Jar Block for the QOTM Group

Fabrics:

• Jar- 10.5"x5.5"- your choice - I think it will be more fun to see what you all come up with to put in the jars than to try to stick to a theme, so be creative!
• Lid- 1.5"x3"- should read as black
• Background - should read as cream/off white - 4- 1 7/8" squares, 2- 1.5"x2" strips, 2- 1"x11.5" strips, 1- 1.5"x6.5" strip

Step 1: making the jar.

• mark each 1 7/8" square along the diagonal on the wrong side.
• make another mark 1/2" closer to the corner.
• line up a square on each corner
• sew on the lines
• trim the square between the seams and press open.
• you will have created the jar and 4 half-square triangles. I would love it if you could send the HSTs with your blocks. I'd like to use them in the border.
  

Step 2: Assemble the Lid.

• sew the two 1.5"x2" strips to the "lid" piece
• attach lid to jar.
  
  

Step 3: add bacground strips.

• Sew the 1" wide strips to the sides of the jar
• Sew the 1.5"x6.5" strip to the top of the block.
• there is no bottom strip.
• the block should measure 6.5"x12.5" (finished block is 6"x12")
  

The finished quilt will be rows of the jar blocks with a horizontal only sashing to give the appearance of sitting on a shelf.

WIP Wednesday - 2/10/10

Mother Nature's WIP of the day as seen from my living room.


I'm sick and a bit light headed, so I'm not sure if I posted this or not, but once I finish the stuff for the show, I'm going to get started on my T-shirt quilt. I've had these letters in a storage bin for about 10 years now. I think they will be happier as a quilt...


Speaking of the show... "Stairway to Serenity" is 100% DONE!

The quilting is a combination of stitch-in-the-ditch and echo quilting. I stitched in the ditch along the edges of the blue steps as well as the border strips. I echoed the steps at the same width as the individual strips through the field of the quilt. I'm very pleased with the outcome.

this is for another BOTM project - this one is a swap. the block has a mate, but it is in time out until I am feeling a little better - or at least have some patience...

The only knitting I did so far this week is swatch for the Ravelympics. boring. I'll have WIP shot next week - two days until cast-on!

WIP Wed 2/3/10

I've made progress on the serenity quilt - it is quilted and waiting to be bound. Without a good camera and good lighting, it is hard to see, so I'll post finished pictures later.

I've got another WIP that I keep forgetting to post.

leftover sock yarns crocheted in blocks to form strips. The strips will be bordered and bound in a neutral. My Grammy used to make similar afghans with her scraps.I have one and I love picking out things like the yarn she used for a sweater for me or the shirt on my doll or a dress on another doll etc.. this one will be going for quite some time. Guess I'll just have to knit more socks!

Speaking of Grammy, Alice is modeling my finished prayer shawl.

Glad to have that one off the needles. It is pretty and soft and I hope it brings comfort to the recipient.

Speaking of prayer shawls...

I've made some progress on Urchins and Limpets. See that unfinished motif? That would be where I ran out of the green. I had a decision to make -buy more green or remove the whole row. I didn't think it would have been long enough with one less row, so I'll be getting more green tomorrow. Right now I'm ignoring all of those ends that need to be finished.

Next up is some swatching for the Ravelympics.

This is Caron Spa - bamboo and something synthetic. Feels nice and I would expect it to have anice drape. It is DK and the pattern calls for worsted wt. so swatching and math will be key here.

WIP Wednesday 1/27/10

As you can see above I finished my latest pair of socks for ME! very comfy too.

I'm sitll knitting away on the prayer shawl. It looks a lot like the last picture, just longer. I'm sooooo bored with it. Prayer shawls are generally simple and repetive to facilitate prayer - which is completely logical. However, there is a fineline between simple and boring. It is hardto focus on the medetation when you are sick of looking at the same damn thing. next up is another attempt at urchins and limpets in a basic acrylic (I know..) from my stash.

These are the latest blocks for the QAL on Ravelry. I only used 2 fabrics instead of 10 because I wanted to continue to highlight each fabric as I use it. I made teh secondsquare the opposite of the first and it will go on the back ofthe quilt. I also did somemore quilting on the first strip. I'll take a picture of that in better light with a better camera when it is done. I ran out of thread.

