AMH feathers à la #opgivewarmth

After working basically every day the past month, I decided it was time for some time to myself.

Well, me, some fabric and the sewing machine, that is. ;o)  So yesterday morning started off with an assortment of strips leftover from previous projects, my new AMH feather templates (courtesy of Customplastic), and my zippy Janome 1600P-QC ("Bertha," i.e., the great-grandmother for whom I was not named).

By midmorning I had strip-pieced and cut all the feather sections...

By midday I had pieced all the feather blocks...

And by midnight I had a quilt top.  (...Not entirely unrelated to the two Diet Cokes I'd downed with dinner.)

In retrospect, I don't believe my indecisive self has ever churned out a top quite as quickly as this one.  Especially considering that as of yesterday morning I was set out to use those same strips to make fabric braids (à la Purl Bee) as Rachel of Stitched in Color did for a post in her "Purge" series earlier this month.

But I think I just needed another finish.

That, and I was relatively caffeinated for someone who's gone largely without this summer. :o)

Either way, it's a step in the right direction!

...Though I still might have to add a gradient border fading from blue to pink to tie it all together.  Maybe.  We'll see.  In the meantime, I'm linking up with "the Purge" over at Stitched in Color.  Are you purging along?

lots of L-O-V-E

As some of you may've picked up on IG, I have a (sort of almost) finish to share... 

LO

VE

Times twenty.  (Well, twenty-one to be precise; there's an extra bit for the back.)

I have to admit I was a tad frantic when it came to making a design choice for our do.Good circle's June quilt.  May was a little (read: insanely) hectic for me at work, so the block and color scheme were both a bit of a last-minute decision—thanks in large part to the AMB blog tour post and block I'd just finished working on (6" LOVE template and 12" LOVE template).

In spite of that frenzy—to borrow the words of my circle (bee?) mate, Nicole—I'm in lurve.  And of course now that I finally have a top stitched together, it's time to think about quilting! I'm thinking linear—either vertical lines (per usual) or a grid à la Rita of RPQ (though I'm not sure I'm neat enough to pull off the latter).  

Any advice on that front?

In the meantime, it's safe to say I've got plenty of other things to catch up on since my unexpected hiatus from sewing this summer—#opgivewarmth, steampunk, gypsy wife, selvage play (and 16-patches!), ...and that's barely skimming the surface.  Not to mention a fair share of planning to do, including the forest abstractions class, which starts next week(!) at Crimson Tate. (How is it already almost Labor Day?!)

Linking up this overdue finish with crazy mom quilts!

#opgivewarmth {august 2014}

After a month off track, we're back in business!  And I even whipped up a couple blocks with some gypsy wife leftovers just to show you that uncomplicated little blocks spread warmth just as well as the intricate ones :o)  

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!  And if anyone's itching to get their hands on some liberty of their own, I know that Massdrop has two FQ bundle options ending in the next day or so, and I also just saw on IG that Queen Bee Fabrics (a U.S.-based etsy shop) is closing ;(  So grab her liberty—scrap bundles, yardage or FQs—while you still can!  (Plus shipping is free through August 4th, so there's that.)

For those of you who missed the announcement (or would like a refresher), this project is a monthly callout for charity blocks that will benefit My Very Own Blanket (specifically, children in the Indiana foster care system).  All styles and piecing methods are welcome.  I only ask two things:  (1)  that your block(s) fits a 3" grid system (i.e. finished sizes of 3", 6", 9", 12", 15", etc., so add a ½" to each of those to allow for seam allowance), and (2) that they mesh with that (or any prior) month's color palette.

Address for #opgivewarmth blocks:

My Very Own Blanket

c/o Sarah Sharp

P.O. Box 4586

Carmel, Indiana 46082

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sewvivor - {no} hats in the house - sarah

After finally sewing something this summer, I'm back to the arrow that started it all... The radiant one ;)  And since things didn't pan out for the pantone challenge with this little quilt, I figured I'd have a go at Rach of Family Ever After's Sewvivor auditions!  Because why not throw my name in the hat?  After all, it is quilter's edition this season! :o)

So I've had my heart set on handquilting this one for quite some time... I even handpicked an assortment of neutral anchor floss to complement the mismatched feedsack tones in the background:

But knowing any quilting would have to withstand quite a bit of washing (naptime quilts are weekly loads at our house!), I figured I should give myself a little bit of insurance by straight-line quilting on the machine before getting out my thimble.

