Tag Archives: Flowers and Baskets

26

Jan. ’15

Manic Monday – 1/26/2015

For BOM Away Monday, Flowers and Baskets is officially a done deal!

Flowers and Baskets Finished! 1/25/2015

Flowers and Baskets
Finished!
1/25/2015

 

Quilted, bound, and labeled!  I still have to wash it but DD is doing her laundry so I’m next in line.  I’m working on a small bag project that should be done soon and then I’ll get going on the final clue for Tell It To The Stars.

Check out more finished BOMs at 

 

For Design Wall Monday…

It’s still a secret so here is a picture of more things I bought at Road2CA.

Bloc Loc Rulers HST Set #1 1/24/2015

Bloc Loc Rulers
HST Set #1
purchased at Road2CA 1/24/2015

I’ve been wanting these forever!  Well since PIQF 2013.  I bought the 6.5″ HST ruler at the time and was mad at myself for not getting the whole set.  Well, I’ve realized since that I love the one I had originally purchased and life would be so much easier if I bought the other sizes so I don’t have to keep moving the ruler up and down my smaller HSTs. My challenge now is that it doesn’t fit in my current ruler holder (I can’t fit any more rulers in their) and I need a system where I won’t lose the small 1.5″ ruler.  Any ideas? In the meantime, I need to update my wish list…

Grommets for more bags! purchased at Road2CA 1/24/2015

Grommets for more bags!
purchased at Road2CA
1/24/2015

I also bought grommets to make more bags… Do you think I’m starting a new phase in my life?  Last year I was knitting, this year I’m trying to make bags.  Hopefully I’ll find use for these.  I think so based on the number of bag projects I want to do.

See more design walls at Patchworktimes.com

Have a great week!

~Melanie

Posted by . Categories: Design Wall, Hampton Ridge. Tags: , , , , , . 8 Comments

25

Jan. ’15

Stash Report – Week 4, 2015

My New Featherweight 1/24/15

My New Featherweight
1/24/15

I couldn’t restrain myself.  At Road2CA I found this little baby at a price I could not say no to.  I don’t have to clean it up or deal with broken bits.  I can thread it, plug it in, and start sewing.  I actually haven’t had the nerve yet but once I get through the awe of actually having one of my own, I’ll get going on it.  I made a bunch of purchases yesterday and I’ll be showing them off over the week.  But I want to spend the rest of the day working on a project so here’s the stash report:

I used half a yard on the little pin cushion I finished last Sunday  –

Pincushion 1/19/2015

Pincushion
1/19/2015

But I added yardage from Road2CA.  In previous shows, corduroy fabric was my fabric.  I first saw it at the Long Beach Quilt Show in 2012 and at every show and quilt shop since, I keep an eye out for it.  Now, my LQS carries a bit of it so.  I have a Corduroy quilt I’m working but I love the fabric so every time I see a different one, I buy a bit of it.  I didn’t see any at Road2CA this year.  Which made me sad at first.  Until I saw Moda’s Linen and now I am loving Moda’s Linen.  I do not know if I’m loving Moda’s Linen or linen in general but now I’ve got my eye out for linen.  So I’ve got 5.25 to add to my stash.

Moda's Linen

Moda’s Linen

In addition, I bought a kit.  I know I said no kits but I want to start making bags and bag kits are going to help me start learning how to actually do this.  It’s bad enough that I often cannot understand the patterns but to have to gather all the materials makes it really hard to get started.  So – I bought 1 kit to try it out.  (I have 1 kit here at home that I know of and maybe more stashed away).  I WILL get to it at some point.  I’m not sure how much yardage is in here but from the supply list I’ll round it to 2 yards.

IMG_5719[1]

 

I’m almost done with Flowers and Baskets – only the binding left to do so that will help with my numbers soon. In the meantime:

Used this week: .5 yards
Used year to Date: 7.5 yards
Added this week: 7.25 yards
Added Year to Date: 20.25 yards
Net Added for 2015: 12.75 yards

see more stash reports at  Patchwork Times

~Have a quilty week!

Melanie

Posted by . Categories: Quilting. Tags: , , , , . 15 Comments

24

Jan. ’15

Road2CA here I come…

Flowers and Baskets All quilted 1/24/15

Flowers and Baskets
All quilted
1/24/15

First, I finished quilting all of Flowers and Baskets – woohoo!  Now all I need is the binding.  I have enough of the purple border fabric left over to use that as fabric but I’m not sure I like that look.  I’m thinking about putting black.  I was going to go to LQS yesterday but I was afraid I’d buy more than binding fabric and I’m going to Road2CA today so I didn’t want to use any of the money I budgeted for it. 🙂

Off to Road… will check back tomorrow will all my loot! 🙂

Happy quilting everyone!

