Rock On! - another quilt finished

My son is a nut.

Everyone that knows us just muttered, "well, duh," and everyone that *really* knows us is thinking, "and I know who he gets it from...".

About 10 minutes after I gave my oldest son his quilt last summer, Trenton asked me when he would get one.  Having learned from previous mistakes, I made no promises but told him he would get one someday.   He wouldn't let up.

Fast forward to January and I was fabric shopping (gasp!) and I came across an amazing bundle at Fabricworm called "Folk Rock".  About the same time, I found an awesome pattern in a magazine.  So I paired the bundle with some Kona solids, a Michael Miller for backing and off I went. 

The top came together quickly, even with a few mistakes.  (Always, always check the pattern!)  And I actually finished the top in early February.  One month - not bad.  But then...blammo.  Crazy kid enters the scene.

As I'm showing off the quilt top to him, he looks down at the floor and sheepishly states, "You know, Tanner got his quilt for his birthday...".

"What do you mean," I ask, slightly panicked but mostly confused.

"Well, he got his quilt for his birthday"  (Oh, thanks for the clarification, dear.)

"So...are you saying you don't want yours until your birthday?"

"Yeah.  I think that would be good."

*sigh*

Now, any smart mama would go ahead and finish, then pack it away.  After all, his birthday is in August, and this happened in February.  Not me.  Never, ever have I claimed to be a smart mama.  Nope.  I tucked it away.

Fast-forward a few months and he's changed his mind yet again.  So, I yank out the top and get back to work.  I made up some wild-eyed crazy graphic for the back, which ended up being chucked for a simpler design and made an appointment with the long-arm machine only to be turned away when I got there. (Yes, I nearly cried.)  Finally got it quilted in July; finished the binding this week.

And here it is.... "Rock On!"



Unfortunately, I don't remember what fabrics were in the bundle...other than All Star by Riley Blake.  The guitars are Michael Miller, and Trenton picked those out himself.  In fact, it was the inspiration fabric.  He doesn't play any musical instruments, unless of course, you count the air guitar.  He's a pro at that one.



You can see the simplified version of the back above; I didn't have enough fabrics from the front leftover for the back. The label is below.



The label quotes Psalm 92:1-2 and ends with a note from me, "Your exuberance and spirit bring a smile to my face and happiness to my life. May God always fill your heart with joy." And I mean every word.

Trenton always keeps us guessing and more often than not we're laughing at his crazy antics. Just last night, we go out to shoot a pic or two and, suddenly we're in the middle of a professional photo shoot. Well, in his mind anyway. "Do this", "Now silly-face", "Here's like I'm getting ready to lay down." And so on, and so on...







Do you believe me now?  ... my son's a nut.



But he's my nut... and I love him.

WIP Wednesday - making progress

This past week has been wonderful for making some serious progress in my WIP-busting.  I've been able to spend some significant time at my machine, and a few hours at the long-arm.  In fact, I'm going there tomorrow with another project... yay!!

Here's a run down of my week....

Guitar Quilt:

On Thursday, I finally got to quilt my son's guitar quilt.  You may remember from this post that I was supposed to quilt it before vacation but wasn't able to.  This time I made an appointment that coincided with two of their classes so I made sure they were open.  Here it is mid-way through the session.  It took about 2-1/2 hours to finish, set up included.  Not too bad. 






The binding is now on and about 30% stitched down (I do that part by hand).

Suduko Quilt:
I have finished the top on this one.  I took a couple of snapshots but, honestly, I don't like how any of them turned out.  My appointment tomorrow with the long-arm is for this one, so stay tuned to see it.  It's using Oasis by Moda and turned out just beautiful!

Bethlehem Star Quilt:
I've managed to cut all my strips out and put together four sets that will be used to build diagonals.






We also had a class this week and started to piece the glows together.  It was my first paper-piecing session in over three years and I had forgotten how much I loved it.






The points you can obtain with paper piecing are just amazing...must keep this up!

Sierra's Quilt:
All the blocks are finished on this one, and looking oh, so cute.  Pics will be up very soon...I thought I had some to post some today, but can't find them so I'm guessing I never took them.  


