The Mysterious Case of Shrinking Fabric

When it happened the third time in a row, I realized I wasn't going crazy!

I cut the same piece of fabric exactly 3.5 inch square, then matched it up to it's partner and noticed the 1/4 inch discrepancy.

I cut it again, this time paying close attention to the line on which I cut. Matched it up to it's partner and it was still too small.

Hmmm....

Maybe the partner piece is too big. Nope. 3.5 inch square.

This time I grab my sweet and patient husband and ask for supervision. Look, I say, I'm cutting exactly 3.5 inches square.

Yes, he agrees.

Still too small. Is this incredibly shrinking fabric?

My husband has a theory that the water in the air (remember, we just moved from Las Vegas to Sacramento) is shrinking the fabric.

I had some sashing cut out for my second Love Quilt and sure enough, most of them are just a scant quarter inch too short to fit the blocks. So I recut them all half an inch larger than I need and will just have to cut down later.

Is this because I don't pre-wash? Do you pre-wash your fat quarters? I don't like the fraying, so I try not to. If I start to pre-wash, will this annoying shrinkage stop?

Yay! Good News!

I have good news! My husband and I both found jobs! Yay! That means we can move out of my parent's house soon and pretty soon I'll be able to spend more money on fabric! Double-Yay! I should have news by the end of the week if I can get a second job also. I'm crossing my fingers for a second job that will allow me to quilt. Don't laugh, they are out there!

Now that the job search is over, I'll have more time to quilt. I know that sounds ridiculous, but without a job I spend more time looking for one than actually quilting. It will be a lot easier when I get my own space too! But that doesn't mean I haven't been working on anything!



I finished the paper-pieced Christmas trees for my Mystery BOM from Esther's Blog. I had to do 12 of them. Haven't trimmed them down yet. It's always the trimming where I mess up paper piecing.

A new block came out Tuesday that I'm excited to get started on. Only problem is that I don't have the red fabric or fusible webbing I need to do it. It will be my first time using fusible webbing though so I'm pretty stoked. I never realized there was applique you didn't have to sew.

I'm always the last person to know!



I also worked a bit on a neck warmer for my step-mom. She uses hers every night and totally wore out her last one. I used this really pretty purple fabric I had, but regret that now. It's cheap-o fabric that doesn't hold the stitch that well and also doesn't hold heat as well. I think I have some old pink and purple PJ's in my stash that I'll cut up to make her another one. Purple is her favorite color.

Besides that, I've been ridiculously busy with the Fall into Fall Quilt Bloggers Giveaway! How fun! I've been blog-hopping like crazy! My follow list has quadrupled, easily. There were even some blogs I found who I thought were on my list, but weren't. Make sure to check it out and to sign up for some of the amazing giveaways being offered!

Next time I post I hope to have more to show! Until then,

Happy Hopping!

Check out this Giveaway!

Glenna over at Hollyhock Quilts is having a totally fantastic giveaway! It's Fabric! And lots of it! There's a ton of comments over there already, so hurry up and join the party!

Lookee! Lookee! -------->

You might notice I have two new buttons on my sidebar! Let me explain!

The first one is from Momma Made This. If you click it (Click it! Click it!) you'll be taken to Momma Made This blog. There, she links to 44 other Slow Poke Quilters. Poke around, check them out, there are a ton of amazing ladies on this list! Some great reading!



I hate posts with no pics. So I thought I'd throw some pics of me and my husband in here! Here's us working the bar at a party in Las Vegas!

The second button (Click that too!) is from Esther's Blog. She's a very talented designer/artist who is just starting a free BOM Christmas quilt. The BOM (Block of Month) is actually a BOW (Block of Week) project! Every Wednesday, starting today, she will release a new block pattern. There are only 6 weeks worth of blocks, so the quilt should be done in time for Christmas.

I'm really excited about this project. This is the first Blogland project I've participated in since I've started blogging. I'm Budget Quilter at the moment, and Esther has promised that this wallhanger will be a stashbuster! And I have a small stash of Christmas fabrics that needs some busting!



Black and Red Ball!

Also in Blogland, there are some really fun hops going on now! Gudrun from Gudrun's World is hosting a Fall-O-Ween Designer Blog Hop. There are 10 designers all signed up to give you a free design everyday! They each have their own day to post a free design, but every day of the hop the designers will still post on one topic of Fall. So far they've done color and smell and tomorrow is taste. Talk about fantastic inpiration! You will definelty "fall" in love with this hop!



Getting ready for a Toga Party!

