Sew Together Bags and Random Thoughts

In real time, I'm facing the daunting task of basting my Moda Building Blocks quilt. (I've decided that I'm not going to call it 'Modern' Building Blocks, because in my humble opinion, a Sampler quilt is not really a modern quilt.  Am I the only one getting tired of everything being called 'Modern' just to sell it to us blogging quilters who supposedly will buy anything if we're assured that it is indeed 'Modern'.)

After that little rant, I'm curious.  Do you think the Moda Modern Building Blocks Pattern is modern?  The blocks are varying sizes, and the layout is not traditional, but the piecing methods and the blocks themselves are very traditional.  I have no desire to open a can of worms, I just find it interesting how we can all see the same item, but interpret it so differently.  I think that is one of the best things about being human, the fact that we can all have a different opinion.  I LOVE hearing people's opinions!  And I love to share mine!

So anyways...as I said above, I'm stalling on basting this massive quilt.  It's one of those tasks that I just have to dive in and DO it, or I could find a hundred excuses for the next month why I can't get it done.

Meanwhile, I remembered that I hadn't showed you these SewTogether bags that I made before Christmas.  I'd heard scary things about them.  I mean, there's four zippers and some fairly thick seams here and there.  I was amazed at how well they went together though!  And they're so nifty!  I think they'd make a great gift, although the recipient must be kinda special.  I think these took me about 2 hours each, so I'm not giving them out as door prizes!

Cosmic Burst!

Sooo... another little project with a new line of fabric that will be out soon!  That would be Cosmic Burst by Mark Cesarik.  He sent me a charm pack of this new line of fabrics, and I chose my favorites to make this wonky star.  I'm really liking the jewel tones and paired with black, I think they're so stunning!

Suddenly I'm seeing a whole quilt made with these!  Or maybe Katy's Constellation quilt?  Now that would amazing!

it'll soon be Christmas! haha

Item #1  You guys are all SO sweet.  Every comment that came in from my last post made me just want to hug each and every one of you, (and I am not a huggy person, just ask my mom)  Thanks for being so kind and understanding!

Item #2  The 'obligations' I mentioned that I would be finishing up here just so happen to involve a fair bit of yummy fabric that I will do my best to entice you with over the next week or two!

So, if you remember, awhile back I showed you a quilt I'd made from Laurie Wisbrun's Brrr! fabric line.  There are two color groups, the turquoise and red, and the green and red.  So here's my take on the green and red!

A little confession here: I'm not really a fan of seasonal decor, which includes Christmas!  So these Christmasey colors just weren't inspiring me in a quilty way (although I have a feeling they'd make a great quilt if you just happen to be a little more normal than me!)

But that doesn't mean that I don't want to give my Christmas gifts to friends and family in some uber-awesome handmade gift bags that can be reused for any purpose, and are actually a gift in themselves!

I used Jeni's tutorial for these bags, and then just changed the sizes for a few of them.

So that's my take on the perfect way to use this fabric!  Which will be out in June by-the-way.  Which will be just in time for you to sew up in lots of time for Christmas by-the-way!  Have I convinced you?!  I hope so!!

Ohhhhh!!!  I almost forgot!!!!  I have a fat quarter bundle of this ENTIRE set to give to send to one of you.  I messed up and forgot to get a photo of it, but believe me, it's a pretty sweet little bundle.  Just leave me a comment on this post, and you'll be entered to win!

I'll draw a name on Monday morning!

After Christmas, and taking some time off the relax with my little family,  I'm back with a big mental backlog of quilty stuff to talk about!  Not sure where to start, and usually what happens is that it all floats away into the ether without being mentioned at all!

I did actually manage to snap a quick pic of that dolly above.  It's the ONE gift I made this year for Christmas.  (just a minute, I did make two cell phone covers)  Last year I got really stressed out around Christmas, and my big list of gifts to make didn't really help.   So I decided this year that I wouldn't make any AT ALL.

