Category Archives: Easy Street

28

May. ’14

WIP Wednesday – 5/28/14

WIP Wednesday at Freshly PiecedGetting it done – one piece at a time…

Flowers and Basket glue basted and ready for quilting May 26, 2014

Flowers and Basket
glue basted and ready for quilting
May 26, 2014

 

I still have 3 full sides of Easy Street to bind and guess what – I don’t think it will be done by the end of May.  /sigh.  Oh well – there’s always next month.  I did make progress this month – I had to go out and buy fabric for it which was definitely not on my radar.  That put me behind schedule.

I finished basting the Flowers and Baskets quilt and that’s on my to be quilted list as soon as I’m done with Easy Street.  This item is on my FAL list and I really should get it quilted by June in order to have it finished for Q2.  But I don’t know if I have the time or energy to do so.

I prepped my practice sandwiches for FMQ and I’m ready to start practicing!

I was able to get the May step for Tell it to the Stars finished earlier in the month.

What’s left on my May quilty goal list….

  1. Open and start one of my kits
  2. Stay caught up with my current BOMs: Tell It To The Stars and Moon Glow
  3. Get caught up with Hampton Ridge.
  4. Block #4 of A Rainbow Garden
  5. Block #7 Raining Cats and Dogs – get started on this block
  6. Part 4 of Celtic Solstice

This weekend I will be going to one of the mini quilt retreats my guild has.  I love it.  It’s only $30 for 3 days at a local hotel.  If you want to stay at the hotel, they give a great quilter’s rate for our guild.  But if you don’t want to stay – you can easily drive there and back each day.  It’s about a 15 minute drive for me.  So I can go hang out and quilt all day Friday, Saturday, Sunday and when I want to go I can leave all my stuff there and head home.  I’m excited.  Here’s my action plan for this retreat:

Friday

  1. Hampton Ridge – borders of one of the kits
  2. Iris Cameo – an hour quilting it
  3. Corduroy Quilt – new kit I want to open up (see goal #1 above)

Saturday

  1. Hampton Ridge – body of the blocks and finish the block
  2. Iris Cameo – an hour quilting it
  3. Corduroy Quilt

Sunday

  1. Iris Cameo – an hour quilting
  2. Moon Glow
  3. Corduroy Quilt

I’m not one who can work on one thing until it is done and then move on to the next.  I enjoy getting one step done and then playing with new fabric and doing a different thing.  I also can’t quilt for more than an hour at a time.  I get tired and my eyes start to strain.  So I have 4 projects that i want to work on this weekend and not really finish anything.  I am bringing a 5th just in case project… Just in case I get bored or don’t feel like doing any of the first 4 projects… Just in case I am so bomb and finish everything I have in mind for the first 4 projects and need something else to work on… Just because I over pack whenever I leave the house! 🙂

What is on your WIP Wednesday?

~Wish I was quilting…

Melanie

See more WIP Wednesday posts at Freshly Pieced.   🙂

Posted by . Categories: Easy Street, WIP Wednesday. Tags: , . 4 Comments

11

May. ’14

Stash Report – Week 19, 2014

Iris Cameo May 10, 2014

Iris Cameo
May 10, 2014

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!  I’ll be working on my Iris for Mother’s Day!

Before I go on a rant … here’s my stash report.  Nothing in, Nothing used.  Last week I took out Moon Glow to get started on the next kit so I can remain current.  The idea was to get as much done during the week so that I would be able to spend today, Mother’s Day, working on Hampton Ridge since I’m 2 kits behind currently.  I wanted to get one of those kits started and potentially done before I leave for LA tomorrow night.  But it’s not going to happen.  I was only able to cut some of the fabric for Moon Glow and yesterday I spent a wonderful day learning a new to me method of applique.  I feel like I’m almost done with it and if I spend today working on that – it could be.  More details after my stash report! So scroll down.

