OMG are we all just over the top with the craving of the CRUSH? I cannot wait for this new mystery! I’ve decided on some color schemes and some sewing methodologies. Here are my ramblings.
I’ve been attempting to cut scraps for a while now, but grad school is getting in the way. I have been cutting for the CC, the OC and Boxy Stars (I like Bonnie quilts – can’t you tell?!?!?). I am definitely using a bright pink batik for the main color (the red) in the CC, so I can’t make a Strawberry Crush. I’m liking the idea of a Orange Crush, as Nancy Mac in IL has reminded us all that U of I’s student cheering section is the Orange Crush (it’s also the name of the Palumbo company after the trouble settled, for those of you in Chicago who know that the Earth Moves with Palumbo). I was planning to send mystery packs to my sister Kim for CC, but I’m thinking she needs a Grape Crush, as she is a huge purple person. So…
My CC colors are scrappy, light creams and pink batik.
My OC colors are orange, purple, red and blue for the accent (just like Bonnie, but purple for black). White will be my light. (Can’t be a dreamsicle with cream….)
Kim’s OC colors should be purple, red, green and yellow for the accent. White will be her light.
I have not had time to shop the stash. Ted is traveling next week, so I am trying to get as much homework done as possible while he’s around to attend to DD, so that when he’s gone, DD and I can hang out. I will be sewing (more like cutting) and she will be doing whatever 7 year olds do!
I hope to shop the stash tonight. I am fairly certain that any orange that I may have it not a lot and not to my liking. I mean, I like it, but it’s from Becky, and I don’t love it, in the OMG I must buy that love it sense. I hope I have enough purple. So overall, I’m thinking of some Moda marbles for the purple and the orange. The rest should be scraps.
So bring on April 1!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
sleeping bag
I did get a LOT of response to my sleeping bag request. Here are my thoughts:
The prevailing size was 7 feet by 7 feet, folded over like a taco. That seems simple enough to make. If they are 12” squares, then it would be 49 squares. I may just make a quilt for both sides to bust more stash and try some new techniques. (Like I need a new project…)
One website I found had some really cool handles. It ties it up like a duffle and then also gives the cross handle to allow you to carry it. Now that sounds like a plan.
Now on to materials. I’m thinking Thinsulate for the batting. Or Thinsulate with Warm and Natural to get some loft. Please have suggested flannel for the squares (or at least the lining that touches your body), but I don’t have any in my stash. I will need a really big zipper. I know you can do them without the zip, but I would prefer the zip. Www.seattlefabrics.com seems to have a lot of good stuff.
So now it’s a matter of getting to it. The first overnight thing we have is this coming weekend and it’s for about 16 hours (whatever) and we are in cabins or bunkhouses or something because she is only a Brownie. We’ll see how that goes. She’s already decided we should put the ugly quilt down as a mattress and then sleep on top of that. Sounds like a plan.
The prevailing size was 7 feet by 7 feet, folded over like a taco. That seems simple enough to make. If they are 12” squares, then it would be 49 squares. I may just make a quilt for both sides to bust more stash and try some new techniques. (Like I need a new project…)
One website I found had some really cool handles. It ties it up like a duffle and then also gives the cross handle to allow you to carry it. Now that sounds like a plan.
Now on to materials. I’m thinking Thinsulate for the batting. Or Thinsulate with Warm and Natural to get some loft. Please have suggested flannel for the squares (or at least the lining that touches your body), but I don’t have any in my stash. I will need a really big zipper. I know you can do them without the zip, but I would prefer the zip. Www.seattlefabrics.com seems to have a lot of good stuff.
So now it’s a matter of getting to it. The first overnight thing we have is this coming weekend and it’s for about 16 hours (whatever) and we are in cabins or bunkhouses or something because she is only a Brownie. We’ll see how that goes. She’s already decided we should put the ugly quilt down as a mattress and then sleep on top of that. Sounds like a plan.
low key weekend
Quilting this weekend was nearly non-existent. I did get all the scraps in the living and the kitchen sorted through and piled up on a cutting mat on the kitchen table, ready to be cut. Does that count?
It really just has come down to class being in the way. I had class Wed and Thurs night, so those 2 days were shot. Friday I did go into the basement and cut up some more scraps and make sense of more of my cutting table, but it’s never enough!
Saturday was spent cleaning house. Ugh, a nasty task, but someone has to do it, along with homework. Yesterday was also spent cleaning and doing homework, but I did spend like 45 minutes making hourglass blocks from a baggie of HSTs that I found. My goal is a table topper for a really smaller dresser that we have (14” x 20” for the top).
