16 in 2016

As 2016 winds down- which many people are happy about- I wanted to complete my annual wrap up of the quilts I completed. In 2016, marked mostly for me by me starting an awesome new job in September which resulted in less sewing time- I completed 16 quilts. Of those 16 I kept two.

Starting at top left and rotating clockwise, finishing in centre: Sweet Pepper Jelly, Quilt of Belonging, Thank You Stephanie, Little Eye, Tumbi, Canadian Wilderness, Welcome to Canada, AeroPlus

Starting in top left and rotating clockwise, finishing in centre: Midnight at the Museum, Force Field, Bearss, Diamond in the Sky, Bunnies, Glisten, In the Garden, Fishy Friends

I've definitely upped by paper piecing game this year and had lots of fun mixing and matching from my stash. I went on a six month fast from buying fabric (along with my friend C) and really didn't suffer too badly from it. I made enough flying geese between In the Garden and Force Field to last me at least until 2018. And I now have Sweet Pepper Jelly as my go-to quilt for the car and my youngest daughter has her Little Eye quilt to drag around and have picnics on almost daily. Definitely a successful year!

I think Little Eye ended up being my overall favourite from this year because I drooled over the inspiration quilt for so long and then finally made one! I love how it turned out.

I made other things, too, in 2016. Pillows and pillowcases and Halloween bags and Sew Together bags. But the quilts are where my heart truly lies.

What was your favourite finish of 2016?

Sweet Pepper Jelly: A Finished Quilt

Way back in 2013 I subscribed to the Sugar Block Club with Amy Gibson of Stitchery Dickory Dock. I was still relatively new to quilting and thought it would be a good skill builder. And it was! I used a blogger bundle of fabric from Rita of Red Pepper Quilts (at the time she was one of my favourite bloggers; as of late my taste has diverged significantly though I still admire her skill!) as well as a few prints from my own stash (that I might not even buy today!).

It was my first attempt at paper piecing (I believe four of twelve blocks require paper piecing) and I was not so great at it. And all my blocks ended up slightly different sizes ranging from 10.5" to 12". I saw no way out, at the time, to putting it together into a quilt top. And so it languished.

I would say it was my first ever true WIP, and I am not someone to let things go unfinished. It has been nagging at me for years to finish it. This was the summer!

I put away my reservations, embraced "Finished is better than perfect" and got to work.

And here is Sweet Pepper Jelly, a quilt with many imperfections (and that includes the quilting) but which is DONE and will now be our "out and about" quilt that stays in the car for picnics, chilly mornings or general quilt needs.

A sampler quilt, in an odd mix of fabrics, but DONE!

I did loopy swirls in all the borders and tried something different with each block, to varying degrees of success.

The back is this infamous IKEA print, picked up and stored for the last three years with this exact quilt in mind. It is much lighter weight than quilt shop quilting cotton but it sure packs some visual punch! This was my first scrappy binding, made in 2013 and not attached until mid-2016. I love how it works for this quilt.

You get a bit of a sense of the different quilting looking at the back like this.

It feels so good to have this quilt DONE. Only one more WIP sits languishing in my closet now...my Aviatrix Medallion which I am not prepared to tackle again right now!

Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday.

2015: Big Plans, Long Lists

This is perhaps the most fun post of the year to write because I get to dream of all the quilts I'll be making in the coming year. Last year at this time I was less than two weeks away from having a baby and I had a very reasonable list, which I managed to (mostly) accomplish. This year I am throwing reasonable out the window and aiming big!

There are the quilts I already have on my "to do" list for the plethora of babies arriving (mostly in March)
1. Baby quilt for J's son (January)

2. Baby quilt for P&M (March)

3. Baby quilt for R's baby girl (March)

4. Baby quilt for A's baby boy (March)

5. Baby quilt for S's second baby girl (March)

6. Baby quilt for G's little boy (March)

7. I just need the binding for my friend's bridal shower quilt so that will probably be my first finish for 2015.

Other quilts I want to make this year:
1. I have an orange and turquoise bundle from almost three years ago that is destined to be a Strips and Stripes quilt from Cluck Cluck Sew. I'm hoping to gift it to my sister-in-law come May. One way or the other, the quilt will be for her!
2. An I-Spy quilt for the baby. I wanted to make one for my eldest and it never happened. My favourite so far that I've found is this one from In the Blue Chair

Picture taken from From In The Blue Chair. It is all Heather Ross prints which is very cool, but I would just choose my favourite prints from my stash. Plus, look at all the delicious solids!

