Katie's Cabin

Don't you just love how traditional blocks can still feel fresh and new depending on your fabric choices?  The Log Cabin block has been around for ages but the fabrics make the quilt special every time.  Fons and Porter sent me this great Build Your Best Log Cabin e-book that can be downloaded from their website.  Its chock full of instructions and ideas for using the Log Cabin block and creating your own quilt.  I've only done 2 log cabin blocks in my quilting life so I thought why not?


Fons & Porter's e-book - click to visit their site

My sweet dog Katie comes to work with me everyday and I decided she needs a little floor quilt for when she's not greeting customers.  She's gotten in the habit of snoozing on the anti-fatigue mat that I keep behind my cash register counter which makes things a little difficult for me.  I hate to make her get up and move every time I help a customer, so I'm thinking if she has a special place near the counter maybe we'll both be happy.

"Its hard working greeting customers & supervising my human"

This e-book is really full of good stuff.  I love how they provide a little history of the block and show some examples of antique quilts too.  Isn't it amazing to think we're making the same quilt blocks that were new and trendy in the mid-1800's?  They have included instructions for the traditional Log Cabin block, the Courthouse Steps block plus the Chimneys & Cornerstones version of Courthouse Steps, and also instructions for a Chevron version of the Log Cabin.  This e-book just keeps on giving!  You can make your own quilt design using the blocks, and they give you lots of details on how many strips to cut for 5 different sized blocks for each of those three block patterns along with setting option ideas.  Then there are 4 quilt patterns included in the book too.  Its really a treasure trove of goodies!  There are also a couple other interesting things in the book, but I'll let you discover those on your own.

So here's the fabric pull - I thought pink and aqua would be fun.  Its time to start cutting!  I really love this e-book from Fons & Porter and I hope Katie will love her quilt.  I'll show you when its all done!

September Sew and Tell

Can you believe September is more than half way over already?  Where does the time go?  Last month I moved into a new house and boy, the unpacking takes forever.  I see moving as a chance to become better organized and it always seems to take me a while to decide furniture placement and all that fun stuff.  Plus this house has a pool, so I have probably been treating myself to more down time than normal.  Its lovely to be able to enjoy the water right in my own backyard.  My nephew-dog Max likes it for sure.  Katie is part golden retriever, but she is not a water dog so she stays a few feet back.  Silly pooch.  Here's Max enjoying the sun after romping with the lizards.

My sewing room is still a work in progress, so I've set up a little sewing space on my desk in the living room.  Last night I got an itch for a quick project, so I made my first Granny square.  I'm a little obsessed with orange and turquoise / aqua / teal as a color combination these days.  It seems very Florida, between the orange for the obvious local citrus and bright blues for the almost always sunny skies.  They don't call it the Sunshine State for nothing!  My lil Granny is made with 2 inch scraps and a white border of about 2 inches as well.  Finished out at 9 inches square, with cross hatch quilting on the block itself, and some square echo quilting in the border.  Super simple and I finished it in one sitting.  Talk about instant gratification!  This will either go on the wall of my sewing room, or I may use it as a mug rug or a place to rest my iron.

 

I've also been working on some hexies.  This lime and orange one uses plastic templates that I bought at Joann's.   More citrus colors!

 

 

This one I started a long time ago using paper templates.  I definitely prefer the plastic because my hexies are more consistently shaped that way.  I'm not sure if I cut them out messy or if its because the foundation of paper is so much more flexible, but I seem to do better with the plastic.  Also, I really need to work on my seams.  I tried both ladder stitch and whipstitch to put these together and you can see most of my stitches in person.  Phooey.  Looks great in a photo though. ;)

 





Those little trees from Erin McMorris are so cute!  This one is appliqued onto a large scrap of purple waves and it is destined to become a zippered pouch for my hexies-in-progress.

My other project in the works is a jelly roll quilt with simple squares.  Once the cutting is done and you've got all the block components put into piles, chain piecing makes these blocks a breeze.   The fabric is Frolic by Sandy Gervais and as I work with it, I'm loving it more and more.  The colors are a great combination. I would never think to add in brown with the cheerful coral and turquoise and yellow, but I think this combo really makes the fabric pop.

 

 

Next on my to-do list are some X and + blocks for my circle of do.Good Stitches, and something fun for the Wicked Blog Hop next month. 

 

I'm linking up with the lovely Amy at AmyLouWhoSews with her Sew & Tell Friday.  Hop on over to see what other projects are out and about! 

