Oh, I'm so excited!
Remember Matt's Coffee Quilt? It's the feature today over on Quilt Story. Please, go check it out - and then pop back over here for today's Finished it Fridays!!
Showing posts with label coffee quilt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coffee quilt. Show all posts
8.12.2011
Finished it... wait...a FEATURE!
We briefly interrupt our normally scheduled post with an important announcement...
I've been featured on Quilt Story!!!
Oh, I'm so excited!
Remember Matt's Coffee Quilt? It's the feature today over on Quilt Story. Please, go check it out - and then pop back over here for today's Finished it Fridays!!
Oh, I'm so excited!
Remember Matt's Coffee Quilt? It's the feature today over on Quilt Story. Please, go check it out - and then pop back over here for today's Finished it Fridays!!
7.09.2011
coffee quilt finished!
OK - I don't know whether it was the Sew Shine WIP Challenge or the fact that I was on vacation, but I've finished yet another quilt. Maybe it was the timing of the two. Who knows - but whatever it was, I'm on a roll and I'm loving the momentum I'm feeling. Sorta like a dieter who has lost her first two pounds - it's inspiring me to keep moving!!
Yesterday, I finished the last stitches on my husband's coffee quilt - a quilt over a year in the making!!
He and I are avid coffee drinkers - though not coffee snobs - and when I saw this collection at a quilt show last spring (2010!) I wanted to make a quilt for him. The panels have the cutest sayings...my favorite is "Without coffee 'Good Morning' is an oxymoron." Oh, so true.
This is also the first quilt I designed on my own - sort of. The outer ring is a block that was featured on Moose on the Porch Quilts as part of a sampler sew-along. (Just FYI for inquiring minds - it's Block #2.) I didn't do all the blocks, but of the few I did, this one was my favorite. It was simple and quick!
The inner four blocks are my own. I wanted to highlight the panels, so I measured and cut them, then worked with the remaining prints and panel scraps to make the blocks fit. It's basically a wonky nine-patch, with the middle "row" being much thicker. If I remember right - and forgive me for not actually measuring - the panel cuts were 6-ish inch squares and the outer rows about 3.5".
I pieced the back, out of sheer necessity.
Because I didn't have a clue as to what I was going to do with the fabric when I bought it, I bought what I thought was enough. All I knew is I wanted a lap quilt. The lady at the fabric booth helped the best she could with estimates, but let's face it - she didn't have much to work with!! By the time the quilt top was finished, I had a veritable mountain of turquoise, brown, and cream scraps, but not enough floral to cover the back. And I had no binding...something that apparently slipped my mind back then. (But hey - I had only finished two quilts at that point and both were under the watchful guidance of a teacher at my LQS.)
So, a few weekends ago, I sat down with my graph paper, pencil and eraser and got to work. After about three hours, I finally had a combo that would both use my scraps and leave me enough for binding.
The next struggle was the quilting, which is no news to those who have read my previous grumblings about the actual quilting step. I had decided long ago that I would straight-line quilt, but I wasn't sure how to do it with the seams between the two blocks (the outer and inner rings) not even. I finally decided to start in the middle and quilt a square spiral in the center section and then parallel the seams in the outer ring blocks. Except for running out of top thread a little over two-thirds of the way through, it went pretty smoothly. I prepped and attached the binding, then packed it up for my beach trip.
As I was finishing it, I couldn't help but think about how much has changed in a year. The quilt show (where I purchased the fabric) was in May 2010 and I had only "restarted" my quilting in January. I had not found any of the blogs I follow and had never heard of "modern quilting". I hadn't started this blog, either.
Shortly after starting this quilt, I began falling in love with quilts from people like Rita, Rachel, and Julie - who I still admire to the point of near stalking. They had a crisp, clean look that often made me catch my breath (and still do!). I began seeing that, yes, it is ok to use solids in a quilt and - gasp - I liked it! I found straight-line stitching and gave it a try. I started perusing websites more and more, and my list of must-read blogs and must-try projects continued to grow. I grew, too. And it makes me wonder what my style will be like next year.
Looking back, I'm not sure I would have made the same quilt today as I started back then (even though "back then" was only a year ago). Not that I don't like it. I love it... it's cozy and warm and I love the chocolate/turquoise combo. It's incredibly special to me because it's for my husband, my schmookie. It's themed around a quiet cup of coffee, one of the simple pleasures we both adore. I know it will get lots of use.
