Preparing For Our Next Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild Meeting

I'm trying to decide which book to bring to the KCMQG meeting next week.  We've been asked to bring a favorite quilting book that we use a lot.  This is a great one that has lots of information (basic to advanced) on a wide variety of quiltmaking topics.  

Another book I use often is: 

It's great if you like to make sampler quilts.  I enjoy making samplers because it helps me to learn and practice new techniques.  This book (and others by the same author with similar titles) gives you patterns for blocks and directions to make them in a variety of sizes.  Patterns are pretty straightforward and the layout of the book makes it easy to quickly find what you are looking for.

A Pin Cushion Addict? And The Tip of the Day

I never thought much about it, but I have quite a few pin cushions...  Here are a few of them...

These first two belonged to my great grandmother.  I use the tomato looking one for needles.  It's got a little attachment (the strawberry looking thing) that sharpens needles.  Very handy.

These three were made by a good family friend, Mary Harrison.  She made all of them from discarded fabric (the bottom two were made from scraps she took from my sewing room trash can when she visited...). Was a great reminder that we should be resourceful and not wasteful.  She even saved up lint from her dryer to stuff these with.  I love them!

These are two of the ones I use most often.  The blue one is magnetic, so it's very handy.  I sometimes use it if I'm taking my sewing somewhere to work on it.  The one on the bottom is a nice and puffy one I bought at the Blue Valley Quilters' Guild's boutique during last year's quilt show.  It has my very favorite type of pins sticking out of it.  Love those flat heads.

I have two others that are not in my sewing room.  One is a triangular shaped chicken (and it has strangely flown the coop... not sure where it is!).  The other is an adorable little light blue crocheted cupcake.  Must get you guys a picture of these two...

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TIP OF THE DAY:

Last month, I learned from my friend Trisch that it's a great idea to store your safety pins in a box or tin that closes and that you should leave them open when they're in the box.  It's quicker to use these when pinning a quilt to baste it if the pins aren't shut.

She also puts each pin in place in the fabric without closing them.  When every safety pin is in place, she goes back and closes all of them.  This is because often when you're pinning a sandwiched quilt, it is a lot of trouble to have to go back and open each safety pin if you have to readjust your sandwich.

Gwen Marston's New Book: Jacks

I'm experimenting a little with some Linus quilts.  

This one is going to have lots of fun bright colors... Perhaps different combinations of blocks...

This block is crooked on purpose.  It's a 5 inch (4.5 inch finished) block called, "Jacks".

I think it is a fun one!

Blue Valley Quilters' Guild This Morning

I went to BVQG this morning.  Had a great time!  People brought in a few Quilts of Valor, so that's always fun.  Some are tops needing quilters... Some need backings...

A couple of friends donated fabric to the cause, too.  SO excited about that.  A bunch!

I've been playing quilt shop in my own kitchen, matching up things to make Linus Quilts, Downy Quilts and Quilts of Valor.

I need more time.

Pictures to come...

Stick Horses...

Wyatt's turning 3 in April.  We're having a little party for him and his buddies here at the house.  Very low-key this year.  Cowboy theme.  If all goes as planned, I'm going to make stick horses for him and all of his friends.  They can romp around the back yard with their stallions while we adults snap pictures and visit.

Here's my first attempt.  His name is "Ralphie" and Owen claimed him right away.

And here is Wyatt's horse.  His name is "Applejack".  He still needs a stick and some stuffing...

I will probably need to sew some nostrils onto Applejack, too...



2 horses (almost) down, 7 or 8 to go...

During Today's Naptime...

My choices are:

1.  Sweep and mop my floors. (not likely)
2.  Nap.  (sounding better)
3.  Clean more on my sewing room.  (I like the sound of this one because if it's clean, then I can give myself guilt-free permission to sew tonight!)

Will report back on the verdict...

Until then, here's a quick picture for you...

Yours truly many moons ago on Halloween.  Mom made my outfit and she did my "make up", too!

Progress.....

I cleaned for 3 hours in my sewing room today...

Halfway there...

Made some inspiration boards by stapling these (along with some batting) onto canvas.  Can pin things onto them that will inspire me to create...

Rearranged the daybed I keep in my sewing room.  Pushed it up against the railing and butted the ironing board up against it.  Makes the most of my space.

In my closet, I'm organizing my many UFOs...