~Melanie

 

 

Posted by . Categories: Quilting. Tags: , . 4 Comments

23

Jan. ’15

TGIF, 1/23/2015

WIPs Be Gone

WIP Status:

 1. Flowers and Baskets – Finished quilting two of the four borders. I probably would have gotten more done but I ran out of bobbin thread.  I’ll try to get the other two borders done tonight.  I noticed that I run out of steam after one border so I’ll be pushing myself.  But I want to get this baby done so I can work on Tell It To The Stars next.  I did go through my drawer where Flowers and Baskets was hiding before I pulled it out to quilt and I have fabric.  It’s the same fabric as the border.  I think this was just left over fabric.  I was going to use it as my binding but I don’t think I’ll like it.  Since the quilt is already off the machine, I think I’ll take it to the LQS to get fabric for the binding.  This quilt was a BOM a couple of years ago (okay more like 4) so I’m sure they would love to see the almost finished project.

Flowers and Baskets in the machine 1/19/2015

Flowers and Baskets
in the machine
1/19/2015

Road to California in Ontario is this week.  I wanted to attend classes and workshops like I did at PIQF in 2013 but I still have a bunch of UFOs from the classes I attended then.  So I held off.  I can always go to PIQF this year if I wanted to, or go to Road to CA next year.  So I am not attending classes.  But I want to check out the quilts and visit the vendors to see what’s new. So that’s tomorrow!  I’m super excited about it.  Unlike PIQF and the Long Beach Quilt Show, I will not be buying kits.  I’ve got a bunch of kits that is still waiting for me to get to.  I will be looking for tools, stuff for bag-making, batting, and if I happen to find fabric I love – then fabric.  I generally do not buy fabric at shows because I get overwhelmed with the selection but I have an idea now of what my two LQS generally have and what they do not have so I think I have more of a discerning eye this time around.  We’ll see.  I have to keep in mind that in a few months, we’ll be having our SoCal Shop Hop and I know I’ll be buying fabric and things there too so unlike previous shows I’ve been to, I’m not there just to buy whatever takes my fancy!

Happy Quilting everyone!
Melanie
Posted by . Categories: Quilting. Tags: , , , , . 5 Comments

21

Jan. ’15

WIP Wednesday – 1/21/2015

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

Scrapitude  – I finished the first clue and the next clue is set to be released on Feb. 10, 2015.  That gives me 3 weeks to work on finishing my Flowers and Baskets quilt.  And since I feel the need to know what’s next on my list (to keep me motivated), I’ll be working on Tell It To The Stars after that.  I’m excited and I feel like I’m actually finishing things.

Scrapitude 2015 Clue #1 - Finished 1/19/2015

Scrapitude 2015
Clue #1 – Finished
1/19/2015

Flowers and Baskets – I’ve got one side of the purple border quilted.  Only three more sides to go and then I can bind it.  I do not know if I’ve got binding fabric set aside for this project so I’ll have to go through my drawers to see if I have it stashed away.  I am planning on going to Road to CA this coming weekend.  I’ve got a few fabrics I’m looking for, some items to use in bag making, block loc rulers and if I need binding… well, I’d like to find it there while I’m spending money.

I feel like the year is taking off on a great quilty start!

What is on your WIP Wednesday?

~Wish I was quilting…

Melanie

See more WIP Wednesday posts at Freshly Pieced.   🙂

Posted by . Categories: WIP Wednesday. Tags: , , , . 3 Comments

19

Jan. ’15

MLK Monday – 1/19/2015

For BOM Away Monday, I had a productive weekend.  I finished Clue #1 for Scrapitude, I made a pincushion, and I started quilting the gold part of Flowers and Baskets.

 

Scrapitude 2015 Clue #1 - Finished 1/19/2015

Scrapitude 2015
Clue #1 – Finished
1/19/2015

 

Pincushion 1/19/2015

Pincushion
1/19/2015

Flowers and Baskets in the machine 1/19/2015

Flowers and Baskets
in the machine
1/19/2015

I started quilting the gold triangles.  Afterwards, I’ll be quilting the purple border.  Once I’ve completed this project, I’ll be working on Tell It To The Stars.

 

Check out more finished BOMs at 

 

For Design Wall Monday…

It’s still a secret so here is a picture of Tell It To The Stars.

