UFO Finish!

Happy Friday! It's been a long time since I checked in with the Little Green Quilters, but that doesn't mean I haven't been working hard on my UFOs.

Today I present my Finished Rehab quilt!

 Like I mentioned in my video this week, I started this quilt about 3 or 4 years ago for a friend who was going to Rehab.  I thought I would be able to complete it in a week.  Ha!  Being the new quilter I was, I had to sew, unpick, and re-sew these blocks a few hundred times.  They turned out completely wonky.  But I preserved and sewed them into rows!

It's a queen-sized top with a little drape over the sides.  This quilt quickly grew too big and I was worried about quilting it with my domestic.  So I took one row off the top and pieced it into the back.  Then I quilted it on my Bernina.  Yes, I quilted this entire quilt on my domestic.  Dedication!

I made the binding from leftover red and orange fabric and then hand stitched it to the back.

I printed the design on paper, then pinned the paper to the quilt top to quilt right through it.  That left a bunch of miniscule pieces of paper stuck in my stitches, so last night I attacked it with tweezers. I did free-hand leaves in the stars.  Those were a relief after the endless feather sprays and wreaths!

 I quilted it in black, gray, orange, and red thread.

This was the same quilt top that had soy sauce spilled on it.  I don't know how that happened, but it was during our move to California last year.  The quilt was folded, and the soy sauce leaked through each layer.  I soaked it in vinegar, then hand washed it several times to get the smell of vinegar out.  It dried in our shower and leaked red and orange dye all over the tub.  What a nighmare!

The pattern is Wandering Star from Quilter's Cache. I thought that was fitting.  A friendship star for a friend who momentarily lost his way. All fabric came from JoAnn's.  This was before I knew about quality fabric!

The kitties have been having a great time playing, sleeping, cuddling, and examining the quilt!  We've been sleeping under it for that last week.  Before the binding was finished, we were sleeping under it.  

I'm so happy that this humongous quilt is finally finished.  What a crazy undertaking.  I lost touch with my friend when we both lost our jobs (we worked together), both moved, and I got married. I did find him on Facebook last night though.

I don't know what I'm doing with the quilt yet.  For now, I'm enjoying it on our bed in its Finished State.  I'm feeling proud of myself for finishing the Beast!

Check out other UFO updates at Barbara's blog: Blackberry Creek Home Arts.

Peggy Martin Strip Paper Piecing Class

Last week I got to take a day off work and go to quilt class instead!  What fun.  I wish my job was a quilt teacher.  I need to get more talented first.

And talk about talented! Peggy Martin was so inspiring!  I learned how to strip paper-piece.  The class was fun, the technique was easy, and Peggy makes her patterns so easy to follow.  I learned tons of tips, and not just about paper piecing! Like, using an eyebrow razor to cut your stitches.  I swear, she taught us that!

I can understand how Peggy won Quilt Teacher of the Year in 2010! She was fun to hang out with too!

The best thing about Peggy’s patterns is their versatility.  Peggy showed us a ton of examples of different layouts for her patterns.  Each quilt was more beautiful than the next.  The quilts look crazy hard to do, but Peggy broke them down into small steps that can be strip pieced assembly line style. 

 Of course, I bought one of her books.  I have my eye on a New York Beauty pattern.  Following Peggy’s technique, the piecing should go quickly!

It was so nice to meet you Peggy!  Thanks for the class J

Talk to Me Tuesday #4

Happy Tuesday!  Today was a short day at work (hello off-site meeting!), so I got to sneak some sewing in today.  Love those days!

My latest finish just went into the washing machine.  Pictures soon =D>

For now, check out my video.  I talk about the quilting class I took last week, my March UFO Finish, and a big, exciting change in my life!

I'll be back tomorrow with some more about my class with Peggy Martin.  Until then...

Wow! Thanks Carrie!

