A Little Husband Love

I live with this man who patiently takes out my 6 foot folding table and allows me to take over the living room quilting each weekend.  I live with a man who tolerates threads everywhere in our house.  Every where.  I live with a man who never mentions my growing fabric stash, but always gets up every time I ask him to come “check out my newest block.”  I live with a man who truly celebrates and encourages my new found love of quilting, and I am so thankful that he gets me.  I live with a man who has yet to get a quilty gift from me.

Even though I sometimes look at him like this…

and because he always looks at me like that (yea, right…)

My man needs a gift.

Renee over at Quilts of a Feather, one of my first quilting friends, is the best at sending random surprises.  A ways back I mentioned that I loved a geeky watch fabric that she had, because of course my husband not only HAS a calculator watch, but he wears it proudly.  She surprised me by mailing off a piece and when I opened it I happened to have my leftover Chicopee out from this quilt. It was serendipitous.  The colors were such a perfect match and they just screamed Forrest.  I borrowed Cath’s paper piecing pattern over at Wombat Quilts, and quickly whipped up a pillow top.

I love how this turned out – now it’s time to quilt this baby and turn it into a pillow for his office.

Did you know his office is the one place I’m not allowed to put things… we’ll see about that…. muahahahahahaha.

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

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?)

Scraps for Me

Today I was sucked into the black hole otherwise known as Pinterest.  I swear, once I start, I just can’t stop.  If I made one tenth of the things that inspired me on Pinterest, I would be an old, old lady.  Then I saw this pin:

SAY WHAT?

I wanted it.  Then.  Now.  Yesterday.

Paper Piecing has been on my “to-do” list, but kind of like eating healthy for a month is on my “to-do” list.  It’d be nice if it could happen… However, my desire for this block outweighed my laziness.  Hooray!

Luckily for me, it’s a free block by Anna at Six White Horses, and I immediately downloaded it from Craftsy.  Then, I looked up a great Paper Piecing tutorial by Faith at Fresh Lemon Quilts and watched a few videos on You Tube.  (I also watched an episode of the newest season of The Real World… Yes, sometimes I think I’m still in college!  At least now I know that is most definitely not the real world.)

Then, I got straight to work.

Finishing the first “piece”.  1/8 down…

I was a little nervous piecing together my first two blocks, but I have to say it: this is the best my seams have ever looked.  Ever.

(Yes, there’s a mistake in the top right corner, but I kind of like it when the first block I make in a pattern has a mistake.  It helps me appreciate my “firsts”.  I didn’t feel comfortable taking out an entire seam, so I just added to a piece and I figure quilting will cover it up!)

So, why Scraps for Me?

WELL, when I saw the scrappy goodness of the original Pinterest pin a new quilt clicked.  I love the different fabric lines that I’ve used or bought to make quilts.  However, I know that most of them will be heading to other homes.  While this is one reason I wanted to blog, to keep track of what I have made, I thought why not keep the scraps as well?  And, so, this is the beginning of my Scraps for Me quilt.  This quilt could take one year, or years, depending on how fast I make some quilts.  (And, yes, actually quilt and bind them too! I know, I know.)  With each quilt I make, I’ll take the scraps and create a scrappy paper pieced block.  I’m actually pretty excited about this because I’ll be able to keep a piece of all the quilts with me and still enjoy the fabric lines that I’ve bought over time without making an entire quilt.  Maybe I should call it Scrapbook?

Genius.