A New Pearl Bracelet Project

It didn't take too long to collect all of the colors in Lizzy House's new set of tonal Pearl Bracelets.  This time all I had to do was make a trip to gather here and purchase a set of fat quarters (instead of trolling the internet)!

Above is a sneak peak of my new quilt design.

Unfortunately, there is a break in the action.  I ran out of Best Press.  Grrrrrr!  Amazon to the rescue!  I'll get some in a couple of days.  In the meantime, I can clean up my sewing area.  It has not yet recuperated from the last few projects.

Sew what else is going this WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced!

Curtain Progress

The curtains are coming along!  In last week's post I showed the valance. This week I have half of the curtain. Not all the grommets are in but you get the idea.

The grommets can be a little prickly. Sometimes they just don't want to snap closed! Often it's because I need to make the hole a little bit bigger.  Sometimes my hand was just tired.  I really wanted to cut into my main fabric but the grommet practice was definitely worth it!  I also fused some light interfacing across the top to give the grommet area some stability.

You can see the lining peeking out from the bottom.  I need to trim and hem of course but I'll sew the valance and the other panel first. I didn't put a lining in the previous set of curtains I made so I'm happy to have it this time. It really finishes them off and looks nice from the outside. I used white muslin for the lining. I tried the regular muslin at first but it gave the Unikko poppies a yellow tinge and we can't have that!

Next up, chair covers and a tablecloth or runner. I might do some quilting first though!

Sew what else is going on this WIP Wednesday?

It's Curtains for Me!

Unikko valance - not yet sewn

I am a Marimekko fanatic.  I especially love the Unikko pattern.  I am decorating my kitchen in yellow and gray so how happy was I when I came across this fabric at the flagship store in NYC?  I am using the smaller print for the valance and the medium-sized print for cafe curtains.

Grommet practice on muslin

I went through three ideas.  First, I was going to make a pocket rod.  However, the fabric is fairly stiff  (even after washing) so it would be difficult to keep the curtains open.  DH suggested ties to keep the curtains open, but I didn't like that idea.  The next idea was clips, but that didn't look good, either.  The frame of the bottom window showed above the curtain bar -- it looked messy!  Finally, we decided on grommets.  I thought grommets wouldn't look right, but they look great and they were fairly easy to install.

I love this selvedge.  I'm leaving it!

After the figurin', cuttin' and pressin', I am going to sew the lining in.  I am not cutting off the selvedge.  I think it looks neat!

To sew the lining in, I'm following this tutorial I found online:  http://www.houseofhepworths.com/2011/10/12/how-to-make-professional-lined-curtain-panels

Sew what else is going on this WIP Wednesday?

Lottie Da for Ma Complete!

Despite trainbinding, planebinding and hotelbinding, I was stitching the binding on for Lottie Da for Ma with just minutes to spare before her surprise party.  She definitely was surprised and the party was a rousing success!

I used Heather Bailey's Lottie Da jelly roll. I started out with the Jelly Roll Jam pattern but that didn't work out so well. I ended up just sewing the pieces together in rows.  This picture was taken minutes before running to the party to get there before mom did!

Krista Ellis' quilting really brought the quilt to life!

Sew what else is happening this WIP Wednesday!

Two Quilts Ready for Binding!

The quilts for Mom and DH have been quilted and are ready for binding!  I quilted DH's myself at Laurena's.   I love the funky geometric shapes the lines make.  I wanted it to look improvisational.

I didn't have time to quilt both myself so long arm quilter Krista Ellis quilted Mom's.  I asked for swirls and boy did she swirl!  I wasn't too thrilled with the top but the quilting has really brought it to life.  I've been taking it on the train to get some work done during my commute.

Sew what else is going on this WIP Wednesday ? :)

The Best Laid Plans...

I can't believe it but I am actually looking forward to a few sew-free nights.  This week I was a sewing maniac and finished the back of Wonky, Wonky Music and the front of my latest quilt, Lottie Da for Ma.  My quilt names are silly, I know.

I didn't know I was going to have a bunch of leftover bow ties after completing the front of WWM.  I played around with them a bit and decided to put them together in 5 rows of 6.  I made more red than orange.  I like they flow together and the wonkiness of the shapes.  I had originally planned to use the Wide Spot On fabric from Robert Kaufman when the back was going to be made of a single fabric.  It didn't go with the bow ties, though.  To me, it screamed Botanica from Carolyn Friedlander.  I decided on this grey fabric, simply called Ash, on the Robert Kaufman website.  I found it at gather here.  I love that I can pop down there and get some fabric when I need it!