But, for now, it's back to packing. We leave this beautiful piece of heaven tomorrow. I swear the weeks go by faster each year. Fortunately, the weeks in between trips seem to go just as fast. I leave here refreshed and rejuvenated - just the way it should be - and I'm already looking forward to next year.
(See my Linky Party page for blog party links and buttons.)
Yesterday, I finished the last stitches on my husband's coffee quilt - a quilt over a year in the making!!
He and I are avid coffee drinkers - though not coffee snobs - and when I saw this collection at a quilt show last spring (2010!) I wanted to make a quilt for him. The panels have the cutest sayings...my favorite is "Without coffee 'Good Morning' is an oxymoron." Oh, so true.
This is also the first quilt I designed on my own - sort of. The outer ring is a block that was featured on Moose on the Porch Quilts as part of a sampler sew-along. (Just FYI for inquiring minds - it's Block #2.) I didn't do all the blocks, but of the few I did, this one was my favorite. It was simple and quick!
The inner four blocks are my own. I wanted to highlight the panels, so I measured and cut them, then worked with the remaining prints and panel scraps to make the blocks fit. It's basically a wonky nine-patch, with the middle "row" being much thicker. If I remember right - and forgive me for not actually measuring - the panel cuts were 6-ish inch squares and the outer rows about 3.5".
I pieced the back, out of sheer necessity.
Because I didn't have a clue as to what I was going to do with the fabric when I bought it, I bought what I thought was enough. All I knew is I wanted a lap quilt. The lady at the fabric booth helped the best she could with estimates, but let's face it - she didn't have much to work with!! By the time the quilt top was finished, I had a veritable mountain of turquoise, brown, and cream scraps, but not enough floral to cover the back. And I had no binding...something that apparently slipped my mind back then. (But hey - I had only finished two quilts at that point and both were under the watchful guidance of a teacher at my LQS.)
So, a few weekends ago, I sat down with my graph paper, pencil and eraser and got to work. After about three hours, I finally had a combo that would both use my scraps and leave me enough for binding.
The next struggle was the quilting, which is no news to those who have read my previous grumblings about the actual quilting step. I had decided long ago that I would straight-line quilt, but I wasn't sure how to do it with the seams between the two blocks (the outer and inner rings) not even. I finally decided to start in the middle and quilt a square spiral in the center section and then parallel the seams in the outer ring blocks. Except for running out of top thread a little over two-thirds of the way through, it went pretty smoothly. I prepped and attached the binding, then packed it up for my beach trip.
As I was finishing it, I couldn't help but think about how much has changed in a year. The quilt show (where I purchased the fabric) was in May 2010 and I had only "restarted" my quilting in January. I had not found any of the blogs I follow and had never heard of "modern quilting". I hadn't started this blog, either.
Shortly after starting this quilt, I began falling in love with quilts from people like Rita, Rachel, and Julie - who I still admire to the point of near stalking. They had a crisp, clean look that often made me catch my breath (and still do!). I began seeing that, yes, it is ok to use solids in a quilt and - gasp - I liked it! I found straight-line stitching and gave it a try. I started perusing websites more and more, and my list of must-read blogs and must-try projects continued to grow. I grew, too. And it makes me wonder what my style will be like next year.
Looking back, I'm not sure I would have made the same quilt today as I started back then (even though "back then" was only a year ago). Not that I don't like it. I love it... it's cozy and warm and I love the chocolate/turquoise combo. It's incredibly special to me because it's for my husband, my schmookie. It's themed around a quiet cup of coffee, one of the simple pleasures we both adore. I know it will get lots of use.
But, for now, it's back to packing. We leave this beautiful piece of heaven tomorrow. I swear the weeks go by faster each year. Fortunately, the weeks in between trips seem to go just as fast. I leave here refreshed and rejuvenated - just the way it should be - and I'm already looking forward to next year.
(See my Linky Party page for blog party links and buttons.)
6.29.2011
packages
I love packages. Some I order and anxiously await, some come full of wonderful surprises. Both are fabulous.
Before I left for vacation last week, I received two such packages. One was a packet of 4-inch squares as part of Crafty Tammie's Swap a Rainbow that I participated in. I forget how many people were involved - 20, maybe? - but we each sent a pack of 20 4-inch squares in each of 10 colors. 200 squares. I sent mine from my current stash-on-hand and this is what I got back...
Plus a few extra charms from Tammie and a wonderful key-chain she made. Here's a closer look a the squares.