3. An all-solids quilt. Perhaps an HST one. I'm thinking to make a picnic blanket with this quilt, one to enjoy this summer out on the lawn with the baby eating grass and the big kid hunting bugs while I lounge on a pretty made-to-be-dirty quilt.
4. A quilt for my husband. Oh, how he likes to whine about me making quilts for everyone and their sister and not one for my very own husband. The problem is he is soooooo picky. I think I know what I'll do, but we will see how it goes!

I also really want to take quilts off my WIP list. I want to get at least these two finished:
1. 2013 Sugar Block Club quilt
2. Swoon quilt- the top is finished except for some borders, then backing and quilting

3. Maybe a couple more borders on my crazy Aviatrix Medallion quilt? That one is going to be a WIP for a looooooong time.

Other items:
1. Fox and the Houndstooth covered book for a co-worker's birthday (January) 
2. This will be the year I make clothes! Well, simple dresses for my baby for the summer. Surely I can manage, especially with some help from quilty friend A!
3. I really want to finish my Craftsy tutorial by Angela Walters on free motion quilting patterns.
4. Pillows for my downstairs pull-out couch.
5. The rest of the Christmas stockings I started three years ago.

I'm sure many more will end up on my list. And I need my friends to stop having babies! There is also the hope that we may move this year which may mean long stretches without sewing. I hope the move happens, but not the pause in sewing!

What is on the top of your list for 2015?

Lynn

Blog Around the World

I started to sew by teaching myself after asking for a sewing machine for my thirtieth birthday from my husband. That was four years ago. After a year and a half of sewing I tried my first quilt, something I thought would take years before I could accomplish. I got totally and completely hooked. That included being hooked on quilting blogs, which led to me starting my own blog.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when Jenn from A Quarter Inch from the Edge contacted me to ask if I would be interested in participating in Blog Around the World where she would direct her readers to my blog (and two other blogs). I encountered Jenn when I had a giveaway on my blog from Sew Sisters and she entered. I checked out her blog and a few entries in I had her on my Blogger dashboard so I wouldn't miss a post! She is sort of a Kona solids genius. Check out what she did with these strip colour quilts or how she made a silk purse out of a (Kona) sow's ear. Also check out her epic solid Starburst quilt with the coloured Aurafil quilting. AMAZING. I'm interested to see how the addition of twins (!) will impact her quilting time (she accomplishes a zillion projects a week, or so it seems). Jenn is also Canadian but she is in Halifax in Nova Scotia whereas I am close to Toronto in Ontario. Google maps tells me it would take 17 hours and 53 minutes to drive there. Ouch.

And so here I am to answer the following questions about myself, my blog and my creative process.

What am I working on?

I used to be a woman who finished projects. My quilty friends C and A would comment that I was great at actually following through and that I didn't have very many WIPs (works in progress). Somehow that has changed this summer in particular. Or, perhaps, it has changed while being on maternity leave because the addition of a new baby (on top of my almost six-year-old) has changed how I am able to work. Currently I have the following projects "on the go" (including those for which I have already selected fabrics):

1. Oldest WIP: Stitchery Dickory Dock's Sugar Block Club Block of the Month. I have the blocks made and the binding made (with the scraps from the blocks). I made this using a bundle curated by Red Pepper quilts and purchased from Pink Castle Fabrics. I already know the backing (IKEA Nummer fabric) but I have not been motivated to do the boring sashing bits.

2. Swoon. I participated in a #Swoonalong with several quilty friends this summer. I completed all nine blocks using Tula Pink's Fox Field line and a LOT of Kona Shadow. I decided to add sashing which really helped make the quilt look right. Now I just need to add the border (which are cut and ready to go) and then baste (yuck) and decide how to quilt this sucker.  I think this will end up being a 2015 finish.

