No Rest For The Weary

I wouldn't have it any other way!  I love to stay busy.  Busy, busy, busy.  I've never been much on taking it easy, taking time off or taking time away.  Instead, I continue to play with fabric day in and day out.

In some ways, I feel as if I'm trying to catch up.  When I started quilting in 2005, I quickly became addicted and found my creative outlet.  The more 'balls in the air' the better!  

Do you remember my 'Cool Waters' Quilt Top?  I wasn't sure how I was going to quilt it and then I got an idea!  Light bulb moments are great!  I just finished sewing the binding on last night.  It will hit the washing machine today and I share the finished piece in a couple days. I'm pleased with it.  I'm anxious to use the rest of the Denyse Schmidt charm squares for another project soon.  

 I thought I had lost my notes on my Illusion quilt, but found them in the most unlikely place.  Why would I put them in my Low Volume fabric tote?!  Go figure!

I wanted to recreate this quilt  Black + White = Illusion because I love it and thought...why not?!! I pulled out the good old black and white fabric and thought I could just get to it from my notes. Not the case!  I seriously tried to take decent notes for the first one.  I thought I did.  I couldn't figure out what the heck I was talking about!  I ended up making a couple test blocks (again), and this time...certainly I took better notes!

Please tell me I am not the only one who writes cryptic confusing notes?!  I could say I learned my lesson, but I'm sure I have not!

This quilt top will be ready whenever I am!

Briar Rose, Briar Rose!  You are a delightful, gorgeous stack!  Believe it or not I have decided to part with this stack of fat quarters.  I'm still a bit shocked myself and must admit...a little saddened!  

The first step in recovery is letting go...and let go I shall!  

These will be going to a friend in my Guild.  I'm sure she will cherish them as I have, and I hope she will use them as I have not!  I made one quilt with them and I still have some decent sized pieces left, all is not lost!  In a way, it feels really good!  Who knows, this could be a new beginning! 

And lastly, after painting my toe nails with the skill of a two-year-old, I took a moment to play!  I don't usually paint my finger nails and, I'm not sure one nail out or ten counts, but I painted 'A' nail!  

It still looks like a two-year-old did it, but hell...it was fun!  Cross hatch...take that!!  So, my artistic skill do not cross over to nail painting!

Childhood Memories

We all have special memories of our childhood.  Something that makes you sigh in happiness and lets you relive that glorious moment once again.  When I saw the book The Paper Pieced Home ~ I had a flashback to a time when I didn't have a care in the world.  All that mattered was getting my paper dolls cut out by my big sister!  

When I saw this paper pieced paper doll dress, I knew I had to make it! So the fun began!

The first thing I did was enlarged the pattern to 125%.  I wanted a little more to work with for my soon to be mini!

I really think any fabric would work, but as always I struggled with deciding what I wanted to use.  Too much to choose from perhaps!  In the end, I went with Heather Ross' Briar Rose. I'll be making two dresses and think these look great together.  

Naturally I started with the easiest section...just to get warmed up.  I had to include the little bee in the honeycomb dress.  It's just so darn cute!

Piece by piece I pieced...and pieced.  One mess up during both dresses isn't bad! Considering all the sections.

The moment of truth is when each section goes together.  Did I get it right?  Will they all fit together?  Fingers crossed, it has to work!  

One thing I love about the patterns is there are little vertical lines to match up each section. It helped a lot and made it easier to put each section together.

The moment of truth.

There are a couple of spots that are slightly off.  Not perfect.  I am not going to complain about that...I am thrilled with them!

I started with a white border only to realize I didn't have a plan what to do next.  I called it an evening after this step!  Surely something will come to me in a dream!

That didn't happen.  I still was at a loss the next morning!  My first thought was adding 3/4" Hexies around the edge ~ somewhere.  I wasn't feeling that at all.  Thinking, swearing and a lot of talking to myself (irritating my daughter to no end!), an idea finally came to me.  

After cutting the first border down, I pieced together 3/4" strips of the prints with white and came up with tiny little 1/4" squares.  Adorable!! They were haphazardly placed around the the edges and finished off with the final border.  

I decided to use my latest fabric purchase, Pearl Bracelets for the backing and yellow for the binding.  Those little fingers...my daughters! Nothing makes her happier than jumping into a photo just as I snap the picture.  Jokes on her though...I liked it!

My free motion quilting is still an on going practice session and most likely always will be. These little Mini's are a good way to keep practicing and maybe one day I will be more confident at it.

I like it though.  I didn't want to do too much in the dresses.  By too much you can see I did nothing except a little outline.  

15" x 14"

I plan on sending this wall hanging to someone special, but I can't say who that is!  It would ruin the surprise!

So, do they still make paper dolls?  Did you play with them?  I remember how the little tabs would rip off I would use bobby pins to hold the paper clothing on.  Or the flimsy cardboard stands no longer would hold up the beautiful paper dolls and I would make not much better stands to replace them.  Carefree days!  

I remember having my sister's cut them out for me when I was little.  My memory says they loved doing it.  However I'm sure they hated it and only reluctantly did so!  

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Fresh Quilts ~ Take Two

Never could I have imagined being in a magazine with one of my designs...I am happy to share with you my second feature!  

