30 and Quilting

Lauren's Quilt

2011-08-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

it's done. I finished it in a few days before and after our trip to Vegas. Lauren helped me baste it and commented that she didn't realize how much work it is to make a quilt. I wish everyone knew how much time, sweat, (and love!) goes into them...

Anyhow....here are a bunch of pics, and not very good ones. I free motion quilted it in a spiral. Actually 2 offset spirals in orange thread.

80's shawl

2011-07-26T13:39:00.001-07:00

My lovely 80's neon shawl is done. Sucks that I finished it at the beginning of summer and I'm only able to wear it when we visit Ventura (cause it's always cold at night!). I love it. A lot.

I'm making a second one right now for my sis Lauren....in her new school colors! Go Sam Houston State Bearkats! Orange and blue! woot woot!

Also, I have finished her quilt top.....so the hard part is done! Just need to get it basted and quilted! it's roughly 85"x85"

Mitting

2011-05-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

I've moved my sewing space from the kitchen and into the master bedroom....which gives me some 'personal space' when I'm sewing and allowed me to take my fabric out of plastic bins and onto shelves so I can be inspired and see all of the beautiful fabric everyday! And I'm sad to say that I haven't been doing much sewing....I've slowly been working on blocks for my sister's HS graduation quilt. But THIS is why I haven't been sewing.....I've been knitting! As Avery says "mitting". This is the reason I was so hesitant to learn because I knew I would have to spread myself even thinner with being a wife and mom, sewing and reading. I'm making a Cardigan....this one...to be exact. I know, brave of me for my second project to be a friggin sweater! And I'm also making this shawl.....and absolutely love it! I hope I can get it finished during my flight and layover to Texas next week for sister's graduation ceremony! I should be taking her finished quilt with me...but...I did buy her a LARGE Coach bag to use away at college next year to carry her laptop/books. And I think that in lieu of a quilt (which I'll give to her in July when she and my brother are here for the summer) a Coach bag is pretty sweet.

Honey Cowl!

2011-03-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

I have officially finished my first knitting project! It is the Honey Cowl...which is a free pattern on the Madelinetosh website. I used the Madelintosh DK yarn in Citrus. It was an extremely easy pattern to follow for a newbie. I did need to watch a few youtube vids about casting on and off and a slip stitch....and it took me three weeks to finish! maybe my next project will be faster! Here are a few pics of it in process and finished. I followed the pattern to the T, but my cowl is a lot more tight than the one pictured on the pattern. I wonder what I did wrong....or if the chick's neck is smaller than mine...ha!

And yes, bacon is good for me.

Retreat cont....

2011-03-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

Just a few more pics from the retreat!

pic from chris @ www.izzyinspired.blogspot.com

pic from chris...

On the design wall....

My king size top that I was able to finish.

And plenty of snow!!!

1st Annual LAMQG Retreat

2011-03-01T08:46:00.000-08:00

Ok. First I thought that being in a guild and having all these amazing and inspiring women around me was awesome....until we all went away together for a retreat. THAT is the best. ever. (to quote Alissa...she is sooo right!) I want to do it again...soon. We all had an incredible time. We escaped from sunny LA and went up into the mountains...and experienced record snowfall. It was beautiful and cold outside and we were warm and cozy inside.

The amazing Lori taught me to knit....and I think I might be in big trouble. I just place my first order last night for Madelinetosh yarn and circular needles....cowl, you are soon to be mine!

Absent

2011-02-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I've been absent from this poor blog for a few months. The holidays were busy, Avery turned 3, and our family had the flu and I had pneumonia the whole month of January. Excuses, I know! But I have been sewing! The pics below are from my phone (cause I'm blogging from work...shhhh!) and they aren't that fantastic, but I will post 'real' pics soon! Also, this weekend is the retreat into the snow laden mountains just outside of LA for the LAMQG! This is going to be an alcohol and coffee fueled till 3am sewing marathon weekend...I'll take pictures of that too!

First up...a dress I whipped up using a tee and a tutu. I appliqued Moono on the tee...this was for Av when we took her to see Yo Gabba Gabba live! We had pit tickets, which was cool ( and Gwen Stefani was sitting behind us with her boys, and yes....she looks fucking amazing in person), but was weird considering just a few years ago the only concerts I had pit tickets too were ACTUAL concerts.