Tonight is the ISU game in the NIT and then tomorrow I can hopefully continue on the sewing path.
It really just has come down to class being in the way. I had class Wed and Thurs night, so those 2 days were shot. Friday I did go into the basement and cut up some more scraps and make sense of more of my cutting table, but it’s never enough!
Saturday was spent cleaning house. Ugh, a nasty task, but someone has to do it, along with homework. Yesterday was also spent cleaning and doing homework, but I did spend like 45 minutes making hourglass blocks from a baggie of HSTs that I found. My goal is a table topper for a really smaller dresser that we have (14” x 20” for the top).
Tonight is the ISU game in the NIT and then tomorrow I can hopefully continue on the sewing path.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Scraps take FOREVER to cut up!
I did go into my basement yesterday and spent 15 minutes cleaning up. Now, DH had recently gone through and reconfigured the basement and it looks very nice, EXCEPT for my pit of a sewing area. So all kinds of crap got piled up on my cutting table, including all of the paperwork my DH brings home from work but doesn’t know what to do with. ARGH!
So I cleaned up the edge of my cutting table, throwing away selvedges and putting scraps in a pile on my ironing board. After 15 minutes of that, I started to cut up the scraps on the ironing board, using a really small cutting board and ruler. I cut some 1.5 squares and 1.5 x 3.5 bricks for CC, and some appropriate things for Boxy Stars and some 2.5 squares for that box (eventual goal: cathedral windows quilt) and some 2” strips for the new mystery.
I cut for like 30 minutes and I only got through half of my teeny pile. Man!
I hope to continue chipping away at it. I didn’t get to make foundations for string blocks nor prep my machine area, nor did I work on Sheri’s quilt. But I did get a lot done on my group work for class, so that has to count for something.
I did go into my basement yesterday and spent 15 minutes cleaning up. Now, DH had recently gone through and reconfigured the basement and it looks very nice, EXCEPT for my pit of a sewing area. So all kinds of crap got piled up on my cutting table, including all of the paperwork my DH brings home from work but doesn’t know what to do with. ARGH!
So I cleaned up the edge of my cutting table, throwing away selvedges and putting scraps in a pile on my ironing board. After 15 minutes of that, I started to cut up the scraps on the ironing board, using a really small cutting board and ruler. I cut some 1.5 squares and 1.5 x 3.5 bricks for CC, and some appropriate things for Boxy Stars and some 2.5 squares for that box (eventual goal: cathedral windows quilt) and some 2” strips for the new mystery.
I cut for like 30 minutes and I only got through half of my teeny pile. Man!
I hope to continue chipping away at it. I didn’t get to make foundations for string blocks nor prep my machine area, nor did I work on Sheri’s quilt. But I did get a lot done on my group work for class, so that has to count for something.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Nothing Much
No quilting last night - too tired. I conked out at 9pm.
I have a group meeting right after work today, so that will get lots of homework accomplished. I do have some marketing homework to do as well.
But most importantly, tonight I hope to go downstairs and spend 15 minutes picking up, 15 minutes cutting, and preparing to make string blocks (cut foundations, get area set up, load scrap thread into bobbins, etc.).
The other goal is to prep the Sheri quilt for quilting. I hope to hit that tonight as well.
I have a group meeting right after work today, so that will get lots of homework accomplished. I do have some marketing homework to do as well.
But most importantly, tonight I hope to go downstairs and spend 15 minutes picking up, 15 minutes cutting, and preparing to make string blocks (cut foundations, get area set up, load scrap thread into bobbins, etc.).
The other goal is to prep the Sheri quilt for quilting. I hope to hit that tonight as well.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Week 10 wrap-up / National Quilting Day update
OK, I’m a few days late, but what can I say? We had a busy weekend up in greater Chicagoland, so this is the first time I’ve been able to post.
I did finish my Bargello Bowl quilt. It turned out to be 58 x 70 and it was just darling. I made it for the fundraiser organized by my co-worker. Their goal was $10k and they raised $20k, so it was a huge success! And that was my National Quilting Day.
No other sewing to speak of.
Week 11 goals:
10 string blocks
3 bags for the quilts at work.
It’s not much, but I need to get some serious study time in as well.
I did finish my Bargello Bowl quilt. It turned out to be 58 x 70 and it was just darling. I made it for the fundraiser organized by my co-worker. Their goal was $10k and they raised $20k, so it was a huge success! And that was my National Quilting Day.
No other sewing to speak of.
