crewel love

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Lisa

The snowmaggedon has pretty much turned out to be a bust with very little snow…but I still enjoyed a day of sewing and puppy snuggling. (And chocolate chip cookie baking. The recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook is my all-time favorite. Cookie making ingredients are starting to become a staple in this household. Along with pico de gallo ingredients for my hubs.)

Here is the puppy snuggling:

That dog is my constant shadow. He will even sit in my lap while I sew. He hangs off my lap so it can’t be comfortable but he insists. He occasionally will grab fabric off the floor of my sewing room, make sure I’m looking at him, and then run off with it. His brother Will actually stole an entire charm pack just last week. So adorably rotten!

Last night I made a needle case using this tutorial. My plan is to make a couple of these for different sewing projects because you need different needles and slightly different supplies for all of them. This version is for my crewel projects:

This should make it a lot easier for me to grab some hand sewing projects for Saturday Sew or sewing circles with friends.

I used the stitch regular on my new Bernina for the free motion quilting. It’s a completely different experience from free motion quilting on any other machine. It will take me a few more projects to get used to it, but the results are undeniably good even with my awkward newbie technique. I have new machine infatuation big time.

snowmaggedon

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Lisa

That is how the weather man described the weather we’ll be experiencing tomorrow – snowmaggedon. After four snow days last week, I’m pretty sick of the cold but I honestly don’t mind one more day cooped up inside. It will give me some quality time with my new sewing machine.

I bought a Bernina Aurora 440 QE on Monday. I’m thrilled with her so far. Thrilled! She sews like a dream. I can’t wait to test out some free motion quilting with the stitch regulator. This new machine has definitely given me some creative drive. I finished my seriously overdue November block for the Ringo Pie bee.

The theme was sweets.

My original block idea was a disaster. Paper piecing from someone else’s pattern is one thing, but it’s a whole different game to come up with your own workable pattern. It’s a fun challenge, though, and I just may figure out how to make that block work.

DFW readers, don’t forget that Dallas Modern Quilt Guild meets on Thursday! We’re having a binding workshop you won’t want to miss. Details here.

create! challenge

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Lisa

My blog and bee friend Kelly is having a February challenge to do something creative every day this month. I kind of already do that since I do sew every day, but I’m going to push myself a bit further and try to do something creative that is NOT quilting. Today I was lucky enough to get in a bit of crewel and some quilting.

This crewel kit is going to be a pillow for my sofa someday. I’ve been working at it on and off for nearly a year now. I’m kind of ashamed to not be further along because the most difficult part about it is threading the needle. (Note – when using wool threads for embroidery, don’t lick the end of the thread to make it easier to get in the needle eye. You will get a wool hairball. I swear.) Maybe this challenge will inspire me to finish it! There are also a few projects from the Martha Stewart sewing book that I’d love to work on.

I’m also finally quilting one of the projects from my end of the year WIP challenge.

The colors in this quilt combined with the 19 degree weather we’re having today make me so ready for spring. Will looks ready for spring, too, don’t you think?

sunday stash {1.31.11}

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Lisa

I’ve decided to challenge myself a bit and start sharing a fabric stack every week. Picking out fabrics is one of my favorite things to do, but I often pick out stacks and put them aside because I have so many projects going on. I think this will help me remember some of the combinations I love and also get out a bit of that creativity even if I’m not really ready to start a new project.

So here is my inaugural Sunday stash:

It’s a simple but lovely combo of Parisville by Tula Pink and some dobby dots from Anna Maria Horner’s Pastry line. The colors go together like they were MFEO (made for each other). That dobby is such a pretty fabric. I’d love to have bolts and bolts of it and make myself an entire wardrobe of swing dresses, shirt dresses, and dainty blouses. *sigh*

fabric to stash away

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Lisa

I taught a modern quilting class the other night at my friend Julie’s shop – Make. We were talking about fabric obsessions and lo and behold, she has been hoarding some yardage of one of my most favorite prints EVER.

