That girl... That quilt

The post about the "lasers"

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:45:00 +0000

Am I the only who is running in a hamster ball? Not a hamster wheel because that would mean that I'm going no where. But yes, a hamster ball because I run everywhere but never without getting tossed around because I'm always going too fast and running into things. Like giant green trash cans.

This post has nothing to do with quilting while having everything to do with quilting too. Confused? Me too.

Here was my Wednesday morning {all before 8 am}:

... get up... work out... take a shower... feed the dogs... keep Chaney on track so she won't wear a nightgown and jeans to school {she's really tried this}... make breakfast... pack lunches... explain again to Chaney why she can't take an entire bag of microwave popcorn for a snack... get in the car... back out of the garage... rip the side mirror off my car... stop to freak out... continue backing down the driveway... stop and run back in the house to get Chaney's violin that I asked her to get 3 times... sit in the carpool line... drive back home... call Steve and yell at him... dry & straighten my hair... apologize to Steve... get ready for work... wrestle the dogs into their crates... run my pantyhose in the process... change pantyhose... run late... drive to work with glass falling off my mirror with every bump... sit down at my desk sweating and try to start my day... school nurse calls, Chaney has no fever but is "sweaty and dizzy". Me too... go back to class, kiddo.

Oh, and the garage door wouldn't close because I knocked the trash can into the sensor. Steve's answer: re-align the sensor so the lasers match up. What? I don't know how to make lasers match. I didn't even know we had lasers in our garage.

All I'm picturing is throwing baby powder in the air to reveal the laser but I know that doesn't work because I saw that Myth Busters episode.

He's at work and I can't even leave because I'm contemplating the properties of baby powder and lasers.

WTF!... which stands for what the fun, of course.

Back to the quilting part of the post. All I want to do is sew at some point this week. However, I'm so tired and frazzled that I would probably sew myself to a quilt again. Except this time I probably wouldn't mind because people would expect far less of me with a sewing machine attached to my sleeve.

I'm choosing humor because it's messy to cry. Sorry but no perfect pretty pictures today because well, it just hasn't been one of those perfect & pretty days! I do have a nice post over here all about color though...

Like I said, WTF. Please tell me I'm not the only one.

Color me this...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:06:00 +0000

It's color theory time over at Sew We Quilt today!

I'm guest posting all about color and my process around choosing colors, fabric and design... pretty much all my favorite parts of quilting. :)

Reason # 90...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:07:00 +0000

... to organize your stash.

You turn the world upside down looking for Kona Ash only to find 5 yards of it in one of your cabinets. I've been meticulous about organizing my yards, fat quarters, etc... but I have yet to tackle my cabinet of yardage.

Randi was so kind to let me know that she has the ever elusive Kona Ash in her shop and I was just about ready to buy some when I decided to double check the cabinet of shame. Good thing I did but for all of ya'll who can't find it, Randi has some!

So with all that madness, I laid my star on top of the two shades of grey and decided that I liked the darker grey. I know.

Just to make sure I called in my creative team. Well, not really a team... just Steve and the two beagles who followed. Steve agreed that the darker grey made the star pop more. And yes, he really said "pop". He speaks quilt! Isn't he the best??

Adding the squares and triangles to the star wasn't bad at all. The Y seams were no big deal. The worst part was cutting the large pieces of fabric. So now it's dark and windy so ya'll will have to settle for a sneak peak.

Anyways... someone won the book and ruler and they get to make this quilt too! I used the highly scientific method of asking Chaney to pick a number from the number of entries.

Her answer: number 90

NeedledMom! Congrats to you! If you will email me your address, I'll pass it along and have your book and ruler on their way.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

Radiant Star {giveaway}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:27:00 +0000

Well, I didn't finish my quilt top like I wanted to. I can't convince myself that Kona medium grey is going to work in place of ash. I'm afraid that the points of my star {since they are darker} would get lost in the darker background.

So even though I'm frustrated, let's have a giveaway! Free things always make me feel better. :)

Eleanor Burns has generously offered one Radiant Star book with the bias stripper ruler to one of my readers. Both the book and the ruler are amazing to work with and they are the reason I was able to piece my star so quickly.

