tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14252584228577652482024-03-08T19:16:42.941-05:00Dash- & Tilde~Tales of a newbie in quiltlandMariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-48814233354352827192013-10-10T17:31:00.002-04:002013-10-10T17:31:24.490-04:00Bad, Bad, Blogger!<p>For some reason I kept thinking I had blogged about things, finding out later that I hadn't. <p>
<p>It's been a busy and stressful year in many ways, with the first half being plagued with a lot of uncertainties. Jeff and I did get engaged back in January, which was a wonderful event, and obviously not one of the stressful moments, though it did launch a few revolving around the planning of a wedding. Not long after that, a work relocation blipped onto the radar, adding to the stress levels. At that point we did decide to avoid a full-blown wedding, and changed it to a small intimate affair, held on June 21st, Midsummer. It was lovely, and shared with Miss Matilda and 3 of our close friends.</p>
<p>There was uncertainty about the final relocation destination, but around May-June Northern Virginia and the Washington D.C. suburbs became the destination. </p>
<p>In the time since, I haven't gotten to do as much sewing as I would have liked. Though in reviewing pictures I hadn't yet blogged about, more than I thought. </p>
<p>One of the works in progress is a Tula Pink Dreamweaver quilt, using her Birds and the Bees fabric:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/10196043073/" title="IMG_1924 by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5479/10196043073_1247f942b2.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_1924"></a></p>
<p>Another is a Jaybird Quilts pattern, Chopsticks, using Wrenly and Kona solids: </p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/10196044943/" title="IMG_1926 by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5481/10196044943_303fd32850.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_1926"></a></p>
<p>One finish I accomplished that immediately went into a moving box was finally finishing my Flipside quilt, Rachel Griffiths' pattern, and using Kate Spain's Central Park fabric:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/10195563646/" title="image by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2821/10195563646_bfe733a4a9.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="image"></a></p>
<p>In May I finished a Tova in Denyse Schmidt fabric, which I wore in my engagement photos (which I need to dig up somewhere):</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/10196156903/" title="IMG_1841 by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8415/10196156903_cc1df41bd8.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_1841"></a></p>
<p>And then there was the Washi in Anna Maria Horner linen, that I sadly didn't manage to finish before our wedding, but is still gorgeous anyway.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/10196093346/" title="IMG_1982 by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3749/10196093346_1ced2ae320.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_1982"></a></p>
<p>I'll be doing more expansive posts about most of these projects, especially once they're out of the moving boxes! Our move is next week, the 18th, very exciting, and I can't wait. Among other things, I'll be near two modern quilt guild chapters.</p>Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-63073980576113400622013-07-11T12:02:00.000-04:002013-07-11T12:02:04.440-04:00Penelope's Quilt<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/9260663673/" title="Penelope's Quilt by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2862/9260663673_4cf27bb1c1.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Penelope's Quilt"></a>
<p>A friend of ours and his girlfriend down in Washington D.C. recently welcomed an adorable little girl, Penelope, to their family. I wanted to make a quilt as a gift, and knew I'd give Elizabeth Hartman's Charm Square baby quilt pattern another spin. It comes together really quickly, and while I didn't use pre-cuts this time, because you can use a charm pack as well as cut from stashed yardage, it just gives you so many options.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/9260665797/" title="Penelope's Quilt by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5489/9260665797_e9c08709ea.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Penelope's Quilt"></a></p>
<p>I've got quite a bit of Denyse Schmidt fabrics now, from having a couple of her Free Spirit collections and some of the prints from the DS Quilts collections she's done for Joann's, and decided to gather a selection. The pattern uses 38 charms, so I picked a different fabric for each one, rather than double up. I did try and make the selection a little neutral, color wise. I didn't want it to be very obviously girly. You never know... there may be a sibling down the line, and said sibling could be a boy. Also not knowing their personal decorating style, versatility and neutrality seemed a good way to go.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/9260664827/" title="Penelope's Quilt by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5528/9260664827_5fb52a96e4.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Penelope's Quilt"></a></p>
<p>For the sashing I went with Kona in Meringue. The other charm square baby quilt I made also used Meringue as the sashing color. While I like using white as the main solid in quilts, sometimes you just want something a little more colorful. The Meringue is a lovely soft color that doesn't drown out anything you pair it with. For the backing I picked one of the new Kona shades: Sprout. Like the Meringue it's a nice soft color, while also still being very fresh.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/9260666147/" title="Penelope's Quilt by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3724/9260666147_de22d1016c.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Penelope's Quilt"></a></p>
<p>The quilting is just simple wavy lines... some movement, nothing overpowering. For the binding I was going to use Kona Sprout for the entire thing, and then I noticed some of the binding scraps I had sitting on my work table from 2 quilts I'd finished just previously. I noticed that the colors worked really well with the quilt, and decided to make the binding scrappy. So the binding is partially Sprout, and partially two Kate Spain prints, from Fandango and Central Park.</p>
<p>I will readily admit that I am frequently envious of people who can manage to just grab a stack of prints and have it work. It's one of the areas where I don't always feel as confident, and I did occasionally have small doubts. I pressed on regardless, knowing also that I will always be my worst critic, and I'm likely just being way too picky and self-conscious. Even while cutting and sewing I still felt insecure, and it wasn't until the end that I really felt very excited and happy with it. I'm glad I silenced my inner critic.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/9260664291/" title="Penelope's Quilt by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3684/9260664291_4d138abc94.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Penelope's Quilt"></a></p>
<p>The pictures may seem a little more blue-grayish than is accurate. It was actually raining outside when I quickly snapped the photos, before getting the quilt off to the post office. It makes the Meringue look a little grayer, when it really is a lovely creamy pale yellow.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/9263441892/" title="Penelope's Quilt by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3760/9263441892_fd66b8b4d7.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Penelope's Quilt"></a></p>Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-31804406437059323522013-05-19T09:00:00.000-04:002013-07-11T11:32:17.618-04:00Attempting the Washi Dress<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8751397921/" title="Washi by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7333/8751397921_fabb66d049.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Washi"></a></p>
