Quilts for Boston

A while back, I posted a response to the Boston Marathon bombings.  One of the reasons I am most excited about quilting has been the community I have found with other quilters.  I look forward to seeing not only how they inspire me through their work, but I have found this community to be incredibly giving and comforting.  Since I am a newbie, this quilt drive for Boston was my first chance to “join in” on the giving.  I really wanted to contribute blocks to the Boston Modern Quilt Guild and their efforts to make quilts for those affected by the bombing.  Since I couldn’t go to my own guilds meeting last night due to a performance by my students from last year, I took the night to make two blocks.  While my contributions are small, I hope that they bring comfort to whoever gets my blocks.  I’ve been so inspired by others who have made quilt blocks and the update I read from Stephanie on Wednesday.  So far, the quilts look beautiful!

I don’t know which block I like better, and I’m happy that the color scheme is not one I would normally work with.  (On another note, this makes me want to jump head first into the scrappy trip along madness that I missed since I was a newbie.  That block was so much fun!  Don’t be surprised if you see a quilt start in a few days….)  So, to the quilters in Boston who are putting this together – thank you for your hard work to bring this together and I know these quilts will bring comfort.

A quilt will warm your body and comfort your soul.  ~Author Unknown

WiP Wednesday

Quilting Alert!  Quilting Alert!

I have now officially machine quilted – successfully.  The mod patchwork baby quilt from my Quilting 101 class taught by Melanie is now quilted!  I am beyond ecstatic!  So, from my previous disaster with machine quilting to now, I can say that a walking foot is a god-send, and that it helps to keep the weight of the quilt on my upper body.  It was also more than helpful to have Melanie there to tell me that every thing was A-OK.

For this quilt we practiced straight line quilting a quarter inch from each seam.  I love how this looks on the front:

My husband loved how it looked on the back.  I thought, great, could have just used this fabric on both sides – it would have been a whole lot easier!  Haha.

I just love the little boxes that form in the corners:

Now that it’s quilted, I have a confession.

I was afraid of quilting.

But, I’m really afraid of binding.

I’ve bought the fabric and I’ll make the binding this weekend.

We’ll see how this goes…

On a brighter note, I can start quilting some of the tops I’ve made!  However, I have this sick addiction to buying fabric and making quilt tops.  We’ll see if I can overcome!

Happy WiP Wednesday, y’all.  I can’t wait to see what you’re up to…

Hey, Honey, Honey!

Since I made my granny square quilt top, (which I just realized I never took a “finished” picture of this quilt top… guess I get to be the crazy lady stopping traffic again this weekend) I have been itching to use Kate Spain’s Honey Honey line again.  Seriously, I love her designs.  I loved making a quilt with her Cuzco line so much, that I decided I needed one with Honey Honey as well.  I’ve post my design plan in a previous post, but I finally have actual fabric up on the design wall!

For this quilt, I’ve used two charm packs of Honey Honey and some strips from a jelly roll of Moda White.  Basically, I hate cutting, so this cut down on a lot of prep work.  (No pun intended…)  Plus, I was able to use the whole fabric line, which I love – because there was no way I could pick a favorite fabric.  Plus, I like more chaotic designs.

I cut the charm squares in half, paired them with a strip of jelly roll that was cut to 2.5 x 5 inches long, chain pieced for day, and then ironed them.  (Grrrrr.  I hate ironing, too.)  Then I squared them up to 4.5 x 4.5 inches.  All of them.  But, really, that’s pretty low prep for a quilt top, so I’m not complaining.  It did help that the supplies were already basically ready.

Here’s the progress I made this weekend:

I just love these Spring-y fabrics.  Even if New Jersey forgot about Spring this year, I’m determined to bring some Spring into my life with this quilt.  I’ve yet to name it, and it hasn’t decided who its owner is yet.  I’m thinking that this one will be pretty easy to quilt because I can easily follow the white sections with some straight line quilting and “follow the pattern”.