What's with the orange stripes, you say?  Well, I bought 2.5 yards, not 3 as I should have, which meant I had to do some creative piecing.  I love things that are supposed to be wonky!  Nothing has to match up perfectly!

Speaking of which, you'll see some of the bow ties on the bottom right have horizontal stripes.  That's because they weren't quite big enough so I added some extra fabric.  I am totally liking this wonky thing.

I stayed true to my word and didn't touch Lottie Da for Ma until I finished that back.  I started out making it in the form of Jelly Roll Jam, but as things go with sewing (or at least my sewing) it didn't quite work out.  

I have this instead.  Only a mother could love this quilt, LOL.  I am going to quilt WWM myself, so I sent this one off to Krista for quilting.  Oh and I am using the RK Spot On fabric for the back!  

What will I make next?  Maybe I'll get to my Marimekko project.

See what else is going on this WIP Wednesday!

Wonky Quilt Top Complete!

The Wonky, Wonky Music quilt top is complete!  I am so happy.  I am going to quilt it myself on a long arm.  DH would have it no other way.   I told him that those bow ties were a doozy.  He reminded me that I tend to do that to myself.  Case in point:   hexagons and kimonos.

I have bow ties leftover that I am going to use for the back.

I am trying to get this wonky quilt finished in two weeks.  Naturally, I got the bright idea to make a quilt for Mom for her birthday, which is in a couple of weeks as well.  It is not going to be a difficult quilt.  I have some Heather Bailey Lottie Da design rolls, so I am going to use those to make a Jelly Roll Jam quilt from Fat Quarter Shop.  How fun is that?  I am going to make it 48" by 60" so that it will be a nice lap quilt.  I am starting a new trend in that I am making quilts for family members, LOL!!

I started laying out the strips on my design wall this weekend.   This fabric is so pretty I was so tempted to start sewing these strips.  I must be strong!  I cannot start until I finish the back of Wonky, Wonky Music!  I am even using the same thread so I am practicing serious restraint right now.

See what everyone else is up to this WIP Wednesday!

Wonky, Wonky Progress

The picture isn't so great, but hopefully the progress I've made makes up for that.  In my last post about this quilt, I was still sewing blocks.  This week, I have all the blocks sewn and the first two rows are complete.  The rows are a little longer than the width of my design wall so you can't get the full view of those wonky "open" blocks on either end.  I guess I could get close ups....

Love these wonky blocks!  I am thinking I should bind the quilt in the black fabric above.  Not sure how I should quilt it, though.  I want to quilt it myself, since it's for DH.  He has been so patient while I sew for everyone else, so I am really happy to finally sew some things for him!

For the WIP Wednesday crowd, I finished DH's Improv Monitor Cover last week, too.

See what everyone else is doing this WIP Wednesday!

Bow Ties Required But Not Perfectly!

The new year is getting off to a great start!  I am finally making progress on DH's Wonky, Wonky Music quilt that I started back in October.  My design wall is looking much better!

The wonky bow ties are fun to make.  And who cares if they don't come out perfectly?  They are supposed to be wonky!  I can't wait to get this done!

The pattern is Bow Tie Required from Lee of Freshly Pieced.  The fabric is Music by Andover.

Front of Improv Monitor Cover Complete

I've finished the front of the monitor cover.  Improvisational piecing is a lot of work!  The rest of the pieces will be in a solid fabric -- I'll take a break from the improv for a while :)

I have decided on the background fabric for Wonky, Wonky Music.  It's Kona Cotton Silver.  It's fairly hard to find in a larger quantity, but I finally found enough of it at Canton Village Quilt Works.

See what everyone else is doing this WIP Wednesday!

Improv Piecing a Monitor Cover

While I am figuring out my background fabric for Wonky, Wonky Music (I now might do Kona Snow instead of grey) I decided to get something done and work on a cover for DH's computer.  It is inspired by the Improvisational Patchwork class I took with Denyse Schmidt.  Can you tell?  I of course had to put the drum set front and center because it's front and center in DH's heart.  The cover is a wide as it should be but I need to add more pieces to the top and bottom.

See what everyone else is doing this WIP Wednesday!

Let's Get This Wonky Bow Tie Started Already!

