Projects, colors, etc.

It's hard to believe that I only have one month in one quilting bee left after this month. It's my month now for Quilting newBEES and I had everyone make blocks like the following scrapbuster square:
(Don't mind the poor quality photo - just wanted to get a quick shot!)

Originally, I planned to start working on a baby quilt for a friend this afternoon but after working on the block above, I think I'm "sewed out" for the day! (To all my bee ladies - I love you guys for making these blocks for me, as I know they're no small task!!!) I'm sooo psyched that I'll eventually have a big quilt filled with blocks like the one above, including so many little snippets from everyone's stashes. The block is about 15" square so the quilt will be BIG - I'm thinking that I'll actually be able to have a bed quilt from these ones. Yay!

In light of the randomness of the block above, I wanted to talk a little bit about choosing fabrics and picking projects. Both Brooke and Jeni have blogged about these steps in the creative process, and it was something that Brooke and I discussed yesterday too during our chat. I love that there are so many different ways to approach quilting. Some people use patterns, some go from their own design. There's a widely used software for quilt design out there while many people use graph paper. I think the best thing that I've discovered about quilting that while there certainly are a few basic aspects of the craft used by most, there's no right or wrong way to make a quilt! My love for knitting will never go away but when you mess up in knitting, it's pretty obvious and that can be a big frustration.

I'm someone who doesn't really have a set way for quilting. I have built up a collection of fabrics I like, not really paying attention to pattern size or color balance. While I certainly understand the color wheel and the need for harmony when quilting, a lot of times I find that rules don't really matter and if you like it, then go for it! That's pretty much how I approached my most recently finished quilt. I definitely paid attention to color coordination, but I wasn't too concerned with exact color matching, print size, etc. That being said, I have great respect for people who have a much more thoughtful, planned process. I wish I had the patience sometimes to approach a project like that! I think we all just grow into our own style of quilting that works for us. Along the way, we may pick up new tips here and there but once you get in your own groove, stick with it. Sometimes I like to use patterns, sometimes I don't. I've said before that I don't have too much patience with the math part of quilting so I try to keep things simple. When pulling fabrics, sometimes I'll use a whole collection (or just a few from one) or sometimes I'll mix it up. I'm pretty new to this whole quilting thing (just under 2 years!) so I'm definitely learning as I go. And I'm having a blast! :)

My favorite part

Yesterday I decided to pull out all my unfinished projects so I could size up where to start. See, I have this little problem of having a million things going at once (I know that so many of you understand) and then it seems to get to a point of just bordering on chaos. I was starting to feel that pressure so I figured it was time to take them all out and work on those suckers.

One thing that is very clear from my stack is that piecing quilts is my favorite part of the process. I currently have 4 - yes, FOUR - completed quilt tops there, as well as one almost finished one AND 2 quilts that I'm in the middle of quilting. Well, not really, since I just finished quilting one of them so just one quilt that needs to be quilted and another one now in need of binding.

Honestly, I think the actual quilting part is my least favorite part! Does that make me a bad quilter? Haha. I'm much more energized and excited about designing and putting together a quilt top. I think that the monotony of that comes with quilting just doesn't do it for me. Don't get me wrong, I don't HATE it but it's definitely not my favorite part. I even sort of like binding (not the MAKING of the binding but putting it on since you get to be that much closer to having a finished quilt!).

I think that my lack of enthusiasm for the quilting step also comes from the fact that I feel like that's the point where I can really see the limits of my machine. It's just a simple, sweet Kenmore and I love it but I think it definitely gets cranky after running at full speed for the long period of time that is needed to quilt. I've told myself that if I truly keep quilting in a few years I'll buy myself a fancier machine. For now, I'm letting mine rest. Maybe I'll start pulling some fabrics for a new quilt...

;-)

More process details

I've made amazing progress on Erica's tee-shirt quilt. Of course, I worked so quickly that I didn't take pictures of it. Nonetheless, I still wanted to stay true to my process pledge so I'll blab a bit here about it (and promise to post some pics soon).

When you last read about my progress, I had backed the tee-shirts with muslin and double-sided fusible. Someone asked me to tell more about the fusible but you'll have to forgive me because I threw the packaging away before I wrote down what brand I used. Sorry! Anyway, it comes in a 5 yard roll and I got it at Michael's. Of course, they don't list anything on their website that is remotely similar so I suggest doing a bit of Googling. Next time I won't be such a moron and will make sure to provide product details. Anyway, I have this awesome striped fabric that I cut into 2 1/2 inch strips to frame each tee-shirt. There are many ways to do sashing; I typically sew in vertical rows and then sew the columns together. I attached sashing to the tops and bottoms of each square (which measured about 14-15 inches each) and then sewed them into 3 columns of 4. The tee-shirts were firmly backed with the muslin and fusible so I made sure to use a heavier needle in my machine than usual. I also decided to go with polyester thread instead of cotton as it seemed to work better going in and out of the tee-shirt/muslin/fusible sandwich. I found that some of the sticky stuff on the fusible kept getting on my needle so make sure you clean yours off once in a while and obviously to toss it when you're done with this type of project so as to avoid sticky goo on other quilts! After finishing the sashing, I pin basted and decided to just stitch-in-the-ditch for the quilting, around each tee-shirt. This way, the whole quilt will always be nice and crinkly, not to mention will highlight the tee-shirts. I need to make my binding which I usually do on the bias and will be attaching it using my machine. I like to have a nice sized strip showing so I cut the fabric into 2 1/4 inch strips, then attach all the strips together on the bias. I also need to make a little label for the quilt. I think I'll be going pretty basic and will be handwriting it and then attach it using some of the left over fusible and white fabric. I've been really bad about labeling my quilts but that's only because I want to design my own label using Spoonflower fabric and right now I'm too broke to do that.