<p>There are a few patterns that float around the blogosphere that you see so often that eventually you just need to try. That's how I ended up making <a href="http://www.noodle-head.com">Anna Graham's 241 Tote</a>, my <a href="http://wikstenmade.com/home.html">Wiksten Tova</a> dress, and now the famous <a href="http://www.made-by-rae.com/washi/">Washi dress, by Rae Hoekstra</a>.</p>
<p>I bought some Anna Maria Horner linen, Parenthetical in Deep, for the occasion. It's such an amazing print. I may have to get more to use to make an Art Student Tote, the pattern for which I bought a few weeks ago. And I may have to get some of Parenthetical in the cream color, and make another dress...</p>
<p>My first attempt at the Washi was definitely a failure. With three out of four measurements I fall right between M and L, and then an M for the fourth. Per the pattern description, the measurements are supposed to be somewhat generous, so I started off making a muslin in M and put it on. Way too tight! </p>
<p>Take two and I went for L. Still way too tight. This was rather mystifying. My measurements are smaller than the range for L (even measured over the top of a lightly padded bra), and I'm only a B cup. Searching on Google and resource links on Rae's Washi page pointed me to a couple of blogs and resources. The description of issues that might require a Full Bust Adjustment (FBA) certainly sounded like the problems I was having, but being a B cup and using a pattern that was supposed to accommodate B-C cups, it didn't make sense. The next alternative was moving the darts down and adding some length to the bodice. As that was the easier adjustment to make, I was going to attempt that first before the FBA.</p>
<p>While I was in the process of making those adjustments on the pattern and browsing Google to find other people's experiences I came across another blog post, <a href="http://madeonthecouch.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/i-made-a-washi-dress/">Jen over at Made on the Couch</a> in which Jen was having the same problems I was. She had found out that the problem was the pattern not having been printed at the correct scale. In her case it was 1/8" of an inch difference, which as she rightly pointed out isn't a lot on its own, but makes for a large difference over an entire pattern. I'd had the pattern printed by a friend at his job (I haven't owned a printer in a couple years), and while he'd supposedly printed it at 100%, it may have been the printer that just wasn't accurate. In my case, the difference was 1/16th of an inch. Not quite as big a discrepancy as Jen, but over the width of the front bodice, it adds up to 1 1/4 inch. Finally it made a lot more sense.</p>
<p>Once Jeff goes back to work and has access to the really nice and accurate printer there, I'll have him print the pattern again and will attempt Washi once more. In future I think I may also opt for a paper pattern rather than instant gratification if the option exists.</p>
Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-23754941920298456092013-04-29T09:00:00.000-04:002013-04-29T09:00:17.914-04:00Lizzy House's Sparkle Punch Quilt<p>Back in August I started the process of cutting up strips of carefully <strike>hoarded</strike> collected <a href="http://lizzyhouse.typepad.com">Lizzy House</a> fabrics from her Castle Peeps, 1001 Peeps, Outfoxed and Hello Pilgrim collections to make a Wonky Stars/Sparkle Punch quilt, per <a href="http://www.ohfransson.com">Elizabeth Hartman's</a> quilt-along tutorial. Between the 4 collections I had enough to have a whole star out of each fabric without duplicates, and only needed to omit maybe 2 or 3 fabrics. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/7046090323/" title="Lizzy House Fabrics by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7237/7046090323_868325321b.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Lizzy House Fabrics"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6899994634/" title="Lizzy House Fabrics by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/6899994634_1b16ed161a.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Lizzy House Fabrics"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/7046093115/" title="Lizzy House Fabrics by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/7046093115_38ac425f73.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Lizzy House Fabrics"></a></p>
<p>I still flinch a little inwardly thinking about the fact that I had to cut 384 3.5" squares, and that was just the white background fabric. So many squares! </p>
<p>The squares ended up living in a box for a while due to our move, and then went neglected through the holidays. Here and there I'd pull them out and sew points or press, and sew more points, etc. Finally about a week and a half ago I started assembling all the parts, and now I can strike that top off the To Do list! This weekend's weather has been lovely (though Jeff's allergies aren't agreeing with that at all!) and so I took it outside with another finish to photograph. Sadly that one will need me to take it outside another day and redo the pictures because they all managed to be slightly out of focus.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8690518620/" title="Sparkle Punch by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7044/8690518620_eb90de111f.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Sparkle Punch"></a></p>
<p>Now I need to decide on what to back it with and how to bind it. I have some square components left and can make a number of scrappy stars. Beyond that, I'm not sure, maybe some Kona Ash or a slightly darker grey.Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-32032558918005321902013-04-10T12:45:00.001-04:002013-04-10T12:45:09.201-04:00241 Tote<p>Following the completion of one bag, I started on another: a 241 tote for myself, from Anna Graham's (Noodlehead) now-internet-famous pattern. A while before I'd bought the pattern, I'd picked up a home dec/canvas fabric on a trip to Ikea (where I also got some of that awesome grey-on-white numbers fabric, and noticed they have 20" x 20" pillow inserts for $6.99, "Fjädrar", should I get around to sewing pillow covers).</p>
<p>For other fabrics I dug into my stash, some Michael Miller Mini Mikes houndstooth, black-on-grey and grey-on-white for the sides, side pockets and interior slip pocket, and some Kona Medium Grey for the interior and Kona Ash for the zip pocket linings. The zippers are from Etsy, the Zipit store.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8587095914/" title="Untitled by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8386/8587095914_a1ea84fbf2.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Untitled"></a></p>
<p>Anna's pattern is clear and the color photos are really helpful, especially if you're fairly new to bag making. I've found sewing bags can feel counter intuitive and a bit ass-backwards at times, though that could just be me. It should definitely not be held against the pattern that I had to redo some things and became fast friends with my seam ripper again. A lot of that has to do with my having gotten ahead of myself and wanting to go a bit too fast, or making some "DOH!" mistakes, and occasionally having made the mistake of trying to sew while both kids were home, awake and running amok. And being highly critical and wanting to redo some wobbly topstitching.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8585995407/" title="Untitled by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8248/8585995407_df2ae4780c.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Untitled"></a><br /><em>Lieam daring me to move the bag.</em></p>