How do you win?

Leave 1 comment telling me why you want to make this quilt. I know it's on some quilting bucket lists while others may want to learn precise piecing and matching points. Or maybe you have the perfect fabric for a quilt like this!

For a 2nd entry, become a new follower or already be a follower. Leave a separate comment telling me that you are a follower.

The giveaway will be open until Monday, January 30th at 10:00 am CST. Shortly after 10am on the 30th I will announce the winner and hopefully show off my finished quilt top!

Have a wonderful weekend and wish me luck in finding some Kona ash!

Aunt {Edna}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:25:00 +0000

So I went to Joanns over lunch to do some more crack research for my blog. Right?

Right. ;)

Actually I was in search of what is apparently gold in the form of Kona Ash. I have had the hardest time finding it in a store and I wanted to use it for the main background in my radiant star quilt.

I still didn't find it and settled on Kona Medium Grey. I'm still not sold so to ease my disappointment, I picked up 1/2 a yard of Denyse Schmidt's new line, Aunt Edna.

I love these tiny dots and all the prints are from a really nice color palette.

The other thing I love... the fabric quality is back! After being a little disappointed with the quality of some of the fabrics from the last lines compared to her first for Joanns, I feel confident to put this fabric in quilts again and not worry about how it will hold up over time.

Hopefully I'll love the medium gray and I'll get most of the quilt top finished tonight. If I do, I'll share pictures tomorrow and I will give away a copy of the book and ruler.

And if I don't... well, I'll just give away the book and the ruler to feel better about not finishing the top!

Not a quilt in a day...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:04:00 +0000

... because I have a very short attention span.

I suppose that things are just too interesting and exciting around our home. That and I kept stopping every 15 minutes to show Steve my progress.

Yesterday I focused and had the remaining 7 star points put together in about an hour. My secret?

photo from elmers.com

Elmer's Clear {Washable} School glue.

When I decided to do this review, Eleanor's son, Orion {coolest name ever, BTW}, made sure to suggest that I use a glue stick instead of pins. The only glue stick in our house was one that had purple glue so I asked The Internet and the answer was Elmer's.

excuse the mess!

My first try left me thinking that I could pin faster so I tried that too. I might have pinned a little faster but once I started doing this assembly line style, I flew. It was amazing! Just a tiny dot where each seam matches made things so easy.

It took me another 30 minutes to put the star points together. All I have left is to swirl the center seam of the star so it will lay perfectly flat. And BTW, this star is huge! I can't even hold it point to point or get all of it to fit in my iPhone lens.

Tonight I'm hoping to do the squares and triangles around the star and then tomorrow night I hope to add the borders. I waited to pick the border fabrics and I'm so glad that I did because I'm really excited about what I came up with while piecing the star. I think it will fit the overall feel of the quilt well. :)

Now that I'm confident in the process and the steps I know that I could make one of these in a day. For real. Eleanor's instructions are that good!

I'll save the rest for my full review. Oh, and I also get to giveaway a copy of the book and the magical bias stripping ruler so stay tuned for that!

If you want to see the rest of the posts about the process of this quilt:

Seeing Stars

Chartreuse Love

Linking up for Fabric Tuesday too!

Rooftops

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:31:00 +0000

Ever want to shout something from the rooftops? Like an injustice. Yeah, me too. But sometimes you can't always do that so when in doubt, make a quilt. :)

Remember this beautiful picture? I'm turning more and more to inspiration found in scenes from the world around us these days. For this quilt; it was both the colors and the rooftops set against the blues from the sea and sky.

I have always wanted to make a skinny quilt like the beautiful ones that Marit makes. This one measures 36" x 50" and it will be hanging on the wall along our stairs.

It's backed with a print from one of Denyse Schmidt's lines for Joanns.

I quilted it with random straight lines mixed with rising and falling diagonal lines that mimic the outlines of the various rooftops.

Starting the bottom of the quilt with various terracotta triangles and finishing the top of the quilt with blue skies and one single roof top was a last minute design decision and one I'm glad that I made. I like to think that it gives this simple quilt some added depth and texture.

