I finished basting all the new hexies as anticipated. I now have 112 more little hexies for my Baby Hexie Quilt. I will be getting back to piecing today once I finish quilting my class project, which will be a pillow :)
Here's a shot of the pinwheel. I did mark out the stippling, but changed it in a few places while quilting to make it flow more.
Here is a shot of the back with just the pinwheel done. You can see the pattern and stitches a little better. Not perfect, but not too bad for my first time, if I don't say so myself ;)
And here is the first background triangle. I had marked these for stippling as well, but changed my mind. Instead of remarking, I used a Zentangle approach to do echoing triangles.
And a shot of the back. I have two more background triangles done now (both much more consistent). I plan to finish the quilting today, so that I can show it off tomorrow at the shop when I go for Quilting for Kids (a charity project in San Antonio making quilts for cancer patients that are children. It starts at 10a if you are interested in joining :)). After that I'm going to finish the pillow and focus on the Baby Hexie Quilt as much as possible. I HAVE to have it done my October!
Yesterday I took my first quilting class at my local quilt shop, The Scrappy Quilter (that I found for the first time the day before). But let me back up and start by talking a little about the shop. It's a little over a year old and is absolutely adorable and well organized. They have fabric styles for everyone from beautiful Civil War reproductions to modern designer fabrics. They even stock some up-and-coming designers. But what really made them stand out to me was the service. Everyone was truly, sincerely happy that I was there and wanted to make me feel at home. They were joyfully informative and kind. Not one person, staff or customer, acted like I didn't belong there (something I commonly get since I'm on the younger end of the crafty demographic). They answered my questions truthfully - if they didn't know the answer they grabbed another quilter :) Lisa, Michelle, and Alice (and Joyce the next day) took the time to get start getting to know me, AND they remembered me and details about me when I came back for the class.
I took a hand quilting class with Joyce and LOVED IT. I wanted to take it to learn and meet some people in the area with like interests. It turned out to be a one-on-one session, but I was ok with that. Joyce was amazing and delightful. She was very patient, thorough, and sweeter than wild honey. I learned so much and will definitely take another class with her given the opportunity. I have really taken to hand quilting. Here's a close-up teaser of the project we started in class.
I highly recommend The Scrappy Quilter if you're in the San Antonio area, even if it's just for a visit. You can find them in the Lone Oak Plaza in Schertz. Their physical address is1208 FM 78, Suite J Schertz, TX 78154. You can call them at (210)281-8667. Feel free to visit their website or check them out on Facebook.
The day I found The Scrappy Quilter, I visited several other sewing/quilt shops. No one spoke to me at the others, and if they did it was in such a way that I didn't feel welcome at all. I can truly say that I have found my quilting home. I'm already in love with the shop and the ladies. I will be back there on Tuesday for Quilting for Kids and I'm seriously thinking about doing the City Sampler Quilt with them, too. I really hope that you visit them.
Have you found your quilting home, yet? I would love to hear about it :)
I saw Lori Holt's Design Boards the other day and fell in love. So what did I do? Get foam board and felt (it was on sale). My foam board was 30"x20", so I was able to to get six 10" squares out of the first piece. I still want to make three 20"x10" design boards and one full size 30"x20" board.
I am very excited about my design board. I have been using it as a lap work surface, but I also plan to use them like she discusses in the video for machine piecing :)
I have been stitching away on this little quilt, which I am coming to realize needs a little more time and attention if I am going to get it all done by D-day. I have switched to doing flowers since they are more portable and then I can put the flowers together to build rows of the quilt. I finished up several more flowers since I took this picture (in my new lightbox). So, I about have enough for a row. I'm thinking that I should restrain from putting the rows together for awhile, though. That way I can try to mix things up a little more overall. We'll see if I can manage that ;) I'm also getting pretty convinced that I going to need to cut and baste more hexies :/
***** check out the sidebar to track my progress between posts :) *****
T is graduating from 8th grade this today. We are all so proud of how hard she has worked to improve her grades this year. This past weekend she had her 8th grade trip to Splashtown (a Texas waterpark). She was in need of a big over-the-shoulder bag that coordinated with her new coral, white, and black bathing suit. Enter my need to sew for everyone.
Mama helped me a little with this project, since I had no real pattern and we wanted to pleat the top. The bag is completely reversible. And, as she requested the straps are ungodly long, so as to hit her on the hip.
You can see below that it holds quite a bit! Her shoes, a couple of towels, sunscreen, hair stuff, a change of clothes, sunglasses, baggies for the wet suit after, and all the other odds and ends that you need for a day trip to the waterpark.
It really turned out wonderfully, unlike the original I did before Mama got there. That one resembled a papoose with straps that were way to long. Unfortunately, we got so caught up in making a new one, we forgot to take a picture of the mistake bag before we took it apart for the straps. lol Oops, my bad! Just know that we all screw up, even when we think we know what we're doing.