Now for the messy part...

This stuff is headed downstairs.

This is a very nice old machine (Necchi) and cabinet that I got from my sister.  I think I'm going to move it to a different area so I will have more elbow room.  It will be set up for quilting full-time.  My other (newer machine- a singer) will be set up for full-time piecing near my cutting area.

This is the stack of things I still need to sort through and organize.  It's a table that I have my biggest cutting mat on and it's piled up with baskets/tubs full of misc. stuff... Buttons, thread, scraps, blocks, kleenex, ink pens, you name it.  

Notice my big design wall?  Love it.  Is new.

Here's another view of the mess...

This room is tricky.  Since it is the attic, the ceiling is slanted.  Makes for tricky arrangement.  I would love to have a wall of cabinets and shelves (might someday) but they'd have to be custom.  I even have room for a longarm quilting machine... but alas no funds...

A girl can dream... 

Linus Quilt

I put some 30's jelly roll strips together and am making a Linus quilt out of it.

I even started quilting it.  Myself.  On my machine.  I've rarely done that before and never anything more than stitching in the ditch.

I am fearless!  And Oh, so modern!

Check me out!

All Work And No Play...

I spent a couple hours upstairs today during nap time and then a couple more tonight after I got the kiddos to sleep...

Made some good progress on my attic closet...

My stash of scraps and fat quarters have been sorted by color and put into big baggies on a shelf...

I'm starting to put things into labeled shoeboxes (glue guns/glue sticks, staple gun, etc.)...

And I sorted through organizing bobbins, needles, thimbles, thread, pencils/pens, and sewing machine parts...


I even took the time to do a couple of projects that I've been meaning to get around to...

I was on a yo-yo kick for a while, there.  Made lots of them with my 30's stash.  They'd been hanging on my wall in a very haphazard fashion for a couple of years, reminding me every time I walked by that it was another unfinished project... So I stapled them onto a big canvas I had and *PRESTO*... Instant ART for my sewing room!

About 15 years ago, my great grandmother died.  Here's a picture of Grandma Nell...

At the time, I hadn't started quilting yet.  She was a quilter, though.  We have many heirloom quilts that she crafted over the years.  I went to Arkansas to help my grandmother and my father and aunt go through all of the things that she had accumulated over her lifetime.  This was a huge job because she was a bit of a hoarder...  Not so much in a messy fashion, but in an organized way.  She had lots and lots of things that were auctioned off.  I collected a few things to keep as mementos of her and thankfully, one thing I got was a big grocery sack of her quilting notions, templates and materials.  In this bag, I found some cut-out flowers.  I imagine she'd planned on appliqueing them at some point, but never got around to it...  I've been trying to think about what I could make with them to give to my aunt, sister and cousin to remember her by...  And I decided that they'd make cute lapel pins...  What do you think?

They are reversible.

Here is the one I'm keeping for me. :)  I love blue, you see...

I used antique buttons from my mother's button collection.  I'm thinking we'll use safety pins to put them on.  I'm pretty pleased with myself.

Tomorrow is Saturday, so maybe I can score some extra time to work upstairs...  Would love to get a couple of trash bags worth of stuff out of there...  Stay tuned!

I Told You It Was A Mess...

My sewing room.

A complete mess.  In every direction.

Must clean...

Today's Goals...

So... I haven't posted in a bit.  Let me catch you up!

When I last posted, my kids' toys had taken over my house, so I took them all (almost) and put them in the spare bedroom, which created a HUGE mess in there...  I was so optimistic that I could whip that room into shape in no time, along with my own bedroom (a few piles) and bathroom/closet (disaster area)...

Time passed...

Spare bedroom closet and bathroom were completely cleaned out to make room for organized storage of the toys...  So a lot of my crafting/sewing/painting stuff was dragged out of there and tossed into my sewing room (attic)...

Now I have organized most (not all) of the toys and put them away nice and neatly...  The kids have their favorite toys out and are being better about not scattering them everywhere... And my room is a tad better off...

Still my guest bedroom is not suitable for company, so I have been avoiding my sewing room as punishment for not completely spiffing things up around here... Until the day before yesterday.

