Itsy Bitsy Bits of Progress

I've been making bits of progress on a variety of projects. I actually finished the quilt top that goes with these photos, but I don't have a photo of the top. That will come later.  By the way, when squaring and trimming half square triangles, don't try and answer the phone - it doesn't bode well for accurate cuts.

I've been working on a pillow for swap my guild is having at this week's meeting. It will be white elephant style and I'm excited to see what my guild mates have made. Because it isn't public yet, that picture too will have to wait. But, here's a snippet.

My most on-going project is my version of La Passacaglia.  I've been working on it on and off for forever. I took it with me on the 10 day road trip.  I only ended up working on it for a few minutes. I couldn't work on it in the car unless I wanted to be terribly car sick. The one time I sat down to work on it (doing laundry at the hotel), one of our trip "adventures" struck. I didn't get to pick it up again, although, my sewing travel kit pretty much lived in my purse.

Oh, travel "adventure" you ask? Our vacation was one of those that you look back on afterwards and laugh and tell stories. I'll leave them to another post, 'cuz this is a whole other story...

 

 

So, what can we do?

I am a part of a bee.  There are 6 of us.  Two, 12" blocks. I picked last so that I would have time to decide on a block I wanted to pick.  Paper piecing was off limits, so of course, EVERY block I liked was a paper-pieced block.  I've been worrying about this in the back of my brain since January.  For those of you that don't know me, if there is something I can possibly worry about, I will.  I had no idea what to pick.  Colors would be easy (yes, blue and green) but the block left me cold.

Then Orlando happened.  Along with most of America, I was(am!)  feeling hurt and frustrated.  There had to be a quilting response, and Alissa Lapinsky and the Orlando MQG stepped in.  They are making/organizing quilts for the victims who survive, the families of those who didn't, and, if there is enough, the first responders.  When I saw the blocks, 10" hearts, I knew the blocks I wanted for my bee blocks.

A quick text to my bee mates with the link http://theorlandomodernquiltguild.blogspot.com/ and they were more than on board.  Since there were 6, and there are 6 colors in the rainbow, each person picked a color and volunteered to make 5 each. 

When it's right, you know.  This is a far better use of blocks than any I could have hoped for myself. 

So I'll make at least one quilt, and send it off.  And maybe I'll make more. Making these was more therapeutic than I thought it would be.  Maybe there are dozens more in my stash...

To quote Lin-Manuel Miranda "Senseless acts of tragedy remind us that nothing here is promised, not one day."  and "Love is Love is Love is Love - it cannot be killed or swept aside."

Love each other!

Another baby quilt in the works

And another baby quilt on deck! My school has another Daddy. He actually became a Daddy a while ago, but my Assistant Principal wants to honor that sweetie with a quilt as well. Since there is no due date, per se, and it could be made whenever, I had to make my own due date. I made it due at the end of May. As you can see, it's June, and it's not done.  Oops!

Hopefully it will be a pieced top by the end of the evening. I don't think it'll be a quilt until tomorrow. We shall see!

I Just Need to Make Something!

Some times you just need to play with your sewing machine. You need to MAKE something. "Hey, I've got a 'skein' of clothes line, let's see what I can do..."

The inspiration really hails from Leyda Greenwood in my TacMQGuild. We did an orphan block swap and she made a cooler version of this from the block she got. I loved it! I've made fabric bowls before, but they were completely covered in fabric. This has a more modern aesthetic, with the line showing mostly, and bits of color appearing.

I should have used a bigger width cord, as the teeny tiny width that was available at my local Fred Meyer is toooo skinny.  There is no strength in it, and the bowl is super floppy. It will need to just sit somewhere, it's not meant to carry an object from place to place.  There are two more skeins that need to be used - I'll have to figure out a way to use more fabric or somehow shore up the sides and base.

I'm proud of the swirl I added at the very end. It's a nice flourish. I think I'll play with curves and gaps next. Leyda posted a tutorial and it was inspiring.  If i can find it again,  I'll link it here.

Best,

Time Flies...

And somehow, a month has gone by since I last posted. I see why folks set a schedule for themselves regarding posting.  I also see why some of my favorite bloggers don't post regularly. 

I've had some finishes, but I couldn't show them yet. 

I am in a baby bee.  There are 6 of us in my local guild, and we are doing a 2 block swap.  The queen for the month gives us a pattern and fabric range.  Then we go to work.  There have been some great blocks so far, of course I didn't take pictures of all of them.  Now that I have given these two away, I'm sharing.  Her request was blues and greens, not in the local sports teams color way.  I hope she likes them. 