I bound it with a tangerine and aqua striped fabric that I've had so long that I can't remember the line or the designer. I used my new Eleanor Burns ruler to make the bias strips and it was super easy.

I don't keep many of my quilts anymore but I'm so glad that this one is mine to keep!

Linking up for Crazy Mom's Finish it Friday. Have a wonderful weekend!

Chartreuse {love}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:39:00 +0000

Thanks for all your input on my radiant star color choices! I'm pretty sure the favorite was the Alps color scheme and it's my favorite too. I picked my fabrics the other night... all from my stash!

Chartreuse has never been a color that I've used or even gravitated towards {it came out a little lighter in the picture}. Given my disdain of green fabric, lime green in particular, I'm surprised how much I love this color mixed in with the blues and greys.

Plus, I feel fancy to calling it chartreuse instead of some hue of lime green... ;)

White + beagles = a bad combination

The white in the group is Kona snow and I'm not entirely sure if I won't be swapping it out for a really light grey. If I use white in the star then the background calls for the same color. That's a lot of white given that this is what our bed looks like in the morning.

And I know I've said it before but Design Seeds is my favorite site for color inspiration! I never would have picked this combination had I not seen it on their site.

Thanks for all your comments! I think I'm going to do a timeline of just how long it takes me to make this quilt which should be a lot of fun... I might even do it in real time on my Facebook page so ya'll can see the good, bad and the ugly of trying to make this quilt in a day!

Totally Wednesday {Words}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:03:00 +0000

rainbow pillowcase I bought on Etsy. I'm not calling it vintage because that would mean that I'm old!

I don't know how it started but somehow we were having a conversation at dinner and Chaney, half-way listening, thought that we said something about bringing someone back from the dead. Like I said, I don't know how or what part of our conversation landed us with the following:

Chaney: did you say something about bringing her back from the dead?

Me: ummm... no. I don't think so.

Steve: where did you get that from, Chaney?

Chaney: oh, I don't know. I guess I was just thinking about how it was totally possible, way back in the '80s, to bring someone back to life.

Steve nearly spews his milk... I'm trying not to laugh too hard...

Me: oh really?

Chaney: Yep. Totally.

Oh, those magical 1980's. Way back when kids really listened to their parents at the dinner table and people were routinely raised from the dead.

Seeing {stars}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:04:00 +0000

When I got the opportunity to review one of Eleanor Burns' books... rulers... etc.. I jumped at the chance. She's pretty much quilting royalty and I learned a ton from her books when I first started quilting.

When I went to her site to look, I kept going back to the Radiant Star book/pattern. I was more of a traditional quilter before I became a "modern" quilter so I'm still very drawn to traditional patterns... with a modern twist of course. ;)

So I read through the book last night and I'm ready to start planning this quilt. I often pull fabrics as I go but I'm thinking that this quilt requires a little more planning. So here's where I need your help!

Colors... {don't forget about the first picture up top!}

Solids?

Prints?

A combination of the two?

And BTW, sometimes I feel like I'm bragging when I talk about getting to do a review or receiving fabric to work with. I don't ever want to be that girl and that blog that people roll their eyes at because it looks like I get tons of free stuff {I don't!}. It's no fun to write or read about financial issues but let's just say that the things I sometimes receive are tremendous blessings at just the right time that allow me to continue to do what I love which is quilting. I will always do my best to give back to others too but I never want to come across the wrong way.

I feel better getting that off my chest. Thanks for listening!

And now back to the fun stuff! What do ya'll think?? I'm thinking that I'll use the lightest color of the palette as the background fabric. I don't want to use white because that's pretty predictable and not very conducive to a lot of use either so keep that in mind...

My hope is to make this queen size for our bed. I figure that if I'm going to make this quilt then I might as well go big. Now the question is whether or not I can actually make it in a day!

Fabric {Friday}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:30:00 +0000

Where the heck did this week go??

It was largely swallowed up by work I suppose. Oh, and a few fabric scraps too... ;)

Pretty much the only sewing excitement around our house this week was this beautiful fabric that showed up on our doorstep. And I won't lie; Steve called and asked me where this heavy box came from and I started filing through my mental notes for large fabric purchases. But then I remembered that this was sent to me to play with.

