September Round-Up

This month has been rather productive.  I have worked on lots of projects and there are two that I will not show just yet. Of course, neither of those two are finished.

September started with making binding.

Then that binding was added to this quilt for a finish!

I just love it.

Then I shared my September Island Batik Ambassador challenge quilt.

The Absurd Bird
made using the Accuquilt Block on Board Spiderweb die.

Next on my agenda was working on a UFO from 2016.  I am happy to say that it is now this completed quilt.

I even ordered some labels so that I can label my quilts easily.

But in between working on that quilt and finishing it, I took a bit of time to weave a scarf.  This one was woven on a rigid heddle loom. 

Another project that was sneaked in between working on the quilt and finishing it was this pillow.

I used fabrics that were in my Make it Modern quilt and gave the quilt and pillow as a wedding present.  The groom had his mother send me this photo that one of the photographers took at the wedding. 

I think it is a pretty good picture of me.  

I have also been taking Spanish lessons for over a year.  I missed one day, so my Duolingo only shows 312 consecutive days... but I started in June of 2018. 
Estoy aprendiendo español.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Another Quilt Finished!

From the UFO stack to the finished stack -and yes it has a label.

This quilt started in March of 2016. The block sections were piece and quilted for a class on what was then Craftsy.  The class is Free Motion Quilting Essentials by Christina Cameli.   Classes with Christina really improved my quilting.

I got the side pieces attached and started to cut the binding when I realize that there wasn't enough of any of the fabrics I had to do the full binding.  So I opted to do a pieced binding with three fabrics. One is a blue, one is a red on white print and the last one is a yellow batik from Island Batiks.  I think it came out great.

The color isn't true on either of the above photos although I did try to correct it.
The back of this quilt is almost as fun as the front.

I choose to back the added borders with a combination of fabrics from the front and the back since I had small pieces of all of them.  You can see some of the piecing from the front shining through onto the back in this photo. The sun was really bright.

I had recently ordered some labels from Border City Quilts on Etsy.   She has several options to choose from.  I got forty of these sew on labels and I love them.

These labels are backed with a laminate to prevent fraying so I simply stitched around it to attach it.  If I had gotten them before I bound the quilt I would have had one edge sewn in the binding....but I can do that next time (if I remember in time!) At least now I can label my quilts quickly.

Oh yes, these photos are after the quilt was washed and dried in the dryer. So, I know that the label will hold up to the usual machine care.

This quilt makes me so happy with the bright colors and fun quilting. I also love the scrappy binding as it just adds a bit more to the "happy circus" of color in this quilt.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Improv Mania

For several years I have used improv piecing as a way to feed my creative soul.  I make chunks of fabric and put them aside for "later."  It is a great way to try out techniques, use up scraps and just have something to do without having to plan or feel like you need to finish.

Then the day comes when you say - "Let me see if I can sew all of these together."  And then proceed to do so.  (Honesty moment:  okay, not all of them - but some of them.)  After getting a bunch of pieces into one larger piece,  what next? 

I added borders. Here is how it ended on this occasion.

My plan (right now anyway) is to quilt this section and then to square it up. It isn't square at all right now. I discovered that as I was folding it to put away for the day.  Later, I will add more pieces and put them around this section to make it larger.  Of course, time can change plans and ideas.  So for now, this is "fermenting and growing" for a while.

Do you leave pieces to mature until the idea blossoms into a sure plan?  Would you consider that a valid method for working? 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Still Amazed

Seriously, I have been weaving for over five years.  But I am still amazed when I take a variety of yarns/threads....

................. and through some magical process they become fabric.

Even though I know the process and have even taught others to do it;  I am still amazed that it works.  It still seams like magic to me. It is a bit like spinning straw into gold.  Is it simple minded of me to keep that amazement?   Perhaps when it stops being magic, I will stop having the desire to create.  But wait - creation is magic, isn't it?

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Some Weekend Sewing- One Step Closer

This weekend we attended the wedding of my nephew (brother's stepson) so I didn't get a lot accomplished.  But I did make a plan (finally) for my October Island Batik Ambassador challenge piece.  You will see more about that at a later date.   I may show some work leading up to it.

What I am going to show you today are the side pieces to the quilt-as-you-go quilt that I am working on.  I had the top parts pieced when you last saw it. Now I have pieced and added backing and batting and they are quilted! 

Each section measures 4 3/4" wide. That will add 9 1/2" to the width of the quilt and make it a more pleasing size to snuggle with.
In case you don't remember, here is the quilt with the pieces just laid by it before they were quilted.