Tell It To The Stars October 5, 2014

Tell It To The Stars
October 5, 2014

All I need to do is get the borders on, piece together a backing with the left over fabric (hopefully I have enough), baste it, quilt it, bind it… I have three weeks until the next Scrapitude clue so we’ll see how much I’ll be able to get done before Clue #2 is released.

See more design walls at Patchworktimes.com

It’s a holiday today.  Thanks to Martin Luther King, Jr. for everything he did for the Civil Rights movement.  My staff is out of the office but I’m stuck answering phones for one of our clients who started a marketing campaign last Friday and is worried someone may call today.  Luckily, I’ve got a phone in my sewing room.  So really I’m stuck in my sewing room in case someone calls today. 🙂  poor me! 🙂
Have a great week!

Melanie

Posted by . Categories: Design Wall, Hampton Ridge. Tags: , , , , , . 4 Comments

18

Jan. ’15

Stash Report – Week 3, 2015

Table Runner and Place Mats 1/12/2015

Table Runner and Place Mats
1/12/2015

I managed to stay away from the LQS this week and not add any thing to stash!  So Zero added.  I finished the table runners after I posted my stash report last Sunday so I’m including the used numbers here.  7 yards used!  woohoo!

I’m almost done with the first clue of Scrapitude and I’m hoping it will be done today.  There’s not a lot to do but I took a few naps during the day between errands and outings and other family responsibilities yesterday that I didn’t get as much done as I could have. Once that is done, I’ll be quilting Flowers and Baskets and my hope is to get all the gold/yellow parts quilted.  Monday is a holiday so while I have to answer phones for one of my clients, I’ll be sitting at home in front of my sewing machine and the phone next to me on my desk.

Next week is Road to California but I’m not sure if I’ll be going.  It depends on my mood and my pocketbook. 🙂

Used this week: 7 yards
Used year to Date: 7 yards
Added this week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 13 yards
Net Added for 2015: 6 yards

see more stash reports at  Patchwork Times

~Have a quilty week!

Melanie

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

17

Jan. ’15

Saturday’s Agenda

 

Kayla's Bernette 01/17/2015

Kayla’s Bernette
01/17/2015

Yesterday, I was supposed to take my Bernina in for servicing.  I only had 1 thing I wanted to get done at work and I was waiting on one of my clients to provide me with the finalized version of 1 sheet before the rest of it could go out.  The time frame, in my head, was that if I didn’t get a response by 10:30am then I was free to go.  I had an appointment at 11am at a prospective High School for my upcoming HS student and figured to bring the Bernina in after that.  But at 10:45am, I received an email from one of my staff members with the finalized version.  Apparently he had been on the phone with the client for 45 minutes finalizing the version while I was thinking I was home free! 🙁  So instead of dropping the Bernina off, I dropped off Kayla’s application at another HS and went to work to get the reports out to clients before the 3 day weekend.  And that left me with no time to bring the Bernina in for servicing.  But I had gotten it ready and had already taken out Kayla’s Bernette to use in the meantime.  It’s so cute!  But I’ll have to move the machines around again since I can use my machine now. In the meantime, here’s what I’ve been doing…

WIPs Be GoneWIP Status:

 1. Scrapitude – Working on Clue #1.  I’ve got these done:

Scrapitude Clue #1 - partial 01/17/2015

Scrapitude
Clue #1 – partial
01/17/2015

But I’ve still got to press these:

Scrapitude Clue #1 - partial 01/17/2015

Scrapitude
Clue #1 – partial
01/17/2015

Then I can work on the final part of the clue, which is finishing the second half of that triangle.  I’m enjoying these.  All the pieces were cut beforehand so all I need to do is sit down and sew.  And when I only have a few minutes to do anything, I can go ahead and sew up items between other things.  Since we have a month to get all these done, I can sit back, do a bit at a time and enjoy the process rather than rush through everything.

