WiP Wednesday - Blocks and a Baby Quilt

I finished the last of my March blocks this past week, and while these two blocks look like they should belong in the same quilt, they are actually for two different QAL's!

The one below (called Origami Star) is the second block in the Virtual Quilting Bee hosted by Amy at Diary of a Quilter. (You can see my first block HERE.) 

 

This one has been especially fun because I am doing it with two of my sisters - one in Tennessee, and one in Utah.  We have been texting photos and Facetiming each other all week as we have been finishing up our blocks.  It's the closest thing to actually sitting in the same room sewing together!

 

 

This one is the March block for the Sister's Ten BOM hosted by AnneMarie over at Gen X Quilters.

 

I'm finishing this one a little late in the month mainly because I wasn't thrilled with the design, and just didn't know how I wanted to do it. I spent a lot of time pulling fabrics an trying out different combos until I came up with this, and, as usually happens, in the end I loved it!

 

This one is called "School Girl's Puzzle".

 

 

 

I also finished the top of the quilt for my nephew, due late next month. 

 

 

 

To be totally caught up for March, I have to finish my applique block for the month. I have it all fused to the square, but haven't started appliqueing yet.

 

And my Love baby quilt is still only partially quilted. I started having problems with my machine again about 2/3rds of the way through. I am going to take my machine in soon...but until I do, I'm afraid the quilt will have to wait.

 

WiP's -

Sister's 10 March block - done

 

Virtual Quilting Bee block - done

 

Applique Quilt March block - fused but not appliqued

 

Baby Boy quilt - top done

 

Love baby quilt - not worked on 

 

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WiP Wednesday

This week, I may have gotten a lot more cutting done than actual sewing. 

 

The only sewing I did was finishing my Susannah blocks from the Sisters 10 Modern BOM:

 

 I cut the 16.5 inch background squares for my applique quilt, and bought the matching thread kit after much contemplation of how I wanted to do the appliqueing (either with matching thread, monofilament, or a neutral.)

 

 

I have also placed the applique pieces for the first (January's) block.

 

 

 

I also cut some of the fabric for a baby quilt for my new nephew due in April. My sister picked out the fabric while we were in Utah a few weeks ago.

It's an old Northcott baby collection (maybe 2010 or 2011?) called Baby Safari that was in the sale section, mixed with a little of the current "Bungle Jungle" by Moda, and this lovely yellow Denyse Schmidt pattern that I love!

 

 

 

 I'm still waiting for my sister to send me a couple extra cuts that I had her pick up after I got it all home and had a chance to look at it and decide how I wanted to put it together, so this won't be fully cut out and ready to go until after I get that package of fabric in the mail.

So that is what I have done this week.  I really want to try and focus on these three quilts for a bot before adding anything new into the mix.  We will see how I do.


Current WiP's worked on:

Spring Bouquet BOM applique quilt

Baby boy quilt

Sister's 10 BOM

Current WiP's not worked on:

Love Baby quilt


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WiP Wednesday #2 - BOMS Away

So I started two Blocks of the Month this month, one online, The Sister's Ten Modern BOM over at Gen X quilters, and one at my local quilt shop.

This week, I finished my blocks for the Sisters Ten BOM.  It's called Grandmother's Frame.

For the quilt I am using mainly Cuzco by Kate Spain, as well as a little Vintage Modern, a few other various Kate Spain prints and a few random fabrics I dug around in my stash for.

Honestly, I'm totally loving my little peacock :)

This quilt seems especially appropriate to be making right now...I am thinking about giving it to my mother, and as I was making this "Grandmother's Frame" block, my own grandmother passed away.  I know I will think of her now every time I look at this quilt.

I picked up the other block for this month on Saturday at my LQS.  It is an applique BOM, and I am waiting to start it until we get back from our trip west for my grandmother's funeral.  My husband is going to build me a light box to use in order to see the applique placement, and obviously won't be able to work on it until we get back.

The progress on my other WiPs were minimal - I did finish unpicking my quilt, and had plans to quilt it this week, but with my grandmother's passing, a lot of things have gotten pushed off until I get back from her funeral.