Hubby bought me a Kindle for Christmas and I love it...but it needed a cover! So I whipped up two and mailed the Mendo one to my lil sis in Texas. BTW, she graduates HS this year and found out yesterday that she has been accepted to Sam Houston University!
This is just a crappy pic of the layout. Made this for my MIL. And it turned out so cool that I was tempted to keep it. I gave it to her before taking a pic - but I'll get some next time we're over.
Pebble quilting my Flickr bee quilt. It's a bit larger than a twin. Pebbling was super easy, but takes a ton of time and used 5 spools of thread and about 12 bobbins....
See my skin for my Bernina??? love it! Little flowers with skulls....

Castle Quilt

2010-11-19T18:06:00.000-08:00

I finished the Castle Quilt about a month ago but I wanted to wait a bit before I posted it because I entered it into the Project Modern Challenge . I'm sure it's a long shot that I will actually win but I'm happy to be in the running for a new machine!

It is straight line quilted, backed with Minky, and bound in blue! And the most important part is that Avery loves it! As I was piecing it, she kept taking off with pieces and laying them on the ground and then laying on top of it....and she would tell me "Mommy, this is Avery's castle".

Heather Ross Studio Sale loot!

2010-10-20T19:05:00.000-07:00

I received my package today! I asked for girl's clothes in 4t and fabric scraps! I got exactly what I asked for....and more! oh and I spent $50!

Fabric cuts are: snails 1/2 yard, dots 1 yard. Does anyone recognize it?

This dress is a thick jersey knit....it looks so comfy! But I am always scared to put Avery in anything white! Maybe she'll do better next summer when I bust this out!

Her signature is cut off...but she signed each print! I think I may need to fame them and hang in A's room.

LAMQG 1st Anniversary Awards

2010-10-07T09:18:00.001-07:00

LA MQG 1st Anniversary Awards, originally uploaded by seventeen and em.

I won a set of Fat Quarters at the LAMQG 1st Anniversary meeting!

And to prove what a super nerd I am...I also received an award for Perfect Attendance! I was the only member (besides one of the officers, Latifah) who attended every meeting since the very beginning! My hubby even called me a nerd! ha!

Following through

2010-09-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

Don't you love when you get this marvelous idea for a project, write it down, draw it up, and actually follow through and make it? Like in two days?!

I've had a stack of Castle Peeps since our LAMQG field trip to Michael Levine's...and I decided to put it to good use. I've been on a bit of a quilting 'off season' with the summer heat and summer plans...but now that it is starting to cool down (except this weekend is 104 degrees) and that NFL has started...I have been in the mood to sew again.

The fabric just spoke to me, almost quite literally! Just look at it! So it went from this:

To this!!!

It's about 60x60 and A will use it on her toddler bed.

I'll be basting and pinning it tomorrow at the Guild Sew! and I'll post pics when it is quilted and washed!

HR Studio Sale

2010-09-15T10:03:00.001-07:00

Did you all see that Heather Ross is having a studio sale?!

http://heatherross.squarespace.com/journal/2010/9/15/studio-sale-place-your-order.html

I just placed an order for random scrap bags and girls clothes.....hmmm, I wonder if I'll get anything!

A quilt top and a birthday gift

2010-08-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the crappy pictures! I took them last night after the sun started to set. Anyhow, I'm sure you get the idea! This baby is big...like 90x100! I'm working on the back now and I'm already nervous about quilting it! How am I going to get it to fit in the neck of my machine!?!

I turned 31 about 2 weeks ago. My hubby hired a photographer to take pics of Avery and I for my gift. He said that all the pics we have in iPhoto are of him and Avery...because I'm always behind the camera. So this was a great gift! But then he ordered huge canvas prints of a few pics to hang in our living room! Here are a few of the pictures....there were 264 of them!

If you remember a few posts back I mentioned a Tinkerbell and Friends costume pattern I bought...well, she's wearing the dress (and wings) I made for her in some of the shots.

My fave pic of Avery.

I love this one....she was over taking pictures and said "I wanna go home!" and just took off down the path! It's funny to think that her face is all pouty and mad in this shot!

Feature!

2010-07-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Wow! My Paintbox Quilt is being featured! Please go to Quiltstory.blogspot.com to check it out!

And if you are visiting me after seeing me on Quiltstory....Thank you! I have a awesome new quilt to be posted soon! So please check back!

This is hard....

2010-06-07T10:59:00.000-07:00

finding time to update my blog is hard! How do you do it?
This is going to be a long post!