  

 

Weekend WIPs

There are a few things I'm working on this weekend.  I don't have 'normal' weekends, since I'm a shopkeeper and my only day off is Monday but my brain still thinks of Saturday with a 'woo hoo.' One of the things I'll be working on this weekend is my dragonfly embroidery.  I'm trying to decide if I want the black defining the wings or not.  Design decisions can be difficult.

I also started a bird pillow in Fresh Flowers to coordinate with the Birdhouse Paper Pieced Pillow that I made a couple weeks ago.  That pillow sits on a bench in my store and it looks lonely, so I thought a little birdy family pillow would add some fun.  The birds all have different shapes, and I'm not sure I like that so they may change before I applique them on.  The bottom row isn't too tidy either, so I think I'll take the seam ripper to that and make it prettier.

I need to work on my Table Topper Swap project, and I'm trying to choose colors for my swap partner.  She didn't ask for anything specific other than the size, so its nice to have the freedom to play.  The Red, White & Blue Blog Hop is coming up soon too, and I had a third idea this week although I haven't worked up samples for any of them yet.  Then there's my June blocks for do. Good Stitches, and the swap project for our circle is due at the end of August. 

Lots of projects to choose from, and luckily no immediate deadlines.  What are you working on?

Here and There

Here and there I've been working on a bunch of things, and it always feels like no matter what I get done the list is still long.  I've created new branding graphics for the blog and for my Etsy shop.  I wanted a vintage-looking sewing machine and some pink peonies of course, so this is what I came up with.  I use DrawPlus for graphics, both for work and fun, and it seems like I'm getting faster at completing things.  Hopefully that means I'm getting better too!  (DrawPlus is available at serif.com in both a free trial version and a paid version with lots of bells & whistles.)  I couldn't figure out how to get the quilt to look like its draped over the tabletop. 

When I get some time to put my feet up, I've been working on a new embroidery pattern I drew.  I love Celtic knots and I love the well known Irish Blessing, so out of my colored pencils came this pretty knot.  There will be a flower ring around the whole thing too - it will be a great pattern for hoop art or for a pillow cover.   "May the road rise to meet you."

Another item on my to-do list is a new doggie mat for Katie.  A while ago I did a disappearing nine patch with a small charm pack and it finished out at doll quilt size so its just barely big enough for her to lay on.  She's been using that in my bedroom instead of her giant doggie bed.  She seems to like having just a little cushion between her and the floor, so I want to make her a new one that is a bit bigger.  Another nine patch might be just the thing, so I tried a couple ideas on paper before sewing & chopping.  We have the disappearing kind and the not really disappearing kind here. I think she'll end up with the second version below. 

Using colored pencils is just so fun.   Work is keeping me busy these days, so the sewing has fallen by the wayside this week.  Its never far from my thoughts though.  Monday is my day off & I'm looking forward to sewing all day long!

WIP Wednesday

Its Wednesday again, and that means its time for a Works In Progress roundup, and a visit to Freshly Pieced! 

Have you tried paper piecing?  I've seen some wonderfully creative blocks on the web that use paper piecing to make a shape within a block, and then there are all the gorgeous variations of New York Beauties.  In March, our assignment for the Inspire Circle of do Good Stitches was to use the Lone Starburst pattern from Six White Horses, using a combination of navy, aqua, kelly green and citron, with a white background and center stripe. I'm embarrassed to say this is still a WIP but I should be able to finish tonight.

What I love about being in a group like do Good Stitches is that each month, I get to create something with specific instructions and it almost always gets me out of my comfort zone.  We are either using a color combination that is new to me, or a new pattern, or a new technique and that helps to expand my skills as a quilter.  Plus of course I'm helping to make something useful and comforting for someone else.  I love this block, but man does it take a long time to matchup fabric, sew, flip, trim, matchup fabric, etc. etc. etc.  A. Long. Time.  Its a gorgeous block though and its going on the list of blocks to be included when I do a star sampler quilt. To learn more about do Good Stitches, please visit our Flickr page.

Another WIP is the sunglasses case for my friend's mom.  I am kind of winging it, and I've decided the prototype isn't quite right so I'm trying to figure out a new strategy for making it more of a clutch.  I tried putting binding on the flap edges but I had some difficulty so I ripped it off.  My friend said her mom would prefer bright & cheery to shabby chic florals, so I've gotten a new fabric combo ready to go.  It has to be ready by our lunch date on Monday, so you'll see the finished product soon!

And since I thought you deserved something pretty to look at, here is my blooming orchid.  I bought this plant on St. Patrick's Day when I moved to Florida in 2010 and its doing pretty well considering I have not been treating it very well.  She needs to be repotted for sure.  The blue & white china flower pot was a gift from parents several years ago when I started a new job, so it makes me quite happy to see a plant enjoying it!

