Friday, August 8, 2014

Border Table Runners - Part 1 - Finished!

I've mentioned these before - table runners made from a border print. I took the class back in March, and since then, I've been churning out...well, tops. My hand-stitching is glacierly slow, so the binding has taken a while.
I finished the first "Celebrate!" one in March, just in time for a birthday.
Bound a daisy one for my church's silent auction in April.
And finally, I finished the set that started it all - the witches border print that my mom bought...a long time ago.
Quilted with the most adorable loops and pumpkins, if I do say so myself.
The leftover pieces work perfectly as a little center piece. Or a wall hanging. Or a giant mug rug or large candle mat. I really like the kaleidoscope effect of the witches' faces.
And then while I was at it, I finished up the second Celebrate one.
With a bright and cheery backing, and double loop quilting.
And the matching hexagon mini.
Details
Size: long - approx. 20x40" depending on the print / small - approx. 20x20"

The witches all went to my mother, but the two Celebrate ones will be listed for sale on my Facebook page. And stay tuned - I have quite a few left to bind!

Posted by Kate at 10:52 AM 9 comments
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Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Color Palettes and Themes

I was really looking forward to green week with Jennie, because I chose green as my logo border, and green has been the background of this blog forever and ever, but I'm still stuck on a color theme for the blog switchover.
So I wandered through photos and Design Seeds and I'm still really not any closer to a decision.

Am I Scarlett and any one of her numerous green dresses?
{Photo via How Do We Run On}

A lucky four leaf clover with a hint of daisy?
{Photo via Black Chick on Tour}

Ooh, sangria! I could be sangria!
{photo via Lori Barbely Photography}

I think part of this indecision stems from not having a quilting style. I mean, I finished Cat Tails and Central Park Sudoku this year...those two couldn't be more different! But they're both in my living room. {Maybe that's part of the problem.}

I know I like blogs with calm, white backgrounds, and not a lot of stuff cluttering up the design. Which leads me to thinking about sponsorship and linky parties and what exactly will be on the new blog.

And then I get a headache and put off the switchover. 

And go pull fabric for a quilt because those colors, I can do.
Posted by Kate at 8:48 PM 4 comments
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Friday, August 1, 2014

August Goals

Sometimes I feel a bit like whining about the fact that I can't go long arm anything while the "babysitter" is overseas. But then I check my UFO list and realize "to be quilted" is one of the shorter lists.

So for August, I'd like to work on making it the longest, while simultaneously clearing out the "awaiting binding" list. Then I'll have a clean slate when he gets back with plenty to choose from in the quilting queue.

That means my AYOLF goal is Christmas Stars, and the table runners that are piling up. Christmas Stars definitely counts as something old, as it was started 2011.

Something new would be getting my website ready to launch. With my shiny new logo! I hope it will go painlessly, and all y'all will move right over with the blog reader of your choice. But it's technology, and it's me, so...

Posted by Kate at 6:00 AM 4 comments

Thursday, July 31, 2014

July - the NewFO Month

This month, I decided to do whatever I want. Partly because it's summer and partly because my husband left on a no-notice deployment. It's rough being the only one to take the kids to swim lessons, and the park, and to the ice cream store. Okay, not really, but it's harder to fit in sewing time.
Finished Flimsies: Tennessee Waltz, Ohio Nines, Wee Wander {with mitered borders!}, Mitered Corner Practice Piece {okay, it's hardly huge, but I'm going to make it a pillow. It counts.} Only Tennessee Waltz was started prior to July.

Finished: Central Park Sudoku {AYOLF goal}
Finished: Christmas Tree Skirt {started and finished in July}
Blocks: Ripples and Reflections Parts 1 & 2, red Weekly Churn Dashes, Hello Luscious-Avignon Picnic, California Girl Double Hourglass, Sawtooth Star + Denim - all new projects except for the churn dashes.

 So, that's eight NewFOs for the month. Not bad. Especially since almost all were on my UFO list somewhere.
And in between there's been the zoo and kids museums and tie dye and family and treasure hunts and accidentally learning things. And that family in the middle picture is expanding - new quilt niece or nephew due in February!

 And no races, but I'm doing the world's worst 5K training program. I've never been this fast...or sore.
Linked:
A Year of Lovely Finishes
Fresh Sewing Day @ Lily's Quilts
NewFO @ Cat Patches
Posted by Kate at 2:22 PM 6 comments

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Christmas Tree Skirt - Finished!

