Quilting | Quilting Helps you Quit Smoking!

I have finished the Wild Child quilt top.The others wait their turn in various locations around the quilt room where I hide out from sheer terror. I sandwich, I thread the machine, and go.

I am holding my breath, trying to breath through this underlying sense of panic because I quit smoking last Thursday.  The uncertainty of a new to me quilt pattern is edging up that panic.

I pieced a backing for this wild child quilt top that I designed during mmmquilts 30 quilt design challenge. I wanted an all over design and thought an all over wood grain pattern would match the feel of this quilt.

I used Angela Walters video below to get started then I was off, focusing on trying to keep the lines the same distance apart, not bunching up the backing, and making the motif smooth.





I put my head down and focused! the next time I looked up was an hour later! yes! I beat it that time, now I wait for the next wave of withdrawal to come.

My husband and I quit smoking two years ago and took the habit back up when we were selling, renovating, buying, moving, getting married and honeymooning this summer. We were super stressed and it was the only way we knew how to cope with that much stress.

I spent the entire weekend in my sewing room avoiding my dear husband as we were both on edge and felt like picking on each other. I survived by having the quilting challenges to work with.

The all over wood grain is starting to come together and I think it just might turn out great.


Until next time, stay resolute!

Sarah

Linking to  oh Scrap , Move it Forward Monday  , Monday Making  and Main Crush Monday 

Quilting | FAL Q4 - 10 Reasons to Order Pizza

I have posts in my drafts un published. They are perfectly good, they have pictures, they have a touch of humor, a story and even some quilting.  What more could I ask for? yet they go un-published. The psychology of my mind baffles me sometimes.


This time I am just pushing the publish button and hope you enjoy this list of what inspires me, stresses me, entertains me and distracts me in my sewing room on a daily basis.


1. Post Punk Circus

I am sooo looking forward to putting this one together! I give away most of the quilts I make, but once in a while one stays with me. All of the major pieces are complete and ready to assemble.

2. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

I need to choose a quilting pattern for it. Roll up my sleeves, switch feet and get to it.

3. Pink in the Series of Three

This is a client quilt that needs "backing quilting and binding" - (this is the song of my people, you know who you are)


4. Birds in the Series of Three

I haven't even started this one! eek! it is a client quilt too. The same client as above.


5. Swoon in the Series of Three

This one is getting good! I am resisting the urge to desperately want to keep this one. I keep encouraging myself that I can make another one if I really want one. 

6. Wild Child 

waiting for a good thing is hard and not every client can do it so now I get to gift this one or keep it all for myself. 

7. Superman Hooded Towel

My Dear Client has been waiting ever so long for this one. Perhaps I need to take a couple of days from everything shut the door order pizza for all meals and get this stuff done!


8. Kimono

Um, This one is super old and is starting to feel embarrassing.
Finish it Sarah! Finish it.

Maybe my list is too long... I am getting all angsty just writing about all these "loose ends" I am even starting to call them derogatory names! like loose ends (sob)

But I am stubborn and addicted, so I introduce to you,


9. Jeweled Box Stars

this is a leader and ender challenge with Bonnie Hunter. I am doing the traditional pattern instead of the flipped version that Bonnie created.

That's it for me today friends, Until next time, Stay angsty,

Sarah 

Sew Fresh Quilts

Quilting | Threads

SO, I dont know a lot about thread. Period. So, I have gone and done some research. Where is the best place to start? the fat quarter shop! They should have a good selection right?

I learned that there was a 12 weight labeled finishing thread.
There is an 80 weight labeled applique
and there is a 50 weight. (which I am not sure what it is for yet).

Hand quilters use 8 weight . Is this perle cotton?

Then there is the 6 strand embroidery floss that doesn't have a weight, but I am assuming it is like the regular embroidery floss that shows up everywhich way.

Now the yardage of thread seems to be important too from a value and "distance or time on the machine" perspective?

I found out that it actually it correlates to a size of spool - the big ones and the little ones - duh why didn't I clue in to that?

There seems to be packaged in packs, cases, single, bundled with fat quarters and in "a box"  phew. If you are not overwhelmed yet I sure am.

All of my thread is thrifted except for a couple of cones and small spools (like 2).  I am curious as to how one finds out which weight each of the spools are?

I am finding that the thread makes more of a difference than the needle when I start to have trouble with my stitches. What about yours?

I really want to start hand quilting some quilts. I am pretty sure I have a large quilting needle somewhere. I cant wait to show you all an update!

Linking with Finished or not Friday because I am definitely not finished learning about threads!

Until next time
Stay Smooth

Sarah

Quilting | Over the Rainbow "There's no place like home"

I am quilting on the Over the Rainbow Quilt!. I needed something that would be good for solid squares, something that could be done in a row, and something fun and cute that would challenge me. I hit my Pinterest FMQ board to see what types of ideas I had stored there my Alice in Wonderland-like rabbit hole search landed me at Lori Kennedy's Inbox Jaunt blog  I scrolled down all the impossibly cute designs and said yes to the first one that squeaked "do it!"

This is what happened after!

Pretty cute hey! This quilt is for a lovely lady in Kansas! how appropriate!

