Behind the ball

So suddenly I'm just behind in ohhh - 

EVERYTHING!

I might have a bit going is all.  

Quickly, this past weekend I took a "class" to certify I can use a long-arm quilting machine at a local quilt shop.  

All I can say is that I 

-ed it! 

{that is supposed to be "love" in the photo}

I also love that I'm almost done with this quilt!

My bestie, Jo took this "class" later in the day, she got less direction on the stitching and how the machine worked overall.  I tried to give her some of the tips I learned a few hours earlier.

Overall Jo is soooo much better at machine quilting than I am. But I'm super happy to have a few quilting partners in crime!

I need more practice!  I'm already looking forward to next time. Whenever that will be.

On to the next things on my list! But it's nice to know that despite feeling overwhelmed,
it's all good!

Do the Hustle

Okay. . since every time I see a blog post about Kelsey Sew's 100 day hustle the 1975 disco song pops in my head. So, why not join in! I'm a list maker anyways. . just ask my family!

So here we go!

What will I be hustling and bustling to finish?

1. Knitted baby blanket for my friend -started must finish

2. Quilt-top for the same friends toddler - started must finish

3. Commission quilt - the fabric finally arrived 2 weeks ago, I washed this fabric just Saturday. . no really!

4. Postage Stamp quilt top I started WAY WAY back here

I've blogged about this here, here, and here . . yep then it fell off the radar and stuffed into a bag hidden far far away..deep into the fabric hutch.  I know exactly where it is but it would be nice to have a quilt-top done

5. PJ pants for fella  (he's waited way too long for these).

6. Quilt top put together from Block Party beemates.  Most of their blocks are found here {couldn't figure a way to make a mosaic quickly}. I have 5-6 to make on my own to make this the size I want but ohhhh it's dreamy! And it's huge!

7. Oh and let's throw in the matching sock to a lone sock I whipped up ohh about 8 months ago. :)

Funny how I let projects linger for so long. 

I want to add more to this list but I'm going to keep it manageable! 

Here's to the disco hustle song!



Wall hanging for a wedding gift

Part of the deal of my mini fabric obsession is that I get to make gifts for people.  

I find this to be a smashing deal, especially after a finish.

Earlier this month my fella went flying off to one of his best friends weddings.  

I sent him with this wall-hanging

This is from Lily's Quilts her stunning ET Phone Home tutorial.

I enlarged this pattern by who knows how much.
I want to work with bigger patterns at the moment.

Can you see the Pat Bravo, Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, Joel Dewberry, Denyse Schmidt, AND Tula Pink love all throughout this beauty!

I added hangers on each corner,
you know as it looks SO different any which way you hang it.

 

I added some hand-stitching details.   

Oh and I even finished the binding by hand - ohhh ahhhhh!

So much love in this for the happy couple. ♥

~~~

I'm linking up this post to both these lovely ladies















Have a great week!

Oh time I miss you

No Sewing

So many new ideas and plans for yummy fabrics.

I've only been cleaning my house and partaking in the World famous Round-Up.

At least I have boots and new ones at that!

I'm so happy to have people come and enjoy my town. 

Yet, I must be a local now . . . I can't wait for these people to go back home!

Oh and and school starts Monday for my step-daughter. HELP!

I have so much to share with everyone!
 
Dear Time, please come back to me.

Hoopie Love - sent

I sew with an amazing group of ladies over with the Bee a {modern} swapper group.

There is a "bee" part to this group but there is also an open swapper

portion to this as well (open to all awesome swappers! The next swap is in October but you can sign -up now, or as soon as the bee mama's put up the thread.)

Although I shouldn't have I jumped in to the hoopie swap for August.  I couldn't help myself.

I made this beauty.

As a teen I used to draw these flowers on everything.

Even the back is fun!  And doesn't even look like a mess!

I threw in this lanyard (and a few other things).  

So this is what I sent out for my hoopie love -

I can't wait to share what I get in return.

Bee blocks August 2012 Edition

Finishing up my bee block responsibilities.  I don't host another month so it's just the few bee packages that show up at my doorstep.  Sniff Sniff

And I have just a few more months left of the Block Party bee

{we're working within the awesome Block Party book}

hosted by the one and only Fairly Merry.

This has been a super fun group.  I'm super happy to fill in the last few months. 

This one is for the Block Party bee.

So super easy it was just WRONG!

I had this on my design wall for way too long.  My mother kept saying how fun these were so I had to take them down and ship them out!  I have some many projects going I didn't have time to think of another!

~~~
I also finally finished up these beauties for the Bee a Lone Star(burst) group using this tutorial



I finished this back in July



I finished this up this last Monday.

These were for {cough} May for the wonderful May Chappell

I'm so happy to get these out the door!

