UFO Challenge for April ~ #4~ Tater's Strip quilt

It's seems like the months are zipping by at an even faster speed. The UFO Challenge for March my UFO#1- Patience Corners, I am happy to report that the whole top is assembled. So I did meet that deadline, however I truly was hoping to get the backing made too. Just ran out of time and days.


I threw a 12" ruler on top so you could get a feel for how large this quilt will be. 106"x106". And to think this started by utilizing some scraps then I went stash diving to add more. This is the quilt that I think of water when I see it. Stacked organism rouleaux style, shimmering reflective colors dancing on the surface....





With this being the first of April another number was drawn.
#4- That is the tater strip quilt top.

NICE- That is all kitted up and not a thing done on it. It Should be fun to jump into a new project. Sometimes I feel like I have that startitis bug and if I linger too long on unfinished projects I loose my mojo, so with this fresh start perhaps it'll spur me on to get that #1 UFO back done at the same time. That's my plan.

I'll come back and add the photo after I take it so you can see what it looks like. It's a big one! 106X106"

Jane
I edited this post on April 3rd to add the photos. It's been hectic with plumbing problems, service technicians and then a dear friend has passed after a long ordeal with cancer. May she be at peace.

A bit more done.

It feels wonderful to be finishing up some UFO's I've had going for a bit. Between the Counted cross stitch, quilting, and beading hobbies, many times I feel like my creative endeavors are just running amok!
But Whoo!whoo! several more projects have been finished this past week.
My UFO#6 through Judy Laquidera's UFO challenge, Bird house wallhanging or Waiting for Spring, finished.



There is art glitter glued onto the fleece that I used for the ice and snow. I also changed a bit of the design by also creating some ice spots on the branches. To me it was unrealistic that the bird house was snow and ice laden while the rest was not touched. I know here in the Adirondacks, when something is encased by the elements, many things are encased too so I made it more reflective of that.
Besides the white fabric changed out for a lustrous fleece batting, I also changed some of the fabrics in this kit I got from Nancy's Notions years ago. The birdhouse and branch colors were all brown and too close in color to be visible. So I did some stash diving to come up with a higher contrast values. The pattern is actually "Waiting for Spring" designed by Lake View Quilts adn I am glad that Vince pulled No6 UFO. Just in time for Winter in these parts.

Next are the beaded earrings I finished last Sunday while playing with friends. The "Read and Bead" group I belong to gathers monthly to bead, eat and share lives. Each month a different person will share their technique for a project when we can. At December's meeting, Michelle taught us how to do a dodecahedra (aka: Chinese Pearl Balls). Usually I am not so thick headed but I had an awful time trying to grasp this concept. Poor Michelle actually did one of my beads since it was too difficult for me. Each step that I would do and she'd check it and it was wrong, so she'd correct it. Ye gads! When you work on this bead you need to use 2 needles of thread at the same time. One of the ladies mentioned it may be better to try 2 different size needles to help keep you straight with which needle should be at whichever orientation per row since with each row the needles would change positions and making notes while beading it. So when I got home later that night, I pulled out all of the necessities and I actually was able to finish another bead. Of curse not correctly, but I could tell where the next spin off design was needed and then would work my threads to that area. Close enough I say!
Anyhoo, I made them into festive drop earrings and they are DONE! And I'll never tell that one bead is correct and the other one is a very near miss. LOL



This next photo is of a counted cross stitch design I finally picked up from the framers. Shhhh! it's a gift for a stitching buddy when we gather for our late Christmas party. I know she doesn't read my blog, so it's safe to show here.



It's a Calico Crossroads pattern designed by Linda Connors called "In Stitches". It's just purrrrfect for my bernina and cat loving friend. I even stitched our initials into the outermost border of it with a tiny heart in between as a token of our friendship. I hope she love sit as much as I loved doing it for her.

The last photo is of the pet bed I finished in a gridded pattern for a community project that our guild does for the local animal shelters. This pillowcase bag has been hanging out under my cutting table for the past year. Any snippets of trims not large enough for my scrap bins, found it's way into the bag. Ingenious way of utilizing the scrappiest of scraps. It was finally full enough that I realized I needed to finish what I had in mind. Grid off the main area to stop the shifting of the stuffing.