It's Christmas in July! And an order fulfilled long before it was due!
Of course, that does make it difficult to take pictures, as there's no Christmas trees around. Or snow.
It's made entirely from my Christmas scrap bin - lots of Rudolph and the Grinch and Kate Spain and Sandy Gervais.
I alternated Kona, solid pieces of Christmas fabric, and pieced sections. Made a good dent in the scrap bin...until I tossed the backing scraps in.
Made some ties for the cat to play with. Um, I mean, to close up the back.
Not my first time making bias binding, but my first time sewing it in a circle. It was a lot easier than I thought! And bias binding really is a dream - no fraying and manipulates so easily.
Quilting is just simple straight lines along the wedges. I don't do it often anymore, and it was nice to just follow the lines.
I used the Sew Crafty Jess tutorial, which was very well done. However, in the future, I'd just buy a wedge ruler. {And there will be a future, because this is totes adorbs and I want my own.} I spent so much time making sure the ruler was lined up on the template and not enough time making sure the rotary blade wasn't lined up with my thumb. Owie.
Quilt Details
Fabric: Christmas scraps, Kona Bone
Backing: blue snowflakes from Joann's
Binding: Christmas stripe from Joann's
Size: 60ish" round

Posted by Kate at 10:06 AM 5 comments
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Monday, July 28, 2014

WiP - Pool Time

I'm at my in laws, so there's not a lot of sewing going on here.
Whole lot of this, though.

 I did manage to get some stuff done before I left, and during naptimes.
Okay, Central Park Sudoku isn't new, but the finished post is.

Checked off part 2 of Ripples and Reflections - a whooping 2.75 hours to build these four matching blocks, at 180 pieces total. I was right about them luring you in with part 1 being fairly easy. Glad to put it away for a month!
Now I'm strip piecing my Hello Luscious-Avignon Picnic. Strips are done and cutting is happening...when there aren't little fingers around. And there's twice as many of those than normal!
The first section is nearly together...and yes, I went color-sorted-scrappy. And yes, cell phone pictures at nine p.m. are amazing.
In a departure from the norm, I went scrappy with my last red churn dash, because I adore my Punctuation scraps and I didn't have enough of one piece to make a block.
And my palette of the week. Look, it's not food! Although suddenly I want pomegranate punch.

 There's also been trips to the zoo, and Mary Jo's, and treasure hunts, and smores, and lightning bugs, and did I mention the pool?

 Linked:
BOMs Away Monday @ What A Hoot
Design Wall Monday @ Patchwork Times
Color Mondays @ Porch Swing Quilts
Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River
WiP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced
Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ SoScrappy
Scrap Basket Sunday @ Kim's Big Quilting Adventure
Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric
Posted by Kate at 7:00 AM 9 comments
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Thursday, July 24, 2014

Central Park Sudoku - Finished!

Yet another quilt that languished in several spots along the process journey. It was just waiting for the right pieces, I guess?
It started when I fell in love with Central Park by Kate Spain. But not the animals. So when this Sudoku kit came across my path, I snatched it up. And I showed my mom and she said, "that looks like the horrible stuff we had in the 70s." Woo, modern fabrics!
I adore Sudoku, but keeping it in place throughout a quilt isn't that easy. You'd think it would be, but there was a lot of double checking.
The top was pieced over the summer of 2012.

I bought the borders back in Oklahoma...probably at least 18 months ago? Finally put them on in February. I'm still not positive the dark purple was the right decision. But clearly it's staying. They're both Good Fortune by Kate Spain.

It was quilted with loopy flowers back in March, and then it waited until I would not be able to quilt but still needed a finish. ;)

I had no binding in mind until I was out picking up my machine from its spa vacation at Bear Paw Quilting in May. A tiny skinny end bolt of Good Fortune was in their clearance. I grabbed it and hoped it was enough...and it was!

Photobombing overwhelmed my shoot. 
The Dude took off with it and declared that it was his. All that pink and purple? "Mom. It's minkee." Well.
I thought the size was a bit off - too big for a baby, too small for a lap. Apparently the right size for a boy.
And complimentary colors for the cat.

Posted by Kate at 7:32 PM 9 comments
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