I finished my block for my other quilting bee group, The Stitchin' Bee. It is for Kelly’s Dysfunctional Family Fun Quilt. She is making a beach quilt for her family. I tried to use my fabrics to make water, sand and a rainbow sky, but it isn’t as obvious with the applique covering most of the background. Everyone else’s blocks are turning out great! I am excited to see them all together.
I got my fabric in the mail for my second Quilting Bee Group, The Stitchin' Bee. This package arrived from Florida! It is for Kelly’s Dysfunctional Family Fun Quilt, as she titled it. She is making a beach quilt for her family. It will feature fussy cut comic strip scenes, each person in the bee got a different one. I can make any type of block I wish as long as it incorporates the comic strip and it is 12x12 finished. Which as I learned in my other quilting bee really means 12.5x12.5. Which I knew, but being new to quilting bees and quilting itself... enough excuses... I goofed! The fabric looks like fun, I think I got a great comic scene and I can’t wait to get started! I even got a piece of fabric in my package that is the same print as the quilt I am currently working on for myself. The pink on pink polka dots to the right of the comic strip fabric.
WORK IN PROGRESS
I started a quilt this weekend (well my weekend - Monday/Tuesday). The fabric was purchased online at Hawthorne Threads my new favorite website. I got all of the fabric for the top cut and I sewed all the center pieces together. I finished one block just to see how it would look. It will consist of 81 blocks - 10 inch each. The top will have the flower fabric run the width. It will be a queen size quilt for my bed.
I have not selected the color of the thread I am going to quilt with, I will have to experiment. I am thinking I might even go for a dark thread color to match the very deep purple color of the shadows in the flowers. I think the binding will end up being magenta to match the centers of the flowers and blocks. I also haven’t decided on the fabric for the back, but I think I might order the light blue background/darker blue polka dot fabric that matches the top half of the flower border fabric in hopes that that fabric won’t look so random at the top.
I finished my blocks for my first quilting bee. It was my first time doing the wonky log cabin style block. The block on the top was my first one. You can see my second one is a lot scrappier. I was running out of fabric to get the 12 inch block completed. I actually really like how it ended up turning out though. It was fun. I’m excited for next month.
The rest of the group is getting theirs done and posting them on flickr at Sew2Speak. I will get my squares in the mail tomorrow to get them back to their owner. It will be interesting to see them all together.
I had my last Metalsmithing class yesterday. I wish it weren’t over, it was a quick 10 weeks. But I feel like I learned a lot and am excited to start doing some things on my own.
Above is one of the final pieces I completed in class. It is sterling silver and an old button. Everyone in class thought I did the silver work in the center of the button. But it was already part of the button, so I can’t take credit for that.
I joined an online quilting bee! We are in our first month. My group is called Sew2Speak. How it works: 12 members participate and are each responsible for one month of the calendar year. For your assigned month it is your job to plan a quilt block and mail fabric to the 11 other participants with instructions for what you want. They are supposed to finish their assigned one or two blocks and return them to you during the same month. When you have all the blocks back you should be well on your way to a finished quilt top!
I received my first package of fabric yesterday all the way from California. I am supposed to use the fabric pictured above to create two Wonky Log Cabin blocks. Hopefully I will be able to tackle them on Monday or Tuesday... if not it will have to wait until the following Monday or Tuesday.
My month isn’t until December, so I have lots of time to plan and then hurry up and wait until the last minute to get mine sent out. I originally thought I wanted to wait a few months to see how it all worked since I am pretty new to quilting, but now I wish it was my turn sooner.
So I decided the solution to that problem would be to join a second quilting bee. They are still looking for two members, so months and details haven’t been ironed out yet. I am going to try for June I think. The second group is called The Stitchin' Bee.
I finished this last month, but didn’t get around to sharing it until now. I had originally posted back on January 21 that I started this project. It was the last project for my sewing class. It is a bit too big on me but it is warm and cozy, so it doesn’t really bother me too much. I decided to use my new dress form as a model. It is a little hard to tell in the photo but that blob of fabric on the back photo is a hood. I am still finding pieces of fuzz from cutting the fabric randomly around my apartment. The entire robe is French seamed to keep the fuzzy ends from fraying and continuing to shed.
I finished this a few weeks ago but just got around to taking pictures this afternoon. I made my own dress form. But I can’t take all the credit, a big thank you goes to my best good friend, Sara Miller. You know you have a good friend when you ask her to wrap you in duct tape and without hesitation she says, “Yes!” Then after she is done she begs you to wrap her in duct tape. Yes, I was kind enough to return the favor.
I wish we would have taken some photos of the process. Basically, I put an old shirt on, she wrapped me in duct tape and then very carefully cut me out of it. I stuffed the inside with newspaper and stuffing. I was lucky enough to discover an old floor lamp, with a super sturdy base, in the basement laundry room at my apartment (there is all sorts of discarded crap lying around down there) and I attached it to my duct tape self and there you have it. A dress form made to my exact measurements for the cost of four rolls of hot pink duct tape (Duck brand - it was made for breast cancer awareness).
Sewing met metalsmithing on this project. I sawed and hammered the piece on the purse clasp a few weeks ago in class and wasn’t sure what to do with it until last week. It is made out of copper, but with the help of a brass brush shined it up to more a golden color. I went to Jo-Ann’s with a deep purple in mind for the purse and as luck should have it I found both fabrics next to each other in the remnants bin just waiting for me to buy them at half off. The liner fabric even has shiny gold fibers outlining the flowers. I included a magnetic clasp hidden behind the flower piece and sewed a pocket on the inside. Maybe I will make a matching wallet with the remaining fabric.
We learned to bezel and set stones in class last week and I finished mine this week. I didn’t make the chain, but I did the rest! The stone above is glass and the bezel is sterling silver.
I am going to go and bezel everything in sight now. I really enjoyed doing it. I actually have two other things I am in the process of bezel setting right now. Hopefully I will be able to finish them up in class next week and post them.
Sorry the pictures are fuzzy. I took them on my iphone in some dim lighting. Yes, while I was at work. I am shocked a customer didn’t call me out on it, they love to point out when I am “not working” at work. They usually say things like, “does the boss know you are working so hard.” They also love to read whatever is on my computer screen over my shoulder. Such delightful people that walk through our doors. Shortly I’ll be able to grab a drink and forgot about these delightful people. Yes, while I’m at work.
