Cake Decorating Class

So not exactly quilting related, but I did take a cake decorating class a few weeks ago with my friend Ingrid.  It was at Dragonfly Cakes, and it was really fun.































We were provided with two 6 inch cake rounds, which we cut in half and buttercream-ed together to create a four layer cake.  Then we covered it all with a crumb coat, then a final coat, and then finally some fondant.



I created tons of triangles out of scrap fondant, and arranged them on my cake.



Looks kind of like a quilt, right?



In any case, the class was really fun.  I doubt I'll ever use fondant on my cakes I make at home, but it was entertaining for the class.  The buttercream portion of the class was informative, and next time I make a full layered cake I'll definitely feel more confident.

February Free Motion Quilting Challenge

Wow I'm behind again.  February's challenge for SewCalGal's Free Motion Quilt Challenge was fantastic.  It was by Diane Gaudynski who taught us how to do feathers her way.  Unfortunately the tutorial for her month was only up in February, so you can't access it now, but it was very interesting.  If I have a chance to take a class I would love to take one from her.



The feathers were interesting in that you do not sew over your previous feather line, but rather combine it with some sort of echo quilting.



My biggest problem is that I have trouble with the shapes of the feathers.  Instead of a gently curving, elegant feather, I have a huge mass or something.  Oh well.  You have to practice to learn, right?  I did buy a feather template, Infinite Feathers, so hopefully this will help me in the future.

I am always extremely impressed when I see feather quilting.  This is definitely something I would like to improve!

GT&SB BOM. Last of the applique blocks...

I can't believe I'm actually making progress on this quilt!

I am done with the all applique blocks (not the border), and finished the double drunkard's paths.  All I have left is one more block, the fillers, and the border!  AND... it's only February!  Here are my latest blocks:
 


And because it's fun, here is the progress to date!
 
The end is in sight!

And we're back!

Has anyone else had their blog taken down by blogger before?  I had to submit a "NOT SPAM" report and they had to reinstate my blog.  How odd.

Anyway, we're now back!  Of course I didn't notice that my blog was gone until January 31st, the day that the entry for the January challenge for SewCalGal's Free Motion Quilting Challenge was due.  I posted my photo to the flickr group and put that in the linky instead.    This post is just to catch up.  This month, Frances Moore was the teacher.  She did a video on how to do a leaf pattern.  The goal of the month was to "learn and/or improve your FMQ skills by practicing the design that Frances has shared in her video tutorial."  I haven't FMQ-ed in a long time, so this was a nice first challenge.

I had problems making a nice heart shaped leaf, but when I concentrated it seemed to get better.  For better or worse, I am not picky about my free motion quilting, so this is fine with me.  I did seem to be fighting my machine.  I think I need to change my needle, and my timing might be off.  Next time I'll try using the foot pedal instead of the start/stop button, but for now I don't think it's too bad!

Here is the front of my quilt sandwich:

Here is the back, it seems to show up a little better:

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!

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

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

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!