I figured I needed some quilting therapy.  You see, I recently joined two more quilt guilds.  Yes, that's crazy.  I hear you.  I have been in Blue Valley Quilters Guild for several years and I have a fun time there when I can go.  It's during the day and I stay at home with my kiddos (1 and 2 year old boys), so they're not used to daycare of any sort.  My mother-in-law also belongs to the same guild, so we've been taking turns going every month or two and that's working out ok, but I've been feeling a little uninspired lately and needed some new energy... New inspiration...

At Blue Valley, my mother-in-law and I coordinate our efforts to make Quilts of Valor for US military service members who have been affected by war.  This is very rewarding and I have (seemingly) an army of women who help in so many ways.  I mostly coordinate this and do very little sewing.  I raise funds for materials, I help make kits and copy patterns, I write letters to the soldiers, we make pillowcases to go with the quilts and many other things... My mother-in-law helps a LOT.  She is a Godsend.  Over the past 1 1/2 years, we've sent many quilts to soldiers and more in the works.  70 something total (finished and unfinished).  Amazing.

After Christmas, I heard about a new guild that was forming.  The Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild.  It's a group that's growing quickly and has lots of energy.  Very inspiring.  I love that they're tech savvy (not the case so much at Blue Valley) and that their ideas are fresh and new.  They don't worry about perfectionism and that is a relief.  I feel more freedom to create.  We had a meeting last night.  Great fun. Very crowded (we've gotta find a bigger place to meet) but fun.

But I visited the Starlight Quilt Guild a couple of months ago and felt the urge to join.   I have a few friends there (some defectors from Blue Valley and others who are members at both) and am excited about a lot of the projects they're working on there.  Very excited to be doing a black and white charm square exchange in March.  Will get EIGHTY 5 inch squares... :)  FUN!  We had a meeting a couple of nights ago and I'm excited to get busy sewing.

And Starlight does Linus quilts (quilts for kids).  They want us to make 3 quilts per year to donate.

2 days ago, I escaped upstairs and started a Linus quilt.  Sewed together strips of 30's fabric from a jelly roll and sandwiched it.  I started quilting with my machine that I got a couple of years ago.  I haven't tried quilting with it before.  It's going pretty well, but I was VERY frustrated because it took me 45 minutes to find my sewing machine manual in that mess of an attic...

I must clean it up or I will not be as productive...

So I'm going to get off of this computer (kids are napping) and trudge upstairs to see what I can do about the mess.  I've started collecting shoeboxes from around the house...  Must make some visual progress before the boys wake up.

To spur myself into action, I'm going to take some before and after pictures.  I intend to post the before pictures on this blog soon....  Hopefully the embarrassment from sharing the pictures will FORCE me to get serious about tidying things up.

See you soon!  Stay tuned!

Tataw's Quilt of Valor

Here's the finished top...

Spring Cleaning... A Little Early...

Clutter has taken over my house and I have decided to take it back.

Until I get the rest of my house in order, I've actually forbidden myself from going up into my attic to sew.

*gasp*

I know.

Insanity!

But if I don't do something drastic, I think I'll misplace one of my toddlers in this house...

Stay tuned.  Hopefully, I can be back in business in a couple (or a few) days...

PS  Am also forbidding myself from buying ANY more fabric.  I have gotta start using up this stash of mine...

Red Scrappy King Sized Quilt...

I spent 6 1/2 hours on it yesterday.  Am a woman obsessed.

Alas, the housework has piled up.  Spent a week away from home with the boys and our mess followed us home...

So tonight involves rounding up toys, sorting them out, putting them back in their proper places, endless laundry...

But I'm on glass # 2 of wine!

And brownie #2...

So all is not lost...

Might even sneak upstairs when I can to sew a stitch or two...

I want the front of this quilt to be scraps of red fabric sewn together in a haphazard way... and I want it to be 100" by 120".

So far, I have 100" by 67"...  A king sized quilt takes a LOT of scraps, my friend!

Pictures will come soon...  Just let me sew a few more seams...

Bullseye Quilt

I made this bullseye quilt for my spare bedroom.  It's got panels on all 4 sides so that you cannot see the trundle beneath.  I have 4 shams that I haven't completed yet... Gotta get on that...

Quilt of Valor: Quilt of Many Colors

I've been in the Blue Valley Quilters' Guild for a few years now and over the past year or so we've been working towards making quilts for wounded soldiers through the "Quils of Valor Foundation".

