WIP 1/10/16

I'm trying to get this WIP from top to finish by the end of January.
All my quilts are completely hand pieced, quilted and bound. I never show my piecing stitches, but I'm working hard on improving so here's a peek behind the scenes (seams?).  

I'm working towards my stitches being more like the diagonal line as opposed to the horizontal one. 

I'm working towards my stitches being more like the diagonal line as opposed to the horizontal one. 

One of my quilty goals this year is to get at least one finish done each month. I have specific deadlines for some quilts, and I want to get my production up. Heidi at Red Letter Quilts is hosting a great link up: OMG (One Monthly Goal). 

One thing I really like about OMG is that you can set any quilting goal, not just a finish, to link up with. This link up is all about encouragement to achieve your goal!! This brings me up to 4 link ups for the month, which serves another goal of community involvement!
I'm linking up with OMG today and with Kathy at Kathy Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching. 

WIP 11/29/15 + Sale News

I'm working furiously to get this WIP done...

...but life keeps getting in the way. Life has a way of doing that; keeping me from sewing, blogging, or getting my holiday sale up and going. 

The holiday sale has been postponed until next weekend. 
Still plenty of time to get orders out. Please keep your eyes peeled here and over at instagram!

I'm linking this post up with Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching. 

Decisions on a Sunday Morning + News!

I'm a little late posting this one, but am linking up with Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching anyway!

While unpacking, I've uncovered a lot of WIPs & UFOs. I made this mini quilt ages ago, so long now I can't remember. I do remember it was my first attempt at flying geese with not the best results. All my geese were cropped!! I've never quite gotten over it and haven't made flying geese since. 

I still liked aspects of this mini, though, so when I found it I decided to back it and quilt it. But now, what to quilt it with? I picked out a few thread choices, but none seem quite right... Any suggestions?

I have a lot on my plate at the moment, so I'm not in a great rush to make a decision. 

Now for the news! Mad Cat Quilts will be having a sale starting next weekend! Just in time for xmas gifts, of course! Look for updates and the start of the sale in the blog and instagram. There will be many small items, as well as sale prices on quilts! Keep your eyes peeled!

New Block: Big O Block

I recently saw a whole quilt made out of these "o" blocks and I really liked it! I thought it might be simple and good for a new (secret) project I was thinking of. 

I used some shot cotton and fat quarters I recently picked up at Brooklyn General as well as some other fabric I had on hand. I really like the way these blocks came out. I think this project will go swimmingly. 

Have you made this block? If so, I'd love to see how you incorporated it into your work!

Flowers for Eleni Updates

I'm sure a lot of you are following along with Rachel and Eleni's trials and triumphs. Recently there's been a lot of updates. Stitched in Color received the quilts that Jodi from Tales of Cloth made for them. 

Here's two pics from Tales of Cloth's instagram.  

That blue flower peeking out at the top is mine!

That blue flower peeking out at the top is mine!

I'm pretty sure that that bottom yellow with birds is the one I fussy cut, but on a new background. excellent. 

I'm pretty sure that that bottom yellow with birds is the one I fussy cut, but on a new background. excellent. 

I spotted my flowers in some of the photos! I feel proud and happy to be able to have participated, and when I see my sewing being part of something that can bring someone comfort and joy.

New Block: Four Bear Paws

Well, really this is an older block as I made it quite a few month ago, now.
I was inspired my Maureen Cracknell's Bear Paw block. 

One day, I will iron all my blocks. Perhaps I'm waiting for a proper ironing board. Or even a table ... Right now we iron everything on a towel on the floor. 

One day, I will iron all my blocks. Perhaps I'm waiting for a proper ironing board. Or even a table ... Right now we iron everything on a towel on the floor. 

I've been lacking inspiration and motivation in my sewing lately, so I thought I'd go thru some of the WIPs I have. I'm at a stage in much of my ongoing quilts where they require a large block of time and space, and I just haven't had that recently. I'm hesitant to work on the projects that are more new and less done, bc that just means my pile of unfinished grows and grows. 

I need a vacation just for quilting! Who's with me?

I'm linking this block up with Slow Sunday Stitching by Kathy's Quilts. 

New Block: The Letter B

I'm back from an unexpected break with the letter B. 

Are you tired of wrinkled blocks yet?

Are you tired of wrinkled blocks yet?

I've had a letter quilt rattling around in my head for a while now... So I rolled up my sleeves and made a B. I liked my fabric choices, but they weren't right for what I have in mind, so I changed directions on this quilt. I'm happy with how it's turning out and think it'll be a great new idea. 

Tom is "helping"!

Tom is "helping"!

I feel successful with my first letter block and can't wait to do the rest of the alphabet!

Linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching. 

New Block: Crown of Thorns

When I saw this block on the Tales of Cloth blog, as part of her Red Sky at Night QAL, I knew I wanted to try it. 

Ever wrinkly.

Ever wrinkly.