The colors were yellow, blue, purple, orange...
...brown, black, green, teal...
... red and pink.
I've got a couple of ideas brewing for these...mostly involving half-square triangles. I'm really happy with the fabrics that I received - high quality and a lot of fun. I'm still new at this swap stuff, so sometimes I get a little nervous that I'll receive rejects. Not so with this swap. Of all the fabrics - over 200, remember - there was only two that were repeats. Not bad, not bad!
Now, my other package was expected, but exciting none-the-less.
The package was from Fat Quarter Shop, and represents two quilts I'll be working on soon. The first is for my friend Jen, and is my first commissioned quilt. She is an excellent photographer and asked me for a quilt to use in her photo shoots. I had her pick out a few favorite collections, and she chose Oasis as her top pick, along with several other Moda collections. I chose the beige for the quilt back and the teal (or is it aqua...what's the difference?!) for the binding.
The remainder of the package is a collection of Stonehenge fabrics that I toiled over for days. They had several pre-chosen collections, but none seemed to fit the bill for me. Plus, I needed a yard of each color, so precuts wouldn't work. I wanted blues and greens but with an earthy feel to them, so I added the grays for a granite look.
The tan/beige (next to bottom) is the background and the green/beige on the bottom is the back. The remainder of the colors will be the diamonds in a Star of Bethlehem quilt.
The pattern is by Edyta Sitar and my church group is working on it through the summer. I am behind already (there's a surprise!) because I forgot about the prep work and didn't have my fabrics in time for the first class. I'll start working on cutting the fabric immediately after I get home and try desperately to catch up.
Once finished, the quilt will be 78-inches square - the biggest I have ever made. It will be for my father-in-law. He's the one who made my quilt table for my sewing room as well as doing countless other things around the house for us - including coming to my rescue at 5 AM one Saturday to free a possum from my dog lot. If anyone deserves a quilt, he does. But...shhhhhh!... it's a surprise. (And right now, I'm glad he doesn't have internet!!). :)
As far as current projects, I'm sewing the binding on Molly's quilt and Matt's Coffee quilt. I'm missing my sewing machine terribly, but making do. Today was an inside day with a lot of storms and rain. Otherwise, we're just not inside much - the rest of the week looks much better. The guys and a couple of the kids went fishing, but only caught one Spanish Mackerel each. Not a good fishing day. Since we were stuck inside, I worked on the binding, made a few more hexagons and did some computer work. I'm nearly halfway around Molly's and hope to be done by Saturday. I also started on a new blog/group that I'm starting up - more info on that in another post...but if you are paying attention, you'll see a new button in my sidebar. :)
Hope you're all having a great week!
Before I left for vacation last week, I received two such packages. One was a packet of 4-inch squares as part of Crafty Tammie's Swap a Rainbow that I participated in. I forget how many people were involved - 20, maybe? - but we each sent a pack of 20 4-inch squares in each of 10 colors. 200 squares. I sent mine from my current stash-on-hand and this is what I got back...
Plus a few extra charms from Tammie and a wonderful key-chain she made. Here's a closer look a the squares.
The colors were yellow, blue, purple, orange...
...brown, black, green, teal...
... red and pink.
I've got a couple of ideas brewing for these...mostly involving half-square triangles. I'm really happy with the fabrics that I received - high quality and a lot of fun. I'm still new at this swap stuff, so sometimes I get a little nervous that I'll receive rejects. Not so with this swap. Of all the fabrics - over 200, remember - there was only two that were repeats. Not bad, not bad!
Now, my other package was expected, but exciting none-the-less.
The package was from Fat Quarter Shop, and represents two quilts I'll be working on soon. The first is for my friend Jen, and is my first commissioned quilt. She is an excellent photographer and asked me for a quilt to use in her photo shoots. I had her pick out a few favorite collections, and she chose Oasis as her top pick, along with several other Moda collections. I chose the beige for the quilt back and the teal (or is it aqua...what's the difference?!) for the binding.
The remainder of the package is a collection of Stonehenge fabrics that I toiled over for days. They had several pre-chosen collections, but none seemed to fit the bill for me. Plus, I needed a yard of each color, so precuts wouldn't work. I wanted blues and greens but with an earthy feel to them, so I added the grays for a granite look.
The tan/beige (next to bottom) is the background and the green/beige on the bottom is the back. The remainder of the colors will be the diamonds in a Star of Bethlehem quilt.
