Not As Easy As It Seams

Hah Hah I love a good pun, don't you.  Well I spent most of the day today working on a project for a friend.  One of my coworkers found this tutorial on Sew Mama Sew and thought it would be the perfect thing for her daughter who is required to have a swimming robe at daycare.  Knowing that I quilt she asked me if I would make one up for her since she doesn't sew.  And I said yes after reading through the tutorial and assuming it would be a pretty quick and painless project.  I mean really it looked all innocent and sweet there on the page.  I spent all day on it and I'm still not done.  Bertha did not exactly appreciate me asking her to sew through a towel.  Apparently I forgot to ask her first if it was okay. 

My applique piece didn't fit and after all that work cutting it out and even using some of my precious Neptune I couldn't take no for an answer so I asked the hubs what he thought and he suggested just wrapping it around the side.  Okay so the instructions call for it to be added prior to sewing the pieces together which is why I didn't think of that.  So after I had it all sewed together I added the octopus.  I still need to add the eyes but I didn't have any black so I will have to pick that up tomorrow along with some buttons.  Overall it's a darling pattern but I don't think I would make another one.  The towel unravels very easily and it is difficult to sew through.  I have coral colored fuzz all over my sewing room.

Other than after finishing up my bag for the Goodie Bag Swap yesterday morning I decided to make a little extra goodie to go inside.  Sorry I can't show it to you yet because it is something my partner specifically asked for and I'm afraid it might give it away.  But again lets just say I was underestimated the amount of time it would take me to make and sew together the 30 hexagons needed for the project.

Speaking of hexagons did you think I had given up on that project?  Well I haven't here are just over 1000 that I have basted and I still have a ton of squares that are cut and ready to be basted.  The trouble I'm having is I can't decided on a layout.  Do I want to go all mixed up?  Keep each collection together?  But then what do I do with the random pieces I made from scraps or received in a swap?  Suggestions welcome.  Until I decided I guess I will just keep on basting hexagons.  I want it to be a lap size quilt so I still have to make a few more.

Up next my mom picked up some Central Park for the back of my quilt so I just need to piece in the strip to the back and then it will be ready to go to the quilter.  It's almost a queen size quilt and I know what I have in mind for the quilting so I won't be tackling that one on the home machine.  Time to save some pennies for quilting.  And then I am going to work on this fun project.  The original plan was to make this in lap size for the new nephew but now with the orange fabric in hand I'm not so sure I will be able to give it away.  After all he is a baby, what's he going to do with a lap sized quilt.

My Love Hate Relationship

So I know I've told you about these kinds of relationships in the past but I have another one.  I have a love hate relationship with swaps.  I love to join them because it gives me the chance to meet amazing people and make something for someone else.  I hate them because when the project is done and you are sitting there waiting to find out if your partner likes it the doubt starts.  Did I get it right?  Will he/she actually like it?  Will it sit in the back of their closest unused?  Will it end up in the next box to goodwill?  This is where I am at in the Goodie Bag Swap I signed up for a while back.  My bag is done and ready to go in the mail.  I changed my mind a lot about this swap.  I wasn't really sure I had a good sense of what my partner really wanted.  I didn't want to make something to small but I didn't want to make a huge bag she wouldn't be able to carry with her either.  The inspiration mosaic had all different size and shaped bags but they did lean a little bit to the square boxy side.  So I thought I would go in that direction.  But as luck would have it I couldn't find a square bag I liked.  In the end I made this one and I really like it so I'm hoping my partner will too.  This is just a little peak.  I promise a full recap including a link to the tutorial I used once my partner has received it.

Check back tomorrow for some other projects and updates.  I plan to sew the rest of today and most of tomorrow because what better way is there to spend a day off work.

Work In Progress Wednesday #3

I didn't mean for this to turn into a once a week blog but things have been a bit crazy here lately.  I haven't spent much time with Bertha again this week.  I haven't been feeling the best and sitting at the sewing machine has just been low on the list of things to do.  I won't bore you with the details but I'm hoping that making some changes will have me feeling better and back at the sewing machine in no time.

After swearing off bees for this year my good friend Mary asked me to participate in the Bee Neptune.  A sewing bee just for those of us who love the Tula Pink line of fabric.  Since trying to track it down for my Anchors Away quilt I have developed a small collection of the line and decided that it would be okay to join in on the fun.  The bee doesn't officially get underway until June but our bee mama and first up sent out her fabric already.  I was able to finish this block up just in time to add it as a completed project to this weeks WIP Wednesday post.

I also reworked the top of my Spring Weekends quilt to make it an even 7 by 7 instead of the original 5 by 7.  This one is all basted and ready for quilting but I can't decided what color thread to use for the quilting.  I'm considering white because that what I have on hand and I wasn't able to match the aqua at my LQS.  Any suggestions?  Here's a look at the top again just in case.

Dreaming About But Not Underway:
I decided I would share some (because the list gets longer everyday) of the quilts I have planned but not started.

• Anchors Away
• Origins Lattice Quilt
• Sunny Trails
• Verna Stars

That does it for me this week.  Be sure to check out what everyone else is up to over here.

WIP Wednesday #2

I can't believe that it is already Wednesday again.  Where did the second half of last week and the weekend go?  I didn't spend much time with Bertha after Wednesday last week but I did manage to fit in a little sewing time.  I finished putting together the Central Park quilt top and now this one is awaiting fabric for the backing.  I do plan to send this one out to be quilted.  It is on the larger size measuring in at about 73 by 73 inches right now.  This quilt was a lot of fun to make and it went together really quickly.  I think it would make a great gift for someone.

