Tag : quilt

20 posts

You know what that means…I’m linking up with Elizabeth and the gang to share a bit about my week…or weeks as the case may be.

Worst quilt ever

I’ll just rip the bandage off quickly…this is the worst quilt I have ever made. At first glance it’s not terrible but if you keep looking you begin to see all the issues. And boy are there a lot of them.

The one thing that I do love is the no holds barred scrappiness of the quilt. No negative space or even plain solid to let your eye rest.  That was my intention. It’s the back that set the multitude of issues into play.

Oh it’s like a trainwreck…so many things went wrong. But I just wanted to finish this dang thing. I was like Dory from Finding Nemo…

Except it was just keep sewing, just keep sewing…

It’s not beautiful but it will still keep me warm and snuggly on the couch so it does have a bit of a redeeming quality.

I had to share the clever display case at school welcoming the kids back. So fun. There are signs all over the school letting the kids know how happy we are to have them back. I think they are really happy too! Today we welcomed back the second group of students as we are still in a hybrid learning model. So fun to see all those kids!  We did not get to go snowshoeing yet but I am still hopeful

My COVID vaccine that was scheduled for Saturday was delayed until next weekend due to weather affecting the supply chain. The weather has been absolutely insane everywhere it seems.

I leave you with my Bulldog mom mug. My bulldog is not coming home for Spring break. They only have two days off instead of a week. I’m not sure I’ll see him until he moves back home. *sniff*

I just realized I’m going to need a new mug next fall… That one will make me a cougar mom. Hmmm…that sounds a little funny. LOL

What are you doing today?

This post will be a jumble…so many things in so many directions. That’s my life right now. Some days I feel a little more scattered than others. When I’m having a scattered day I am trying to be mindful and prioritize, slow down when possible and forgive myself for not vacuuming.

I finally set up my sewing machine in J’s room. Not really sure what took me so long to get back to it… perhaps lost creative mojo.

Quilting

marvin being helpful

Now that my machine is in a usable space I got out the scrappy quilt top I made before Christmas. I settled on a tie-dye fabric from my stash for the backing. As soon as I laid the quilt on the floor for basting, my helper showed up.

marvin being helpful

Making the bed is pretty much his favorite activity…well maybe eating and sleeping are tied for first then making the bed.  Of course, he doesn’t understand that laying the quilt out nice and flat and smooth, keeping it all inline are an integral part of the process.

Teaset pincushion

Since this desk overlooks the front yard, it’s a perfect spot for Marvin to do a bit of bird watching. With that in mind, I decided that the standard tomato pincushion wasn’t the right choice…looks a little too much like a ball.

teacup pin cushion

I made this teacup pincushion a while back and have finally put it to use. I love that the cup sits slightly off-center on the saucer. When I first noticed this mistake I was upset but now I realize that this is a good thing. The off-center placement allows for more useful space for sewing tools at the ready.

Week of appreciation

para appreciation week

Last week was declared Paraprofessional appreciation week by Governer Walz. Our school went all out making us feel appreciated in so many ways. Puny gifts, signs on our lockers, cards, and breakfast but honestly, the most meaningful one was drawing and note from a student that I wasn’t sure I was making an impact with.

Archery

Archery season is upon us. I love this season even with the distance we travel most Saturdays. It gives Mini-me and I some quality time in the car.

Birthday Boy

reading to friends

J turned 20 years old today!! TWENTY!! So crazy. It was hard not to be with him today. I was very distracted with thoughts of him throughout the day. I just wanted to hop in the van and drive to Duluth. I’ll be calling him shortly when his class is over…but it’s just not the same.

What else…oh yeah…I dyed my hair…mostly the underside…purple. Well…technically eggplant. Yep…totally went for it. It’s really fun and I love it. The family had a bit of a hard time getting used to it but I think they have now. If you take a peek at my about me page, you will see the new look.

What are you doing today?

I can’t stop sewing!!! Likely because I know I’ll be completely worthless for the next week or so until I acclimate to my new school schedule.

Since I’m currently completely obsessed with paper foundation scrap quilting once again, I thought I’d share the quilt that came before this one.

Take a look…

 

1/15/2017

Don’t you just love that feeling of satisfaction when you’ve completed a big project!?! I know I do. Not only do I have the finished product in front of me but I get to put a checkmark in the box on my perpetual list. Yes, it’s an actual paper list. It’s never-ending which really is a good thing. What would I do with myself if I didn’t have a project?

quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

Do want to know a secret? If I complete a task, chore or project that failed to make it on the list…I write down, draw a little box and proceed to “X” through it. So satisfying!!!quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

This quilt started as a stash busting project. Just a loose idea of what I wanted or hoped it would look like in the end. Over the course of sewing, my idea evolved a bit which I personally think is a good thing. We need to be able to be flexible and learn from our mistakes. Or even just adapt when the moment presents itself instead of being so set on one path that we can’t change. This is true in life as well. Adapt or be flexible when needed as long as your end goal remains it’s ok to change little things along the way.quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

