half square triangles

half square triangles are usually not really my thing. i find them fiddly and hard to tame. that said, when i saw the blocloc ruler i thought it might help.  when i was at quiltcon i bought one for 5.5" hsts. the very helpful saleswoman showed how they can be used for smaller sizes as well.  since they are not cheap, i started with one that i could use for charm squares as well as smaller scraps.
i haven't played with it until today and i think it's a keeper:)

even though i usually don't work with hsts, i have been inspired lately by brooke's work, especially this  and this.  also, i love low volume. i mean really really love.  i took a class with cheryl arkison at quiltcon and it got me looking into her book, a month of sundays and i want to know more of what she has to say about low volume. i love using low volume fabrics in my projects but i'm not always happy with how they look.  it's like i have some preconceived idea and i can't recreate it in real life.  i see it in others' work, but not usually mine. <sigh>  so much to learn,

i was in the latest schnitzel and boo mini quilt swap on instagram and i got an amazing mini made with indelible. 

plus some other goodies.  i decided to use the barcelona charm pack with some low volume scraps and practice with my blocloc ruler.

to

so far.. not sure if i should make more hsts with lv and the more medium value fabrics. not tonight anyway. time to clean up my mess and go to bed. zzzzzz

half of 2013 is already gone...

i feel like all my sewing time is going toward bee blocks. and it is. i'm in 4 bees until september.   i also started 2 quiltalongs earlier in the year (which for the time being i have abandoned.)  i have overextended myself a little bit. i love being in bees but 4 at a time is too much for me. i don't have any time to work on any other projects. so lesson learned. and enough bitching.
these are the bee blocks for june so far. i plan on more sewing today so there may be more later:)

1. modern mavericks michelle 1, 2. bee sew modern sara, 3. bee sew modern allison, 4. union jack for sam 2, 5. churndash, 6. upload

linking up with lily's quilts - fresh sewing day

i didn't make any q2 goals for the finish-a-long at she can quilt, but i do plan on some for q3 (i like the linky starts on july 8th)

i am a member of the cheer circle of do. Good stitches and my quilting month is september.  i've been contemplating my design since march 27th (the day rachel sent me the email.)  i really want to use the freewheeling block by tacha bruecher from 99 modern blocks.  my thought is that the correct and courteous way to do this is to ask her.  her website (blog) is not working right now. is it inappropriate to ask her on twitter?

my first finished quilt!!

i finished my first non-mini quilt today! it's the first quilt that i pieced and quilted myself.  it was always meant to be a quilt to donate to charity, i just wasn't sure which one.  then a little while ago i was perusing flickr, i came across this

the oklahoma city modern quilt guild is collecting quilts and raising money to help the victims of the tornados that hit oklahoma recently.

i'm so happy that this quilt will be going to a new home soon!

happy sewing!

fresh sewing day

today i'm linking up with lily's quilts for fresh sewing day












this is what i finished today

union jack bee block made with this tutorial from tracey jay

bee blocks for modern mavericks using this tutorial from badskirt

on another note..my previous 2 posts were for naught. i missed the cut off to join the linky for the blogger's quilt festival. :( boo.  there is always next year.

and for the rest of may...this is what i have to show for it :)

1. nubee sara may 2013, 2. nubee lisa may 2013, 3. bee sew modern anna may 2013, 4. nubee anna may 2013, 5. nubee may 13 test block, 6. dgs cheer may 2013 2, 7. dgs cheer may 2013 1, 8. stars in their eyes lisa 2, 9. stars in their eyes lisa 1, 10. bwg dresden 2, 11. +ABsailing, 12. +ABleprachaun, 13. +ABlaundryday, 14. +ABbrassmonkey, 15. bwg dresden 1, 16. ablowpressuresystem


june is a lighter month as far as obligations.  do. Good Stitches takes a break in june and i'm not going to join a monthly bee for a few months. i will have blocks for modern mavericks, bee sew modern, stars in their eyes and if i have time i can work on some of the add a border bee blocks and some other wips

testing out blogger app on my new ipod touch

these are the first two 6 in blocks for add a border block swap on flickr

YAY!! ( a post from a few months ago...)

it's finally working:)  so it's friday so i'm linking up with tgiff. i finished the mini quilt for my bff's cat. her name is minnie.

i also finished the nybeauty pillow!

i've also finished the top of the plus quilt. no pictures yet. and the wedding quilt is at the quilters:)  i have made no progress on the groovy quilt.