In other news, I have a position on the board of my local rug hooking guild as outreach coordinator. Because I had no idea what I was supposed to do I attended a local Focus on the Fiber Arts Anual General Meeting. After learning about budgets, grants, and events, there was a needlework class!  I did a pretty crappy job I am NOT good at needlework. I am not even going to show you a picture! lol. 

I was so stressed out with needlework which is strange because I love EPP and hand sewing. The above picture is an English Paper Piecing project I picked up on a road trip across the prairies in October to keep me busy. I won't give up on needlepoint totally.... but I am confident that I can cross it off the list for now. 

Until next time, Stay cute my friends! hehe

Sarah

Linking with Moving it Forward Monday at Em's Scrap Bag

and Monday Making 

Quilting | Monster Mash is Done!

I was working in the lab late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight

For my monster from his slab began to rise
And suddenly to my surprise

I did the mash! I did the monster mash!




The lil monster mash (I call it)







This cute scrappy quilt was sent off this week to a little girl in South Carolina :) on a Simbi trade. I can't bear to sell my quilts yet. They take so much time and thought I would never recover my effort. It feels better to give them away and count them as part of my creative process.












There are so many pieces of different textiles in this quilt. Some are designer fat quarters, some African prints, leftover pieces of clothing, pillowcases, I even see one of my old favorite shirts in there. (the blue pink and grey plaid)

In on of Kaja's latest blog posts (Partial Seams for Total Satisfaction) she talked about being so impatient for the quilt to come together there were pieces missing from the top. In the top right-hand picture, I was so impatient to do some quilting on the top that I left out a few pieces until the very end as well. I wonder how many of us do this? lol!

 I bound this with a 5" folded machine stitched binding. I quilted it with an x through each 3.5" square (3" finished)




I used a batting that was fluffy! this thing is cuddly! I really loved having this on my lap while I was quilting it.




The backing is an upcycled duvet cover and it had a rip in it! I put the cutest 6X6 castle patch on it from STOF  fabric sweet princess line. I didn't take a picture of it, which makes it a bit of a little treasure.






I can't believe that this started as a couple of scraps and a request. I love the productive magic that comes from quilting from scraps. I pride myself on making something from nothing; my husband recently declared to me "you know what is cool hun, we are makers! we make things that weren't there before, and that is amazing. I am proud to be that"

So am I my love, so am I.

Until next time, stay magical my friends


Sarah




Linking up to finished or not Friday

Quilting | Geese and Snow

Hello friends, over the weekend my fiance and I went up to our cabin. We try and make the two-hour jaunt most weekends. The cabin has power but no running water or gas, except for the gas stove which is hooked up to a large propane bottle outside. 

I mostly stayed inside and used my mother in laws old sewing machine to do some quilting on the Monster Mash, and the Geese Quilts.  I also used my ball winder to untangle the ungodly mess of yarn barf I have up at the cabin in my stash. 

 

I thought that it would be nice to take some pictures of the quilts up there but the light wasn't quite bright enough, the snow, however, was a delightful show. 

The Geese quilt is under the needle in my city sewing room now that we are back in the city for the week. I wonder if it will be done for the Friday finishes!?! that would be fun. 

Until the next time we can get up there, I will dream and remember the cozy time I spend at our getaway.

Until next time my friends, stay cozy or cool, whichever.

Sarah

Linkning to Monday Making, Oh Scrap and Moving it Forward Monday  ; Em's Scrap Bag

Costumes | Dutch Angel Dragon

The Furry, one of the reasons why I havent been here with you all in a while was because in essence I was busy making a life size wearable doll.



 There is a genera of costumes called furrys a sub genra of these furrys there is a type called a Duch Angel Dragon.


I was commisioned to make this costume through Simbi and it took a long time!


The customer loved it and I loved making it!



Life is good my friends.

Sarah

Posting in can I get a Woop Woop!

Quilting | The Best Thrift Fabric Sale

The best fabric sale ever is coming up again and I debate in my mind, do I need more fabric? hahahahahahahahaaaa (maniacal laugh)



 I was so thrilled with the fabric I found at the church sale in 2017. Each piece of fabric is measured, folded and tagged with bands for sale. If you didn't grab it and put it in your garbage bag while you were looking at it it would be gone as soon as you moved along. There were hundreds of people that attended! It was really fun!

I was feeling guilty about going to the sale this year until I started looking at these pictures and started realizing how much of my fabric I actually used up!

  

The pieces above were two dollars all together! These went into the flying geese quilt and the Cabin quilt.

I haven't used any of the above wool and heavier fabrics. I am working on a big dog bed for the big brown dog. Having these fabrics in my stash enabled me to "go for it" even if I ended up using a couple of other upholstery pieces I had.




The country tomato picknick summer blanket is a dream coming.



And a rug hooking kit! can you believe it! so lovely! I took this out of the hoop rolled it up and added it to my rug hooking stash



These are some knits that are in my stash now.



This upholstery fabric is probably destined for the cabin.



All of this thread cost a dollar fifty or something nuts like that, I have used up all of the yellow and red cones along with various little spools. I am now working my way through the pink, blue, and brown cones.



I think I will go again. I really dig upcycling deeply. I wonder how I would track how much yardage I used in 2017?  I guess I could just measure it... I try not to measure my art though. That settles it! I will go and get materials for my art without worry.

Linking up to Main Crush Monday

Until next time friends, stay Arty.

Sarah