WIP - 1/20/10

It is late, but it is still Wednesday. I spent so much time working on the quilt and making with Andy that I didn't get a whole lot of knitting done. I have actually been busy at work too - which is good. The socks look pretty much the same as last week. I have the prayer shawl on US17s and that seems to be working out well. About 25% complete.

While I was sewing, designed drafted and pieced this square for the guild's block challenge quilt. the committee will piece the squares into a quilt top. Everyone who made a square will have a chance at winning the top. I decided to make our summer home - Brown Gables. I think this block will be a precursor to a wall hanging for Brown Gables.

One Saturday in the Sewing Room

Todd took Ryan to his belt test this morning and he is now a blue belt! While they were out and Colin played with his Cars, Andy and I played in the sewing room.



First, we made so- called "brag vests" for their Scouting patches. Ryan let me make his. thanks. I printed out this pattern. I bought some of the quilters Tru Grid and ironed it onto heavy weight sew in interfacing. I transferred the grid from the paper pattern and cut out the fabric one. Andy traced the edges with chalk, cut it out and sewed the shoulder seams. I had to help with the grommets - they were tough. All that was left was to thread the lace and sew on the patches!



Next we got to work on his Hungary Caterpillar quilt. He wants to show it in the guild quilt show. He finished the last two blocks, bordered the squares and assembled the top. I showed him how to spray baste the quilt sandwich. I need to get some more thread and some more time alone with Andy to quilt it. I'm going to show him how to quilt by machine and by hand. I need to track down some more of the Eric Carle fabric for the binding. I don't think I have enough left. Here it is ready to be quilted!




Next on the sewing agenda is to get more batting for my blue and white quilt so I can get that done in time for the show.

A long overdue update

I know. I know.... I miss my blog - even if no one reads it, it makes me happy. The good news is that one of Santa's elves just told me a new laptop may be under the tree. (Actually, I Santa may set it up ahead of time and put a bow on the amoire for the kids to find after all the rest of the gifts are opened.) My very smart and very cool cousin Kerry just told me about the Disney Netpal and it looks perfect for the kids (and I can blog on it).


so, a quick round up....

Andy and Ryan are pretty much the same - just taller. They are both still in MMA, but Ryan is now a higher rank than Andy (D'oh).


Ryan actually is having his best year yet academically, but best of all NO behavior issues. Andy's grades are pretty good, but his effort is lacking. If he did more than the minimum, he'd have all A's. He is also going to get OT for his handwriting and they are having him work on typing to help him keep up cognitively - hence the kid friendly computer.


Colin is now in Pre-K and LOVING it. He was the only student in his class for a while, but now he has two new friends. They are going to increase his class time to 5 mornings a week - YAY! He is going to have such a great time. He wants to get on the bus every morning anyway. That will start after Thanksgiving break. He wants to take karate too, but we told him he has to go poopy on the potty first.... soon enough...


Todd is back in MMA as well. I should actually start with - Todd is back. there are no words to truly explain what the last year has been like for us. The changes he has made in himself are astounding. He is a new man, and trust me the changes are for the better. Our lives now are so different from what they were last year that it is sometimes hard for me to remember what it was really like then. Don't get me wrong, the insanity isn't 100% gone, but now it is just fun insanity - or kid related.


As for me... I don't know where to start. The new job is OK. The work is easy. The hours are... well they vary. I'm at the end of a 3 month night rotation now. The nights are sometimes hard, but it does offer me a lot of flexibility for the days. I am actually going to guest lecture at CCSU this morning and I'm looking forward to it. It is really amazing what opportunities have opened themselves up to me now that my decisions are based on my own desire.


how about some pics?


I am doing a BOTM on Ravlery and I'm assembling the strips and lap quilting them. The print fabrics are vintage feed sacks. This is the first strip:



The back pieced from the scraps

the first block of the next strip

scraps from that block for the backing strip

This is a top that I threw together last week from strips in my stash.

As you can see, I've been in more of a sewing mood lately. I have been knitting too, but mostly boring utilitarian socks for work.

