Craftstew

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!

2012-01-04T16:18:00.000-08:00

2011 was good to me this year. Chris and I went on a couple trips (Point Reyes Station, LA, Cozumel) and we learned how to scuba dive! Scuba diving is really amazing. We are now trying to figure out how much scuba diving we can afford. Just what I need, another expensive hobby!

On the crafty front, this has been the year of baby quilts! There are some quilts and little things I know I have not blogged about, but what can you do? I completed more than I remembered. Here is a mosaic to summarize:

For 2012, here are my goals and resolutions. It always seems more official in print, doesn't it?

Resolutions:
1. Use all the fancy body butter I bought (I have really dry skin, especially in winter)
2. No fabric buying... unless it's by Lizzy House (couldn't resist!) or is needed to complete a project
3. Participate in the FMQ Challenge
4. Do not start a new project unless I finish an old project! For reference, here is an incomplete list of old projects

30's repro quilt (finished top)
Row by Row quilt (top almost finished)
Partly Cloudy quilt (top finished)
Veggie one block wonder quilt (fabric cut)
Kristine's quilt (fabric cut out)
Drunkard's Path Quilt (some blocks finished)
Sampler Afghan (20 more blocks to knit, plus put all together + border)
Green Tea & Sweet Beans Quilt (finished 8 months, need to finish last 3)
Diamond Mountain Quilt (finished top)

Here's to a great 2012!

Green Tea and Sweet Beans BOM Update

2011-11-29T12:28:00.000-08:00

I have been faithfully making these blocks! I just took a look, and I have completed 7 of the 12 months. And I've done some more blocks too! Here are the ones that haven't been posted on the blog yet...

Month 6- Day Lily. I liked this one, but for some reason it took me a long time to sew on the outside corners!

Month 7 - Flower Block. These were fun! I really liked the petals, even though they didn't turn out perfect. I think they're cute!

Month 7 - Igloo. I absolutely love these blocks. The round parts gave me fits, but I think they turned out well.

Month 8 - Applique Block #2. This one took me FOREVER. I think I decided I didn't like applique or something..

Month 9 - Berry Basket. I completed this one even though I didn't finish the second block for Month 8. I have been looking forward to this block since the BOM started! I have to admit that I was a little disappointed that the pot fabric wasn't the same as the original (it's orangey in the original) but I think the blue pot fits as well.

I have a couple of blocks that should be finished soon, but hopefully there will be another Green Tea and Sweet Beans update soon!

Simple accomplishments

2011-11-23T11:29:00.000-08:00

Chris gave me my Christmas present early. He got me a Kindle Fire! It's very exciting. I like it a lot, especially since I can use one hand to hold it. I decided to make a pouch for it while deciding which case to buy... and this is what I ended up with:

Sorry for the bad photo, but this little pouch caused me so much trouble! I'm still not entirely happy with it, but it's good enough. This is iteration #3. Most of the other troubles were from the zipper. After I sewed the zipper in, the opening was too small to put the kindle in!

I am pretty happy with it though.. it's fleece inside and I really like how I made a pocket for the earphones. The quilting (to the batting) took a long time but I think it was worth it. It now can sit at the bottom of my purse without worrying about it getting dirty.

Hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!

A couple tanks..

2011-10-11T11:39:00.000-07:00

I finished up this Colette Sorbetto tank top this morning.

I made a size 4 and I'm pretty happy with it. I used some fabric I got at an estate sale a few years ago and I made the bias binding out of navy blue linen.I really enjoyed how quickly this came together, and I like how the bust darts are in the right place (i think!) It's a bit less loose than I imagined it would be, so I might make a size up next time, but the top area fits great. It's definitely a bit too short for my liking, so I'd lengthen it. For this one you were supposed to hem the bottom but I wanted to keep that extra length so I used bias tape on the bottom too. I want to try adding sleeves too!

After I made this top I remembered the Wiksten Tank Top that I made a few months ago that I never blogged about...

So both tanks are loose fitting tank tops, but there definitely were differences. No bust darts here and the armholes are finished by folding under. Not sure which one I prefer yet. I used quilting weight fabric for this one, so the seams are a little bit bulky (instructions have you create french seams for the sides). I like the curved bottom hem. It covers up my behind when I crouch! The neckline might be a little too low and I might try a size larger with this one next time too. I've already worn this out a few times and regardless of the unflattering photo, I think it looks ok. This one definitely took more time because of the hems. Bias tape is so quick!

So the real reason why I made the Sorbetto is that I wanted to get a Colette pattern under my belt before I joined the Colette Clover Pants Sew Along. I'm pretty excited. I cut out a size 8 for the pants because I basically have no waist, but I'm a bit nervous because I also have no butt. We'll see how this works out...

I climbed Diamond Mountain!

2011-10-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

What an accomplishment for me! I completed this top for Lizzy House's Diamond Mountain Quilt-along. The pattern is in her lovely book, and the fabrics are all from her 1001 Peeps line. I usually don't like to make something exactly the same as someone else, but this quilt was so so so so fantastic that I had to make it exactly the same. LOVE the colors. I really like Lizzy's style.. new modern fabrics with classic quilt patterns reimagined in a new way. I sound like a school girl with a crush. Sorry.

Anyway, this quilt uses this ruler, and it was great. I can't imagine using a template to cut out all those triangles. The fabrics kept the quilt interesting enough to get all the way through and finish the quilt. I am SO happy. Kaleidoscope quilts may be my new favorite type of quilt to make.

I have some Hobbs Fusible batting on order. Still deciding on what fabric to do for the backing... I'm thinking the Ice Frappe Kona Cotton. I do love the Orange Scheherazade print but I think the minty green will be a nice contrast to the bold top. Hmmm...

New Baby Quilts!

2011-10-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

I've been busy making baby quilts but was just reminded that I haven't posted about any of them. You might have seen them in my flickr stream, but here they are!

This first one is a modern crosses baby quilt from Modern Log Cabin Quilting. I really love this book! I altered the blocks so they are slightly larger than the pattern. I sewed the rows and tacked down the center of the crosses, but I don't think I like how the finished quilt looks. I think I like more all over quilting. I definitely will make this quilt again, but will definitely stick to the pattern recommended size and maybe quilt the blanket some more. The fabric is some kona cotton gray that I messed up in cutting, some pink that didn't make the cut for my Civil War Diaries quilt, and a little bit of Munki Munki (on the back) that I bought when I first started quilting.

The next baby quilt is a spiderweb quilt! I love these, but this is the first one I've completed. I finished it in one week! I used this pattern, and it was great. I pressed the seams open since there are so many seams. LOVE this quilt, and the baby's parents love it too. Yay. The fabric is the robots fabric by David Walker for Free Spirit.

Next is a quilt I made for my coworker. She didn't know if her baby was a boy or girl, so hopefully this quilt is gender neutral enough! I based it on this pixel quilt from Spool Sewing. I plan on making the Spool Sewing quilt as a wedding gift for another friend, so this quilt was a nice test run. Fabric is Odyssea by Momo for Moda.

Next came a quilt for a family friend who was expecting a boy. This one is a disappearing nine patch quilt, but I took the layout of the squares from another Spool Sewing quilt. They called it the magic quilt. I don't deny that this quilt was quick, but I think I like more structured and symmetrical patterns. For this one I used one of the Pink Chalk Fabrics solids bundle plus the gray.

This quilt was for a boy for my mom's childhood neighbor's daughter (who had a son). This is made of half square triangles and I based the layout on Rita's half square triangle quilt. It's made from Holly Holderman's Oh Boy! fabric line for Lakehouse Dry Goods. I didn't mind making this quilt, but all that trimming!

