Well, after a beautiful day yesterday, we are back to rain and thunderstorms here today. Sigh. But the trees are beginning to bud, and my rose bushes have leaves coming out (eek---I haven't cut them back yet!). So, that is something!
I finished my little mini quilt that Amanda Herring, The Quilted Fish requested, using her new fabric line, Madhuri. This will be going to market, so I can't show it yet. Sorry! Here's a little sneak peek, though! There are some really great solids that go with these fabrics. I love the green and blue solids in this line. I used them for the binding. Aren't they terrific?
I'm pretty mad, though. I worked really hard on this...there is some embroidery on it. And my red DMC floss ran onto the white fabric! I tried getting it out, but so far, to no avail. I am heart sick over it.
The good news...NONE of the fabric dyes ran, including the intense reds. So, there you have it. That speaks to the quality of the fabrics and dyes Riley Blake uses.
I am not happy with DMC right now. Sorry. But the threads should be more colorfast than that!
I so love all the prints in this line, too. I love the diamond fabric, with all its great colors. And the elephants....well, they just screamed for fussy cutting and being lined up. :-) Here's a sneak peek at the back of my little mini quilt. I love the back possibly more than the front.
Although I won't be able to go to Market this year, at least my little quilt might get to go--maybe. I told Amanda if the red dye running was bad enough that she didn't want to hang the quilt, I would totally understand. I wouldn't what shoddy work to be hanging in her booth at Market.
Can you say, "Bummer?!"
On a happier note, if you want to see more of this fabric line, go check out Riley Blake's Coming Soon page. You can get a peek at it there. There are laminates coming, too. How about a fun bikini bag out of some of these laminates?! Too cute!
Did you notice the new button on the left sidebar of my blog?
I know I've mentioned a few times that my brother and his family live in Boston.
Recently, I read a blog post that Amy made on During Quiet Time. It was a post about a project called To Boston With Love. Have you heard of it? If not, you can read all about it here, on the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild's website. Basically, they are collecting pennants to tie together and hang up in Boston to show support for Bostonians. They are now going to hang these for Memorial Day, so if you want to join in, you'll need to get your pennant made and to Amy by May 21st. (If you join in, you can grab a button like mine from the link above.)
I decided I wanted to join in this effort when I first saw the Amy's post about it a week or so ago. This weekend, I finished my pennant. It's going off to Amy this week.
I think my pennant turned out okay. I used some of the colors the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild suggested as the color scheme. I used my scraps from the Quilted Fish's last line, Flutter, as well as some Sweetwater scraps (the tie is made from their Reunion line, and the back.....).
.... is Lucy's Crab Shack kite tails. I thought that was kind of fun for a pennant. All my most precious fabrics. :-) I thought it was appropos to use some of my most loved fabrics to express my love for Boston's people.
I did some machine embroidery in the center of the block. The design is from Urban Threads. I have been wanting to try some of their "off-beat" embroidery designs, and this was a good excuse to do so. This design is called Love Letters. I have always liked the arts and crafts style, and I thought this design was in that genre. I stitched it out on the white fabric, with no real plan at all. I was hoping inspiration for something fun would strike while it was stitching.
I started thinking about this new book that arrived in the mail the other day--100 Modern Quilt Blocks, by Tula Pink. I had preordered it on Amazon, and it finally came out. There is an awful lot of fun in this book. I wondered if there was a block in this book that might work for me. As luck would have it, all the blocks in this book are 6.5" blocks, which is the unfinished width requested for the pennant. Perfect!
I started leafing through the book. I was looking for a block with some sort of large piece where I could place that embroidery design. I happened upon block No. 9. Hmm....I like it. A cross. That could have multiple meanings. And I thought it kind of resembled the cross of the Red Cross. Yes, I thought this would work, and it did work out well.
I haven't gotton a chance to do enough with this book yet to give you a thorough review. But I can do a "mini review" and tell you a few initial observations I have about it. One thing I will point out is that each of the 100 blocks is shown finished on the left-hand page (as shown in the previous photograph), and on the right hand page, it is show in exploded form, with the measurements of each block component (which I cropped out of this photograph to protect the author's copyright). You might notice that the exploded diagram is a sketch of the block rather than a photograph. It's a very nice touch. I really like it.
There are no instructions for block construction....just the measurements of the pieces. But from what I've seen, no instructions are really needed. The block construction is pretty straightforward. But if you're a real beginner, this might be a little frustating.