I mentioned in this post a few tools I found incredibly helpful, if not vital to my hand piecing project. I now have another! Mama gave me a magnetic wristband my Dritz that she found at a thrift store for practically nothing. It was on some horribly uncomfortable and pretty much useless Velcro that kept falling off (sorry no picture of that, Ducky confiscated it to play with immediately lol). So I took my happy butt to Wal-Mart and got a kids sized sweatband from the sports department and super glued that baby to it. And the angel chorus proclaims its glory. Now I have a comfortable and convenient wristband for holding on to my needle or helping me if I drop it :)
As you saw in my last post, not all of the really cute polka dot hexies got basted for the baby quilt. Why? Because, twill is NOT ideal for this application. Live and learn, right? Well I do have a little trick for you if you decide to torture yourself for an adorable print, too.
Start out as usual, but then come back up on the outer side of the fold a little closer to the edge of the hexie. You want to be close to the fold, but not catching any threads of it. Go down either in the original hole as shown below or near it. The goal is hold down the fold securely.
Make sure that when you are sewing other hexies to your twill hexie you have the twill hexie facing you. Otherwise it will fray as you can see below. Fraying will also occur if you let your working thread get caught on the seam allowance, which is what actually happened below but the effect is the same as not sewing the correct direction.
One last thing - when you go to remove your paper from the twill hexies, take care to really pull out your stitches before the paper, otherwise you will tear the paper.
As you know, I am a novice sewer, therefore am in the process of acquiring all the necessary, and unnecessary, supplies and tools for the craft. Thanks to Mama I have much of the essential things, but I have found that I am constantly needing a pincushion!
I found this tutorial by Kim at My Go-Go Life. Since I am considering using the Cathedral Window pattern when I make a quilt for my parents (Mama's requested Christmas present lol), I decided pincushions would be a great way to practice :) I highly recommend Kim's tutorial. I didn't have a bit of problem following along and the results are gorgeous (and very functional), don't you think? I filled mine with rice, since it's ultra cheap and I like pincushion it creates more than batting (plus no shedding). I followed the tutorial to a tee on the first one (back button not being a shank-style button excepted), but on the second one I didn't do a seam on the backing (not the easiest place to fill the pincushion when using rice), instead I left a small hole on side for turning and filling and then used the same ladder stitch to close it up in the end. I love both of them :)
If you make one, please share! Also, Kim has a Flickr Group set up for sharing, as well, so that she can see.
Man, long time no blog! My bad, y'all. Life has this funny way of getting in the way. Anyhoo, today I have a fun little bag for you. It's actually a Reversible Bag by Novita, but I have no intention of flipping it because I added this cute embroidered pocket (which is the perfect size for my cellphone ;)). I also added an identically sized pocket on the inside for my keys.
For the embroidery I printed the art I liked onto the paper side of freezer paper and ironed it to my fabric. Then I simply stitched over it. I also poked extra holes with my needle as I went to perforate the paper well, because the next step is simply to pull off the paper when finished. I did this on just one layer of my pocket fabric and then stitched a second layer to the back, so that the back on my embroidery was enclosed. It's much neater and I don't have to worry about catching and undoing knots and such.
I didn't do the straps the same way as she did in the tutorial. Honestly, I got going and forgot to look at the instructions and just did them the way it made sense to the at the time. lol. Her way is wonderful, too, but I thought you might want another option.
First, I pressed my seams and pinned the last 4" to be sewn (after all other steps), leaving one side raw.
The second side I pressed the edges under.
Then I pinned the raw edged straps inside the "finished" ones.
Next I sewed a nice double lined seam to add a professional finish and strength to my bag :)
I mentioned in an earlier post that I had started a second quilt. I actually started it shortly after the first so that I would have a portable project, as well (Hubby and I were going to his parents' that weekend). Coincidentally, some good friends of our just found out they are expecting :) So, what better portable project than a baby quilt! Since we don't know if the baby is a boy or girl yet, I wanted to stay pretty neutral. Also, due to the fact that I was looking for portable it had to be hand piecing, which lead me to English Paper Piecing (tutorial at the end of this post), for which hexagons (or hexies) are the most common shape.
First, come the papers. I started with these templates in the 1" size. I didn't have much success cutting as she instructed, though. For me printing the template and gluing a stack across the top and then cutting along the lines in vertical strips gave me the most accurate hexies. Be sure not to cut into your glued area. It's important for keeping things aligned properly. Also, don't get in a hurry. These papers are the foundation for your entire quilt, so spending a little extra time on them in the beginning will result in less headache and a much more beautiful finished product later. I cut just over a thousand in a relatively short amount of time. I used just regular computer paper and have been happy with the results, but you could also use cardstock or freezer paper, too. Don't forget you can reuse your papers. I would recommend ironing them before another round as you can see they get folded a bit in the piecing process.
Next step is cutting your fabric hexies. I really liked the method in the tutorial at the end of the post. I used a little piece of tape on the back of a paper and then used a 4.5x4.5" grid ruler to add a 1/4" seam allowance on all sides. The picture to the left is what I currently have left from what I have cut. Again, since I was cutting multiple layers of fabric, this didn't take long once I got a rhythm.
