Where to Begin…

My goodness what a long absence I’ve had.  By far the longest since I started blogging.  I hope to be back with a little more regularity now.  I’m sure it won’t be the several times a week that I was blogging, but hopefully more often then every few months.  It’s been a roller coaster year for me so far, which has added to the lack of blogging inspiration.  Some health scares, and changes in our housing and jobs all in a short time had me feeling very overwhelmed, and it took all my energy just to tread water.  At times I felt like I was drowning, and that left little energy or time for anything else.  As as result, not only have I not been writing, but I was also doing very little sewing.  But, spring is in full swing, and with a change in the weather, I feel a little renewed energy for life, and for sewing.  And a trip to the AQS show in Paducah sure didn’t hurt either.  I think it would be impossible and incredibly boring to try to catch up everything that has happened over the last 3 months, so I think I’ll try to take a few posts to hit the highlights. 

My sewing room is up and running, painted and put together.  There’s one big open spot of wall that I’m intending to hang a quilt in, but just need to get some sort of quilt hanger to do it.  I don’t put hanging sleeves on any of my quilts so I’ll have to come up with something else.  Then it’ll be completely complete…for now…  (the room is a disaster at the moment, as there has finally been a flurry of activity in it…pictures to follow when it’s been straightened up a bit)

I’m a few months behind on my BOM Sunbonnet Sue.  I finished February, but March is still in pieces, and I haven’t even begun April.  Hopefully I can get all caught up in May.

My Mom and I joined a local quilt guild in January, and that’s been an interesting experience.  We took a Free Motion Quilting 101 class and learned some neat things.  The deal of the class was that you had to complete a whole cloth quilt for charity with fabric they supplied.  I’ve got the quilting all done and just need to finish the binding.  One of the main things I learned was that I’m really a fan of Bernina now, and that I really need to get my Viking serviced.  But without a Viking dealership in town, that’s going to be a bit of a challenge.

(I know it’s hard to see, but I did a waves kind of quilting pattern.  The white quilting line you see is water soluble thread, the way he had us baste the quilt)

And lastly for today, the 2 swaps that I’m coordinating are really coming together.  The neighborhood swap is finishing up, with the blocks being due May 1st.  Most of the people are going to make the deadline, and I’ve just made it too, finished up my schools yesterday.  And the Around the World swap is making some good progress too, at almost the 1 year anniversary of the start time.  1/3 of the participants are done, with quite a few more right on the brink.

Most of my pictures look blurry, sorry for that.  I’m a bit out of practice on the photography too.  But I’ll be back next time to tell you all about Paducah, and all the new projects I’ve got on my list.

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I Can’t Believe It’s Not 2009

Where did ’09 go?  It was just here.  And now it’s not.  What a strange thing, the passing of time.  I feel like I’m always just a bit behind…by a couple months, maybe.  Now I’m finally ready for it to be Thanksgiving, and then I can get in the Christmas spirit.  I wonder how a person catches up with time…

As I’ve been thinking about the New Year, I get both really excited, and terrified at the same time.  2010 holds lots of possibilities for my husband and I.  Lots of choices swirling around, and we don’t know which to grab onto.  There will definitely be a move next month, but to what and wear is still up in the air.  On one hand, that’s really good news.  Having choices is always a good thing.  On the other hand, Nervous Nellies like me are always afraid of picked the wrong ones.  But regardless, I feel really good about this year.  Great things are going to happen.  I encourage all of you to ‘take life by the horns’ this year.  Be fearless.  Take chances.  Good things will come in 2010.

Apple Dumplings became my new favorite dessert in 2009.

I’ve decided not to make a whole lot of resolutions this year, like I did last year.  If you’re at all interested in how I did with last year’s resolutions (oh my goodness, I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since then), you can take a look at the NYR tab at the top of the page.  I did about 60/40.  I didn’t have a single drop of caffeine all year, which was a big one.  It was much easier the longer I went, but definitely a hard one to stick to at the beginning.  And we actually went to NY.  That was one I wanted to do, but didn’t think we really would.  And I finished up all my WIP’s from years past.  So going into 2010, the oldest unfinished projects I have were started in 2009, which is good. 

My new favorite quilt of '09. My Mom made it for me for Christmas.