Yes, that's right.  I have yet to sew a single stitch for Wonky, Wonky Music.  I had to order more fat quarters in addition to the time I've spent on other projects and adventures.  At least my design wall is more filled in than the last picture I posted.  I have everything now.  Well, not quite.  I don't like the background fabric I ordered.  It is a yellowish color (which I thought would be tan) that I thought would work well but I don't like it!  I am going to look for a light grey solid instead.

The only bummer is that I can't really sew anything without that background fabric!  I can start on a monitor cover in the meantime...

Fabric: Music by Andover
Pattern: Bow Tie Required by Lee of Freshly Pieced!

See what else is going on with Lee's WIP Wednesday!

Lizzy is in the House!

Last week I was lucky enough to get into the class Fabric Pattern Design and Printing with Lizzy House at gather here in Cambridge, MA.  It was nice to see Lizzy in my home state!  

The two-day class started off with Lizzy talking about how she entered the fabric design industry.  She also talked about elements that go into the design of a collection and taught how to make repeats by hand using tracing paper.  When you do it by hand, you really learn it!  We designed a three-piece collection and selected one for block printing.

The second day was reserved for block printing.  Lizzy majored in printmaking in school and it's something she really loves.  Her passion really shines through in her teaching.  Block printing takes quite a bit of time:  carving your block, getting the painting surfaces ready, preparing the fabric, preparing the paint and then finally printing the fabric with the blocks.  Oh, I forgot to mention cleaning the blocks!  I really like block printing.  It is a great way to experiment and develop new ideas.  I need to carve out some time and space to do it at home, though! (Ba-doom-pish!)

I was supposed to attend Lizzy's talk sponsored by the Boston Modern Quilt Guild and the Seacoast Modern Quilt Guild, which was held the morning on the same day our second class was held.  I had a quilting emergency that kept me up until very late the night before.  I knew I had Lizzy's 6-hour class later that day, so I decided to sleep in (and I was afraid to drive up to West Newbury on only a few hours' sleep).  What quilting emergency, you ask? I'll blog about that a little later.

Lizzy graciously agreed to pose with my PB-Complete quilt I made this summer.  This quilt has all the Pearl Bracelets that have been released to date.  We will have more Pearl Bracelets in early 2014, so I'll have bragging rights for a little while longer. 

See what everyone else is up to this WIP Wednesday!

Improvisational Patchwork with Denyse Schmidt

I was one of the lucky individuals who got a place in Denyse Schmidt's class, Improvisational Patchwork with Denyse Schmidt at the New England Quilt Museum.

After a few mishaps, which included leaving my power cord and sewing machine foot at home, I got started and made some great progress.  The staff at the NEQM kindly searched for and found an old machine for me to work on. Soon after, the ever-supportive DH brought my cord and foot to me!

Denyse brought a bounty of scraps for us to work with.  The first block I made is in the bottom left of the photograph.  We were to bring a favorite fabric.  I brought one of my truly favorite prints that I bought years ago which features a geishas and wheelbarrows of flowers (by Judie Rothermel).  After that, she had us create blocks, adding in our favorite.

I am quite pleased with how it came out!  I am working on adding a few more pieces to square things up to make a small wall quilt for my sewing area.

This is my second class with Denyse.  I took her String Pieced Zippy Purse class at QuiltCon.  I use the bag daily to store my chargers.  It was nice to show it to Denyse! 

See what Denyse is up to on her website:  www.dsquilts.com

And then see what everyone is up to on this WIP Wednesday!

Wonky, Wonky Music

DH's birthday is near so it's the perfect time to start his present!  When I saw the Music fabric line by Andover, I knew I had to make something for him. He was once a professional drummer and still plays and composes from time to time.

He played in a contemporary jazz group so I thought the funky and purposely wonky Bow Tie Required quilt would be the perfect pattern. Our favorite print features the drum set so I am fussy cutting to make sure it's front and center.

See what else is going on this WIP Wednesday!

Flag for Lac-Megantic

This week I worked on a flag for the Lac-Megantic tragedy that occurred in Quebec in July of this year.

For information on making a flag, you can click on a Quiltville post.  There is an effort to collect flags similar to what was done for the To Boston With Love.

The link to the Canadian site, which you can reach from Quiltville post, is in French!  The flags are due August 24th, so the deadline might be a bit too tight if you haven't already made your flag.  I hope mine gets there in time!

