Quilt Reveal: Kimbo's Quilt

I finally uploaded my camera full of pictures and at the very top of the stack were pictures of my sister's quilt. Well, the quilt was technically a gift for her and Brady - for their wedding. Let's be honest. It was for her, from me. I love Brady but I don't think he gets goo goo gah gah over quilts. I knew my sister would. There are 24 fabrics in here plus the border. Kimbo picked 15 of them via a fat quarter set. It is a full size quilt.

The pattern is: Yellow Brick Road by Terry Atkinson.

Notice the beautiful "heartstrings" quilting. It is a beautiful turquoise thread. I had it longarm quilted by a friend of mine from the quilt guild and notated that information on the label as well.

I used a sew-in colorfast printer fabric for the label. You can design your own and make a sort of pocket that you then can hand sew onto the back of the quilt. I found the tutorial here.

Kimbo and Brady both loved it and it stays on the foot of their bed. I loved making!!!

some pictures of my recent quilting projects

I mentioned in my last post that I had accomplished some things related to quilting that weren't on my Power of 10 list. A few of those things were Birthday Club blocks or Block of the Month blocks for my fellow guild members. Here's how this works: guild members can sign up for the beginner group or the advanced group - both or none at all. When you sign up you pick a month that you want other's to make your block. You can give them the fabric, the color choices, the pattern or any combination of those - they make the block for you. Looking back I wish I would have chosen something different than I did because I'd prefer something more scrappy. I have no idea what I will actually get back and if I will be able to use them together in a quilt. The colors I picked out were turquoise (or teal) and cherry red - but that is up for interpretation and I'm not sure if I like that quiet yet. We'll see.

But it is fun to try out things that I haven't done before or color combinations that I would never personally choose. Here are some of the recent ones I have done.

This is for our Jr. Guild member, Erica. She provided the zebra fabric and asked that we make a block with any pattern using bright pink and lime green. Do these colors look familiar to some of you from way back?! We called them Hot Pink and Neon Green! Did you have socks like this that you alternated? Or earrings?

This is a log cabin made with  pale green and yellow. You can't tell in this picture but the two bottom green rows really are different prints of fabric. These were scraps I had and some that I got from other members. The member requested the colors and pattern.

This guild member is also the coordinator for the beginner groups (there were actually 2 this year - the Pins and Needles). She provided the theme fabric you see in the middle and corners and the others are from my scraps. I used the Antique Tile block pattern that I found on Quilter's Cache because she gave us the choice of what pattern to make.  You simply must check out this website - amazing resource.

This is my good friend Jill. She asked me finish the binding on this baby quilt that she had started for her daughter, The Princess. She was having trouble with the slick material going through her machine. I had never worked with this material before so I didn't know what would happen. It worked. It's not great but it is finished and I was glad to help her as she has been such a blessing to me this past year.









This is the front of the notebook I made to house all the patterns for the Block of the Month I am now in with our local quilt shop - Two Sisters Quilt Shoppe. It's called Wildflower Rhapsody and I absolutely LOVE IT! It's lavender, pink, and brown with lots of flowers. I just love love love it!







Now, this may seem like a lot in a short amount of time. You are likely wondering how in the world I got all of this done with 6 children. This has actually been spread out over a couple of months and was just a little here and a little there. I just happened to pull all the pictures together today. I've done a few more of the Birthday Club blocks for quilt guild but the pics are deep deep in my phone somewhere. I'll add to this post if I come across them someday and remember that I did, indeed, post about any of this.

Power of Ten

Power of 10

1. Valentines table runner (3 hours + 1 hour)

2. Kimbo's stocking

3. Kimbo's quilt

4. Watercolor wall hanging

5. Landon quilt

6. Brason quilt

7. Paige quilt

8. Christian quilt

9. Family tree wall hanging

10. Summer bouquet quilt

Finally - my post about the Power of 10. The Power of Ten, as it relates to quilting, was introduced to me at one of our monthly quilt guild meetings. The concept was really interesting to me because I had heard so many of the ladies talk about all they got done on their Power of 10 list. Our guild got the idea from a local quilt shop - Texas Quiltworks...

...