Next is a zig zag quilt. I used Anna Maria Horner's pattern, and I'm not sure if I liked making it this way. I do like that the zig zags are not as broken up as if I had made it with half square triangles or rectangles. In the end the mom of the baby and the grandma loved this quilt, so I guess it was worth it! The fabrics are Anna Maria Horner (blue flowery on front) Heather Bailey (orange) Urban Loft 1800 (blue flowery backing) Essex cotton (white) and some Kaffe Fassett shot cottons (pink and yellow).

There is one more quilt that I made for my niece (yay for niece, but whoops no photos!) and a quilt top I just finished, but those will be blogged about soon. Maybe.

this & that

2011-02-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

Finishing up this so I don't feel so guilty about starting that...

Orange you glad...

2011-02-21T14:17:00.000-08:00

Isn't it nice when you look through your photos and they seem to have a theme?

I really love vignette. I also really love the pillow my cousin made for me. And Lion Dancing? Never fails to bring a smile to my face.

Outdoor Chickens

2011-02-15T22:35:00.000-08:00

My chickens are all grown up! Kind of. They're almost 14 weeks old, and have been living indoors. They now have a fancy new coop that Chris built. Unfortunately it's super windy and rainy tonight... good luck chickies!

Happy 2011!

2011-02-12T02:03:00.000-08:00

Well, at least Lucy is consistent with how I've been feeling about my blog lately...

My poor neglected blog. Obviously things around here need to change. I wrote a huge long post, only to reread it and think "who cares?" From now on I'm going to try to blog more, perhaps with just a photo and a few words.

Some happenings to get you up to date:

I got married!! :) Here are some photos from our photographer.
Made a trip to Irvine so I could go with my cousin to the Road to California quilt show. Here is a link to my favorite quilt at the show, my cousin's crazy cat, and the loot from the stores we visited.
My cousin and I found a bag that was a kit bought from this store. A really really nice store. It think it's my favorite quilt store. Good thing its 7 hours away from me. Anyway we both loved it so much that we now have the exact same bag.

Little Pea!

2010-09-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

This might be the quickest, most satisfying project I have completed. I used fleece scraps for the ball, and I had a great gift for a friend's daughter. SO cute!

My sister said that they have board books too! I will have to get those next time. I see more peas in my future!

Around the Block.. last two!

2010-09-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm amazed that we are done with Around the Block! They've continued onto round 2, but I bowed out since I'm getting married! Here are the last two blocks for MJ. She asked us to add in one of our own fabrics for one of the points.

I thought the stars were appropriate, since I was the only person in the group from USA.

The blue birds are one of my favorite fabrics. I used it to make an apron for the In Stitches Sew Along. I just think it's so cute!

To all the Around the Block gals: You're the best, around! Thank you for the past year. It's been so fun!

Here is a collage of all the blocks I've made, plus one shot of the blocks I received!

Wow I forgot about all these blocks! So fun! Thanks again ladies!

It's finished!

2010-08-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

I finished the Ice Cream Social dress! It's so cute. It was nice and easy, spread out over a couple weeks with the sewalong, and now it's done! Also, I made the smallest size, so it was a nice change from the clothes I've been trying to make for myself. The pattern was really well written too. I really might have to buy the pattern in the larger size and try to make one that will fit me!

Photos from the creating process. Each photo has a few notes in flickr on my troubles.

July is HOT!

2010-07-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

I do not do well with hot weather. Having said that, it seems like in the summer I enjoy such hobbies as knitting and baking. Oh well. I have been working on things for my wedding, here is a sneak peek:

And more blocks for a couple of my quilting bees. Here are some blocks for Jan. Only one month left for Around the Block! Jan did a great job with her concept. She precut the borders, and asked us to fill in the middle squares. With different sized borders she will get a cohesive but varied set of blocks. I love the fabrics too.

And here are a the last two blocks for Bee Inspired.

I am ashamed to say that these are 4 months late because I am so petty. These happen to be the last set of blocks for this particular bee, and I was holding them hostage until I got my blocks. They never came (I am still waiting for 5 people, isn't that crazy!), but I decided that I should take the higher road and just finish off the bee. I never got all my blocks back from my first bee either. I understand that there are life circumstances that causes people to renege on their commitments to the bee, but it does make if difficult when it's the organizer too. These last couple of blocks to make me happy though. The fabrics were wonderful to work with and I really like how the blocks turned out.

After next month for Around the Block my commitments to quilting bees are finished. I had a good time with the first one, a bad experience with the second one, and a WONDERFUL experience with the last. I got all my blocks (from Oz and NZ) with a month after my month was over. If you ever get a chance to join a bee hosted by Sheridan, make sure you can make the commitments, then sign up fast! She really takes care of you and makes sure everyone gets their blocks.

More Blocks

2010-07-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

Ok ok fine, my blog's been neglected. But I have been making some blocks! Here are updates for my quilting bee blocks:

They were fun! But mostly I've been concentrating on my Green Tea and Sweet Beans quilt...

Sorry for the poor formatting, I figured it'd be better to put something up than delay it another 3 months!

Around the Block blocks for April

2010-04-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

And hurray I'm caught up with Around the Block again! I had a lot of trouble with this months blocks, but mostly because of my own deficiencies. The first blocks were for Susie. She is making a space quilt for her little boy.

This robot gave me so much trouble! I was hoping for something like this, but my proportions are all wrong, AND I ran out of fabric so the block is a little bit small. Whoops!

Next up we have this wonky star. Unfortunately, not the best pattern for these fabrics. They're too wild and crazy, and you can barely see the star. It is a very dynamic block though, so hopefully it will be used!

Then we have blocks for Rachel. She sent us some blue red and brown fabrics to make blocks to split between her two boys.

This block was fun, and I love how the red dots are skewed so it makes the block crazy. HOWEVER, I was having trouble with my sewing machine, so the edges are a tiny bit ruffly. Not sure why. It's not too bad though, and it should go away once its sewn together with other blocks.

I had so much trouble with this one! I cut the fabric too short, machine ate up some parts, who knows what was going on. Ah shoot. I just remembered that I might have forgotten to sew a seam shut too. I'll have to make sure Rachel knows, sorry! I think it turned out ok though. I hope her boys like it!

Now I'm just waiting for my last pack of fabric from Bee Inspired. I can't believe that quilting bee is almost over!

Bees for March!

2010-04-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

Wow, what happened to March? I got behind on my bees, but I'm caught up again! Here are the blocks for this month:

Blocks for Bee Inspired:

Blocks for Around the block:

Close up of my favorite... a star within a star! Can you see it?

Also, I got all my blocks from my Around the Block gals! Here are all the blocks together. Trying to decide if I want sashing or not! What do you think?

Boston Park Quilt

2010-04-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

Alright, here we go. I've been super super busy, but I was able to finish up one quilt!

This quilt was made for my friend to thank her for letting us stay at her house when we visited Boston. She's roommates with our other friend who we already bought something for, so I'm pretty sure she thought we forgot about her. But she likes the quilt and it's all fun and exciting. It's made out of two packs of charm squares of Valorie Wells' Olive Rose line, and essex linen cotton in white. I think I like the linen-cotton. I definitely liked the crinkly texture when it came out of the dryer! The main part of the back is some marimekko fabric from Crate and Barrel outlet. I wish I didn't have to add the blues to the side to make it bigger, but my friend wanted a big quilt!

I put a label on this quilt, and called it Boston Park Quilt, so she wouldn't feel bad about using it at the park! I need to do better about labeling my quilts. Also, why is it whenever I make "random" quilts, two of the same blocks always end up next to each other?