When assembling the pet bed, it also was a trip down Memory Lane of past projects and felt great to reminisce about all the "love" sewn into projects this past year. Since we don't have any pets currently, but remembering trying to wash the different animal beds from the past, I found it difficult to keep the stuffing from shifting whilst trying to be neat, clean and sanitized around here. So I tried a "grid" of stitching for this bed to help facilitate against the stuffing from shifting where ever it lands up. The most difficult part was trying to keep the stuffing equal in the parts, Of course I used my zipper foot and chalked pencil lines which I needed to continuously re-draw after rubbing off the previous lines by stuffing it. But now it's done and I'll need to cut and sew another bag from upholstery fabric to hang off my cutting table for another bed next year.

Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate and look forward to all the comments from your visits. I'm off to the sewing room now, enjoy your Sunday.

TTFN,
Jane

Learned something

A while back I found this tutorial for a Faux Piped Binding at TLC Stitches. Making a note of it on my blog, I actually tried it out this past week and finished it this afternoon. Trisha's instructions and pictures were fantastic and very easy to follow (I wonder what model of camera she uses, her pictures are gorgeous.)





So what did I learn? That for me it didn't lay right when I pressed the seam allowance toward my piping (Black) fabric. It seemed to bunch up and didn't allow me to get the binding pressed in half correctly. Some areas the showed piping was thicker than others, not by a lot, but too much for me to live with.










Thinking about the binding for awhile, I finally
figured out that I needed to open the binding strip flat then press the seam allowance towards the binding side and really try out this technique. I was very tempted to revert back to my piped regular binding and hand sew the finished edge. I am so glad I experimented with this wall hanging, it worked. With my nerve and pain from my back injury, sometimes it's difficult for my fingers to work as dexterously as they used to. With this I found it a bit hard closing up the binding strip and mitering the corners correctly. So I'm thinking that this technique would be so worth it for a king size quilt! Because of my fingers' numbness and pain, while considering the fuss factor needed, it may be easier doing the older technique of sewing each piping and binding on separately much easier for smaller quilts.

8) "sew" glad that I've tried this technique! All I have left on UFO#6 is to hand stitch the mitered corners closed and stitch down the hanging sleeve on the back. Think I'll bring it theis week while I serve on Jury Duty. Ohh! I also have to use that art glitter stuff for the icicles when all the stitching is completely done, I'll post a photo of it when finished.

Jane

Goodbye 2010 ~ Hello 2011

Recently, well actually the day after Christmas, DH & I went to my sister's house in Vt. to deliver a quilt my Mom made for her and reconnect with her and her family. I actually found myself stumbling over words at the dinner table. WOW, how did that happen? Not sure if it was the residual effects of my illness, but I seem to think it's spending too much time with my youngest grandchildren and DH and I'm not getting enough adult stimulation. What to do?
*I rejoined a book club that I had belonged to years ago. I left it because I found it a struggle to attend and to get the reading done in time, besides the difficulty in obtaining the book through our public library system with other members of the book club. After signing up, I mentioned to the organizer that I'd be willing to be the liaison for the book club and library. Making sure we'd have enough copies of whichever books were needed at the scheduled months. (Now why didn't I think of that 3 years ago I'll never know!)
*I also figured I'd call up friends and reconnect with them if their schedules allow(ed). It'll be great to get out of the house more besides being mentally and creatively stimulated, a great way to spend the day too, with friends. So that is what I did on New Year's Eve Day. Trudy is always an inspiration and the conversation flows freely, besides of course our love of the needle we have many similar thoughts and philosophies of life.

Anyhoo, after a pleasant visit with Trudy, I decided to go further afield and visit my friend Carole at her shop Fibre Junction. Uh hum... look what I came home with me.




















Beautiful fabrics right? It jsut so happened that she was having a spectacular sale, thanks Carole! To stay honest with my stash reports for 2010 is another matter. So I need to add in that 36 yards..... the last stash report for 2010 is:

To date's Stash Report is:

Used this week: 0 yards
Used Year To date: 57.25 yds

Added This week: 36 yards
Added Year To Date: 124 yards

YTD is a gain of 66.75 yards





I have given this some serious thought. I do plan on tracking my stash for 2011 and also perhaps to track my craft expenses. Scary thought! But I do need to keep it real. Perhaps I'll use an excel spreadsheet or just a plan notepad that I hope to revamp. Stay tuned, I 'll share whichever way when I decide.

The next couple of photos are what I currently am working on.



















It's the bird house quilt that I numbered 6 and that is the number Judy Laquidera pulled for her UFO challenge. Now mind you, this actually was a pig (project in grocery sack) but it's been in my house for several years and I've been wanting to get it done, but there are usually too many other projects that I am focused on and UFOs to finish that I wouldn't allow myself to start it, so I am so happy Judy's husband picked out #6. Thanks Vince! Here is a little snapshop of my Janina doing the machine applique. (That's my Bernina's name and the one she's had since I adopted her many years ago, a blend from her origins and my name, goofy huh?) Here's a link to website for her UFO for January. Gorgeous isn't it.










