Planning

I cut into my flea market fancy fabric thinking I had a plan - large diamonds within diamonds. I cut, sewed, and cut again impressed at how quickly my giant half square triangles were coming together. Then I hit a road block. When I laid out all the blocks, something about it just wasn't working.  I almost panicked at this point (What have I done?  Have I wasted all this precious fabric?  etc etc).

Then I discovered something so many quilters have already discovered. Graph paper. Wow. How did I not use graph paper when planning my quilts before now? Not only is it efficient, it's fun!  I enjoyed sketching out all the possibilities.  By the way, this site has great, free printable graph paper. (Now you can't use the excuse that you have to wait for your Amazon order to arrive before you start planning that quilt.)

I abandoned my diamond layout for a carpenter star arrangement instead. I envision a big, scrappy, swoon-like block. Yes, I think this may just work out fabulous afterall.

Katie Jump Rope

Thank you all for the comments on my last post, reminding me that quilting is about the process, not always the end (though the end is so nice).

I put aside the scrappy trip quilt this weekend and picked up another work in progress, my Katie Jump Rope quilt.  Did anyone else hoard this fabric?  I splurged on a fat quarter set several years ago and then it sat and sat - I was waiting for the perfect project for this.

When I found out I was pregnant with the  bee last year, I knew this was the perfect fabric for his eventual big boy bed.  This will just be a simple square within square twin-sized quilt. I figure I have a good two years before I need to actually finish this one.  Plenty of time, unless of course his big sister claims it first!

Psss...I'm sharing this over at A Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesday.  Go check it out!

Slow

Geesh.  This quilt feels like it is taking me forever.  I thought it was supposed to be quick!  Everyone is either lying about the speed of putting this together or else I am just very, very slow.  I have faith in humanity so it really must be me and the fact that I am spending at least half of my limited free time reading The Game of Thrones (oh my god so good) and another one quarter of it planning the next quilt I want to make.  You know, because I don't already have four quilts in progress and I have so much free time.  Right.  

Divide and conquer

Do you break up tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks of units too?  I do this with many things - running (ok, i just started doing this again, but still), working, cleaning, quilting.  My scrappy trip around the world will consist of 36 blocks total.  I've completed 8 so far. Last night I started working on 12 more.  Slowly inching along...but that hasn't stopped me from thinking about how I will quilt this bad boy.  Any suggestions?

WIP Wednesday

My two year old often asks to run outside and yell "Ahhhhhhh" with her friend Ella B.  Doesn't that sound fun?  I would love to just run around and scream with delight with no inhibitions these days.  Talk about a great stress relief. 

Instead, I try to find a little time to quilt. 

Current .project (until I get distracted by something else): scrappy trip around the world.

Yay motivation

I'm taking a short break from sewing swoon blocks.

I felt the need to finish something.

Hey, why not quilt one of the four tops I've made in the past year? I even had a pieced backing for this one ready to go.

Oh, it feels good to be quilting something.

Details: Stacked coins quilt made with leftover fabrics from my first stacked coins quilt .

More on this quilt to come.

WIP Wednesday

As I was writing a list of unfinished projects (ufp) to my sister (she's a good sounding board), I realized I've come down with a little ufp problem in the past year. Here I was thinking that I hadn't been able to sew anything. In reality, I've sewn four quilts but I haven't managed to finish any of them! What good is a quilt top just hanging out in a pile? No good! So before I take on any more quilting projects, I need to finish the ones I've started.

The first step is to list those projects. Unfortunately I've only photographed one of said quilt tops (another reason to start blogging again - better documentation!). So here it is, my finished HST quilt top. It's made with Anna Maria's Good Folks fabrics (hmmmm, lovvvvve that fabric line) and kona cotton in sand I think. It was a bear to piece and took a very long time. I think that's why it became a ufp, I needed a little break from it after sewing the last seam. My goal is to have this quilted by the en of the summer. I'm realistic that way.

More unfinished quilts to share later! Oh because there are always more!

Swoon block 2

The Swoon blocks are surprisingly coming along pretty quickly in the little time I have to sew. I have five of nine blocks complete.

Lately, as I read blogs of other sewers with young children, I wonder, how do they find the time to sew??? I feel a little jealous. But then I realize they must make the time, or claim the time. Which is what I am trying to do now. A few minutes here, a couple more there, every minute counts.

I'm Swooning

I've joined the Swoon bandwagon. How could I resist? A good friend got married three years ago and I still haven't given her a present. Yes, that's a new record for me. This friend is a landscape designer and also helped me plant a garden. (Maybe I will show you pictures of the garden assuming I manage to keep everything alive!). For these two reasons, I thought she deserved something extra special. What's more special then a swoon quilt made with (mainly) flea market fancy fabrics?

Here is one of three blocks completed so far. My goal is to complete the top in the next two weeks and have it quilted and binded so I can hand deliver it to her in July. I have a lot of work to do!

A new use for baby gates

A new use for baby gates, originally uploaded by CreativeReveries.

What is it about fabric lying on the floor that draws all the attention of little furry felines?

As I was sitting at the dining room table, sewing together the blocks I so carefully laid out, my curious cats were eying the fabric laid out on the floor. And scheming. Yes, scheming.

One of them decides to go for it. He runs across the room, and before I know what is happening, stops and skids directly on the fabric squares. The squares fly everywhere! I scream! I shout! "Argh!"

Thank goodness I took a picture of the layout before the above scene happened.

Enter the baby gates - now called cat quilt gates in my household. We can now live happily together.

Quilting for baby

Quilting for baby, originally uploaded by CreativeReveries.

I finally decided on a quilt design for Baby D. Yes, I'm still on a half-square triangle kick. I think I will actually finish this one in a timely manner though! I'm hoping to finish it soon, because I have a gazillion other quilts and items I'd like to make for baby when I'm done with this one.

The beginnings of something

Now that wasn't so bad. Once I finally decided on something and drummed up the courage to cut into some fabric, I didn't want to stop! My inspiration wheel was turning and suddenly my project list grew longer and longer as I found several quilts and items I can't wait to make out of my stash fabrics. Yes, my stash fabrics! But of course, buying a small amount of new fabric never hurts...oh the justification of a fabric addict.

However, just when I was getting into the swing of things, a winter cold has stopped me in my tracks. Luckily I'm on the mend and I feel a good solid weekend of sewing in my very near future.

What are you working on these days?

Now let's see if I remember how to do this

It's been so long since I've sewn or blogged, and now I'm pretty rusty at both. Since we moved last April, I've unpacked my sewing machine and fabric, but both have been sitting where I left them hardly touched ever since. I keep going into the room we've designated as a sewing room (for now, that will soon change) and staring at my fabric, wanting to make something, but afraid to start. The picture above is actually a baby blanket in progress that has since been finished (since the summer) and given to its intended recipient. But, I'm rusty at taking photos and uploading, so it's all I've got for now. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to convince myself to quit staring and start doing. Just jump in. There's nothing to be afraid of. Right?