WIP Wednesday and OMG, I get to see Bonnie Hunter!

A couple weeks ago I found out that Bonnie Hunter was coming to Maine!!!  And not only was she coming to Maine but to the next town over from where I live!  Even better.  And wait for it...... it gets better.  Even though the deadline to sign up had gone by there were still spots!  How does that even happen?  Its Bonnie Hunter!  Why are there spots open???  Within about 5 seconds of finding out there was a spot I had my checkbook open.  I sent off my registration and a few days later got my confirmation!!  The class I got into was for her Jamestown Landing quilt, which I have been drooling over for forever.  Here is a link to a picture of the quilt, Jamestown Landing.  I am not sure if I can steal a picture from her page to show here so I won't.  But go click.  I'll wait.  It's gorgeous isn't it.

I have been following Bonnie's blog for about a year now.  I haven't made any of her quilts yet though I have wanted to.  I don't have much of a scrap collectionbut it is slowly building.  I did start the Lazy Sunday mystery quilt that is going on in Quiltmaker right now but I am only part way through part one.  They just released part two.  I had a few baby gifts to get done so I used it as a leader/ender project.  Another one of Bonnie's methods that you can read about here.

I have been working on my stash of blue and creams for this.  Last night I started to cut my fabrics down into strip sets.

This is what I cut up last night.  She has asked that we have our fabrics cut in to strips so she can give us a lesson with her preferred method of making half triangle squares.  She uses the easy angle ruler.  I have used this method before but sometimes I find cutting them to be cumbersome so hopefully she gives out some good hints.  

Here are some blues and some neutrals.  I think those darker browns may be too dark.  I am not sure but I really like them.  I am trying to decide just how much I should cut up.  The quilt we are making is a scrap quilt but there is no way I have enough scraps so I have to use my stash.  I purchased the strips I already cut above and the top row of fabrics in this picture from Connecting Threads.  They are all fat quarters and I only paid about $1.50 each for them.  Awesome prices.  

Here are some more fabrics I set aside.

And these are more blues from my stash.  I am going to try not to cut into these.  I am saving them for a blue and orange quilt requested by my son.  

This is my only work in progress for this week.  I just finished a baby quilt Monday night.  I only have a few days before my in-laws get here for a short visit so I thought I would use this time to get ready for this class.  It's May 3rd.  I wanted to make sure I didn't need to find more fabrics but I think I am ok for the class at least.  This is not a quilt we will finish that day.  

I am linking up to Lee at Freshly Pieced this week.  Click below to see what everyone else is working on.  

WIP Wednesday 4-10

This is this weeks work in progress.  Its a block from Baltimore and Bali.  I think this is the sixth block I have made.  Not sure though.  I should go back and count.  The pattern is done with all batiks but I am using cottons instead.

All I have left is to finish the orange flower and stitch down the yellow pieces on top of it.  Excuse the washed out pictures.  Its raining and cloudy so the flash is making my pictures look bad.  :(

I know these pictures are big but I wanted to show a close up of my stitches.  The section above is all done.

Here's a close up of a flower bud.  Please excuse all the fuzzies.  Black fabric picks up every little thing.

You can see in this picture that the bottom of the orange flower is not stitched down but the side is.  That's where I started.  

I turn all of my edges before stitching them down.  I have plans to do a tutorial soon on exactly how I do it.  But basically I use an applique foundation that I get at Purple Daisies.   Then I use a elmer's school glue stick to turn all the edges.  I even do all the stems that way.  The foundation is left in after you are done so I don't want the stems to look different.  After you wash a quilt that uses this foundation it puffs up and looks almost like trapunto.  Just not as puffy.  After I turn all the edges I baste it to my background with Roxanne's Basting Glue.  Love that stuff.  Now to stitch it all I have to do is grab my thread, thimble, and block and go to it.  Its so quick and easy on the go.  I love applique this way.  It took me a couple evenings to do the prep work.  I usually do it on a tv stand in front of  the tv so I can catch up on some shows at the same time.  (BTW, I watched Argo one of the nights I did this and it was such an amazing movie!!!)  

I have done needle turn but I was just never happy with the way it came out.  I am a bit of a perfectionist and could never get over the learning hump.  