So I’m just going to work towards a few resolutions this year.  I want to finish all my WIP’s from 2009, and ideally, I’d like to finish all the projects I already have planned for this year.  Those can be found in the ‘projects’ tab at the top, and there’s a bunch of them.  I have a bit of a short attention span when it comes to picking projects.  I get really excited about one, get all the fabric for it, and then get distracted by a newer, shinier, project.  That has led me into having a HUGE amount of fabric, and not as many finished projects to show for it.  So that leads me to my next resolution… I’m going to try to be better about not buying as much fabric.  I know I’ve read a lot of people wanting to do this for the new year.  We should form a support group, or something, because this is going to be a hard one.  I’ll try to vow to maybe use more from my stash then what I buy, I think.  Do I sound convincing?  In all seriousness, though, I have so much fabric I could complete most of my project list this year without buying a lot of fabric.  I might need a backing here, some sashing there, and definitely some batt, but other than that, I’m pretty much set.  So maybe I should say something like, for every 3 projects I complete from my stash, I can buy a little fabric for fun?  Or something like that.  And Paducah in April doesn’t count.  That’s a freebie.

And this was my last finished block of 2009. A schoolhouse.

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Final Call for Houses

I interrupt the New York posts to give a final call for the Neighborhood Swap.  I’ll take people until Dec 31st.  That way I can make final assignments on Jan.1.  Check out this post for all the details….

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For all those on the fence about the Neighborhood Swap, now’s the time to jump in.  I’ll take 4 more people.  4 more will fill up the second group and let everyone participate who wants to.    If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out the previous post for all the details.

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Neighborhood Swap Sign-Ups

This is it!  The official sign-ups for the neighborhood swap I’ll be hosting in the New Year.  I want to go ahead and get people assigned to their building, so that we can hit the ground running in 2010.  I want to remind everyone that we’re making detailed buildings here, and not wonky, picasso-like ones.  I love those kind of houses for other things, but not for this swap. 

I’ve been working on one of my school blocks today.  It’s not finished, but you can get an idea of what I’m talking about.  I’ve never done a building like this before, so I’m figuring it out as I go along.  This is also the first time I’ve ever done turned edge applique, so there’s a learning curve for that too.  Not that you have to do turned-edge applique, I just figured now was a good time for me to learn it.  The block so far is mostly pieced, with just a touch of applique.  I’m still going to add some embroidery details, and I have to stitch down the applique.  I’m toying with the idea of a bus, but may put that in another block.  I don’t think any of my schools will be the same.  I’m pleased with how it’s come so far, and it was really a lot of fun to experiement with it.

This block isn't finished yet, but I wanted to go ahead and post it 'in progress' so you can have some sort of visual. It'll be a school when it's all done.

Okay, so here’s the basics.  People will be assigned to groups of 9.  Each person will have a building category, and will make 9 blocks that fall into that category.  For example, I’m making schools, so I will make 9 schools.  Each of the 9 schools don’t have to be exactly alike.  They can all be completely different, they just still have to fall into the ‘school’ category.  So, each of the 9 people in the group will be making a different neighborhood building, and will receive one block back from each group member, including one of their own blocks.  Each person will end up with 9 different neighborhood buildings to put together into a nice wall hanging sized quilt.  Make sense?  Clear as mud?

So, here’s the specifics:

1.  We will be in groups of 9.  That means that if 10 people want to join, one person won’t be able to.  If there 18 or more people that want to do this, I’ll make a second group.  First come, first serve.  If you want to participate, after you’ve read all these rules, EMAIL me.  summersadie@live.com  Commenting on this post will not sign you up, and will not count as ‘first-served’.

2.  When you email me that you want to participate, give me your first and second choices for buildings.  Some of the ideas have been: house, school, post office, church, barn, grocery store, quilt shop, playground…really anything you’d see in a neighborhood.  Choices are also first come, first serve, and I’m only putting one of each per group.  That’s why I need second choices.  Please also email me your contact info….name, address, and if you have a blog. 

3.  I’ve had one suggestion to make the blocks all different sizes, rather than a standard 12.5 inches square.  This is the one point I haven’t decided on yet, and am open to ideas.  Different size blocks would make for an interesting arrangement, but may prove to be really hard to put together.  The jury is still out on this one…

4.  All 9 blocks are due to me by May1, 2010.  They have to be here by May 1st.  That means that you have 4 full months after Christmas to make 9 blocks.  I’ve given that long to encourage lots of detail.  If you get them done quicker, by all means, mail them when they’re done.  I’ll divide them all up and mail them back out the first week of May, or whenever I receive blocks from each group member, whichever is sooner.