Phew!

Modern Whimsy. It's designed by fellow Texan, Laurie Wisbrun and it's amazing! A great mix of colors and different scaled prints. It's also organic which gives it an amazing texture.

You know who also fell in love with it too? No, not Steve... but good guess!

Chaney.

I got the box open and then I had to go fix dinner but she stayed with the fabric dreaming up all kinds of projects to make. She's definitely my kid!

I can't wait to make something with this beautiful fabric and I'm thinking that this will be a joint project with Chaney. She has jumped into sewing with both feet and is doing SO well. I'm super proud. :)

Happy Friday! It's a long weekend for me so hopefully I'll get in some sewing...

Oh, scrap!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:30:00 +0000

So the response to my scrap de-stashing was more than I expected. And that's a good thing!

Quilters and sewists never cease to amaze me and I feel so blessed to be a part of such a kind community. I had emails from those who quilt for charity... college students... unemployed quilters... stay at home moms trying to stretch a single paycheck... even an old friend who is in Africa and happens to be teaching the girls in the village how to sew.

The other thing that completely surprised me were the emails from those with plenty of fabric offering to help cover shipping for those who are really struggling. Like I said, this is an amazing community.

So now I have over 50 packs to mail out {yes, I really have that many scraps!} so the best way I can think to organize it is alphabetically by last name. It will probably take me the rest of January to mail everything out so here's the schedule:

A - G {week 1}

H - M {week 2}

N - R {week 3}

S - Z {week 4}

Be looking for the Paypal Invoice notification in your email. I will invoice you just prior to your shipping week. If the shipping costs are a burden, please let me know and I will use the donated money to cover your costs. If I don't get enough of a response for help to cover shipping, I'll just spread the savings out amongst the international recipients since their shipping costs are higher.

If you contacted me prior to 10 AM CST, you will be receiving scraps! If you missed this cut off, you are still welcome to contact me and I will put you on my list for a future round.

Wednesday Words {scraps}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:49:00 +0000

This giveaway is now closed. If you would like to get on the list for my next round of scraps, please email me and I will add you to my list!

The amount of scraps I have in my studio is beyond ridiculous. And these are good sized scraps just shy of a fat quarter down to charm square and string quilt sizes. Chaney and I could sew with them for years and never make a dent!

Let's face it, quilting isn't exactly cheap so if you are one of those new quilters who needs a jump start on building your stash or you are just a quilter a little low on cash who could use some extra scraps please click the "email me" button on the right sidebar and send me a short email with your info.

The only thing it will cost you is shipping {cheapest way possible} which I can bill you via Paypal when the shipping label is generated. I would love to not charge for shipping but last year was a tough one financially for us and I just can't seem to squeeze that cost out of the budget. :)

I'm doing this honor system-style. If free would help you out then the scraps are yours for only the shipping cost. If you already have a huge stash or a mountain of scraps then please let others have a chance first.

To avoid any confusion or someone leaving their address in the comments, I'm closing comments on this post. Please email me if you want a scrap pack or have any questions!

Bang!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:03:00 +0000

That sound is my year getting off to a great start! Happy New Year!

See those cute little terracotta & aqua triangles? This is a color combination I've been wanting to use for months.

picture credit here

The colors are inspired from this beautiful picture...

If you saw me talking on Facebook yesterday you would have seen me asking if I could start and finish a quilt in the same day. The answer for me... no, not quite.

But I have a good excuse. This book is SO good! I was reading in my studio so that has to count for something, right?

I'll have the quilt finished tonight which makes me super excited to have my first finish on January 3rd. But as much as I despise the I-have-a-secret-project-that-I-can't-show-you tease; I really can't show it off because the quilt is for a different site. Fortunately for me {and you} it's only a secret until the 18th of this month.

PS... I have a new blog header. Every time I change it I get emails asking how to make one so here's the tutorial!

Goodbye 2011...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:15:00 +0000

... hello 2012!

I have tried and tried to write a list of goals for the new year but that list just isn't forming. So instead of a list, it feels more right to reflect and give 2011 a proper send-off. Here goes...