Week 11 goals:
10 string blocks
3 bags for the quilts at work.
It’s not much, but I need to get some serious study time in as well.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
No update yesterday; I give you 3 little words – blind puking migraine. I spent the entire day in fetal position in a dark room. It was really bad. So bad that my husband asked me 4 times if I was pregnant. Now that’s bad.
I did finish the bargello top and also got the whole thing sandwiches Tuesday night. I tried a new method of sandwiching; I put the top on the batting, trimmed the batting down to a reasonable amount all around and then added the backing to the sandwich. This seemed to work much better, as I already knew the top was smooth and fit the batting. So then the only goal when I turned the sandwich over was to cover all the batting with backing and smooth it out. Don’t ask me why, but it worked.
So last night’s goal was to quilt the thing. I only plan on doing diagonal lines every other square, but I only got 5 lines sewn before I had to go back and lie down. It was truly horrible. I hope to quilt like mad tonight and get the binding on, and then if I am certain I can finish up Friday night, I will email my co-worker tomorrow and ask her where I can drop off the donation item Saturday morning. It turned out really cute. It is truly a pattern that is as easy as Bonnie says and it’s one you can do during the work week if you’re diligent. So I’ll definitely be cutting some 2.5 strips too, if I ever get to cutting!
OK, back to work…
I did finish the bargello top and also got the whole thing sandwiches Tuesday night. I tried a new method of sandwiching; I put the top on the batting, trimmed the batting down to a reasonable amount all around and then added the backing to the sandwich. This seemed to work much better, as I already knew the top was smooth and fit the batting. So then the only goal when I turned the sandwich over was to cover all the batting with backing and smooth it out. Don’t ask me why, but it worked.
So last night’s goal was to quilt the thing. I only plan on doing diagonal lines every other square, but I only got 5 lines sewn before I had to go back and lie down. It was truly horrible. I hope to quilt like mad tonight and get the binding on, and then if I am certain I can finish up Friday night, I will email my co-worker tomorrow and ask her where I can drop off the donation item Saturday morning. It turned out really cute. It is truly a pattern that is as easy as Bonnie says and it’s one you can do during the work week if you’re diligent. So I’ll definitely be cutting some 2.5 strips too, if I ever get to cutting!
OK, back to work…
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Bargello Progress - Monday Night
Well, last night I made progress on the bargello, but did not make it all the way to where I wanted to be. I did get both uphill panels done and one of the downhill panels. The downhill one required some serious unpicking, so then I quit. I thought I did pretty damned good, despite having a church meeting thrown in there last night.
So tonight’s goal becomes the last downhill panel, assembly of the top, including borders and sandwiching the quilt. I would like to quilt it tomorrow night and then just have the binding to do on Thursday. If I’m really industrious tonight, I may start the quilting process. I’m thinking of just doing simple diagonal lines every other strip and extending it through the borders. I’m marketing this one as a TV time quilt for the auction. Here’s hoping I make it.
I really like this pattern; it grew on me over time. I think I will cut some 2.5 strips and start keeping them handy. I would like to make one where the color placement of the strips is all the same and then I’d like to just make one that’s huge but all random all over. So maybe I’ll add that to the cutting list, which of course, I should start executing!
So tonight’s goal becomes the last downhill panel, assembly of the top, including borders and sandwiching the quilt. I would like to quilt it tomorrow night and then just have the binding to do on Thursday. If I’m really industrious tonight, I may start the quilting process. I’m thinking of just doing simple diagonal lines every other strip and extending it through the borders. I’m marketing this one as a TV time quilt for the auction. Here’s hoping I make it.
I really like this pattern; it grew on me over time. I think I will cut some 2.5 strips and start keeping them handy. I would like to make one where the color placement of the strips is all the same and then I’d like to just make one that’s huge but all random all over. So maybe I’ll add that to the cutting list, which of course, I should start executing!
Monday, March 10, 2008
bargello progress...
Well the quilt show was a success, despite the new location. More on that in another post when I actually have PICTURES!!!!
Anyway, Bonnie just revealed the start of what to cut for the April mystery. Now it seems stupid to start the April mystery while I’m not even really going on the CC mystery, but hey. So I have revised my cutting goals:
100 – 1.5 squares
100 – 1.5 x 3.5 strips
50 sets – 2.5 squares and 2.5 x 4.5 bricks (2.5 x 7)
50 sets – 2.5 x 4.5 bricks and 2.5 x 6.5 bricks (2.5 x 11)
2 inch strips
3.5 strips
On other fronts, I went down to my sewing room last night at like 9 and started to sew on the bargello. If I want to give it to my co-worker for the fundraiser, I need to give it to her Friday morning and time’s a-wasting, so I got the other 3 strip sets done. So now I have all 4 strip sets done. Tonight’s goal is to make the 2 uphill and the 2 downhill panels, all around having to go to a church meeting and also around handling some other stuff.
