WIP Wednesday {6.27.12}

Alright guys, the list this week is pretty sad. Everything just seemed to get in the way of my sewing (and blogging and everything else...). But that's okay, thanks to deadlines, I will definitely have more to show next week :)

New:

SBS block 36
It is posted, now I just need to make this and the previous one.

Still Going:

dresden toddler quilt

This is all I've been working on. It is basted and I started quilting so this is a little peek at what I've done so far. I need to make the centers and quilt those on....I hope to finish it up by tomorrow so I can bind and get it washed and wrapped to give to the birthday girl on Sunday.

toddler swoon quilt
I got the back, now I just need to get done the dresden quilt so I can baste/quilt this one.

ipad case
Soon, soon.




birthday dress for my little love
I don't want to talk about how little time I have for this. But I have fabric and picked a pattern.

Waiting:

*circus baby quilt
*wedding quilt {just ideas circulating....}


So clearly, too much to do, not enough time. But that's alright, hopefully I will get it done. I am in a bit of shock that it is almost July, but excited too! Anyway, now I need to get quilting so I can have this done!

WIP Wednesday {6.20.12}

I almost forgot it was Wednesday! We are getting ready to take a little trip for the weekend, so things are a little crazy around here. I figured I could spare a moment to share my progress for the week though :)

Completed:

SBS block 34

I finished my new york beauty block! It took forever and involved soooo many pieces, but I love it.

New:

SBS block 35
It is posted, but I am waiting for the final block so I can figure out how to best use what fabric I have left. So it is on the to-do list, just not quite yet.

Still Going:

dresden toddler quilt

I made good progress. I think I am going to make one more dresden and then start attaching them. This was my rough layout to see what I needed still and I am really excited about where it is going. Needs to be done by July 1 so this is the current priority. Hopefully I will get them all attached this week so I can baste and be ready to attach centers/quilt.

toddler swoon quilt
I need to get a back for this one so I can get quilting.

ipad case
Soon, soon.


Waiting:

*circus baby quilt
*wedding quilt {just ideas circulating....}

There it is. Not much going on really, but I do so love my weekly list to keep me on track. Hopefully in the next couple weeks I can finish this stuff up and figure out what I want to start next. For now I guess I should pack since we are leaving tomorrow for our long weekend. Yep, definitely should get on that....

slow motion

I'm in a weird place. One where time is just flying by but the days seems to pass so slowly. It's just strange. And boy has my sewing slowed down. I guess that's summer for you. I spent most of last week and this weekend working on my skill builder block. To be fair, I got sucked into a book and spent a few days reading instead :)

For this block, we had to pick either a mariners star or a new york beauty block. I had wanted to do another new york beauty block anyway so that is what I picked. Here's the thing though, I really only like them when there are 4 of them to complete the circle. So of course I decided to make all 4 quadrants, and that meant I had to scale down the pattern and print it at 75% and then fix seam allowances and all that which was a pain and I added some extra to the outer pieces so I could trim it down which I think worked out great. And while this block wasn't difficult really, there sure were a lot of pieces!

Luckily, especially since it was scaled down, the pieces were quite small and I used almost all scraps that I had saved from the other blocks. I knew I kept them around for a reason! It was pretty awesome to use so many tiny pieces. And I love the way the block turned out! It is not at all perfect, but I think it is quite good. I also think it gives me my paper piecing fix for a while.

So we have 2 more blocks to go. One is posted but since I am so low on fabric, I think I am going to wait and see what the last block is and then figure out how to use what I have left. So there you go, in case you were wondering what I spent the last handful of days working on. Now I really have to get down to business on a couple other things I need done asap. I will try not to get so distracted this week, but I make no promises.

WIP Wednesday {6.13.12}

I feel like I blinked and it was Wednesday again! I'm totally loving the whole lazy days of summer thing we've got going on here. Bubbles and sidewalk chalk and playgrounds and BBQs with a touch of relaxing on the porch reading make for a wonderful time. Less sewing perhaps, but wonderful anyway :)

Completed:

Toddler Swoon {top}

Not a complete finish, but the top is finished! And it's pretty awesome. I still need to find a back and then I'll get on the whole finishing process, but for now it is nice to just have the top done.


New:

SBS block 34
I printed out the pattern I chose (a new york beauty block!), so now I need to get to work.

Still Going:

dresden toddler quilt

I finally started! I have three done and I'm not really sure how many I will end up with, I am just playing it by ear and seeing how it looks as I go. I like having a more organic process like this. I also like trying slightly different dresden plates.

Ipad case
I am going to try and get this one done this week I think. 

Waiting:

*circus baby quilt
*wedding quilt {just ideas circulating....}

Also, I need to make a birthday dress for the little one, but I haven 't gotten further then deciding I'd like to do it so it's not officially on the list yet. Most of this stuff needs to be finished by July so I really need to get on that I guess. Have a good week everyone!