Village Blocks for Amy

2010-03-03T08:34:00.000-08:00

Amy had such a cute idea for her turn on the quilting bee. Who wouldn't want such a cute village?

Here are some blocks that I made. I am especially happy with the house. You can check out the rest of the group's blocks here!

I am still around, just super busy. Any spare moment is spent sleeping!

Hello 2010!

2010-01-30T01:28:00.000-08:00

Oh my poor neglected blog! I hope you forgive me... I'll give you lots of photos! I have been really busy, but I have been sewing! I knitted a blanket for Chris' parents, and my sister and I sewed placemats and napkins for my mom. Both were very well received.

Lucy made it through Christmas with minimal torture from her human parents and received lots of toys and kisses. Lets just say she was pooped.

I've also been sewing all the quilting bee blocks:

But perhaps most exciting of all, Chris' mom's friend's friend had an unfinished cathedral window quilt that needed a home, and I am the lucky one who received the box! Look at all these goodies:

Recently I have been trying to catch up on my Green Tea and Sweet Beans block of the month. I will update with photos of those blocks soon!

Corgi Fair 2009!

2009-12-09T09:51:00.000-08:00

I don't think I ever posted photos from Corgi Fair this year. Lucy didn't seem to enjoy the actual fair, but she did have a lot of fun playing frisbee on the grass!

Did someone say FRISBEE?

Oh yeah, reach for it!

A little to the left...

Point those toes!

Don't worry though, not everything is pretty. Here are some outtakes... which are HILARIOUS.

Misjudged a little?

Hmmm... not quite puphead!

Best part? It never bothers her. And she's off!

Winner!!

2009-12-07T21:23:00.000-08:00

Wow, 300 comments? i think that's more than the rest of my posts combined! I should do giveaways more often!

Anyway, congratulations to Crissy of Crissybell. YAY. Email me and I'll get the prize out to you!

My first GIVEAWAY!

2009-12-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

I've never done a giveaway on my blog before, but I figure it's about time. Especially after winning a few prizes from other giveaways, it's about time to repay the good karma! And talk about good timing, Sew Mama Sew is hosting Giveaway Day!

For this giveaway, I am offering a housewife, mostly because I think the name is funny. I made it using this tutorial. Also, a half yard of this pink birdie fabric. Leave a comment, and good luck!

I will be choosing the winner by random drawing, and I will ship internationally. This giveaway is open until December 6th, 11:59 pm PST.

EDIT: Here is the pink birdie fabric. Hope you like it!

Comments now CLOSED, thanks for participating!

D-2 Mouse in a Mirror

2009-11-30T09:29:00.000-08:00

LOVE this block. I think I am starting to like hexagons. I don't think I'd make an entire quilt out of them, but they are pretty fun. This block used freezer paper to piece the outside corners, and I used a freezer paper to make hexagon templates, machine sewed them together, then appliqued to white fabric. Sounds complicated but went very smoothly.

The fabric is from Free Study Glimmer by Kristine Baerlin, and I think it called grasshopper in blue? It's hard to find information about this line now.

108-20-0-2589

D-12: Crossed Swords

2009-11-30T09:16:00.000-08:00

This one was a bit.. well wonky. I reverse appliqued the corner squares in, and they're a bit unsquare-ish. The seams there are just too thick in some places. I probably should have just done some set in seams. The rest of the block was freezer paper pieced.

Fabric is a 10" scrap from F&S Fabrics. I love dots!

107-20-0-2568

D-4: Crystal Star

2009-11-30T09:14:00.000-08:00

LOVE this block. The center is freezer paper foundation pieced, and the melons in the corners are appliqued on. They're cute! I did freezer paper inside for these, and I think they turned out ok. For the set in seams I am utterly dependant on freezer paper.

The fabric is Erin McMorris' Forest in Lime from the Wildwood collection. I bought it from Bobbin's Nest Studio, a very cute quilt shop around here.

106-20-0-2549

E-2: Merry May

2009-11-30T09:10:00.000-08:00

This block could have been easy, but I screwed things up. I finished appliqueing the center square, only to cut it too small! I ripped out the stiches and tried again. The nice thing was that the edges were already turned over for appliquing it the second time around!

The fabric is Heather Ross Underwater Sisters in Plum from her Mendocino line. I think there are a lot of Heather Ross fabrics in this row.
105-20-2532

E-12: Mary Ruth's Corset

2009-11-30T09:06:00.000-08:00

This block was pretty fun to make. Easy foundation piecing. Those pieces in the center are tiny! I did put white fabric where it was supposed to be patterned, so I had to rip it out and redo it.

The fabric is Amy Butler's Wildflowers in navy from the Daisy Chain collection. I love how the big repeat fabrics look so different in these little blocks!

104-20-0-2521

D-8: Dee Dee's Delight

2009-11-23T16:00:00.000-08:00

In contrast to the last block I did (D-1) this one really was a delight. I think I'm starting to like hand piecing much better now. It lets you enjoy the process. My points are not really that pointy, but I do like the overall result of the block! And finally, a block in fall colors. I'm so excited for Thanksgiving this week!

The block was all hand appliqued, using the back basting technique. It worked really well for this block so I didn't have to mess with the placement. The fabric was a 10" fabric scrap from F&S Fabrics.

103-20-0-2493

D-1: Alison's Guiding Light

2009-11-23T09:42:00.000-08:00

UGH. This block gave me FITS! I'm not really sure what happened, as it's a pretty easy block, but I couldn't get it right! It's still not perfect, but at least it's DONE. Yesterday we did a test turkey, and unfortunately it turned out just ok. Kind of dry. But at least it was the test turkey, not the real one!

Paper pieced, and I got the fabric from Japan when I visited. So fun!

102-20-0-2484

Flea Market Fancy Giveaway!

2009-11-21T09:46:00.000-08:00

I hope you all have signed the flea market fancy petition (bring it back!) but if you haven't, there's a giveaway now to get more people to sign it! Click on the button below!

I've recently rediscovered my love for this fabric. I started quilting about the time it was out, but didn't have a chance to stock up. I LOVE the grey seeds and would love to see it again!

D-9: Uncle Richard

2009-11-21T08:16:00.000-08:00

So I don't have an Uncle Richard, but I have a cousin named Richard. Actually, most people I know pronouce it Reee-shard, but that's ok. He's a funny little dude.

This block was foundation pieced, and the fabric was a fat quarter that I bought from the Granary.

101-20-0-2461

Green Tea and Sweet Beans BOM - Month 2!

2009-11-20T16:21:00.000-08:00

Another month's blocks finished. I really am enjoying hand-piecing these blocks. I've been trying to slow down. Hand pieced blocks, home cooked dinners. Unfortunately a clean house is what I'm sacrificing.

Garden Paths:

Lozengers:

The Japanese fabrics really are too cute. And on a side note, how did it get to be the end of November already? I want my year back!

D-5: Cathedral Window

2009-11-20T13:16:00.000-08:00

It's raining today! Which is good, because we really need the rain here in Northern California. This block was a quick and easy one, foundation pieced. The magical #100 block!

The fabric is Amy Butler's Sweet Jasmine in Navy from her Daisy Chain collection. Not my favorite collection, but it's still fun.

100-20-0-2430

RS-2: Cherokee Lee

2009-11-19T08:45:00.000-08:00

This block was fun to make. I don't know if I'm tired of the tiny pieces, but this one was nice and straight forward with wide columns. I've recently switched from using freezer paper to paper piece to using paper piecing stuff. I do not like the "paper" I'm using now, and will be switching to Carol Doak's paper after I finish up this (thankfully) small pack. It's hard to tear off, and sometimes I accidentally remove my stitches near the edges.