5.  When you mail your blocks to me, you need to also enclose return shipping.  A good rule of thumb is that whatever it cost you to send them to me is probably going to be pretty close to what it will cost to send them back to you.  Please include it.  Stamps would probably be the easiest way, but if you want to send it another way, please let me know first and we can work something out.

6.  Have fun and be creative!  We’re looking for lots of detail.  House numbers, mail boxes, 3D effects… The sky’s the limit.  We want everyone to get really neat neighborhoods back.  I’ll be putting up some inspiration pictures after the first of the year, to help those that need ideas.   

7.  You don’t have to put your name on the blocks you  make, but it would be neat to incorporate something personal in your blocks.  Maybe your house number on the building, or your street name on a street sign.  Maybe you want to have your name somehow be in the name of the business.  “Cathy’s quilt shop”, for example.  My schools are going to be ‘Stone Elementary’ because that’s the name of my elementary school. 

8.  If you have absolutely any questions, concerns, comments, please don’t hesitate to email me.  If there’s something I haven’t covered here that you think needs to be addressed, let me know.  THANKS AND HAVE FUN!!!!!

For those that would like a button for your blog, here ya go.  You should be able to copy and paste it.  The background block was made by Katy, thanks Katy!

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Sue BOM

House Swappers…I will be posting the official sign-up post on December 7th.  Be deciding what kind of building you want to make, they’ll be first come, first serve.  Check out this post for ideas on what to make.  I think there will probably be only room enough for 2 people to make each category, so 2 people to make schools, 2 people for houses, etc.  So you’ll probably want to think of a second choice, just in case.  Remember, we’re doing detailed buildings here, not vague wonky ones.  And each person will be making 9 blocks, and receiving 9 back.  Enough for a really cute wall hanging size.  So check back on the 7th to get all the details and sign-up early to get your category.  The swap won’t officially start until after the first of the year, so you won’t have to do anything for it before the holidays.  I just want to get everyone signed up and in groups so we can start early in January. 

I finally found the BOM I’m going to do next year.  Of course the pattern book is no longer in print, and they’re listed on Amazon up to $100, waaaaay out of my price range.  But, I was fortunate to find one on ebay for a good price.

There are actually 2 different patterns for each month, so you can pick and choose to make your own personal calendar quilt.  Plus, there are several pages of ‘gallery’ that shows different quilts that people have made, along with some custom blocks to give more ideas and inspiration.

I think if you click on the picture, it should open up bigger so you can see the details better.

I’m glad the whole pattern is in the book, so I don’t have to commit to one of those really expensive BOM programs.  I can use my own fabric, and work on it as I want.  I’m really excited to start.  If it wasn’t so hard to get the pattern book, I would see if anyone else wanted to ‘quilt along’.  There’s a lot of new techniques in this pattern…turned-edge applique, 3D effects…that I’ve never done before, so it will definitely be a challenge.  But I’ll learn a lot too.

And here’s a picture of 1 of 3 baby quilts I’ve been working on, for a very exciting purpose.  More on that later…

I haven’t posted much lately, but I really have been busy.  I’ve got 3 other quilt tops made, but of course on the one sunny day to take pictures, they’re over at my mom’s.  Figures.  We had an all night quilting party the other night and they’re still there.  But I have a few exciting things coming down the pike, so stay tuned…

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Babies and Bricks

I finished binding the baby quilt last night, washed it, and it didn’t fall apart.  So I guess I’ll go ahead and gift it.  I was thinking about keeping it and hanging it over the door frame.  So any time I thought about trying FMQ again, I could just look at it as a reminder.  But I decided against it.

I think it turned out pretty cute, all considering.  And I think it’ll go with the lilac/sage nursery.  I got the idea from this pattern at Piece N Quilt.

I was really pleased with the lilac gingham I used for the back.  I think it adds a touch of ‘for baby’.  I don’t think my machine liked the gingham much.  It seemed to be a little different weight from the rest of what I was using, and I think that may have caused some of my problems. 