If you have read much here this past year, you probably know that it's been a challenging one for me. I can't say that 2011 has been my favorite year but at the same time I'm grateful for the things I've learned.

I never, ever planned on writing about depression here but when it happened this blog became about so much more than just quilting because well, there's more to life than quilting.

People struggle no matter who they are, how big their fabric stash is, or how many quilts they complete. I'm not ashamed to admit that either... but that's not always been the case so for that loss of shame, I am grateful.

When I started blogging I knew I wanted to be a real person and not just a blog of perfect seams and pretty quilts. Has that always been easy? Not really. But when I started spiraling downward, it felt completely normal to write about it instead of painting a fake and happy picture.

Writing here kept me going because I had an outlet to be myself. But then the unexpected support from ya'll was amazing and I suddenly did not feel so alone anymore. For all of you, I am grateful.

But what about the quilts? My goal has always been to finish one quilt a month. That didn't happen this year. My perfectionist, goal-oriented self is slightly disappointed but ultimately I'm OK with it because there's more to me than a finished quilt.

Steve and Chaney are happy and healthy. I am happy and healthy. We have a home. We love each other. We encourage each other. And we laugh a lot too. For all these things, I am grateful.

So here's to a new year that is probably full of challenges but also full of possibilities. Happy New Year!

Simple {goals}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:00:00 +0000

So I know I said that my Blossom quilt was my last finish for the year but then I made these the other night.

And a big surprise... more chevrons!

They measure 14"x14" and are made from one of my favorite combinations: quilting cottons & natural linen.

One of my sewing goals in the new year is to make some pillows. I love how something so simple yet useful can brighten and entire room! Our house is in desperate need of some new throw pillows and it would be absolutely silly to go out and buy them. So here's to new pillows! I'm thinking this would be a good sewing project for Chaney too...

What are some of your sewing goals for 2012?

{Blossom}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:45:00 +0000

Quilts for Christmas gifts are the best! I got one last finish in for the year and I love how this quilt turned out. I love traditional log cabin quilts and I'm so glad I finally finished one.

Would you believe that I bought this fabric {2 jelly rolls} 4 years ago when I was a new quilter? And incidentally, along with the fabric, I also purchased a pattern to make this quilt which makes me laugh. This was obviously way before blogging or discovering the online quilting resources that we have today!

Do you ever finish a quilt and wonder what the heck took so long? That's certainly my feeling here because I finished most of the blocks way back when and even started sewing the rows together. And then it sat and I can't even remember why.

Details... it measures approximately 65"x65". I don't know why but I love square quilts.

It is backed with a vintage sheet... my favorite detail is the print only at the bottom.

It's bound with a print from the Whimsy line {I think}. I love it when fabric lines play well together. :) On my last few quilts I have been cutting my binding strips 2.5" wide but I went back to 2.25" strips with this quilt and I'm sold; I really like the skinny binding.

On Christmas Eve I hand stitched the binding to the back while watching a marathon of Real Housewives of New Jersey {nothing says Christmas like over-the-top everything!}. Hand stitching the binding just might be my favorite part of the quilting process. I know all the cool kids bind their quilts by machine but I still love finishing a quilt by hand and I even get a little sad as I finish my last few stitches of the binding...

I quilted it with a meandering free motion pattern which I like against the angles and lines of the blocks. And speaking of the blocks... I made them long before I understood much about color values so thank goodness you can see the "stripes" fairly well.

We are off to visit family later this week so barring a bout of of insomnia, this quilt will be my final finish of the year. Next up... finishing the last little bit of quilting on my Chasing Chevrons quilt and binding it!

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:48:00 +0000

Bird made from Last Minute Patchwork Gifts pattern

Being that I have a quilt to quilt and bind in the next two days, I'm signing off until after Christmas...

So have a wonderful Christmas, ya'll! May your holiday be filled with family, friends, joy & warmth.

Chasing Chevrons {part 6}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:58:00 +0000

Wow! We are in the final week of our quilt along. Week 6 also means that we are a matter of days away from Christmas. Gulp.

I certainly do not remember asking for bronchitis for Christmas but that's what I've got and I'm scrounging up the energy just to get going each day. :( I had grand plans to do a binding by hand tutorial but aching and coughing aren't the perfect match for sitting still and hand sewing.