Pat Sloan is also hosting an awesome blog hop. This is to promote her new rulers for "Sullivan" notions company. The side of the rulers has a Diamond Carbide Sharpener embedded in it; they actually sharpen your rotary cutter as you use them! The grand prize is an entire set of rulers! Wow! Just go to Pat Sloan's Blog to check it out!



And the infamous 80s party where he proposed to me!

Starting October 1, Debi from Quilting with Debi is hosting a totally awesome Fall into Fall Giveaway. There are over 130 bloggers, including some big companies like The Electric Quilt Company and Fat Quarter Shop, all hosting giveaways on their blogs. How exciting!! I'm totally looking forward to not only winning some sweet swag but also checking out some amazing blogs! Woo-Hoo!

It's a busy week in Blogland!

*Gasp!*

What's this I read?



Is that my name? Does that say Jen from The Quilty Home?!



Oh my God, it is! It is! It is!



I won! I won! I won!



No, not the lottery! Better than that! I won an Accuquilt GO! Cutter! Yay! Karen from Log Cabin Quilter is now my most favorite person in the world. Yup, she has surpassed Santa Clause. Wow.

So now comes the hard part, picking out three dies to GO! with my awesome GO!

I'm definietley going with the Dresden plates. The other two I keep waffling on. I love little piece quilts, so the Winding Ways die and the Double Wedding Ring die are catching my eye. But I really love what I've seen with the Rob Peter to Pay Paul die. Wait, what's over here in the Applique section? Christmas trees and snowflakes? I live for Christmas trees and snowflakes! But I don't have any pumpkins or maple leaves for Fall.

The 2.5 inch strip was originally a definite number 2. But then I thought of my strip cutting ruler (which I totally love and use all the time). It's not really that hard for me to cut strips, so after thinking about it for six hours, I decided not to get it. But I might change my mind. Maybe. Maybe not.

Argh.

Just Sue-ing Around

Well, no job yet. We've both been looking and looking and looking, sometimes up to ten hours a day. Yucky. No time for sewing, although I did get an itchy foot the other night and busted out an Autumn Sue.



This was the first Sunbonnet Sue I've ever made. It actually didn't take as long as I thought it would. I traced the pieces from my book Sunbonnet Sue: The Ultimate Collection.

The directions say to use paper-backed fusible web, but I don't have any of that (or any money at this point), so I just used tracing paper and cut out the old-fashioned way, using templates. I used phone-book paper as a stabilizer and a large zig-zag stitch in brown, since I wanted a Fall-look. I was a bit concerned the leaves would just look like brown blobs floating in the air, so I stitched some veins and did a delicate outline. Then I hand stitched a falling line. I think it looks darling, and it certainly scratched that itch!



And in other quilty news...

When I got back from vacation, this awesome Bobbin charm was in the mail for me. I won it in a Giveaway from Sue Hecker at Featherstone Quiltworks. I don't know what I'll do with it yet, I'm imagining a beautiful quilty charm bracelet in my future!



~Picture from Sue Hecker~

I also just got this new pattern in the mail. It's from Elisa's Back Porch Designs. It's so gorgeous. I can't wait to start it. The perfect Fall quilt! I want to get the perfect fabric for this though, so it'll take awhile (like, after I get a job) for me to pick up some fabric. Since I'm a beginner quilter, I'm still working on building my stash, and am realizing that I have no Autumn fabrics. I need to remedy that soon!



You should check out Elisa's other patterns, she has some beautiful designs. I want to make them all!

We're Back!

And we had a wonderful time! The wedding was perfect, just the right amount of spontanaeity and whimsy that we were hoping for. The awesome Revered LaLa loved her quilt and in a fabulous twist, we actually ended up getting married in front of the quilt! I used it as the background behind Reverend LaLa. No pictures of the wedding yet, because our "photographers" are still recovering from their own trips! Here's a few teasers though:



Me in all my Bridal Glory. I used the parasol after the wedding, to keep some sun out. Also because I felt pretty holding it.



A side view, don'tcha just love my veil? My husband wore cowboy boots and hat, a tux tank (tux shirt with sleeves cut off), cuffs (yes, we saved the cuffs from the sleeves!) and some raggedy dress shorts. He looked amazing! We got married at the Lollipop Guild, which is why I'm holding a giant lollipop with my bouquet.

So the wedding was amazing, the playa was dusty (frequent dust storms for nearly 3 days!), and the people were friendly! We had way too much fun for a married couple! (Wink, wink)

Nothing quilty to report, and my awesome husband just started watching Shawn of the Dead, so I'm going to sign off, cuddle up, and chill out!