I got the nicest surprise this weekend.  I knew I had won a prize for participating in February’s Schnibble Parade.  I thought I won a charm pack of Urban Cowgirl.  On Saturday I opened a package from Carrie Nelson, creator of Schnibble patterns.  Imagine my delight when I opened the package and instead found 3 layer cakes, 2 books, and a pack of fine-point pins. I was so surprised and delighted that (I won’t lie!) I danced around my kitchen and kept dashing outside to show my husband (Look babe! 2 books!!).  I was laughing and exclaiming over this package for the rest of the day. 

Stitches from the Schoolhouse by Renee Plains and All Time Favorite Scrap Quilts from That Patchwork Place

 Urban Cowgirl, Circa 1934 and Hello Luscious from Moda

And some Little House handmade, precision pins.  They are super sharp and very pretty :)

Thanks so much Carrie!  Your generosity is overwhelming and it touched my heart. 

If you’ve never put together a Schnibbles pattern before, you’re in for a real treat.  The directions are easy and made for speed piecing.  I love it when a pattern includes pressing directions so that every seam nestles together perfectly.  I didn’t get frustrated once.  It was so nice to just get lost in the piecing and let the pattern guide me.

So yes, I am now a Miss Rosie Quilt Co. fan.  Not just because of the gifts.  Or the Parade (which is so fun!) But because Carrie is a talented pattern writer and such a sweetheart!

Thanks so much Carrie J

Ain't that a Kick?

Tonight I took a pledge to back Generation Q Magazine! I love how these writers make quilting FUN to read about.  Do quilter's come together and talk about patterns all day? Of course not! So why limit our magazines to just patterns?

Generation Q is starting their own magazine and need our help. You can pledge some money at Kickstarter.  All the fine print you is there too.  But the only thing you need to know is that this magazine is going to ROCK!

What are you waiting for?  Take the pledge!

My First Schnibble!

I've had no time to quilt!  So what do I do?  Start a new project, of course!  Maybe that's how I deal with stress, ha!  (It's been good stress though, don't worry)

Remember when I mentioned that I won a giveaway from Kris from Lavender Quilts? Well, she challenged the winner to complete the top by the end of this month to enter the Another Year of Schnibbles Parade.  So I got the pattern in the mail last week and got busy!

I used two older charm packs I won from Be Encouraged a looooong time ago.  They've been properly aged while sitting on my shelf.  "Fresh Cottons" by Fig Tree & Co. with a bit of leftover yardage from "Patisserie" by Fig Tree & Co.

I'm guessing the quilt to be approx 3 ft by 3 ft. Once I assemble the star blocks, I decided I didn't like my fabric choices.  I picked apart 3 stars and re-made them.  That took a few hours, but I'm so happy I did!  I love each of these stars now.

I changed the border a bit.  Since I made this from charm squares instead strips, I didn't have time or sanity to piece a checkerboard border.  I just made a short piano key border instead.  The keys were longer, but I didn't enough fabric to go around the entire quilt. No worries, I just cut it half!

I mitered the corners.  It looks like a drunk 4th grader mitered them, but I don't care!  It will quilt out : p

While I was on a roll, I pieced the back too.  I love it!

This is also going to count for my February NewFO with Barb at Cat Patches. Barb will have the linky party up in 2 days.  I think I see more Schnibbles in my future!

Liebster Blog Award

Michele from Quilts From My Crayon Box  honored me with a Liebster Award.  Thanks Michele!

 

This award is given by bloggers to their favorite blogs with under 200 followers. The Liebster Rules are:

 Post about your win on your blog.

 Link back to the blogger who presented you with the award.

 Copy and paste the award to your blog.

 Present the Liebster Award to 5 blogs that have less than 200 followers that you think deserve to be recognized.

