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!

Retreat Booty

I cannot believe it has been a month since I have taken the time to post. I went to to our four-day long Guild retreat and sewed and hung out with amazing quilters and it was a super blast. Of course I was silly and did not take pictures at all. I stole some on-line from the Guild page cause it's not a quilty story without visuals.

So this is the booty from the retreat:

• I finished two 65" lone stars, one for my cousin's wedding
• Did three more purple scrap paper pieced stars paper piece patterns from Wombat Quilts Paper Piecing Mondays
• Received an amazing 64 log cabin blocks already done and fabric cut for at least 30-40 more! (my first time inheriting someone else hard work- awesome)
  
  
  
• Pieced a small simple community service quilt out of 8 matching blocks from the fabric sale
• Pieced a swoon block
• and made peace crane number 91 for a fellow quilters pizza box
  

This was my cozy spot. On the dark side of the room but near the pressing room and because the door was open, I had the whole table to my self so I could paper piece. Plus I had a great view of the room and great company.

 This beautiful quilt was worked on the entire retreat and now hangs in our State Capital at an art quilt show called Cultural Red that will be there through the summer. It really is beautiful.

Oh. I lied. I did take one and only one picture at the retreat this year. The food was Awesome!!

So back in my sewing room on the other days of the last month I created my first original paper piece pattern. This is what it looks like drawn. 

And then I copied it, cut it up and sewed the block remembering to add the 1/4 seam allowance to the edge of every piece. This is what the block came out like.

And quilted and bound. I tried the matchstick which I would only do on a small piece like this cause it took a lot of passes.

I have one finish this month and that is my Brother's birthday scrap quilt.

And that's my catch up post. Happy spring everyone.

Block One for the Arcadia Ave. Quilt Along Done!

I signed up for the Arcadia Ave. Quilt Along at sassafras lane I'm playing a little catch-up and just got the first block done today! Its another foundation paper piece project (can you tell that I am completely addicted to paper piecing?) this time with hexagons.  It's definitely a challenging color study for me. I usually don't do too much low volume and the outer triangles get very washed out with such low contrast to the white print background so I'm not sure if I love it yet. I wanted to go all the way to orange and use more saturated yellows and oranges.

Here's some pics of the block being constructed.

It's growing on me a little. I just might love it the way it is! I'll work on block two and see what happens with the colors I choose. I'm linking up with freshlypieced for WIP Wednesday. Look forward to seeing all your great work.

Steffi's Dresses for A Lovely Year of Finishes- March Goal

My goal for this month is to finish Steffi's Dresses. This is a quilt top that I started piecing two years ago with pieces of my mother's old dresses. When she died in 2002 I was left with all her beautiful custom made dresses that I grew up with her wearing that were all made with gorgeous batik fabrics from different countries in South East Asia. Here are some pictures of  some of the piecing with the fabrics.

I am using a pattern from the book Material Obsession Two. I have the borders to piece on still and then I can baste it. I had ordered some wool batting for it and the LQS just called me to let me know it came in so I figured I might as well jump into the deep end and and make the commitment to finish this very special quilt. I am hoping if it is at all possible I will scan and post a few pictures of my mother wearing some of these dresses as well.

Good luck everyone over at fiberofallsorts with their March goals and I can't wait to see what everyone is working on!

Sew My Stash 2015: Precuts Party

 Here it is. My one and only ever jelly roll quilt top. This is my first time making a quilt with precut fabric and all from the same line/designer/company. I bought the jelly roll from a LQS about five years ago or so. I guess we could probably get a good idea from the fabric line so if you recognize it chime in. It was a Moda Jellyroll. I used a pattern called Floral Bouquet from a book appropriately called Jelly Roll Quilts. I followed the pattern exactly.

The funny thing about this particular jelly roll is that I had taken it apart and integrated it into my scrap stash because it had sat around for so many years and although I had made plans for them a few times, I just never got excited about doing a fabric coordinated quilt. I eventually put them all back together because I decided I wanted to see what they looked like together on a quilt top. I do like the muted colors. I wonder if I'll end up ever getting another jelly roll and if it would take another five years to complete a top with?

I actually stared sewing my stash on my own and started on this one just this month but I only found this link-up last night! But it just so happens I was ready to piece the rows and had the border ready to go. Good luck to everyone in the Sew My Stass 2015: Precuts Party! over at Project Leasa!