First sewing room throw-down of the year

So much going on in the world and I am fortunate to be able to escape to my sewing room for my therapy and craft in between the other crazy parts of my day. Quilting truly is my therapy in this world. 

Another beautiful baby born to a very special family to ours. Late thursday night this little creature was born and I started on her quilt 12 hours later. Here it is finished and already delivered. It's 36" x 36" and stitched in the ditch through the whole star and then I did some ruler lines and did free motion feathery things all on my domestic sewing machine. I also use the extra strips from the star on the binding.

Some pictures of it in progress:

strip pieced  lone star (see the tutorial for more)

getting basted

Even my semi-well-trained companion could notice that the points came out really well. It was one of those fun smooth quilts that just worked out, just like her smooth birth! Welcome to the world warrior-girl!

Then I got to quilting on Papy's Dresses, featuring pieces of my mother's dresses that she left me when she passed in 2002. It really is such a special quilt. The thing is that it is taking me forever because this truly is a one of a kind quilt and really my first real heirloom that feels so precious. So far I have just quilted down the ditches of the all the squares and half the stars. Still so much more to go. I still haven't decided where to go from there. It's a very challenging one. I am doing this one all on my domestic sewing machine also so far just with a ditch walking foot. This quilt has wool batting and deciding how to finish quilting it is coming soon. So far I'm considering doing some small all-over pattern over everything but the blue squares and dress stars. Maybe even try Angela Walter's traveling technique (I'll happily accept suggestions).

There are more pics of this quilt in progress at this blog post.

I started another 36" baby star quilt to consign at the Faber Arts Center. But the dogs are way sweeter to look at.  Happy quilting everyone!

It's been forever but the stitch goes on

I did get some things done this last few months in addition to many many things non-quilt-related. I have been sewing at work with the clients and working on the Monument Quilt.  I am currently quilting the first 4x4 quilt and we are working on piecing the second 4x4 too. It is a great honor to be creating pieces. The clients are especially excited that their pieces will be going to Washington DC.

I also finished and delivered two star quilts in honor of a nieces one year birthday. These quilts were part of her giveaway. My nieces middle name is Snow so this is her quilt given to her by her parents. 

Speaking of snow this is what it looked like outside when I left work so I'm gonna do some stitchin' today on this snow day!

Modern Quilt Group Update: Week Six

What an amazing six weeks that we have had as a group making quilts together! We ended up as a group of four and have met every wednesday evening this last June and July. 2015 Shapes Sampler

instructions are just an outline of what we are working on. With nine pateches, log cabins, and half square triangles behind us, we got to designing our layout and doing some drafting this last week. Here are the three quilts that we are ending up with:

Just a few pics with my phone casue we have been too busy talking and sewing to be taking pictures! Next week we finish peicing our tops. We'll do a tutorial on diamonds and the basics of star quilts too. Almost there! 

Spaña Modern Quilt Group: First meeting!

Here are a few pics from our first group last week. I lOVE the looms in the background. We are surrounded by weaving looms there becasue at the Fiber Arts Center that is their most common thing. We have a strong weaving tradition in our communities. I am not a weaver, just a quilter and a knitter. It really is a nice space to use for sewing groups. 

We started the group because a few ladies from the community asked me to teach them how I make quilts. Instead of setting it up as a class, I rented the sewing room for us as a group to use. So now I am getting to sew with some old and dear friends and neighbors. We expect a few more to join us so we'll do some introductions and WIP's in a few weeks.

I set up the group to do a Shapes Sampler together this summer. It's very very basic but the group will definately build some piecing skills and will quilt whatever they piece. This is a pic of the Shapes Sampler 2015 coming together:

We will be meeting each Wednesday evening in June and July so feel free to sew along with us!

Look what we brought home today!

I cannot believe that this happened! I have been wanting to try a long arm at home but of course they cost so much and a friend of the family is selling a simple Pfaff machine and frame for just a few hundred dollars so I'm giving it a test run! Now I looked it up and the reviews are that this only works really for small designs (4-6 inches) and straight lines because of the small throat size of the machine.

I'll post more pics as soon as I get the machine working to see how it sews! I'm so excited to try it out!

Shapes Sampler 2015 Simple Sew-Along

It's been awhile. I have dropped the ball on a few projects because I started a new part-time job at the local Domestic Violence shelter which is super rewarding work. I am actually doing a wonderful quilt project with the women that I work with. It's called the Monument Quilt. I look forward to reaching out to create opportunities for more survivors of male violence to make a square to contribute.

In the meantime I am gearing up to teach my very first quilting class! I rented the sewing room at our local Fiber Arts Center and have eight women signed up. I am doing a skills-based class with a lot of flexibility so that each participant can design a quilt with the blocks they complete in the eight weeks. One might just quilt a pillow. One might make a full bed quilt. You never know, especially when everyone is at different levels of experience. It's my first time so I will just have to see how it goes.

I am posting a page on the Shapes Sampler 2015 so that the participants can reference it during the class and beyond. Feel free to sew along with us this summer. I will be posting progress pics and instructions as we move along.  First meeting is June 2nd.

Here's my Shapes Sampler so far. It covers squares, rectangles, half-square triangles, and diamonds. I added one piece in each set of blocks in the red fabric to show each shape for my son's kindergarten class. I'm thinking I'll count up each shape and piece the number and name of each shape around the border of the quilt. You'll see. :) There are several more shapes to add (60 degree triangles, hexies, circles) depending on how we move along as a group. I'll get a pic posted to update the page once the top is pieced.

Fabrics- Lights and Darks

Squares

Rectangles

Diamonds

Half-square triangles

Wednesday Already?

Just a quick post this morning to link up. This was supposed to be a finish last last month so as you can see by flooding my projects I am very easily distracted! But I have been slowly working on Lola's Dresses, made up of several of my mother's old dresses used as the stars. The pattern is from Material Obsession 2. I blogged about it before and will link that up when I get back home. I printed some photos of her in some of the dresses for the back of the quilt. 

 Here is is getting basted.

This is before the top was even pieced just so you can see some of the fabrics.

K. Gotta run so linking up. Have a great spring day everyone!