First up-

A raffle quilt for the Los Angeles Modern Quilt Guild. Members volunteered to make a block or two for two raffle quilts - one warm and one cool using a piece of fabric given to us and using the rest from our stash. Then I volunteered to put the top and back together. It's a big one too, about 80x80. Do you see my note at the top of the quilt? When I layed it out I gave it a 'direction' and when it's quilted I'd like the top and bottom to match up! ha!

Chris! This is all your fault! You were hand sewing hexes at our monthly guild sew and I was inspired...now I'm addicted!

Avery has turned into a super girly-girl. Dresses all the time - and I mean all the time. Even to bed OVER her pj's. And even in the bath a few times because she refused to take it off! The more ruffles the better to spin around in....so I used solid scraps left over from my paintbox quilt back to make this skirt. I attached it to a tank I picked up at Target for $2. And this skirt is EXTRA full....the bottom ruffle used 5 selvedge to selvedge strips....that's over 200" of fabric!

I've been holding on to a large stack of Dolce by Tanya Whelan Fabric for a while now and adding coordinating prints to the stack when I came across them. Then I hit a wall. I had NO idea what to do with them! I didn't want to cut into the beautiful large print poppies! Then of course Elizabeth inspired me with this....that woman is a motha f'n genius.

btw....that is a Tinkerbell and friends pattern in the corner....figured I'd make A a costume...to wear all year round! Joanns had a sell of their Simplicity patterns for $1 each. So I picked up a few halloween costume patterns. They are normally 16.95! crazy deal! I also picked up a pattern of various pirate outfits....OMG, so cute!

block up close...

Paintbox!

2010-04-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

Yay! It's done! I just finished binding it and I wanna put up a quick post before A gets up from her nap....

I definitely tried to do something out of my comfort zone with this quilt...I used solids, didn't use white sashing, and I even backed it in blue...and normally I would have went for pink. The scariest part was quilting in a lighter thread color so I knew it would have to be spot on or you'd totally notice if I did a shitty job stippling.

I used 32 different solids for this quilt instead of the 40 Elizabeth wanted us to use because I didn't have enough different colors (especially purples and blues) or I just didn't like the color. So some colors have 3 blocks instead of 2. Almost all of the fabrics came from my scrap bin...and no, it's not any smaller. It is sashed in Kona Charcoal and stippled with a medium gray thread.

The back....

Paintbox sneaky peek

2010-04-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

Paintbox sneaky peek, originally uploaded by 30andquilting.

Just a glimpse of the paintbox quilt! Stippling it now....

Sashed in Kona Charcoal...my new fave solid!

Baby quilt...

2010-04-06T10:19:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot! I made this baby quilt using this tutorial...which was super fast and easy. This is a gift for a family member who is having a little girl next month. I have a confession to make....I don't love it. I intentionally used fabrics that I didn't want anymore just to get rid of them. Is that bad? I mean, when I make a quilt, I want to LOVE it and not give away...but this one...I happily tied a ribbon around it and gave it a new home.
I'm glad that I keep this blog my dirty little secret and that she won't be reading this.....

Bees and Easter

2010-04-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

I know, it's been a little while....keeping up with blogging is a lot of work! How do you all do it?

First up is Avery's Easter dress that I made from this book . The book is great...it's has a bunch of patterns and ideas for embellishing clothes...but the pictures aren't that great. So I had to wing it when I decided to do ruffles. This dress took HOURS to make but I'm glad I finished it. Yes, that is my hubby Sean in the background. He thinks the dress looks like it's from Little House on the Prairie or like Avery belongs to a Polygamist group. I told him that I don't think they don't wear such bright colors or ruffles.

On Saturday I worked on my Paintbox Quilt and then got distracted staring at the Dresden template I bought a few weeks ago. Thanks to Chris who showed us her amazing quilt with a dresden flower at our LAMQG meeting a few months back....I've been wanting to make one.

So.....I had to hurry because A was napping and I knew she'd be up soon....I was able to get the dresden done then she woke up and I finished the rest that night. It is the first quilt that I've made start to finish in one day and it was an awesome quick fix! I put it in her basket and she threw it to the side to get to the rest of the goodies. Oh, well. Maybe it'll be a wall hanging.