There is an interesting section on choosing fabrics and colors. At the end, there are five different quilt patterns using the blocks (or some of them) from the book. These quilts vary in size from a throw to a king-sized quilt. The quilt on the cover is by far my favorite, and I really want to make it. It has one of each of the 100 blocks in it. I know there are some quilt alongs starting up to make these blocks, but I've got to finish some other things before I can start on this. I do want to do it, though. It shouldn't be as intimidating as a Farmer's Wife, as these blocks are pretty simple in construction and should sew up quickly. I sewed up the block for this pennant in no time. It's fabric selection that would take me a while!
After constructing the block, I chose a couple strips of red fabric to "sash" the top and the bottom of the block to make it tall enough to fit the requested dimensions. I chose some of The Quilted Fish's Flutter fabric, because it had "hope," "inspiration," and other such words on it. But all the "hopes" got cot off by accident in the end. Bummer!
There are other imperfections, too. I got the embroidery in there a little crooked. Not much. And when I sewed the tie strip on. I didn't get it quite straight in one spot. But, I figured these will likely be tied up high, will be flapping in the wind, and will be out in the elements. So, it will be just fine!
If you'd like to join in, but you need some inspiration, there is a Flickr group, where people are posting photos. There's a lot of great inspiration there. Amy's pennant is probably one of my favorites. It's so clever, as is everything else she does. Par for the course for her! I also really like this one.
There, that's three different ones for some inspiration for you. Hopefully I've motivated you to give it a go!
You'll be happy to know that it's finally a beautiful day here! I just finished my morning walk. It is sunny and not windy. It's supposed to get up to 60 degrees today. I'm so happy! And you don't have to listen to me whine today! ;-)
I know a lot of people do "Finish It Up Friday" posts regularly on Fridays. I have never committed to doing that, because I don't think I finish enough stuff for that! LOL.
But today, I have a couple of small finishes that don't really fit anywhere else. I don't think my brother reads my blog, but just in case: SPOILER ALERT! IF YOU ARE MY BROTHER, YOU PROBABLY DON'T WANT TO READ THIS POST!
My brother turned 40 years old on April 9. Sometime around March 20, I decided to knit him a pair of socks for his birthday. I thought I could get them done in time.......
..........
.........Okay. I was just waiting for you to be done laughing at me. Are you done now?
Good. I did get them done about April 11, but then I had to get them washed and blocked. Now, I just need to make it to the post office, which is a feat in and of itself for me.
You might wonder why I wanted to knit him a pair of socks for his 40th birthday. Well, here's the thing...I was thinking about him as a kid. And I remember how he used to wear tube socks all the time to school. He absolutely hated that seam in his socks. He would sit there and fuss with his socks for like 10 minutes in the mornings, trying to get the seams situated in his shoes just right, so they didn't bother his foot. I get this. I have the same issue sometimes...but not to the extent he did.
One day, I was putting on a pair of my own hand-knit socks, and was pondering on how much I loved them, in part because there is no annoying seam at the toe. I thought, "My brother would really love hand knit socks." And the idea to knit him some for his birthday was born.
You can see in this photo (above) that there is some toe shaping that occurs, but it is not a seam. The toes are so comfy.
I wanted them pretty plain, as my brother is a fairly conservative dresser. I love this yarn. The color is this beautiful "denim-like" color. There are hints of green in it, too. It is so soft and warm. The largest fiber content is baby alpaca. So, although the socks are wool, they are really comfy--not scratchy at all. These will be great with jeans for a casual Saturday. They will be great for cold, Boston winters. Hopefully, he won't be able to wear them for a year! haha.
One mistake I made...the yarn is not superwash. The socks will need to be hand washed. I hope they won't be too high maintenance for him or accidentally get thrown in the dryer. I'll have to give him and his wife some washing strategies.
I knit these from a new book I bought that teaches me how to size socks. The only other sock pattern I have made is one that just fits me. In this photo, my own hand-knit socks are on the right. My brother's socks took a lot longer to knit. You can see why! My brother has big feet. I am about 5'3" tall and wear an 8.5 shoe size. My brother is 6'4" tall and wears a size 12 shoe (at least...sometimes a 12.5). Hope the socks fit and that he likes them.
Last weekend, as I was working on my Feathered Stars, I thought, "I need a small, accomplishable project right now...." I looked over on my "projects-in-waiting" shelf and saw one I could do quickly, feel a sense of accomplishment, and get my shelf cleaned off--at least a little bit. Here it is. My Bikini Bag. Now, don't get any big ideas. I don't even own a bikini. It's called a bikini bag, because it's made of laminated fabric. I saw this in my LQS a while back, and I loved the fabric. If you bought a yard of fabric, you got the pattern for this bag free. Cool.