Next comes basting, which means that you attach the fabric hexies to the papers with a temporary, contrasting stitch to create seam and provide stability. You can tape, glue, or pin the paper down if you like, but I found just firmly and carefully holding the paper was easiest for me - less time, hassle, and stuff involved. As the tutorial at the end states, you don't need a knot at the end of the basting since you're going to pull the stitches out. By the way, use the removal method in the tutorial because it works and has no headache involved. Can you tell I like this tutorial? lol
I couldn't wait to baste everything before I started to sew my little hexies together. I just couldn't stand it, I had to see my fabrics together and be able to show off to Hubby (he likes to see periodic progress, otherwise he doesn't believe when I say things are coming along lol). So, here is an unpressed snapshot of the WIP. What do you think?
I have found a few tools highly valuable in this process. One, Thread Heaven - a thread conditioner. DO NOT hand sew without it. It is cheap (I paid $3.99+tax for it) and it will save you immense amounts of time, headaches, and money in liquor. Two, a thimble for my thumb. I push with my thumb for the whip stitch and it was getting really sore. I really like this leather one, called Nimble Thimble (I think), because it fits my finger nicely, it has an opening for my fingernail (I tend to keep them long if you haven't noticed my Nail Art Tab), and most importantly I can still grip the needle really well. The last thing are these wonderful little snips that I picked up from Joann's for super cheap; they are perfect for getting close to the work, ergonomic, and travel well.
I am finding that I am truly enjoying the hand stitching, especially when I am not feeling well. I find it incredibly relaxing and rewarding. What do you tend to do for stress relief?
As I have mentioned in a previous post I have been bitten by the sewing bug. Hard. I have actually sewn everyday since I received my sewing machine. :) I don't know why, but quilting has caught my fancy. So I started researching quilting and talking to my mom (an amazing sewer) about it. Apparently I come from a very long, prestigious line of quilters on both sides of my family. So, I started a quilt. I began the quilt with these block patterns in mind, a couple of charm packs in Papillion by Moda, and a little bit of yardage in complimentary brown. I really do love it, unfortunately my cutting skills have not proven up to the task to all of these points :( My Scrappy Four Patches are pretty, but far from perfect. So, instead of doing a Four Patch with and X block. I think I am going to change my game plan to a Scrappy Four Patch with sashing and a border, which means this will probably go on the back burner until I get a hold of some sashing fabric. But, I do have another quilting in progress that I will be sharing with you very soon. Until then...
Like I said in my Brother, O Brother! post, I decided to make a the Mini Tote that I made for my sister a little bigger for me. I used the exact same pattern, but I used just under a yard of fabric (four fat quarters if you want to minimize cutting). For my lining and main bag I cut the panels to 16x18" and my straps 18x6". My bag ended up about 14.5 squareish. For the embroidery, I again just printed off of a font I like and then I drew a little bird. I used a reverse chain stitch, running stitch, peking knot (that I anchored) and french knot for the pattern (tutorials can be found by clicking on stitch name).
Mama requested a bingo bag, so I made one just slightly smaller for her since she didn't want one so deep. She also requested an inside pocket to I cut a pocket on the fold so that it would be double layered and then put bias tape around the edges to finish it off. As with the embroidery (please excuse the deformed dauber , I added it to the one of the lining pieces before I started assembling the bag. For the embroidery I used all of the above mentioned stitches except for the peking knot. I also didn't divide my thread since I wanted a thicker lettering.
Creativity runs in my blood, so naturally I have a few hobbies - cooking, baking, canning, knitting, tatting, beading/jewelry making, and Zentangles to start. Growing up my mother taught my K and I to sew, and we would piddle here and there for school projects and stuff, but neither of us really took to it as a real hobby like my mother (she made one of my prom dresses!). Until now. I have bitten by the bug and I am IN LOVE. Not just with sewing, but hand embroidery, as well. I have the most wonderful Mommy, too, because she gave me a brand new sewing machine and TONS for fabric and supplies from her own stash to get me started :D
So, what did I do? Got busy for K's birthday, which is this week but since my daddy is out of town we celebrated this past weekend. Since K is just starting to really outfit her little apartment she got all sorts of housewares for her birthday. I started by making her an apron in her favorite colors - yellow and black. I thought that it would be a good "first" project to get me reacquainted with the art. I used Simplicity 1934 View A, which I already have fabric and alterations ready for one for myself very soon :). Then I made her pot holders to match - three in yellow with a black border and three in the black print with a yellow border.
And because I am nothing if not an over achiever, I made her a little bag since a girl can never have enough bags. I mean really. I used this free Mini Tote pattern on Craftsy for the bag. It is super quick and easy to follow and beautiful when finished. For the embroidery pattern I printed off a font that I liked for her and got busy. She loved them, but what do you think? :) I'm super excited! I have already made myself a bag and am working on a bingo bag for my parents now (another posts on these soon).
