sewtakeahike

the storyteller completed and colorful crochet

 

Thank-you all for your sweet comments about this quilt in my last post!  You all made my day!

This last week, I've had limited use of the computer while my husbands parents have been visiting.  Since my sewing/computer room switches to a guest room when we have company, I have not been keeping up on all your blogs as much as I like, but I will be back visiting soon! 

To prepare for their visit, we moved my serger table and fabric shelf (which has wheels, thank-God!) out and moved the bed in. 

 

They were gracious enough to allow me to use their room for sewing, and I am happy to have the storyteller completed.  The quilting is random, including top stitching around each flower and center and free motion eiffel towers and flowers.  Here's a close up of one of the eiffel towers.  You have to look close since it's white on white.

 

I wanted this quilt to have lots of dimension, meaning there will be some things that pop out, but some things will have to be "found".

I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I finished the top and bottom with the points, but am happy with the way it ended up.  I did have to bind this quilt completely by hand, my first time ever doing that.  It was a little daunting at first, but flew by quickly as I made some progress.  I'm very happy that process is done :).

Alrighty then, I should be back to visiting you all within the next week, so until then, I hope your days are as sweet as these little flowers I'm crocheting for an afghan I'm making!  ***edited to add link for flower pattern (this link is for the pattern to the first round of the flower.  Go to the next days post on Sarah's blog to get the next round, and so forth.) 

strip quilt progress and the storyteller

 

These last two weekends have been a whirlwind of quilt (top)-making for me. Here is the strip quilt I pieced last weekend waiting to be backed, quilted and bound. 

 

it ended up measuring 60 X 73 and I will hopefully have it done in the next two weeks.  My husbands parents are coming to visit this week, so hopefully I will be able to carve out some time to work on it.

THIS weekend I did something I never thought I would ever do.  I made a hexagon quilt top (out of 5 inch hexagons which are pretty big, but still!)   I never wanted to make one because I thought I would have to hand sew it together.  And that just wasn't going to happen.  I love to sew, but i like to go fast!  When I found this link via Kathy at Pink Chalk Studio, my dilemma had been solved.  I could in fact machine piece hexagons with the info given there.  Hurray!  I do love a good hexagon quilt and I am totally in love with this process. 

I'm not usually one to plan a project too much, I usually just start cutting and sewing and see what I end up with.  I decided to go a different route with this quilt top though.  It's a birthday gift for my dearest friend (who has been banned from reading my blog until I complete and give it to her)  who is very intentional with most everything she does.  So in honor of being intentional (but still random) and honing my ability to be patient and actually plan, I picked up all the hexes I had haphazardly arranged on the floor and started laying them out in flowers.  The next part nearly killed me.  I had to leave out half of the hexes I had cut out and cut more of a background color.  (I tried to get a really good photo, but there's some weird shadowing at the top right corner, along with the ends of the clothespins)

  

I'm calling this quilt "the Storyteller".  Each piece of fabric in this quilt has a story.  The fabrics were either given to me or is a fabric that Glynis has mentioned she likes.   For instance, do you see that orange and blue floral fabric in the center of the "Polly goes to Paris" flower?  Glynis gave that fabric to me in the form of a dress that was cut out, darted, and ready to be sewn together.  It belonged to her grandmother.  And do you see the sweet little hexes from the flights of fancy line and the orange Amy Butler polka dots?  Those were from some scraps Sheree sent to me with an order a while back.  I could go on and on about each and every fabric in this quilt top.   I love quilting like that!  I'm still thinking about what the back will be, but I also hope to have it finished in the next week or two. 

Have a great week everyone!

p.s.  I made a loaf of this oatmeal banana bread this weekend and it's my all time favorite banana bread.  The oats add a lot of texture and make it substantial.  One tip, use the walnut oil.  It's real good.  Oh, and I did not whip the egg whites and it turned out fabulous.  Next time I'll follow the directions better, I promise!

she's at it again

 

Just HAD to tell you all about Sheree's latest Super Summer Giveaway here!  She's stuffing a box full of scraps (and I have to tell you she has some amazing scraps) and sending it off to the winner! 

the Alma apron and a sneak peek

A couple weeks ago while in Kansas visiting my folks, my mom pulled an apron out of a box and showed it to me.  She had picked it up at an estate sale or garage sale and really loved the fit.  When she tried to wear it to cook in though, the material was so thin that when she got something on it, it went right through and onto her clothes.  I brought the apron home, unpicked it, and with a few minor tweeks, came up with this apron which I am naming after my mom's mom, Alma.  (I wish I had taken a few pics of the original before I took it apart, but didn't)

 

 

I think one of the reasons my mom likes this apron so much is that it doesn't have to be tied, she just slips it over her head.

 

The crochet flowers on the pocket tops are from a pattern I made up a couple years ago.  I made a long strand of them and keep them in my sewing room to embellish with as the mood strikes.

 

I just got a phone call from my mom tonight and she received her apron and loves it!! 

In other areas of my sewing room, here's a sneak peek of a project I worked on this weekend

I've almost finished the top for this quilt and I'm making mainly from the jellyroll I won here and a few other odds and ends of fabric to lighten it up.  Some people might say I'm ruining it with the bright border, but I just cannot help myself! 

Anyway, THIS MAY OR MAY NOT BE A QUILT I'M GIVING AWAY

wink wink 

when I'm finished.  Here's another angle just in case you need convincing

 

to be continued........

omniGRID vs. omniGRIP- showdown and redemption

Yep, there is a difference, for sure.  I purchased my first omniGRIP ruler a couple weeks ago and I almost cried there was such a difference.  The urge to cry mainly because over the last two years or so I have invested in many (maaaaannnnnnyyyy) omniGRID rulers.  My main complaint with them was the slipping.  As soon as I tried the omnigrip, I thought "oh no!!!, now I have to give all those slippy omnigrids away and start replacing them with the grip kind. 

  

BUT WAIT!!!!  After lamenting over this dilemma for a couple of days and even putting all my omnigrid rulers in the goodwill pile, I came up with a solution.  I put a small dot of hot glue in each corner (on the down side of the ruler) and smoothed it pretty flat while it was hot and I can.NOT believe the difference!!

 

and as you can see from this next dot, it doesn't have to be perfect, just small and relatively flat

So out of the Goodwill pile came all my rulers, redeemed by a few dots of hot glue.   I even did this with all my "special" shaped acrylic templates and it works great!