<p>Things I'd do differently (or, per pattern suggestions) next time: Make one half of the pocket lining in the same fabric as the exterior, or at least something that matches better. I hadn't really thought about it that much, but after installing the zippers, and the way that it can still let slivers peek through of the lining on the edges of the stitching, the light Kona Ash was a bit more noticeable than I would have chosen. If you look closely at the picture, you can probably see what I mean, little light grey slivers around the zipper.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8587097486/" title="241 in Ikea home dec by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8366/8587097486_ec1258526c.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="241 in Ikea home dec"></a></p>
<p>Another change I'd make would be to add some kind of interfacing to the strap if you're using quilting cotton, or to use either webbing or a sturdier fabric. The lack of interfacing just makes the strap feel very light and flimsy, and I prefer it to feel a little stiffer. This is totally up to your personal preference.</p>
<p>The 241 Tote pattern has prompted me to jump on the next blogging band wagon, Anna's new divided basket pattern. Miss Matilda could use some cute storage like this for her ponies, cars and Barbie accessories, so they don't all get lost in the huge toy storage box in the kids' room. And I could use one in my room for some of the bedside flotsam and jetsam. There's no bedside table, and a basket to store the Kindle and things like lip balm and hand cream in, so the cats don't knock it off the bed frame's edge would be helpful.</p> Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-69390135211440000992013-03-28T16:17:00.000-04:002013-03-28T16:17:14.799-04:00Ending the Hiatus<p>Not long into 2013 I gave myself my first critical quilting injury. While trimming stars from my Wonky Stars/Sparkle Punch quilt, I zipped my rotary cutter across the top of the ruler, rather than alongside it, and ended up slicing off part of the tip of my left index finger. It was a planar cut that measured about 1/2" by 1/4" (but thankfully not too deep), so having it stitched wasn't an option, and it kept me out of commission for quite a few weeks while it healed.</p>
<p>It was pretty frustrating, as I had just been getting back into sewing after our move. However, a couple of days after the incident, Jeff surprised me by giving me something to dress up a different finger on my left hand, and gave me an engagement ring! So, in the coming months, there may be some wedding crafting going on.</p>
<p>In the past couple of weeks I've managed to get most of my star components done for the Wonky Star quilt, though every time I've tried to lay it out on the floor to figure out the layout, cats decide they need to run around it and mess up the components.</p>
<p>In the meantime I have also been working on some smaller projects. Last weekend I made a small backpack using the Fig Tree Quilts "Daisy Girl Backpack" pattern. Originally I'd gotten fabrics together to make one like on the cover, with Aneela Hooey's Sherbet Pips, but Miss Matilda decided later that she didn't really like those fabrics all that much, and as a project it just hit the "maybe later" pile. With one of Matilda's little pre-school friends moving to Singapore at the end of the month, I decided to make it as a going away present for her, one that would be a functional traveling gift. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8587088802/" title="Daisy Girl Backpack by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8246/8587088802_a6073d3967.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Daisy Girl Backpack"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8587089424/" title="Daisy Girl Backpack by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8228/8587089424_c4b8fed8e6.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Daisy Girl Backpack"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8587090052/" title="Daisy Girl Backpack by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8368/8587090052_0935bd3b58.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Daisy Girl Backpack"></a></p>
<p>I'm really happy with the end result, though I had a few issues with the pattern. My being a bit of a novice as far as sewing bags may have had something to do with it, but I found some instructions a little vague or confusing at times, and that could have been aided with more pictures, or clearer illustrations. There was also a mistake in the pattern with the slip pocket's measurements (folding a 7" x 13" piece in half is never going to give you 7" x 7" square). But, in the end it came out looking very nice, and the recipient was very happy.</p>
Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-7804053879625080472012-12-10T14:02:00.000-05:002013-03-24T15:01:22.461-04:00Back Into The Swing<p>3.5 weeks in our new place, and we're mostly unpacked, and I have my sewing table set up and supplies mostly set up. A sewing table! My own space! No more sharing the dining table, which was inconvenient for both uses, and always somewhat stressful. That said, right now my sewing table is sharing with our little table top tree. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8260151746/" title="Dashiell admiring our mini tree by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8350/8260151746_ae70f55c15.jpg" width="450" height="450" alt="Dashiell admiring our mini tree"></a></p>
<p>The first project here has been some mug rugs for the kids' teachers and aides. Dashiell has several people who work with him in and out of school, and have for the past 2 school years to, so I wanted to make something special for them. I've also wanted to try out the mini Churn Dash blocks from the Purl Bee blog. To this end, I cut into some of my Denyse Schmidt stash. Isobel immediately made herself at home on some of the strips. Cats have fabric radar, I swear. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8259083143/" title="Isobel by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8355/8259083143_7ff97d78ea.jpg" width="450" height="450" alt="Isobel"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8259084261/" title="Churn Dash in Progress by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8344/8259084261_d51beb73ed.jpg" width="" height="450" alt="Churn Dash in Progress"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8260152700/" title="Partially Done by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8260152700_899654b580.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Partially Done"></a></p>
<p>I tried to pick contrasting colors, somewhat high vs somewhat low volume when possible. I like the pairings of 3, but the last pairing I'm not entirely sure about, being the top left one.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8262041930/" title="Untitled by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8063/8262041930_6d3689ea36.jpg" width="450" height="450" alt="Untitled"></a></p>
<p>Even with the colors in each part repeating back in ways, the navy, the orange (that's inside the little dots on the purple-ish fabric, and the fact that orange and blues work well, somehow I feel insecure about that one. It's probably mostly in my head though.</p>
<p>At present the little mug rugs measure about 8.5" square. I have 2 of each design, so that puts me at 8 mats so far. Now to dig up the batting from a box somewhere, and pick out some backing and binding fabrics!</p>Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-26218925933384935602012-11-15T08:30:00.000-05:002013-03-24T15:00:34.912-04:00SpellbindingA few more pictures in somewhat better light yesterday morning, before this top too disappeared into a moving box...
