Organ Sewing Machine Needles are TOUGH!

I’ve been doing some sewing this afternoon.  I started off making a block roll up that I promised Regina at quilt retreat.

I decided then that it was time to pull out my Mini Miranda – something that I started working on before retreat.  Things were going along just fine, quite well in fact.  I guess a little too well.  Next thing I knew, I was having a hard time topstitching the flap onto my purse.  I couldn’t figure out what the problem was.  I rethreaded and moved the purse back into position and still had issues.  Then I realized…I sewed my purse to my Olfa cutting mat.  Only me!!

\

I changed my needle then because it was a tad bent yet unbroken.  In no time, I was finished with my purse.

 

Now, I need to make a Wonder Wallet and possibly a small drawstring bag to put my camera in. 

It may be the last day in July, but I knocked two UFO’s off of my June list.  I’ll get the last one done tonight.  At least I’ll only be a month behind in my UFO progress now!

Wahoo!! Ocean Waves is COMPLETE!

One more UFO knocked off the list.  This will go into the “to be quilted” category because it needs a backing and I believe I’ll have this one quilted at Patched Works.  I just need to sew around the outer edge and fold up the binding and it’s done.  I can’t stop looking at it.  I’m in love with it!

Stitch & Pitch

Last night the Patched Works crew headed down to Miller Park for Stitch and Pitch.

And for once, three pictures is all I took!

Before I left for the game I had Mike help me try to take a few quilt pictures outside since it was nice out. We didn't have much success.

Mike's Golf Irish Chain I'm counting done at this point. I need to buy backing and that's just not a priority at this moment in time. After 4 shots, I decided we wern't going to get a better one because the wind was just not going to let up. Like I said before, the quilt got a little out of hand when I added the borders and it ended up 80 X 100. Oh well, at least when he lays on the floor and watches TV he won't have to fight with Holly for some quilt.

My Pampered Pooch #1 quilt on the other hand is done done. The binding is all sewn down. It's actually been done for about a week I just hadn't gotten a chance to snap it's picture.

I think it's time to put the pampered pooch pillow case on my pillow and take a nap under it!

I shuddered

At the sight of this thinking they were moving in...thankfully they are moving out!!
www.cre8tivequilter.blogspot.com

Comment Tutorial

What comments option do you have on your blog? I'm pretty sure it's not something the average person thinks about. But, for a reason I have yet to figure out, embedded comments below a blog post seem to be a problem for me the BlackBerry User. I can't leave a comment on any blog that has the embedded option. It seems that Pop Up is the best option but I believe full page works ok too.

(Vogues, Patti -cough, cough)

Go to your dashboard and click the settings tab and then the comments header. I've circled the area that you're looking for.

A day of quilting

Today I went to sew with my Mom and Aunt Kitty.  For the first part of the afternoon I put borders on the Irish Chain golf quilt that I’m making for Mike.  I got the binding made too.  No pictures because it was too large for my Mom’s apartment.  It ended up 80 x 100…so much for a “lap” quilt.  Giggle.  I’ll get a picture posted one of these days when Mike can hold it.  It’s going to get thrown into the “to be quilted” pile until I find a job and can buy the backing.  I really want to go with a golf print instead of making a scrappy back. 

Next it was onto the Ocean Waves quilt.  I got the center assembled the inner border on and the pieced border made and attached.  I now need to add another white border and then decide how large I can go with an outer blue border because I want to use it for both outer border and binding and I only have about a yard and a half left.  It’s not the greatest picture but I’ve GOT to show it because it looks soooo flipping awesome if I do say so myself!!

Here’s a sneak preview of the border I’ll be adding:

The Tide is Coming in!!

My ocean waves quilt is really, really taking off and starting to come together at a really quick rate.  I now have 12 blocks that I need to sew together to make the inside of the quilt top.  I’ll have more half square triangles to chain together once the inner-most border has been added.

Hey There Delilah….

By the time my sewing room is complete I’ll have the pink and black Delilah fabric on my ironing board, in a table runner, on a quilt and my window valance. 

I’ve only planned to do this ironing board for HOW LONG??  Months??  It took less than 5 minutes.  I ended up using a double layer of Hobbs 80/20, a single layer of Thinsul-brite and then the fabric.  I had wanted to put the heat reflective silver stuff between the Thinsul-brite and the fabric but at that exact moment I couldn’t put my hands on where I put it so I went without it.  I held everything in place while Mike shot it with staples.  I think I need one more staple in the front though.

   

I also managed to get my 48 Ocean Waves Blocks complete.  Now to turn them into 4 patches!  I’m starting to get VERY excited!!