Bees....Avery got stung by her first one last week on her finger. She cried and was mad at the bees for the day. But at least she not allergic and it motivated me to pick up her Epi-pens from the pharmacist. (she's allergic to peanuts) On a side note - it's incredible the amount of candy that has peanuts. My pockets were full of peanut butter cups and snickers from the egg hunt she did at brunch. And no, I didn't throw them away! No way I'd waste perfectly good chocolate.

Here are my bee blocks for the Bee Mod group at the LAMQG and The Block Swap on Flickr.

March blocks for Lisa @ LAMQG

April blocks for Leslie @ LAMQG

Confetti blocks for Paloma @ The Block Swap

Hushabye Whirlygiggle

2010-03-13T19:27:00.001-08:00

Hushabye Whirlygiggle, originally uploaded by 30andquilting.

This is a repeat....I know. I had two charm packs of the Hushabye by Tula Pink line and it was perfect to use for this quilt. And since I gave the other whirlygiggle quilt away as a gift it doesn't count as a repeat in my book. But...this one is a gift too. For my 'sister from another mother' Natalie. We have been friends for about 10 years and she was a bridesmaid in my wedding. She was diagnosed with MS late last year and is now paralyzed from the shoulders down.

Lauren's Blocks

2010-03-13T19:20:00.001-08:00

Lauren's Blocks, originally uploaded by 30andquilting.

I've joined two bees....one (live and in person) at the LAMQG and one virtual on Flickr. These 4 blocks are for Lauren's 'Square peg, round hole' quilt. She asked for 2 blocks but she gave me sooo much fabric, I had to make two more! I'm so loving the bottom right that I almost kept it...almost.

It's done!

2010-02-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

My half sleeve is finished! Click here to see a video of it taken last night at the tattoo shop!

Guru Tattoo - Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA
Artist: Paul Dhuey

Wonky Mendocino

2010-01-24T16:25:00.001-08:00

Wonky Mendocino, originally uploaded by 30andquilting.

Yay! This quilt was made for Avery's toddler bed....when she gets out of her crib. And I don't know when that will be because I like that when I put her in bed, she can't get out. She's also going through a phase where she has lots of excuses to not go to sleep...her fave is "I'm hungry! Noodles, applesauce, yogurt!"

I backed this quilt with Minky.....I quilted the top to the batting then added the minky on the back and binded it. I learned a big lesson though...the top and batting shrunk a lot more than the minky, so it's kinda floppy. Oh well! Now I know i need to prewash next time use use minky on the back.

birdie potholders

2010-01-09T08:40:00.001-08:00

birdie potholders, originally uploaded by 30andquilting.

I made these using scraps....they were a lot of work for such a small block. But I LOVE the look of them.....I won't actually be using them in the kitchen - they are too pretty!

Starling zig zag

2010-01-09T08:34:00.001-08:00

Starling zig zag, originally uploaded by 30andquilting.

Happy new year! This is my first finished quilt of 2010....I officially had it done before the end of 09 but I still needed to bind it!
It was made WITHOUT using triangles! I used this tutorial and winged the size of it. It was SUPER easy and pieced together really fast. It is a gift for friends our ours that are expecting their second....and the sex is a surprise!

2009 quilts!

2010-01-05T11:38:00.001-08:00

2009 quilts!, originally uploaded by 30andquilting.

I had a blast in 2009 learning how to quilt, purchase fabric, start a blog, join the LA Modern Quilt Guild, get 2 girlfriends to start quilting, and most of all - making all these lovely projects! Of course I actually own like 5 of them because the rest I gave away as gifts....

Excited for 2010!

Advent Calendar

2009-12-15T14:28:00.000-08:00

Whew! This baby - well, the applique numbers- was a learning experience! I created new curse words with those things! But once the numbers were done the rest flew and now it's done...and we love it! And I'm happy cause we'll be using this for several years! Used this tutorial.

2!

2009-12-15T14:14:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been a while since I blogged! Life is busy this time of year!

My baby girl, Avery, turned 2 last week! We took her to Disneyland and she had a blast! So we got annual passes - we'll be there a lot this next year!

FMF!!!

2009-11-23T10:28:00.000-08:00

This is such a fab giveaway!!!

Spring Lap Quilt

2009-11-23T09:49:00.001-08:00

Spring Lap Quilt, originally uploaded by 30andquilting.

Another christmas gift checked off the list! Yay! This quilt is 60x60 and is backed in flannel. It is a lap quilt for Sean's paternal grandmother. I really love the pattern - but the colors kind of dissapointed me. I'm gonna tray it again soon!