Then I saw that cute book, Wee Wonderfuls by Hillary Lang, and thought of my mom who is a huge doll lover.  So I gave her the book and had to make one of the projects from the book to go with it.

It was actually kind of fun, although I still prefer making quilts.  (and don't laugh too hard at her funny hair!  I didn't have any yarn!)

and my two blocks for the December quilt for do.Good Stitches.  I think this quilt is going to make some little boy veeeeerrrryyy happy!

Just a little side note - I signed up for Rachel of Stitched In Color's Curves Class.  You've probably heard about it, but if not, go here to check it out.  I didn't plan to join, since I feel somewhat confident with curves, but after seeing this and this, I was totally sucked in.  I wish I could have mentioned it last week when it was on sale, but I still think it's a great value, since you're sure to get lots of great project patterns, and anyways, circles and curves in quilts are just THE best!

Grownup Colours

For every ten projects I make, there seems to be about one that I really lOvE.  I like most everything I make (if I didn't, that would be a sign that I needed to quit!), but only sometimes does everything come together exactly as I imagined, or maybe even better than I dreamed.

Of course, this is all a matter of personal opinion and tastes, but the colors, shapes, and textures on this one come together just right.

My inspiration began with that black Greenfield Hill floral print.  This print is stunning!  It's the perfect blend of traditional and modern.  Vibrant, yet elegant.  Hmmm... not sure if that sounds like a typical description of my tastes, but it's kind of refreshing to love something unusual for myself!

This one met the criteria for a hand-sewn binding.  I do this only on smaller pieces, when I want the binding to be extra skinny and flat.  And something this size I actually have the patience for!  Binding fabric - Sunkissed by Sweetwater Gray Pinstripe.  (best gray ever!)  Backing is Essex Linen Cotton Blend in Putty.

I'm practicing with my new 50mm lens, so please forgive all the extra blurriness!  I've been wanting this for so long, I'm going a bit crazy with it!

Colors of Summer

When you think of summer, what colors do you see?

That was our assignment for May in the do.Good Stitches bee.  Make two blocks with this tutorial.  Choose summer colors.

Now that is what I call fun!  I really enjoyed picking the fabrics for these blocks.

And it will be great seeing all these blocks together with each person's color impressions all in one quilt.

Are there "official" summer colors out there somewhere?  What are the colors that sing summer to you?

Random Piecing

These first two blocks were made for the month of May in the do.Good Stitches quilt bee.  Mary asked for scraptastic blocks, and since I love this type of piecing, I couldn't wait to start!  I made them entirely from my scrap bin, just sewing small pieces together to make one larger block.

Of course, when I happened to read her instructions over once again (AFTER I had made my blocks) I notice that she mentioned they should be crazy quilt inspired.  Now, mine are more straight lines.  I have a real problem with enthusiastically ignoring instructions, but I hope these will look ok with the finished quilt.

These next two were for Charlie in the Fresh Modern Bee.  He gave us lots of room to do whatever we liked.   Hmmm... that's kind of tough.  He mentioned curves, so I  practiced some more wavy piecing on the first one.

And then since the need to make some cross blocks is still in my system, I made this one.  Ok, I still might have to make a whole quilt like this yet!

Block Mish Mash

I wanted to say "Thanks" to QuiltStory for featuring my quilt today.  Problem was I didn't have any new projects to show you.  Although there are a few in the quilting stage, I seem to work in fits or bursts, or whatever you wanna call it!

But then I realized I hadn't shown any of my recent quilt blocks I've made for quilting bees.  This one above was made for Lynne in the Fresh Modern Bee.  She asked for anything with freehand curves.  Although it was my first time with this technique, I found it amazingly simple.  I was sure the block would be wavy and rumpled, but everything lay flat with just a bit of ironing.  Tutorial here.  Try it on a small block.  It's fun!