Something I noticed is the importance of starching.  When I first learned to quilt, I got the impression that starching was bad.  I can’t remember now if that was implied or said and who implied or said it but I stayed away from it.  As I took more classes and quilted more, starching became more prevalent but I didn’t use it every time… Just when I felt I needed it.  There was no science about it and there were plenty of times when I should have used it but didn’t.  Anyway, I was listening to a quilty podcast – I can’t remember now which one – (SORRY!) but they were talking about starching your fabric before you cut to keep it from shifting.  I never did that before and I thought that was a great idea!  I would have loved to do that while I was cutting for scrapitude because some of those pieces were so small, but it’s too late to do that now.  However, as I press the pieces (after piecing them together, of course) I’m using starch to help it keep its shape when I piece for the next step.  It’s been keeping my pieces together with very little (practically none) shifting going on.  I have to say that that’s my big aha moment this week and can I get a Whoop Whoop! 🙂

2015 FAL at On the Windy Side
Flowers and Baskets – Basically the bulk of the quilting is done on this project.  All I need to do is the gold parts and the purple borders.  Then I can bind it and be done with it.  When I started quilting this thing last year, I first quilted the cross lines to stabilize the quilt.  Then I quilted the flowers and basket blocks.  I wanted these blocks to pop and not flatten them out so I quilted them using the “stitch in the ditch” method.  First I used my walking foot, but I had to twist the quilt and it was difficult to maneuver so I started Free Motion Quilting it.  It’s really hard but it doesn’t have to be perfect.  The next blocks I quilted are the 4 black blocks.  I basically did a simple big loopy meander.  I didn’t want to go to fancy because then it would never get done.  Next is the gold and purple parts.  Luckily I have the right color threads to do those. 🙂
Happy Quilting everyone!
Melanie
Posted by . Categories: Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , . 3 Comments

12

Jan. ’15

Manic Monday – 1/12/2015

For BOM Away Monday, the place mats and table runner is finally finished!  Normally I wouldn’t wash it right away but I did because a couple of them had some an unfortunate accident.  So I washed them and they shrunk just enough to fit on the table without overlapping!

Here’s the picture from last week:

Bom Away Monday 1/5/2015

Bom Away Monday
1/5/2015

And the picture from this week:

Table Runner and Place Mats 1/12/2015

Table Runner and Place Mats
1/12/2015

And here are the reverse sides if we ever get bored of the top:

 

Table Runner and Place Mats - other side 1/12/2015

Table Runner and Place Mats – other side
1/12/2015

 

 

Check out more finished BOMs at 

 

For Design Wall Monday…

It’s still a secret so here is a picture of Flowers and Baskets.

Flowers and Baskets

Flowers and Baskets

I’ve been quilting this project.  All the flowers and baskets are quilted as well as the four black solid squares.  I just used a black Aurifil 50W thread to quilt those.  The next part I’m quilting is the gold triangles and then the purple border.

See more design walls at Patchworktimes.com

Have a great week!

~Wish I was quilting.

Melanie

Posted by . Categories: Design Wall, Hampton Ridge. Tags: , , , , . 4 Comments

07

Jan. ’15

WIP Wednesday – 1/7/2015

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

 

Table Runners 1/5/2015

Table Runners
1/5/2015

Sorry to use the same picture but I’ve been working on binding the place mats and table runner.  I was able to get 4 place mats with the binding half attached then I ran out of fabric.  I’ll have to head over to the LQS (poor me!) to get some more… haha…  There is a sale on Saturday to clear out space on their shelves so I’m hoping the fabric I need is there and on sale.  If not, two of my place mats and the table runner will have different fabric for the binding than the other four.  Hopefully I’ll have a finish and be able to have some used yardage to report on Sunday.

In the meantime, I’m staring at my sewing table trying to figure out what to do… Resolution #2 for 2015 is to concentrate on one thing at a time.  Well, Scrapitude is the priority item right now and I’ve got everything cut and ready for Clue #1 scheduled to be posted on January 13.  Next is this table runner and place mat and we know where I am with that one.  So now what?  If I go back to my list, I guess it’s Tell It To The Stars.  But, and here is where I go down the rabbit hole, I don’t feel like working on Tell It To The Stars.  I’m going back and forth between that one and Flowers and Baskets. I’m almost done piecing the top for Tell It To The Stars.  I really only need to do the final clue which is piecing the borders together.  But that requires a whole lot of fabric and cutting and measuring and I don’t have that kind of time and space right now.  Flowers and Baskets is in the middle of being quilted.  All I need to do is switch my machine to FMQ mode and switch out the thread.  Both are things I really don’t feel like doing.  Part of me wants to just get Tell It to The Stars done with because that’s on my list next and another part of me wants to get Flowers and Baskets quilted because then all I will need to do is bind it.

What is on your WIP Wednesday?

~Wish I was quilting…

Melanie

See more WIP Wednesday posts at Freshly Pieced.   🙂

Posted by . Categories: Tell It To The Stars, WIP Wednesday. Tags: , , . Leave a comment