postage stamp quilt - done!

Today was simply a wonderful day. 

It started off with a beyond-words awesome morning at church and then a trip to grandma's to deliver her quilt.

At church, today was "Change for Change" day.  To make a long story short, about six weeks ago our leaders challenged us to collect our change and bring it to a special service today.  The change collected will be used to help build an exercise room for one of our teenagers with Muscular Dystrophy.  Collection time started with preschoolers ("...and a little child shall lead them...") and finished with the adults.  Holy-smokes, Batman.  I really think I got a little taste of heaven today.

After lunch, my mom picked me up and we headed up to Grandma's.  As you may remember from this post, shortly after I finished the top of my postage-stamp quilt, I decided that she was going to be the recipient.  She has been really struggling lately with vertebral fractures and in a lot of pain.  Simple, daily activities were becoming very difficult for her,  including just getting out of bed.

The immediate solution that my mom and aunts had was to set her up with a hospital bed.  She's been in it for a few weeks now and it seems to be helping; her pain is much more under control now.  But, with that said, let's face it - a hospital bed is far from pretty.  So, bring in the quilt!!

For the past several weeks, I've been sewing like mad on this thing...trying to get it finished by spring.  My mom and I got to deliver it today, the first day of Spring.  How wonderful is that?!

Here is how it looks all finished, bound, washed, and crinkly....

And here's the label I made - inspired by Rachel's tutorial, except I printed mine out on fabric paper instead of writing the whole thing.  (Of course, I'm starting to worry that Rachel may think I'm a stalker at this point.) 

Mom did not tell Grandma that I was coming with her today, or that I had been making the quilt.  So, in a way it was a double surprise for her.  Mom told her she found a blanket for her bed, so it took a bit to sink in that I had made the quilt.  She loved it.  It fits her bed perfectly and makes the room feel so "springy".

Of course, I couldn't get away without a picture with her.  Isn't she beautiful?

Would you even believe me if I told you she's pushing 90?  That's right.  She'll be 87 this fall.  She's quite amazing - and I hope I look like that when I'm her age!

hooray

Ok, I admit up front...no pics.

BUT....I finished attaching the binding on grandma's quilt last night!

**and the crowd goes wild**

Ok, so the crowd went wild in my little world.  It's always a major accomplishment for me to get the binding attached.  Mostly because it's the one thing I probably struggle most with.  And, of course, it always happens late at night when I'm tired and not thinking straight.  (Well, as straight-thinking as I can get, at least.)  Matt has helped me more times than I care to admit...or probably that he cares to admit.  You know you've got a good man when he'll stop to help you figure out the geometry at o-dark-thirty so you can get to bed without killing someone and/or throwing your machine out the window.   

This time only a couple of snafus - first, I misjudged the length needed.  I've never claimed to be good at math, and this just proves it.  I tried to add in my head.   Yeah.... big mistake.  I really need to get a calculator for my sewing space.

Anyway, I had to add on a little extra at the end.  Then, I mis-cut the extra when attaching and ended up cutting too short.  (Insert mild expletive.)   So, I pulled out the last section, replaced it with a longer one, and cut correctly.  A few more minutes and it was connected, attached and ready to go - without further expletives!  (hooray!!!!!).  Goal for the next quilt?  No cussing.  Can I do it, can I do it??  This was the most successful binding process to date, so I'm almost afraid to wish for more.  

Incidentally, if you haven't gone through the binding tutorials over at Jaybird Quilts, you need to take a look.  She recently added a video to the already fabulous posts.  So very wonderful. 

The hand-stitching still looms on the horizon, but I know I can have it done this week.  In fact, I consider it the easy part.  :-)

advice and re-pinning

I simply adore the online quilting community.

Just the other night, I got quilting advice from Australia...yes, Australia.  I'm a big fan and follower of Red Pepper Quilts and love, love, love how she straight-line quilts most of her work.  I'm trying in on my grandma's postage stamp quilt, but was having trouble with it warping.

So, I figure Rita seems nice...why not pop over an e-mail?  I mean, what have I got to lose, right?  I'm trying to mimic her work, so why not go straight to the source?

I sent the e-mail, figured it would be a day or so before she got back to me, and went about my business.  Fast forward about 30-45 minutes and I returned to the computer only to find her reply waiting for me!  She wrote back 5 minutes later... five minutes.  I was stunned.  And a very helpful reply, at that.  She gave me all types of advice and even asked a few questions.  Not some blow-off e-mail.  I'm totally impressed and, if it's possible, am an even bigger fan now. 