Brewer Game

On Saturday Mike and I went to the Brewer vs. Braves game.  A vendor gave him free tickets…and they were awesome tickets.  We sat in the front row.  About 5 seats down from Mark Antanasio the Brewers owner.  We were in between home plate and the on deck circle.

 

The Brewers were wearing throwback jerseys from the Milwaukee Bears because they were celebrating the Negro League. I managed to take 427 pictures.  It’s Tuesday and I haven’t even managed to make it through them all to tag them much less delete what I don’t want and Photoshop the ones that I do.  Here are some of my favorite shots:

A good day for quilting

Today was a pretty good day in the land of quilt.  I made a notions bag and a sewing machine apron for one of the ladies in our ETPWP sewing group.  It was her birthday last month so she didn’t come.  We decided to surprise her this month with a belated party.  I made this set out of a Moda Portugal Charm Pack.  I bought it last year but it’s really not my style so it was perfect for a gift.

I decided to make a photo birthday card for her.  Years ago I bought the  blank cards to put my photos in and then I didn’t do much with them.  I had fun putting these 6 together. 

Unfortunately,  just as I was contemplating which card to give to Joyce, I got a text from Jen saying Joyce wasn’t going to be at group because she had some last minute company drop in.  I guess we’ll hold our little celebration out for next month.

I worked on cutting out my Bistro In & Out quilt.  I started cutting this last fall and I kept putting it away because it really required a lot of concentration to cut.  I had to be very careful.  I think I’d rather cut 1001 little pieces for paper piecing than cut for a quilt like this.  I think it took  me longer to cut than it will to sew the blocks.

With my Bistro blocks cut out, I decided to add the final strip to my Snapshots Pampered Pooch blocks.  They’re now ready to be turned into a quilt top.

Here’s a group shot in our new classroom:

Ocean Waves Progress

My Mom was off of work today so Holly and I packed up and went to her house to sew for the day.  Since she was going to sew on her featherweight I got to use her 6600.  While she debated on sewing at the kitchen table and I debated running back home for one of my four foot tables an idea sprung into my head.   Why not put her featherweight on top of the Treadle Sewing Machine Cabinet??  So she did.

I sewed all of my 4 patches into 8 patches.  100 total.  Of course, I sewed 50 of them incorrectly and had to rip and re-sew them. 

The next step will be to turn the 8 patches into 16 patches.   Since this is a quilt that I need to do on a 6600 because of the bulk of the seams it may be a few days until I get back to it.  There’s a long way to go on this one!

While we sewed, Holly napped on the couch.  The way her leg is curled around just kills me.  I laugh every time I see it.

At one point, as a joke my mom put a quilt over Holly.  She laid under it for about 2 hours.  When she woke up from her nap she started wagging her tail.  It made me giggle because it peeked out from the other side of the quilt.

What can I say, I’m easily amused these days!!

Quilting with Chelsy

Tonight after I got home from the PW, Chelsy came over to sew.  I taught her how to cross hatch on a table runner that she needed to finish for her Grandma’s birthday gift tomorrow.  I think it turned out really nicely.  Since she safety pin basted it, and because the fabric had gold flecks on it, we decided to mark the 60 and 45 degree lines with masking tape.

While she cross hatched her table runner, I quilted one of her quilt tops.  This quilt was meant to be for her college dorm last fall.  Now she’s moved back home so it’s time to re-do her room and put it there.  I think it turned out great.  She was so worried about the borders being the wrong length and yet, they quilted without a single problem.  No easing needed.  I’m proud of her!

Floral Mock Bargello

When I was at the Patched Works the other night I came across this November Flower of the Month fabric by Northcott that I had never seen before. It was used for a border on their block of the month quilt.

Years ago I had seen a bargello made out of graduated fabric from blue to green. I have always thought that would be a fun challenge and running across this bolt of fabric made me want to give it a shot.

First things first, I had to create a tube so that I could cut my strips. I decided to match the pattern up so that it would appear seamless. To do this I a crease in the fabric between the burgundy and green mums. I lined up the patterns and I used fabric glue to put it together.

I turned the tube inside out and then sewed down my previously creased line . Before trimming the seam I turned the tube just to make sure all my points actually did match.

Next up was cutting my strips so that I could begin shifting the fabric.

I worked on the pattern a few strips at a time. I would measure up or down from the original seam, draw a line and snip the tube open to create my pattern.

In the amount of time it took my Mom to quilt her Cafe Bistro quilt, I ended up with this - a bargello that I designed one strip at a time on the fly:

I need to decide now how to quilt it. I don’t believe I’m going to add a border but I think a thin black binding will set it off nicely.