That’s right! The elusive Paint by Number Birds from Erin Michael’s Uptown collection. I don’t know how Julie can bear to part with it, but she is selling most of her yardage on Etsy. She kindly gave me a generous piece to have for my very own! I’m thrilled to have some of this fabric. It deserves to star in a super special quilt, and I can’t wait to come up with something creative to show it off. What a score. I did tell Julie that I’d break into her store and steal it if she didn’t give me some. Maybe that’s why she was so generous.

tutorial: scrappy stars

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Lisa

This scrappy 1930s quilt from the book Quilted Planet is the inspiration for my tutorial. I loved the scrappiness of this quilt, and I’ve spent quite a bit of time searching the internet for a similar block. The closest thing I could find is “Rocky Road to Kansas” which uses strips of fabric instead of scraps (a tutorial for that block can be found here).

This project is perfect for all of those odd-sized scraps that you have laying around. (Your pieces need to be at least 1″x1″ to hold a seam.)

This tutorial is for a 12.5″ (unfinished) block. All seams are 1/4″.

To make a lap-sized quilt of 25 blocks, you will need:

Many assorted scraps (this is hard to estimate, but you probably need about 1 quart sized Ziploc of scraps for each 12.5″ block)
3 yards of background fabric
Templates (download here)
Tools: rotary cutter, iron, ruler, fabric scissors

Piecing the stars. Turn on your iron and get ready to chain piece. Start with two pieces at a time and sew until you have a decent chain of 10 or 15 sets. Trim the threads and press your seams open. Since you’re working with a variety of scraps you will need to do some trimming so that you have straight edges to attach your next scrap. This is where your sharp fabric scissors come in handy.Continue adding to scraps and pressing until you’ve created a piece that covers the template A piece.
Trimming the Stars. Get out that rotary cutter and ruler and go to town. The template pieces include seam allowances so you can use them as a cutting guide. If the parts you trim off are large enough to hold a seam, throw them back in your scrap bin to use for the next block. After all of that piecing, pressing, and trimming, you will need 100 “A” pieces for the quilt.
Cutting the Background Fabric. You are going to be cutting your background fabric from selvage to selvage. Unless you have a giant cutting mat, you’ll probably want to fold it in half. For each 12.5″ block you will need 1 piece of fabric measuring 4″ wide and 44″ long. This is how you will lay your B template on the fabric to use as a cutting guide.
Cut your first piece and then flip the template to cut the next piece (you can also keep your fabric folded in half and cut two at a time.) You will cut 8 pieces from each 4″ wide strip (for a total of 200 “B” pieces).
Putting Together the Block. Here is the fun part! Each block is made of four smaller blocks so you will need four completed A pieces before you’re ready to put a block together. This part is simple but be gentle because you are sewing on the bias. Don’t abuse your fabric! Use scissors to snip your thread ends instead of that handy little cutter at the side of your machine. That kind of force can make delicate bias seams go wonky. Grab two B pieces and one A piece and let’s get started! To make sure your pieces line up perfectly (or as close to it as humanly possible), fold your As and Bs in half and use your hot iron to press the fold.Match up your press marks and pin. Sew along the pinned edge. Press open. Repeat for the other B piece. Now you should have something that looks like this: This is only 1/4 of your block, but it’s still worth a Ta Da! moment. Repeat 3 more times and you have your first scrappy star block!

Questions?

color palettes

Posted on January 22, 2011 by Lisa

I’ve been doing so well on my New Year’s fabric diet resolution. In less than one hour at the Quilt Asylum, I totally blew it. The Quilt Asylum is one of my LQSs (local quilt shops). Of course, only in Texas would a place that is 30 miles from my house be considered a local quilt shop…but let me tell you, it is worth the drive. We’re really spoiled for quilt shops here in north Texas – there are two amazing ones just in the small town of McKinney (Happiness is Quilting is the other one). I recently posted a map of area quilt shops on the Dallas Modern Quilt Guild blog if you’re in the area and you have some fabric money burning a hole in your pocket.