In other news, when I was out shopping yesterday, I found this perfect fabric for the upcoming House Swap, and I just had to get some.

The print on the far left didn’t get exposed very good, but it’s sky.  I figured if I didn’t get it when I saw it, I wouldn’t be able to find it again.  Isn’t that how it always happens?

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Busy Bee

It looks like we’re going to have enough interest to do at least 1 or 2 groups of 9 people for the House Swap.  I’m going to get the details all together and then put up a details/official sign-up post in the next couple of weeks.  If you’ve already told me you’re interested, I’ll send you an email when the post is up.  Be thinking of what kind of block you want to make…some ideas are: house/cottage, quilt shop, barn, school, church, post office, playground, park, grocery store…anything you might find in a neighborhood.  Just remember, we’re going for lots of detail here.  There will only be 1 of each category for each group, and so we’re looking at probably only 2 people being able to make any of these categories.  It’ll be first come, first serve, so be thinking about what you’d like to make, but think of a second choice too.  And watch this space for more details…

I had a super productive second half of the week last week.

I started quilting the Halloween swap quilt.  A little late, I guess, but I prefer to think that it’s super early for next Halloween.  I don’t understand how I have as much arm jiggle as I do with as sore as I get wrangling these huge quilts through my machine.  When I was basting this one I finally decided that bigger is not better, and vowed to make my next few quilts small.

But it’s all done with the exception of whipstiching the binding.

On a post about thread recently, several people mentioned how much they love YLI thread, and I happened to see some in a store for the first time.  And wouldn’t you know, my machine hates it.  It’s really thick, though.  I wonder should I not have gotten ‘glazed’ cotton?  Is that the problem? 

I got my first Christmas gift bought and wrapped, along with a January birthday present.  And this is especially exciting because this particular person is one of the hardest I have to buy for, so I’m so glad to cross it off the list first.

I got this book on sale, but I haven’t had the time to open it yet, although I have flipped through it at a bookstore before.  Anyone read it? 

And in honor of making smaller quilts, I started on my very first baby quilt.  I have a shower this next weekend, and hadn’t even thought about making a gift until last week. 

It’s for a little girl who is going to have a lilac and sage nursery.  It’s in line to be quilted at the moment, but I’ll show the finished product as soon as it’s done.  The best thing about this project was that I made the entire top and binding from scraps I already had.  I only had to buy the backing and batt.  I did do a little ‘shopping’ through my mom’s stash, but that doesn’t count.  I couldn’t believe what a difference it makes to baste something so much smaller than my last ones.  I could definitely get used to that.

And finally, I went to a fantastic quilt show, pictures tomorrow…

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New Year House Swap

I have gotten the biggest kick out of seeing some of the house blocks that the ladies in my ‘Around the World’ quilting bee are making.  They’re fantastic!  So creative and so much detail.  Here’s some examples…

This one is by Tanya. 

This one was done by Flossyblossy.

This is Katy’s.

This one and the next one are by Anita.

So I was thinking a house swap would be really fun.  I don’t have a lot of specifics yet, but I think a whole neighborhood would be neat.  And these should be detailed houses, with neat extras.  I mean, don’t you just love the letters in that little mailbox?  (I like the vague, wonky, picasso-like houses also, but that’s not this swap). Perhaps each person could take a theme, like a house, barn, shop, church, post office, or something you’d find in a neighborhood.  Then make ‘houses’ that matched that theme.  There are lots of neat ideas on Flickr too(I saw a really cool lighthouse).  Maybe someone could do trees, or some other element you find in a neighborhood.  Maybe a park with slides and swings.

I want to keep this swap small.  I feel like everyone will have the energy to put more details into the houses if they don’t have a whole ton to make.  So it’ll probably be more of a wall hanging size than actual quilt size.  Maybe 9 people?  If a lot more people want to do this swap, I could just put people in groups of 9 and have several groups, like Jane’s swaps.  That way lots of people could participate, but then no one would have to make more than 9 blocks.  Everyone would just get their blocks done in a certain timeframe, (3-4 months?) mail them all to me, and then I would  mix them up and mail them back out.

I picture sashing in between that looks like streets.  Gray with a yellow dashed line in the center?  Something that looks like a gravel country road perhaps? 

So my question is, would you be interested in a house swap for sometime after the first of the year, and if so, what suggestions do you have?

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