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8185345994/" title="Spellbound by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8197/8185345994_22c76eb48b.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Spellbound"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8185350330/" title="Spellbound by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8069/8185350330_e526471dba.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Spellbound"></a></p>
Now all my projects, supplies and tools are packed away, I feel all antsy. It's a bit strange as I can often go days or weeks without touching any project if I'm too tired or busy or distracted to work on anything, but as long as the option is there, I feel fine. Take away all those options, and I feel a bit uncomfortable.
Whilst outside catching a little natural light for a few last pictures before things were packed away, Miss Matilda wanted to snap some too, focusing (or trying to) on the fabric that caught her fancy: the moons with the clouds:
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8185351304/" title="Spellbound Detail by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8210/8185351304_1a05596a20.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Spellbound Detail"></a></p>
I just liked how she ended up framing the shot, with a chunk of leaves.
Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-85162906986474361132012-11-13T22:22:00.001-05:002013-03-24T14:59:48.382-04:00Fossil SquaredOver the summer I finally finished my brother's quilt. This was the quilt I'd hoped to finish back in May to take with me when I visited, but sadly it didn't work out that way. I was unhappy with the random straight line quilting I was doing, and had to take all that out. I ended up running out of time to take it out and re-do it.<br /><br />
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8181155425/" title="Fossil Squared by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8057/8181155425_1db3425f34.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Fossil Squared"></a></p>
The pattern is based on <a href="http://howtobejenna.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/kona-solids-challenge-quilt-winners/">How To Be Jenna's</a> Dusty Springfield quilt (which she now sells a pattern for on her site!) I made mine larger and made it 6x7 colored squares rather than 5x6. I wanted to be a nice big quilt for a 6 foot guy to snuggle under, hence sizing up. At this size it'll also be a decent throw across the end of his bed too.
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8181191500/" title="Fossil Squared Back by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8484/8181191500_4d765c6ce1.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Fossil Squared Back"></a></p>
For the back I used a charcoal batik from Joann's with 2 more squares from the Benartex Fossil Fern charm pack. As my brother liked quilts that ran from warm to cool colors, I picked one of each. In the future if I go the route of (Joann's?) batik again, I will likely pre-wash the batik, or not forget the color catchers in the wash. I think it was the batik that bled through a bit and left some staining on the white on the front around the stitching. It wasn't hugely noticeable, but it was a rather devastating find, as I had wanted it to be amazing. The color catchers would likely have really helped.
I quilted it with straight lines through the white between the color blocks and the crosses.
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8181155179/" title="Fossil Squared by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8206/8181155179_0d0f6413d1.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Fossil Squared"></a></p>
Besides the bleeding issues, I'm really happy with how this turned out. When my dad and step mom came to visit from the UK in October they took it back with them and will be giving it to my brother when they see him in December. I hope he loves it as much as we here all did, it was hard to let that one go!
Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-19209994091848840842012-11-12T00:09:00.000-05:002013-03-24T14:58:18.896-04:00SpellboundWith about 12 minutes to spare, I managed to finish my Spellbound quilt using Tula Pink's Nightshade fabrics to be able to participate in the Sew Sweetness Tula Pink Sew Along!<br /><br />
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<a href="http://www.sewsweetness.com/2012/09/tula-pink-sew-along.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Tula Pink Sew Along" src="http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab257/bluemerleboutique/tulasewalongbutton.jpg"/></a></center>
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Things have been a bit chaotic here lately, especially as we're in the process of packing to move to a new apartment this upcoming weekend. The move was fairly short notice, so my plans to finish the Nightshade quilt before Halloween went out of the window. As did our Halloween plans, as Hurricane Sandy hit the area. We were extremely fortunate to miss out on damage and power outages (unlike last Halloween's snow storm), even as towns around us were hit much harder, including my kids' school district just miles down the street.
Even as I packed away all my fabric, I left the Nightshade out, just in case I found some time to try and squeak in before the deadline of the sew-along. The pattern is the Spellbound pattern for the Nightshade fabric from Freespirit's website. It's an easy pattern to assemble, and I picked it because I liked the way it showcased the portraits nicely.
The pictures aren't what I'd like, but at 11.48pm in a house overflowing with boxes and mess, the staging areas are lacking...<br /><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8181178276/" title="Spellbound by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8063/8181178276_4075a06cce.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Spellbound"></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/8181142645/" title="Spellbound by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8485/8181142645_b268acd822.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Spellbound"></a><br /><br />
For the backing and binding I have a white-on-black pin/polka dot (Free Spirit Designer Beads) that I'll be using. I saw it used in a Nightshade quilt, I think the Snow Globe pattern, and decided it'd be a good fit.