My Spring Weekends quilt made little progress this week.  I decided to do a little reworking on this one and make it an even 6 by 6 rows.  I found this great fitted sheet at a local thrift store.  Sorry for the crummy photo.  The colors are actually a bit brighter in real life.  I've never used a sheet on one of my quilts before and I am a little nervous about how well it will hold up since I don't think this particular sheet is 100% cotton but rather a poly/cotton blend.

Freshcuts Square Dance is still at the long arm and I have yet to continue progress on Twisted Fandango.  I am still working on my string blocks for the Mod Times Quilt Along but hope to get them done as well as the next step of the quilt along this week.  I did decided on my fabric choices for my bag for the swap I am in so hopefully I will get some progress made on that soon as well.  So even though I don't have any finishes this week it is nice to be able to share where I am in the process with several projects.  Be sure to check out what everyone else is up to over here.

WIP Wednesday

I just found out about Work in Progress Wednesday through some blogs I recently started reading and so I thought since (a) I love to make list, (b) I find when I put it out there on the blog I am more likely to finish it, and (c) I love linky parties it might be just the ticket to a regularly schedule blog post that actually chronicles more than just a finished project.

Hot at the Machine:
Spring Weekends- I'm doing a little modification on this quilt top.  I'm going to make one more block and changed the layout to 6 by 6.  It will be a little shorter but also wider which I appreciate.  I found a great vintage sheet to use for the back so this one is almost ready for a little basting spray and then quilting.

Close up of Spring Weekends Quilt Top

Mod Times Quilt Along-This is a new quilt along and this week is all about cutting the fabrics and getting ready to go.  Since I decided I wanted to make my rectangles rainbow string blocks I am working on putting those together first.  I still need to cut the other pieces but I have my solids all ready to go.

The start of my rainbow blocks.

Central Park Quilt:  This quilt would be progressing nicely.  But I need to order another jelly roll (bad math skills) and some fabric for the back and then figure out who I want to have quilt it.  It is a little big for my home machine so I am pretty sure I'll be sending this one out to be done.

 
Awaiting TLC:
Freshcuts Square Dance: This one is at the long arm quilters.  She is having her studio remolded and I'm not sure where this one is on her to do list but hopefully I will have it back before to long.

Fussy Cut Bee Log Cabin:  While I have a lot of bee blocks from last year I'm not ready to commit to all of them yet.  I broke this one out first because I have a bit of a plan for it and I think I can make it happen.  I'm on a push to get some things finished because I've made a deal with myself that I won't be buying any more fabric until I use up some of what I have.

While my overall to do list is much longer than this I wanted to start small.  Sometimes my list gets a little muddled with things I want to do and not just the things that are actually started or that I have actual materials for.

Be sure to check out what everyone else is doing over here.

Foiled Plans

Last night while the vintage sheet was in the washer I had planned to cut my blocks for the Central Park Quilt and get busy sewing.  Unfortunately it didn't work out like that.  My jelly roll only yielded enough for half of the blocks I need for the quilt.  So I am putting that one on hold while I wait for another jelly roll to arrive (have to wait until next payday to order it).  In the mean time I went ahead and got started on the next thing on my to do list.  I decided that I wanted to do the Mod Times Quilt Along.  Now I don't have any kids of my own yet but I do have a brand new nephew not to mention the number of people at work having babies so i thought it couldn't hurt to put a few baby quilts away in the closet for those times when I need a gift but just don't feel like making something right then.

One of my goals for this year was to try and think outside the box a little more.  This quilt along is great and I could have just picked a great print and went about it the easy way.  But no not me I decided I needed to be more complicated then that and I needed to make my rectangles from rainbow colored string blocks.  I've had plenty of practice with paper foundation piecing since being apart of the Spider Web Bee last year.  I made my first few blocks.  I can't decide which way I like them better.  The first block I tried to go in ROY G BIV order but since I am making two of my rectangles from one paper foundation only half of the rainbow ended up in the block (not to mention I forgot the yellow) and then because of a piece that was too short I ended up cutting the second side of the block down into two of my needed squares.  The second one I pieced I used a more random plan and just grabbed whichever strip happened to be there.  What do you think, do you have a preference as to which looks better? 

Return of the Mojo

After whipping up Spring Weekends this past weekend I found myself with time left in the day and a desire to keep on sewing.  It's been a long time since I felt like I was able to really sit down with Bertha and accomplish something.  I joked with my good friend Leanne who's been MIA for a while that I was glad she came back and brought my mojo with her.  I had a jelly roll of Central Park and no specific plans but a quilt I had seen a while back that I couldn't get out of my head.  I don't typically like to make a quilt in the same fabrics that I've seen someone else use.  Don't ask me why I'm just big on changing it up some at the very least by using different fabrics.  But Laura's quilt was just so stunning.  I've been a member of the Old Red Barn group over on flickr for a long time but I've never actually made one of the quilt along quilts.  Okay well I started the hexagon quilt but lets not talk about that.  Regardless it felt good to have a plan and to have something I could work on while looking for a vintage sheet for the back of Spring Weekends. (Which incidentally I found today at the very first thrift store I went to.  I expected it to take a lot longer.)

 I was able to get the jelly roll strips all sewn together into sets of six.  The next step is to cut these strips down into blocks and then sew them back together into a top somewhat like a rail and fence pattern.  I'm really excited about this one too because I think it will be big enough to replace our bulky comforter on the bed for the Spring and Summer.  I'm one of those people who has to have covers but hates to be hot so something light will be just the ticket.