1. First, simply find the projects that you are no longer interested in completing and pass them on to someone who would love it as much as you once did. 
2. Second, list “10” projects that you would like to complete. Now remember “Only 10” projects are to be on the list. 
3. Third, begin working on the projects on the list and spend three hours toward completing it. 
4. Fourth, keep a list of projects and the hours worked.
5. Fifth, once three hours are spent on a project move to the next.  A quilter's interest wanes and is usually spent after three hours. Now if a project requires two to four hours it doesn't matter.  Simply finish the project.  Feel good about finishing it.   
6. Sixth, find another project and add it to the list. Remember, only Ten Projects are your focus. 
7. Seventh, continue to rotate the projects you are working on. 
8. Eighth step is to list the supplies needed to finish your projects. 
9. Ninth would be to shop at Texas Quiltworks for items to finish your projects. 
10. …and Tenth,  the ‘Power of Ten‘ becomes reality when you are able to share your project.  Be sure to stop by and share your quilt with our staff. 

I'm not much of a fabric stasher. I love fabric, but I don't buy a whole lot of fabric. There are a couple of reasons for this. 1) I don't have a place to keep a bunch of fabric 2) I don't have money to spend on random fabric purchases that I'm not sure when I will use 3) I'm afraid I won't buy enough of a particular fabric and when I go to use it, I will need more. Then I would end up stressing out over not having identical fabric and needing it. I'm what quilters would call a "project purchaser". I'm okay with this title... It doesn't hurt my feelings. :) Now, if I fall madly in love with a fabric and have the resources to purchase it (recently I was gifted with quilt gift cards for my birthday), then I will purchase a yard or a fat quarter of it.

Ultimately my purpose in starting the Power of 10 wasn't to allow myself to purchase more fabric, but was to get back to some of those projects that I wanted to do and even started in some cases, but never seemed to get back to.

I printed out my list and have it posted on my wall. I have penciled in various projects that I have completed that weren't part of my Power of 10 but that needed to get done. I'm going to post those pics next.

Go to the Texas Quiltworks website above and search power of 10 and two articles will come up for you to read in full. My opinion is that it is a great system for getting some things done. It can easily transfer into any project that you have - hobby or otherwise - sewing, knitting, crafting, preparation for Christmas, painting (haha). :)

unveiling my sister's quilt

Finally, after squealing and busting at the seams... Here's what I have been working on. A quilt for my little sister.

I used the yellow brick road pattern based on several recommendations from quilty friends. Kimbo actually picked out the fabric. She didn't know what it was for, though. I sent her a link to the Fat Quarter Shop and said "which one of these do you like best" and she picked it. She had to go through about 75 fat quarter bundles! I coordinated fabric to make up the rest of the FQs since the bundle only came with 15 and I needed 24. I had the blocks done and then... nada. The Texas Rubies retreat has been taking up a large chunk of my time the last week and a half. Co-op before that.

On Friday morning (as in the day before the shower), I laid out all the blocks and started flipping and turning them around and around until I got it balanced and just the way I liked it. My mom came over to get the big kids to take them to her house for the day. She said it in all it's unsewn - spread out on the vacuumed floor - glory. Then I "went to town" and started sewing that afternoon. Big P took 3 of the little ones to the Discovery science museum in Tyler and I started boogieing (that spelling was actually in my word check!). I decided to "chunk" this quilt and see if it came out straighter. It did! I also felt that it went together faster! Recently I listened to a podcast on documenting your quilt - so I asked Pete to take pictures of me sewing it and such. He's become Mr. Photographer ever since I let him switch the Nikon D60 to Auto. Isn't he cute! :D

I wrapped the quilt in a Keurig box. Kimbo wants a Keurig - I wanted to tease her. It worked. But I figured she would like what was in the box more - so it was justified. There were tears. Happy tears. I knew everyone would be giving her stuff she wanted and needed to make their home a happy home (a fed hubby is a happy hubby), but I wanted to give her something that she would LOVE because I love her! I'm excited with the way it turned out and will be taking it to the longarm quilter very soon. We already have a pattern picked out for the quilting:

eeeeeeeeeekkkk

That's all folks. zzzzip!

i'm busting at the seams...

to tell you what I am working on. I cannot. Stay tuned, though.

National Quilting Day

Today, March 19th, is apparently National Quilting Day. Am I quilting? No, not really. I did press the first set of blocks in my next big project. Completed my 3 hours on that project and now I am moving to something different - a block for one of the guild members and a co-member of my Needles Birthday Block Club (this is a club where you each person picks a block/fabric, etc. that they want made for their month. You make that block and turn it in. At the end of the guild year, you will have 11 completed blocks plus your own to sew into a quilt). But, I digress...

No, I'm not really quilting today. Instead, I have:

1. attended a board meeting for co-op.
2. made salsa for my son's student leadership development event this afternoon.
3. researched and found a recipe for making your own starch (similar to Mary Ellen's Best Press, which I love).
4. asked hubby, via text, to buy a small bottle of vodka for above starch - to which he quickly responded via phone to make sure of my purpose for the vodka. Haha.
5. made above starch using vodka, boiled water, and lemon essential oil. Will post recipe and results later.
6. and contemplated decluttering sessions in lieu of the painting that needs to be done. 