One of the changes I made as I neared completion was the type of binding I wanted to use. I was originally going to do a sort of “cheater” binding where you wrap the backing around to the front and stitch down. I’ve used this method before with Mini-me’s quilt. I decided I wanted to do a scrappy binding as well continuing to use up my stash. The quilt really needed a quiet place in between the busy central pattern and a scrappy binding so I added a white sashing all the way around.

quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

The scrappy binding went together quicker than I thought it would. Of course, I didn’t follow the “rules” and cut everything on the bias. I’m not much a rule follower. quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

Isn’t it pretty a rolled up like that? Like a colorful flower.

quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

After much agonizing about how to label my quilt (for the very first time), I decided I’d use wing it and hand embroider the info. Let me first say that I suck at embroidery. I think embroidery was the first craft I ever learned…and I never liked it. I’m always sticking myself with the needle, its tedious and boring.  I know there are plenty of people who enjoy it and find it relaxing…have at it. It’s a means to an end for me. I do have a decent size stash of embroidery thread though in the same tin my mom used half a century ago or more ago.

quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

After a few pinpricks I finished the job and was able to stitch it onto the quilt back. I am glad I took the time now that it’s finished. I can never remember when I made most of the other quilts except for the two I made while J was napping as an infant. Those I do remember.

quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

This turned out to be more than a stash busting quilt. It became a labor of love with a bit of frustration mixed in. But what love doesn’t have some frustrating times.

I had originally planned to heavily quilt in a funky random pattern but as I began I realized it would end up a bit stiff. I went back and pulled out every stitch…hence the frustration. I ultimately ended up stitching random wavy lines only along the white sashing. My thought is that I can always go back and do some more quilting if I feel it needs it.

I’ve been snuggling under it every free moment I have. It definitely helps with the extreme cold we’ve been having. I did hear we have a warm-up in store….hooray! I’ve about had it with below zero temps.

 

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Thanks for stopping by for Second on the 2nd!

Don’t you just love that feeling of satisfaction when you’ve completed a big project!?! I know I do. Not only do I have the finished product in front of me but I get to put a check mark in the box on my perpetual list. Yes it’s an actual paper list. It’s never ending which really is a good thing. What would I do with myself if I didn’t have a project?

quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

Do want to know a secret? If I complete a task, chore or project that failed to make it on the list…I write down, draw a little box and proceed to “X” through it. So satisfying!!!quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

This quilt started as a stash busting project. Just a loose idea of what I wanted or hoped it would look like in the end. Over the course of sewing my idea evolved a bit which I personally think is a good thing. We need to be able to be flexible and learn from our mistakes. Or even just adapt when the moment presents itself instead of being so set on one path that we can’t change. This is true in life as well. Adapt or be flexible when needed as long as your end goal remains it’s ok to change little things along the way.quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

One of the changes I made as I neared completion was the type of binding I wanted to use. I was originally going to do a sort of “cheater” binding where you wrap the backing around to the front and stitch down. I’ve used this method before with Mini-me’s quilt. I decided I wanted to do a scrappy binding as well continuing to use up my stash. The quilt really needed a quiet place in between the busy central pattern and a scrappy binding so I added a white sashing all the way around.

quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

The scrappy binding went together quicker than I thought it would. Of course I didn’t follow the “rules” and cut everything on the bias. I’m not much a rule follower. quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

Isn’t it pretty a rolled up like that? Like a colorful flower.

quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

After much agonizing about how to label my quilt (for the very first time) I decided I’d use wing it and hand embroider the info. Let me first say that I suck at embroidery. I think embroidery was the first craft I ever learned…and I never liked it. I’m always sticking myself with the needle, its tedious and boring.  I know there are plenty of people who enjoy it and find it relaxing…have at it. It’s a means to an end for me. I do have a decent size stash of embroidery thread though in the same tin my mom used half a century ago or more ago.

quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

After a few pin pricks I finished the job and was able to stitch it onto the quilt back. I am glad I took the time now that it’s finished. I can never remember when I made most of the other quilts except for the two I made while J was napping as an infant. Those I do remember.

quilt time snuggle time | Halle's Hobbies

This turned out to be more than a stash busting quilt. It became a labor of love with a bit of frustration mixed in. But what love doesn’t have some frustrating times.

I had originally planned to heavily quilt in a funky random pattern but as I began I realized it would end up a bit stiff. I went back and pulled out every stitch…hence the frustration. I ultimately ended up stitching random wavy lines only along the white sashing. My thought is that I can always go back and do some more quilting if I feel it needs it.

I’ve been snuggling under it every free moment I have. It definitely helps with the extreme cold we’ve been having. I did hear we have a warm up in store….hooray! I’ve about had it with below zero temps.