The lines fall roughly every inch on the diagonal.

And in a surprising twist of preparedness, I have the perfect binding—a bluish/purple striped oakshott—all ready to go just as soon as I add all those handquilted stripes and echo stars.

...Make that almost ready to go thanks to my little helper.  ;o)  (I'm guessing the handquilting will be a much bigger task than rewinding that binding, anyhow.)

And with any luck I'll finish the pattern by the time I get this little cot quilt bound!  (Which would be quite the feat, as it's been on my list since teaching elements of this design back in April.  <<insert ashamed emoticon here>>)

Fingers crossed!

slacking {...and swapping}

Oh hello there ;o)

So... where've I been the past month and a half?  According to the archives, not here.  (Oops!)  And not really at the sewing machine (I only wish I were cool enough to have that many secret projects going on).  No no, instead I've been preoccupied with work (the non-sewing kind), closing on our house, and spending some much-needed time with the fam'.  So not too shabby, really :)

But I have had a few snippets of time to catch up on some sewing.  Namely, my Schnitzel & Boo mini swap!

So I had Shannon (@piecefulkwilter) and I was smitten as soon as I saw the questionnaire:

Jewel tones.  Low volume.

Plaids.  Stripes.  Dots.  Scrappy.

Bright.  Bold.  Graphic.

And of course I couldn't resist adding some more feedsacks and earthy oakshott to the back.  Plus a sharpie label.  Boom.  Done.  :)

Of course the upside to parting with this little quilt was knowing it was always destined for such a deserving (and appreciative!) recipient.  Because at the end of the day, it's the giving away that fuels most of the making in this house :o)

#opgivewarmth {june 2014}

Another month gone by means another palette for #opgivewarmth!  I've been a bit absent from the IG hashtag this month but I'll be packing for Camp StitchALot tomorrow night and I can tell you one thing that will definitely be in tow... our April and May blocks!

And for those of you who missed the announcement (or would like a refresher), this project is a monthly callout for charity blocks that will benefit My Very Own Blanket (specifically, children in the Indiana foster care system).  All styles and piecing methods are welcome.  I only ask two things:  (1)  that your block(s) fits a 3" grid system (i.e. finished sizes of 3", 6", 9", 12", 15", etc.), and (2) that they mesh with that (or any prior) month's color palette.

Address for #opgivewarmth blocks:

My Very Own Blanket

c/o Sarah Sharp

P.O. Box 4586

Carmel, Indiana 46082

background | FAQs

June 2014 Palette | #opgivewarmth
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love liberty? and aurifil? read on!

When I first started collecting liberty last summer to make my double diamond wedding ring quilt, I scoured etsy and ebay for little charm packs to get a small sampling of what evolved into a collection of hundreds of prints.  And then while in Europe for my cousin's wedding last fall, I picked up some celebratory prints from the London mecca itself.

It turns out regularly ordering yardage or crossing the Atlantic every time I need a little more liberty in my life isn't in the cards for me.  But I certainly am open to the idea of picking up a fat quarter bundle every now and again.  And guess what?  Remember how I told you about Massdrop last month and the classic bundle they had on offer?  You know the one...

Well there's another one up for grabs(!)  And guess what? Yours truly picked out the prints (...nervous silence.)  Yay...? Nay...? (Eep!)  But really, tell me what you think or what you'd rather see next time :)  Pretty please?

And as you might've guess from the rather prominent "Print Set B," they're re-offering the classic bundle as well ;o)

So if you missed out last time or are looking to bolster your collection with some new prints, then head on over to the group buy page and join now or commit!  Only need a few more to unlock the lowest price :)  And while you're over there, you might notice that they're rerunning the Aurifil drop, too.

And just kicked off one for OLFA cutters and blades.  So go on!  You know you want to...  And of course spread the word, because the more is truly merrier when it comes to Massdrop ;o)