I think this will be a fun quilt to have on my recliner or sofa for snuggling up with when the weather finally changes from this blistering heat to "brrrr, I'm cold." 
I hope your weekend has been fun and maybe a little productive, too.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

A Quick Project Finish

While going through some UFOs and some other packages of "stuff,"  I found leftovers from an Island Batik Ambassador project.  These were pieces that were sewn but didn't make it into the quilt. So, I decided to make a pillow to (somewhat) match the quilt.  I only needed to sew a few seams and it was ready to be quilted.  I love a quilted pillow top.  Then it is a few quick steps to make the pillow.

It will go nicely with my Island Batik May project - the Modern scrappy quilt

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

UFO - Moving Forward

Most quilters have UFOs (UnFinished Objects.)  This quilter is no different.  For a weekend at a friend's house, I grabbed a bag with what I thought was one particular unfinished project. When I arrived and opened the bag, it was a different project.  But I am happy that I grabbed the "wrong" bag.  This one is a quilt that was in five sections that needed joining together.  All the necessary fabrics were also in the bag (yaaay!)

You can read some of the backstory on this quilt here. 

One of the five sections

The reason that I did this in sections is that it makes quilting much easier on a domestic machine.  I have to say that I think this may be some of the best quilting I have ever done. I join these using the method in Maguerita McManus' book "Quilt As You Go -reimagined"   It is my favorite 'quilt as you go' technique.

I have a lot of quilting designs in this one quilt.   

When I got it all joined together, I realized why it had become a UFO.  You see it is an odd size - long and narrow.

So I said to myself,  "Okay fellow, you know you can come up with a solution to this. Think!"  Adding side borders seemed pretty obvious at this point. So I took leftover pieces of the blue, red, yellow and lavender and made 3" borders for each side.  "Hmmm..." I said,   "Fellow, those are going to be a royal pain in the patootie to quilt at that size. Back to the drawing board."  I looked at the leftover fabric, and did some calculating and decided the blue would look nice added to it.
So I sewed 2 1/2" strips of blue to the sides of the piano key borders. Here is what it will look like eventually.

I will probably bind it in red or yellow - depending on what I have enough of in my stash.  I think this quilt looks like it belongs in a circus - because of the bright red, blue and yellow colors.  But that is okay, I like it that way.

If you missed my September Post "The Absurd Bird" please go to see it.

Linking up with The Inquiring Quilter.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Child's Play -The Absurd Bird - Island Batik

Welcome to my take on the Island Batik Ambassadors' September Challenge.   We were challenged to make a juvenile inspired quilt using Island Batik Fabrics and an Accuquilt Block on Board die that was supplied to us in our July shipment.  The block I received is the Accuquilt Spiderweb 6" finished die.
Confession time - I saw this die and said "What can I make with that except a Halloween quilt???!?!"  So I was determined that my quilt would not be overtly "halloween."  I wish that I were a writer of children's books.  You see after lots of playing with ideas and what ifs, and Electric Quilt designing software, I saw a full fledged character.   He needs a book to tell his story.

 May I present to you------The Absurd Bird!

In my mind, he is a type of super hero, although just a bit off kilter. 

I had a wonderful time using the Spiderweb die

and the wonderful bundle of Island Batik fabrics - Electric Desert - designed by Jackie Kunkel. 

I cut lots of pieces using the Spiderweb die.

Then I sewed several spiderweb sections. 

And I constructed the bird's face.

As you can see, the entire rectangle that makes his face is all "spiderweb" blocks. 

I cut his spiky "hair" with another Accuquilt Go! half square triangle die. 

I used that same die for his beak/neck.   

Then I used other dies to make his body and wings and the top and bottom "slanted checkerboard." 

For the outer borders, I used strip dies and a small tumbler die. 

The bird really wanted to fly around and play. So we went to a local park where he 

enjoyed the kids playground. 

Then the Absurd Bird went to a small dogwood tree to rest for a bit. 

 But the sun was very strong and hot here in Alabama on an early September day,

 so we decided to go home.

But here are a few more pictures - just in case you haven't seen enough just yet. 

Tumblers in the outer border.

Fun quilting textures

More texture in the quilting

 For now, the Absurd Bird wishes you happy quilting and lots of smiles. 

Note:
Quilt Details:  Designed, Pieced and Quilted by Gene Black.
Quilt Size: 44" by 61"
Batting: Hobbs Heirloom Cotton
Fabrics: Island Batik
Thread: Aurifil.

The fabrics, batting, cutting die and thread were supplied to me at no cost as an Island Batik Ambassador.       

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.