And so, my last quilt top in this house. Kind of strange... Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-50617287060068673592012-08-29T08:00:00.000-04:002013-03-24T14:56:27.802-04:00WIP Wednesday #9<p>I'm feeling pretty good about the progress I made on the weekend with my brother's quilt, which only has the hand-stitching on the binding left. A task that's being accomplished in the evenings whilst watching TV.</p>
<p>Then there was the Flip Side top I finished, which now moves towards another stage of completion. Or, rather, the stack of finished quilt tops that need assembling and quilting. With that one, I have the backing fabric, and won't need to agonize over the choices for a pieced back (Ghastlies quilt, I'm looking at you! And my Lotta Jansdotter Echo quilt for that matter.)</p>
<p>Over the past few days, though, I've been working on a Sparkle Punch (Wonky Stars) quilt. I'd cut 3.5" wide strips of about 81 Lizzy House fabrics back in April, and now came time to convert those strips into squares. 80 pairs of 5 squares for whole stars, and then more squares for the partial stars.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/7873331658/" title="400+ 3.5" Lizzy House squares by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8283/7873331658_80509c5ca3.jpg" width="400" height="400" alt="400+ 3.5" Lizzy House squares"></a></p>
<p>Monday I sliced up some white cotton for the 384 neutral squares I'd need. Then more cutting as most of the patterned squares needed slicing into triangles. Presently I'm sewing the star points. Hopefully by the weekend I can get most of those sewn, trimmed and sewn some more and ready to plan the layout of the entire quilt.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/7880852580/" title="Untitled by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7123/7880852580_b052e864d9.jpg" width="400" height="400" alt="Untitled"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/7873332506/" title="Echo by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7279/7873332506_87f8c3d01a.jpg" width="400" height="400" alt="Echo"></a></p>
<p>Echo sitting on a project in a more embryonic stage, which will be an adapted Jaybird Quilts' Chopsticks quilt, with Wrenly fabric and Kona solids. This will have to wait a little longer, as I want to clear a few more WIPs off the list, or make some more progress on them first, before I end up with a huge stack of quilt tops and too few finished quilts.</p>Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-48666346773779329152012-08-27T12:17:00.001-04:002012-08-28T12:01:48.320-04:00New Little Kitties<p>As long as I can remember, I've loved Russian Blue cats with their intense graphite color. I remember being a little kid and seeing them in an ad for some cat food, and that was where the love affair began. I'm not alone in loving them, as it happens Jeff does too. Somehow, a while back, a seed was planted to add a Russian Blue to our existing clowder. We weren't really planning on adding one immediately, as the place we're presently living in isn't the largest.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/7873084754/" title="Echo & Tesla by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8301/7873084754_21f553e4a6.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Echo & Tesla"></a></p>
<p>After scouting a variety of Russian Blues in the area, and missing the boat on them too, a lucky find of a petfinder.com listing for a Russian Blue at the local SPCA led us to go have a look. At 2 brothers. As the above picture shows, we didn't just get the one kitten, but both. We just couldn't split up a pair of bonded brothers.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/7873091106/" title="Tesla by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7246/7873091106_61592dd4ae.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Tesla"></a></p>
<p>They're super-duper cuddly, in no small part, I imagine, due to the fact that they were rescued and taken to the SPCA when they were about 2 days old and hand-reared. It's been 3 weeks, and they've settled in well with our other 3 cats. I'm also enjoying watching a bonded pair of kittens grow up together. Their interactions are a lot of fun, and it's so cute to find a little sleeping kitten pile every so often.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/7873326146/" title="Echo & Tesla by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8283/7873326146_da2fc7905a.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Echo & Tesla"></a></p>
<p>Echo's the darker and skinnier one. Tesla has a more round face, and gets that Russian Blue smile going quite well.</p>Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-30489782293574803762012-08-26T12:09:00.001-04:002012-08-28T12:03:30.080-04:00Too Long!<p>It's been much too long since I posted. A trip overseas, to visit family in Holland and England, and a bit of a sewing funk too, conspired against me. Or rather, one was a pretty valid reason but covers only a 2 week period, and the other just left me with nothing much to post about and made me feel guilty about being in the funk and not having anything to write about or show off.</p>
<p>My birthday was May 25th. The middle of the 30s, eep! With my dad and stepmum we planned a trip to Europe to coincide with my birthday. A trip just for Jeff and myself. While grandma and grandpa would have loved to see the kiddos, sometimes it's nice to just get away together. Also my dad and stepmum will be visiting in September and will get to see the wee people then.</p>
<p>I had tried very hard to get my Fossil Fern quilt finished for my youngest brother, but I ran out of time. I'd started quilting random straight lines on it, and ended up unhappy with how the couple I'd sewn looked. Rather than keep going and be dissatisfied about the result, and not having enough time to do it the way I wanted to (while also not having settled exactly on what I wanted to do) I just put it aside and told my brother he'd have to wait a little longer. This was as far as I got just before we left: </p>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/7177426624/" title="Fossil Fern Squared by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7086/7177426624_78d7e2cd0b.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Fossil Fern Squared"></a>
<p>It's pretty big, about 76" x 65". Not quite a bed sized quilt, but as both my brothers are over 6 feet tall, I wanted to give my youngest brother a good sized quilt for him to be able to snuggle under. You know, manly snuggling...</p>
<p>This weekend has been the first weekend in about 6 weeks that I've had to myself (literally, as Jeff's working in Raleigh NC this weekend), and have been able to sew uninterrupted. The kids' dad was away for several weeks, and so they were here the entire time. The summer seems to have zoomed past... summer day camp has come and gone, and now the start of school is almost here!</p>
<p>Yesterday I completed the quilting on my Fossil Fern quilt, made the binding and sewed that on. It just needs hand stitching on the back and it'll be ready for my dad and stepmum to take back with them for my brother. </p>
<p>Then, after getting that quilt out of the way, I pulled out my Flip Side quilt top, one that had given me a headache last year and that I'd put away. In hindsight the issues weren't so terrible, but at the time it had me so frustrated and annoyed that I really needed a mental break from it. I managed to fix the problems and complete it, so I'm very happy about that!</p>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/7864966786/" title="Flip Side by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8430/7864966786_81ca816210.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Flip Side"></a>
<p>A quick picture on the couch with less than ideal light, before I headed off to bed. The pattern is by Rachel Griffith, and the fabric is Kate Spain's Central Park. </p>