A few posts ago I complained about the thread I was using.  I use Masterpiece bobbins from Superior threads.  My thread kept breaking.  It was getting frustrating so I wrote the company to see if I was doing something wrong.  And I was.  I was using too long of a strand.  And on top of that I think the foundation was fraying the thread as well.  So now I take extra care to make sure I stitch right in the fold and not get the foundation and I have had much better luck.  Still a couple breakages but so much better than before.  

This week I am linking up to Lee at Freshly Pieced.  

WIP Wednesday 3/26

This is what I am working on this week.  Its an applique block from a block of the month at One Piece at a Time.  I love hand work.  What I haven't loved is this thread.  And I think its just me.  I have been searching all over Google for help.  I have been using Superior Masterpiece's bobbins that they make specifically for hand applique.  I have even gone so far as to email the manufacturer to see if I am just crazy.  (Just did it today so no response yet.)  I have been stubborn and dealing with them for the last 6 months trying to make it work out. Everyone raves about how great they are for hand applique.  I literally have not found one negative review.  My thread keeps breaking.  A lot.  Like stitch for about an inch and it breaks.  My thread isn't too long.  I have tried different needles.  I have used wax.  I think its time for me to part ways with it.  

My next try will be with silk.  I just can't wrap my head around only needing to use a few neutral colors though.  Can you really not see it?  Does anyone have any words of advice for a thread for hand applique?

Linking up to Lee at Freshly Pieced. 

WIP Wednesday - 3/20/2013

This is a sort of work in progress. I finished the binding last night and now it just has to be washed and needs a label. This is a gift for a couple that has a baby due in a few weeks. They haven't picked out a name yet so I haven't decided what to write on it. (Any ideas? I am lost without a name for the baby.)  I also made a cute tote that the quilt fits in out of the leftover fabric. The pattern for this tote was in the same free Craftsy class I talked about here. I changed it a little so I could use those cute owl squares.  I had actually cut those squares up to use in the quilt instead of the white but it was just too busy.  I am glad I went with the white.  

I am also going to make a cute little zipper pouch that a trial pack of wipes should fit in. I am going to stop at Walgreens tomorrow and pick one up so I can be sure.

I machine quilted the swirls in the center with some detail on the applique.

The inner border is a ribbon motif.  The outer is some feathers.  I make my feathers bump bump style and no pre-stitched spine. I mark it with chalk and then make it as I go.  It's easier for me this way.    

Guess I missed a string I need to trim.  Some veins quilted in the leaves.

I made the feathers too close to the edge and the binding cut them off.  :(  Oh well.  I will learn for next time. This is the first time I have made feathers on a quilt to give away.  I have always been to hard on myself thinking they weren't good enough.  

The cute back!

Linking up to Freshly Pieced!  I can't wait to see what everyone else has done this week!

Finish it up Friday 3/15/2013

Ssshh, I actually finished this last week.  I had no finishes this week to share and I never shared this so I thought I would.  This is the result of a FREE craftsy class.  That's right folks, free.  I loved that class.  Its one of their mini classes and honestly I have made three of these pouches.  I am down to 45 mins a pouch.  It is taught by Kristin Link of Sew Mama Sew.  Here's the link.

My daughter stole one of them for her hand sewing items.  (so proud!)  She's only 8.  She does hand embroidery that is a bit unstructured at the moment but very cute.  I have taught her how to knot and thread her needle but nothing else really.  I figured that could wait until she gets used to the needle a bit more.  Right now she uses a variation of the running stitch.

This pouch was my favorite.  I got this fabric at my LQS in a fat quarter.  I am not sure of the line but I love it.  I am going to see if they have anymore when I go back this Saturday.  I am pretty sure I can get at least three of these bags out of 2 fat quarters.  One for the lining and one for the outside.

I use it to store my Hexi's!

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it up Friday.

Frustration In Progress

I have renamed this weeks post from WIP to FIP.  I have been working on machine quilting this quilt for a few days now.  For some reason I keep getting skipped stitches.  I have changed my needle, cleaned my machine and tried a new spool of thread.  I tried quilting a sample I made up and my machine worked fine.  The only difference between the sample and the quilt is that I did not use spray baste on the sample.  So my conclusion is that something is going on with my spray basting.  I have used this kind before with no problems.  It's the June Taylor quilting spray they sell at JoAnns.  Maybe it was just a bad bottle or I used too much.  At this point I think all I can do is muddle through and keep fixing it as I go.  Luckily this is just a baby quilt so it won't be quite so dreadful.  UGH.  I just need to get it done.  The baby is due in about 3 weeks and I still have to ship it.

