Old Red Barn Quiltalong. I’ve got half the blocks sewn and cut and some more to follow.

Here is my June block for Lizziwhizz for the Bee.

Two boy-ish Quilt Block exchange blocks for Becca and Chelsea using some great Amy Schimler fabrics.

A wonky log cabin for Isaacsmama. (I am really digging this one and it will be hard to send away.)

And a girly-princess block for Mary.

Honestly, my blocks are square. I haven’t yet figured out how to photograph them properly. Don’t be alarmed if one of these is on its’ way to you. It is square. Truly.

A Quilt Finds a Happy Home

My sister-in-law’s quilt was delivered yesterday and she loves it. It’s so nice when your creation finds a happy home. I pieced a ribbon into the backing for a little interest. It’s a great way to use some leftover strips.

So I’m onto other projects. It seems like I’ve just had a few finishes and yet I can see five projects in the works in my sewing room. That didn’t take long.

Here are some of the 1″ strip scrappy cabins that I mentioned in my last post. They’re not all finished (I think even I can count the cabins properly) but they’re fun to look at. Not exactly a subdued palette, don’t you agree?

There’s two days left to get in on my 200th post giveaway! Leave a comment.

My 200th Post!

(Congratulations to Cynthia, winner of the FQ Giveaway!)

Doesn’t that just cry out for a giveaway? Leave a comment and I’ll enter you in a drawing for a mystery fat quarter pack… 4 FQs from my stash. Winner will be picked on Tuesday, June 9th after I get home from my quilt guild meeting.

I got a nice email from Liza at Quiltifications about my scrap quilt. She likes it so much that she’s going to make one in all black and whites. I think it will look fabulous. I’m collecting black and whites right now and haven’t decided what to do with them. This is definitely something to watch. And while I’m talking about inspirations, I should give credit to the quilt that inspired me. You can see it here.

My next scrap quilt is inspired by my friend Becca. (She’s just getting her blog, Six Wainwright, up and running so you can see it here on Flickr.) Her scrappy log cabins are made with 1″ strips. (That is not a misprint – one inch strips). It’s gorgeous the way she sashed it with white and makes everything pop. She started a scrap bag for me of 1″ strips and now I have a pile going for her whenever I’m cutting some fabric. It’s a sickness really. Neither of us can bear to part with even the smallest scraps.

And about those inspiring 1″ strips… my non-quilting sister-in-law accompanied us on our quilter’s retreat to get some getaway girl time. Somewhere around Saturday afternoon, her questions definitely went beyond polite curiosity. The clincher was the Hello Kitty sewing machine that Rhonda always has in her car. It’s made by Janome and is a great, affordable little machine. So my sister-in-law sat down with Hello Kitty and our bags of 1″ scraps and came home with a pillow cover and possibly a new addiction. She sent me this picture today of her own new Hello Kitty with the pillow cover she made over the weekend.

Isn’t that awesome?

Glorious Weekend!

I just came back from our second semi-annual quilters retreat weekend. It was perfect except for the fact that it was far too short. A few more days would have been heaven.

I finished up the scrap quilt and discovered a new groove in my machine quilting. It was amazing. Something about the third time was magic. My friend Becca agreed it was the same for her. Neither one of us could say what it was but number three just seems to click. It was so much more even with a smoother motion. I still have tons to learn and lots more practice to go before I can ever be considered good but I feel like I’m on my way.

When I said goodbye to the big boy on Friday, he said I could make him an animal quilt while I was gone. The dinosaur quilt is just not cutting it for him (grr). I admit I pushed the dinosaurs because I just hadn’t found any animals that I liked and that I thought he would continue to like until he was at least ten or so. There’s tons of cute animals for the little ones but I needed a “big boy” look. As luck would have it I found an animal print that I liked on one of our stops. At another stop I found lots of animal print scraps in the 25¢ remnant bin. And so begins the animal lap quilt. I also brought home two pillowcases with the animals so I had something to show them.

But knowing my boy, I predicted he would want more animals, all the animals. And sure enough, he said he wanted all the animals on the entire Earth, not just the savannah. Mom. I think we’ll just start with the savannah and see how that goes.

My Spring to Finish 2 finishes are the Purple Fancy, the scrap quilt and a block exchange. My sister-in-law’s quilt is ready at the machine quilter, but that won’t make the May cutoff. But it’s good to get some things done because those new project ideas keep coming.