Then tomorrow I can finish the top and make the sandwich. Wednesday I can quilt it simply and Thursday I can bind it. If I can do this, it will make my day!
Anyway, Bonnie just revealed the start of what to cut for the April mystery. Now it seems stupid to start the April mystery while I’m not even really going on the CC mystery, but hey. So I have revised my cutting goals:
100 – 1.5 squares
100 – 1.5 x 3.5 strips
50 sets – 2.5 squares and 2.5 x 4.5 bricks (2.5 x 7)
50 sets – 2.5 x 4.5 bricks and 2.5 x 6.5 bricks (2.5 x 11)
2 inch strips
3.5 strips
On other fronts, I went down to my sewing room last night at like 9 and started to sew on the bargello. If I want to give it to my co-worker for the fundraiser, I need to give it to her Friday morning and time’s a-wasting, so I got the other 3 strip sets done. So now I have all 4 strip sets done. Tonight’s goal is to make the 2 uphill and the 2 downhill panels, all around having to go to a church meeting and also around handling some other stuff.
Then tomorrow I can finish the top and make the sandwich. Wednesday I can quilt it simply and Thursday I can bind it. If I can do this, it will make my day!
Friday, March 07, 2008
Scraps scraps
What to cut? I just don’t know.
Let’s see, we need 3.5 x 1.5 for CC as well as a ton of 1.5 squares. No more than 100 of each color.
Then I really should have on hand some quilts to give away. I have a girl one ready and the boy one is a flimsy, so that’s covered. I think a few lap ones and a few full ones would be good.
I like the idea of a Sudoku quilt and I know my MIL would like a quilt from me, but I’m pretty sure my scraps will not yield me 9 squares per fabric in the size I need. So there went that idea. I also really like the bargello, but I would love to do them where the strips are the same in each panel. Alas, that will be a stash cutting item, not a scrap one.
I really like Bonnie’s Boxy Stars, so maybe I should just cut a bunch of 2.5 strips. Since the rectangles are really pretty small (2.5 square and 2.5 x 4.5 rectangle), I think I could get a fair amount of them out of the scrap bag.
So let’s try that.
100 – 1.5 squares
100 – 1.5 x 3.5 bricks
100 pairs of 2.5 squares and 2.5 x 4.5 bricks
Let’s see, we need 3.5 x 1.5 for CC as well as a ton of 1.5 squares. No more than 100 of each color.
Then I really should have on hand some quilts to give away. I have a girl one ready and the boy one is a flimsy, so that’s covered. I think a few lap ones and a few full ones would be good.
I like the idea of a Sudoku quilt and I know my MIL would like a quilt from me, but I’m pretty sure my scraps will not yield me 9 squares per fabric in the size I need. So there went that idea. I also really like the bargello, but I would love to do them where the strips are the same in each panel. Alas, that will be a stash cutting item, not a scrap one.
I really like Bonnie’s Boxy Stars, so maybe I should just cut a bunch of 2.5 strips. Since the rectangles are really pretty small (2.5 square and 2.5 x 4.5 rectangle), I think I could get a fair amount of them out of the scrap bag.
So let’s try that.
100 – 1.5 squares
100 – 1.5 x 3.5 bricks
100 pairs of 2.5 squares and 2.5 x 4.5 bricks
Week 10 goals
After spending like 15 minutes typing up my new goals and my Week 10 aspirations directly into the blogger window, when I tried to post, the computer ate it. So now I am back to my tried and true method of writing everything into a Word doc and then copying and pasting into the blogger window. Dang!
Anyway, as I am pretty much mentally (from getting ready for this quilt show) and physically (from the influenza) exhausted, I decided to rethink my approach for getting things done. I’m reaching the point that the weekly to-do list is too stressful and thus nothing is getting done. I also feel that I need to clean out my studio area and only leave one project out at a time, less I get distracted. And then Stashbusters has been discussing some rotation methods on how people get stuff done.
So I percolated all of that for a while, and I’ve decided that I will just start at the top of the QBW list over to the right and work on one item each week and then move on. The first item that needs to be done are some bags for quilts at work. Right now I have them rollup and sitting on my desk, but I’d like them with some sort of protective sleeve on there. Those will be a nice easy finish.