I decided to make a really over sized block. I picked out some tiny calicoes and then decided it needed a plain border, or part of one... I'm not sure what I'll do with this big block. Any ideas?

Also, at Tales of Cloth, Jodi revealed the top and bottom for the Flowers for Eleni quilt. It's amazing quilt and it was an amazing experience to be a part of. 

Picture by Tales of Cloth. Pure photoshop skills by me. 

Picture by Tales of Cloth. Pure photoshop skills by me. 

I can even see one the of the flowers I made in the pic! I think they changed the backing fabric, which is super nice of them, as I think I cut mine too small. 
Thanks so much to Jodi and her helpers for allowing us to share our grief and joy and hope in this way. 

I'm sharing all this with Slow Stitching Sunday. As always, check out Kathy's blog!

Something New: EPP

The quilting world loves English Paper Piecing. I wanted to try it to see if I would, too. 

My first attempt. 

My first attempt. 

For those of you who may not be familiar with EPP (English Paper Piecing) Craftsy has a good article and how-to here. 

Basically, it's a method of hand piecing most used for small or intricate blocks or designs. It involves precisely cutting paper and basting fabric to it before sewing the fabric together for more exact piecing. Many people use basic shapes that are small and may be harder to hand or machine piece without some stiffness and stability. Hexagons are one of the most popular shapes to use.

EPP is known for it's portability. 

EPP is known for it's portability. 

The method is to precisely cut (or buy pre cut) shapes, cut fabric slightly larger, and baste it on to and around the paper. One you have a bunch of basted hexis (or what ever shape you might be using), you put them right side together and sew along the papers edge. You join the fabric covered papers like this, until you have the size and shape you like. Then you can remove the basting stitches and pull out the paper before finishing the piece by quilting, making a pillow, etc...

I had been wanting to try this method for a while bc many people swear by it. EPPing is known for being portable, small, and unwieldy, so I thought I might enjoy it. 

A pile of Octi and some that pieced together already. 

A pile of Octi and some that pieced together already. 

I'd waited before starting an EPP project, bc I had the idea that I would go and buy some paper templates. As weeks went by where I would look longingly at other peoples EPP projects, I realized I was never going to find time to buy the supplies I needed. So I found some stiff paper and some scissors instead. 

The very nature of EPP is to be very precise, my very nature is to be not very precise at all. 

But I forged ahead and cut some very wonky octagons. And then some very wonky squares to go with them, and set to basting. I basted as many as I could stand (like 6) before sewing a few together to see just how it worked.  After doing this a bunch more times, I found out how I preferred to baste the octis and how I preferred to sew them together. Although I had to make many adjustments as I went bc the shapes were not at all uniform, I eventually got into a rhythm. 

A lot of octis and squares sewn together. 

A lot of octis and squares sewn together. 

As with all my quilts, I didn't have a plan or sketch of what I wanted to do. I just made it up as I went along. And as always,  a vague plan started formulating. A pattern emerged and when it was time to stop, I stopped. After about a month I had completed the major part of the EPP project, and now it's set aside to decide what comes next. 

What I am about to say might shock and dismay some people. 

I don't love EPP. It's an interesting method, and I can see where it would be very useful. I didn't hate it but I found it achingly slow, and a little boring. Maybe it's bc I hand piece all my quilts already and this method is more for people who are used to machine sewing? I know I could have pieced the whole thing way quicker, and possibly neater, without the paper basting aspect. I also felt quite bad about all the fabric that was wasted. When I quilt there is rarely any unusable scrap left over. It kinda broke my heart to throw away so many tiny triangles. I found that as the piece got bigger it got harder and harder to handle. The stiffness of the paper became unwieldy and maneuvering became annoying. 

My favorite part is definitely cutting the basting threads and pulling the paper out. I like to see the patchwork all hard and stiff before, and then soft and subtle after. 

The back side of all those octis! You can see on the top left the papers have been removed. 

The back side of all those octis! You can see on the top left the papers have been removed. 

I was also not sold on EPP's portability or ease for travel. I pretty much always take my sewing on the go with me, and rarely find it overly cumbersome. But with EPP I had tiny scrapes everywhere, paper templates popping out all over the place, not to mention the scissors, needle,  and thread. And I had to have a special bag to carry it all in. Usually I just stuff all my sewing in my purse, but bc there are so many pieces of fabric and templates, etc... I needed more organization and therefore more stuff to carry. I was lucky enough to snag one of my husbands first zipper pouches, which did work wonderfully for the job. 

Library Card zipper pouch. 

Library Card zipper pouch. 

I will definitely finish the work. I liked the process and the result enough to make this one project. But bc I didn't like it a lot, I'm not sure what the project will end up being. Only time will tell. 

You just can't put black, purple and gold or orange together without it looking like Halloween. The bats don't help, I guess. 

You just can't put black, purple and gold or orange together without it looking like Halloween. The bats don't help, I guess. 

I'm linking up with a blog I love to read, Kathy's Quilts, for her Slow Sunday Stitching.