Baby McKey Quilt

2009-11-23T09:46:00.001-08:00

Baby McKey Quilt, originally uploaded by 30andquilting.

This quilt was a group effort...
Lisa, Gwen, Sarah, and I met over 2 years ago in our Bradley Method birthing class....after our babies were born we started meeting once a week and local parks to get together and talk about being new mommies. Now, 2 years later, we still meet every week at the park and our kiddies have become best friends. Best of all, we all have become awesome friends - who get together later in the week (without the kids) to sew! Sarah is prego with baby # 2 so Gwen, Lisa, and I each made 3 strips, added the sashing and took turns quilting a few lines - hence some of them aren't very straight! But we love it and Sarah loves it!
(recognize the fabrics? Leftovers from the PRB quilt...and I stil have more!)

Lots of bags!

2009-10-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

So a few a months back I won a Chic or Treat Jelly Roll from Quilt Taffy. I've been looking at it for a few months and decided that I just couldn't make a quilt out of it...and I'm sure you understand why. So I made about 8 Trick or Treat bags!

I gave them all away to friends...and of course I made A one that was a little more special... They are about 10x12...

I bought some home dec fabric from here for $5 a yard! I know, I know. It's Prairie Gothic from Jane Sassaman and the pattern for this bag is the Birdie Sling by Amy Butler. You may recall that I made this same bag about 6 months ago in Amy Butler home dec fabric - It is very large and I've been using it as a diaper/carryall bag when I'm out. I absolutely LOVE it. It has 2 large pockets inside and soo roomy! I made the pink/red bag for my lil' sis for x-mas and the black one is for me! I needed a little more hardcore bag to go with the hardcore tat on the arm that's carrying it...but still cute!

The butterfly/moth is on the strap and on the band that goes around the bag.

I love the lining....I used the red lining in the red bag and the black in the red, just a little something extra when you look inside!

Fabric Co-Op

2009-10-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

You all need to check out FabFanatic. It's a fabric website where you place an order for yardage of new lines of high end designers...and they pool all the orders together then order the bolts. So you basically pay a little over cost for the fabric plus shipping. And you don't have to pay for it until it comes in! I've placed an order for Tanya Whelan's new line Dolce for about $6 a yard and they also have Denyse Schmidt's new line too!

String blocks

2009-10-10T15:30:00.001-07:00

String blocks, originally uploaded by 30andquilting.

I've been working on these bad boys for a few weeks now. Just doing a couple here and there. They take a long time to make because I spend so much time digging through my scrap bucket....which is getting more and more crammed with every project! I've been meaning to whip them out faster so I can at least see a dent in the scraps...but I've got like 5 quilts going on right now. I guess these can wait. But I do love the bright colors!

Christmas quilt 2009

2009-10-03T14:35:00.001-07:00

Christmas quilt 2009, originally uploaded by 30andquilting.

I made this quilt top with Have a Sherri Berry Holiday fabric and panel. It came together super quick. I have 4 blocks leftover so I have already cut sashing to make a 40x40 quilt for my baby girl.

Did I mention that I bought a BOLT of Minky fabric at Joann's in the clearance section for $3 a yard? So I may back this with it and use the rest for the quilt I will make for Avery's future bed...I have plenty of time, right?!

Mr. Darcy quilt

2009-10-03T14:32:00.001-07:00

Mr. Darcy quilt, originally uploaded by 30andquilting.

Right now I'm reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies...it's friggin fantastic! I made this quilt top for my sis-in-law and she loves all those period piece love stories and with the toile fabric - Mr. Darcy is perfect. It's really big 80x85 so I'm working on piecing the back now....

Work!

2009-10-03T14:24:00.001-07:00

PRB Quilt, originally uploaded by 30andquilting.

Now that the weather here in So Cal is getting a little cooler (80 deg), I can quilt and not be totally gross and sweaty when I'm done. So I've been working on a few projects. Christmas and new baby gifts...

First up, the PRB (pink, red, blue) quilt which is a x-mas gift. Just needs to be washed for crinkly goodness and labeled! Do you remember that I actually made 3 of these quilt tops a while back? Well, the first one is done!

Color!

2009-09-23T13:14:00.001-07:00

DSC02900, originally uploaded by 30andquilting.

I finally have color! After 3.5 hours last night...here it is!

And now that football is on...I've been quilting! I'll posts pics soon!

What would you take?