Fiber Engineering

What happens when an engineer gets laid off and takes up quilting?




It is a schematic site plan drafted in fabric and thread. The site is completely ficticious. The Plan is highly schematic - no real details or measurements. The quilting serves as the "hatching" in the plan.

I was inspired by the old (and I do mean OLD) linnen drawings. They are worna nd frayed on the edges, rumpled and worn - but still quite readable! I just love the marriage of engineering and fabric.

The color scheme is borrowed from the more modern (but still obsolete) blue prints. The entire quilt is in shades of blues and white.

The style of the "drawing" is a modern one - like I may do in AutoCAD. Complete with project notes, north arrow and graphic scale.

The quilters I've showed it to scratch thier heads adn critique my poor applique skills - which was actually a deliberate design decision. Contractors, engineers and others in the biz have had quite a different "that is so effin cool!" reaction.

For now it hangs in my sewing room - soon it'll be in my new office.

More sewing and some knitting still to come!

Doing not Blogging

Now I suppose I need to blog about what I've done. I'll spread it out over a couple posts for suspense. You're welcome!

One of the "upsides" of being unemployed is that I actually get to attend the meetings for the quilt guild I belong to. I have to say that living in a house full of men (big and small) then sitting in a room with 200 women is more than a little culture shock! They are a great bunch of ladies though. So kind and a wealth of information. I also got roped into (OK - I volunteered) handling the raffle tickets for a quilt the guild is putting together. the drawing is to be at the show (4/2010) and the two are our biggest fundraisers. Mom is chairing the committee putting the quilt together - so there is cerainly more to come on that one!

We donate a lot of the money from the raffle and the show to local charities and we use a bit to buy supplies to make "comfort quilts". A few years back, one of our members got a call from Paul Newman. He asked if ther guild would be interested in making some quilts for his Hole in the Wall Camp here in CT. When the kids need to go to the infirmary, they are wrapped in hand made quilts and if they should need to go to the hospital, then their quilt will go too. Would you say no to Paul Newman? Neither did she or the guild.

To that end, we had a workshop/sew-in last month. we brought our machines to a church basement and grabbed our kits and went to work. I got my entire top pieced that day and it was completely done, bound and ready to go in three days!

I've lost my sewing Mojo (or is it Sew-jo?).

Probably happened the night I broke every last needle trying to serge a bunch of inserts together before camp. yeah... pretty sure that was it. Sewing microfiber is a BITCH!

As I mentioned in my ode to Noro yesterday, I can NOT cope with UFOs and stash hanging out. My entire fabric stash right now is leftovers, a few hand-me-downs and a bag of feed sack scraps that I picked up at the alpaca farm last week.



How can a quilter (which I am) pass up such a treasure?

Anyway.. with the prospect of Halloween costumes looming, my UFO list was reaching unbearable proportions.:

• kitchen/entry curtains
• mending
• 2 diapers ( between these and the pants, he is sure to PL fast, right? RIGHT?)
• "Blueprint" quilt
• "Amber" charm quilt
• Fall Exchange post cards

Colin decided to cooperate and take a nice looong nap and I got a lot done:

• Decided I hated the pattern I had for the curtains and left the fabric in the bag.
• mending was nearly eliminated once I explained to Todd that there was no point in mending shorts/pants that no longer fit him.
• diapers are done, but slightly bloody. I managed to sew THROUGH my finger tip while threading the needle. Don't worry - It's only a flesh wound!
• "Blueprint" quilt top is done. I need to decide on, then purchase batting. the quilting will be a LOT of work. much of it is integral to the design.
• "Amber" is still in pieces in the bag. I still need around 600 more fabrics (not exaggerating!) after being impaled, I had no desire to fuss with curved piecing.
• Cut out the peltex and started my Post Cards. I'll blog them after they've been mailed - no spoilers!

Post Card Exchange #3- summer 2008

The quilter's group on Ravelry has been having regular post card swaps. It really has been a fun and educational experience. I love seeing all of the cards from the other quilters so much that I've put them all up on the wall above my sewing machines. What wonderful inspiration!