Also, this is teacher appreciation week.  As a high school teacher, it is not much celebrated.  But at the elementary level - it's a big deal.  My son's teacher this year (How did he get to be in 5th grade?!?!?!) has been marvelous.  She is just compulsive enough about germs (everyone uses hand sanitizer!) and structure that my compulsive kiddo is a perfect fit.  She is also a first year teacher, so that is just tough!  I appreciate how my son is blossoming during the year.  So, as a quilter, I made her a gift.  Actually, I try to be careful about that.  It's such a personal taste thing - just because I like it, doesn't mean anyone else will.  And by the time elementary folks have been teaching a while, they have a ton of tchotchkes and a hand made gift is not as welcome as a pack of dry erase markers, or a box of pencils.  We've done flower pots and a plant before, among other things, but I try to avoid the decorative route.  When I asked my son if he wanted to give her a plant he said "Well, you could make one of those..." and motioned the size of a mug rug.  He just asked me to make a quilt for someone!!!!! Why, yes, I can...

So armed with a little information ("Ryan gave her a mug, and she said it was her favorite colors - teal and green") and a visit to the stash, this appeared by 11:30 pm last night.  I hope she likes it!


I hope your spring is going well -- I wish you the weather you need, and hopefully want!

Cheers!

Labels - a Surefire (?) way?

I never used to label quilts - I thought they were too hard for me to create and I used to hate handstitching. I have since learned to label, and the importance of labelling.  Finding pens that work on fabric helped that transition immensely.  I also adopted the habit of just writing directly on the binding of the quilts in fabric pens or sharpies. 
Labels allow me to bless a quilt for someone - and express the love that went into making the quilt.  Finding the right blessing or saying is almost as much fun and almost as much challenge as naming the quilt.
Then, for wedding gifts, I decided that the quilt needed to belong to someone in case of a divorce.  I permanent pen I write who it is intended for, and when it was made, and the creation information.  Then I make a label to put over the top for the happy couple.  If something goes awry, the "real" owner of the quilt can remove the hand stitched label and VOILA - it's labelled for them.
In the IG world, I have*met* Lakeonestitchery - and she changed my world for quilt labels.  She makes mandalas and writes the information in rings around the mandala - they captured my heart!  She sent me to pictures of how she did it, and she makes a unique label for each quilt.  Since then, each quilt gets a mandala/zentangle label.

My artistry is quite limited - I have to work really hard to be artistic at all (I am more craftsman than artisan, although I am working on it).  I had worked and worked on a *zendala* for a label for the most recent set of three quilts I was making.  I started by drawing on paper, and finally got a sketch I really liked.  I just couldn't see replicating it with a fabric marker and fabric, though.  Here comes the cool part - I ironed freezer paper to a 8.5 "x 11" piece of white fabric.  I put the paper design on the printer glass, and "copied" it.   Instead of paper I fed the freezer backed paper through the paper feed, and it worked! 
I learned some things along the way - I tried to put 2 labels to a page - they totally fit! But it picked up weird lines from the folding of the original, and that didn't work.  Also, the edges of the fabric picked up ink smudges, and when the label was at the edge of the sheet, then the labels had smudges.  Just one, smack in the center of the sheet worked perfectly. 
Lesson 2 was to really iron the edges down - especially the leading edge.  Once that was tightly adhered, it worked like a charm in the printer. 
Lesson 3 - I wanted to make sure the ink was thoroughly set, so soaked the 3 labels I printed in a bowl of white vinegar for 10 minutes.  They were then rinsed, and  ironed - no smell at all once they were rinsed and dried. 

I then cut them down,  pressed the edges over to the back, and handstitched them down.  I was holding my breath a bit to see how they would hold up in the wash.  Sharpies fade when they are washed so I was wondering.These are as crisp and clear as they went in the machine!  Victory!

Before washing

After washing and drying - no fading!

 

If you aren't a labeler, I hope this inspires you to give it a shot.  Truly,  If I can do it, anyone can!
 

A triple finish!

Yay! All three are done...I guess technically I shouldn't post these until they have been given away, but since I know that no one is reading this yet, I should be safe.  For the record, I am a Cougar - Crimson and Gray, all the way.  However, I teach at a high school whose colors are purple and gold.  It's a bit painful, but these are beautiful in spite of the color choice!  These only need labels and washing - to crinkle them up and to de-cattify them. 

I was exited to take them outside in the glorious spring sunshine for photos.  It's been a few days of gorgeous weather - reminds me why the Pacific Northwest is a home that some people can only dream of.

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend - we are ending Spring Break here, and it's back to reality on Monday.  But with sunshine like this, nothing can be too bad!