We decided (ok, ok, she suggested and I agreed...) that the problem likely stemmed from poor basting.  And it didn't surprise me.  I basted this one on the floor and had constant trouble with the painter's tape sticking - or, should I say, not sticking.  I had decided I should probably re-pin before I sent the e-mail, so hubby had already gone out and bought a set of clamps for me to use to baste at the kitchen table.  (Thanks to my friend Claire for that fabulous idea!!).  

Below, you can see the setup for the re-pinning.  It actually took a lot less time than I thought it would.  I now swear by these clamps...you absolutely should try them if you don't use them already.  Straight from the hardware store, and not very expensive.  And, oh, how much better they were on my back and knees!

Now I'm desperately trying to finish my quilting.  I really wanted to have this done this week, but just not sure that's gonna happen.  I'm about five seams away from having all the vertical lines done.  Then the horizontal.  Though, I'm seriously thinking about stopping with the vertical.  Any opinions on that??  Would love to hear what you think.

still around...

It was a crazy weekend.  To and from Las Vegas for business and not much fun.  No surprise really...Vegas just isn't my style.  All that plus the ka-billion things that were going on at home made for some head-spinning. 

I haven't touched my machine since Thursday...how sad! And I won't be able to touch it again until tomorrow night...how more sad!! 

I did start quilting the postage stamp quilt, though.  And I hope to have it finished and bound by the weekend.  Not sure of that goal, though, since I fly out (again!) on Friday.  This time for a half-marathon with my bestie.  We're running the Disney Princess half...tiara and all.  :)

Just she and I, no kids, no hubbies.  On Saturday we're going to stroll through EPCOT and eat at all the countries - carbing up, of course - because the men never will...LOL!!  It's going to be fun and relaxing and I just can't wait.

But back to quilting... :)

The best part about the postage stamp quilt is it now has an intended owner!  I started it because I wanted to participate in Rachel's quilt-along and really had no idea who it was for.  Halfway through the top, I thought about splitting it into lap and crib quilts, but now the plan has changed.  As it turns out, my mom came over last week and was updating me on my grandma, who has been struggling lately.  They just got her a hospital bed for her apartment and were looking for sheets/blankets, etc.  *ding ding ding*  I ran downstairs, grabbed the quilt top and said, "What about this?!?!".   It's uncanny how much the quilt is just "her".  Perfect.

So, I added two more rows to the lap make it 50 x 80 (the bed is a long-twin) and my  friend Claire saved the day and let me borrow some batting since there was not any on sale around here.  I got it basted (500+ pins!!) and started quilting on Thursday.

I'm echoing the seams on either side in white...I tried to take a picture today, but my battery was dead.  I knew I wanted to have horizontal/vertical lines and I saw this photo on the Red Pepper Quilts blog and decided that it was exactly the look I wanted.  I think it will be beautiful.

finished!!

It's done!!!

Arranging the blocks...

A few more stitches....and.... DONE!!  Just in time, too.  The deadline for the drawing is today!  Eeek!

Finished size of the quilt top (not backed or bound, yet) is about 72 x 60. Not bad. I even have enough to make a crib-size quilt, too...and I know just who is getting it!  :)

Now, cross your fingers with me.  $100 of Moda fabric sure would be nice.

**I hope I win* *I hope I win* *I hope I win**

almost there....

Blocks are starting to stack up!

postage stamp quilt

Last night, the boys had a friend over to spend the night. It was the first "successful" sleepover...meaning no I-wanna-go-home's at near-midnight. The coolest part is that they really needed minimal supervision.  They mostly played LEGOs and watched movies.  Which means, I got to catch up on sewing.

Because I'm so behind on Rachel's postage stamp quilt-along, I chose to focus on it last night.  I was able to sew all but four strip sets.  At that point, the boys came downstairs to watch TV.  So, I switched to cutting since my sewing machine can get a little loud when trying to watch TV.

So, I cut... 

and cut...

and cut.

Until I had a nice pile of strips to sew together.

All of the sewn-together sets are now in neat little piles, ready to be pieced together.

I still have the four sets to sew and cut, then I can start assembling the blocks.  I hope to get all of that done today.

The quilt top has to be assembled by Feb 1 to enter the contest.  A hundred bucks of moda fabric on the line.  How can I *not* try to win?

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?