Used this week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 20.5 yards
Added this week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 54.5 yards
Net Added for 2014: 34 yards

see more stash reports at  Patchwork Times

On to my ramblings about yesterday…

I went to this month’s workshop hosted by my guild about applique.  The teacher was Laurel Anderson of  WhisperColor.com.  I truly enjoyed myself.   I love applique, the look of it but I only knew how to do it by hand and it takes forever.  So I loved learning a new method.  She showed us raw edge applique and turned edge applique.

First there were a few supplies I didn’t know what they were or I couldn’t find them…

Thank goodness for teachers who supply misc. products at cost!

Thank goodness for teachers who supply misc. products at cost!

I couldn’t find this glue stick.. Of course, I only looked in one store but I didn’t want to be searching around for it so I bought a bunch (3) of these from Laurel.  I would have bought more but I thought that if I don’t get to these as quickly as I wanted to the glue would go bad so three is enough.  When I get to the last one and I need more, I can always order online if I can’t find them easily around.

How come I never know what Press 'n Seal is until I get to class?

How come I never know what Press ‘n Seal is until I get to class?

I do not know how many times this product has been mentioned to me and I not know what it is.  I keep thinking it’s one of those fusible stuff that I used a long time ago when I fused fabric together.  But it’s not.  It’s in the saran wrap/foil aisle in the grocery store!

The clean table before we started!

The clean table before we started!

This process gets messy because of all the glue we use.  And the size of that paper!  It’s not as messy as foundation paper piecing but it takes up a lot of room because of the size of the project.

Iris Cameo pattern

Iris Cameo pattern

For the raw edge technique

We cut all the paper pieces, we glue the pieces down with the restickable glue onto our chosen fabric, cut the fabric right on the line and then place it on the pattern where it goes. Repeat until all the pieces are done.

Iris Cameo without the beards 5/10/14

Iris Cameo without the beards
5/10/14

Iris Cameo with the beards

Iris Cameo with the beards

Then for the turned edge method, we cut all the paper pieces, glued it with restickable glue onto our chose fabric.  Instead of cutting the fabric right up on to the paper, this time we gave it a 1/4″ allowance between the paper and our cut line.  Then we used regular washable school glue stick to turn the fabric over and glue the fabric onto fabric.

Not my hands! It's the instructor showing us how to handle the most difficult piece to glue together

Not my hands! It’s the instructor showing us how to handle the most difficult piece to glue together

It is so much easier than it sounds or looks.  You do that until all the pieces are done.

Iris Cameo May 10, 2014 the center all glued together

Iris Cameo
May 10, 2014
the center all glued together

And wala – an almost finished project.  I really love it!  The next step is to finish sewing up the top part, batting, and back.  Then I need to quilt this middle part together and then attach it all together.  It sounds like there’s not much more to do and I can possibly finish it today. I hope so because once I put it away – who knows when it will come out again!

~ Happy Mothers Day – I’ve shut myself in my sewing space!

Melanie

Posted by . Categories: Easy Street, Quilting, Raining Cats and Dogs. Tags: , , , , . 13 Comments

04

May. ’14

Stash Report – Week 18, 2014

 

Before I go on a rant … here’s my stash report.  Nothing in, Nothing used.  I’ve done a lot though working on my various projects.

Used this week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 20.5 yards
Added this week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 54.5 yards
Net Added for 2014: 34 yards

see more stash reports at  Patchwork Times

On to my ramblings about yesterday…

From yesterday morning until this morning a drastic change in plans occured.  I can’t tell you why other than I got lazy!  Very Lazy!  The piano teach came a little late but that wasn’t a big deal.  I had it planned out that I would quilt until she came, work while she was here and then at 11am leave for yoga.  Well, that was going well but at 10:45 my niece came and she was actually nice to me!  So I couldn’t leave.  She was just too cuddly.  Or maybe I didn’t want to go to Yoga… I think it was a mixture of both. ha!  Anyways I told myself that I could go to the quilt shop and do all the things I wanted to do.  The game didn’t start until 7:30 so I had plenty of time.  It wasn’t until 2:45 that I made it out the door to go to the quilt shop with my daughter and at that time the freeway was jam packed!  I was surprised and dismayed.  There was no way I wanted to spend an hour or more to go to the quilt shop just for binding. So we went to Nothing Bundt Cakes and got bundtinis, which I’ve been craving for the past two weeks.  That was very bad – I didn’t go to Yoga AND we got Bundtinis!  By the time I got home, it was 4pm and I finished up this month’s block for Tell It To the Stars.  I realized as I was going through the process that I have a little process. I thought I’d share it with you today.

