still chugging along

There are times like these recent months when I am so grateful for quilting - my fabric stash, my machines, and the space to sew.  We've just wrapped up another summer with the kids here, all while preparing to sell our house and find a new home in Raleigh, North Carolina.  If I didn't have my sewing room to hide in every time I needed a shot to restore my sanity, I think I'd be even more of a wreck than I am.

Much of my time spent this summer was on work I can't show yet.  I participated in the guild's round robin, in which each month found me with someone else's quilt block and the challenge to put a border on it.  It really helped me become more comfortable with the math of planning borders, thanks in part to my use of the book, The Border Workbook by Janet Kime.  I have an older version of the book, but here is a picture of the cover of the edition being sold now at amazon.com:

We will do the reveal at the September meeting, after which I hope to link to some of the photos on the guild's website, as well as finally see my own block after three rounds of borders.  I used the Reflecting Cityscapes block I made as part of Quiltmaker 100 Blocks testing.

This was a more modern block than I'm used to making, so I'll be curious to see what the other members did with it.

Other than this, I finished the Papillon quilt that I had begun from a charm pack for my demonstration this past fall.  This was a layout using Monica Solorio-Snow's Magic Hourglass tutorial, and just sewing together the pieces differently.  I did some free motion quilting, some in clear nylon thread and some in pale pink silk thread, and I like the way it turned out.  It was sent off to a dear friend as something of a comfort quilt.

I also basted and began quilting the Nancy Drew quilt.  While I was working on it, I began watching the 1938 Nancy Drew movies starring Bonita Granville.  It all felt very vintage.  I still have a little quilting to do in the blocks but then it will be finished and ready for binding.

I've also begun the simple log cabin I'd been planning on making ever since I bought Tula Pink's Neptune honey bun ages ago.  It takes me a few hours to whip up about six blocks at a time and they will go together nicely.

I've also started two different quilts using only Me & My Sister fabrics, and a Dresden Plate quilt with Lily Ashbury fabrics:

This has been done using machine applique, a technique I still need to get more comfortable with, and next to work on will be a floral border using the same techniques.  Since finding Moda Bella solids at Thousands of Bolts for only $4.95/yard, I've invested in the Bella solids swatch chart to be able to match all my favorite Moda fabric lines.  Hopefully in the future you'll see me working with backgrounds other than white!

Other than that, I still have a considerable fabric stash to work through.  This picture is just some of my precuts!

The house will have a "for sale" sign in front of it just after Labor Day weekend, and we have a signed lease on an apartment in Raleigh as of the end of September.  I'm grateful that my husband got us a three-bedroom apartment so that I could have a room devoted to my sewing.  We will need to pack up and store most of our belongings once the house sells (assuming it sells before our six month lease is up) but there is no way I could go six months without my quilting supplies.  We are still looking for a more permanent home in Raleigh, but after a full week of looking at houses there, are now strongly considering building.  We'll see how long it takes to sell the house in Roanoke and where we stand after that happens.  I will also need to find a job there and we want to take that into consideration before we make a permanent commitment to a home.

One thing at a time, however.  And on a Sunday evening home alone, that thing will be sewing.

A long hiatus

I know it's been MONTHS - really, half a year - since I last showed up around these parts.  On one hand, I have no excuse.  I'm still not working so I have plenty of time to blog.  But on the other hand, I'm not working, so I don't spend a lot of time on the computer.

In that time, we've packed up a house, sold it, bought a new one, moved, and unpacked.  I love my sewing space in the new house.  I helped our quilt show committee by doing the program for the show, completed (and messed up) my challenge quilt, and won second prize for it anyway.  The theme was, "how do I celebrate quilting" and the size was 20" along one side by 13" along the other (for 2013).  This was my entry:

The half square triangles around the edge were blue and red before I tried to remove some fabric bleed from the white and sucked pretty much all the color out of the quilt.  But I guess I was the only one who knew the before and after!