I’m happy to say my quilt top is complete! I’ve set my sewing aside for a little bit…I’m sure it won’t last too long but it is nice to have my sewing table free of clutter again.

scrap quilt top complete

It’s a throw quilt not a bed size. We are a family who likes to curl up on the couch or chairs. There are always the couple favorite blankets such as this flannel one I made a gazillion years ago and the least favorite one, a small crochet throw made with acrylic yarn. It was made by my great aunt and I haven’t had the heart to get rid of it even though it matches nothing, isn’t that warm and no one really likes it.  I’m staking claim to this new one as soon I finish it…at least for the first few snuggles.

quilt label perhaps

I ended up with 2 extra blocks that I cut and resewed to make this small block that I’m thinking I want to use as a quilt label. I’ve never labeled any of my quilts in the past and now kind of wish I had. I have a hard time remembering exactly when I created most of them. I’m not sure what sort of pen I should use to write along the white fabric. Obviously I know it needs to be a fabric marker but I also need to make sure it doesn’t bleed or fade. Any suggestions?

dark coffee or coffee in the dark

I was contemplating the backing for the quilt this morning while having my coffee and making lunches. I have a bedsheet that I dyed long ago as a tablecloth in our first house. My folks had given us a large table to use but it was not very pretty and was extra wide. A bedsheet seemed the most affordable option of a tablecloth at the time. I also am thinking about the binding…I’m thinking scrappy might be fun for that as well but only if I sew a plain border all the way around the outside to give some rest to the eyes. Oh well…it’s not like I have to decide yet but Winter is coming.  :)

I’ve got a few pesky household chores on the list for today but first I’m going to go for a walk…got to enjoy these warm Fall days while I can!

What are you doing today?

Thanks for joining me today for T stands for Tuesday with Elizabeth and the gang. I missed last week completely and for the life of me, I can’t even remember what kept me from my weekly post!!! Oh well…on with the show!

scrap quilt in progress

I’ve been sorting through my bins of fabric and separating out all the long strips and random shapes to be cut down for my new string quilt project. This pile is 70% blues as I was collecting them for a little boy quilt over a decade ago.  After ironing, I cut each piece down to between 1.5 and 2.5 inches wide.

scrap quilt progress

I am piecing the quilt using paper squares with a white strip down the center to serve as a design element in the completed quilt. I’ve used a gluestick to adhere it to each sheet so they are ready to go as I sew. I just eyeballed it so they won’t be perfect but I’m ok with that. It is a scrappy quilt after all.

scrap quilt in progress

I shortened my stitch length so that the paper gets perforated and is easy to remove from the fabric once trimmed.

scrap quilt in progress

I have a nice little stack of them already.

scrap quilt in progress

And look how fun they are going to look when sewn together.

scrap quilt in progress

Colorful and scrappy. The other really fun thing for me is that it will be sort of a memory quilt or perhaps fabric journal of previous projects, clothing I’ve salvaged and reminders of people who have passed on but a little part of them lives on for me in the fabric as a memory.  Now just look at that, I’m getting all nostalgic.

Since this is a post about quilts on T stands for Tuesday, I thought it was a good time to share a bottle of wine my in-laws brought over. I remembered to nab a photo at the very last glass.

barn quilt wine

It’s called Barn Quilt Red. This winery is one of three in a small town west of here. The soil must be good for grapes out there. This wine gives a nod to the barn quilts of Carver County.

barn quilt wine

The barn quilts are really cool. I haven’t seen all 24 but the ones I have seen are really cool. In fact I think I have a photo of one here on the blog somewhere…hmmm….must look now….here it is!

rural landscape 1

This one can be seen from the MN Landscape Arboretum.

Anyway…more sewing, ironing and cutting,,,not necessarily in that order are in store for me as well as the standard household duties.

What are you doing today?

To start out the year we are looking back…wait…didn’t I say I was looking ahead in the previous post?

Secondlook

We are looking back because it’s Second on the 2nd hosted my my dear friend Elizabeth. Each month on the second she asks that we dig into our blog and reshare a post that deserves a second look.

Sewing is a passion of mine as well as recycling. In this post from August 2008 I share my favorite quilt and a little about it’s creation.

We still use the quilt today. It’s now 15 years old and is very well loved.

Take a look…

eyes

This denim quilt was my very first large scale recycling project.

I carry it in my van for picnics, beach days, a stop at the park or one of those dreaded winter emergencies. After the latest trip to the beach I hung it on the deck rail to dry. I was taken aback by how many memories this quilt holds for me. I love how it has frayed over time. Maybe others would think of this as a flaw but to me, it shows it has been throughly loved.

I made it when my first born was an infant. Oh, to have that much time on my hands again! I wanted to make something that he could lay and play on, that would be durable, washable, textural and colorful.

I had a ton of jeans that were never going to fit again plus my hubby’s worn out ones to cut into circles. I used a plate to trace each and every circle by hand then carefully trim with scissors.


The colorful squares (trust me there are squares under there) were from a stash of fabric I had gotten as a teen when my “grandma” across the street moved from her home to her daughters in CA. She knew I loved sewing and crafting more than her own granddaughter.

My mom had somehow collected tons of small spools of thread in various colors, not sure why since she didn’t sew but did own a machine. Maybe just wishful thinking on her part. Anyway, I figured that I could make the quilt even more colorful by using different spools of thread throughout the quilt. Generally the bobbin thread and the spool didn’t match as I sewed.

If you’re curious how I made it check out this tutorial. I think I got my instructions from a magazine but the tutorial has excellent instructions.

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