#1 – Print the instructions

20140504-090233.jpg

#2 – Sort the fabric so I remember which fabric is which.  Every month I tell myself to put labels on them to make it easier next month and I always forget.  Maybe now that I’ve mentioned this to the online community I may actually do it next month. 🙂

Tell It To The Stars Step #2 - Sorting the fabric

Tell It To The Stars
Step #2 – Sorting the fabric

#3 – Press and Cut

Tell It To The Stars Step #3 - Press and cut

Tell It To The Stars
Step #3 – Press and cut

#4 – Follow the instructions and piece, press, cut as instructed

and I forgot to take a picture for this step…

#5 – Waalllaaahhh – Done!

 

Tell It To The Stars May Block 5/4/2014

Tell It To The Stars
May Block
5/4/2014

 

And here’s all the blocks on the design wall:

Tell It To The Stars Design Wall All blocks so far 5/4/14

Tell It To The Stars
Design Wall
All blocks so far
5/4/14

Sorry for the bad lighting, The design wall is not located in a very lighted area… I don’t really use it to design but to display my finished blocks! 🙂

I think that’s all I’ve got this weekend.  The block actually took longer than I had anticipated. There were more pieces than normal and I was working slower than normal.  I wanted the points to be precise.  This is actually my favorite block so far for this BOM.  The family and I are still heading over to Berkeley this morning and I’m hoping to run into a quilt shop or knitting shop somewhere.  We are taking BART to enhance the experience so I don’t know if I’ll walk by any such shops.  If so, my stash will take a bump next week.

~ being a tourist in Berkeley!

Melanie

Posted by . Categories: Easy Street, Quilting, Raining Cats and Dogs. Tags: , , , . 1 Comment

30

Apr. ’14

WIP Wednesday – 4/30/2014

WIP Wednesday at Freshly PiecedGetting it done – one piece at a time…

Hampton Ridge BOM Block 21 Finished April 20, 2014

Hampton Ridge BOM
Block 21 Finished
April 20, 2014

 

The bulk of Easy Street has been quilted and all I’ve got left to do is the borders.  I’m going to try to get these done tonight so I can put DONE next to this to do item for April.  But I’m not going to rush.  I quilt on a folding table because that’s all I’ve got and it hasn’t been very good for my elbow/arm/wrist.  Every other week I have to fold up the table and move it out and last weekend I was putting it back in place when I decided to try adjusting the table height.  The folding table is the kind that has adjustable legs.  I made them the height lower than the regular height which is really a nice size for a kids table.  But once I got the sewing machine on top of it, it was the perfect level to keep my elbow at that 90 degree angle.  I’m short! lol.  Of course, I couldn’t sit with my legs under the table but I just pushed the sewing machine all the way to the edge and my chair as close to it as possible.  I had to watch my back and posture  as I kept leaning down towards the machine but it worked so much better.  I was able to quilt longer.

What is on your WIP Wednesday?

~Wish I was quilting…

Melanie

See more WIP Wednesday posts at Freshly Pieced.   🙂

Posted by . Categories: Easy Street, WIP Wednesday. Tags: , . 1 Comment

27

Apr. ’14

Stash Report – Week 17, 2014

For this weekend’s line up, I ended up finishing block 2 of Raining Cats and Dogs!  I can’t take a picture yet because the sun is not out.  But as soon as it is, I’ll take one and edit this post.

Here’s what it looked like the last time I posted a picture.