I almost never buy fabric with a purpose. Typically I grab fat quarters that catch my eye, always keeping a lookout for yellows and purples because I have so few in my stash. But I’ve noticed that I usually end up with at least one nicely coordinated bundle at the end of my shopping spree.

I’m calling this color palette “Spring Around the Corner.” There is a bit of Sugar Pop, Modern Meadow, Moda’s new Regent Street Lawns, City Weekend, some Civil War repros, and several polka dots. This set of fabrics really captures my aesthetic. It’s a mix of old and new, a bit modern, sort of vintage, with lots of color in a relatively tight palette. I love putting together fabric combinations, but I know many quilters find it to be one of the most difficult parts of the process. I often hear women in quilt shops and at DMQG events talk about their fear of combining fabrics and saying that they rarely stray from using just one fabric collection. Many quilting books and quilting teachers talk about color theory, and I wonder sometimes if it’s really something you can teach. People see color differently so isn’t it all subjective anyway? Whatever the answer is, I am truly fascinated by color.

While writing this post, I’ve been thinking about a Lizzy House blog post I read earlier about choosing one word to define the way you’d like to live this year. I was trying to think of my word because I’m feeling very deep and introspective writing about color theory. The one word that keeps popping into my head? Cupcake. I have 9/10 ingredients in my kitchen for making banana cupcakes with chocolate frosting, but I’m missing the only ingredient that can’t be substituted – flour. So my word of 2011 will have to wait until I can get the banana cupcakes out of my head (and into my belly).

free motion

Posted on January 16, 2011 by Lisa

Cold weather. Gray skies. Three already basted quilts. Sounds like a recipe for a Sunday indoors in front of Hulu and my Pfaff.

I don’t know why I’ve waited so long to quilt this. I started it last March, and it’s just been sitting in a drawer since. I suppose that’s a testament to what I blogged about a few days ago – it’s so tempting and almost addictive to start new projects. Maybe I’m maturing as a quilter, though, because lately I’ve been more interested in completing them. That whole New Year’s resolution thing has really taken hold of me. 2011 will be a year of finishes for me.

Check back in later this week for a tutorial. I’ve been working on a fun, scrappy block that is the perfect thing to use up all of those odd sized scraps that you hate to throw away.

voices in my head

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Lisa

I’m enjoying the cold weather this year. I love wearing sweaters and wool gloves, I have some slippers that keep my toes toasty while I sew, and I can smell again because the cold has killed off all of the allergens that normally torture me. Life is pretty good right now, and I’m excited about all of the new things to come this year. Tomorrow is the first Dallas Modern Quilt Guild meeting of 2011, and I can’t wait to see all of my quilting friends (our guild’s first birthday is next month and that is a huge and exciting milestone!).

This week I’ve sat down to blog at least once a day and then gotten stuck. I am working on so many things, and I’m excited about all these different projects and ideas that I’m feeling completely overwhelmed. Is it possible to have too much creative stimulation? With only so many usable hours in the day, how do you get all of those pesky ideas out of your head? Web MD was not helpful, but I suspect that I have full-on quilting schizophrenia. The fabric speaks to me.

I can’t decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing. So far I’ve been able to resist the “buy me” voices. But I’m powerless against the “start a new project” with me voices. Those Ruby Star Rising ladies are the worst, frankly. Look at their coy little faces.

Who can resist?!?!?!

winners!

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Lisa

I’m super impressed by the finishes some of you ladies were able to complete for the challenge. The most finishes goes to Elizabeth of Don’t Call Me Betsy. Her prize is a fat eight bundle from the pink colorway of the just-released and totally awesome Ruby Star Rising line. CJ of a Stitch & a Prayer also had lots of impressive finishes so I’ve decided to give out a second prize – a Sherbet Pips charm pack. Please email me your mailing info (vintagemodernquilts [at] yahoo [dot] com) and I’ll get your prizes in the mail. Thanks for participating!

Category Archives: Inspiration