i can be a complicated communicator

i tend to think about blogging when i am not in the position to...such as when i'm driving.  then, when i have the time i am just sitting here......uuhhhh. i have plenty to talk about but sometimes it just takes me a little bit to get going. ok. so i've been a little obsessed with rossie and the silly boodilly lately.  i mean i have read through rossie's blog from newest to oldest and then really read it from oldest to newest.  i've bounced around the sillyboodilly.  not only are these women extremely talented artists, i really like what they have to say.  i found the process pledge on rossie's blog.  so i took it.  i find it fascinating to read about others' processes.  i thought that maybe i should share mine.  this is big for me in a general sense because i don't tend to share what's in my brain..."i can be a complicated communicator"....anyway....
yesterday i worked on the groom's side of the wedding quilt. i'm satin stitching around the raw edges of all the music notes.  it's not as fun as i want it to be.  when i was planning the groom's side i thought of different ways to incorporate music notes. i thought about paper piecing (which i really like doing). i thought about doing one huge applique note *(inspired by this quilt by tula pink.)  i think i chose the most time consuming and pia way.  when i can share a picture (no camera battery...boo!) it will make sense. not to me but it will be easier to see what i'm talking about.  again....."i can be a complicated communicator"....

sometimes he just wants to be included:)

happy sewing!

camera still out of commission

still waiting for my back up battery and charger to get here. i have been working on lots of things. i finished the back of the purple star quilt. i named her starla. i like to think of the back as starla's backside;) anyway, it's scrappy and i am pleased with the way it turned out. i also made my first mug rug.  i made a paperpieced snails trail block when i first started and i decided to do something with it yesterday. all that is left is the binding. i will be attempting that today.
i like pictures.  so here are some blocks from my first qip. it will probably be ip for a while because i keep changing my mind about it
.

i think i have 14 blocks done. it's for my significant other. she's not a very colorful person:) she said she wanted browns and greys. i just have to decide how i'm going to put them all together. there isn't a time constraint for this one like the wedding quilt so i guess i should go work on that wedding quilt. :)  linking up to/with wip wednesday at freshly pieced.
oh and i have to throw this in

someone likes my stash of browns and greys.

happy sewing

wip wednesday

i have a sneak peak at the groom's side of the wedding quilt (red quilt from this post)

omelet seems to like it:)  as i am working on it, i am realizing i should have done it differently but it's all a learning process i guess. i was able to find the last 2 fabrics and thread that i needed at one of my lqs.  linking up to wip wednesday at freshly pieced.


i also found this on pinterest.

it's a tutorial on making your own labels.  on spoonflower.  so i did it!   i made three similar designs and ordered a swatch of each.  can't wait to see them!!

also worked on the back of the purple star quilt (no pictures yet).
on sunday my other lqs, tabby fabric and studio had a sewcial/sew in...whatever you want to call it... and i worked on quiltcon blocks!  i finished 2 and i want to make a third.  no pictures of those yet either. boring story about my camera battery/charger.  that's it for me today. 
happy sewing!

wips on saturday:)

i'm working on several projects at once. not a shocker. i finally took some pictures. pictures aren't that great but i'm having fun. :)

this is a pattern from modern patchwork magazine 

this is my own design. it's going to be a wedding gift for my best friend

both are just laid out (no sewing yet) but as of this posting both tops have been sewn.

i've never done this before but i'm linking up to wip wednesday at freshly pieced.

i can't get the formatting right on this post today.

i also made a poochie bag by happy zombie.  i modified it slightly since my fat quarters were only 21"

this was a lot of fun and it only took a couple of hours (i'm not that fast a sewer or presser).  i also made my pocket horizontal instead of vertical.  when i make the bag again i probably will not do that.  i may add some interfacing as well.  i really love the bag. its a great size for me.  thanks monica!

quilt shop excursion

one of my local(ish) quilt shops had a birthday sale yesterday so i thought that i should go and check it out.   there were (are) some specific things that i was looking to get for some ongoing projects. didn't really find any of those. but i did find some other beautiful things:)  they had fqs on sale 25 for $31.  and 10 fes for $10. so i added to my stash.

also i got some yardage of lucy's crab shack.

and this beauty from kate spain.  i'd like to make a bag out of it.

Hi!

hi!  i'm not really new to blogging but i'm a little inconsistent.  i'm a little lazy and my cat doesn't really like it when i'm on the computer for very long.  he's outside now so it's ok.  mostly i'll blog about fabric, sewing and quilting but i'm sure my cat will show up sometime..

who am i kidding? he'll be here a lot.

i've known how to use a sewing machine since i was a teenager but a few months ago a friend asked me if i wanted to go to a quilting class with her.  i never quilted before and i didn't have a huge interest but i thought it would be fun (little did i know.)   it was a paper piecing class and ever since then, i've been hooked.  so not to be one that just dabbles, i jumped in feet (head?) first. i looked for fabrics online. i looked for fabric and quilting stores near me. i got ideas. i bought books. i bought fabric. and more fabric. and i bought more books. and i got more ideas... i think this is common among quilters.  i started one project and got sidetracked by another, and another and another...i know this is common among quilters.  i read every blog i could find about sewing and quilting (especially modern quilting.)