Raining Cats and Dogs Block 2 as of 3/16/14

Raining Cats and Dogs
Block 2
as of 3/16/14

UPDATE – here’s a picture of the finished block

Raining Cats and Dogs Block 2 Finished 4/26/14

Raining Cats and Dogs
Block 2
Finished
4/26/14

By yesterday, I was finished applique’ing almost everything but the dog on the lower right.  I finished that and finished all the hand stitching.  Normally I do not do so much hand work in one sitting but I wanted it done and it was so close.  So I powered on.  And now it’s done.  YAY!  I’ve only got one more block to do for Raining Cats and Dogs – Block 7.  And then all the blocks are done.  In previous posts, I mentioned that I was thinking about quilting it the QAYG method because I wanted to be more careful with my quilting and with the quilt all pieced together it makes it harder to handle.  However, since I pulled the last block out, I took a look at the finishing kit.  I’m not sure it will work with that method.  I have time to think and examine it more while I finish block 7 so the option is still there while I consider the situation.  If I do end up FMQ’ing with the quilt all put together, it might be okay.  I’m getting a ton of FMQ practice on Easy Street!  🙂  And I’m watching Machine Quilting the Home Sweet Home Quilt with Frieda Andersen on Craftsy.  I’m not actually quilting anything but simply watching the class.  I’ve only watched the first few lessons but she has some great Glue Basting ideas.  I’ve only tried glue basting once with Ammabel’s Quilt.  I liked it because I didn’t have to pin and stuff.  I still had to do it on the floor because the only table I have is a folding table and the sides of it are too big to clamp down the quilt.  It was not as easy as I thought it would be but it was all my fault for not taping it down well.  So, Frieda Andersen suggested these huge clamps from Home Depot or any hardware store.  I’m definitely going to use this method when I get around to basting the Flowers and Baskets quilt.  When I first learned to baste, I was at my LQS in LA and we used big binder clips on a table.  We taped where the quilt didn’t reach all the way to the side.  First the backing wrong side up, batting, and the top right side up.  At each point we smoothed and smoothed until it was nice and flat.  Then we went through it with a long needle and CHEAP thread.  It took quite a few hours on my hand quilt.  Then at my next quilting class for Jacob’s quilt we pin basted.  We did almost the exact same method except we were told to use the floor if we didn’t have a table.  So I taped the quilt on the floor and pinned to my heart’s content.  When I was doing this, I didn’t care about scratching the floor and Jacob’s quilt was just slightly bigger than a crib quilt.  I used this method for awhile but by the time I got to Ammabel’s quilt I didn’t want to pin baste on my mom’s nice new floors.  I just started watching Craftsy classes and one of the classes I took suggested glue basting.  I can’t remember which one but it was one of the early classes (for me).  Even though I’ve been quilting for 8 years I still feel like such a noob at things.   But I’m always looking for better ways to do stuff.  Sometimes I buy things (ie. rulers, seam rippers, needles, scissors) that I think will make something go faster and sometimes it does.  But sometimes it doesn’t and it feels like a big waste of money.  However, that’s the quest of learning.

The plan for today is to work a little and then head over to sheep shearing day at Ardenwood, and hopefully we can get back home to catch the last half of the Clipper/Warrior game.  I’ll have to shift my quilting time to later this afternoon/early evening but the plan is to get my block of Easy Street quilted for today and then get started on the block I’ve got for Moon Glow.  It’s already waiting for me laid out on my sewing table.  🙂

Used this week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 20.5 yards
Added this week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 54.5 yards
Net Added for 2014: 34 yards

see more stash reports at  Patchwork Times

~gone quilting!

Melanie

Posted by . Categories: Easy Street, Quilting, Raining Cats and Dogs. Tags: , , , . 4 Comments

07

Apr. ’14

Q2 2014 Finish Along

Finish Along 2014

 

So I didn’t get the hand quilt finished in Q1.  I moved it on to my list for Q2.

My Hand Quilt it's still WIP

My Hand Quilt
it’s still WIP

And then promptly finished it on 4/2/14.  So it’s technically a Q2 finish! 🙂

Easy Street Completed Quilt Top! with borders

Easy Street
Completed Quilt Top!
with borders

I need to finish quilting this one, bind and label it.

Flowers and Baskets

Flowers and Baskets

I need to get the backing for this one, baste it, quilt it, bind and label.