2009-08-31T10:40:00.000-07:00

The Station Fire is less than 2 miles from my house. Not that the fire would actually make it down the mountain to Pasadena ( I hope) it did cross my mind and if we had to evacuate, what would I take? My mental list went like this: Pictures, laptop, external hard drive, Bernina....is that bad??? I'm sure you would all do the same, right?!

Don't be scared!

2009-08-28T10:02:00.001-07:00

DSC02751, originally uploaded by 30andquilting.

This is actually my 30th b-day present...I know, it looks a bit scary right now! Lots of bright colors are on the way but large tattoos take time, so this is definitely a WIP! I'll post new pics after I have appts...
This is actually after a session on Wed afternoon - 4 hours of shading! You can't see in this pic, but there is A LOT of work that was done on the backside of my arm.

Artist - Paul Dhuey of Guru Tattoo in Pacific Beach (San Diego), CA

oh, did I mention that I drive 2 hours each way to subject myself to this?! ha!

I am officially 30!

2009-08-28T09:55:00.001-07:00

DSC02726, originally uploaded by 30andquilting.

Well, I turned 30 at the end of July....

Here is the stacks of FINISHED quilts (minus the wedding gift quilt) that I have made by the time I turned 30. I think I'm doing pretty good! Quilting has been an awesome stress reliever (and producer) and has led me to meet awesome new people, patterns, creativity I didn't know I had, and of course...fabric!

I've been back into the swing of sewing lately - several dolls, purses, and dresses for Avery. Pics to come soon!

Summer slow down....

2009-07-21T07:01:00.000-07:00

I have sooo not been in the mood lately to sew! I'm a little sad about it and every time I see my sewing table littered with non-sewing stuff I get inspired to clean it up, sit down, and make something...but with the weather here in so cal being 97 degrees and 75% humidity (what, in CA?) , and did I mention we don't have central A/C???? Well, can you blame me? But I promise to get busy soon...I did make a pair of bloomers the other night and I hated the pattern - it has seams on the front and back instead of on the sides....does anyone have a cute bloomer pattern???

Also, I have a new camera on the way to me - our old one landed on top of my cell phone at the perfect angle and the LCD screen shattered! ugh...so as soon as I get it in the mail - I promise to post new pics of the projects I finished last week.

Oh, I'm reading "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides and I love it- so interesting! And I've read the first 3 Sookie Stackhouse novels in the past two weeks ( ya know, True Blood is base on them!)

A few things...

2009-06-12T13:27:00.000-07:00

I've finished a few projects and have started a few more....

My neighbors are getting married this summer and I thought I would make them a quilt for a wedding gift. I chose the Plain Spoken design but I'm not only using solids, I've thrown a few prints in there too...because those of us that are married know that rarely is anything 'plainly spoken'! Their colors are hot pink and black, btw, not my go to colors - but I love the way they work with the Engaged fabric from Alexander Henry....you'll see!

I sooo love the wedding/engagement rings!

I will be backing with Henry's Toadstools in black - cause they are a bit hippy-ish if you get my drift!

I also made this purse - the Birdie Sling by Amy Butler, using Amy Butler home dec fabric...fabric and pattern from Pink Chalk.

I finished my mini quilt and sent it off to Utah on Wednesday....I kinda used it as a practice quilt to try my applique and embroidery skills...I was very happy with myself when I finished it - I almost kept it for myself!

And I finally finished the Sweet quilt for my lil sis!

Sewing Machine Meme

2009-06-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

The gals over at Sew, Mama, Sew! are having Sewing Machine Month! So I'm answering a few questions to help out future machine buyers....I was I had this resource when I was looking!

What brand and model do you have? Bernina Activa 220
How long have you had it? Approx 4 months
How much does that machine cost (approximately)? $1000.
What types of things do you sew? Quilts, clothing, purses
How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get? I sew about 5 nights a week for about 2-3 hours a session
Do you like/love/hate your machine? I LOVE my machine!
What features does your machine have that work well for you? I love the EASY threading of top and bobbin thread, the thread cutter, and how efficient it is!
Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? Not anything that isn't the users fault!
Would you recommend the machine to others? Why? Absolutely! Even though the price can be a bit jarring - the machine works beautifully, is quick, and very user friendly for new machine users - like me!

Yay!

2009-06-01T11:02:00.001-07:00

I was ALL over the MTV Movie Awards last night....of course to see Rob, but also to see the trailer for New Moon! Here it is! November can't come soon enough!
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7Kut8sX1P0

Hi!

