Threads

I've finished quilting the center of the challenge quilt.  Did I mention this should be in the mail by tonight?
I may not enter it though.  Not sure it's up to snuff for judging.  Not sure I care.

I now have all the little thread ends to get rid of.  Lots of them.  Thank goodness the quilt is only 24" x 24"!



On to the borders.

Basting Time!

On the bathroom floor.

(The dots are from the Rooftop Garden collection.)

Challenge Progress

Today I finished the challenge quilt top. I'm not sure I'm going to get it done in time, but I'm sure going to try. It has to be in the challenge people's hands by July 20th, which means this baby should go out in the first mail on Monday.

In this small photo you can see the design better. I love what you can do with log cabins just using different hues and colors.

Not sure how to quilt it.  Suggestions are VERY welcome.

For the Record

I know, I know.  You're bored stiff...

This post is really for my record. Just to reassure myself that I'm actually making progress. At around 20 stitches per inch, this is a slow process.

Yesterday I spent precious time I don't have cataloging my DMC thread. I only needed 46 out of about 450 solid colors!
I found an Etsy seller with very, very reasonable prices and ordered the last 46. Can't wait!

Cross Stitch!

Ran out of yarn for the granny afghan and since, as I posted yesterday, I now have a new urge to embroider, I retrieved an old WIP from the archives.

This is what I wrote in January 2008: "This guy may actually be done by Christmas 2008.."
Ha ha ha.

And in February 2009: "Hopefully this one will join its friend on the wall this Christmas."
Really?

Today I'm saying NOTHING.

Why...

...are there only 24 hours in a day?

A week or so ago, my travels on the internet led me to order 200 skeins of DMC embroidery floss on eBay. I was planning to resell them on Etsy, but...

I have always wanted to own ALL the colors.

So I'm keeping them.

Having made that decision, I hopped on over to Pinterest for flossy inspiration.

from cafecartolina.blogspot.com

from Kristen's Fabric Art on Flickr

You can buy this pattern on Etsy (and I just may).

In the mean time I have a deadline for the Challenge Quilt, a really messy house, a really weedy garden, a store to run, and multitudes of WIPs.

What is girl to do?

Two Rows!

Happy 4th to everyone in the United States. I love this country!

I have two entire rows of my granny square blanket completed. That's 30 out of 250 or so squares!

Fortunately I'm attaching them to each other as I go.

Unfortunately this does not involve getting rid of all the little strings in the back.

Any tips?

Scrap winner

Clearly there are still people out there.
The winner of the scraps is....

Happy Cottage Quilter, who said, "I love these bright colors. I would love to cut them into squares and alternate them with white for a quilt. Thanks!"
(Send me your shipping details at twiddletails{at}gmail{dot}com and I'll drop these in the mail.)

In other news, I made the little bit of challenge fabric I had work.  I was NOT going to pay $5 to ship half a yard of fabric! Where there's a will, there's a way.

Challenge

This is a challenge quilt. It involves using a specific fabric in a project.

A specific fabric I'm REALLY not very fond of, but I love a challenge.

If the judges like my little quilt it could become part of something very exciting.

Stay tuned.

(BTW, when you buy fabric online, how much shipping do you expect to pay for half a yard? I need more of the challenge fabric, but can't find an online store that will ship half a yard for less than $5! Seeing that I ship it for $1.85, I'm a little shocked.)

Anybody out there?

I've been terrible about posting on this blog and commenting on other blogs the last couple of months (or is it years?). Without going into details, let's just say my life is very, very crazy and I feel totally out of control on a regular basis.  But...I'm trying to focus and time manage and all the things that will make it better.

So it's with a bit of trepidation that I say, "I'm back".

Part of getting it all back together is sorting and clearing out some of the "stuff" I have around.
There will be a couple of giveaways in the next few weeks.

Up today:

Bright scraps from the making of my Rainbow Jane quilt.
These scraps weigh about a pound, which means it's around 3 yards worth of scraps.

How to enter:
1. Leave a comment over here telling me what you'd do with these little scraps for one entry.
2. Post about the giveaway on your blog, if you have one, then come back here and leave another comment telling me you did so, with a link to your post, for a second entry.