3. Aviatrix Medallion. I don't even like medallion quilts all that much. Or at least I didn't until I saw Elizabeth Hartman's pattern in all Kona solids. I bullied a friend into doing it too and she is so much further ahead. This is a very very VERY complex quilt so I knew it would take ages. I have finished the centre medallion and I'm working on the grey HSTs for Border One. This one may be a very late 2015 finish or, dare I say it, 2016?

4. Grey quilt #1: A Plus quilt. This is for a friend's son, J. She commissioned me to make two double quilts for her two little boys, ages 1 and 3. They both are dark greys and lots of Kona White. I only agreed to make these quilts because I adore her and because she turned creative control over to me. I am at the hand binding stage with this quilt.

5. Grey quilt #2. This is for big brother, E. It is a Pow Wow quilt from Cluck Cluck Sew's pattern (which I LOVE). I love this quilt so much I don't really want to let it go. I have it basted it and I'm waiting for the FMQ fairy to inspire me.

6 and 7. Mint Julep and Monkey Business, simple patchwork quilts for twins due in November to a work friend. These should be quick finishes. You know, if I stayed focused.

8. Black and White shower quilt. A lifelong friend got married two years ago and I was her maid of honour. Her mom and aunt both quilt so I came up with the idea of having the guests at her bridal showers sign squares of fabric and make a "guest book" quilt. Her aunt had the squares for two years without touching it so I took over to get the project going. Now I just need time to fit it in!

9. A very modern quilt for a neighbour expecting a little girl in November.

10. A red and white quilt for my husband's stepmother's mother, Nana. I want it done for her for Christmas.

I also need to make a baby quilt for a friend from work who is due in January, a special car holder project for my nephew for Christmas and a bunch of crayon roll ups for my daughter's loot bags at her sixth birthday party. Oh, and have I mentioned I'm going back to work from maternity leave starting tomorrow?

How does my work differ from others who quilt?

I don't really know how to answer this question. I know that when I compare my quilts to that of my friend's mother and aunt, or my great aunt, I am definitely more modern in my pattern and fabric choices. I know that compared to my quilty friends I am more adventurous than one of them (she chooses more modern fabrics but more traditional patterns) and less adventurous than the other (who chooses patterns because they are hard). Maybe at only three years into quilting I don't have a solid identity yet.

Why do I quilt?

I have always been drawn to quilts. For my high school graduation I didn't want a class ring. I asked my parents to pay to have a quilt made (I guess at 18 my parents should have read the warning signs). My job is incredible and challenging and rewarding but I also need something to do that is not related to the consuming nature of my job. Quilting fits the bill because it is very challenging and I am constantly learning and my mind is busy but on something other than work. I find that refreshing. I also think I can express love through my quilts, and since I am a pretty tough cookie that is one of the few ways I do!

What is my creative process?

I read a lot of blogs and go on Instagram and Pinterest a lot. Sometimes fabric or patterns just speak to me. They jump out at me and then get stuck in my head and haunt me until I at least write them down in this little notebook I have that is just for quilting. I will sketch out or write out my thinking behind the quilt and then I will have it sitting in my brain begging to be made until I actually get to making it. The problem is getting things done because my mind has sometimes already moved on to the next project before I finish the grunt work (like basting) for the one I'm on. This hasn't been too bad until recently. The grey quilts are an example of this madness. My friend mentioned wanting quilts in dark grey for her boys and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Within two days I had sent her inspiration photos and explained my vision. She was sold without much consideration and then I jumped on making the quilts happening. Alas I am nearing the finish line but I'm already itching to make something colourful!

So that is all about me. Now check out THESE amazing women and their blogs. On September 8th they will have new posts similar in flavour to mine. Check them out!

The Edgy Perfectionist
Her title encapsulates her perfectly. Crissa works full time and yet creates the most incredible quilts and projects. She is meticulous and it shows in her work. She likes BOLD colours and fabrics like Tula Pink, Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett. When her mojo is flowing, watch out! I think the quilt she made that blew me away the most is her Out in Space quilt. Epic. Another Canadian, but closer to home than Jenn as she is in a neighbouring city here in Ontario.