The pattern is by Edyta Sitar and my church group is working on it through the summer. I am behind already (there's a surprise!) because I forgot about the prep work and didn't have my fabrics in time for the first class. I'll start working on cutting the fabric immediately after I get home and try desperately to catch up.
Once finished, the quilt will be 78-inches square - the biggest I have ever made. It will be for my father-in-law. He's the one who made my quilt table for my sewing room as well as doing countless other things around the house for us - including coming to my rescue at 5 AM one Saturday to free a possum from my dog lot. If anyone deserves a quilt, he does. But...shhhhhh!... it's a surprise. (And right now, I'm glad he doesn't have internet!!). :)
As far as current projects, I'm sewing the binding on Molly's quilt and Matt's Coffee quilt. I'm missing my sewing machine terribly, but making do. Today was an inside day with a lot of storms and rain. Otherwise, we're just not inside much - the rest of the week looks much better. The guys and a couple of the kids went fishing, but only caught one Spanish Mackerel each. Not a good fishing day. Since we were stuck inside, I worked on the binding, made a few more hexagons and did some computer work. I'm nearly halfway around Molly's and hope to be done by Saturday. I also started on a new blog/group that I'm starting up - more info on that in another post...but if you are paying attention, you'll see a new button in my sidebar. :)
Hope you're all having a great week!
6.15.2011
WIP Wednesday
I've missed out on a few of these Wednesday reports, but don't worry - I have plenty of WIP's to share!
The first, which you also saw yesterday, is Matt's coffee quilt.
I ran out of brown thread last night [insert mild expletive]. The good news is that it's a color I can also use on Trenton's Guitar Quilt, and probably even a couple of others. So I can buy plenty without feeling too guilty about it.
Next up, Jane's Black and White quilt...all blocks are done!!
Next step is to trim them up and start attaching them. I actually started joining them before my trip in May, only to realize that they weren't trimmed. Quite frustrating to think you are at Point D in a project only to find yourself still at Point C. Getting there.
My big audacious goal... to have both of these ready to bind before I go on vacation. Matt has banned my sewing machine, so having something to bind makes me feel like I'm still getting stuff done. Less than two weeks to get that done.
Of course, I have plenty more WIPs in various stages; but I haven't worked on these in the last week or so.
And, because I have nothing else to do, I've started a Bethlehem Star class with my quilt group at church. Can you say A-D-D? Yeah, it's bad.
I desperately want to join in on the Farmer's Wife Quilt Along, but I think it would push me over the edge. Since it's a year-long project, I'm thinking maybe I can join in later after I tackle some of these others. Maybe. Sometimes blog-land is just too tempting!
So - gimme the scoop!! What are you working on??? Do you have as many WIPs as I do... more??? I'd love to know! And don't forget to link up over at Freshly Pieced, too!
The first, which you also saw yesterday, is Matt's coffee quilt.
I ran out of brown thread last night [insert mild expletive]. The good news is that it's a color I can also use on Trenton's Guitar Quilt, and probably even a couple of others. So I can buy plenty without feeling too guilty about it.
Next up, Jane's Black and White quilt...all blocks are done!!
Next step is to trim them up and start attaching them. I actually started joining them before my trip in May, only to realize that they weren't trimmed. Quite frustrating to think you are at Point D in a project only to find yourself still at Point C. Getting there.
My big audacious goal... to have both of these ready to bind before I go on vacation. Matt has banned my sewing machine, so having something to bind makes me feel like I'm still getting stuff done. Less than two weeks to get that done.
Of course, I have plenty more WIPs in various stages; but I haven't worked on these in the last week or so.
- Quilt top done and ready to be basted/quilted:
- Trenton's Guitar quilt
- AAF's Quilt Along quilt (for Molly)
- Blocks done, ready to assemble top:
- Odyssea quilt
- Mexican Star
- Fabric cut, ready to make blocks:
- Flipside quilt
- Sierra's Berries quilt
And, because I have nothing else to do, I've started a Bethlehem Star class with my quilt group at church. Can you say A-D-D? Yeah, it's bad.
I desperately want to join in on the Farmer's Wife Quilt Along, but I think it would push me over the edge. Since it's a year-long project, I'm thinking maybe I can join in later after I tackle some of these others. Maybe. Sometimes blog-land is just too tempting!
So - gimme the scoop!! What are you working on??? Do you have as many WIPs as I do... more??? I'd love to know! And don't forget to link up over at Freshly Pieced, too!