<p>I'm happy to be out of my funk a bit, and glad to have gotten some overdue projects done. How's everyone else doing?</p>Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-70657010546904961092012-05-02T16:40:00.001-04:002012-05-02T16:42:11.935-04:00WIP Wednesday : #8A continuation from last Wednesday's WIP, it's the Fossil Fern quilt.<br /><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/7132993509/" title="Fossil Fern Squared WIP by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7132993509_6084fb1295.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Fossil Fern Squared WIP"></a><br /><br />
This picture is actually from yesterday, as I was assembling the smaller rows into larger blocks. Taken indoors as we've been having rain the past 2 days, and mostly to show my brother how it was going too. I have a little over a week left to finish piecing this and to assemble the quilt sandwich and quilt both this and one for my step mom and my dad. Eek! <br /><br />
I realized this morning that I'd also pieced some of the green squares into the orange row of one block, and had to re-do that earlier. Besides what's visible in the picture, there'll be a row of blue and purple.<br /><br />
Somehow this quilt is also a little larger than I thought it'd turn out to be. The top looks like it'll be barely a bit wider than my queen sized mattress. It's mostly meant to be a good size snuggle-on-the-couch (and also a thanks-for-letting-us-stay-here-you're-an-awesome-brother) quilt for a guy clocking in at a little over 6 feet though, and I think that'll suffice.<br /><br />
Presently it sits in 6 large pieces waiting for me to press seams and assemble more, but it's time to deal with the evening's dinner, being Heidi Swanson's recipe for <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/baked-farro-risotto-recipe.html">Baked Farro Risotto</a>, which is made with the whole grain Farro, and a dish which I end up finding very similar to Lasagna both taste wise and the way the grains remind me a little of pasta.Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-84263639612367025252012-04-25T10:27:00.000-04:002012-04-27T14:50:23.884-04:00WIP Wednesday: #7I've long been a fan of <a href="http://howtobejenna.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/kona-solids-challenge-quilt-winners/">Jenna's "Dusty Springfield" quilt</a>, which she made for a Kona Solids challenge, and not long ago the opportunity to make one presented itself.<br />
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In May Jeff and I will be traveling to the Netherlands and the UK to visit my family. Whilst in Holland we'll be staying with my youngest brother, and I asked him if he'd like a quilt. I had him look through <a href="http://pinterest.com/annuin/quilts/">my Pinterest quilt board</a>, to get an idea of what kind of design tickled his fancy. And while his first suggestion was <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/1266706114716503/">an art quilt</a> well outside my skill levels, he then settled on the Dusty Springfield quilt. Only he didn't want solids, and asked for something with a little more pattern/texture. I suggested batiks, and he did some Google searching and said he liked the Benartex Fossil Fern batiks.<br />
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A charm pack was ordered, and I set about selecting squares that would give a similar effect. A kind of rainbow progression from warmer to cooler colors. I decided to make the quilt bigger too. Instead of the 30 squares Jenna used (5x6) I added another row and column and needed to select 42 squares (6x7).<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/7112841941/" title="Fossil Fern selection by Annuin, on Flickr"><img alt="Fossil Fern selection" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7090/7112841941_29d6f24050.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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Jenna didn't include a pattern or full tutorial, but posted a diagram on her blog about how to make the white and grey parts in between the charms. I've been keeping track of the amounts of fabric I've been using as best I can, and maybe I'll cobble together a tutorial that has fabric requirements and such in it, after I acquire permission from Jenna to do so. [permission granted! woot!]<br />Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-22947702825611177052012-04-24T14:11:00.003-04:002012-04-24T14:22:49.900-04:00The Feline Horde: #1: ShilohI figured today I would introduce some of our feline horde. <br /><br />Back in June 2010, about a month and a half after I moved out of my ex's place into my own, I fulfilled a desire that I'd had for ages: a cat. As there had always been an intention to move back overseas, we held off on pets as quarantining them wouldn't be nice or very fair on the animals. He also preferred dogs and I preferred cats. Then we split, and things changed, and there won't be any moving. So, an opportunity to get a furry new friend!<br /><br />After heading down to the ASPCA in NYC and having a disappointing experience there, I followed it up the next day by a trip to the local SPCA, where the staff was much friendlier and Miss Matilda and I left carrying a box with precious cargo: a 3-month kitten, later to be named Shiloh.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/5075945852/" title="Shiloh–at the time still unnamed. by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4029/5075945852_ae846f2253.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Shiloh–at the time still unnamed."></a><br /><em>On her first night at home</em><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/5081463302/" title="Untitled by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4129/5081463302_cb6c0a9de5.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Untitled"></a><br /><em>Sneaking a nap in the laundry.</em><br /><br />I've had and been around quite a few cats, and my first cat Abby was a super sweet cat, but Shiloh almost puts her to shame. Her favorite spot in the house is my lap and she's very attached to me. She doesn't really miaow very well, either they're silent or sound more like squeaks, which has resulted in one of her nicknames: Squeak.<br /><br />Mostly she likes to hang out and be left alone by the other cats. She likes Isobel well enough, but doesn't tolerate Lieam too well, likely as he enjoys a lot of wrestling and hijinks that she's not into. As our biggest cat, she also manages to be the biggest wuss. And she's also a little neurotic.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6539677111/" title="Shiloh by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7170/6539677111_3dc0e8bb7c.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Shiloh"></a>Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-75473334836539572822012-04-04T21:26:00.003-04:002012-04-04T21:39:20.015-04:00WIP Wednesday #6In between trying to tidy the house and packing to go to PAX East in Boston where I'll be working at the booth for Jeff's company I haven't done a lot, but I did manage to get 3.5" wide strips cut from all the Lizzy House fabrics I have been stashing for a while for the Wonky Stars/Sparkle Punch quilt I'd like to make.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/7046090323/" title="Lizzy House Fabrics by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7237/7046090323_868325321b.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Lizzy House Fabrics"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6899994634/" title="Lizzy House Fabrics by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/6899994634_1b16ed161a.jpg" width="450" height="450" alt="Lizzy House Fabrics"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/7046093115/" title="Lizzy House Fabrics by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/7046093115_38ac425f73.jpg" width="450" height="450" alt="Lizzy House Fabrics"></a><br /><br />So pretty having all the various colors and shades! <br /><br />Most of that is just for the full stars. 5 squares per star, of which 85 are needed, off the top of my head. I need some more for partial squares, but much less. I do think I need something like 300+ white squares. Eep!Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-68824319998649129082012-04-02T12:48:00.004-04:002012-04-02T12:59:36.130-04:00Boxed In Echoes ProgressI managed to finish my Echo quilt top. After having a burst of early Spring, verging on Summer here in NY, the weather turned frigid, gloomy and super windy, and so I couldn't take any outdoor pictures for fear of the whole thing taking flight. Taking pictures indoors with cats, though, is always such a tricky prospect! If I have quilt pieces on the floor, I have to lock them out of the room or they're sitting on it in under 13 seconds. If I'm trying to hang it up, such as below, well then it becomes a fun curtain to dive under and around. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6893079460/" title="Boxed In Echoes by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/6893079460_9cc2bd9b57.jpg" width="332" height="500" alt="Boxed In Echoes"></a><br /><br />I haven't quite decided what to do for the backing yet. I have 2 Echo charm packs that I won a while ago, I may use some of the charms in the back with some white and grey solids. The Kona Ash and Coal I have go quite well, though I don't have enough of either to piece together a substantial back yet. Sometimes figuring out how to piece the backs is more complicate than the front.Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-26479707385032837962012-03-21T16:40:00.005-04:002012-03-21T21:26:18.388-04:00WIP Wednesday #5Remember this quilt top? <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/5853897470/" title="Kitchen Window Quilt by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3031/5853897470_3f6269c184.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Kitchen Window Quilt"></a><br /><br />Well, yesterday I finally got around to basting it to the pieced back I made a few weeks ago. The top ended up sitting in a box for a while, and then it was hard to actually be left alone by the cats long enough to actually put it together. On the weekend Jeff and I rearranged the furniture in our bedroom, and suddenly we have a wealth of floor space! Enough to put down a quilt exactly that size. And it's much easier to lock the cats out of one room, than to try and catch them and sequester them in a room. Now I just need to pick out a matching thread to quilt it with.<br /><br />With some of my Christmas gift money, I picked up the book Modern Blocks a few weeks back, in part because I really wanted the pattern for <a href="http://www.freshlemonsquilts.com/">Faith's</a> Blocked In block, the pattern she used in her <a href="http://www.freshlemonsquilts.com/?p=814">Echino Squared</a> quilt. I decided to use the Echo I bought with some more of the Christmas gift money. I redid the math so that the blocks are actually the size in Faith's Echino Squared quilt, being 18" for each 4-quadrant block, as opposed to 12.5". I wanted fewer larger blocks rather than more smaller ones. A lot of the prints in Echo are larger scale, and I felt it would work better.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/7004002217/" title="Blocked In Echoes WIP by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7185/7004002217_3e71f11346.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Blocked In Echoes WIP"></a><br /><em>My "design floor"</em><br /><br />My only real disappointment is having bought what I thought was Kona Snow, and realizing after I'd pieced all the components that while that might have been what I ordered, it wasn't what I received in the mail, and it didn't match my Kona color card either. Doh! Of course I didn't think to check the color when it arrived, assuming it was the right one. It did strike me as being a bit whiter than I thought it was supposed to be as I was cutting it, but I kept going anyway. It's not egregious, and I'm not about to take it all apart. However, given that I bought enough Snow for 2 more projects besides this one, it does throw a spanner in the works with at least one of those projects, namely the one in which I was going to use some Valori Wells' Wrenly, and the background on the birds is definitely not white-white. With the second project, I don't think it'll make a huge difference, so I won't sweat it there. I'm a bit disappointed that I'll have to buy more fabric that I didn't think I needed, <em>just</em> to do my Wrenly version of Jaybird Quilts' Chopsticks. At least white's a solid that will get used quickly enough, but I already had about 6 yards of that lying around as it was, and really didn't need another ~7.Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-26768727904013282332012-02-01T14:16:00.002-05:002012-02-01T14:31:44.470-05:00WIP Wednesday #4It's been a while since I got any real sewing done. The holidays interfered a bit, and some personal stuff too. Recently I decided to start cutting into half of my Fandango layer cake for the Jaybird Quilts' Carnival pattern I've had lying around for a while. I did quite a bit of the cutting the other weekend and on some random days here and there along with a little of the piecing too. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6802688783/" title="Fandango Carnival by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6802688783_ed1bbac246.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Fandango Carnival"></a><br /><br />Yesterday I finally sewed together most of the blocks, and then the rows and the rest of the quilt top.<br /><br />Lieam helped while I pieced the rows...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6802689349/" title="Fandango Carnival by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7146/6802689349_797bc5f32f.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Fandango Carnival"></a><br /><br />Blocks all done and now awaiting the borders:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6802690081/" title="Fandango Carnival by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7018/6802690081_ddc43fe0c8.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Fandango Carnival"></a><br /><br />And roughly 5 seconds after laying the blocks on the couch to take the above picture, Shiloh made herself at home on it...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6802690569/" title="Fandango Carnival by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7025/6802690569_724d555b5d.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Fandango Carnival"></a><br /><br />I'm not sure what it is about fabric and quilts, they are like cat magnets! I do look forward to one day having a living space that has a separate room for me to use as a sewing studio, and for Jeff's music things, one where we can restrict the access of the furbeasts (and sometimes even the teacup humans!).<br /><br />I'm glad I got some more progress made on this quilt though, it felt good to be able to sew anything more than 15 minutes worth.Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-7641685810842855222012-01-30T16:35:00.004-05:002012-01-30T16:42:49.643-05:00Hello Aunt Edna!This morning I headed out to my local Joann's store to see if some of Denyse Schmidt's DS Quilts Aunt Edna collection had arrived. I saw it appear on Flickr or a blog, and figured it might be in stock. I was in luck, and some of it was!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6791720905/" title="DS Quilts Aunt Edna by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7149/6791720905_a147bce9c9.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="DS Quilts Aunt Edna"></a><br /><br />I'm missing 5 of the prints (the houndstooth, plaid and large dots from the second colorway, and a floral print from both), but as one of the bolts was one I spied behind the cutting table, still shrink-wrapped in plastic, the others may yet arrive or need to be unpacked. Because I forgot some of the notions for the Daisy Girl backpack pattern I have for Miss Matilda, I need to go back at some point anyway.<br /><br />The new collection is lovely, and it matches the Hope Valley pieces I have well (I only have the New Day blue/grey colorway of that though, so far.) The oranges are a little less neon-y than in the picture, but the sun was blazing this afternoon and even the color correction in Photoshop couldn't fix it entirely. It's not hugely different though.Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-65817080978850319292012-01-18T12:10:00.004-05:002012-02-01T14:17:48.148-05:00Wip Wednesday #3Back in August, I was lucky enough to win 2 charm packs of Kate Spain's Terrain over on <a href="http://myfifteenminutebreak.blogspot.com/">Melanie's blog</a>, and a while ago I decided to indulge my love of whirligig pinwheels and make some. For this, I used the <a href="http://turtlehillquilter.blogspot.com/2010/01/charmed-whirlgigs-tutorial.html">Charmed Whirligig tutorial</a> over on the <a href="http://turtlehillquilter.blogspot.com">Turtle Hill Quilter</a> blog.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6720969311/" title="Terrain Whirligigs by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7015/6720969311_b6c1bba6a6.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Terrain Whirligigs"></a><br /><br />Now I have a stack of lovely colorful Whirligigs!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6720969567/" title="Terrain Whirligigs by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/6720969567_2b51414a9d.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Terrain Whirligigs"></a><br /><br />Of course, in a moment of inattentiveness, I messed it up a bit too, and cut 2 of the charms the wrong way, so they whirl in the opposite direction. Doh!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6720969757/" title="Terrain Whirligigs by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7012/6720969757_56486bde95.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Terrain Whirligigs"></a><br /><br />I'm considering using the two wrong-way-round whirligigs in the backing. No real loss, but it shows you what happens when I start cutting before a morning dose of caffeine!Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-87903858205840448012012-01-17T10:06:00.005-05:002012-01-17T12:21:21.375-05:00Happy New Year!A belated Happy New Year! <br /><br />I hope everyone made it through the silly season okay. Ours was a fairly low key affair, and I have to say I enjoyed it that way, no stress and just some quiet enjoyment of the season. The kiddos were with their dad for Christmas this year, and we let them open their presents on the Solstice. Miss Matilda loudly exclaimed with everything that it was just what she wanted, which was pretty funny. I'll have to dig a few pictures off the boyfriend's phone camera of the event.<br /><br />My big gift to Jeff this year was a Kindle Fire. He had asked for one, and once I knew nobody else was getting it for him, I got one and surprised him with it. Of course this also meant a new Kindle case needed to be sewn: <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6714553921/" title="Kindle Case by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6714553921_dd4c7ea2f5.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Kindle Case"></a><br /><br />As he rode professionally for a couple of years, bicycles were a natural choice. I had picked up some of the Michael Miller fabric a while back with him in mind, though no real project. Whilst going through some stash fabrics to figure out what to make the case out of, I grabbed that one again, and realized that the piece of Kyla May fabric from her Smirk line matched really well. <em>Voilá</em>!<br /><br />I did pretty well this Christmas and got some lovely stuff...<br /><br />Jeff and his dad each got me a quilting book I'd asked for: <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6714884935/" title="Holiday Spoils! by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7146/6714884935_b0d4e5c0c2.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Holiday Spoils!"></a><br /><br />Jeff's mom sent me some money, and unsurprisingly I bought fabric, from the awesome <a href="http://http://www.hawthornethreads.com/">Hawthorne Threads</a>:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6714885395/" title="Echo by Lotta Jansdotter by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7156/6714885395_90017bdca8.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Echo by Lotta Jansdotter"></a><br /><br />Some Echo by Lotta Jansdotter. They were out of the aqua colored blooms (which I have in the orange also), so that's the only print I had wanted that will have to wait a while. I've seen some amazing uses of the saffron yellow prints too, but I will have to try and resist that temptation!<br /><br />A FQ bundle of Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley in the New Day colorway:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6714885931/" title="Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7024/6714885931_6299fb4e56.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt"></a><br /><br />A few prints from the "Cut Out and Keep" and "Across the Pond" collections from Cloud9:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6714886551/" title="Cloud9 by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7002/6714886551_939288e946.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Cloud9"></a><br /><br />Rendezvous by Khristian A. Howell:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6714887479/" title="Rendezvous by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7174/6714887479_98bc6a07f7.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Rendezvous"></a><br /><br />And from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/sewlux">Sew Lux on Etsy</a> some Magic Beans/Pez by American Jane for Moda:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6714887001/" title="Magic Beans (Pez) by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7171/6714887001_3130883149.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Magic Beans (Pez)"></a><br /><br />And some Cape Ann, by Liesl Gibson for Moda:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6714888193/" title="Cape Ann by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/6714888193_95920c3573.jpg" width="450" height="" alt="Cape Ann"></a>.<br /><br />A bit of stash building!<br /><br />I hope you got some nice spoils this season also!Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-29651101803941710722011-12-20T08:32:00.003-05:002011-12-20T08:57:00.794-05:00Hacked GmailIf anybody received an odd email claiming to be from me, with either some crud about an iPhone or other links: It wasn't me. My Gmail account was hacked, and that was the result. Thankfully I caught it within about 20 minutes of it happening and was able to change my password (yay, thanks Jeff!), and it shouldn't happen anymore.<br /><br />I do apologize if this caused anyone inconvenience!Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1425258422857765248.post-81458455985566194352011-12-19T15:56:00.006-05:002011-12-19T16:07:11.006-05:00Olivia The PigI managed to snap some pictures of the finished Olivia quilt as the leaves were turning and Autumn was in its glory. As I type it's gotten pretty cold the past few days, the leaves are long gone and the outdoor icicle lights have just popped on, as the light already starts to fade at 4pm.<br /><br />I do wish Fall lasted longer, the turning of the foliage is such a fast process. Over almost as soon as it's begun.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6539678289/" title="Olivia the Pig Quilt by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7167/6539678289_53f45e0363.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Olivia the Pig Quilt"></a><br /><em>Pattern by Elizabeth Hartman</em><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6539678983/" title="Olivia the Pig Quilt by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7172/6539678983_5af6d3ba28.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Olivia the Pig Quilt"></a><br /><br />The back of the quilt is pieced. Two large dot fabrics that were 54" wide. The binding is Kona charcoal with some of the white-on-red polka dot fabric that was used in the quilt top. The background is Kona medium grey.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/varencienne/6539679725/" title="Olivia the Pig Quilt by Annuin, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6539679725_abc2903991.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Olivia the Pig Quilt"></a><br /><br />It presently lives on Miss Matilda's bed (it's not a bed-sized quilt though), where Lieam spends as much time sleeping on it as he possibly can!Mariekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216728854039924510noreply@blogger.com1