Since having this kit in, I am using most of the materials given including the pellon fusible. Can I say I don't like this stuff. It's not fusing like I think it should. It also is allowing little bits of a fringing effect on the edges of the applique which don't happen when I use the Steam A Seam Light that I normally use and now know that I prefer. Now that stuff works great. No hairy edges on your applique and when you fuse it down.... it stays down, not like this pellon stuff. The changes I made with this kit are with the fabrics I'm using. I changed out the kit's brown for the tree branch (1st pictured) and also the white for the snow and ice (which isn't pictured). Why did I put this off for so long? It's really an enjoyable stitch.

Usually near the first of the year I also have tried to recap the previous year's projects. I will be getting to it but not today, check back another day, perhaps I'll find the time later this week.

Stay well and enjoy your endeavors,
Jane

UFO Challenge

Last week while recovering from the flu (was down and out for 3 days, I can't remember the flu hitting me so violently before), my Mom called to let me know which number in the UFO challenge was next. The number drawn is number .......2.

That means I'll have to the second Tuesday in June to get my Alien Invasion Quilt done. The top is assembled and I've been petering away on the backing I 've envisioned, but ran into a stumbling block. Guess I'll have to do like Nancie or Ruth on stashbusters say and get to it. That "the dreading is worse than the doing".

Enjoy yourself in what ever strikes your fancy.

Jane

Quiltathon weekend

Retreat weekend, sewathon going on, well however you want to phrase it, many of my on line friends are sewing up a storm this weekend. I am amazed of how much every body gets done all the time. They produce a quilt in a week, and it takes me months. OH well, at least I am progressing more than I have been. This back injury surely limits my abilities, too often than not.

The guild my Mom belongs to in FLorida has a UFO challenge. How it works is they have you list some UFO Projects in a list and number them 1-5. Then the chair person draws out a number and you have 2 months to complete it before another number is drawn. So here is a list of the numbers and what Mom and I each plan to do for that respective number.

Mom's:
1-Bear Paw
2-Beth's White and Cream
3-Is her 4- Patch
4-Lone Star
5-Scrap quilt w/ prairie points
6-Moon Glow

Mine:
1-Alien Invasion
2-PAtience Corners
3-Double Four PAtch
4-Montana Log Cabin
5-Snow friends and Convergence Wallhangings
6-Kashmir IV

Of course the guild has a nominal fee and prizes given out to encourage and add accountability, but I play along in Northern NY unofficially. Previous years I have NOT been too successful at finishing anything within the 2 month constraints, but this year is going to be different. SO the number I need to finish by April 13th is Number 4. Yippee! It's the one I wanted to work on next.


Happy to see progress of pgs#3 valance. I've had this mantra of

"the dreading is worse than the doing"

going on in my head recently thanks to a Ruth, a sage voice on stashbusters and it has liberated me into taking the steps to finally get to it. For such a little thing, it took up quite a bit of yardage. 2.5 yards of stash used. Right now my daughter has it to audition it in the window for the length she wants. I used the hotdog pillowcase method to sew the strips of fabric together for the hem so that way wall of hte seams are contained within. And with the overall width of 92.5 inches I figured it would be difficult to turn. Nope, not with the dimensions I used.
Note to self here: The bottom hem = 11 inches, accent band = 3 inches and the main curtain part = 18 inches. I had to get 3 WOF cuts from each fabric piece to get the required 2.5 mulitiplication in for the finished curtain width of 92.5".
Also was able to finsh a fab four of mine.



Candy Hearts from Patchabilities with a little change to the pattern. Deciding not to do the piecework in the top, that the contrast of the hearts on a solid red ground was better in my eyes so tha't what happened. But to help give it a better finish, I added a small bright white piping before doing the binding. It gave it a nice little frosted effect. I love the white fabric, it has on the selvage M.E. Hordyszynski for Michael Miller and it only has 2 paint chips 1and 5 but this fabric has a beautiful ahnd and an irridescence to it. The hanger provided with this month's kit seemed inferior than their prior months, I wonder if they have a new distributer for them. I might contact Patch-Abilities and let them know my feelings. Thank goodness I had a hanger on hand with a heart motif on it that was much better suited.

Stay well,
Jane