Fresh Quilts is a fabulous new magazine.  If you haven't seen this magazine yet, I highly recommend it!  From quilts, to pillows to coasters!  A little bit of everything for everyone! 

Here is the Fall/Winter Issue:

Amazing how different my pillows look in a beatifully staged setting!  I had a bit of a block when it came time to make something with fall colors.  It was barely Spring when I started and thinking of fall when all I wanted was summer...a little bit of a challenge!

My two beauties!

With all my talk lately about writing a quilt pattern, so far I have managed a few pillow patterns for the magazine.  It was still daunting...sometimes overwhelming.  I'm learning!

After figuring out a design, these were the first 'draft'.  I did change a few things after making these two.  Not much, but some!

A friend of mine and fellow Music City Modern Quilt Guild member Lindsay Conner ( Modern Bee , Lindsay Sews) is also featured in this issue!  She has some very cool coasters using solids! 

Linking:

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Diamond Quilt Finished!

Briar Rose.  Paper Piecing.  Diamonds.  Goal Achieved.  I am so happy with this quilt! Making goals and achieving them is so rewarding!  Paper piecing has been on that 'list' for some time now.  This was the perfect pattern to hone my paper piecing skills.  I certainly highly recommend it for those who want to learn or those who want a fun block to make!

I first blogged about this Diamond quilt here:  Diamond In The Rough. You can get a good idea on the process.  This post:  Hitting A Goal has links for the pattern!

Putting the blocks together wasn't so bad.  Paper piecing is great for perfection...or nearly perfect in my case!  Regardless...I'm happy with it!

60" x 85"

I ended up making 96 blocks.  Each one 5" x 10".  Bordered with white and a spring green and finished with a white binding.  

Quilting it was challenging!  I had this idea...which failed big time!  Have you ever started quilting a quilt, but it didn't seem right?  And instead of stopping right then and there...you go a little more thinking maybe it will work?  Yep, that's exactly what I did!  Instead of only having to rip out a few lines, I had twice as many to rip out!  Lesson learned!  When you think it looks bad, it is!

I ended up doing a pretty simple diagonal diamond pattern in the end.  It fits.  It works.  Its done!

Briar Rose + Quilt = flowers!

The back is white and yellow.  I pieces some angles to mimic the diamonds.  Why the heck not?

Do you paper piece?  Do you have a favorite block or project?  I would love to do more one day.  For now I can just be happy I followed through on a goal!

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A Diamond In The Rough!

Paper piecing is so much fun!  It's so much fun to do a project (every once in a while) where its precise and requires patience!  This diamond pattern is a simple design, yes. It's building my confidence to try something a little more involved next time.

It saved me time to do a batch at a pop.  I would sew one corner on a dozen rectangles, iron, trim and repeat.  Doing it that way saved me hundreds of trips to the ironing board! 

With the last corner sewn I get to the other fun part!  Trimming the entire block!

I love pulling the paper off too!  Zip!  Off it comes!  

Not bad!  I added a small border of white and finished it off with a lovely coordinating green.  I plan on adding a white binding in the end.  Pinned and ready for the agonizing quilting...only because it takes me a while to know what I want to do!  I can't wait!!

Each block ended up being 5" x 10" (finished).  I ended up making 54 diamond blocks for this quilt.

It would be wrong of me not to show some of the cuteness of the Briar Rose fabric!   

Go ahead!  You can do it!  Swim!

Gather it up!  

Nothing better than a good 'read' after a picnic at the pond!

I am so happy with this quilt!  I adore Briar Rose and love the quality of the fabric!  I did a blog post here:  HITTING A GOAL,  where you can find a pattern for the diamonds.  You will also see that I enlarged it for these blocks.

There are a few things that I have learned making these blocks.  First of all, it hurts like heck when you get poked by a pin!  Over and over!  Second, small stitches will make your paper piecing life so much easier.  Third, print your pattern on the cheapest paper you can! The thinner the paper, the easier it is to pin.

There you have it.  This quilt is officially still 'A Diamond In The Rough'!  But not for long!

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Hitting A Goal

It happens to be a nice feeling when I actually follow through with a goal!  Foundation Paper Piecing. I've done a little here and there.  The precision of the points makes me all smiley and happy!

I was looking through Hawthorne Threads Blog the other day when I saw this post.  I saw the Totem Quilt and was intrigued.  Diamonds.  Paper Piecing.  Must try!  The pattern is available through Cloud 9 Fabrics.  

I pulled out my scraps, printed the patten and went to work!  and...I liked it!

So, it inspired me.  I decided to enlarge it.  Testing.  Testing. Testing.

And it worked!  I cannot lie.  I like the black and white!  Perhaps that will be another project for another day!

I have been 'sitting' on a stash of Briar Rose for months and months.  Always eyeing it, touching it and then putting it back on the shelf.  Well...heck with that!  I bit the bullet and decided Briar Rose and paper piecing diamonds!  Honestly, its only fabric!  

I have made six so far.  (in the bigger diamond)  My plans are still sketchy.  But I do know it will all come together in the end!  I'm just happy I have finally given in and decided this was the Briar Rose project I have been waiting my whole life for!  (dramatic)

I adore this print!  So adorable it makes me giggle!  I have many more diamonds to make.  It could take a while.  But I have time!  I'll share my progress!  

ANYTHING GOES Monday

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