Today is also Lucy's birthday! She's 2 today! It has been an interesting year. I feel like she has become more scared of other dogs, and would rather play fetch than with other dogs. She has become more cuddly as it's become colder, and can be counted on as a heater under the bed covers. She is still a funny funny dog.

Fabric is Clouds in Sunset from Nest by Tula Pink for Moda.

99-20-0-2409

BR-4: Candy Dish

2009-11-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

I guess I should have picked a happier color for this block. I didn't realize it was named candy dish until after I finished! I really need to work on my points when I do applique.

Amy Butler Lacework in Sage from her Lotus line. I used this fabric originally to make a drawstring skirt.

99-19-0-2385

C-13: Lakota Sioux

2009-11-17T09:39:00.000-08:00

Ah, the last block of row 3! At this point I officially have 3 rows done. Feels nice! This block is funny because it uses two different fabrics. I had a hard time centering the seahorses, but they turned out more natural because they look like they're floating. The mermaid head on the bottom was a nice accident. I paper pieced the block, and looking at it now I could have easily swapped the order of the center piece to make placement of the seahorses easier. Oh well.

Fabric is from Heather Ross' Mermaid in Blush from the Mendocino line. The accent yellow squares are scraps from Heather Ross tadpoles.

99-18-0-2360

I-9 Chase a Myth

2009-11-16T09:29:00.000-08:00

This may be my new favorite block. It took a loooong time to make, but I love the end result. I was making it along with another very similar Civil War Diary Quilts block, also with a lot of pieces. I think most of my favorite blocks from this quilt are stripes. I think it's fun to play with the directions!

The fabric was purchased when I went down to LA for the World Baseball Classic at the Sewing Arts Center. It was in a bin of scraps that you purchased by the pound! I love it.

98-18-0-2335

G-2 Mohawk Trail

2009-11-15T08:53:00.000-08:00

What a nice and easy block. Sometimes half square triangles are fun, sometimes they are too much trouble. This block I made by paperpiecing four strips then sewing them together. I really like paper piecing, but sometimes it takes SO long! I have a secret obsession with mohawks, but would never have enough courage to actually get one. The most I do is fashion my dog's fur into a full body mohawk when giving her a bath!

The fabric was a 10" square scrap from F&S Fabrics in Los Angeles.

97-18-0-2284

C-7 Megan's Mountain Laurel

2009-11-14T08:47:00.000-08:00

Whew! This block was a tough one for me. I finished the paper pieced part of the block back in May, and couldn't bring myself to finish the appliqued diamonds until now. Those points are tough! I think I need to practice points. I am absolutely horrible at points! While doing this block, I watched "How to Steal a Million" with Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole. It was cute, and I do love Audrey. I think I need to watch some more old movies!

The fabric for this block is from my cousin, Denyse Schmidt Gold Tile from the Flea Market Fancy line. I hope they reprint the fabrics!

96-18-0-2252

L-5 Chatanooga Charlie

2009-11-13T08:49:00.000-08:00

I've had a bit of a bad week (minus the fantastic Elly Sienkiewicz class). My cyst near my left year, who has been my friend for at least 5 years, decided to get infected and I had to go to the ER to get it removed. Not fun. The good part is that since it's on the side of my face, I couldn't see them do anything. The bad part is that it might grow back and I'll have to get it removed again. I am glad that it's gone for now though, it was really uncomfortable. I will be better when it starts healing and I don't have to tape gauze to the side of my face though!

This block, unlike my ER visit, was fun. I cut the triangles a bit too small, so I used my handy dandy "Add an Eighth" ruler and it came together really well. Foundation pieced on some stuff I got from Joann's which I do not like at all. The fabric is Perched in Sunset from Nest by Tula Pink for Moda.

95-18-0-2207

F-7 Star Struck

2009-11-12T08:55:00.000-08:00

Hurray, I think it's time to bring my Dear Jane out of project time out and work on a few blocks! It's half a year since I last finished a block. Oops! Yesterday I attended a class by Elly Sienkiewicz, and it was fun and I learned a lot. She is such a lovely person and the amount of creativity in the class was amazing. I wanted to sew more as soon as I got home, but my wrist hurt from so much applique! Good thing these blocks are foundation pieced.

Fabric is Heather Ross Tadpoles in Curry. I love the frog in the middle block, he looks so confused! Kind of like me right now... really? I'm an adult now?

94-18-0-2185

Block Party!

2009-11-03T07:32:00.001-08:00

Block Party Give Away Fat Quarters
Originally uploaded by handmadebyalissa.

I am so excited. The Block Party Quilting Bee organizers are turning their bee into a quilt-along, and to kick it off they're having a giveaway! You could win these lovely drool-worthy fabrics! Check it out here.

It should be really fun, a no-pressure sort of thing since it's a quilt along, not a bee. I really loved the blocks they've made in their bees, so you should check it out. They're posting a block and variations monthly, and if you put it into the flickr pool, you have a chance of landing your photo into the book they're writing. HOW EXCITING!

Hi-yah!! Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-31T17:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from Lucy the Karate Kid!

I can see you with just one eye open!

And now I'm going to hide...

Blocks blocks and more blocks!

2009-10-27T14:57:00.001-07:00

Wow, I love making blocks! Here are the most recent ones...

For Bee Inspired:

Maverick Stars for Ann. Luckily my cousin was in town and she helped out and made a couple of blocks!

A hexagon block for Natasha. Took a lot of time, but it was fun to make. I think because of the time it took to make it was hard to mail this one off!

For Around the Block:

Two log cabins in fun springy colors for Louise. Her quilt is going to be so fun!

For the block of the month from Amitie, Green Tea and Sweet Beans, I made these:

I am really really enjoying this block of the month. It's all done by hand too!

And lastly, a new project with my quilting friends, the Civil War Diary Quilt. Here are blocks 1 and 2:

Here is what the whole quilt looks like so far.

I feel like I haven't really done much this month. Working on these little blocks is fun, but it's been so long since I've finished a quilt!

On another note, Corgi Fair is coming up, hope to see some of you bay area corgis there!

Miss March!

2009-10-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

I think dog owners always thing their dogs are the best, and of course I'm no exception with Lucy. She is the funniest (and weirdest) dog I have ever met, and I wouldn't change a thing about her. Well maybe her toy and food guarding, but everyone has a vice. Hers is being greedy.

I was so excited to learn that Kelly of Corgibutts was making a calendar with proceeds going to Lakeshore Corgi Rescue, and that Lucy's photo was picked for Miss March!

Kelly did a great job taking the leash out of the photo too. You can see the original here.

If you want to buy a calendar, here is the blog post and the direct link to buy. $5 goes to Lakeshore Corgi Rescue!

It's starting to get cold!

2009-09-15T06:38:00.000-07:00

I guess it's officially summer still, but last night I had to get an extra quilt to put on top of my summer comforter. I think it's abnormal September weather for California, but oh well. We got a new king sized bed this past weekend, and it's fantastic! Unfortunately all my quilts are now tiny. I think I'll be requesting big blocks from my quilting bees!

I have finished a few more blocks for my quilting bees for this month. Here is the second block for September for Around the Block:

Unfortunately I ran out of blue, so the block is rushing back to Australia to be finished by a very nice and very understanding Helen. You should check out some of the other houses that are showing up in the pool... they are AMAZING.

For bee inspired, here are my blocks for Karla. This was my first try at disappearing nine patches, and they're pretty fun! I think I prefer regular nine patches, but these were fun anyway. I think they are very striking with the fabric and Karla is going to have a fantastic quilt.

