I finally sewed something - Building Blocks

I realized two weeks ago that it had been three weeks since I had sewn anything.  Three weeks!  Forever!  What was I doing?  Kids, garden, home repairs, cleaning, laundry, kids, cleaning, canning and repeat....forever.  I was going crazy.  I still feel a bit batty but much better since I got some sewing in.

I was meaning to set aside some sewing time and it actually happened when my husband went out of town and my six year old was home sick for a week.  :(  It was just a cold, but when she gets sick it hits her hard.  So while she rested on the couch I sewed.  When she started to feel better and played with her younger sister who is still at home, I sewed.  I made a quilt - in a week.  Crazy.

Let me tell you about it.  It is made with mostly Cotton & Steel fabrics.  I had been looking a lot at this print and wanted to make a quilt that had the same feel.  I don't think I got it, but I still like it.  I wanted it to be a quilt that someone who was just starting quilting could make.  All of the blocks are found in You Can Quilt!  It has two blocks from the Basics, Half Square Triangle, Flying Geese Skill Sets and one block from the Quarter Square Triangle Skill Set.

I wanted to make a smaller quilt as an example of something quilt shop owners could make in a beginning quilting class.  Marlene and I are going to Market next month in Houston (first time for me!) and I want to have lots of quilty inspiration to show potential buyers.  But mostly, I just couldn't get the idea for this quilt out of my head.  I might have to try it again with different sized blocks to get the feel I am going for.

Then again, I might just make a bunch of churn dash blocks.  I love them.  They are simple and classic and perfect.

Have a great weekend!

Linking to Finish It Up Friday.

QST Rainbow Quilt

 I started this quilt back in January I think.  I was inspired by this rainbow quilt, but decided to make it out of quarter square triangles (QSTs) instead of half square triangles (HSTs).  The solids are a mix of Micheal Miller Cotton Couture Solids that I got on clearance last fall.  I Love them.  They are so soft and have a much finer weave then some solids (K---).

Each QST is 8" square and the quilt measures 56" x 72" - almost bed sized.  (After some piecing issues I had to trim the blocks smaller than I had planned.)  After more pondering why the QST units didn't turn out well (not all of the seams run exactly from corner to corner) I think I have figured out why.  I had made HSTs and cut them in half (on the bias) and then laid all of those units out, moved them around and made my final layout.  Then they got all mixed up and I had to do it again.  I think that handling them so much might have distorted some of the units and contributed to their wonkiness.  That and I was in a hurry when I was sewing.

Since it was fairly large and had the thicker flannel backing, I rented time on a long arm machine (specifically made for quilting).  I thought briefly about changing out the thread color as I went across the quilt, but decided it was too much trouble.  So I decided on a light gray thread.  I wasn't sure about it at the time, but it is perfect.

I Love this quilt.  It is so happy.  I had planned on giving it to my sister, but now I am not so sure.  Maybe it will just live on our couch for now and if I am feeling less attached and more generous at Christmas time and if she Really likes it, then I will gift it.  :)  It is nice to make something that I really like.

I bought some fabric this week for a new quilt.  I usually shop from my stash when I am making quilts and buy what I don't have on hand, but I really wanted a specific look, so I splurged.  I cut out some blocks yesterday and hope to be able to sew them together this weekend.  If it turns out as well as I imagine it is going to be great!

I hope you have a great weekend and get some sewing in too!

Sewing With Kids - Zipper Pouches

Front - notice how we used the extra piece of zipper for the tab on the pink polka dotted pouch?  Love. 

 This summer was altogether too fast and and the same time too slow.  We started out with tennis lessons at the park then our epic road trip to California for my brother's wedding, and then I madly prepared for the iQuilt class.  Once I was done filming there were only a few days to go shopping for school supplies before school started.  But there was still one more thing I wanted to fit in.  I wanted to sew something with the kids.

I have a love/hate relationship with sewing with my kids.  Sewing is something I do that is "my" time.  It is relaxing, fun and productive.  All of those positives disappear when I sew with my kids.  It is not relaxing and I really have to work on being patient.  But I guess it is productive.  We do make stuff that is cute and usable and I really do think it is important to teach them to sew, so I have a "Sewing With Kids" goal that I try to stick to.  One project per kid per year.  Yeah.  Not a big goal.  Baby steps.  But I wanted to work it in before school started.

The backs.

They added earbuds to the school supply list this year so I decided that making a small zipper pouch for the earbuds would be a good plan - plus they are so darn cute - and fast.  Some kids went for a bigger pencil/crayon sized pouch.  Even Becca (age 2) took a turn "sewing" (sitting on my lap as I sewed the pouch out of fabric she picked out).

The pouches were a fun, quick project that is very usable and super cute and the girls had a lot of fun making them.  Now I just need to get the 15 year old to sit down and make something before January 1st.....