The skipped stitch is hard to see on this one but is on the white part.  

A little more obvious here.  I see three in this picture.  

A bigger picture of the quilt.  

Just showing more of the quilting design.

This week I am linking up to Lee at Freshly Pieced.  

WIP Wednesday February 20th

When I went to write this post this morning I thought I wasn't really going to have much to write about.  Then I looked back on my photos and realized I had done so much more than I thought I had.  I started a new project this week.  (because apparently I didn't have enough to do already)  I decided to give english paper piecing a try.  I like it so far.  Its quick and easy to do on the go.  

I have this little case I got at Home Depot during Christmas time.  I bought it to organize all my little sewing notions but never used it.  It works ok to carry my EPP supplies but the hexagons don't quite fit right.  It will work for now.  

The picture below is a block I did of the Rainbow Dear Jane quilt I am working on.  I get it as a block of the month from Twiddletails.  I am really far behind on it.  She sends out 10 blocks a month.  I just received the packet for month 7 and I am only on month 2.  Ooops.  I need to get working on that.  

The block below is one of the block of the months I am following on the blog, One Piece at a Time.  I am actually keeping up so far on this one.  Then again its only the second block.  

I did have a finish I wanted to share.  I showed this quilt in yesterday's blog but I finished the binding last night.  My daughter pieced it and I quilted it.  She was thrilled with it.  We made it for her American Girl doll's bed.  Which, to be honest, is our kitten's bed now.  She sleeps there all the time.  

I used this quilt to practice my feathers some more.  Here are some close ups.  

I am linking up to Freshly Pieced this week.  I can't wait to see what everyone has done!

WIP Wednesday

Its WIP Wednesday again.  I have a few different things to show you today.  First of all I finished the embroidery block I showed you last week.  I am currently working on the pieced border. I think I should have that done tonight or tomorrow then I can sandwich it and quilt it. I haven't quite decided what I am going to do for quilting yet.  

I almost always have a hand block to bring with me places to keep me occupied so I started this hand applique block this weekend.  I did most of the prep while we were snowed in under snowstorm Nemo.  I use a glue stick to turn all of my edges under then I glue baste them to the back ground using Roxanne's Basting glue.  Instead of using freezer paper like most do I use applique foundation.  Its really great.  I don't have to remove it after and it gives my applique a little bit of a pop, almost like trapunto.  

The picture below is a close up of the block.  I have stitched down the orange flower but not the base.  Sorry for all the fuzzies all over the block.  Black really does pick up everything.  

This is the pattern I am using to do this quilt.  I am doing it as a block of the month from Cotton Patch Fabrics.  However instead of using batiks like the pattern it comes with cottons.  Cotton Patch really has great prices on their BOM's and they have tons of them.  The only complaint I have is that the pieces aren't labeled where they should be used and a couple times I think I may have been missing a piece here and there.  I didn't get that black flower above with my kit for this month.  I had to supplement with my own scraps.  Which is fine because I have so many.  Its not really anything I would ever complain to the shop though.  This BOM is 15 dollars a month and whatever keeps the costs down are fine with me.  The customer service with them has been great so far.  And to be honest I wouldn't be surprised if I had just used the wrong piece somewhere.  I have to keep stopping myself from ordering more.  

I am linking up to Freshly pieced this week.  I can't wait to see what everyone is working on this week.  

WIP Wednesday

I have decided this week to try to start participating in a weekly post taking place over at the blog Freshly Pieced.  Here is the link, Freshly Pieced.  This week I thought I would share an embroidery block that I have been working on for the past few weeks.  This pattern is Snow Happens by Bird Brain designs.  After it is all done it is going to be a table runner. As you can see I only have one snowman and a quarter or so left to do. I am very excited.  

I just recently started doing embroidery and I have to say that I am loving it.  I use Stick Fabri- Solvy.  With this stabilizer I just print out the pattern on my printer right on the stabilizer.  Then I take the backing off the stabilizer and place it on the fabric.  You can embroider right over it and when you are done it all washes out.  It saves so much time and makes it so you don't have to do any tracing.  Its easy to needle through and most times I find I don't even need to use a hoop.  

So if you would like to see what everyone is working on head over to Freshly pieced and check it out.  It is a site that I have been following for awhile now and its really great!