Refreshed :: Invigorated :: Ready

I'm back!  I've missed blogging, missed quilting, missed sharing these past couple of weeks!  My little world has been in a state of chaos for the past month and I'm ready to get back on track and get back to normal again!

This post will be not be about quilting.  I don't have anything to show for myself right now, but with a promise there are a lot of things in the works!  I have so many things I want to do, many things I need to do and a several things I have to do...so stay tuned!  

I had a wonderful time at the beach!  My daughter Britt whisked me away to Fort Lauderdale by the Sea and it was gorgeous!  It happened at the perfect time and while I was not thrilled when it was first presented to me (because of remodeling chaos), I was chomping at the bit when the time came to leave.



We had four days of gorgeous weather and plenty of beach time.  Ice cream for lunch, delicious dinners and touristy shopping!  For me, the best part was spending time with my daughter.  That alone would have been enough for me.  I love the person she has grown into and enjoy all my time spent with her!  This will be remembered and cherished for the rest of my life.

If I could live anywhere it would be somewhere just like this!  

Britt is a quirky kid!  In a very good way.  She has always been that way and I'm sure always will be.  Case in point:  she love collecting rocks and shells.  She would scour the beach for 'treasures' braving the waves crashing around her feet.  I had to laugh by the end of our trip at the pile of shells she wanted to bring home!

This is only a fraction of them!  She also had to bring home a bag of sand.  Her intention was to share with her 'kidlet' friends!  I was the lucky one who had to carry them in my suitcase when we headed for home.  No problem!  Well, unless you go through security and they pull you aside to check whats inside.  It didn't dawn on me that a baggie full of sand could be an issue when going through the x-ray!  It had to be pulled out and a drug test was performed on it.  I know...why would I mix drugs with sand?!  It was quite funny!

Heading home was bitter sweet.  Neither of us wanted to leave.  But we had to.  We had Thanksgiving to do and a house to get back in order!

Anyone who has gone through remodeling knows what a mess you have to go through before its finished.  Construction guys are not the least bit concerned with cleanliness.  They are there to do a job.  I spent weeks following behind them wiping crud off of wall and door frames.  Touching up paint, sweeping up muck and cringing at every turn!

But...it was worth it to have beautiful new wood floors!  When I got back from Florida, I started cleaning.  Washing down walls, washing everything in sight, touching up paint and moving things back where they belonged.  There is still a lot of touch up work to be done, but that can happen later.

My beautiful new floor!  I was so excited to get back everything back in my sewing room!!  I missed having my space!

 

I'm back...and the funny thing is...I didn't know what to do first!  I told my husband that I've been so excited to get back in to sewing, but I didn't know where to start.  My list was to long and I couldn't make a decision on what was first!

It didn't last long and I'm officially working on 'something'!  My double design wall is working great.  I even added my old design wall which you can see rolled up in the first picture.  A spare will come in handy.

I rearranged my shelf full of fabric, framed my sewing machine print and finally got the machine humming!  My room is small, it isn't anything other than a spare bedroom...but it is my 'sanctuary'.  And now it's my 'Sanctuary By The Sea'!  

Thank you for indulging me with today!!  I'm anxious and ready to start sharing quilting projects!  Stay tuned!

Little Miss :: X-Squared

I've just about conquered my backlog of quilts.  I had a stack of five or six that needed quilting and I just looked the other way for far too long.  It's been difficult working on them with the remodeling, but I managed to get what I had down to one left.  

The one left to quilt is my 'Pink With An Attitude' X-Squared 16" block quilt.  That one will have to wait for a couple more weeks.  What I did quilt was the 10" baby version of the X-Squared block.  The pattern for the block is available in my Craftsy Shop:  X-Squared.

34" x 44"
10" X-Squared

This is much like the larger quilt, except I added a 3 1/2" border to increase the size.  With determination, I used the scraps from the original in an effort to rid myself of...scraps!  I nearly did it, but as you all know only too well...there is never an end to scraps!

I was excited to quilt this one, yet with most of my quilting I made it up as I went along.  It was going to be geometric as usually!

 

I used Aurifil Natural White thread for the entire quilt.  I extended the quilting from the block through the border instead of treating the center and the border separately.  It was a fun adventure and something I am sure I will do again!

The four square solid blocks got a pinwheel design, while the the smaller solid section received a geometric jewel like design.

I had one 16" block left over and decided to incorporate it into the back.  I sliced it in half and added the sides to fit.  A simple solution to orphan blocks.

When I went to pick up my machine from it's yearly (actually three years...oops!) cleaning, I came across this beautiful stripe fabric and thought it was so perfect for the border!  The colors are a match made in heaven!

The colors are a match made in heaven!

After finishing both the 16" and 10" blocks, I've come up with so many more ideas I'd love to try!  Does that ever happen to you?

From different arrangements, to different colors, solids and prints...and the border...I've got ideas!

I love taking a block and playing with it.  It doesn't have to be one I designed, although it does make it even more fun!