Process

I spent a lot of time this weekend pondering the quilting process. My process, I guess, and how I go about it. Do you ever stop and think about the way you quilt? Because I was working on my swoon blocks and I realized how inefficiently I was doing things. Do you ever sacrifice efficiency for enjoyment? I opted out of an assembly line, which would have been much quicker, so that I could see each block come together.

I tend to think of myself as very....finish-focused. It's not that I mean to be, it's just that I am so motivated by the finished product that I just can't wait to see it all done. And this weekend as I was finishing up my swoon blocks, I realized that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the process as well. For these blocks, I cut all the pieces and sorted them by block. I went block by block and marked the half square triangles/flying geese and sewed all those pieces, but then I laid out the block and sewed it as it was laid out. I did each middle section and each quadrant and then put it all together. And it took longer to keep it laid out as I went, especially with all those trips to the iron, but it was so much more enjoyable to see each block come together that way. And I really think that kept me motivated; I just can never wait to see what the next block will look like. I wonder if I rush through things too quickly sometimes, but I don't think so. I enjoy the therapy of sewing, the constant humming of the machine helping me think or not think depending on the day, but I also enjoy creating and having something useful to use or to give.

Also, my brain is just too full of ideas so there is always something to work on next. I am glad I don't just drop projects in the middle and move on to the next, I am definitely a finisher and I am thankful for that, otherwise I would be drowning in WIPs and UFOs and my apartment is way to small for that. And that a big part of what pushes me to finish quickly. I notice when I do more long-term hand work projects, they tend to sit around forever. My hexies for example, are still sitting on a shelf in the same state they have been in for months. I intend to pick that back up, but I guess we'll see. I think I lose interest if I don't work quickly.

So that's what I've been pondering lately. How about everyone else, how do you work? One block at a time? One project at a time? Am I the only one here?

WIP Wednesday {6.6.12}

I kinda can't believe it's June! It's blowing my mind a little. We are pretty run down around here, fighting illness and whatnot, so I am feeling less motivated to sew the past few days, but hopefully it will pass and I can get back to it. Mostly I've been working on swoon blocks, but I did manage to get a couple other things done.

Completed:

Skill Builder - block 33

You can see the full post about it here, with my others for this round. I didn't love this one, but I am glad that I tried it. I still kind of want to do a big lone star quilt, but now at least I'd have a better idea what I would be getting myself into.

ipad case

Possibly the most boring thing I have ever made. He wanted super simple and neutral so that's what he got. I am waiting to hear how it worked out. I used this tutorial but used a special shock absorbing foam inside. It came out alright, but not great.
 
New:

ipad case
I volunteered to make another for another friend. Who gave me free creative reign :) Can't wait to get to this one! It is not at the top of the list though, so we'll see.

Still Going:

toddler swoon quilt

 
This is what the bulk of my energy went into this week, and I am halfway done the blocks with another ready to sew.  I love it. A lot.

dresden toddler quilt
I am finalizing size details on this and then I will {hopefully} be off and running. I hope since I don't have all that much time....



Waiting:

*circus baby quilt
*wedding quilt {just ideas circulating....}


On top of all this sewing, there are some other things I need to work on, like my little one's first year scrapbook {why yes, she is going to be 2 in a few weeks}. So I need to do a bit of planning to fit it all in I think. Happy Wednesday!

Skill Builder Sampler: inset seams and epp

Well that was a pretty exhausting weekend. Not so warm, rainy and blah with a stupid cold trying to kill my husband. Not my favorite kind of weekend. Now I just have to hope that said cold does not move on to me and the wee one.

Anyway, I did stop swooning (ha) long enough to do a couple other things in the past few days. Yesterday I decided it was time to tackle the last skill builder block of the month, bringing me up to 33 of 36. That's right, only one more month of blocks! I can't wait! We are definitely to the hard stuff by now. We did two blocks with inset seams this month and one english paper piecing. I do like the paper piecing so that was pretty good, but I don't think I love y-seams. They are okay I guess, but a bit time consuming for me, as in I don't think I would make an entire quilt of blocks like this.

They will make a really nice addition to the quilt though. I am getting so excited to see this come together!

Block 31: Cactus Flower
I really don't love this block, but it came together alright. Not too puckery or anything.  The only thing that really bothers me is the stem where it attaches to the flower. I don't know why, but it feels off.

Block 32: Hexagon Flower
Such a cute little flower :) My least favorite part was the applique, making the flower was pretty fun. 

Block 33: Mini Lone Star
It took a while to get the hang of lining up the diamonds just right, but it wasn't too bad. I have wanted to make a lone star quilt so it was nice to try it on a small scale. I did have a problem whereby it stated that we needed 23" strips of fabric to sew together and the most I had was 18 since I cut them down to fat quarters in the beginning and don't have much fabric left. So I decided to just go scrappy with it. Not ideal but I do like the look of it. It sure took forever....


Now I just wait for the last three blocks and hope that I have enough fabric left. I really don't have much of any fabric left but I am hoping I can squeak by. I'll make it work somehow! Hopefully July will be spent putting this top together. Um yeah, so I think I'm going back to my swoon blocks now....