At my guild, I provide block patterns each month for people to make and return.  I am not picky about color schemes but do request that they use quilt shop quality fabrics.

These are some of the wilder blocks that have been turned in over the past year or so.  Most of our quilt tops are more subdued and many are patriotic but this one stands alone.  We call it the "Quilt of Many Colors".  My friend, Trisch agreed to piece the top together, bless her soul.  I hope she wears her sunglasses!

:)

Coulter's Yellow Brick Road

My friend, Coulter has never quilted before but he wanted to make a quilt for his mom this past Christmas.  We got together every Tuesday night for many months and he worked really hard (was a perfect student- seam allowances were spot-on!) and whipped this top out in time for Christmas.... Would you believe this is his first attempt?!?  It's queen sized and he even dyed some of the fabrics in this quilt.  Love his choices in fabric!  So proud of him!

Owen's Queen Sized Quilt

I've been working on this quilt for Owen.  It's made from Civil War reproductions.  I participated in a charm square exchange and also raided the stashes of my mother-in-law and sister-in-law to come up with enough fabric to make a queen sized quilt.  

I'm wanting to add a couple of borders with Owen's full name spelled out in blocky, whimsical letters and perhaps the date along the other side.  I wanted something that was masculine and big enough for him to continue using into his adulthood.  This is the first "big boy" quilt that he will have.  Very excited to bet busy on finishing up his name so I can get this one off to the quilter's...

Tataw's Quilt of Valor

I'm making a Quilt of Valor for my grandfather.  We call him Tataw.  He was in WW II in the paratroopers and he will be turning 90 years old in the next couple of weeks.  I'm hopeful that I will be able to give it to him at his birthday party on Feb. 6th...

Here's the top, but tonight I worked on borders (not pictured).  They will be embroidered with details about his service/where he served, etc. in the next couple of days.

I had help with the blocks, but assembled them and designed the quilt myself.  Tataw will love it!

Making Progress

This quilt isn't quite big enough yet, but it's coming together nicely.  Sewing on it has truly been a liberating experience.  I am wondering if I'll ever be able to go back to doing "traditional" stuff...

I've spent my spare time thinking about how I could make my current projects (sitting on shelves in my attic) more wanky...  I've got the fever!

Much Neglected Blog...

Welcome to my very neglected quilting blog.  The picture beneath this post is of Wyatt when he could barely walk... He is almost 3 now...  Ugh.

So I'm newly inspired by liberated quilting.  Loving it.  Going to visit a new guild that is forming this weekend... Stay tuned!

Shopping With Mom

3 Weeks Until Owen Arrives... Quilting Quickly!!!

I have 3 weeks and 3 days until Owen arrives. I figure after that, I'll have little time for quilting for a few years... So I'd better get very busy right now.

I've cranked out a good number of quilt tops. I am going today to get backings for the house quilt, a quilt for Parthena's baby in case it's a boy, a big batik charm square picnic blanket for me and the boys, and my moda half-square triangle quilt. I also need to get some backing for one more sham.

One of my two machines is on the fritz. Very frustrating. I'm also needing needles for my machines. The ones I'm using haven't been replaced in AGES.

My goal is to finish the following quilts very soon:
-Kristine's Batik and Kristine's Batik Baby Quilts (need border and backing- Am waiting to see if it's a boy or girl)
-Charity Quilt (from a kit I picked up)
-Wyatt's Black and White Yellow Brick Road needs borders
-Shams for the Bullseye quilt
-Will try to quilt Owen's Yellow Brick Road
-Will try to quilt my flower strip quilt

Progress

I finished my daybed quilt (the bullseye one). So glad to be finished! It's been a 2 or 3 year project. Now to finish the 4 shams...

Also finished a pink top made out of one jelly roll. It's for my best friend who is pregnant. Not sure if it's a boy or girl. Better be prepared!

Works in Progress

I have lofty goals for the next 10 1/2 weeks before Owen arrives...

I want to finish the tops of Wyatt's black and white quilt (just needs borders), Kristine's quilt, Kristine's baby quilt, my half-square triangle quilt, and a baby quilt for a boy and a baby quilt for a girl.

I want to get the binding on my bullseye...

I want to quilt my flower quilt and Owen's quilt on my machine...

Going to work feverishly this weekend and see what I can accomplish...

I also need to tidy up my sewing room. It's unorganized and needs some serious attention.