Tag Archives: easy street

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.   🙂

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

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.   🙂

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

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

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

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

Stash Report – 11/10/13

I’m back from Los Angeles!  Nothing used and nothing added this week – but not for lack of trying.  I intended to go to my LQS in Los Angeles (I really miss those ladies) but just didn’t have time.  Why do quilt shops close so early?  I can’t leave work early enough to go and by the time I’m ready their closed! 🙁  It is good that I didn’t go anyway.  I wanted to get fabric for Celtic Solstice but I haven’t yet got the paint cards for colors so I would have just been buying fabric blind.  I also didn’t have time to go through my stash and pull out the fabric I had so —- It’s good I didn’t go. 🙂

I was able to get a lot of the hand work done on block 6 of Raining Cats and Dogs.  I finished applique-ing everything in Los Angeles and all I have left is the embroidery.  I plan on getting that done today.

When I returned from my trip I had two packages waiting for me:  A couple of Aurifil threads from The Quilt Bear:

Aurifil Thread Club The Quilt Bear #1243 - Purple #2710 - Pale Blue

Aurifil Thread Club
The Quilt Bear
#1243 – Purple
#2710 – Pale Blue

I’m part of the Aurifil Thread Club from The Quilt Bear. It has been a great way to build my thread collection without having to go through the agonizing mental anguish I go through each time trying to figure out which color to buy.  If I do not need a particular color I do not buy it.  But then when I’m quilting or piecing – I just use what I have.  I do not stop to go to the store to buy something that matches.  This is especially true when I’m playing in the moment.  For recent projects I have been able to go to the collection and actually match my thread.  It has been great and actually made this investment worth it.  Aurifil isn’t cheap but the thread club is $20/month and includes shipping!  I do not know how they do it but if I went to buy the thread locally it would cost me $12/spool +tax.  If there are some colors I do not use – it’s okay because I never know what I’ll need when.  One time my mom used some to patch something up and even my daughter used some when she got into making her hair bows.

The second package contained this:

500 Quilt Blocks by: Lynne Goldsworthy and Kerry Green

500 Quilt Blocks
by: Lynne Goldsworthy and Kerry Green

It’s cute and pretty and some eye candy for those nights when I want to quilt but can’t for whatever reason.  Great for inspiration!

Yesterday I was a workhorse in organization and cleaning.  I put away my summer clothes and pulled out, washed and put away my winter clothes in my dresser.  I’ll be working on the kids clothes today.  I also cleaned my office/sewing room and pulled all my stuff/crap from the curio and re-organized. I had been feeling slightly discombobulated whenever I looked inside the curio.  Nothing was labeled and I kept going through things to find whatever I was looking for.  So I pulled everything out, put projects in their plastic bins, labelled them, etc.  I think it looks pretty and now I have room to get more stuff!  

The Curio on 11/10/13

The Curio on 11/10/13

My fabric stash is located elsewhere — this just contains my BOMs and 2 quilt tops ready to be quilted, current projects I’m working on, and even some recent UFOs from PIQF that I haven’t yet added to my UFO list.

I was also able to get Easy Street‘s back done and I’m working on basting it now.  My sister brought back our big folding table yesterday so rather than spray baste like I was planning on doing I am using that table to pin baste.  I haven’t pin basted on a folding table before so we’ll see how it goes.  I’m not able to clamp to it to keep everything tight and secure.  I ran out of pins so I’ll have to head out and get more.

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

Used this week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 32 yards
Added this Weeks: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 153.25 yards
Net Added for 2013: 121.25 yards

see more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Wish I was quilting!

Melanie