What have you been up to?

Springing into March

Its a new month and that's always a great time to take a look back and to plan ahead!  Lily's Quilts has a Fresh Sewing Day at the beginning of each month and I love that idea, so I'm jumping in this month.  February was not as productive as I had hoped, but I got a few things accomplished.  Some pillows to go in the Etsy shop...

A cute red heart pillow to add a bit of Valentine's cheer to my house ...

And some blocks for do. Good Stitches got finished up and sent off.

 

That doesn't seem terribly productive at all, now does it?

This week I will be finishing up a cute gnome embroidery project.  I've been doing alot of doodling lately, and that turned into embroidery ideas, and that just might turn into a new line of patterns in my Etsy shop.  This fella isn't finished yet, and I'm not sure I like the chain stitch for the mushroom top so that may change before you see this in its final form.  Its messier in person than this photo shows.

My Orange Waves quilt, based on the New Wave Quilt by Oh, Fransson is also on my list of WIPs to finish up in March.  I've got two and a half columns done.  The pieces are all cut, so its just a matter of sitting down and sewing it all up.

And recently I stumbled across these Sunbonnet Sue blocks from a few years ago.  When I first got into quilting, I wanted to make a Sue quilt for my baby niece. Her nursery was primarily yellow and green so this quilt would have gone nicely.  But time passed, and this quilt didn't get finished.  I need to finish up the Sues, choose fabric for sashing and get 'er done.  I'm going to try to get this into the Etsy shop soon. 

And my final task for this month?  I think I'd like to change my online identity.  I have an idea for the name I'll use, and a super sweet logo to go with it, but I haven't pulled the trigger.  It means transferring the blog to its new name, changing the Etsy shop, and changing my Flickr and Twitter accounts too.  If you have any advice on recreating your online identity, please share!

 

I'm linking up with Lily's Quilts Small Blog Meet.  Its a great spot to meet new bloggers so be sure to go and check it out! 

A Lovely Dresden

Dresden plates are a lot of fun and fairly quick, especially if you're only doing one. I've been anxious to cut into my Lovely by Sandy Gervais stash.  So perky!  Maybe I will make four and turn them into a little wall hanging.

Back in the Saddle

My free time has been seriously limited for a couple months so I have had to resign my creative time to portable knitting and hand sewing, but I've gotten back into the sewing room at last.   I'm getting caught up on do Good Stitches blocks as quick as I can.  My little buddy has finally decided the new pillow I made for the sewing room is acceptable to her.  She doesn't look too happy that I'm taking pictures though, does she?

I've been wanting to play with half square triangles (HSTs) in a format other than pinwheels, and decided to seize the day.  It took forever to choose a color concept, but eventually I picked out three Anthropology fabrics and two coordinating solids.  I was inspired by Jeni's Vintage Sheet Pillow Cover Tutorial at In Color Order. I loved how her placement starts in one corner, rather than creating a diamond bulls eye in the center. I wanted more stripes though, so I went with smaller piecing. These were 3 inch squares, creating 2.5 inch HSTs.



Like the pretty pink tape on my sewing machine?  It helps me keep my seam allowances a little more accurate.  Chain piecing makes this type of project roll right along fairly quickly once the cutting is done. Leaving the pieces connected makes the second seam on HSTs go super quick!  After some trimming you get to arrange them and the fun really begins.

Chocolate and teal!  Its very simple, and might be more interesting with more than 3 fabric choices but I like it so far.   I'm just not too confident in mixing fabrics yet. 

Sorry for the quality of the cell phone photos - my camera was at work.

What are you working on?

Blooming Progress

I'm working on a pillow for Valentines Day. I love all those felt flowery wreaths you see online and I thought it would look pretty on a pillow.  A huge heart for Valentines Day seemed just the thing.  More pictures when I'm all done!

Last Minute Mary

My mom used to always call either me or my sister Last Minute Mary. We generally work best under pressure, and getting ready for Christmas is no exception.  I'm working on a quick beret for someone on my gift list.  This is called Brambles, from Knitty.com Deep Fall 2010. Loving the pattern so far!   (also enjoying blogging from my phone!)