How My Time Flies
An experienced sewer and quilter, this woman can do it all. Anita makes quilts but also clothing (including her own bras!), pillows, drapes and, well, anything you can sew. And she knits, too! She works full time and she is a very detail-oriented quilter (read: perfect seam matching every time. She told me she would teach me how but I know I wouldn't have her patience!) so her finishes are fewer. Anita has been working on a Dear Jane quilt for two years and I can't wait to see it together. Also, check out her incredible landscape quilt. She made this after taking a class on Craftsy. This is her first landscape quilt. WOW. Hooray for another local Canadian!

Peas in a Pod Creations
Kymberly is American, from Iowa. She was one of my first followers on my blog. She blogs about quilting but also about her knitting (gorgeous stuff that I could never make!). I am particularly captivated by her foray into making a Farmer's Wife quilt (a zillion tiny blocks with a zillion pieces each, much like a Dear Jane) because she is doing it entirely in black, white and grey. I have never seen one with a colour scheme like that and she is so good about explaining her process with the blocks and when she makes mistakes that she can live with and when she scraps it and tries again! I can't wait to see how it looks when it is all together because I think it is going to be worthy of a quilting show.

Lynn

WIP Wednesday: Not Enough Hours in the Day

I have lots of projects on the go this Wednesday. Having lots of projects is what allows me to get things done since sometimes I can't always work on just one thing because of little people restrictions. Pressing when you have a fussy baby is a no go, for example.

I managed to quilt the orange and navy Puddle Jumping quilt that I'm making for our neighbours. I meant to do something different- figure eights, for example- but muscle memory took over and it ended up being free motion big meandering loops. I still like it!

This is a shot of the back of the quilt where I have a strip of 3.5" squares down one side.

I made the binding for the Puddle Jumping quilt and went through all my scraps from my Sugar Block Club blocks and made a very scrappy binding for that quilt as well.

Scrappy on top, Art Gallery Squared Elements in Blueberry on the bottom

I washed, pressed and laid out the fabric for the Lua Sleepsack I'm going to make using a pattern I bought from Straight Grain. I decided not to get actually started until I have the buttons and zipper purchased.

The raindrop pattern is the outside and that blue pattern in the background will be the inside lining.

I got the binding sewn on the Puddle Jumping quilt (I really need a name for that quilt!) but haven't started hand sewing it on back yet.

Squared Elements works so well as binding

I've been working on finishing up this story pillow for my daughter's kindergarten teacher as part of her year-end gift. The last day isn't until the end of June but I wanted to be finished.

I added a border of Kona Artichoke to make the pillow larger  to fit the pillow form I have. I straight line quilted it between the colour changes.

I have pulled out the fabric stack I've been gathering together to make two double-sized quilts for two small brothers. My friend commissioned me to make these quilts and told me "dark grey." Other than that I have free reign. I can't wait to see how these will look!

Look for more posts about these quilts!

One of the quilts will be a plus pattern. I'm making them using 3.5" squares. I'll need a lot of them!

This is one of my favourite Denyse Schmidt prints. I don't always love her stuff but this eyelet is so yummy!

And I have pulled fabric and chosen a pattern for my friend's mother (whom I call my aunt) to make a quilt for my youngest daughter. She hand pieces everything! Ack! She made a quilt for my older daughter before I started quilting. I really want my youngest to have one from her as well!

The pattern is by Kate Henderson. THe fabrics are all from stash. I need to add some more navy but I am loving how this looks. The colour scheme is partially inspired by the Art Gallery fabric you see on the far right and partially by a dress my friend's daughter was wearing a month ago that I loved as quilty inspiration.

That's what I've been up to on this WIP Wednesday!

Lynn

Linking up with Freshly Pieced for Work in Progress Wednesday!

Sugar Block End is in Sight

With lots of perseverance and the help of my trusty seam ripper, I managed to complete the block that turned me totally off paper piecing from my Sugar Block Club last year. Though not perfect, I think it looks pretty darn good and from a distance you wouldn't notice the imperfections.

This orange looks very red in the picture, but trust me it is orange. My daughter told me she thought this block was pretty. I'm glad she likes it because I am never making it again.

And then, pleased with myself for finishing all my 2013 blocks, I laid them out to take a picture.

All...11 blocks??