So I'll probably go back and re-do this post later but for now, in case you are ready to bind your quilt I'm going to give you some links to tutorials that I have written and also two others that I have used a lot and know that they are great:

My tutorial on cutting bias strips and binding a quilt with rounded corners

My tutorial on attaching your binding completely by machine

Mary of Tulip Patch fame and her life changing pocket binding tutorial {it really is!}

Crazy Mom Quilts and her fabulous binding by hand tutorial {this is the tutorial I originally learned from}

Sometimes I think that the binding step can be the most neglected step in the quilting process. We cut our fabric precisely... pin and make our points match... baste with no wrinkles... agonize over how to quilt the thing and then slap on the binding to just get the darn quilt done. ;)

So don't rush this process because it can make your quilt look polished if done with care or it can end up detracting from your beautiful quilt if done with little thought. However, there's no such thing as perfect so don't go getting all uptight on me either... just do your best!

What fabric should you use for your binding? Hmmm... there are several ways to choose.

Maybe you want a scrappy binding using all the leftover fabric from your quilt top. I love a scrappy binding!

Maybe you want it to blend in with your quilt. If so, then stick with the solid from your quilt top or a low contrast color.

Or maybe you want it to frame your quilt. If that's the case then go with a high contrast color or print.

Want something in between? My personal favorite is a striped binding... you will most likely have to cut a bias binding but don't let that scare you off. My tutorial above makes it really easy! But if you want to cheat, find a plaid or argyle print because a lot of those can give you that striped look without cutting bias strips.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me, comment here or post in our Flickr group. We will have a show off day on Monday, January 16th where we can all share our finished quilts. I can't think of a better way to start a crafty 2012 off than with a finished quilt! More details to come...

Have fun with your binding... I'll be thinking of you while buried under a quilt trying to get better before Christmas!

Wednesday {Words}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:51:00 +0000

Steve: are you going to Joanns by chance?

{imagine my shock}

Me: ummm... yeah.

{I'm hoping this isn't some sort of trick}

Steve: well you know those wooden needles with the plastic loopy thing?

Me: yes, my new circular needles...

Steve: you might want to pick up another pair. Buddy decided to knit.

The good news is that circular needles make knitting much less frustrating for me. I have no idea why but I actually enjoy knitting with them. I'm making this scarf and it's so much fun... plus it's something I'll actually wear!

Lastly, than you all so much for your comments and birthday wishes for Chaney yesterday. She read every one of them and enjoyed every minute of it; especially all the compliments on her pillowcase! The sewing bug has definitely bitten again in our home. :)

Birthday {Girl}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 06:13:00 +0000

Chaney turns 8 today! I can hardly believe it.

We gave her sewing machine to her on Sunday and it was a huge hit.

Seriously.

She has talked non-stop about nothing but sewing since she made her first stitches Sunday evening. I've never seen her like this and she keeps saying, "I'm so proud... I'm so proud of myself!". It's the cutest thing ever.

I made her a sewing machine cover with pockets on the front to keep her small notions in. We are sharing my studio so we need to keep things somewhat organized.

You can find the tutorial for the cover over on Sew We Quilt today. It was a lot of fun to make and it came together quickly.

Last night we started and finished her first project. She picked out all the fabric and we made a pillowcase, French seams and all. I did the cutting and ironing and Chaney did the rest. I guess she's been watching me closer than I thought because she pretty much knew what to do. She did great!! Her machine sews beautifully, BTW.

She is now begging me to write a post so I'm sure ya'll will be seeing her around here soon... ;)

I'm so proud of her for so many reasons. Sewing together is just the icing on the cake.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl! I'm so blessed that I get to be your mom...

Chasing Chevrons {part 5}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:04:00 +0000

Welcome to week 5! This week just happens to be my favorite part. I love quilting far more than making a quilt top. There's just something about having an almost finished quilt piled up in my lap that makes me happy.

There are many different ways to quilt a quilt and I'm certainly not going to reinvent wheel. In my last quilt along I put together a post with lots of links to tutorials so I'm going to be resourceful and use that post and instead talk about how to pick your quilting design in this post.