Productive day? Sort of. But I'm not quilting. Although after a 45 minute session of decluttering I believe I'll bust out the 30s fabric and make that block!

Christmas gifts done... for 2010

Finally. Finished. I decided to make these stockings for my sister and her fiance for their first Christmas together after getting married. That would be Christmas 2011. I got into my annual sewing fest and then Noelle came. I had not finished the stockings when everyone was over for Christmas. I gave them a sneak peak instead. Then I had surgery... Then I stitched them and they were messed up. Then I decided to do them differently than the pattern recommended because frankly the pattern was just goofy and there is no reason that the inside of a stocking needs to have perfect seams. I made a Power of 10 list and this was 2nd on the list. More about the Power of 10 list later. *I finally blogged about here*

So, I finished these up last night and I am so glad they are done. I can now given them to Brady and the future Mrs. Davidson (Kimbo) without guilt that they may have their first Christmas stocking-less. A good friend at church did the embroidery for me. Isn't it beautiful. It's GOLD thread!! The back fabric has the names of Jesus. It is really really nice!

Noelle's Quilt

I decided to go off on my own and away from the Quilter's Academy book. I'm convinced Harriet Hargrave is a perfectionist and, truthfully, I have enough of that struggle in my life already. I don't need encouragement in that area. So, I'm going to finish those quilts I started from the instructions in the book but I'm not sure if I will return to the book itself. The thought of ripping out a seam because it is a 1/16th of an inch off is a bit repulsive and I would never be able to finish a quilt - since I'm not perfect.

A friend at the local quilt shop told me that she always makes "Amish Quilts". Apparently the Amish purposefully work a mistake into every quilt they make, since there was only one Perfect Person on this earth - Jesus Christ. I'm not sure if I can honestly say that I'm working mistakes into the quilt on purpose, but they are there!

Here's my first completed-beginning-to-end-by-me quilt:



Most of the quilt is done in a grid pattern based on a great tutorial I found. Then I really wanted to try my hand at free motion quilting for the snowball blocks. I did purchase Patsy Thompson's DVD while it was on sale because I don't want to have to hire out a long armer for everything I quilt. My first attempt at free motion quilting was making a stencil and trying to follow the chalk lines. Not good. Ugly. Hideous actually. So, I tore out what I had done on that block and I just kind of went off on my own.


I washed it and it puckered up nice and beautiful because I had not prewashed my fabrics. I just love the puckered look of a quilt - and the feel! So, no prewashing for me, except I did prewash the fabrics for the quilt I'm working on now. After spending an hour ironing the fabric back out I decided that wasn't for me!

Adventures in Quilting: Class 130 Pre-Project

I'm almost embarrassed with how long it has been since I've even posted on my blog. I think I must have gotten away from blogging the same time that I got off facebook (for the most part). I just have found myself pretty busy - after all I have a husband 5 children.

Update: We have a baby on the way. I'm almost 16 weeks now. I can't believe that I'm almost 1/2 way through this pregnancy and on our way to see our babe!!

I decided to pare down to one hobby. I have loved sewing for so long, but garments are not my thing anymore. The kids outgrown things so fast that I make something and it gets worn a couple of weeks. It just doesn't have the same "kick" it used to. I've gone back to quilting. I picked up this hobby almost 6 years ago taking a 1 day class and making a table runner at a local quilt shop. I then made another table runner for my mom with different fabric and the same pattern. Never picked it up again.

I'm learning to focus better and not dive into something head first. I don't have to finish a project in a day, which makes it more enjoyable. Still learning....

While working my way through Harriet Hargrave's book Quilter's Academy Vol. 1, I found out what a perfectionist I am. I can tell she is, too, or at least she writes like she is. Maybe she's really writing to those who aren't and she just assumes when people will "get it" that it is good enough. I don't get that very well and almost had a breakdown the other day when I was 1/16" off in one area of my strip. Wah! I emailed a good quilting friend for a pep talk - she almost spit out her drink when she realized what I was fretting over.

Here is my pre-project for Class 130 in the book. This is part of a sampler that will be completed over Volume 1 and 2. This is the center part.



I'm now working on a small quilt for A.2. to sit on while we do schoolwork. Kind of a blanket training quilt. The fabric is adorable! The problem is that it is also one that spans over a long period of time, so I will have most of it done except the border, using a border fabric, which is done towards the end of the book. I am planning to make a quilt for each of my children and then move on to other quilts.