And sadly, my last set of blocks for Chaletgirl Blockswap! It's strange to see that I'm done... now I just have to put my own quilt together. Sheridan, thank you thank you thank you for organizing this swap, it has been so fun!

So lets see, that brings me down to 2 quilting bees and one block of the month (post to come soon!)

Around the Block: Start!

2009-09-09T08:13:00.001-07:00

So I joined another quilting bee, Around the Block, organized by Sheridan, who also organized the Chaletgirl Block Swap. All the other ladies in the group are from Australia. Should be fun! Kate started us of early and send us very very cute fabrics for a log cabin block for her little boy. Here is what I made for her:

I hope she likes them!

Bee Inspired: August

2009-08-05T13:54:00.000-07:00

Krista is/was moving, so she sent out her fabrics early. They aren't due until September, but I finished my block before July ended! She mailed everyone black and another color.

I have never made a whirlygig block before, but they're fun! I didn't want to mess with paper piecing or templates, so I drew out my plans and figured out how to machine piece it from there. The numbers turned out pretty nicely, I started with a 2"x2.5" rectangle and drew a line 1/4" from each side of the center. The littlest squares in there are 2" unfinished, and the entire block is 12.5" unfinished.

I think I like whirlygigs because the remind me of M.C. Escher.

Swaps for July

2009-07-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

I'm all caught up on my swaps!

These blocks are for the Chaletgirl Blockswap:

Love Lara's fabric. Very easy to match, and so happy to use my Kaffe to match hers!

Blocks for Loulou. I'm not so good with pink, mostly because my stash doesn't have too much of it. But I think these worked out ok.

These blocks are for bee inspired. I can't believe we've already completed 5 months!

Blocks for Barb. I LOVE the fabrics she chose. She's planning on doing a wonky bento box quilt.

Blocks for John. Made from this pattern. It's going to be GORGEOUS!

Lastly, my blocks for the Three by Three swap:

Not sure how much I like these. I tried to keep with my theme of aqua and another color (seen here for May and June), but these were a bit off. At least they're the correct size! I measured each and every one.

And here are the blocks I received for June. I am getting excited to put this quilt together. It's going to be all sorts of random and crazy!

Lucy and the (Dirty) Ball

2009-07-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

Not much Lucy going on in the blog lately, huh? Well I finally took my camera outside to the backyard as we were playing fetch. Lucy is a crazy fetcher. See?

Here are some series that we caught:

Doesn't she look happy catching?

I enjoy that she looks like she's standing up in the last photo here

That last one deserves to be blown up:

Chris says this one looks like she's a second baseman catching a line drive. But with short arms.

She gets so crazy about fetching that she has to be reminded to drink water.

Notice her making sure that her ball isn't leaving? Sometimes she just puts the ball in the water bowl to wash it off and to keep an eye on it.

She was so tired that I was able to get this shot in. Lucy has always been an extremely long corgi, so I measured her to see how long...

She is a yard long! No wonder I have no room in my bed!

We leave you with my favorite photo of the day. It could be better with some cropping, but oh well.

Three by Three!

2009-07-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

So remember these blocks?

They were for the Three by Three Swap organized by Anina of Twiddletails. It's been fun, but even more fun since I got my first batch of blocks back!

Pretty! I'm going to put these together with white sashing. I think it's going to be fabulous. I love nine patches! I think the variety of fabrics in this is awesome.

Hmm... it looks like a certain Lucy-face has claimed them as her own!

MINE!

Mendocino Dress... at last!

2009-06-30T11:58:00.001-07:00

Everyone on alert? A finished project!

I have seen this dress around the blog world, and I am so happy I am finally done. I confess, this dress gave me fits at first. It was my first time working with elastic thread. I got the thread to scrunch up, but not nearly enough. I was so frustrated that I put the dress aside for months (10, actually). In the super hot weather, I decided I wanted to finish it. I have been reading tips online so I was ready. My problem? It might have been the actual thread (I switched brands), but the main culprit was definitely that I was using too small a stitch. I had used the smallest stitch, but all the tips say use the longest stitch! It worked like a charm. Also, Heather Ross notes that it shrinks even more when you pass a steam iron over it because the elastic thread shrinks. In any case, it works now!

I need to add straps, but I already wore it for a bbq last weekend. It's fun, fast, comfortable... I didn't actually use Heather's pattern, I just took a rectangle and shirred the top. I'm sure her pattern would have helped with the pregnant look. The fabric is a sarong from Indonesia.

I also finished up my nine-block swaps, both for the Chaletgirl Block Swap and Three by Three. I think after I'm done with these my nine block obsession will be satiated.

Please notice that Nerdy Lucy has no ears!

Bee Inspired!

2009-06-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

Alright, it has been a LOOONG time since I've posted. I have an excuse though.. I haven't really done anything! I have finished these two blocks for bee inspired. That's about it.

Oh I did go to Boston to visit some friends. SO fun. And I think I was full for the entire week after we got back. They also took us to Rhode Island, which is gorgeous.

Hurray!

Oh and in wedding news, we decided to postpone the wedding another year so I will be done with my masters degree. And can be the best bridezilla I can be! Just kidding. Maybe.

Hopefully some crafting soon!

C-12 Family Reunion

2009-05-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

Mmm plaid. I never really wore much plaid, mostly flannel pajama bottoms. I'm thinking of incorporating more plaid into my wardrobe, but more of the cotton plaid as opposed to the flannel. I think some plaid and gingham shirts would be fantastic. I can't imagine my family wearing plaid to a reunion though. The majority of my family comes from Indonesia, and I don't think plaid is popular over there. It does make me laugh to imagine hundreds of my Indonesian family milling around a park in plaid...

This block was chain pieced and the fabric was a fat quarter from the Granary.

93-18-0-2164

A-12 Framed Fancy

2009-05-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty proud of this blocks. The points line up reasonable well, and there were SO many little pieces! My sister bought me a new iron for my birthday, and I love it. It's a panasonic cordless iron, and it's fantastic for piecing little pieces for these dear jane blocks.

This block uses fabric once again from my cousin's stash, but I can't remember what it was. The block is freezer paper pieced.

92-18-0-2115

A-11 Pebble's Protest

2009-05-12T11:09:00.000-07:00

I love cherry blossoms. And plum blossoms. I think they're gorgeous. One of my life goals is to go to Japan in time for the cherry blossoms. I think it will be gorgeous! I also would like to see the maple leaves in the fall, and Mt. Fuji in the winter. I've already seen fireworks in the summer. One down, four to go!

The fabric is another bit of fabric I stole from my cousin's stash. I'm not normally a pink fan, but really, who doesn't like cherry blossoms? The block is freezer paper pieced, and a little bit of hand applique for the set in squares.

91-18-0-2074

A-13 Starlight Starbright

2009-05-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

This block was fun! The fabric is Loft 1800 Bloom from Erin Michael's line for Moda. Also fabric from my cousin's stash. The block center and outside are machine pieced, and then connected by hand applique.

I'm really amazed to see that my hand applique is much faster now. I find it enjoyable. Maybe all that wishing on stars for better quilting skills helped! :p

90-18-0-2037

C-11 Soldiers and Sailors Monument

2009-05-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

I think this block turned out really well. The fabric, which was from my cousin's stash, adds a lot of movement to the block. Hopefully the yellow chalk lines will come out with the wash! The block was hand appliqued and then machine pieced.

I do like the title of this block, especially because Jane Stickle made this quilt during the Civil War. It's always important to remember the people who gave their lives for their beliefs.

89-18-0-2016

Big News!!

2009-05-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

Whew! It's been busy. And I haven't even been sewing or knitting!