I put four other quilts in the show too but nothing that won any ribbons.  After seeing the quilts that did have ribbons hanging on them, I decided to start a few new projects.

Also, I taught a class based on this quilt by Cotton Way at my local quilt shop:

For the first time ever, I walked out of a quilt shop with more money than I walked in!  I'll be teaching it again in June.

Finally, I won a great prize from McCall's Quilting's Facebook page:  a fat quarter bundle and tote which was a wonderful surprise:

I completed a few projects and started a few new ones also, including some great blocks with a charm pack of Moda's "Get a Clue with Nancy Drew":

And I took a class to try out the Learning Curve ruler, which was a lot of fun playing with curves:

There are a few more projects in the works as well, and more fabric in my stash than I can shake a stick at.

However, the biggest news, which has me frozen in a kind of paralysis that just gets me from day to day, is that even though we are still getting settled in this new house, my husband's job has been relocated three hours away to Raleigh, NC, so we are going to have to move.  Again.  Very soon.  Until we made a day trip there over Memorial Day weekend, I'd only ever been in the city once, so I'm a bit at a loss.  I'm just keeping myself sane playing with fabric and doing a little bit of sewing every day.

The kids will be here off and on throughout the summer so hopefully I'll keep my sanity through the move.  If I manage to blog again before it's all done, I'll be amazed.

We have a winner!

Congratulations to Sharon at Vroomans Quilts for winning my extra issue of Quiltmaker Magazine's 100 Blocks Volume 6!  Sharon, please send me a mailing address and I'll get it out to you after the Veteran's Day holiday.

Thanks to all for the suggestions of what to do with the blocks.  I think I'll take multiple suggestions.  If you were one who suggested giving away blocks to readers (I think there were two of you), let me know via email or comment which two or three you liked best and I'll see what I can do.  Others may go into charity blocks or pillows (again, if anyone has a suggestion of who might take random quilt blocks for charity quilts, please post or send!).

Thanks for entering and enjoy the magazine!

100 Blocks Giveaway!

It's time for the giveaway post for my extra issue of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 6!

As you probably know by now, I was a quilt tester for this issue and my name is listed as such on page 6.  I had to sign a confidentiality clause which kept me silent as to what I was working on until now.  I tested a total of fourteen blocks, including two of the blocks featured on the cover.  They comprised all sorts of techniques, including needleturn and fusible applique, foundation piecing, curved piecing, and embroidery.  Here is a collage of the blocks I tested:

They are as follows (with links to their blogs if available):
Top Row, from left:
1.  Doug Leko, Freedom Star
2.  Gudrun Erla, Fire Burst (to be featured on Nov. 8)
3.  Kimberly Jolly, Spring Favorite (links to her post!)
4.  Cindy Lammon, Lattice
5.  Monique Dillard, Scrollwork
Middle Row, from left:
1.  Robin Koehler, Tropical Flags (to be featured on Nov. 7)
2.  Lisa Bassett, Fan Fare
3.  Pippa Eccles Armbrester, Reflecting Cityscape
4.  Angela Walters, Boomerang
5.  Debby Kratovil, Divided Diamonds (links to her post!)
Bottom Row, from left:
1.  Susan Geddes, Chicken Surprise (links to her post!)
2.  Cheryl Brown, Swirly Geese (to be featured on Nov. 8)
3.  Paula Stoddard, So Tweet
4.  Dianne Gardner, Cat Nip

Each block was great fun to review, whether it appealed to me or not.  I did not sign up to make a full quilt from one of the blocks, but if I had, it might have been Lattice.  I really enjoyed the challenges of both Divided Diamonds and Fan Fare.  Now that I have my copy of the issue, I'm looking forward to trying some more of the blocks.  My favorite thing is to find patterns that use a lot of precuts - 1 1/2" strips, 2 1/2" strips, 5" or smaller pieces - and whip up a few from my stash cuttings.  Lattice is one of those patterns which could be made with a charm square pack, coordinating honey bun, and background fabric for great effect.  I also like finding blocks that can feature large scale prints well.  As usual, this issue does not disappoint!