I have decided to put away the Batik Lover’s quilt for the remainder of this school term. I just need a break. It’s a lot of tedious pieces and one of the blocks that was swapped is frankly just wrong compared to what it should have been, so I will redo that one. I just need a break from that quilt.
So I think I will do an item on the list, and then do 10 string blocks. The only real ‘deadline’ that I have is to complete a Bargello Bowl for a fundraiser at work. So this weekend I might clean for 15, sew a panel, clean for 15, cut tubes, etc. The room needs to be tidied and I want to finish this quilt, so this very well may work out just fine.
So that is the new strategy I think. Let’s see how that goes for a while. I really need some finishes and I really need no deadlines.
I did have to dump out my entire blue scrap bag onto my cutting table (for various and sundry reasons). I didn’t repack it; I left it there, figuring I would do some serious cutting of the scraps. I need to cut in earnest for the Carolina Crossroads quilt and I need to think of some other shapes that I need and what quilts I would like in my inventory to just have on hand. Hmmm….
Anyway, as I am pretty much mentally (from getting ready for this quilt show) and physically (from the influenza) exhausted, I decided to rethink my approach for getting things done. I’m reaching the point that the weekly to-do list is too stressful and thus nothing is getting done. I also feel that I need to clean out my studio area and only leave one project out at a time, less I get distracted. And then Stashbusters has been discussing some rotation methods on how people get stuff done.
So I percolated all of that for a while, and I’ve decided that I will just start at the top of the QBW list over to the right and work on one item each week and then move on. The first item that needs to be done are some bags for quilts at work. Right now I have them rollup and sitting on my desk, but I’d like them with some sort of protective sleeve on there. Those will be a nice easy finish.
I have decided to put away the Batik Lover’s quilt for the remainder of this school term. I just need a break. It’s a lot of tedious pieces and one of the blocks that was swapped is frankly just wrong compared to what it should have been, so I will redo that one. I just need a break from that quilt.
So I think I will do an item on the list, and then do 10 string blocks. The only real ‘deadline’ that I have is to complete a Bargello Bowl for a fundraiser at work. So this weekend I might clean for 15, sew a panel, clean for 15, cut tubes, etc. The room needs to be tidied and I want to finish this quilt, so this very well may work out just fine.
So that is the new strategy I think. Let’s see how that goes for a while. I really need some finishes and I really need no deadlines.
I did have to dump out my entire blue scrap bag onto my cutting table (for various and sundry reasons). I didn’t repack it; I left it there, figuring I would do some serious cutting of the scraps. I need to cut in earnest for the Carolina Crossroads quilt and I need to think of some other shapes that I need and what quilts I would like in my inventory to just have on hand. Hmmm….
Week 9 wrap up report
Well, it's the end of week 9 and I sewed this week up to driving into work. Our quilt show is this weekend and my quilt is still not done. I have about a yard to whipstitch down and then I need to cut off the bottom and bind that quickly. Then it's off in the car to head north.
We will hang the entire show tonight. I'm doing my 2 volunteer hours tonight, as I have to drop off anyway. The influenza still is around, in the form of fatigue. I did get a hotel room for tonight so I don't even attempt the really long drive home. I did schedule breakfast with a girlfriend for Saturday morning and then I'll drive home.
We will hang the entire show tonight. I'm doing my 2 volunteer hours tonight, as I have to drop off anyway. The influenza still is around, in the form of fatigue. I did get a hotel room for tonight so I don't even attempt the really long drive home. I did schedule breakfast with a girlfriend for Saturday morning and then I'll drive home.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
I did decide to not complete the Batik Lover’s quilt for the show this weekend. I felt bad, but I told them in advance, and my friends have already covered me on it. It pays to be in the bee that is currently in charge/in power in the guild.
The crayon quilt needs about 4.5 hours more work and I need to leave for Crest Hill at like 4 tomorrow, so there’s a lot of quilting to be done. I’m not really thrilled with how the quilt turned out, but oh well. But I should make it and it will be OK.
The Dad quilt is already done, but not prepped for the show. That’s another hour of my life.
So home I go to sew before class.
The crayon quilt needs about 4.5 hours more work and I need to leave for Crest Hill at like 4 tomorrow, so there’s a lot of quilting to be done. I’m not really thrilled with how the quilt turned out, but oh well. But I should make it and it will be OK.
The Dad quilt is already done, but not prepped for the show. That’s another hour of my life.
So home I go to sew before class.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)