That's right. Somehow I managed to forget a block and ended up with just 11 blocks. So I looked up which block I was missing. It turned out to be the Star of Wonder Block and...

Pretty block from Stitchery Dickory Dock.

...it is paper pieced! I wanted to cry. And laugh. And shout. And drink wine. Instead, I calmly printed out the templates and spent the next few days working on the last block.

I really like how this shows the before and after of paper piecing. For a newbie it was hard to imagine at first, but as I've done a few now this trimming stage is the most rewarding.

The points weren't as finicky on this one and I was very, very careful with my pinning which is why, I think, this block was less frustrating than the other one.

Final block!

A few things I filed away for future paper piecing:

1. My quilty friend A recommended tiny pins for pinning the seams. She even bought me some. She was right, they helped.

2. My quilty friend C suggested I pin the block for precise lining up by looking at the front instead of the back. That helped a great deal!

3. My new machine is so awesome and I could more easily play with stitch length. On my machine a 1.4 stitch length ended up being perfect for the pre-perforating and piecing.

4. With time and experience comes greater skill. I think I also struggled less with this last block because I've been sewing for an extra year!

I'm glad I'm done, though I think this will remain a UFO for a bit still because I feel no inspiration to tackle the sashing. I know I am going to do a scrappy binding and use the famous IKEA nummer print on the back. This quilt will end up staying home...I picture it as a hanging-out-on-the-couch kind of quilt.

And I might do paper piecing again. But only for something really spectacular that I can't resist!

Lynn

Paper Piecing Take Two

I signed up for the Sugar Block Club run by Amy Gibson of Stitchery Dickory Dock last year in the hopes that it would build my skill level in the way that In Color Order's (Jeni Baker) HST Quilt Along helped me build my skills in 2012.

I was right. It built serious skills. I used a bundle curated by Red Pepper Quilts with some additions from my stash and got to work each month. I fell behind in the spring and caught up again in the summer, only to completely stop when the fall got really busy.

Truth is, there was something else stopping me from finishing these blocks. And considering we're almost in month five of 2014, I know I need to get with it and finish this project.

See, three of the blocks involve paper piecing. It was something I had never done before and wanted to try. My first attempt was disappointing and frustrating. The piecing wasn't bad until I had to attach the pieces to get crisp points. After three attempts I pretty much gave up. 

Back in the saddle again! I've tackled the October block first because it is only partially paper pieced. I got lots of tips from quilty friends A and C and I dove in.

Templates cut, fabric picked and cut to size. Deep breaths.

I stitched using a 1.4 length stitch. It seemed to be the perfect length for paper piecing.

The points came out great. Now time to attach it to the non-paper pieced centre.

Ta da! Not too shabby! The points are very pointy and I didn't want to cry.

Next up I will tackle the two remaining blocks and then I can get to sashing and finishing this quilt. I'm thrilled!

How do you feel about paper piecing?

Lynn

Sugar Block Club Catch Up

Last year I joined the Sugar Block Club, hosted by Stitchery Dickory Dock and while I made great progress in the early months, avoiding paper piecing and then an absolutely insane work schedule meant I fell waaaaaay behind. One of my goals for 2014 was to get caught up, and week three home with the baby is when I focused on doing so.

This week I managed to finish three blocks: Lucky Star, First Frost and Camp Out. Here are some pictures to show you my progress!

How cute are these little blocks?

Lucky Star Block

I am not sure how I feel about the finished Lucky Star Block. I think the text print size is too large, so I don't love my choice. I hope it doesn't fade away in the quilt.

These tiny triangles look so cute.

First Frost Block

So many tiny tiny HSTs. They took quite awhile, especially since they were all trimmed down to exactly 2.5"

Camp Out Block. Wow, these HSTs took a long time. And there are so many seams that make this block a pain in terms of pressing. I carefully pressed each seam as per the instructions, and still there are so spots that I think will be trouble come basting/quilting time.

I feel really good about how many I have done. I think I have one more non-paper pieced block to go and then there are three paper pieced blocks that I am AVOIDING  LIKE THE PLAGUE. Seriously, I am going to avoid them for another few months. 

Next quilt? One for a work friend!

Lynn