Quiltmaker not only sent me a free issue to thank me for my work as a block tester, they sent me a second to give away, so I will!  I'll keep this post open for the entire duration of the blog tour (through Friday) and choose a winner on Saturday, November 10.  For a chance to win, first, make sure you're not a no-reply blogger (or leave a way for me to contact you in your comment), and second, answer me this question:  what on earth should I do with my fourteen rogue tester blocks shown above?

Thanks for reading and good luck winning a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 6 - if not here then elsewhere on the tour!

It's Here! It's Here!

The new Quiltmaker Magazine 100 Blocks (Volume 6) arrived in my mailbox yesterday with MY NAME inside acknowledged as a tester!  Best of all, they sent me a second copy which I will give away on my blog during Quiltmaker's blog tour week of November 5-9, when I also will share photos of the blocks I tested, two of which are on the cover (the designers' blocks, not mine, of course!). 

I won't be part of the "official" tour since I'm not a designer, but make sure you're following me or come back that week.  I may even give away some extras, like the blocks I sewed or some fabric bundles.  So much fun!!

Long lost blogger here

Wow, it has been absolutely ages since I've posted.  I knew I would be a little challenged when I stopped working and sitting in front of a computer all day but I've actually been spending time doing all those things I think about doing while I sit in front of a computer all day!  First I had a great summer with my son and the rest of my family.  When the kids all went back to school I turned my attention to getting our house ready to go on the market, including replacing three bathroom sinks, touching up paint throughout the house, rewiring and patching drywall and installing seven different lighting fixtures, as well as steam cleaning every carpet in the house and goodness knows what other little jobs I can no longer remember.

After that it was only a week until I gave a presentation at quilt guild called "Charmed:  Five things to do with five inch squares."  I talked about the disappearing four patch (picture from the guild presentation) and divided nine patch blocks, templates, easy half square triangles, The Happy Zombie's hourglass technique, and flying geese with bonus triangles.  Some photos below.

Disappearing four patch

Divided nine patch

step-by-step flying geese

HSTs

hourglass option one

hourglass option two

Right after I finished the guild class I flew to Phoenix for a few days R&R as a corporate spouse and thoroughly enjoyed it.  That brought us into this week, when I've been strategizing my return to the workplace, finishing up all the things I wanted to do before returning to work (car service, doctor appointments, etc.) and finding time to sew in between showings of the house (four this week alone).

At the end of September I participated in a quilt class taught by Barbara Cline on one of her triangle-based patterns called, "Chinese Checkers."  Here is a photo of Barbara I took in class holding up her quilt:

And here is the top I finished in the wee hours of this morning in an alternate colorway:

It was not the first time I'd worked with 60° triangles but Barbara taught a great new way of using templates that made me more willing to use them again in the future.

I think I'll try to clear a few more unfinished tops off my to do list before I start sandwiching and quilting the smaller ones of them (and sending the larger ones to Star City Stitchery).  Soon it will be time to start Christmas gifts (only pillowcases and table runners this year, I think - no quilts) and my challenge quilt for the 2013 quilt show.  I have an idea, which is half the battle; I just need to figure out how to execute it.

Now, one of these days, I'll catch up on READING some quilt blogs!!

changes and finishes

The summer has hit full crazy mode.  I have been in "temporary retirement" for two days now and I have installed a new toilet seat, two shower heads, ordered a bathroom sink (will install it and a faucet upon arrival), begun staining my back porch, and priced out more projects than I fear I can finish in a summer.  I have to begin getting serious about the yard sale sewing room contents now taking up my sewing room since they had to move out of my son's room (to make room for my son).  Life feels very busy.

I did finish and show off Spanish Treasure at quilt guild last night.  Other than that, I'm just trying to stay on top of my deadlines for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks testing, so I have little else to show.