Not touched this week:

• Mexican Star Quilt - still sitting in my bucket.  It's a wall hanging for my office, so probably lowest on my priority list.
• Jane's B&W Quilt - All the blocks are done and trimmed.  Putting this one together won't take long as the blocks are large and few, comparatively speaking. 
• Flipside Quilt - No movement in months.  I'll probably have to dust the fabric off at this point.  This one is also for me, so low priority. 

...and finally:
I was able to give Molly her quilt last night. So stinking cute.






I also busted hubby sneaking a nap under his coffee quilt.  He says it works well.  :)






I love, love, love seeing my quilts in action.  Warms my heart and makes the time and effort so worthwhile. 

Don't forget to link up with your progress report!! And, if you're busting out some WIPs - why not join the Sew Shine WIP Challenge?? It's really kept me on my toes!

time for a vacay

Well, I'm sad to say I didn't get my Guitar Quilt quilted on Wednesday. When I got to the local quilt store, all jazzed and excited, I found out they were closing at five. Not enough time to get the quilt done. Turns out their normal closing time is five, but they stay open later for classes on days they have classes. When I booked the appointment, there was a class scheduled until seven that night but no one signed up for the class, so it was cancelled. Therefore, the shop closed at five.

The ladies were super nice and tried to help me out, even offering for me to get started and leave it on the machine overnight. But with work being what it is and my evenings being booked solid, that just wasn't an option. So, I'm signed up for July 14th now. There is a class that day, too, but it's the middle of a Beginning Sewing series that already has people in it, so I should be ok. :)

So - instead of finishing that quilt at the beach, which was the plan, I'll now be finishing Molly's quilt (the Above All Fabric quilt along) and Matt's Coffee Quilt.  I was able to piece the back of Molly's Quilt and get it quilted on Saturday.  Here is the back...no pic of the quilting yet.

Both are already packed in the car, ready to go. We'll be gone for two weeks, which should be plenty of time to get the binding done.  I'm also taking my pile of hexies.  I've been working on these since last fall but Kristen at K*D Quilts has inspired me to get to work on them again.  I have about 150...but need about 1,100.

Tonight will be a fun night...girls night out to the Def Leppard concert in Raleigh.  Can't wait.  Then a day with the boys tomorrow, likely including Cars 2, and off to the Outer Banks with everyone Sunday.  This is our ninth trip together and we look forward to it all year long.  And I mean that quite literally - we start talking and yearning for "next year" the day that we leave.


If you've never been to the Outer Banks, you need to add it to your list of things to see.  We are partial to the southern part, Hatteras Island in particular.  You just can't beat it.  Tiny villages full of houses, vast beaches, and gorgeous sunsets.  Wanna see?  Here's a google images search on "Outer Banks NC".   No traffic, no noise, no hoardes of people.  Sheer, wonderful, all-out peace.  Island life is the life for me.

It takes forever to get there...nearly six hours from our friends house...but it's worth it.  Because the islands are so far from the mainland, there are only two places to cross - Manteo/Nags Head has a set of bridges or you can take the Swan Quarter ferry to Ocracoke and another to Hatteras.   We opt for the former as Ash gets seasick and the SQ ferry is about two hours long.  In some areas on Hwy 12, you can see water on both sides, the island is so thin.  Very cool...except in hurricanes.   

So in a little over 48 hours I'll be unpacking and settling into what has now become our home away from home.  I'm still trying to convince Matt that we need to retire there.  Almost there.  :)

Can't promise a lot of activity here, but I'll try.  I'm sure you'll understand, though, if I make myself scarce.  After all, someone has to watch the kids while they play.  :)

WIP Wednesday - so excited!

I feel like a dork, but I must say, I am on cloud nine today.

I have an appointment at 3:30 with the long-arm machine at my local quilt shop...and I feel like a 17 year-old getting ready for a big date. The day simply can't go by fast enough.

I'm quilting the guitar quilt for my youngest. This one...

I have to say it's one of my favorite quilts to date.  I love how the browns and blues have come together and the fabric is sooooo characteristic of my son - it fits him perfectly.

The back ended up being a bit of a pain for me, but I finally got it done.  You may remember my post about planning and piecing, where I featured this little pic.  

Well - in trying to create that back, I learned that there *is* such a thing as too complex.  I spent more time trying to figure out and piece the back than I did piecing the front, including my screw up.  Not good.  