Each round, I have chosen a theme. This time I took my theme one step farther. All of the cards fit together to form one larger quilt!

The theme: Autism Awareness






I had this bright, fun puzzle print that is the trademark of the Autism Awareness movement. I had other plans for it when I bought it, but decided against my initial plans.

I ironed it on to a 12" x 18" piece of Peltex (the kind that is fusible on both sides) and trimmed the edges. Next I cut it into 9 4"x6" postcards. In retrospect, I realize that I could have and should have waited until the cards were quilted and backed before I cut. next time!

To make the patterns for my appliques, I borrowed a puzzle from Ryan and chose 9 pieces from the center. I let Andy and Ryan choose 9 fabrics from my scrap bag that read as solids and coordinated with the print. Using the puzzle pieces as templates, I traced and cut each applique. Keeping the pieces oriented as they are in the puzzle, I spray basted one to each card. The applique was completed by doing a free-motion satin stitch on the edges in black to coordinate with the print.

The cards were backed by ironing muslin to reverse. The cards were finished off by serging the edges in red. Each one was addressed, stamped and sent off to its new home! I hope they are happy there!

It was late, and I laid them out wrong... but trust me... they all fit together....

Back to the Begging (Charming)

First, I have to thank those of you who have sent me your scraps or are digging through your stash! THANK YOU!!!

A few people have asked for an idea of what colors I need, so I took some pictures.

Blues: I'm going to stick in the dark range - fabrics that read solid/near solid:


Ambers: The inspiration here is the song "Amber" and the line in the song that is guiding my color scheme is "shades of gold displayed naturally". The color values will graduate light to dark in some fashion. right now I'm thinkning light on top, dark on the bottom, but it'll all depend on what I end up with. hard to tell in this picture, but the top left is a metallic - but not a lamae.

The One Where I Beg

My quilt guild is having two quilt challenges this year. One is a "Charm Quilt"-at least crib size and you can only use each fabric once. The other is to portray the title of a song. I decided to be lazy efficient and make one quilt that follows the rules of both challenges.

what is intersesting is that in all my years dancing, I've become accustomed to music inspiring movement - but it has never inspired my fiber before. but there is a first for everything. my recent quilts have been inspired by the fabrics and even a blank wall.. so why not music?

the song: "Amber" by 311. It's been lodged in my brain for WEEKS, so I may as well go with that, right?

the paln: I'm going to stick to a color pallette of amber/gold with a bit of royal/navy thrown in to make it all pop - and because I think it fits the song. I still need to pick my template, but I'm thinking something with curves that will give a wavey effect and have lots of movement. but curves- EEK! I sew better in straight lines!

the problem: I dug through my stash and found a total of 6 amber and 5 blues. yeah.. I'm gonna need LOTS more!

the begging: If you have any amber/gold or royal/navy fabric scraps (roughly 5" square) you'd like to part with, I'd be happy to take them off your hands (I'll gladly swap for what you need!) drop me an e-mail: herselfATsnetDOTnet. just ,you know, fix the AT and the DOT parts.

More Quilts

I finally remembered to take pictures of the post cards I received in the first quilted post card swap on Ravelry.



then these are the ones I sent - minus the one I sent to Mom. she still hasn't taken a picture for me and I keep forgetting when I'm there - like last night. I did them as a series. "Spring Flowers".

Now I need to get going on the second round... the first card has laready graced my mailbox!

Quilt Show recap

ok- so it was almost 2 months ago now, but I just pried the pics out of Mom's camera .

Look carefully at these two pictures (click to bigify)

Mom took the picture on the left on Saturday. Sunday, we were both working, so seh took one with me and my second place quilt. ummmm wait a sec.. Did that ribbon get up and walk away? looks like somebody oopsed and put it on my quilt and then moved it to the "real" winner. So close, huh?

It also occurs to me that I didn't upload the picture of my carrier at the show, but here it is in my pear tree

Here is the Library Challenge quilt top. My block is the one right next to the ribbon. Mom's is down one row and over 2 blocks.

Once I get Mom to take and upload a picture of her post card, I can then post the pictures from the first post card exchange - as I am working on the second exchange!