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UPDATE :: Diamond Hexie Stars

This project has been going on for a while, but then that was the goal in the first place.  A long term English Paper Piecing Project.  When I went to Oregon the beginning of August, I wanted a simple and quick EPP to keep me occupied and out of trouble.  It did just that!



I just finished my ninth round of hexies.  Nine rounds!  When I say rounds, I mean I cut fabric for 6-9 diamonds and hand stitch the hexie diamonds completely together before I start another round.



Round six ended up having eight stars.  I have to say I love picking out the fabrics for each one.  It can be time consuming, complicated, confusing and crazy...but so much fun!



It appears I was slacking when I did round seven...really Jayne...only six?!  I feel like the Kaffe Fasset fabric was exactly what these needed.  Not just what they needed, but what I needed at the time.  It was a difficult August for me and the bold and bright colors of the fabric helped.



Round eight.  Another slacking moment!  Nearly every night I'll pick up this project and stitch for a couple hours.  My thumb is a mess, and why is it there is always one spot where the needle hits every single time?!  Painful, but worth it.  



This would be round nine.  I will say my stash of Kaffe has dwindled to a holy mess!  Fussy cutting will make a mess in a hurry. 

I have round ten cut and ready!  Beyond that I haven't a clue what I'll do.  Most likely scour my fabric and see if I can squeeze out even more.  

I thought this block was rather interesting.  I  like the oval circles!


I'm waiting to get back in to my sewing room so I can put them on the design wall.  I'm so curious as to what they will look like!!

I'll be heading to Ft. Lauderdale for a few days of fun and sun!  My daughter pretty much insisted I go with her and who am I to deny her the pleasure of my company?!

Besides, I am so...sick...and...tired...of...construction!!  I need a break from the chaos, grime and having people in and out of my house every single day!  

I've needed a laptop sleeve for a long time now.  My sisters laughed at what I was using, a large bubble mailer from Aurifil thread...what's wrong with that?!  

I used this tutorial from Sew Mama Sew as my guide, Simple Laptop Sleeve by Elizabeth Hartman.



Very simple indeed!  The outside is a Home Dec weight fabric from Ikea.  I love the graphic nature of it.  It has fusible fleece and a flannel lining as well.  Not armor, but perfectly fine and it probably looks better than a bubble mailer! 

No more laughing at me Debbrah and Kathie!!  

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Pushing The Limits :: Evening Star

The finish is always the best!  Especially when the struggle was real!  No bones about it...free motion quilting is difficult, yet it draws me in and keeps me coming back for more.

18 1/2" x 18 1/2"
Evening Star

When I first finished this top (Evening Star :: Sparkle & Sass), I didn't have a concrete idea how I would quilt it.  The possibilities were there...medallion, pebbles, geometric.  A triple treat, a trifecta!



I knew there would be a lot of thread colors and changes involved, because how could I not?!  It's a rainbow!  My go to thread is Aurifil 50 wt. and the rainbow colors are Natural White #2021, Lobster Red #2265, Neon Orange #1104, Canary #2120, Bright Pink #2425, Spring Green #1231, Delft Blue #2730, Jade Green #1148,Medium Lavender #2540.



The first order of business was pebbles.  I marked off the sections in between the triangles and began the pebble power.  I'd be kidding myself if I said I'm good at consistent and decent circles.  This was the first time I had machine problems and more than once per section I had thread breakage.  I persisted because...as a women...that's what we do!

    

I added a few double pebbles for the surprise factor.  One thing about pebbles, they look amazing and especially after a good wash & dry!

You can't see it very well on the front, but in each triangle I quilted a different design.  Straight lines, geometric...I kept it simple.

Okay, now the scary part.  I attempted my first ever medallion free motion motif!  What was I thinking?!  I had to remind myself every few minutes that just like pebbles...this will look fantastic after a wash...and from a distance.  Full disclosure comes with close ups.  I think it's important not to sugar coat, disguise or hide the warts!  

The point is I tried!  They say the more you do, the better you become or the easier free motion quilting gets.  I have yet to get to that point, but I'll continue to try!

The rest of the quilt was on all about geometric quilting.  With my Hera marker I would map out a round.  Quilt it.  And repeat over and over.

 

Picking points or corners helps with getting interesting angles when quilting.  Once I was finished with that part I noticed that there open spaces that needed filling.  I decided to go with the good old pebbles once more.

We all love the fronts of quilts.  We even go so far as to pick busy backing prints to make our quilting hiccups less noticeable.  I used Kona Ivory for the back and that meant no hiding anything!  My plan or my hope was exactly what happened.  The thread painting a picture, a medallion plus!  Mindful of the shakiness of my quilting...it is pretty!

The binding is scrappy with a few bits of the primary colors Red, yellow and blue.  If it wasn't for those three amigos...we'd not have all our other beauties!

What's your favorite free motion quilting tip?  Don't say practice, practice, practice!!  I am too undisciplined to do that!  My free tip is take it easy and slow at first, but don't be afraid to try!