 Let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

Awesome! I love these awards because you get to know some really great bloggers.  So here’s my list:

1.       Julie from My Quilt Diary  Julie is such a sweetheart.  If you are friends with Julie already, check out the article  Japan Times newspaper wrote about her. 
2.       AJ from I Knit N Quilt Too  AJ is awesome! She does a quilting podcast.  I love listening to her late at night; she has such a dreamy voice. Check out her podcast on iTunes, The Quilting Pot.

3.       Michelle from Michelle’s Quilts & Stuff  I love Michelle’s style.  She makes the quilts I would love to make if I had more time.  Plus, she just got a new longarm and I love watching her experiment.

4.       Lynn from Alamosa Quilter  She always has a great project going on.  And she actually finishes them!

5.       Rose Prairie Quilts and Farm  Kathleen (Kat) posts yummy recipes, beautiful quilts, and awesome “behind the scenes” at her farm.

Check out these bloggers and show a little love J

On Display

Last weekend I found some time to visit Sew Katie Jean in Lincoln, CA.

Sew Katie Jean is a darling quilt shop off the main street in historic Lincoln.  If you get the chance to drop in, I highly recommend it! Katie was so welcoming and you could tell she has a real eye for colors.  Check out these darling chairs:

And look what else was there.  That’s my quilt! 

Katie is displaying some quilts made by quilters in the Sacramento Modern Quilt Guild.  I lent her my Bliss Quilt.  If you get the chance, come check out the other beautiful quilts on display.  Betcha can't leave with just one Fat Quarter either!

Double UFO Finish!

Happy Friday! Today is certainly happy for us.  We just received the news that our home loan was finally approved.  We will be signing documents soon and then the house will be all ours! It’s a fixer-upper and will need lots of work, but we will finally have a Quilty Home of our own J

Today is UFO Busters Day!  Our host, Susan, is recouping today, so go over to send her some love. 

Do you see the word "Love" quilted in the middle?

I had a Double FINISH last weekend!  I finished quilting and binding a charity quilt for the local guild.  I turned it in on Tuesday.  Forgot to take pictures.  I’m such a bad blogger J  If you want to see it, check out this video.  It was a simple case of following the lines printed on the panel and free-motion quilting down the sashing.  I made a total mess of the machine-sewn binding.  I’m glad it’s done.  It took me a lot longer to quilt than I thought it would.  That is my second UFO finish for 2012.  Yay!

I also pulled out last year’s Valentine’s projects.  These weren’t on my UFO list, but they qualify!  I finished this table runner that was 90% done. I did this binding by hand and was quite impressed with myself.  I finally figured out how to join the two ends of my binding so it looks like one beautiful seam.  Instead of like a mangled mess of fabric. 

I will be taking this table runner to our new house this weekend.  It will be the perfect piece of decoration while we are prepping the interior for some major paint.  I hope you have a Quilty Weekend!

Awesome Mail Day!

I came home to an awesome mail day yesterday!  I got these fun scrapbooking supplies from Sunny at Quilting Dreams.  She was cleaning out her stash and offered them up on her blog.  I snagged them for my mom.  She will be so tickled by these. Thanks Sunny!  I'll have to buy my mom some cool paper to go with these.

 I also recieved my Rainbow Fat Quarters from a swap hosted by April at Koolbeenz.  Aren't these darling! I love them! Thanks for hosting April!

Talk to Me Tuesday #3

Happy Tuesday! I have some stuff to share with you, but no time!  Aack!  Seems like there is time to blog or time to sew, but never time for both :)



Check out my video for Talk to Me Tuesday.  These videos are so fun to make and I love showing my projects and seeing what other people are making.  Come play with us! I didn't need any fancy equipment, just my digital camera and my regular computer. I also use a tripod, but that's not required.  I would love to see more quilting videos *sly grin*

I went to Pioneer Quilters Guild last night and went crazy! I signed up for the Block of the Month and a class on paper piecing in March.  I had fun!  And I shared my Christmas Sampler quilt and got all kinds of great compliments.  I also turned in my Charity Project, which I show in this video.  I'm so glad that's done!  I'll share more details on Friday when I write my UFO update. 