The other two are for the do.Good Stitches bee and I can't wait to see them in their finished quilts.

Beach Tote

Ok, I'm not going to the beach, but I will be going away for a few days and I had the urge to make myself a bag.  I wanted something casual but fun.  I started out with this log cabin block for a pocket on the front.

I used some thick muslin that had been sitting on the shelf for a long time.  My first version I interfaced with heavy interfacing, but decided that was too stiff.  I wasn't actually wanting this thing to walk on it's own!  I ended up using a single layer of this muslin, and my favorite Nicey Jane print for the lining.

I made myself use my favorite fabrics.  I'm always wanting to save them for the 'perfect' project, but really, what's more perfect than right now?  And who knows, next year I'll be in love with something else!

I put two pockets on the inside and attatched those little clasp thingies.  I'm hoping it will be handy to clip my cellphone case to, rather than having it disappear at the bottom of the bag.

On the back side of the bag I did an outside pocket and lined it with a fun stripe.  I didn't use a pattern for this bag, but mentally went by this tutorial (just for assembly and cutting)  I cut my bag body 18" x 20", and the handles 4.5" x 20".   If you have any other questions, I'd love to answer, just make sure your blog setting are set so that I can reply:)

Happy Mail

Yes, this yummy stuff is mine!  It arrived in the mail today from Rachel.  The Spicing Up the Kitchen Swap is the first swap I've taken part in, and I'll have to say it was very enjoyable.

I sent my package away awhile ago, and found myself snooping around the swap's photostream, trying to guess which one was mine.  Of course, I saw Rachel working on this awhile back and LOVED it, but somehow never thought it was for me!

I knew that my secret partner had sent my package a while ago, and when it was taking longer than usual to arrive, I'll admit I was getting a little worried.  The other day as I was showering (I always get ideas in the shower)  I suddenly had the thought, "I bet Rachel has my name!"  I checked up and sure enough, no one else had seemed to receive her package yet.  I tried not to get too attached  to the idea, but I will say I was very happy to see this package in the mail!

Here's a close up of the table runner.  I'll show you some better pics once I've gotten the traveling wrinkles out.  But you can see more photos of it here and here.  It's full of whimsy and linen and all my favorite colors.  And I've never seen any of those Heather Ross Fishes in real life, so I'm very happy to own a few of them now.

Ok, I'll stop gushing now!  Thanks so much Rachel, I love it all!!  And another thanks to Darci and Erin for putting together a great swap!

Teacup Mini

I joined my first ever Flickr swap, Spicing Up the Kitchen.  Each person is given a partner, and then you stalk them and try to figure out what they'd like.  This swap was all about kitchen items.  Pictured here is the last minute little extra that I added to my package.  I made a set of placemats and an oven mitt, so this little guy is just for fun, since he has no real practical purpose.

I find myself loving the look of selvedges, and have started a 'long-term' quilt with all the selvedge strips I save.  It's going be star shaped like this one, but maybe each star will have a different background color.  That was one of my goals this year:  To have a few larger quilts on the go that I could pull out and work on here and there.  I tend to make lots of smaller quilts, and work at them till they're finished, simply because I'm so impatient and want to see the finished quilt.  Now, mostly that's a good thing right?  I don't have so many things on the go at once.  But sometimes I'd like to slow down and just enjoy the process.  And maybe I'll end up with a few bigger quilts if I take them one step at a time.

If you hadn't noticed, this yellow-gold fabric (Early Bird by Cosmo Cricket)  is my current favorite, and finds it's way into many of my latest projects.

As relating the the quilty-bloggy world, this post is SO much like me.  (Except for the part about no infants or toddlers, since I have two.  And the part about hating shopping, I still kinda like it:)  But a lot of what she said is so true for me.

A Pillow for Grandma

First, a few notes about my Grandma.

*I won't reveal her age here, but she's a great-grandma to my two little kids, and she just babysat my 1 1/2 year old for three nights!  Yes, she is very spry and ambitious.  I got lucky!