You can find the paper pieced pattern for the block here:  'Evening Star'.

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Mod Quad :: HST

I'm captivated!  Obsessed, smitten, enamored and gaga with Half Square Triangles that is!  It's not just about this quilt or the seemingly hundreds that I've made.  It's the fact that you can take a simple block and configure it into so many different things.  Simple or elaborate.  Big blocks, small blocks or combined.  

This latest quilt was inspired by one I made in January: Bye Bye Hand Dyed, where I used the last of my hand dyed fabrics.  I very well could have done an exact copy of it, but why not try something different!

Mod Quad
36 1/2" x 49"

As you can see it's a simple design focusing on different shades of yellow and light orange for the main rectangle.  Using negative space puts the emphasis on the shapes allowing them to be front and center.  Which is what I like about this particular design.  

You can add HST's to make your shape larger, or smaller - a square or rectangle - or both.

I like to play with straight line quilting when I make this type of design.  I tend to use 1/2" to 3/4" wide lines on smaller quilts and 3/4" to 1 1/2" on larger ones.  And I love trying to create interest with the lines.  

Focusing on the shape.  Or making a 'ghost' shape that is like a block in the quilt.  In this case it was the smaller block.  

I ended up quilting a series of blocks in a row.  This picture of the back shows what I mean by 'series' much better.

I've always had a special fondness for the combination of yellow and gray, so I grabbed my Aurifil 50 wt. spool of Canary (#2120) for this quilting adventure.  I love how it stands out against the Kona Shadow gray.  

I recently confiscated a stack of solids from my daughter Britt's stash and thought the bright orange would be a good compliment to the design.

I usually map out sections before quilting focusing on one large section for lines and then working the other areas with either a different width of lines or a different direction.

This was the first time I added the double lines in the corner.  Something different, yet it worked.

What's a post from me about a quilt without the usual 'pile' picture?!  The only think that would be better than this is if it had that dreamy crinkled look after washing!

Do you get sick of seeing the same old block in quilts?  Can there be too much of a good thing?

I think too much of a good thing can only be food related!  Too much ice cream, too much chocolate, maybe too much wine...but never too much when it comes to the creativeness and inventive ways of HST'S!

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Evening Star :: Sparkle & Sass

I feel like I'm totally behind in my blogging lately.  My excuse is home improvements.  Remodeling.  Nightmare.  Money pit!  For those who have been through remodeling you know what I mean by nightmare!  Especially if you own an older home and are trying to update.  Our simple goal was to rip out the carpet in the bedrooms and install wood floors.  Well, one thing lead to another, that led to another and is still leading to another...Money Pit!

My sewing room has been set up in a small area on my dining room table where I'm able to quilt and finish small projects that have been lingering.  One of those is this project 'Evening Star'.  An enticing paper pieced block that I've had in my sights for a while now.  I saw the block at 'Swim, Bike, Quilt' blog, which was part of a Summer Sampler Series.  



Initially I had intended to just make the block.  Testing the waters.  After deciding on a rainbow theme, my creative spirit took over!

I had just enough white for the background of the star, which will explain why I ended up pulling out my bag of neutral solids for the borders.  Normally I mark my fabrics with the color and manufacturer, especially with whites.  It still amazes me how different whites can be.

The first border is made of 2 1/2" 45 degree triangles.  I could have stopped right there, but darn those scraps!  It seemed like the perfect time to use them and do a little improv.



And so it began...the figuring it out as you go, the creative bug, the thrill of using up scraps.  I wanted to use little bits of color mixed in with the improv and settled on randomly shaped triangles. It started with small blocks that were roughly 3" square that included a solid color triangle.  After I had those finished I made 'filler blocks to add between the squares and extend the border.  It took a little finesse, but it worked and was worth it! 



At least I think it was worth it!  We'll see how the quilting comes together before I start tooting my horn!



The border triangles range in size from 1/4" to 1".  Chubby ones, skinny ones, perfectly imperfect triangles.



There are rainbow quilts that call for a whole bunch of rainbow thread!  I've done it before and know first hand that changing each color time after time is a pain in the 'bobbin'!  Then again I also know that it can be very well worth the headache and time in the end.   



This quilt will require my Hera Marker and a big bunch of 50 weight Aurifil thread. 

Natural White #2021
Lobster Red #2265
Neon Orange #1104
Canary #2120
Bright Pink #2425
Spring Green #1231
Delft Blue #2730
Jade Green #1148
Medium Lavender #2540 

Oh!  Let's not forget you have to have a plan!  And boy did I have a plan.  A long and tedious plan!  I won't leave you hanging...I'll leave you with a sneak peek of my very ambitious quilting plans.



Working with one block is a great way to experiment and test a block.  You can play with color, add borders, and eventually even practice with the quilting.  

Do you make a block for fun?  It isn't unusual for us to take our stray blocks and work them into or make them into something else.  Were are a clever bunch, don't you think?!

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