quilting connection

Autumn, Like The Season has been added to Quilter's Qua. Thanks to Connie for the thoughtfulness in including me.

done!

Whew! It's only the second day of a three day weekend and I've had a blast. We've been on the road for soccer all weekend. I was able to complete my mom's gift in the car yesterday. I washed it this morning. It's wonderful.


I visited an out-of-town JoAnn's and found my favorite......Mocca, by Alexander Henry (pictured on left). I bought the rest of the bolt. A little over 4 yards.

My husband was nice enough to take me here, where I found some Lush, Alexander Henry Seagulls that I've been dying to buy, and some other great finds.




Soccer was good, but I'm looking forward to a day at home. Tomorrow I will begin binding this.

What to do next? That Buttercup Bag looks fun and has been on my "to do" list for quite some time.

fresh air quilt

Guess who's home from the long-arm machine? I love her. She's so pretty. I can't wait to bind her, but know it's going to take some time, due to the larger size.

tips for taking it easy

The other day I was "all a tizzy" thinking about the reality that I was about to quilt my mom's gift. Quilting just isn't a natural talent for me. However, I began the job.

I sat down and started. Sweat began to bead up on my neck.....this was going to be a long road. I reminded myself who I was quilting for, my mom. This is the lady who cherishes my little pincushion, stuffed with cotton balls, the one I made when I was too young to even use a sewing machine. This thought relaxed me a little.

Music. The room was too quiet. I turned on a newly purchased Dave Matthews album and instantly felt my mood get even lighter. I was on the road to recovery.

The sewing continued. There were a few moments when I had to replace a bobbin or rethink the direction of my meandering, but the experience wasn't as bad as I expected. Positive thoughts and Dave Matthews really helped.

When I finished I decided this was a good quilt to try some "boo-boo" fixes on. Overall, the quilting is pretty nice, but there were a few stitches that were larger than others or the back thread was a little loser than I'd like. I removed these with CARE and then some additional stitches. Then I just ran over that area, backstitching at beginning and end, to create a pretty nice looking "band-aide".

The hand binding is close to done. I will probably finish it tonight and give it a good wash in the morning. My crafting time has been limited, but I really want to see this completed before I head to bed.

i hate this part

"Hate" is a strong word, so maybe "strongly dislike" is more appropriate. I had to use that title because of the song by the Pussycat Dolls that's ringing in my head.

It's ready to be quilted.......am I? Quilting is always the hardest part for me because I nitpick the stitches. Are they too large? Too small? How's the tension? It's just so much pressure. I'm waiting for it to get easier, but I always get nervous just before I get started. That's usually when I start thinking about my next project.

Aren't these the cutest fabrics? The birdies are Moda's Urban Chicks.....I think the line is Sweet. The florals are Amy Butler's Daisy Chain. I can't wait to bind it. This quilt has taken me much longer than expected. My life has been soccer, soccer, soccer. I need some down time to catch up with this project. Truth be told, this is my mom's Mother's Day gift. For 2009, I swear. *Mom, surprise!*

happy mother's day

Happy Mother's Day, mommies!
(check out my new pin cushion)

getting stuff done

This top is finished and was dropped off this morning to be quilted. Waiting is the hardest part.
300 inches of binding, ready for that phone call. I'm hoping to get it back in time to finish the binding and use it in May's Spring to Finish.

These are the start of a new project. Hopefully, something smaller, so I can quilt it myself and finish it without any torturous wait.

happy national scrap booking day

I support crafting, in general.....so to all scrappers, "Happy National Scrap Booking Day!"

not much of anything

I feel like I failed at Jacquie's Spring to Finish challenge.  I was going to finish so many projects and it just didn't happen.  There were a few small successes.  This one, which I realized I've never shown the back of, and another t-shirt quilt, and the Fussy Quilt top.  The Fussy Quilt will be quilted by someone else, due to the thickness of the fabric, but it's still a finish for me because I can say "I'm done with it".  That's 3 entries......do my Spring Chicks count?

This quilt has taken a turn.  My husband says I like to take out stitches more than I like to sew.  Maybe.  The bright yellow had to go.  It was replaced with some Heather Ross.  I have 6 blocks done, now all different sizes, and I'm stuck.  Should I frame them with an ecru muslin or grey organic kona cotton?  Will it be a square or more of a thick rectangle?  

Tonight is a big night.  My girlfriends from high school are starting a craft group.  There will be food, fabric, and some scrapping.  I'm thinking it's the perfect opportunity to start a new quilt.