These lovely ladies are just making awesome things.  I had to step out of this group, the paper piecing is just a bit too much for me. Good to know this about myself.

~~~~

So then I also swapped outside of a bee with the lovely Ella for a few random triangle blocks that she made me in July.  She sent me some awesome fabric and here are the two blocks I came up with.

These are super triangle like. . it's just what is on my brain these days!

Love the colors and the fabrics.

I can't wait to see what happens with these blocks.

That's what I have going on right now.  There's more. . . muhahaha



My first Faux chenille blanket

You know when your just surfing the net, having a grand time. 

Checking out your flickr groups and how awesome all your contacts are. 

Looking at pinterest.

Looking at blogs.

Time . . .

Time!

Well it's dangerous!  It's dangerous to my pocketbook and my outstanding projects!

Somehow I came across a faux chenille blanket

- I don't remember where.

Well I was instantly obsessed.  It looks easy and wonderful!

I used the tutorial over at Aesthetic Nest (which is awesome).

I when ahead and purchased the cleaver Olfa's Chenille Cutter tool and I'm so happy I did.  I learned that you need to use the biggest size channel on the tool you can on each seam.  If you don't you can inadvertently wander and accidentally clip some of your stitching. Oops

So as I live in podunk rural Oregon I didn't have much choice in fabrics. I purchased some lightweight denim and 3 pieces of flannel. 

Zippdy - do - da!

Oh wait. . there was a HOLE in the middle of my fabric.  But alas I can fix that - applique the initial of the precious baby boy that this is going to be for. 

I can make anything work!  :)

So I completed the initial, applique, ALL of the quilting channels, and cutting the flannel to make the chenille pieces all in one night. One long long night after a full day of work.

Then the next evening I put on some binding - rounded corners at that. The corners didn't pucker but wow I need a little more time with curves.  I'm glad I made a much wider binding strip for this test. :)

Here it is all yummy and washed.  I had to stitch down a two spots that were cut too close - another reason to wash before gifting.  

Let me say that I'm impressed that I can make boy things. . I totally can.

I love it.  I'm sure my friend will love it too! The baby is too small to love anything yet.

Flying love

Lookie what came in the mail for me!

Sarah who blogs over at Issabella the Cat put up the cutest one seam flying geese tutorial. 
And then this happened to show up with some of my bee blocks.

I love my new wall hanging.

♥



I can even sew clothing

When I was a child, kid, teen the deal was if I cut it out. . my mother would sew it.
Let me tell you I can cut anything out and have it work every time!  I know about the grain of fabric, matching patterns and lots of other awesome sewing tricks.

{My mother is here this week and she tells me this was not the case . . whatever!}

When I first got my sewing machine I used to make clothing.  It was super fun. .and then it wasn't. 

I don't care for cutting out patterns. 

My ho-hummy attitude towards clothing is why I didn't believe that I would even LIKE quilting. But here I am really enjoy cutting out quilt patterns and even venturing into self created designs.

Sooooooo . . . the last trip to my mother's house she had a cute small top on her machine for my youngest nephew.  It was all but done.  And my mother said. . she couldn't finish it.  Poor mother is starting to lose her patience for such things.
 

I gladly took this shirt away from her and back home. I zipped it through my machine.  I even put in the buttonholes and everything!

The only issue that I was having is the amount of thread she sent me home with . . OMG I almost had a heart attack!  See the photo. . there are only a few wraps left. . ahhhhh!

But yep .. I can sew clothing. 

Don't tell my fella as I owe him some PJ pants from years ago. . lalalalala

  

While others sew

While the 4-H quilt was being made I had to give up a lot of my space and allow myself to be available when she had questions.  Being a teacher was super hard overall.  I crashed hard after it was done.

That quilt will be going to the state fair. . yeah!

While she was sewing and taking up my sewing area, I started and finished up this jelly roll race quilt.  It really came together quickly! Thankfully there was something to keep me occupied during this process! 

I got this idea from Ann that I met at my Tula Pink weekend. And I found this great video that made it where I didn't even think while finishing this beauty up. 

Since I had more time after this was done . . I canned 10 pints of blueberry jam.

Oh and I've planned out my hoopie I'm making for the Bee a {modern}swapper.
Here's a sneak peek

Totally loving summer!

4-H quilter

How did you learn how to sew, quilt, craft?

All of the things that I'm now embarking on weren't things I did as a child but they were always happening around me.

My lovely step-daughter wants to do the things I'm doing!  Good for her!

She was involved with 4-H this past year for sewing. 

She wanted to make a quilt for the country fair.  I love it!
 

She procrastinated on this because she thought that everything came together quickly because she thinks I work at lightening speed fast {hahaha}.

Boy did she learn!

But I have to say, even the back rocks!!

It's been like a sewing sweatshop in this house the last few weeks.  Poor thing wanted to take a break so many nights but she had to keep going.   Poor thing didn't really realize how long all these steps take.  It doesn't help that she's taking her time and being SUPER meticulous with her sewing - yeah it's a lot of forever to get her through this.

She finished this a whole 20 minutes before it was due. . cutting it close!

I'm proud to say that I've kept myself away from this process.  I only guided her ...for those that know me. . this was super hard for me.  It's against the rules for me to do any of this process, but I've became the teacher.

It all paid off .. she got a blue ribbon for this beauty!

Tula in Retro

I am SO lucky to have an amazing quilt shop, Stash, only within an hours drive.

The ladies of Stash are super fun and amazing. 

The three owners know my name AND they carry fabric that is just my style.  

I had to sign up for their class they arranged with Tula Pink.

Let me tell you Tula Pink is just downright awesome.  I took away a ton of information from her class and her talk about her fabric lines. 

Here are the 5 blocks I got done in class.  I can't wait to have the remaining 15 done to put together. 
These rock! And after the prep work. . super fast!

Photo taken by the lovely ladies at Stash

I met some amazing ladies throughout the weekend and  in the Stacks class.

A few of them are bloggers - whoop!

Holly blogs over at Me...and the Shedders

Ann blogs over at Renegade Quilter

Teresa blogs over at Quilting is my Bliss

and Jovanna blogs over at Sharing Jovanna Moments

I only got one photo take with the lovely (and super tall) Tula Pink. 

Photo taken by Holly K.

I'll blab on for awhile about the things I learned from Tula, I'm sure, over the next few months. Just let me say that Tula Pink is 100% all the time.  Super entertaining!

I'll get back to blogging and my own photo taking (I have a ton to share) after I get through this weekend.  I'm overseeing my step-daughter make her 4-H quilt - you know it's due SUNDAY!