A little progress here, a little progress there

I spent alot of time this weekend working on my Love in a Mist blocks for the Red & White Swap.  These bias seams are killing me.  Using Best Press is very helpful, and I'm getting better but this block requires some serious concentration and some time.  It still takes about 2 hours to get one done.  Don't get me wrong, I'm loving it!  None of these are perfect, but I do think they are swap worthy.  I'd love to do a whole quilt in these one day, maybe in 30's fabrics?  One of the ladies on the board suggested a short cut for the diamond shaped portions and I'm looking forward to trying that.

After spending so much time on these I thought I needed a break, but not a sewing break!  I grabbed a charm pack that I bought at Joanns a while ago (at a great price of course), and thought I'd try the Disappearing 9 Patch that I see all over.  Its kinda fun!  First you make several of these:

And then you cut it in half both ways and you get to play with these:

It seems that I wasn't paying attention, and I rearranged a row without noticing it until the 9 patch had been cut, so I have 2 different blocks to work with here.  There were only enough charms in this little pack to make three 9 patches so I need to get more because this is just not big enough for anything.  When I go to add more, I think I'll repeat the mistake so I have a consistent set of blocks.  Its fun to play around with these.

And this morning before work I had a fabulous lightbulb moment!  My part time lady rearranged part of the store on Monday, and a bench we sell is now facing the front door, surrounded by a display of bird baths.  I like where its sitting, but I felt the display needed a pop of color.  While I was getting ready this morning, it hit me - I could whip up a little pillow for the bench!  So 40 minutes later I had a great little prop for the shop.

And a closeup - I love the fabric.  Its from the Robert Kaufman Joie de Vivre collection, which happens to be part of their breast cancer awareness lines.  I didn't realize that when I bought it, but I'm really happy I have it. 

These pictures look so much better on my computer.  What's up with that?

Work in Progress Wednesday

With two days off in a row, I had lots of time to sew, sew, sew.  This past weekend I worked on my Kaleidoscope QAL blocks.  I now have 2 whole rows done.  This is not my best photography but you can see how far I've gotten.  Can you tell which side of the room is all window?  And, my design wall is not large enough!

After washing my red fabric with one of those marvelous little Color Catchers, I finished cutting all the pieces for my Love in a Mist blocks for the Red & White Swap.  It took me over 2 hours last night to get one block pieced.  Oh my goodness, the seams are driving me insane.  I played around with the needle position on my machine in an effort to make a more accurate 1/4 inch seam, and I ended up moving it back to the middle where it started.  I read a really great tip about using the diagonal line on a ruler to square up HST's, and that has helped tremendously.  When I got the top third of the block done it measures 13.5 inches though!  I was apparently sewing more of a 1/8 inch seam so I ripped & re-sewed.  What a mess.  Here's block number one of nine.

It is far from perfect.  Hopefully they will get easier, and quicker.  At this point, I think I'll probably end up making 10 or 12 and choose the nicest ones to send along to the swap leader.  I love the block design though and I'm tickled with my fabrics.  I'm also kind of glad I'm challenging myself on this instead of doing a block with fewer or easier seams.  A girl should always be learning, shouldn't she?

I also finished 4 other zipper pouches for the Etsy shop.  I need to get them listed later today.

So much fun!  I also taught myself to crochet this weekend.  I did a small washcloth in double crochet, but I forgot to take a photo.  I wasn't following any pattern, and learned how to make scalloped edges.  Well it wasn't so much that I learned how but I stumbled across how to make scalloped edges because I wasn't counting right. ;) 

What are you working on?

WIP Wednesday

Not much quilting going on at my house.  My works in progress are more organizational than crafty these days and there's nothing terribly interesting to share at this point.  Unless you'd like to discuss how many sets of mixing bowls you think a girl needs, and where precisely she should put them in her awkward kitchen cabinets. ;)

I have finished 2 rows of my Orange & Pink Waves, using the New Wave pattern from Oh, Frannsson.  I really like the pattern, and I really like the fabrics I've chosen but I'm having a hard time keeping my seems even.  Sewing on the diagonal is harder than you'd think for a newbie.  I'm finding it difficult to get the triangles matched up evenly on the sashing as I go along.

I was quite tickled to finish the second column, but once I lined them up on my bed I realized that some of the sewing is a little off.  I think I used more than the standard 1/4 inch on one or more section of sashing on one column, or perhaps less than 1/4 inch on the other column? 

"Houston, we have a problem"

The odd thing is, that when I switch the placement of the two columns, the error doesn't seem quite so bad.   In this photo below, I matched the left side of column A to the right side of Column B instead of A-right to B-left.

And the error(s) isn't quite as dreadful.  There is definitely still a problem though, and I want to fix it before moving on.