Chris and I went on a lovely trip to Portland. I love the city. We didn't see very much of it, but just walking around was pretty fantastic. We ate a lot, walked a lot.. and probably most exciting...

We're engaged! We got engaged at the Japanese Gardens and it was all pretty fabulous. We've been dating for 8 years now, and everyone who I called responded with something like "FINALLY". Here are attempts of taking photos after we got engaged... We were in a rush and I had the wrong lens on... whoops!

And here is a better photo of the two of us.. after dinner and on the Burnside Bridge..

Portland, you're great! Thanks for the fantastic weather while we were there!!

Tr-9 Needle's Point

2009-05-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

This triangle was interesting to make. Most of the block was hand appliqued, with a little bit of machine applique to make the tip of the needle. The fabric is Amy Butler's Peony in Lime from her Lotus line, also from my cousin's stash.

This block reminded me of Maui and the 'Iao Needle. It's a natural rock pinnacle in the West Maui Mountains. The green of the fabric seemed to be a perfect match to the green needle.

88-18-0-2004

M-2 Duff's Bluff

2009-05-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

Hmm, looking at my scan of this block, I am not sure what those gross marks are. Hopefully they'll wash out! Looks suspiciously like pizza sauce. In any case, this block was freezer paper pieced, and the fabric was stolen from my cousin's stash in LA. Chances are you recognize it, it's Denyse Schmidt's Ribbon Flowers in Azure from her Katie Jump Rope line.

While making this block, I was trying to decide if Duff has either a seaside cliff house with a bluff, or made a big lie to someone. I'm going to say he has an awesome view, and chose the blue fabric as a result.

88-17-0-1995

C-10 Patriot's Latern

2009-05-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

I love this fabric too. Something about polka dots make me so happy! This came from my foraging through my cousin's stash on my trip down to LA. The block was freezer paper pieced.

This block makes me think of the Paul Revere poem. "One if by land, two if by sea..." I used to have the whole thing memorized, but now I can only remember one or two lines. I remember being VERY excited when we went to Boston and walked the Liberty Trail and we walked by the bell tower where the lanterns were hung. History is so fascinating!!

87-17-0-1974

RS-12 Linda's Church in the Valley

2009-05-04T09:42:00.000-07:00

Ah. It's nice to get back to sewing. This block was made with Valorie Well's Little Rose in Teal from her Olive Rose line. I love this line of fabric! It was freezer paper pieced and went together surprisingly well.

This block does remind me a bit of a church steeple...

86-17-0-1937

2009 Blogger's Quilt Festival

2009-04-17T08:27:00.001-07:00

Alright, here is my entry for the Quilt Festival! It's an old quilt, but still my favorite:

It's my Half Moon Bay quilt. Previous post here. It's been almost 2 years since I made this quilt, and I still love it because of the colors. Many of the quilts I've made since then tend to go along the lines of my wardrobe... max 3 colors at a time. Yes, it's BORING.

So thanks to this quilt, it's obvious I like patterns and colors. Probably something I should keep in mind for future quilts!

Spring to Finish!

2009-04-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

So Jacquie, my fellow Common Threads Quilting Bee member, has come up with a fantastic idea.

I don't know how she does it. She started Project Improv, keeps up with multiple quilting bees and still comes up with new ideas! She is starting to put together her blocks she received from Common Threads, and it looks great!

So back to Spring to Finish. Basically, Jacquie has a lot of UFOs, and using the rest of April to finish at least some of them. She invited us to join along, with prizes too! What a fantastic idea, as I just counted my UFOs and I think I have 24 or something like that.

Here are the two things I am definitely going to finish:

My Christmas-y Mystery Quilt. This one I ran out of steam on. Or more correctly, I ran out of thread. I only have 1/4 of the quilt left to quilt, and then bind it, then it's done!

Alright, this one was a Yellow Brick Road gone wrong. I cut some pieces incorrectly, so it's a lot more patchy than the original pattern, but it's still ok. My original idea was to make the blanket seem like grass (hence the shades of green) and then machine applique some minky sheep on there using Oh Fransson's method (link to tutorial here). I'm not really liking the greens, but I need to finish the quilt anyway. The sheep idea came after I saw this quilt on flickr. This quilt is a UFO from September of 2006, so it will be a relief to get it done. I have the minky, the top, and even the backing fabric. I just need a kick in the butt.

Ok, here goes! Hopefully in 3 weeks I will have at least these two things done!

City of Angels

2009-03-31T08:45:00.000-07:00

So a couple of weekends ago, I went down to LA to watch the World Baseball Classic. It was a fantastic experience. It was AMAZING how spirited the fans were! We were rooting for Japan, and they won! Chris caught a baseball. We were sitting in the South Korea section (by accident), and we had made posters, but since we were so outnumbered we didn't use them. Thank goodness, because those posters prevented the baseball from rolling out of our aisle!

We stayed at my cousin's house in Santa Monica, and when I wasn't at a baseball game, we were eating or looking for fabric shops. Here is my loot for the weekend...

From F&S Fabrics, I got some yardage of bamboo knits for shirts and dresses, scraps (25 cents a piece) for Dear Jane, another bobbin saver for my featherweight, and some rickrack to make some napkins.

From the Sewing Arts Center in Santa Monica (GREAT store), I got some fabrics for my Dear Jane, and transfer paper so I can make those ornaments I never finished last year...

And best of all, I got to raid my cousin's scrap pile! I see more Dear Jane blocks! Thanks Cousin!

Mmmm... ninepatches...

2009-03-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

Here are my first set of nine patches for Chaletgirl's Block Swap. It was fun to try to match fabric from my stash to these. Hope they like them!! They seem huge after the Dear Jane blocks, 9.5 x 9.5 unfinished.

More photos of blocks (separated by owners) here.

A-9 Cabin Fever

2009-03-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

This block has a ton of little pieces! It was pretty fun to make though. I like log cabins (the quilt block, I don't think I've ever stayed in a real log cabin), but they take so long to make. As a HUGE fan of chain piecing, log cabins just seem so inefficient! I do like the final result though, and this block really did turn out well.

The fabric is from my cousin's stash, and is Alexander Henry's Country Road Check in blue. It worked out really well for this block. The block was freezer paper pieced.

86-16-0-1906

Dear Jane Progress - 101 Blocks!

2009-03-25T10:37:00.001-07:00

I am all caught up with the quilt along!

I guess all my frantic sewing the past 2 months have paid off. Now what am I going to do with all my free time?

TR-8 Brigadoon

2009-03-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

This block was humbling. I thought I was getting the hang of hand applique, and then this block comes along. The points were so difficult! It actually doesn't look too bad when looking at the photo of it, but it was tough. I feel like the fabric will start fraying at the points, but oh well. It's done! :)

The fabric is from the Sonnet Collection by Moda, used for my Half Moon Bay quilt. Most of the block was hand reverse appliqued, and the very top piece was machine pieced on.

85-16-0-1861

G-5 Poof

2009-03-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

Whew this block is cutting it close. You can't tell because I crop the photo to the finished size, but there is VERY little seam allowance on this one. It's because I made it from a charm square (of Anna Maria Horner's fabulous Small Gathering in Citrus from her Good Folks line). I have at least 1/8 inch on each edge, so it should be ok. I will probably be using Oh Fransson's trick of ironing freezer paper onto the block so I have a 5 inch square when I am sewing the blocks together.

This block does make me smile though. It reminds me of cotton balls, and really, how can you look at that fabric and not smile?

85-15-0-1858

H-12 Hannah Lou's Hearts

2009-03-25T09:00:00.001-07:00

This block was fun. It was made using hand applique with freezer paper on top. The fabric was bought as a fat quarter from the Granary, but no idea what is is. It is cute though!

