Whew- 6 bags, done just in time~

I made 6 bags - one for each of my sister's plus my mother and Rachel for our family reunion this weekend. I really like these bags but I am not a fast sewer and this project took me a long time to complete! :-) I am second guessing my fabric selection- its very wild but, oh well too late now! hah!

I had the third contrast fabric for the lining but once i started cutting it decided not to use it. It had a very strange finish and did not lie properly when cut. Based on the retro fabric I selected for the side I decided to use that for the lining as well. Whew I am so glad to be done - its high time i start working on Lucy's quilt!

Fall Quilt

This fall we'll be working on a 9-patch quilt, your choice of size, color and design. The 9-patch block, 9 connecting squares offer an endless variety of design and color choices. Click here for previous posts on the 9-patch.

In the past, we've focused on larger rectangles and squares to make our quilts - choosing to work on the cutting and shapes. This time, our squares will be all the same size but it is the color - the fabric choice that will allow you to be more creative. The quilt above uses many colors as its starting point but it is the layout of the blocks that makes the impact. Click here for some flickr images. Here's our favored Crazy Mom Quilts input. Note that she places white sashing (strips) between her blocks for definition. Sew Mama Sew has some basic 9-patch inspiration here.

When you have time, you might want to get yourself some graph paper and plot out your quilt. Think about the color choices you'd like to make. Are you starting off with one or more inspiration fabrics? Or, do you want to stick to one color choice - green maybe? Take the time to do some google image searching to see how others have combined colors to make a statement out of this versatile and easy block.

Click here for a tutorial.

YARDAGE: For a basic baby sized quilt, two colors, click here for yardage. You're interested in the Colors A and B - but NOTE, that if you don't add the coordinating third square, you will need more yardage.

For a lap-size quilt about 66 x 90 = you'll need an assortment of 3.5 yards of fabric just for the squares NOT including sashing or borders or backing. Basically, you will need to decide on your color construction and then go from there.

NOTE: with this block, you can also change the size of the squares. What does this mean? Well, if you want to purchase all CHARM packs, go for it. You won't have any cutting and your fabrics will all go together easy-peasy like these.

For more inspiration, check out Posie Gets Cozy. And, for more tutorials, yardage, and a walk through check out Crazy Mom Quilts quilt-a-long. To see the entire tutorial, click on Quilt-a-long #5, on the lower right column.

Sewing?

As you can see, there's not much sewing going on here, unfortunately. What I am doing is plenty of weeding!

I'm so lucky to have this attic space above our garage for crafts. I get to make a mess without having to clean it up until the project is finished! There are closets to hide all my junk, and there's even a sink to clean up the mess when I use paints and glues. The work island accommodates five friends who have been gathering here for more than a year for a weekly knitting class. I can't wait to host everyone here in September when Mac joins us to demo some sewing and quilting tips and techniques.

Gee's Bend via PB!

How ironic that Pottery Barn is returning to Gee's Bend Quilts! I love the sense of history and that they are selling them as "museum craft." I hope that a new generation will become informed about what these remarkable women accomplished through their craftswomenship!

The kitchen of my dreams!

Ok this has nothing to do with quilting but its so wonderfully gorgeous that i had to share!!!!!

a few last minute projects completed

I made a pillow case and laundry bag over the weekend. I didn’t use a pattern for either project – just winged it with the scrap fabric I had left from the crib skirt. I have found sitting for long stretches at the sewing machine to be among the growing list of things I can’t do anymore. Needless to say it took the better part of a Saturday to finish these two simple items up in between my frequent breaks. I also cut out all of the panels for the crib bumper – which was more challenging than I expected due to my obsessive need to line up the print on the fabric for each panel. I haven’t moved on to sewing it just yet, but I did order the foam inserts so that project is nearing an end.

More updates about the nursery and my 36 week ultrasound video are up on my blog at http://thentherewasyou.wordpress.com.

Interesting bits

I finished my market bag and let me tell you, it took a lot more fabric than I had anticipated. I do like it though and I think the colors are inspiring me for the fall quilt.... hmmmm.

While Jake was at camp today (canoeing and fishing), I took a side jaunt to downtown Crystal Lake and visited Material Girl. Material Girl took the place of the previous fabric store that was downtown. The owner retired and now we have MG. It is so beautiful inside, wonderfully decorated and a really nice selection of fabric including Amy Butler, Michael Miller and Moda.

The new owner kept some of the vintage display cabinets which I just love. So, I wish the new store - Good Luck! Here's a story about the new owner.

Market Bag?

I've begun the cutting of my market bag(s) - so far, I have 3 cut out but am contemplating digging into my toile collection - still unsure what I'm doing with all of these squares. Definitely, this was a detour project.

Finished!

My Anne Maria Horner fabric zig-zag quilt is finished! I love, love, love it!

Final project completed!~

She's Proud!

Congratulations, Linda! It's beautiful - first quilt, evah!