How you quilt your quilt can separate your quilt from the typical quilt. There are always the clear choices... you can follow the lines of the quilt.

For example, our chevron quilt has strong lines and angles. If I were to pick the obvious, I would probably choose straight line quilting. Straight lines can be visually stunning but they can also detract from the overall design if the design already has lots of lines.

Free motion quilting with lots of busy fabric patterns might be a good choice if you want the quilting to blend in. However, the opposite can happen too sometimes... a busy quilt + busy quilting might end up being overwhelming.

I obsess over symmetry in general and I tend to go the opposite of my quilt design. If there are strong lines, I might use quilting with lots of curves. If there are curves or a busy pattern I tend to lean towards straight line quilting. I like using opposites to balance the overall quilt design. But that's just me... ;)

Another thing to consider is how the quilt is going to be used. If it's going to be used and washed a lot {a baby quilt} free motion quilting is a good choice. But if you want a quilt that isn't flat as a pancake and has some "fluff" to it, straight lines or even a grid pattern might be ideal.

And lastly, time and skill have a lot to do with your quilting. Free motion quilting might be a lot for a first quilt; but as you improve it can end up being the fastest way to finish a quilt. Straight lines close together are pretty simple but they are also hugely boring and time consuming. You might find your balance somewhere in between using a grid layout or even random straight lines.

Still stuck?? When in doubt just doodle! Sketch your quilt on paper and audition different quilting designs. Some of my favorite free motion patterns have come from doodling.

As always, if you have questions please email, comment or post in our Flickr group!

It's going to be a busy day around here tomorrow... I'm guest posting over at Sew We Quilt, it's Chaney's birthday and I'll be showing off her first finished project on her new sewing machine!

Chevron {Party}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:59:00 +0000

1. Half of Chasing Chevrons, 2. Chasing Chevrons QAL, 3. Rainbow Dancefloor, 4. Stacked!, 5. chevron quilt top on floor , 6. Chasing Chevrons, 7. 1206111957a, 8. 384230_10150504409282028_670817027_10518873_1963060644_n, 9. Quilt-a-long Fabrics Fandango (can't decide)

I am having so much fun watching the Chasing Chevron pictures pop up in our Flickr group. When I designed this quilt, I wanted it to be one with a flexible design for both the layout and color schemes. As you can see, there is a good amount of variety which makes me smile.

It's not too late to join in! We just started Part 4 but there is no pressure to finish within a certain time frame... :)

knit rhymes with...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:13:00 +0000

... well, you know.

I hardly think it's a coincidence that knit is the only craft I can think of that rhymes with a 4 letter word that Chaney is not allowed to say {or even knows}. But if I knit more while she hangs around me, I might be biting my tongue a lot.

Crochet rhymes with...? nope, can't come up with anything

Quilt? nope

Sew? nothing for that one either...

Scrapping? well that's getting closer but I don't scrapbook so I won't count it...

I'm not waving the white flag yet but it's probably a good idea for me to put the ~~weapons~~ long, pointy needles down and take a deep breath. Remember the stocking cap I wanted to knit for Chaney?

It took an ugly turn.

I got to the same point in the pattern 4 times and had to rip it out 4 times. I thought it was me but before I tried it a 5th time I decided to email the seller. Turns out there was an errata page that she forgot to attach to the email when she sent the pattern PDF to me. I'm not upset with her at all and she promptly sent me the errata. More than anything, I'm relieved that I'm not completely crazy.

You knitters have my utmost respect!

For now, I think I'll stick to finishing my Chasing Chevrons quilt and leave the knitting to all you peaceful tea drinkers because knitting makes me very thirsty.

And it's not for tea.

Chasing Chevrons {part 4}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:04:00 +0000

I love a pieced quilt back!

Previous Chasing Chevrons posts:

Quilt Design

Part 1 {color & fabric requirements}

Half Square Triangle tutorial

Part 2 {cutting your fabric & piecing your blocks}

Part 3 {sewing your rows & completing your top}

Can you believe that we are already to Part 4 of our quilt along?? This week is an easy one: piecing your quilt back & basting your quilt.

