Urban Home Goods Swap

I finished the package for my partner in the Urban Home Goods Swap. I haven't been feeling 100% for the last few weeks so I had to just sit down and force myself to finish this project.

My partner mentioned that she likes Hope Valley, so I used that as the main fabric for this sewing machine cover. I have to admit, though, that I'm not a huge fan of it myself. Something about the colors just don't do it for me. I think that's why I struggled to finish it.

I used the orange and purple fabrics to make a semi-reversible cover for her machine.



The back and ties use the same fabric. I straight-line quilted the cover in random lines. I don't think I basted it as well as I could have because I had a couple problems with tucking here and there.



Overall, I'm pleased with how it came together.



When I showed it to my mom, she loved it, which gave me the idea to make one for her for her birthday.



Along with this, I sent my partner some Hope Valley charm squares in the green/yellow and gray colorways as well as some vintage thread spools. I hope she likes the package.

Linking up to:

Quilt Story's Block Party

I've decided to enter two quilt blocks I've made into Quilt Story's Block Party.

The first is my entry in the Traditional category - my cathedral windows block. You can read more about this block here.



I loved making this block. It was the first time I attempted something that was way out of my comfort zone, but it ended up being a lot easier to tackle than I'd anticipated. It was just time-consuming. I used Heather's tutorials (parts 1 and 2) from House of A La Mode. This was also the first time I made a project completely out of solids. I guess for that reason, I could have entered this block in the Modern category too.

The second is my entry in the Modern category - a modified hourglass block (in its unpressed state no less).



If you'd like to read about how I constructed this block, you can click here for the details.

Now, head on over to Quilt Story to check out the other entries. There are so many great blocks - I've added several of them to my to-try-someday list.

Getting disconnected

For the last couple weeks, I've been feeling kind of blah about blogging and the Internet umbilical cord I've somehow managed to get attached to. I love blogging and checking others' blogs, but I'm getting a little burned out. I think a bit of a break is in order. Enough to recharge my batteries and get me excited again rather than feeling like blogging and blog-reading is a chore - an obligation I've imposed on myself.

So, I'm going to take a break for a while. Maybe a week or two or three. Maybe longer. If I sew something and feel like blogging about it, then I will, but I'm not going to give myself any sort of requirements. If I don't feel like blogging then I won't. I'm participating in a few swaps and one bee so I'll for sure stay active in Flickr to keep up with those responsibilities.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know what my plans are so I'm not just leaving you hanging. I really think this will do me some good. AND, I want you all to know how much I truly appreciate all your comments that have kept me blogging this last year. You really are the best and I will miss you while I'm on sabbatical.

Till then...

WIP Wednesday #12

Hi all! Are you surprised to hear from me? I feel like it's been forever since I posted anything of substance on this blog. Truth is, I haven't made a ton of progress on many projects lately, just little bits here and there. But, I do want to show you what I've been working on, and since these are all in progress, I figured I'd link up to Lee's WIP Wednesday for the first time.


Ongoing projects

First off, I quilted the quilt for my cousin-in-law's soon to be little bundle of baby joy. (They opted to not find out the gender, but this Make Life fabric lends itself well to boys and girls.)



I started off by quilting horizontally and vertically through the one-inch sashing strips, then I quilted diagonally in both directions through each square. I didn't mark the quilt, so the lines don't perfectly intersect in some places, but that's just fine by me. I think the overall look is fun. I have some leftover Make Life binding from my Life Is What You Make It quilt, so I just have to make a bit more binding and then this quilt will be ready for that last step.



I also got my Far Far Away 2 Kitchen Windows quilt top pieced except for the outside border. I haven't gotten around to taking a picture of the entire thing, but I will soon (or at least after these blustery, bitter cold days are behind us).



The binding fabric I ordered finally came yesterday so I'll be able to work on finishing the quilt soon. I went with Kona sage (misleading name in my opinion as it looks more blue than green), and I love how it looks with the colors in the quilt, especially up against the Kona stone, which I used as the sashing. I just need to piece the outer border for the top and then piece the backing. I plan on using some of the Kona sage to sash the three extra kitchen windows for a bit of contrast on the back. It'll be nice to see how this one washes up when it's complete. I really like the weight of the FFA2 fabrics, which gives the entire quilt a heavier feel that I love.



New projects

The last project I want to show you is what I started for my partner in round 3 of the Urban Home Goods Swap. She mentioned liking Hope Valley as well as being happy about a new sewing machine cover. I've never made one before and thought it'd be a fun item to tackle. So, I called around to see if any local shops had some Hope Valley left, and it just so happened that one of them had some charms at 30% off, plus additional yardage. Score! I brought it home and went to work.

I used the Fat Cats Easy Dresden ruler on the charms and then pieced them like so. I had to offset the seams though so they would line up properly. Here's one end of the cover with a bit of hand-stitching inside the striped piece.



And here's the other in case my partner wants to turn it around. I'm thinking I'll make it reversible too so she can put the side facing her with the colors that match her mood - bright and cheery with the purples and oranges, or subdued and somber with the blues and grays. I have another little item that will go along with this cover, but I want to keep that part a secret.



To follow along with Lee's WIP Wednesday format, here are the rest of my stats.

Finished quilt tops (currently in limbo as I don't have plans to work on them anytime soon): 2

Patching Up Quilt Top

Jellyroll Sampler Quilt-Along Quilt Top

In progress with lower priority (for some reason): 3

Dresden plate pillow

HST Blush quilt

All Star 2 bed quilt

It's a little bit of a downer seeing how many projects I've started before finishing others. I usually like starting new projects while I have others in the works, but for some reason, it's really bothering me right now. I want to have a big burst of energy (oh, and time too) to knock out as many projects as I can. We'll see how this month pans out as it's the last one I have before returning to work at the office. =( Wish me luck.