6.14.2011
the swing of things
It's hard to believe how much time I've not had to sew since coming back from my trip. I wanted to spend time with my family, of course, so the notion of sewing didn't really hit me until days later. By then, I was chomping at the bit...nearly three weeks total without a stitch!
But, first things, first. While I was away, I received a wonderful package from Jessica over at The Laizy Daisy. We were in a mug rug swap together, and I was thrilled when I opened the box!
As you can see, all kinds of goodies...chocolates, coffee, tea, a sweet note, some jelly roll strips and a beautiful mug rug all sitting there waiting for my return.
...and waiting...
...and waiting....
...and waiting...
You see, I didn't discover the package until a full week after I got home. Turns out, hubby was expecting me to jump right back into sewing after such a long break. So, he set the box on my sewing table instead of by the mail plate where we usually put things. In his defense, though, I fully expected to be sewing within a day or so, too, but life worked out differently. The evenings after my return looked like this:
Yeah...any wonder why I didn't sew?
Fortunately, this past week was a little different and I did get a small bit of time at my sewing table. It looked like this when I started...
...but, if you'll notice, the photo is much brighter. I finally have LIGHT!! Hubby took the chance to install more lighting with help from our electrician friend Steve (thanks, Steve!!). Oh it's so nice to have light down there now and not have to constantly reposition portable lamps. BTW - see the package on the left..yeah, that's the one the mug rug was in. I was photographing it without even knowing it!
So, after a quick cleanup, I finally got to work and finished a Project Linus block I am doing for Jan over at Daisy Janie fabrics. She sent out charm squares to several quilters and will be making a quilt out of all the blocks. Too fun! I took lots of pictures and hope to have a short tutorial for you in the next day or so.
I also had a little time to quilt Sunday night and last night, which is good because I needed something brainless (meaning, no math involved!) and I need to get some of these WIPs out of my hair. I worked for a couple of hours each night on Matt's coffee quilt, which has been basted for about two months now.
I have two tops finished, one basted, and three other tops started. Can you tell that quilting isn't my favorite part?? I'm a piecer, for sure . . . which do you like best??
But, first things, first. While I was away, I received a wonderful package from Jessica over at The Laizy Daisy. We were in a mug rug swap together, and I was thrilled when I opened the box!
As you can see, all kinds of goodies...chocolates, coffee, tea, a sweet note, some jelly roll strips and a beautiful mug rug all sitting there waiting for my return.
...and waiting...
...and waiting....
...and waiting...
You see, I didn't discover the package until a full week after I got home. Turns out, hubby was expecting me to jump right back into sewing after such a long break. So, he set the box on my sewing table instead of by the mail plate where we usually put things. In his defense, though, I fully expected to be sewing within a day or so, too, but life worked out differently. The evenings after my return looked like this:
- Monday: recovering from a night of stomach issues (thank goodness they didn't hit on the 8-hour flight from Frankfurt!),
- Tuesday: Night with my family, just enjoying each others company
- Wednesday: cookout for my dad's birthday and treating the boys to (free) box seats at the local minor league baseball game,
- Thursday: last regular baseball game for my youngest,
- Friday: last regular baseball game for my oldest,
- Saturday: flight to Atlanta for an afternoon meeting (and, sadly, no Braves game),
- Sunday: back home in time for lunch with friends.
Yeah...any wonder why I didn't sew?
Fortunately, this past week was a little different and I did get a small bit of time at my sewing table. It looked like this when I started...
...but, if you'll notice, the photo is much brighter. I finally have LIGHT!! Hubby took the chance to install more lighting with help from our electrician friend Steve (thanks, Steve!!). Oh it's so nice to have light down there now and not have to constantly reposition portable lamps. BTW - see the package on the left..yeah, that's the one the mug rug was in. I was photographing it without even knowing it!
So, after a quick cleanup, I finally got to work and finished a Project Linus block I am doing for Jan over at Daisy Janie fabrics. She sent out charm squares to several quilters and will be making a quilt out of all the blocks. Too fun! I took lots of pictures and hope to have a short tutorial for you in the next day or so.
I also had a little time to quilt Sunday night and last night, which is good because I needed something brainless (meaning, no math involved!) and I need to get some of these WIPs out of my hair. I worked for a couple of hours each night on Matt's coffee quilt, which has been basted for about two months now.
I have two tops finished, one basted, and three other tops started. Can you tell that quilting isn't my favorite part?? I'm a piecer, for sure . . . which do you like best??
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)