So it's off to craft a bit more. Was at work and running errands until just a little bit ago so hopefully I can squeeze some quilting in before dinner and the evening fatigue sets in. Still need to send out a few job applications and get some more things together for my beach weekend (HURRAY!).

Oooo, and it's restaurant week here so my sweetie, sis and 2 friends are livin' it up and heading to Le Cirque on Friday. Yay for $35 meals at crazy-fancy-expensive restaurants. Mmmm...

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. – Oscar Wilde

Lessons Learned

1. If you use colored chalk to draw lines for quilting, make sure after you're done quilting you wash the quilt as soon as possible. Leaving it to sit lets the chalk set in. (Hopefully a second washing with stain treatment will do the trick!)

2. Trust your instincts, but also do your research! I was determined to find two-sized fusible/interfacing to bond the tee-shirts for Erica's quilt to muslin - and I did! After spending too much time on the internet, I figured what the heck, I'll try Michael's and low-and-behold they had a 5-yard roll of two-sided fusible that's typically used for applique work but works PERFECTLY for this. I highly recommend it as the tee-shirts look awesome! I contemplated trying out just stabilizer and cutting out the muslin but I've used it in the past and not been happy with how the fabric moves. Now, bonded to the muslin, it has great movement and I think will be wonderful in the quilt.

3. Don't be afraid to try new things. Like embroidery, South African style (especially when you love all things South African).


Other things going on:

~ More baby quilts for the shop
~ FINALLY going to finish one of my quilt tops that's been lying around. My sweetie were talking about our vacation (about a month away!) and we were discussing the beach and how his uncle always brings a great beach quilt and wouldn't it be nice if we had one too? Well, soon enough we will! One of my quilt tops is slightly larger than a twin sized quilt which is PERFECT for the beach. We found cheap batting and backing and I'm going to baste/quilt it up lickity-split before we leave. Yay!
~ Loving my volunteer days at the refugee organization (hopefully job opportunities will come soon!)

If you’re going to be passionate about something, be passionate about learning. If you’re going to fight something, fight for those in need. If you’re going to quest something, question authority. If you’re going to lose something, lose your inhibitions. If you’re going ot gain something, gain respect and confidence. And if you’re going to hate something, hate the false idea that you are not capable of your dreams. – Daniel Golston

The Process

I hope that everyone had a great holiday weekend! We had a nice, relaxing few days here in NYC. It's been insanely hot (and it's still going...right now it's near 100!!!) so we didn't spend as much time outside as we would have liked (man, I wish I had a pool...). We did, however, venture down to check out the newly opened Brooklyn Bridge Park. Here are some shots from our spot on the lawn:
All this hot weather keeps me inside doing crafty stuff. My mom bought me some sketching pencils and a pad. As I've been quilting more and more, I feel like I'd like to expand my own creative endeavors. I think it would be really fun to design my own logo, labels, etc. Will keep you posted!

I've been commissioned by a coworker to make her a quilt! She has a whole bunch of old tee shirts from her college sorority that she never wears but can't bear to part with, so she's been wanting to turn them into a quilt. When she heard that I make quilts, she asked me if I would make one for her - of course I agree and I'm thrilled! We've gone back and forth, coming up with a simple but really cute design. She has 12 shirts, which I'm going to sash using a really pretty striped fabric from Dena Design's "Monaco" line after cutting them into blocks. I'm going to back and bind the quilt with matching fabrics too. I'm so psyched to get started on this! In keeping up with Rossie's Process Pledge, I'll try to blog about this along the way.

General design of Erica's quilt. Not sure what size the blocks are going to be but I'm estimating that the whole quilt will probably be about 60" x 60" (she wanted a large lap quilt.)

For the sashing!

For the binding...
For the backing. Yum! She's from Florida - doesn't this remind you of beautiful ocean waters?

I purchased all the fabric for Erica's quilt from Fabric.com. Usually, I like to buy from small, independent businesses but I got all of this for a great price. Aaannnddd.....I snagged some of Jay McCarroll's hard-to-find "Woodland Wonderland" which I LOOOOVE! Check out what I got (for less than $4 per yard!):
And last but not least, I've been admiring this line recently and decided to get myself a yard of my fave print from it:

So as you can see, I'll keep myself busy for a while.

Only 37 days til our Maine vacation!

On another note, I've seriously considering relisting all my bags that didn't sell last summer in my Etsy shop. They're adorable and I wasn't really advertising much. I'm thinking now that I've been out in the virtual community, I should try again (but my ego is a little bruised!). What do you think? I'm also going to keep making new bags, quilts, etc. Thoughts? Suggestions? Hugs?

Stay cool, everyone!

Why compare yourself with others? No one in the entire world can do a better job of being you than you. – Unknown

The Process

Rossie posted a little while back about documenting the process of quilting, all the way from thinking of the layout and the fabric, through the cutting and piecing stages, up until the very end of the final shot (typically out of the washing machine).

I like this idea a lot as I'm always curious about what inspires people. I also am a big believer/follower of process learning and find that I get the most out of an experience if I focus on the project. Professionally (as someone trained in conflict resolution) I think it's arguable that the process is the most important part.

So I'm joining in, taking Rossie's process pledge (you'll notice the nifty new widget on the side). You'll see more about my processes here soon.