So that’s on my list!

~Melanie

Posted by . Categories: Easy Street, My Hand Quilt. Tags: , , , . Leave a comment

05

Feb. ’14

WIP Wednesday – 2/5/2014

WIP Wednesday at Freshly PiecedGetting it done – one piece at a time…

I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things.  I even made it to my guild meeting last night.  It was nice to see everyone again.  I hope to make it to my bee next Thursday but that takes some extra coordination with the hubby since it’s my day to take the girl to cheer practice. Anyway I actually was able to work on something last weekend.

First I did the February clue for Tell It To The Stars.

Tell It To The Stars 2 finished blocks 2/2/14

Tell It To The Stars
2 finished blocks
2/2/14

 

Then I worked on Part 4 of Celtic Solstice – the picture only shows 100 patches but after this weekend I have 228.  I’m not sure why I’m not closer to the 300 I need other than I think I thought I only needed 244?  I must have gotten the numbers confused with another step.  So I will need to cut more strips and piece more of these.

Celtic Solstice - Step 4 4 Patches 100 assembled the rest waiting for me

Celtic Solstice – Step 4
4 Patches
100 assembled
the rest waiting for me

I worked a bit on Block #3 of A Rainbow Garden – the picture is from a previous quilting day as it was dreary last Sunday which was when I was quilting and was not able to take very good pictures. So it shows the pins but I was able to get the little green leaves, the green stem, and one of the big leaves stitched down with a blank stitch.  I have a lot more to go since all those little pieces need to be placed down too.  I’m about 3 blocks behind on this project because it’s wool and this is my first time doing it and because it’s a hand project.  They always take longer than other projects.  🙂

Rainbow Garden Block #3 WIP 1/15/2014

Rainbow Garden
Block #3
WIP 1/15/2014

And happily I’ve started FMQ’ing Easy Street.  I’ve taken a few classes but haven’t actually done my own quilt ever.  It’s really hard and it’s not the perfect quilting.  However, I just needed to get down and dirty with it.  This is my quilt and I’m okay with it not being perfect.  I’ve done most of 1 section and my plan is to work a little bit on it every weeknight that I’m at home.

What is on your WIP Wednesday?

~Wish I was quilting…

Melanie

See more WIP Wednesday posts at Freshly Pieced.   🙂

Posted by . Categories: A Rainbow Garden, Easy Street, Tell It To The Stars, WIP Wednesday. Tags: , , , . Leave a comment

16

Jan. ’14

Q1 2014 FAL

Finish Along 2014

This year I’m going to try my hand with the 2014 Finish Along with Katy at The Littlest Thistle.

I really want to get stuff finished this year and I’m hoping this will help me stay on track with that.  So for this quarter, on my list are:

Easy Street Completed Quilt Top! with borders

Easy Street
Completed Quilt Top!
with borders

Easy Street – I just need to finish quilting it, bind it and label it!

My Hand Quilt it's still WIP

My Hand Quilt
it’s still WIP

 My Hand Quilt– I just need to finish hand quilting the last border, bind it and label it.

Flowers and Baskets

Flowers and Baskets

Flowers and Baskets – This top was done in 2012 and all I need to do is quilt it!

So that’s on my list!

~Melanie

Posted by . Categories: Easy Street, My Hand Quilt. Tags: , , , . 2 Comments

24

Nov. ’13

Stash Report – 11/24/13

I added another 6 yards for Celtic Solstice.  I need more yellows and greens and I forgot to get the white/cream.  I have a bit of white in Missing Ivy and I may have some to use on Celtic.  I just do not know.  I’m all the way through step 4 or 5 of Missing Ivy and I forgot to take pictures again at the retreat.  I’ll try to take some today.

Easy Street is hanging out on my couch waiting for me to get back to quilting it.  I hope to get back to it this week but it’s not high on my priority list.  I have to make my part of the Thanksgiving feast and I’ve got to get my holiday newsletter ready to be mailed the following week.  Those are the two things at the top of my list so Easy Street may have to hang out until next week.