*She has packed our lives with wonderful memories, because she spoiled each of us silly! (and still does)

*She is a wonderful cook.  Likes all shades of purple mauve and burgundy.  Does NOT like yellow!  She's very ticklish.  That was one of the only rules I remember from her.  If I tried to tickle her under the arms, she'd turn 'no-nonsense' pretty quick!

Now a few notes about the pillow.

*This was my Christmas gift for Grandma.

*I realized I had more purples in my stash than I thought.  It helped that I just won that FQ bundle of Innocent Crush!

*I used Essex Linen in Sand for the background and back.

*Used a purple invisible zipper, and hand quilted with perle cotton.

*Here's the tutorial for the Dresden Plate.

And it just so happens that Rachel of Stitched In Color is having a Blogger's Pillow Party, so I'm entering this pillow in the contest.

Give Away!

I love the New Year.  The idea of starting fresh just sits well with me.  Ok, I know it's all in my head, but I like it anyway.  Maybe this is the year that all my resolutions will turn into lifelong habits.  Daily exercise?  Check!  Organization?  Check!  Finish up all projects before starting a new one?  Check!

A girl can dream, right??!!

So now to the fun part!  I've had a giveaway planned in my mind for weeks and here it finally is.  There will actually be two giveaways;

Giveaway #1:  Leave a comment on this post to be entered.  I'll pick one winner randomly.

Giveaway #2:  I really appreciate everyone who leaves comments on my blog, so this one is a little thank you.  I'm gonna go back through the comments on this blog, all the way to the beginning and include every comment.  I'll pick two winners randomly from all these comments.


Next:  Prizes!

I have five different prizes to be won, and each winner gets to choose two!

Set of four fat quarters

Bliss charm pack

Pin cushion

Set of four fat quarters

                                                          another pin cushion.

Now, there's only one charm pack, and one of each of the pin cushions, but there's a few of the fat quarter sets, so here's how it will be.  The first and second winners from GiveAway #2 (the one with comments from past posts) will get first choice on which prize they want, then the winner from GiveAway #1 (comments on this post)  will get what's left!

I'll leave this open till Friday, January 7.  But I'm gonna go find the winners from the previous comments right now.  (so if you were thinking of being sneaky and commenting on every past post, don't waste your time!:)

and I'll announce all three winners on Friday!!  So leave me a comment, and you may win two of these smallish prizes.  (but don't grump, cause they're free!)

First Christmas Gift Reveal!

I'm not just the hugest fan of Christmas.  Somehow, the idea in my head of how the season should be, and how it really is, just gets me down a bit...   BUT, the one thing I love about Christmas is making gifts.  (which of course just adds to the sTreSs)

So, my mom had mentioned awhile back that she'd like a few placemats.  If anyone ever mentions something they'd like me to make, it immediately gets stored away in my brain, in a little file called "Things I Need/Want to Make for ______"  So if you secretly roll your eyes at homemade gifts and sewn stuff, just don't mention anything, and you'll probably get a gift card or some pretties from the store.  And if you've hinted about something you'd like me to make, and you haven't received it yet, don't worry, it's still on my list.  Unless I've forgotten, which happens verrrry rarely ;)

Getting back on topic here, my mom mentioned placemats:  and here they are.

All seven of them, which seems odd I know.  But that's where I ran out of time.  I think I might make a few more sometime, since these were rather fun to build.

I don't always know what my mom will like,  but I know that she LOVES dolls.  So I bought a fat quarter of Babushka doll fabric, and used it as color inspiration.  I also put a bit of this fabric into each placemat.

And since I hate getting bored, I decided to make each placemat different,  so here's where we get a bunch of photos.

And yes, our Christmas was a bit early, I gave them to her yesterday.  So I'm not spoiling any surprises.

I had so much fun making these.  The end.