So, I scrapped my plans and started all over.  One simple strip down the back, just to the right of center, with a label in the middle, inspired by Julie's pieced back tutorial.  I used the guitar fabric for the back, with a vertical stripe of the tan and the chocolate around my label.  (Sorry, no pic yet).

It's hanging in my car as I type, ready to go straight from work to the quilt shop.  I have to constantly keep myself from going out and checking on it...you know, to make sure it's safe.  :)

Once done, I'll attach the binding and pack it up for my beach trip.  Will be hand stitching it there since my sewing machine has been banned by hubby.  (Can't say that I blame him - he knows I'd never stop sewing!)

Quilting pics tomorrow!

planning and piecing

Can you guess what this is?

This is the "pattern" I made for Trenton's quilt back.  I'm showing it to you so you can see how easy...although somewhat tedious...planning a quilt can be. Can you see all the eraser marks??  LOL!  You certainly have to be willing to make mistakes when doing this. 

I've started seeing more and more pieced backs lately, and I really like them.  To me, they tend to tie in elements of the front quilt and, in a way, make them reversible.  It is a little more difficult - let's face it, I could have had the back pieces and the darn thing mostly basted in the time it took for me to make this layout - but I think it is worth it.  Given that the back often winds up being visible when it's used, I like the idea of it not being a single fabric.

For this, I plan on using my scraps that were leftover from the rectangles on the front and maybe even mixing in a few of the fabrics from the original bundle that I didn't use.  The one long rectangle in the middle will be chocolate brown, which is also what I'm doing with the binding.  The large areas will be the guitar fabric.   :)

Getting down to the business of cutting now.  I'm not really sure how long this will take me to piece.  I already have the colored squares, as I cut 2-1/2 inch squares out of my scraps as I go.  I am planning on a scrap quilt one day, so I'm cutting ahead of time.  Hopefully I'll have it pieced either today or tomorrow.  As happy as I am that it's getting warmer, I would like to have this done before Spring arrives.

stuck

The past few days have been very busy, so I haven't been doing much in my sewing room. I started quilting my January table runner (no pics, yet), but didn't like it, so proceeded to take it out.  I do have an idea, though, of what I want so it just a matter of getting down there.

I've been working on an idea for Trenton's guitar quilt.  Matt made the fabulous suggestion to somehow work in music symbols and, working off of his idea I contacted a friend who also suggested guitar chords.  I've since found stencils of a treble clef, bass clef, guitar, eighth note and sixteenth notes.  I think I will chalk around these and put them in the rectangles.  The guitar chords aren't really stencil-able (is that a word?).  I'll be free-handing them, but they are mostly straight lines anyway, so it shouldn't be too bad.  I'm actually starting to get pretty excited about it.

As a general rule, the quilting process is very difficult for me. In fact, it's usually where I get tripped up the most. I don't know if it is my perfectionist tendencies or what, but so many of my projects sit forever - quilt top finished, ready to baste - and nothing happens. I love piecing, and find it difficult to let a project go during that stage. Quilting, though...the thought alone makes me lock up.

I see so many beautiful designs out there, but I don't have the guts to try them.  I even have access to a long-arm machine (a friend rents it to me), but even that doesn't help.  I just don't have confidence in that area yet.  Maybe it will come with time.

For now, straight line quilting seems to be my answer.  I like how it looks in so many of the modern-style quilts I see online.  It's quick, too, and I can do it easily on my machine.

Maybe one day I'll branch out.

quilt top done!

Look what I finished tonight...

While I was finishing the borders, I thought about piecing the back, but I have no fabrics leftover (other than the solids) to do that with.  Looks like it will be guitars only on the back.  But that's still ok.

I need to buy more pins.  Don't have enough to baste.

Wouldn't be a problem if I could finished the two basted projects...LOL!

Maybe Trenton will have his new quilt by the weekend!

grrrrrrrrrr

Last night was not good.

Last night was bad.

Real bad.

I had to rip out seams.

Grrrrrrrrrr.

A little over an hour into assembling Trenton's quilt top, a thought occured to me.

"I should check the pattern."

Oh, if that had only had that thought a little earlier...

Turns out I had sewn together 5 strips without the background fabric in between.

