It was a stormy night..

Sounds like a Gothic novel...

It was a stormy night in Texas, I am sure you saw it on the news this morning.

All of the storms were to the south, north and west of us, we just got some rain.

 

I was at home by myself sewing (messing with blocks) on my Piece of Cake 3 and got a little bored, so I started something new ... shocking I know....

 

I used the scraps from cutting my blocks to make this up, the start to a little wall hanging from Camile's new book,Simply Retro.

 

I will probably let it sit in the corner of my design wall for awhile before working on it further, but it was a fun little exercises while watching breaking storm news all evening.  My daughter came in and told me I just need 19 more to make a quilt! (the daughter that does not sew)

 

Sharing with Show and Tell Tuesday! 

 

WIP 5/15

 Completed!

 

T shit quilt is done.  I am pretty happy that it is done, and my daughter loves it!

I will say that the backing fabric was one of the best buys ever!  The orange ties into the colors well and the gray dot is perfect, allowing me to bind and border it in grey kona which I think grounds the lighter/brighter colors. 

 

 

New!

 

 

 

I started the Craftsy Class and am about 1/2 way through the first project, Piece of Cake 3 using my hoarded Katie Jump Rope fabric.  The missing block is reserved for the fabric I had to order.   Although there have been no ah-ha moments, the class is enjoyable to go through and it is motivating me to do a project I would not have otherwise.

 

 

 
Olds list ot WIPS I think are some where in my sewing room :
 Rainbow blocks, Chubby Stars QAL, American Jane blocks, Round & Round, Pinwheel Sampler, postage stamp, Swoon, Arcadia, scrappy trip

Katie - MIA

 

I was asked by a friend this weekend if I found myself hoarding fabrics. 

I had a hard time not laughing at the question. 

One of my largest hoard jobs has been Katie Jump Rope line by Denyse Schmidt.

 

 

I expect it is because I started quilting soon after it came out and the frenzy regarding

Flea Market Fancy had already started and it was impossible to find. 

 

 

After my first quilt with Katie made over 3 years ago (above) I found I loved the soft texture and kept promising myself I was going to make myself a quilt with it.  I started 'collecting' it, trading on line for it when available until I had all prints in the line with the exception of the elusive green basket weave.  I did pride myself on not giving in to the urge to pay an extraordinary amount for the green, and allowed myself that I could do without that particular print, as long as I had the rest of the line.

 

Days, Months, Years pass....  I use the prints I have lots of here and there in projects, particularly the orange and turquoise, but I have lots so it was ok, when I got ready to use the whole line I had plenty.

 

Fast forward to this past week, I decided I needed a kick in the quilting pants and signed up for the Craftsy quilting class done by Camille Roskelley and after much thought decided to use the Katie Jump Rope for the first project, Piece of Cake 3. (note: both Piece of Cake 3 and Swoon patterns are included in the class, so if you are thinking of buying either, consider getting into the class instead)

 

I started cutting into my stash madly, deciding to make a queen size requiring the 36 blocks, 54 10x10 inch blocks.  Having found a couple other charm square patterns I thought I would make next I cut 4 squares of those prints I had yardage of  and 2 of those I had FQ of so that I had the rough equivalent of 4 layer cakes.  I started counting and was coming up short.. the line had 36 prints, I was missing the green basket weave, so I should have 35... but I only had 33. 

 

Research found that I had used up all of my orange bandanna and orange stripe...  (it was perfect in the OSU quilt I made for a graduation gift last spring) I only had a couple spare tumblers left.

 

 

UGGGHHHH!!!!

 

Lucky for me I found both available for a fair price on etsy and I hope to have FQ's by end of the week.  So, lesson learned, if collecting a line, do not use ANY of it until you have your primary project done.  I don't often use a full line of fabric for a quilt, but when I do, I want it all, so let the hoarding continue.

 

Is there a line you hoard? 

 

 

 

 

Something is done!

Well, parts are done.  The tshirt quilt top is completed.

 

It features shirts from each of the 3 years my daughter was in Color Guard as well as the shirts from the Texas state championships (that they won).

 

 

 

 

The back is done too!  It features the back of one shirt from each year capturing the names of her team mates as well as from the state shirts, showing the schools that also competed at that level.

 

 



 

I was a little tentative about making this.  I have never made a tshirt quilt before, but used the tutorial at Missouri Quilt Co and I am happy with the results.  

 

The hardest part was choosing the coordinating fabrics since I had no control over the colors in the tshirts, and there were a couple very strong colors, but I think everything came together well. 

 

I am sharing at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, something I have not been able to do in some time, since I have not done anything!

WIP's

 

 

Yes, I am working on stuff and there is progress, slow, but progress ....

 

My oldest got an iPad for graduation from her grandmother and I searched out a pattern to make a sleeve, something to give it some protection and a home in a backpack. 

The pattern I settled on is from One Shabby Chick. 

I have the first one all cut out ready to go, and I have a stack of cute fabrics to make some for all her fiends with iPads or macbooks.  

 

 

I did all that while I was supposed to be working on the tshirt quilt.  The blocks are all completed and put together and I have the blocks assembled that will go on the back as well. 

I am procrastinating on the borders and them completing the back which will just be blocking big pieces around the two sets I have put together.... need to get to that...

 

 

 

 This is still sitting out which is a good sign, I have not put it away out of sight to be forgotten.  After finding the perfect color for the border, Kona Cotton Cerise, I kinda fell into a black hole with no inspiration ....  need to work on that.... 

 

 

I still have this stack, the pile I started for my my daughters college quilt.  I have not cut into it yet.  Rather than a graduation gift it may be Christmas. I am thinking about using  it for Camille Roskelley's  hashtag pattern that is part of her Craftsy class that I got the coupon for when buying her new book.

Idea on that idea?

 

 
Olds list ot WIPS I think are some where in my sewing room :
 Rainbow blocks, Chubby Stars QAL, American Jane blocks, Round & Round, Pinwheel Sampler, postage stamp, Swoon, Arcadia

I'm Sewing!

I am doing something new, a T'shirt quilt.  I will admit that in the past couple of years I have had people approach me asking me to make them one for their children with Soccer, Band, Track, whatever shirts they have collected, and I viewed such projects with disdain indicating that is not the type of quilt I make.

 

Now that my oldest is graduating, I decided to try one with the numerous shirts she has collected, and found this tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Co.  I approached the project as a way to use fabric from my sizable stash, and presented my daughter with three fabric piles of coordinated fabric.  She liked the orange/blue/yellow/grey, but hated the fabric that I had for backing.

 

So, I went shopping, and found this fabric at one of the discount warehouses that I love so much.  I took the bolt to the counter for 4 yards and the lady helpfully pointed out that I could buy a whole bolt of 12 yards for only $10 more, $30 total.  Well, that's a deal I could not pass on!

 

And, as always, one project leads to another.  I got my new quilt book in the mail yesterday and found the perfect pattern to use all the leftover strips from the block borders, my motto being why finish a quilt that is started when you can get another one going!  There was also a nice coupon in the book for 50% off the Craftsy class that I have been wanting to sign up for, what a deal!