I used Jacquie Gering's great heart tutorial.  I cheated a bit.  She sewed together strips of fabric to make the heart.  I used a striped fabric instead!  I also made the heart smaller to fit on the flag.  

Detailed information on the tragedy is found here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lac-Mégantic_derailment

WIP Wednesday: iPad Mini Sleeve

Top: Fabric cut and batting added
Bottom: Quilting added and binding in progress

Now that PB-Complete is, well, complete (and featured on Andover Fabrics' Facebook page Monday!), I can get back to my other projects.  I blogged about this iPad Mini sleeve earlier and now I am glad I can continue working on it.

This is the laptop computer sleeve project from the spring 2013 issue of Modern Patchwork.  I am making it for my aunt's iPad mini, however, so I adjusted the measurements.  I made it big enough for an iPad mini with a smart cover and case.  At least I hope I did!  (I made the front panel 9.5" x 8" and the back panel 12.5" x 8".  Fingers crossed!)

In the top left picture, can you see that the large rectangle on the left has upside down ladies on it?  I sewed it that way so that when I fold the flap down the ladies will be right side up.  So, the back panel is made up of two pieces, one that is 9.5" and 3.5" for the flap.  You need to do this only if your fabric is directional.  I tried to make it such that the motifs would match when the flap is closed, but I didn't account for the fact that the batting would make the flap a bit shorter.

(Edit: The measurements given are the sizes I cut the pieces)

In my previous post I said the fabric was from Alexander Henry, but I noticed today that it is actually Timeless Treasures!  I bought this fabric some time ago, so I'm not sure if it's still available.

See what else is going on this WIP Wednesday on Freshly Pieced!

I Give You PB-Complete!

I've finally finished PB-Complete!  I've come a long way since I blogged about completing my collection of Pearl Bracelets here.  After I got my quilt back from longarm quilter Krista Ellis, I created the binding with Bright Star (white) using my AccuQuilt Go to cut the strips.  This is the first quilt I've made of this size and with binding.  It seemed like an eternity to hand-sew it on.

We went out to take pictures of the quilt and I thought I was in good shape but then I remembered that I needed to make a sleeve and a label.  At 3 am Sunday morning, it was all complete.  And to top it off, I fell asleep under my quilt and got up at 8 am!

I am so happy and proud that I finished it.  It will be on display at the BMQG show as part of the Lowell Quilt Festival at Appleton Mills.  For more info, visit http://www.lowellquiltfestival.org/partners.html.

The description that will accompany my quilt at the show... Ahem.

I am obsessed with Lizzy House's Pearl Bracelet fabric line and I am obsessed with hexagons!  When I saw that Jacquie Gering was teaching a class on making a hexagon quilt at QuiltCon, I knew a hexagon quilt would be the perfect pairing for Pearl Bracelet. 

To organize the colors, I decided to use the seasons.  Each season is represented by three rows in this order:  Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn.  Lucky for me there are 28 colors (plus white) so each season is represented with seven colors and the border is white.  The fact that the colors range from light to dark from top to bottom is a happy accident! 

WIP Wednesday: Pearl Bracelets -- Final Stretch

Yes, a week of all-nighters working on PB-Complete!  I separated the 12 columns of hexies into quadrants and diligently sewed them together. The Y seams were not friendly at all and most of the time had to be redone -- sometimes with no better results!  Every night I planned to get a certain amount done and every night I managed NOT to get it done!

However, The picture says it all -- it has finally been quilted, thanks to longarm quilter Krista Ellis, who came through in a pinch!  Now I am working on the binding.  The quilt looks great and I can't wait to show it finished!

See what everyone else is doing this WIP Wednesday on Freshly Pieced!

WIP Wednesday: Burning the Midnight Oil

I can't believe it's been so long since my last post!  Since then, I took a little jaunt to one of my favorite cities, Montreal, and entertained guests, who we took to the Whaling Museum in New Bedford, MA.  If you think it might not be interesting, think again!

I have also been burning the midnight oil, trying to put these Pearl Bracelet hexies together for my PB Complete quilt, which I've blogged about several times already :)  I am getting it ready for the Boston Modern Quilt Guild's show at the Lowell Quilt Festival.  For the second year, the BMQG show will run in conjunction with the LQF but at Appleton Mills, a site not too far away from the main show.

I am sure other BMQG members are working away on their entries, too!  Good luck, everyone!