I also haven't finished my other twins hat, but have it cut out and the eyes appliqued on.  I am taking it with me and will finish it at my mom's house.  They are expecting snow while we are there and I know my boys are going to be thrilled - both to wear their new hats and (more importantly) to play in the snow!  (We don't get a lot of snow out here in No. Virginia, so it's a treat for them.)

So, a short WiP list today.  I have every intention of re-evaluating my WiP's and deciding what I want to make a priority this year.  But that is gonna have to be a February resolution.


 

#1 WiP 2013 - The One With A Lot of UN-Sewing

It's been awhile since I've Work-in-Progress Wednesday.

 

Here are the things I've been working on:


Monster Hats
for my twins.

Here in Virginia, it is rarely cold enough to wear a heavy coat, so my boys usually just wear the fleece liners, which don't have a hood. So I'm making them these hats to match their jackets for when they go out to play at school. I've got one done, one to go.

 

Block of the Month

I decided to do a Block of the Month this year and chose the Sisters Ten Modern BOM over at Gen X Quilters.  I've chosen my fabric and cut it out.  Hopefully I will be able to make them up tonight while my boys are in bed and my husband is at Scouts.

Unpicking a Quilt

I finished this quilt top back in October and thought it would be a quick easy finish and I would have it done in plenty of time to ship to my cousin before her baby was born in early December.  Wow, was I wrong!

 

 

I decided to do regular stipple quilting because I was going to use my stitch regulator foot, which I'm really still not totally familiar with.  I thought I would stick to quilting that I can do well without having to focus too much on, so that I could focus more on getting the feel for the stitch regulator.

 

I should have had this little quilt quilted and done within just a few hours, but I ended up fighting with my machine for 3 days before giving up!

 

My thread kept breaking inexplicably every 3-6 inches.  The back of this poor quilt was just a mess of starting knots.  It was awful. 

 

I had tried everything I knew.  Changed the tension, changed the needle, went slower, went faster, changed threads, changed bobbins, you name it, I did it.  Nothing worked!

 

So, after 3 days I gave up, folded the quilt, and shoved it in my closet. 

 

I took my machine in the week before Thanksgiving, but was told it would take up to a month of more to repair.  NO WAY.  So I took it home and just decided I would only be able to sew things with a straight stitch (because for some reason, the thread only broke when I tried anything free-motion), but that was better than nothing.

 

So I was able to make all my Christmas gifts, since none of them required quilting.  But then I pulled out my embroidery module, because we decided to embroider pillowcases for our Primary children this year and I needed to get some done for the January birthdays.  First thing that happened when I tried embroidering - my thread broke!  Arg!

 

That is when I realized that as long as I didn't put the thread through the last hook on the thread guide, it was fine. 

 

So that meant I could finish my quilt!  However, it was at least a third of the way quilted with a meandering stitch.  That is A LOT of unpicking.  But, I just couldn't give it as a gift with all those knots and obvious starts and stops in the back.  So, a few days ago, I finally sat down and began unpicking.  

 

Two nights of unpicking so far, and probably one more night and it will be done.  Then it will be a race to get it quilted and bound so I can get it to it's new owner as quickly as possible...a darling little girl who is already over a month old!

 

And I also signed up to do a BOM at my LQS - an Applique quilt by Edyta Sitar called Spring Bouquet.

 

 

I am really excited about this.  I think it is beautiful, AND it will give me experience and practice doing applique, as well as working with batiks, which I have never done before. 

 

I've never thought batiks were my style, but I have to admit, I think they are just lovely in this quilt.

 

I was supposed to go pick up my first kit this morning and attend the instructions class, but my son woke up vomiting this morning, so we are all sequestered to the house.  I'm pretty sure I know what I am doing, however, so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out on my own. 

 

Oh!  And another fun thing...I finally got my Christmas present from my parents this past week...a serger!!  I am so excited to get it out and try it out.  I'm sure I will be posting about it when I do. 

 

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