The fabric is fun. It's a map of Paris. I love the colors and the design.
The lining of the bag is also the laminated fabric. So, the bag is waterproof, inside and out.
This is why it's called a Bikini Bag. You can carry your wet swimming suits when you go to the beach, or whatever. I thought this would be a nice thing to pack in the suitcase when we travel. Sweet Pea likes to swim at the hotels we stay in, and I'm always trying to figure out what to do with that wet swimming suit when we leave in the morning. Now, I'll have this. It would also be nice for use in your gym bag.
The seam on the inside is not completely finished. So, when I sewed it, I used the overcasting stitch on my sewing machine. It made for a really nice, clean seam. I'm happy with this. I made it in about an hour, start to finish. I needed that!
I'd do a pattern review for you (the pattern was fun, easy, and produced a really cute product), but it's not a commercial pattern. I think someone at the LQS wrote it. It was more of a handout. So, I'm sorry I can't give you a reference for where to get the pattern.
I showed it to Sweet Pea when I finished. Instead of being happy, she pouted and said, "No fair! You always get the shiny fabric. I never get any!"
This cracked me up. You may recall that one time, Amanda Herring, The Quilted Fish, sent me some of her laminated fabric to make something out of. Sweet Pea loved it so much she actually took it and hid it from me! It took me two weeks to find it! Haha!
I told Amanda that story once, and we had a good laugh over it. When I came back from Spring Quilt Market last year, Amanda gave me this laminated fabric we had used as a tablecloth at Market. She said to give it to Sweet Pea. This was Sweet Pea's reaction to that when I came home. I took this photo with my cell phone for Amanda to thank her. Sweet Pea really has a thing for laminated fabric.
Anyway, I told Sweet Pea I still have a fairly large piece of the Paris map laminated fabric left. I told her if she wants me to, I'll make her another bag with it. She replied that she wants me to make a bag for her American Girl doll and a matching bag for her. Hmmmm.....That one may take a while to figure out! LOL
Well, hope you have a wonderful Friday and a great weekend. It's supposed to get up into the 70's here, finally. So, I plan to be outside a lot!
I am linking up with Cindy of Live a Colorful Life for Really Random Thursday. Be sure to hop on over to Cindy's blog when you're done here for some more lovely randomness.
Check out this video--sorry I couldn't embed it--This dad draws cool illustrations on his kids' sandwich bags each day. I love it.
You're going to want to try them. Trust me. And there's only a few calories in them. Ha!
Here are mine. They aren't cut yet. They are still setting up. :-)
Hey, have you heard of a website called CraftFail? My graduate students showed me that, too. It's a site where people can post their photos of craft projects they found on Pinterest, etc., tried, and failed. They show the "what-it's-supposed-to-look-like" photo and the "how-mine-turned-out" photo. It's hilarious. I hope my bars aren't a fail. I don't think so. They seemed to turn out okay! I'm taking them to a party today. I hope they taste as good as the ones my student made!
In hopes of raising lots of money for our school district, Sweet Pea's PTA had a spring carnival last weekend. Good thing they always plan it for indoors, because it was freezing. There was face painting....
Well done, PTA Mom!
I am still hoping Rosa, our kitty, turns up soon, but it's not looking good. It's been almost 3 weeks now.
There was the Jail.
Here are the rules of the Jail. You can click to enlarge the photo. If your school has a spring carnival, you might want to consider having one of these. It is easily the most popular activity every year! I think all the kids hoped someone would care enough about them to throw them in jail.
This Sumo wrestling activity was probably the second most popular at the carnival. The wait was almost an hour long, in hopes of getting to participate! This was the first year they had this activity. Sorry this photo isn't the greatest, but I didn't want to get Sweet Pea's friend Breanna's face in the photo. The kids put on these suits, and the adults blow up the suits with a hair dryer looking thing....and POOF! They are off, wrestling against each other. They feel like big hot air balloons, says Sweet Pea. You do it until you knock someone else over. Sweet Pea's friend knocked over Sweet Pea two times, but Sweet Pea finally got a little too anxious and mad and ran into Breanna and pulled her down......and POOF! Breanna was off the mat and out! {Dictated by Sweet Pea.}
Did you know this week is Administrative Assistant Appreciation week? Yesterday was the official day. I almost always am unaware of this week until I see some flowers on our secretaries' desks. Then, I feel like a schmuck for not having something for them. This year I got lucky. I went to the bagel shop for lunch one day, and I saw a sign in the Cookies by Design window, reminding people about Administrative Assistant Appreciation week. I ordered each of my secretaries one of these cookie bouquets. I had hoped to make them something, but that was not happening in the last couple weeks of school.