I'm also 'working on' being brave enough to cut into my collection of Pop Garden and Nicey Jane for the Kaleidoscope Quiltalong.  I'm just not sure I've chosen the right color values, and I would hate to begin cutting and then end up with a bunch of scraps on the design wall that don't play well together with the pattern.   On the knitting front, my nephew requested a Jedi cloak in black and I've been working on that using the Wizard's Robe pattern from Charmed Knits.  I don't think I've done any knitting in almost a year, and I'm finding it very relaxing.  Plus that allows me to accomplish something while I'm sitting on my tush watching various shows on the DVR.  Getting something done while veggin out - gotta love that!

Work in Progress Wednesday

If variety is the spice of life, its also the spice of creativity.  Sometimes I think you need different projects for different moods, and certainly your circumstances create limitations.  I'm planning a road trip soon so I'll be bringing along some knitting and probably some embroidery.  No hand quilting in the car for me!

Here's the January block for Birdie Stitches.  I've got all the fabrics cut and partially sewn for the borders, but I don't have the borders on the blocks all just yet.  This requires some planning, so as to be sure I don't end up with certain fabrics right next to one another.  I love the January block - I made my birdie red for a winter cardinal, and the snowman is a fairly predictable blue.  But I made the snowy swirls pink.  I kept thinking about the blizzards in DC two years ago, and walking Katie in the deep, deep snow when there were no cars around.  It was so peaceful and truly beautiful, and for me it was food for the soul.

And here's May.  Yes, I know its weird to skip months like that, but I wanted to start with May because that's when I joined in and I figured I'd catch up with the other months later. Call me kooky.  So May was actually finished first, and I used purple for the field of small flowers because I used to bring my mom violets on May Day when I was a little girl.  The larger blooms are all sunny colors to celebrate spring.

I'm finding that even though I take my time sewing, I still end up crooked.  What is up with that?

Moving on to a new project, a couple of weeks ago I got a crazy notion that I wanted to do a pink and orange quilt.  I decided on the New Wave pattern from Oh, Fransson and found about half what I needed in my stash.  A quick trip to the LQS for some additional fat quarters and Bob's your uncle. Or so they say.  I've finally gotten everything cut and started sewing the columns this week.  I'm really excited about this one!

It's a well written pattern and easy to follow.  The time consuming part so far was the cutting.  Well, I started off with a brief delay of a few days because I didn't have a large enough piece of quilters template plastic to use for the 6x9 block template, but once I got past that wee hurdle I was on my way!

I thought I had a good shot of my orange & pink fabrics all stacked up but I can't find it.  I've been very out of sorts this week for some inexplicable reason.  The sewing has helped to center me, and since I've gotten two embroidery blocks done I feel like I've actually accomplished something. 

What are you working on?

WIP Wednesday

There are some wonderful blogs out there who publish "Wordless Wednesdays" with lovely photographs of nature, loved ones, new treasures and whatnot.  Personally, I think my photos are not quite up to snuff for that sort of thing, so I've decided to present you with "Work in Progess Wednesday" instead.  So here's what I'm working on!

I've been enjoying sewing some pinwheels using the leftover Amy Butler Daisy Chain fabric and a pretty floral white on white.  I have no clue what I'll do with them, but they make for some easy sewing when I'm not sure what else to do, or when I just need to sit and stitch unthinkingly for a few minutes.  One of the pinwheels here is backwards, but I'll fix it. My points are getting better all the time - practice really helps!

I've started the Birdie Stitches Block of the Month being offered by Little Miss Shabby.  Her blog is just wonderfully inspirational, and I've been admiring her BOM all along.  I chose about 14 FQ's from my stash in mostly saturated colors with a few lighter ones, and some white on white yardage for the embroidery space.  There are so many pretty rainbow quilts out there in blogland and on Flickr, I just had to try to create one myself.  I'm gaining confidence in combining fabrics, and I'm looking forward to the embroidery for this project.  I haven't done any in about 5 years, but I'm sure it'll come back to me quick.  This is the May block.

Finally, a patchy lap quilt of Strawberry Fields is on the design wall.  I love the strawberry red, and I'm kicking around the idea of not using the red charms in the main quilt, but creating a red flower applique in a corner or two.  I need some yardage too, but I haven't stumbled across any online or in my LQS yet.  Does it want sashing or should it just be patchy?  I've got 2 charm packs though, so this will likely get larger as time goes on.  The collection has a nice range of values and scales, like all Moda lines, and it was alot of fun rearranging the charms until I found an arrangement I like.  Its inspirational just on the wall!

Do you have more than one project going at a time?  Tell me what you're up to!