This block was made as part of my trip down to LA to watch the World Baseball Classic. SO much fun. I cannot believe how crazy excited fans from South Korea were. Japanese fans were excited too, but not as well organized. In the end, Japan retained their Championship status from 2006. I guess we'll see where USA ends up in 3 years!

84-15-0-1850

I-4 Stability

2009-03-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

Another favorite block. I think I liked blocks that have curved piecing and regular straight piecing together. This block was made with the center piece hand appliqued with freezer paper on top and the outside pieces freezer paper pieced. The fabric is a fat quarter from the Granary, another colorway of the fabric used in Brandon's Star.

I have been taking yoga on and off for a couple years now, and I have the most trouble with balance poses. Especially that tree one on one leg. I am definitely not stable. Maybe this block is something that I should be imagining when I'm practicing yoga. A nice wide balance between yellow and white, curved and straight.

83-15-0-1845

A-10 Which Points West

2009-03-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

I think this is one of my favorite blocks. And I definitely couldn't have done it without the tutorial that Anina made. The block was made with careful machine piecing and a lot of turning to one side or another with set in seams and applique. Whew! No wonder I did a couple steps and then put it aside for a month.... The fabric is from Heather Ross' Mendocino line.

I love the title of this block because Chris has no sense of direction whatsoever. Good thing we got a GPS. I LOVE it. It's really handy for when you're in a strange place and you get a little peckish. The best part is when it has trouble with pronouncing names. Dairy seems to be especially hard.

82-15-0-1820

G-1 Hattie's Hen House

2009-03-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

The title of the block reminds me of Hawaii. Must be all those Hilo Hattie's everywhere. It's funny to imagine that Hattie has a hen house somewhere too. Must be a lot of chickens!

This block was made with Amy Butler's Pressed Flowers in Turquoise from her Daisy Chain line. The block was machine pieced and freezer paper on top appliqued.

81-15-0-1806

F-6 Deanie's Daisies

2009-03-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

I was terrified of this block because of the TINY applique in the center. While still not perfect, at least it's done! I used freezer paper on top for the applique and freezer paper piecing for the rest of the block. The fabric was a charm square of Anna Maria Horner's Filigree in Dust from her Good Folks line.

Daisies have always made me happy. In fact, all through high school Gerbera (aka African) Daisies were my favorite flower.

80-15-0-1798

D-11 Snow Crystal

2009-03-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

Mmm. Snow. Living in California, I don't see snow unless I actively go to find it. I usually find it too cold, but there really is something magical about those snowflakes. One of my favorite activities when I was younger was to make those paper snowflakes. None of them were as simple and classic looking as this one. They usually had hearts and happy faces and other random stuff.

This block was made by freezer paper piecing (with set in seams!) and hand applique. The fabric is Alexander Henry's Hollywood in Turquoise. It's very art deco, and it was fun to fussy cut it for this block.

79-15-0-1769

L-4 St. George's Cross

2009-03-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

This block is one of those blocks that I noticed when I first started making the quilt. How was I supposed to do it? It seemed like a simple nine patch, but with those extra white lines... I was at a loss. Thanks to the quilt-along though, it is now simple again. I cannot imagine making these blocks without paper piecing (even though it is still not that accurate) and I am amazed by how many skills I have learned so far in making this quilt.

The fabric is what I am using for my nine-patch swap, Anna Maria Horner's Fortune in Sea, from her Good Folks line. It is paper pieced.

78-15-0- 1752

M-8 Enchanted Square

2009-03-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

When I was younger, I loved math puzzles and "magic squares" where you had to put the right numbers in the right places. I find it funny that I'm not really a fan of Sudoku. This block reminded me of those math problems. How many squares to you see in this picture? Something about it being enchanted really makes me happy.

The fabric is from my Half Moon Bay quilt, which was made out of Sonnet by April Cornell for Moda. This particular one was something like orange polka dots, but I see it more of a salmon color. I used it as the binding on my quilt. Block was freezer paper pieced, and I am thrilled with the results.

77-15-0-1731

I-3 Family Album

2009-03-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

I really really really like how this block turned out. I feel like it's looking out a window onto some beautiful scenery. It's just so calming. And it's fitting that it's a paint by numbers fabric, because I feel like it's like a beach or something I would watercolor.

The fabric is from Jacquie via the Common Threads Quilting Bee. She sent this fabric (Day Dream in sky from Erin Michael's Lush line for Moda) as part of the fabric we were to make her blocks out of. I had this piece left over, and loved it so much that I kept it to use for a Dear Jane block. Thanks Jacquie! The block is freezer paper pieced.

Edit: Updated 3/23 because I realized that the borders are supposed to be the main fabric, not white! I still love it!

76-15-0-1696

BR-13 Argyle

2009-03-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

I loooooove argyle. Chris thinks it's a bit weird. I love it in brown, so I chose this brown fabric. It's from Heather Ross' Mendocino line again. I remember in college, we were playing trivia pursuit, and my roommate had gotten to the point where her game piece had pink and brown wedges in it. I definitely remember the my roommate saying something like "Pink and Brown go so well together. It's the best color combination." Well looks like she's right. Add a little orange, a few octopi and seahorses and you've got something pretty fabulous!

This triangle was freezer paper pieced and I am pleasantly surprised at the points.

75-15-0-1675

H-10 Ben's Bowtie

2009-03-17T09:17:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend, Chris' little sister had her Presentation for NCL. It was a bit like a debutante ball when the young ladies are presented to society. Chris' dad had to wear a tux, and he mentioned that that it was only his third time ever wearing a tux. He had a normal black bowtie, but imagine if he had one made out of this red fabric!

The fabric is Alexander Henry's Sunny Side. I loved this fabric when I saw it going around the blog world and was SO excited to see it at Joann's. I still love it. It looks better when you see the whole print. The block was machine pieced and freezer paper pieced.

75-14-0-1656

F-13 Tour de France

2009-03-17T09:02:00.000-07:00

When I hear "Tour de France", I immediately think of the bike race. But literally translated, it means Tour of France. I really enjoyed Paris when I visited. I won't say France, because I am sure that other parts of the country are very different from the capital city, but still, Paris was amazing. The Eiffel tower was as wonderful as I had imagined. The food was fantastic. And I don't think the people were rude either. It was amazing to just walk around the city and museums and take in all the culture. I think my favorite part of that city was going to Centre Pompidou and seeing the paintings by Vassily Kandinsky. He became my favorite painter during my college years and I even had a poster of one of his paintings in my room.

This block was made from a charm square of Anna Maria Horner's Polka Line in Raspberry from her Garden Party line. I used the freezer paper on the inside method for this block.

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D-7 Meeting Place

2009-03-16T16:51:00.000-07:00

Alright, so this block was a nice easy one, freezer paper pieced. The fabric is Alexander Henry's Bird Seed in aqua. There's a bit too much white in the pattern for this block, but I like how it lines up on the bottom right corner.

I do like birds in fabrics. Most animals actually. For some reason I'm not really a fan of butterfly motifs, although I do like real ones. We went to visit a butterfly garden in Penang, and it was amazing. Huge butterflies everywhere! At one point, one landed on the back of someone we were traveling with, and surprisingly, it stayed there for about 2 minutes.

73-14-0-1625

E-3 Paddle Wheels

2009-03-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Hurray! I love this block. I used one charm square of Anna Maria Horner's Festival in Dusk from her Good Folks line. I love the turquoise and the gray together. Something about her fabric is just so bright and happy. I think it's because it reminds me of the song Young Folks by Peter, Bjorn and John. It's the song with the whistling. What a good song.