If you are a little behind on finishing your top, you can catch up this week because it typically only takes a few hours to make your backing and baste your quilt.

Next to basting, making the quilt back is my least favorite part of the quilt process. I have no idea why either. So when I'm really not feeling it, I'll cheat with one of the following methods:

Use a vintage sheet slightly larger than the size of the quilt top. I do a lot of my quilts like this not just because it's a simple way but also because vintage linens are super soft.
Buy a good quality top slightly larger than the size of your quilt top. Make sure you prewash this sheet! Cotton linens tend to shrink more than quilting cottons. Trust me on this one...
There are other means out there such as extra wide fabric, flannels, and even fleece but I've never tried these so I don't want to recommend them without trying them.

I know that there have been questions and discussions on using sheets to back quilts but I have backed at least 10 quilts this way and have never had an issue with quilting or washings and use after.

There are a few things to consider when choosing your backing fabric{s}. If you are less than confident in your quilting skills, avoid a dark solid that will show all of your stitches. A dark & busy print will work fine because the pattern will hide the imperfections.

Also, don't plan on using one thread color to match your top and another thread for your bobbin to match your backing. Unless your machine has perfect tension, the threads can end up sneaking through. Try to choose a backing that will work well with whatever thread you will be using on your quilt top. We will talk more about thread choices next week but I wanted to go ahead to put that out there...

On to piecing our top! I apologize in advance for the pictures... this is what happens when you sew and take pictures late at night.

The typical quilting fabric measures 42" wide. If you are unsure go ahead and measure just to be sure. Refer back to you fabric requirements for yardage needed for your quilt back.

*If you are feeling simple and do not want to make a pieced back with a contrasting fabric{s}, the easiest way to make the back is to take your backing fabric, then fold in half length-wise. Cut along the fold as shown to make two pieces.

Now that you have the two pieces, stitch these pieces together width-wise. Please note, you are not sewing the edge you just cut to create the two pieces. If this is a little confusing just lay the backing pieces out, lay your quilt top over the pieces and you will visually be able to see where to sew the two backing pieces together.*

If you are making a lap size or twin size quilt this method will work great. If you are making a queen this method will not work because the queen top will measure more than 84" wide; you will have to make a pieced back.

To make a pieced backing for a queen or any other size; there are multiple ways to go about it. Most of my pieced backs are improvisational which is code for: oh, I need the back wider or longer, more colorful, etc. But pieced backs are visually interesting and can really add to the overall quilt too.

Remember that one lonely chevron block left over from the front? It belongs on the back. :) If you have leftover scraps from the front, cut them to measure the same as your chevron block and you can also include them on the back. These scraps can vary in length as long as they are the same width as your block {5.5", 7.5", 8.5"} Little things like this tie the quilt design together nicely. Remember that this is improvisational but here's how I made my back:

Piece your left over scraps to your chevron block to make a strip that measures the width of your block. This is random so don't stress too much about the design or pattern! Press your seams open. This is important because you will be quilting over these seams, the batting, AND the quilt top. The less bulk, the better!

Cut your main backing fabric as described *above*.

Lay your back out as shown; your pieced strip will be in between your large pieces to create that pieced look. Stitch 1 to 2 and then that section to 3. Press seams open. If your pieced strip measures wide, don't worry as this can be trimmed down to the same width as the rest of the quilt back.

Done!

Your quilt back will measure wide and a little long. Don't worry about that because you always want your backing wider and longer than your top to allow for movement when quilting. There's nothing worse than your backing being just shy of your quilt size after it's quilted. Trust me on this one too... ;)

Now it's time to baste your quilt! Make sure your quilt top and back are pressed well. There are two main methods for basting a quilt. I have used both and prefer basting spray. I know that some hate spray for various reasons so if you do, just follow the pin basting method. I'm linking to my basting tutorial here because I'm ~~lazy~~ efficient.

If you are wondering about what kind of batting to use, I also talk about that in the basting tutorial.

This is one of those steps that makes a lot more sense as you apply the instructions hands-on. As always, if you have any questions please comment here, post in our Flickr group, or email me.

I'm also linking this tutorial up for Fabric Tuesday!