2009-05-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while....I've been working on the NBA quilt for Father's day and I have to do it when hubby is away...which is hard! The funny part is that he's been making fun of me for having 'too' many projects started and not finished...but little does he know it's because I'm working on his gift! It is quilted and I'm now hand stiching the binding. Which is a pain...

I ordered a binding/bias tape folder thingie so that I can machine stitch the binding on for now on. I do love the look of the hidden stitch binding (i'm sure it has a name but I can't think of it!) but it takes soooo long to do by hand!

Also, my replacement Sew Steady Extension table for my machine has been shipped - after 2 months - the first was broken during shipping by Fed-Ex....so as soon as it's here I can finish my other quilts! yay! And I promise to post pics soon!!

See!

2009-05-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

I have been sewing! The Twilight series is done...and yes, I'm a little depressed but now I can be productive!

First up: Wasabi! The green quilt for Ruth...mostly Fresh Cut fabrics.

next: Deep Sea 9 for my little bro. Random 9 patch with 3 Tula Pink's Neptune charm packs minus the coral. I will sash with navy blue.

Lastly, and my favorite...my hubby's basketball quilt for Father's Day. I love the bright colors, the woodgrain fabric and especially the one orange block. It is a twin size...

Mini Quilt Swap

2009-05-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

So....I've signed up for a Quilt Swap....and I'm a little nervous!

My time

2009-04-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

has been directed elsewhere. Quilting, sewing, pressing - have been put on hold. Ok...I admit it. I am as smitten as a teenage girl. I have been reading the Twilight book series non-stop. Like 600 pages read in one day. I am halfway through the the 4th book and as soon as I'm finished I'll be back to my sewing machine. But...I will definitely miss Edward Cullen. Guess it's a good thing that I have the DVD at home to watch again...and drool over.

Have you read the series? And were you as hooked as I am??

PS...my only wish is that there was more 'action' between Bella and Edward...yes, I know, the books are for young adults, but still!

Quilt Festival!

2009-04-21T20:51:00.000-07:00

Amy over at ParkCityGirl is having a Bloggers Quilt Festival! And I had to join!

My entry is the FIRST quilt I made. And the ENTIRE thing is hand stitched. It is my 16-month-old daughters clothes from her first year of life. Mostly onesies and sleepers. It means sooo much to me because I can look and it and recognize every square and at this right now I can tell you what item of clothing it used to be. Not sure how well I'll do when she's 10! But I'm super proud of it and I hope she'll treasure it as much as I do!

Thank you for stopping by!

My back hurts....

2009-04-16T19:23:00.001-07:00

from standing up, leaning over, and cutting all night!

These are the fabrics/block style/ backing for Sean's basketball inspired quilt for Father's Day. He does a Boot Camp workout on wed nights so I cut all of the fabric last night and I'll be working on it on wednesdays to keep it a surprise! FYI - the backing is a twin sheet from Pottery Barn Kids.

The Orange block in the pic will be the only orange block on the quilt to represent the ball!

I so love this fabric!

2009-04-13T19:46:00.001-07:00

Neptune by Tula Pink....I LOVE this fabric! So masculine yet so pretty! I'm going to use these charm packs to make a bordered disappearing 9 patch for my lil bro - minus the coral fabric, I think it's a bit too 'girly' for this 15 year old!

I won!

2009-04-13T19:43:00.000-07:00

I won this awesome Chic or Treat jelly roll from Quilt Taffy!

I'm going to make my nephews a Halloween Quilt! And I still have plenty of time to make it!

Cut

2009-04-07T21:30:00.001-07:00

I cut the Fresh Cut fabric for the Green quilt. I'm doing a bento box pattern of my own measurements...graph paper and a calculator is a quilter's BF!

Another dress...

2009-04-07T21:28:00.000-07:00

This was a gift for a 5 year old...she opened the present and put it on backwards, and stated that it was NOT a dress, it was a jacket! ha!

While hubby watches a movie...

2009-04-07T21:14:00.000-07:00

and eats popcorn...I'm cutting and sewing! So much for cuddling, huh?

I have finished the back of my Swell quilt and need more batting!

I cut enough 4x5 squares to make 3+ of these...

It is big - 60x70ish...That is laying on my queen bed! I'm planning on giving one to each of my sisters and sister's-in-law...we can all match! and I have enough squares left to make A a matching baby size one! I was inspired by this. Thanks Kerri!

i'm here!