I have all of the other pieces ready to go, and I hope to have it all ready to piece together this weekend.  I might need to slow down on how many quilt tops I have in the wings to quilt this summer…  I see no rest for this weary teacher…

This weekend I may have also cut my hair shorter and bought a dress in preparation for our upcoming anniversary trip in June.

I bought some bathing suits, too, but I’ll spare you!

That’s what I’m sewing these days, and tonight I’m off to quilt class to actually quilt something!  So get excited to see some real live quilting here soon.

Today I’m linking up with Let’s Get Acquainted Monday and I can’t wait to see everyone’s projects!  Happy Monday to ya!

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree

The other day I had to call my mom to ask her a question. (Heck, everyday I have to call my mother to ask her a question.  How long to cook a potato.  What cut of meat to buy for a stew.  Should I buy this?  Did I say the wrong thing. Etc.)  On this day, my students overheard the end of the conversation: “Love you, mommy.”

They thought it was hysterical.

Even my coworkers thought I had suddenly sprouted a second head.

Apparently I’m too old to call her mommy.  “Why don’t you call her by her first name?”

Sometimes I do.  Sometimes I make up an extra addition to her name and call her Sarah Jane.  Sometimes it’s Maj, and sometimes it’s Madre.  It’s often Momma.  But, I still break out mommy.  As far as I’m concerned, she is my mom, maj, Sarah Jane, Momma, and mommy.

No matter how old I get, she is without a doubt the voice I trust the most.

After 28 years of seeking her advice, love, and wisdom first, I think it’s natural to call her what she is.  So, as a detour from the progress that’s on my design wall, today I am celebrating my mommy.

She is the woman who taught me how to embroider when I was a tiny thing.  She is the woman who bought me craft supplies even when money was tight.  She is the woman who let me experiment with color, mess her kitchen up, and told me everything I made was beautiful.  She is also the woman who gave me critique, made my eye sharper, and taught me to take pride in my work.  “Garbage in, garbage out.  Take your time, Ashley.”

She might not think so, because she is her own worst critic, but she is also where the art comes from in my DNA.  She is clever with her design and knows how to make simple stunning.  She is more subtle with color, but she taught me to be bold and always encouraged me to trust my instinct.  In everything.

I mean, hello, she not only made the two beauties in this picture, but also the quilt behind them.  My mother is talented, strong, and beautiful.  So, today, everyday, all the time, I love you, Mommy.  Thank you for all the Sculpey Clay when I was younger, the yarn, knitting needles, embroidery hoops, the fabric for my first quilt, the trips to art museums, and for teaching me to express myself always.

Love you, mommy.

I Bought You Something…

The other night, my husband came home from Barnes and Noble (his fabric store).  Usually, he heads there and reads, drinks coffee, decompresses, and finds books to buy on Amazon. 

I hear, “I got this for a penny.” quite often.  He’s pretty proud of himself that he never buys books for retail.  So, when he came home with a bag and said it was for me, I was pretty intrigued…

He bought me a book about quilters.

He spent money on a book about quilters.

I married a good one.

Now, I’ve finished the book, which I found rather enjoyable.  It’s a quick and easy read, nothing profound and life changing, but one of those books that are “just for fun.”  Really, all it’s made me want to do is go on a quilters’ retreat.  Like now. 

WiP Wednesday

Whew, today I just have to say that I’m a work in progress.

After 5 months of working with my machine, I just figured out how to make it back stitch.

Better later than never, right?

Monday night, I had week 2 of my quilting class at RPS with Melanie.  After holding off for an entire week, and not doing anything with the squares we cut from last week, I finally got to piece everything together!  I have to say, small brag coming, my piecing is getting so. much. better.  A few seams are still off, but overall I’m so happy with this quilt top!

Last night, my goal was to get this puppy basted.  So round and round I went…

…until I had a zero-calorie quilt sandwich, friends!

Sorry for the lighting, but it was already dark outside and my hair was a sopping wet mess.

This will have to do:

The back is a large piece of the printed fabric from the patchwork.

(Which I may have bought 2 more yards of this week…)

In other exciting news, this book also came in the mail!