This is a quick giveaway.
Comments will close at 7am PDT on Monday July 2nd and I will draw the winner soon after that.

Ready to Sew

Yesterday I un-buried Jo from the papers she's been hidden under. Today I plan to get some sewing done. It's been almost two months since I last touched her!

I think I found my preferred method for joing the granny squares. (See the sunshine on the table? Yay!)

This is the "join as you go" method. I love the idea of completing the blanket as I'm making the squares.

A little blocking will probably still be needed, but at least there's no bubbling.

Grannies

Granny squares have had a resurgence lately and I decided to jump on the bandwagon.

Thank you Pinterest.

It's not like I have better things to do or anything...

I made 16 squares and then decided to try putting them together.

I REALLY want to crochet these together, not whip stitch them.

The first method I tried involves basically slip stitching the squares together.

(This is the back.)

I think my slip stitches are way too tight because my little 16 square section is very crooked and the squares are bulging.

Next up, I'm going to try joining the squares as I go.  I'm excited about this one.

Stay tuned.

A Dreary Day

It's another miserable, rainy Seattle day. Where is summer?????

At least the fabric on my cutting table is sunny and happy.

(Fabric: Lucy's Crab Shack by Sweetwater for Moda - on sale $8.93/yd)

Something to Make you Smile

Just had to share the cuteness.

Don't these just bring a smile to your face?

(Fabric: Now We're Going Places from Timeless Treasures)

Sitting in the Sun

Sunshine!

Sunshine and fabric - what more can a girl ask for?

If you don't live in the Pacific Northwest you probably won't understand the significance of sunshine. After 6+ months of dreary this is a happy day, trust me.

(Fabric on the table: Alice and White Rabbit Toss - Red from Robert Kaufman.)

Saturday Night In

Stayed in and worked on the bright GFG last night.

Cherry Love!

Saw this on Facebook yesterday and had to make one.
I've wanted to make something using Tutti Frutti fabric for a while.

It is supposed to be a camera bag but at 5.5" x 4.5" it is way too big for my little camera. I decided to turn it into a makeup bag instead.

The lining:

The fabric:

(Timeless Treasures Tutti Frutti)

Another finish!!!!

I've been busy

Three little pillowcase dresses (working on a fourth).


One receiving blanket.


Two reversible headbands.


The thing that was the hardest to remember is that, when making clothes, you have to backstitch at the beginning and end of each seam. Quilting definitely makes you forget that little detail.

Color Charts!

What an explosion of happiness!

I wish I could order ALL of these.

It's a Sewing Machine Convention!

Maybe I like sewing?

Wish Me Luck

Making a couple of dresses for little girls today.  I hope.

I don't exactly have a lot of expertise in this field.

(Fabric: Hoo's in the Forest Trees and Dolly Dear Dots)

I Love Retreats!

I got so much more done than I ever would have at home.

The Geese in the Forest quilt top is FINALLY assembled!


I also managed to make a couple more French Provincial log cabins.
And three Rainbow Jane blocks.

No idea when I'll be sewing again.  Tax day is looming!

(The Geese in the Forest pattern is available in the store here.)

Still here

My life is a crazy mess. Some good, some bad.

Going on a weekend retreat on Friday though. Yay!
So...

I signed up for the retreat block swap. Why, I don't know, since I don't even have time to work on my own projects.
I think the blocks are called Crossroads to Jericho. They are really pretty and happy and were fun to make.
Tutorial here.

Number 3!

Yes! Really!

I'm so much happier with the yellow binding.

I quilted this one pretty sparingly and it's definitely much softer than many of my other quilts. Still searching for the perfect batting though.

I have nothing else even near finished, so number four is probably not going to happen any time soon.

(The fabric is Panache by Sanae for Moda.)

Hearts!

It's finish #2!

I wanted to make a heart cushion that would work after Valentine's Day as well.
Saw this on Amy's blog and used it as a starting point.

Many trials and tribulations later...




I got to make Prairie Points. Yay!

(Fabrics: Alphabet Soup Blue Gumball Stripe, Turquoise Dots, Garden Pindot - Spa, Turquoise Tonal Dots, Color Basic Small Dots)