Grrrrrrrrrr.

Not happy.

So, in my frustration, I tossed it aside to cool off.

I did work a bit on my Christmas Tree Skirt, but only a little.

Then I headed upstairs with hubby, turned on Big Bang Theory, and proceeded to rip.

And rip.

And rip.

Oh, it makes me sad just thinking about it. :(

But - I can't put it together wrong.  I just can't.

Lesson learned - check the pattern.

Everytime.

Every. Single. Time.

next?!

Since finishing the quilt top on Monday, I've not been able to get downstairs and sew any more. I know, I know...that was only three days ago, but for me it seems like an eternity.

The decision, though, is what to work on next. My unfinished projects are stacking up.

I think I'll spend a little time on the smaller quilt that I'm making with my leftover postage-stamp blocks. I have a wonderfully sweet little girl in my life who is about to turn one. What a cute birthday gift it will make. :)

The problem with finishing is finding my backing fabric. Since the jelly roll ("Sunshine" by Moda) is a couple of years old, finding a fabric in that line may be next to impossible. All I can seem to find online are fat quarters.  Because of that, I'm toying with solid white and a few of the leftover blocks on the back of the bigger quilt.  That's easy enough since it is intended for an adult.  But a mostly-white quilt back for a toddler....ummmm...No.

I think I may try to find a coordinating fabric - maybe with some hot pink flowers or something - to put on the back.  Something fun, but not too baby-ish.  I want her to be able to use this for several years. 

Then, of course, there is Trenton's quilt. It's hanging in strips waiting to be attached. 

Truth be told, it will be quick to finish at this point. Maybe in a week or so, if I would get down to it. He let me know last night that it would have been a good night for him to have his quilt - as he sat up on the couch with a fever. Poor kid...what a slack Mamma he has!

I'm working on a couple of pages to attach to this blog - one on unfinished projects and one on finished projects (guess which will have more...LOL!).

I'm even thinking on creating a tutorial to share. That will be fun. :)

We have a race this weekend - the Krispy Kreme Challenge - in Raleigh, NC. We're running it with our friends Donnie and Ashley. Matt and Donnie are in the challenger part, where they have to down a dozen KKDs in the middle of the race. Ash and I are in the more sane group - eat a doughnut if you want, but it's not required. (We do get a box of KKDs, though, which I promise will be eaten later!).

All that to say, not much quilting planned over the weekend. Maybe I can get down there for a bit tonight. Which leads me back to the original topic... next?!

pattern

In case you are wondering...

The pattern I am using for Trenton's quilt is one that was in the Fall 2010 issue of "Quilts and More".  I was given a copy of the magazine as part of a Christmas gift at our Pinedale Quilters Christmas party.

I adjusted the pattern a bit to make the quilt smaller.

He wants a throw, not a bedcover.

(photo from allpeoplequilt.com)

And once again, here's a pic of my fabric.

Now, go cross-eyed until they merge.

See it?? 

Yeah - I'll be sure to post when it's done.

P.S. - you can get a free copy of the pattern here.

cutting done

I simply adore my sewing space.

I can't begin to explain how much.

I *heart* being able to head downstairs, sew, then stop.

It's so much more enjoyable.

It's so much less a chore.

Ok - I'll stop.

I think you get the picture.

(*love*)

I have everything cut for Trenton's quilt, and have one strip set finished for the Postage Stamp quilt along. 

One.

Out of 16.

Oy.

It'll happen. 

projects

The new year has brought many new projects - some old and some new. 

After months of begging, Trenton is finally getting his quilt.  Here’s a little sneak peak:

This is part of a custom bundle from fabricworm.com with a bit extra Robert Kaufman solids.  Trenton picked out the guitars for the back, too.

I've also finally started a quilt that was planned nearly a year ago, using Moda's Odyssea. 

For a friend of mine...but not saying who just yet.  :)

And finally, because I have nothing else to do... I joined Rachel Griffith's Postage Stamp Quilt Along.

I'll be using an (old) Sunshine jelly roll I got when I first started quilting.  Paired with white kona cotton, it may just be a beautiful spring quilt.

I got the strip sets all bundled last night.

16 strip sets, 30 blocks, and an anxious six year-old. 

Think I'll have them all done by February?