I’ve been so inspired by Cath’s paper pieced stars over at one of my favorite quilting blogs, that I decided to buy the book for future reference. (The linked post has many of her stars together, but click on the category for Paper Piecing to see all of the stars she’s made!  Do it.  Inspiring.) The two paper pieced star blocks I’ve made my for Scraps for Me quilt have been so much fun, but I’m hoping to start a larger project at some point.  A point in the far future, after I finish my fabric diet.

Now that this quilt is basted and ready for class next Monday, (Mom, where was this motivation in High School?!) I’m ready to start on this quilt! The white fabric came in the mail today, so I hope to have some progress soon

Happy WiP Wednesday friends – be sure to check out the other projects!

(Have I mentioned that I love Wednesday?)

SHHHHHH, Don’t Tell the Hubs

I feel you, girl.  I feel ya.

This may or may not have just happened.

Good thing the comic says her name is Alice, not Ashley!

Five Monkey Fabrics is having a sale on my favoriteeeee fabric line, Chicopee, and an overall 10% off store wide coupon.  When I saw that I could get this entire line for this price, I took it as fate and a gift for my stressful month.  I have so many quilts that I want to make with this line, for myself, and for others, so I just couldn’t say no!  This is honestly the fabric line that hooked me with this quilt by Film in the Fridge:

Now, I really am going on a fabric diet.

For real this time.

No, really.  I am.

Actually, I have quilt class tonight… Crap.

Charming Chevron

The charming chevron quilt top is finished!  (Well, I might add some white borders because it’s smaller than I imagined it’d be, but that’s manageable.)  I don’t know how it happened, but I messed up the order of some of the blocks.  I literally did them row by row, and looked at an image of the quilt while I was working and I still managed to get off.  Mistakes happen and my friends are really nice so I should be good.  And, if you don’t get too close all the points match!  Woohoo.  Victory.

I would have been finished sooner, but this happened on our way to lunch.  (Bagels.  Duh.)

Reason 722 that I love my town.

Street Fairs.  With funnel cakes.

That is all.

Here she is:

Again, I was the weird quilt lady stopping traffic.

The hubs was also creative director placing the quilt and smoothing out corners.

He just makes me love him more…

I do have a plan for quilting this sucker, but I have to take another FMQ class.

And practice for hours.

Soon it will be heading across the ocean!  And hopefully I will follow it for a visit.

Linking up with Plum and June’s Let’s Get Acquainted – check out the other works!

Spring Cleaning (the Design Wall)

This Saturday started with a bang.  Construction right.outside.my.house.  No.  No, siree, this is Saturday.  Luckily I have earplugs on hand, a fan, window unit, and an app for white noise.  Don’t mess with teachers’ day to sleep in.

Then I spent a lot of time sewing this quilt together:

(Don’t worry, Renee, I have fixed those reds/pinks )

I think this one has taken me so long to finish because it already looks done on the design wall.  So. not. true.  This joker is a time suck.  So many points to match up, ironing each.step.of. the.way. 

But, I’m proud to say that I’ve made some progress:

(I need to empty out my trash…)

Four rows are completely sewn together:

Hopefully I can finish this one up tonight so that I can start piecing together my next quilt.  This is why I needed to clean off my design wall:

I don’t know who this one belongs to yet, but I’m sure it will come to me.

Now I’m off to a dinner with my husband and his coworkers.  I realized 25 minutes ago that the pants I was going to wear are dirty.  So, now I’m blogging and praying that an outfit becomes magically ready.  I am so smart sometimes.

Happy Saturday, y’all!

 

WiP Wednesday

April Showers bring May Flowers March Quilt Blocks?

In an effort to catch up before May 1st and the next block, I broke out my Lark fabrics for the Sister’s Ten BOM from… March.  Yes, I have January, February, and April done.  Going against the grain here…

After Monday’s quilt class I was more inspired to cut and get work done:

Maybe tonight I’ll be motivated to sew them together…

Happy WiP Wednesday, friends!