Stash count: **I started counting 5/23/13…

Used this week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 32 yards
Added this Weeks: 6 yards
Added Year to Date: 165.25 yards
Net Added for 2013: 133.25 yards

see more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Melanie

Posted by . Categories: Easy Street, Quilting. Tags: , , . 2 Comments

17

Nov. ’13

Stash Report – 11/17/13

I think I’m getting myself together after my week long Sew Slump.  I worked a bit on quilting Easy Street and will do another section today.  I’m still up in the air on free motion quilting other parts as I think I’ve come up with a nice design for the purple centers.  I’m going to have to practice it a bit and if I can extend it further than the 5 center squares then I may actually do it.

I started working on Block 2 of Raining Cats and Dogs last night.  I pulled the block and rather than put together the background first I’m working on the top piece separately first which does not necessarily require being pieced together first.  So I’ve got that all put together – traced on and ready to start appliqueing during the following week.

I also pulled out Rainbow Garden and all I have left to finish September is the embroidery/embellishment part of it so I’ll be working on that to post for BOM Away Monday. 🙂

And depending on time and whether I feel up to it I may start working on Block 3 of Hampton Ridge.  I’m being very ambitious today.  But in regards to my stash report…

I do not think I’ve got a huge stash.  I’ve only got 3 bins full of fabric.  🙂  Not like the rooms of fabric some of ya’ll have.  But I don’t want to add if I can help it.  I know how out of control I can get and I do not have a lot of room.  3 bins is as much as I could have while living with my momma.  So with Celtic Solstice coming up soon I went through and pulled as much as I could from the stash.  I had a lot of blues, a bit of background and a bit of yellow.  But nothing for green or orange.  So I made a trip to The Intrepid Thread in Milpitas and purchased half yardages of greens, oranges, 1 blue and 1 white fabric  I really liked.  In total, I added 6 yards.  But I didn’t get all the fabric I need so I may head out to Eddie’s Quilting Bee.  I just want to go back to the instructions and figure out how much of each color I need to have so I have more of a plan than buying blindly.

It was my first trip to Intrepid Thread but I heard about it at my last guild retreat lite in September.  I’ve been wanting to go but they are not open on Sundays.  Most quilt shops are not open on Sundays – and for some reason that’s the day I find myself wanting to go fabric shopping.  Probably because most of my family stuff happens on Saturday or I’m recovering from the previous week and need to lie low.  So Sundays come and I want to go shopping and I know Eddie’s is open so I head there.  There is another shop closer to me that is open on Sundays also but they only have batiks on hand so unless I’m wanting batiks I usually don’t head over there. I know there are more shops over in Berkeley and San Francisco.  One day I’ll plan a trip to hit up the shops.  I know that the East Bay MQG’s website has a page that shows all the local shops.  I’m not sure how up to date it is but that would be the first place I’d look to start my mini personal shop hop.  🙂 If I don’t complete my yardage needs for Celtic Solstice today at Eddie’s I may need to do that hop sooner than I thought.

Next weekend is another Guild Retreat Lite and I was able to secure a spot for myself.  I plan on working on some of those BOMs – a little on the Rainbow Garden (which is now 3 months behind), Hampton Ridge – I’ve got 2 more blocks to finish up for October, and maybe – if I’m feeling ambitious – Lucky Star, which if you’ve been following this blog may recall only needs the other half done. 🙂 Maybe I’ll start with Lucky Star to just finish it off. Or maybe I’ll do none of those and finally get some headway on Missing Ivy.  Who know what I will feel like.  The great thing is that it’s a Retreat Lite so I’m heading home each night and I just organized my stuff last weekend so it will be relatively easy pulling whatever I feel like working on together.

~gotta go quilt…

Stash count: **I started counting 5/23/13…

Used this week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 32 yards
Added this Weeks: 6 yards
Added Year to Date: 159.25 yards
Net Added for 2013: 127.25 yards

see more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Melanie

Posted by . Categories: A Rainbow Garden, Easy Street, Hampton Ridge, Quilting, Raining Cats and Dogs. Tags: , , , . 2 Comments