Anyway, this block was machine pieced. A nice change from all the freezer paper piecing.

72-14-0-1612

K-1 Crooked Creek

2009-03-13T10:28:00.002-07:00

Every year my family goes to Yosemite for the fourth of July, and when I was little, I remember spending all of my time playing in the Merced River that runs through some of the campsites. I remember rafting down the river. It's a different experience now, but when I was growing up California was going through a drought, so the river was pretty low. I remember places in the river where there were rocks everywhere... this block reminded me a bit of that.

The fabric is Amy Butler's Daisy Bouquet in turquoise from her Daisy Chain line. The block was freezer paper pieced.
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G-3 Four Leaf Clover

2009-03-13T10:28:00.001-07:00

Ah, another jury duty block. I chose this fabric because the background pattern in the fabric echoed the applique, but the pattern was so big it was hard to see. The fabric is Giant Octopi in orange from Heather Ross' Mendocino collection. I did the freezer paper on top method to applique the pieces down.

I recently bought some applique needles, and they make a huge difference. When I use bigger size needles I can definitely feel my fingers working more. My current favorite needles are the John James straw needles in size 11. I like my needles long, and I like to buy a lot of them because I tend to lose them.

70-14-0-1565

Quilting Bee Updates

2009-03-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

I made another block for the Bee Inspired Quilting Bee. This one is for Dianah, who is making a quilt of vacation homes. This one was different from the rest of the blocks I've made because she supplied us with a pattern and the fabric. I think the houses will be cute together. She sent me a striped brown fabric and a leafy fabric, so I imagine this vacation home is a log cabin with a thatched roof.

Also, I am going to be sending out my fabric for Chaletgirl's Block Swap today. This is the nine patch swap that I mentioned before. I am using Anna Maria Horner's Fortune in Sea, from her Good Folks line. There is something that I really like about this line of fabric. I think it will make interesting nine-patches, as it is a pretty large print.

I am so excited for these swaps! Hurray!

Common Threads: My Month!!

2009-03-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

I'm early, but I'm so excited that it's my month for Common Threads! I put up my specifications here, which are pretty much anything goes. I mailed out my packages last Friday since this week is abnormally busy for me and I wanted everyone to get their packages by the 15th.

Funny story though, when I was in line at the post office, one of the ladies in line asked if I was sending out college applications. And then the post office man asked if I was an ebay seller. They were both a little incredulous that I was sending fabric to friends I met online.

H-7 Bennington Star

2009-03-09T06:38:00.000-07:00

I decided to make this block with stripes after seeing another block, and it turned out great! I didn't realize how much more brain power you need to make sure you are aligning the stripes correctly. I think the effect is worth it.

The fabric is from the shop hop of 2008. I bought the fabric from the Hand Maden, a cute shop in Pacific Grove. I bought a half yard, and neither end said who make the fabric. Freezer paper pieced, for more accuracy. I just realized that those points didn't match up quite right. Oh well, it's finished. A bit wonky.

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K-10 Quandry

2009-03-09T06:36:00.000-07:00

I didn't like this block so much when I saw Jane's, but I think sewing it made me appreciate the pattern more. It really did look like a quandry to me. Why did she make this block? Did she purposefully spell it "quandry" instead of quandary? In any case it was fun to make.

The fabric was another fat quarter from my local quilt shop, the Granary. Once again I did not get a selvedge edge. It is cute though.

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L-1 Widow's Pane

2009-03-08T03:14:00.000-07:00

Another nice and easy freezer paper pieced block. The fabric is from the Granary, and it's Bunny Buds on Stems in the green colorway by In the Beginning Fabrics. I think it's so cute.

The neighborhood of the house where I grew up was known as the "bunny neighborhood". We used to have escaped pet bunnies running around, and it was not uncommon to see bunnies scampering across the front lawn. They were very cute, but it made it a bit difficult to go rollerblading with my Samoyed, Sunny. Whenever she saw a bunny, she would take off after it, even if I was holding the other end of the leash.

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K-13 Brandon's Star

2009-03-07T03:04:00.000-08:00

This block was nice and easy. The nine patch in the center was strip pieced, and the rest was freezer paper pieced. The fabric is from the Granary, but unfortunately I was not lucky enough to get a selvedge edge.

I think my favorite block is a nine patch. I just signed up for a nine patch block swap that I'm very excited for. There is something so simple that I really like about the block. Or maybe I'm just lazy and I like them because they're easy to put together?

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Quilting Bee Blocks

2009-03-07T03:00:00.000-08:00

So I am now part of three quilting bees. How fun. These are nice because they get me to the sewing machine, even if I'm in a sewing rut.

Common Threads blocks:

I'm super excited, next month is my month! I bought my fabric so long ago, it will be a bit of a surprise for me too.

And my bee inspired block:

This block was fun to make. Rachel asked for pinwheels. This block seemed huge after all those Dear Jane blocks I have been making!

M-13 Lynette's Diamond

2009-03-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

This block was fun. The four quadrants were pieced by hand while I was waiting for jury duty! E-1 Aunt Exie's Phlox was also completed during jury duty. This was my first time that I was required to go to the courthouse and it was a good experience. I wasn't selected to the jury, but it was interesting anyway.

The fabric is from the Granary, and isn't a fabric that I would usually choose but I loved it anyway. I am not sure what it is, but it reminds me of Hawaii. I think it's the lush plants and the rich colors. This block is also special to me, not only because it's the last block (lower right corner), but it's the block that is closest to my name! Lynn, Lynette, close enough.

65-14-0-1451

L-8 Box Kite

2009-03-06T09:39:00.000-08:00

This block was easy. Freezer paper pieced. The fabric is Heather Bailey's Finery in Cream from her first line, Freshcut. I am not sure how I found her blog, but through it I found Anna Maria Horner's, and they are great inspiration. I definitely use more color now after reading their blogs.

So kites are funny. My dad taught me how to fly kites when I was younger, and I remember flying a kite in our front yard on windy days. I even entered a competition and won a 2nd place trophy for kite flying! I also remember reading Snoopy and wondering why Charlie Brown always seemed to have so much trouble flying kites...

64-14-0-1439

E-1 Aunt Exie's Phlox

2009-03-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

So I have been dreading doing this block. Not sure why, because I have done melons before, and I have done applique. For this one, I did the freezer paper on the inside method. It was not too bad. The only thing I did incorrectly was that I marked lines with a disappearing marker, then ironed over it. Whoops! I think I set the lines. Could be worse though, at least the lines match the colors of the fabric! I will definitely be using this method again, although I think I get better points with the freezer paper on top.

Once again the fabric is from Heather Ross' Mendocino line. I bought a stack of 6 inch squares of the entire line, and they sit right in front of me, so whenever I can use one of those squares to complete a block that's what I grab.

63-14-0-1424

K-4 Thea's Turn

2009-03-05T08:11:00.000-08:00

This block isn't quite right. There is too much white in the fabrics so you can't really see the triangles too well. It doesn't have the same feeling as Jane's original block, but it's still fun.

The fabric is Amy Butler's French Wallpaper in orange from her Belle collection. I'm pretty sure I got the fat quarter in a pack from Willow Tree Quilts, which unfortunately closed a couple years ago.

62-14-0-1419

F-4 Old Windmill

2009-03-05T08:10:00.000-08:00

Ah, sometimes it's nice to do an easy block. It makes me so happy when I go to measure it and I don't have to fudge anything.

Freezer paper pieced, fabric is a fat quarter from the Granary. Not sure what it is, but I LOVE the color!

61-14-0-1399