Hope you are having a quilty week!

Thanks Leona!

Leona from Leona's Quilting Adventure sent me a sweet Birthday present!

That's a tissue holder with the Eiffel Tower on it, a mini journal decorated with vintage lady heads, a small spool of Aurifil thread, and some chocolates.  Thanks Leona, I love my gift!

Leona sent me a Birthday gift last year too.  You can see that here

NewFO In, OldFO Finished!

Have you heard of the 2012 NewFO project?  Barbara at Cat Patches realized that she doesn’t have enough UFOs, so her challenge is to start a NewUFO every month.  Sounds good to me!

My NewFO for January is this cute snowman stitchery pillow (I won this pillow from Cathy at Big Lake Quilter.  I worked on it on our Hawaiian vacation.  I tried embroidery last year and wasn’t good at it.  So I tried it again this year.  Ta-dah! All better! 

Haha.  Okay, I googled the Back Stitch.  It looks so much nicer and it’s super easy to do.  I still have to learn how to make a French Knot.  This pattern called for a piece of muslin behind the white fabric, but I used Kona white because that’s what I had.  You stitch through both pieces of fabric.  It’s so soft and plush!  Sweet trick to make your embroidery look so much better!

Today is Talk to Me Tuesday, so check out my video.  I show off my Christmas Quilt that I finally FINISHED! I show some close-ups of the quilting.  Forgive my voice, I've been nasally and congested all weekend :(
(I think you have to come to the blog to watch the video)

Thanks for stopping by :)

January FMQ Challenge

Holy cow, how is it the end of January already?!  I thought December went by fast, but January is on a mission!

I've been practicing the January FMQ Challenge hosted by SewCalGal.  Frances Moore challenged us with free-motion leaves.  At first I practiced on my white board with a dry erase marker.

Then I decided "what the heck, I'm just gonna practice on my quilt!"

I'm too lazy/busy/overwhelmed/responsibly working on UFO's/impatient to make quilt sandwiches just for practice sake.  I'd rather just make a quilt.

This is my H&I's quilt.  It's a Floating UFO. No plan. No destination.  It just hangs around until I decide what is going to happen.  Perfect for this project!  I picked a block in the middle.  I picked some variegated Aurifil thread and went to town!

Hey, I like it! It's a very thick thread (Aurifil Mako Cotton Variegated Thread in Fiesta).  It says 50MT, but I can't figure out what that means by looking at Aurifil's website. It broke on me a few times, so I think I need to use a larger needle.  Look at these gorgeous stitches:

I love the texture it gives this quilt.  Between the quilting and the backing, this is going to be the softest quilt ever :) I just did the one H (or I, depending on which way you hold the quilt!).  I think I am going to try Frances' Elements on a different block this month.  I have 30 blocks, which will make a perfect FMQ Sampler.

I think they actually look like leaves :)

Tomorrow is my birthday.   Nothing  special planned. 

If I could, I would take the day off work and sit on the beach.

But I already did that too many times this month. 

Commute. Work. Read blogs. Eat healthy. Make dinner with the hubs.

Maybe quilt a little bit if there's time. 

And be thankful for my bloggy friends.  

That's you.

<3

Hi Friends!

We're back from Hawaii! 

I did a lot of this

With a bit of this

Ate a ton of these!

Looked at lots of these!

And I bought a little bit of fabric :)

It was tough work!  :)  Just kidding.  When I came home I joined Talk to Me Tuesdays and made this cute video.  It's about joining "12 for 2012 Challenge." If you'd like to check out more crafty videos, go to Talk to Me Tuesdays at livejournal.  It was fun and surprisingly easy to make and I think I'll be making more!



I have an interview tomorrow morning for a promotion at work.  I don't think I'll get it, but cross your fingers for me just in case! School starts on Thursday and this Friday is...

Go to Crafty Vegas Mom to sign up!