2009-04-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted lately! But I have been working on a few project and my 'old lady quilt' is quilted! I borrowed a walking footfor my Bernina and I need to buy one! But I feel bad dropping $100 on one!

I'll post pics tonight before hand stiching my binding!

more...

2009-03-25T17:46:00.001-07:00

Finished my darla quilt and have it pinned and ready to go...not sure how I wanna quilt it yet...

Sean calls this my 'old lady' quilt...

Almost complete...

2009-03-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

Ok. I've finished the Sweet top in a stacked coins pattern...

Dresses!

2009-03-07T09:16:00.000-08:00

These dresses are totally reversable! And so easy to make. I want one in my size....

Next...

2009-03-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

Is A's growth chart! I needed an extra long tape measure (most are only 60")...I figure she's gonna be tall like her parents. I was over 5' at 11!

Busy girl!

2009-03-07T08:52:00.000-08:00

I've been a busy chick - at night of course once A is asleep. And Sean said he can't watch his Sopranos while I sew because it's too loud. That he can only watch sports. hee hee.

Finished A's receiving blanket quilt. Pieced by hand - finished on machine. Back is done with curtain fabric and extra blankets. Binding with Boppy cover material. Perfect size for Judy!

Sweet!

2009-03-03T21:36:00.000-08:00

I ordered 3 sweet charm packs to follow this tutorial to make a quilt for my 15 year old lil sis, Lauren, who lives in San Antonio. I can't wait to start it!

New fabric

2009-03-03T21:23:00.000-08:00

My in-laws live in Ventura so we went there to visit this past weekend. On Sunday, Sean passes out and A goes down for nap - so I jump in the car and use the navigator on my phone to find the nearest quilt shop. Quilt Ventura! They have a huge sale section in the back and I find a few bolts from the same line. Yay! So I buy 2 yards of each - enough for a dress for A, quilt for my sis, and maybe another quilt for...me?

WIP

2009-03-03T21:17:00.000-08:00

AmandaJean totally inspired me to get into this quilting thing - so I'm looking around online for fabric and I find Tanya Whelan's Darla line. And I friggin buy $80 worth...2 charm packs and 26 (yes, 26!) fat quarters from Lanie Jane Fabrics. She does special orders on her Etsy page. So here is my little stack of pieced squares and the rest of the cut pieces waiting for me to get busy.

Mini quilt

2009-03-03T21:13:00.000-08:00

AKA - a potholder! I had to practice my free motion skills on something small before I tackled A's receiving blanket quilt. I stitched that bad boy by hand while she was still small enough to lay/play on the floor without getting into trouble!

I made this!

2009-02-25T09:38:00.001-08:00

I made Avery a dress...it took me a few hours but I love it! And it was my first time doing a ruffle!

New machine!

2009-02-25T09:35:00.003-08:00

yay! I am a PROUD owner of a Bernina Activa 220! My wallet is a lot lighter but I am so happy! I even went to IKEA to buy a new table for it.

New machine!

2009-02-25T09:35:00.001-08:00

Yummy fabric

2009-02-11T20:16:00.000-08:00

I ordered this fabric from fabric depot

It is so yummy - I thought it would be a perfect lining for a purse. What's better than reaching for your lip gloss and seeing a six pack - on a fireman no less??

Top!

2009-02-11T20:11:00.000-08:00

Ok! I have finished quilting the top of A's quilt...by hand...

It measures 68"x 68".

Now I need to purchase a machine to get it finished. Hopefully I'll be purchasing a Bernina This weekend.

Notice Judy's (my cocka-poo) head sticking out from underneath? ha!

growing...

2009-02-09T09:48:00.000-08:00

Avery's quilt is growing every time I work on it. It was originally going to be about 60x60..not anymore! I need to buy a larger piece of batting. But first I need to invest in a machine. My hands hurt!

This Friday a few girls in my Mommy group are going to get together for some sewing time...I'll get to practice on a Bernina. I may be a new Bernina owner!

Did I mention...

2009-01-30T08:36:00.000-08:00

that I quilt by hand! I know...I'm crazy. That's why I'm obsessing over which machine to get. Bernina? Janome?

2009 is the year...

2009-01-27T13:22:00.001-08:00

i turn 30. It's also the year I'm dedicating to learning the craft of quilting. My first project is my daughter's first years clothes. The top is almost complete....quilting with onesies isn't easy. Will post pics soon!