I think they turned out very pretty. I think my secretaries liked them and were grateful to be recognized. I sure appreciate everything they do for me. They save my life multiple times per week! I hope they know how much I appreciate them.
Sweet Pea and Papa Pea went to the Father Daughter Dance a couple weeks ago. They "double dated" with one of Sweet Pea's friends and her dad. They had fun. The theme was '80's. Sweet Pea and I had fun looking on the Internet at 1980's styles. She put this outfit together out of her closet, based on the photos we looked at. Pretty good, huh?! We didn't have to buy a single thing!
Oh, and Papa Pea....well, he pulled out some clothes he still had laying around from the 1980's....his treasured satin jacket, a Gilley's t-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. I think he looked great! And it all still fit! (The t-shirt was a little tight. But Sweet Pea said she thought it made her dad look "tough." LOL!)
I hope the 1980's hairstyles never return...or the clothing, for that matter. But the fact that Sweet Pea had everything she needed in her closet kind of scared me.
My brother sent me this photo. He has a wreath on his front door. The birds are loving it. They built a nest in the wreath and have laid some eggs. Beautiful, huh? Remember, he lives in Boston. Nice for them to have a little extra beauty and hope for new life in the world right now.
These are pretty spring colors, aren't they? Hmmm....I wonder what this will become? Can't tell you yet. Soon! I hope it turns out as it should, and I hope the recipient likes it.
We woke up to this the other day. We are supposed to get more today. I'm at least grateful I don't live in Minnesota, where I keep seeing bloggy friends with TONS of snow.
Spring is going to come, isn't it? Please? I hope with all my heart the weather predictions for next week--sunny and 70 degrees--are accurate!
Happy Random Thursday! Here's hoping you have a wonderful day.
One thing I made progress on was the center for the feathered star. Again, the stitching line you see around the edges is water soluble thread. This is where the blocks will get seamed together. On the pink parts, I was using pink embroidery thread in the needle and white thread in the bobbin. I'm having a little trouble with the bobbin thread pulling up to the front. I will likely end up coloring those with a permanent marker. I could use pink in the bobbin, but this stitching is done before the backing fabric is put on, and I'm afraid the pink would show through the back. That would not look good.
Here is a close up shot. Maybe you can tell I used two different colors of thread on the star points. I more "aqua" blue where the lines echo the shape of the diamonds. That stitching is done before the back is put on. The darker blue matches the blue fabric and is stitched after the backing is on. So, you can see the blue thread on the back of the quilt. It looks good. I forgot to take a photo of the back for you. I'll do that when I finish the block. I think it's neat how the blue star in the center looks pieced. But it's just one big piece of blue fabric that's stitched over with all these embroidery stitches.
I also finished three more of the feathered star points. So, here is how the block is looking so far when I lay it out. Not bad! I'm still having fun with this. I need to stitch the four corner blocks next. Those will just be whilte, with quilting stitches in them. Maybe I can get those done this weekend. This block is huge. Each of these squares you see so far are 8" finished! So, the block will be a 24" finished block. Wow! There are smaller blocks in the quilt, too. These are the largest ones, I think. There are a few of these.
I am still having fun with this project. It takes a lot of thread! I'm going to need more white Aurifil thread! :-) I went through a full bobbin of white thread about every two feathered star tip blocks! Just think how much thread it will take for the white corner blocks, which are almost all stitched with white thread (except for the remining "feathers" for the sides of the star tips). I think it will be worth it in the end, however!
EDIT: So many of you have interest in this and have asked good questions, I'll try to do a process post on this next time I do an applique block like this (the next ones I need to do are just all machine embroidery) so that you can see how it works. It may take just a bit for me to get to that next point, so hang tight. But, knowing I'm going to do that will give me the motivation to get moving and get to that point so I can do the post. Thanks for your interest!
It was 36 degrees this morning....with a forecast of rain mixed with snow. I started pricing plane tickets to Florida. Seriously! But it's supposed to be sunny and 70 by Monday. Finally, a little relief in sight.....
