Choppity Chop

I feel like I spent the entire day yesterday chopping things.

Well, I guess that's not entirely true. "Project Laundry" has felt more like "Extreme Home Makeover: Laundry Edition" at our house this week - - and it's just the two of us. I can't imagine what it will be like someday when we have kids. Probably best I not dwell on that thought...

Anywho...remember my lighthouse practice block? 

Well I, I spent most of yesterday cutting my fabric and rough cutting the paper piecing templates. 

I was originally going to make this a lap size quilt in just two colors - purple and blue. 

It was a happy accident that morphed it into a baby quilt for a friend instead. In retrospect, I am SUPER glad my plans changed. 

I am happier with the new color scheme, and after cutting 400 small squares/rectangles and 100 paper templates - my back and hands are sore. It took me around an hour just to rough cut the templates, and now I'm sporting a nasty blister on my thumb. The lap size would have required over twice as many templates and four times as as many small squares/rectangles. Ugh... 

I'm excited to get to the sewing phase of this quilt. Piecing is my favorite part! It's like magic watching all those tiny parts come together to form something new. 


Also - this is mostly for Sarah - I received my fabric for her Barn Door Quilt-A-Long. I had to spring for some of Anna Maria Horner's new line Dowry. I just had to. 

I'm so glad I did. That navy floral is to DIE for in person. I think I'm going to buy several more yards for a dress. It's beautiful. I'm hoping the large-scale prints will look just as amazing once they are all chopped up. 

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced. 

Bloglovin

Since I'm new to the blog thing...I just made my first venture into the realm of bloglovin. 

Wow. 

I have been living in the dark ages. 



I've been reading blogs religiously for 8-12 months, but I've been following them the old fashioned way, it would seem. Honestly, I just bookmarked them in a folder in Chrome, and would go check on them every so often to see what's new. 

(I know, I know...insert laughter and finger-pointing here...)



I have separate bookmarks for quilting blogs, general sewing blogs, food blogs, and home decor/DIY blogs. Embarrassing. 

Why didn't somebody tell me??   JK - but seriously guys...

Anyway - now you can follow me if you like! :) 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Lackluster Progress

I don't want to sew. 

I'd like to..and I have no shortage of projects to work on...but then I try to sit down to work on something (anything) and I just...

...can't. 

I think it's my walking foot. Not getting the association?

Let me explain. 

I have been using the walking foot that came with my Brother CS6000i. I absolutely adore my machine (except for the fact that the throat space inside the arm becomes a VERY tight squeeze with larger quilts). The walking foot seems pretty cheap, however.  



It worked like magic for the first 2.5 quilts it quilted. Then it began squeaking and creaking, getting stuck, occasionally skipping stitches, and causing my machine to sometimes thud in a rather frightening manner. I took it in to a local Brother dealer, hoping there was some sort of magic fix. They oiled and greased it for me. And then let me know that it was cheaply made. Apparently the swing arm that attaches to the needle screw is crap. 

It is a sort of loose metal-on-metal situation that rubs and sticks and is causing metal shavings inside the foot. 



The oil and grease helped for a little while, but I'm pretty sure I need a new walking foot before long. Like, before my next major quilting project. Especially since I only know how to straight line quilt at this point (motivation to practice/learn some free motion quilting?). 

I have been strongly advised by my husband that buying myself a new walking foot before Christmas would be a mistake. Hint, hint.

And so, I just can't make myself sew. 

Any suggestions on a reliable walking foot that will last longer than 2.5 quilts? 

Happy Thanksgiving!

I had big plans this Thanksgiving weekend for lots of family time and lots of sewing. 

So far, I've put off most of the sewing to spend time with my wonderful family. 

We had my sisters, my mom, Brian's dad and step-mom, and Brian's brother over for dinner. 

I don't regret the lost sewing time for a second. 

We're kind of a silly bunch. 

I apparently missed the memo about looking nice for company. I also missed the purple vibe. Don't both my sisters look awesome?! I'm digging their color choices. I may have to mix some purple into my sewing in the near future. 

This was probably my favorite part of the weekend: 

Glad to see my old guitar loved and played regularly by my sister. Isn't she cute? Also - her voice is great and kinda folksy. I love it. 

Another favorite - hanging out watching movies and writing letters to my sister who couldn't be with us this year since she's away on her mission. 

My mom's dog - Zoey - is funny. She makes strange faces when you pet her. 

She also loves blankets. Which is funny to me, because Sadie is terrified of them. 

Everyone left today and now my house feels really empty and really quiet. 

I miss them already!

A finish and a whole bunch of firsts...y'all!

So I took a little time away from the blog to get some sewing done. It started to feel like the blog, and my anxiety to show progress on the blog, kept me from really making any. 

A blissful sewing retreat. 



(Ah....I wish...)

And now I can excitedly share a finish! 

Sidenote - my sister is currently serving an LDS (Mormon) mission. She was just moved from Newport News, VA to Elizabeth City, NC. 

I pulled this off the Elizabeth City website. Pretty!



She said "y'all" in her last letter. I loved it. I think I'm going to pick it up...y'all. I fear, however, that since I have never really been to the south, I might misuse it...y'all...

I'll have to ask my co-worker Cindy for some pointers. 

Anyway, the Cameo quilt is done! 

It was a gift for my sister's birthday (a couple months ago...oops). She called me yesterday to let me know she had received it, so now I finally get to share!

It was my first time working with Amy Butler fabrics (not my last), my first raw-edge applique, and my first hand-stitched binding. Sore arms and fingers, but I can now say I have officially finished two whole quilts! 

My third quilt - Yellow Brick Road - is almost complete as well. Just a few more lines of quilting.

Hurray for progress! 

I also have a couple more projects waiting in the wings that I am SUPER excited about! 

The first is a little girl quilt for a friend and co-worker. It will technically be my first semi-commissioned quilt. Exciting! 

I am going to be making the Lighthouse pattern from the quilt along at Fresh Lemons Quilts. Remember my practice block from my last post? That's the block design. It will be my first project using foundation paper piecing. 

Here are the fabrics: 

Aren't they sweet? They are a mix of Cloud9, Juliana Horner, Denyse Schmidt, ModKid Studio, and a couple other basics mixed in. Also my first fabric selection chosen entirely by me, rather than using a kit or entire fabric collection. Sad but true, and also fun! The white-on-white chevron is probably my fav. :) 

I also bought the fabric for a project that will have to wait for a bit, but I'm super excited about it.

The solids are Kona Cotton in turquoise, royal, purple, and crocus. I'm hoping to start at the beginning of the year, but I really can't wait to get working on it!! 

This is a little bit bag-lady and a little bit crazy-town, but I thought it would make an interesting backing. 

Lastly, I thought I'd share some of the wonderful gifts the 80-mph windstorm brought us in the last couple of days - other than lost sleep, of course. I'm sure everyone living in Davis County, Utah has received similar gifts. 

Damaged fence:

Hi neighbor boys! Good thing it's under warranty. 

Tipped Port-A-Potty:

Glad no one was in it. Also glad dealing with this is not my job.

The front doorstep:

After removing the tumbleweeds, I discovered an extra gift. A lovely layer of trash underneath. 

We also lost the majority of the bark from the flower beds in the back yard. Although, from the looks of the lawn, we could probably retrieve most of it by raking. Ha. 

Sadie didn't seem to mind the storm too much. So that was good. 

Lighthouse Practice Block

Ever since Faith over at Fresh Lemons Quilts mentioned a new Quilt-A-Long (QAL) a few weeks ago, I was sold. 

The pattern is fun, fresh, and super versatile. 



Look how cute it is as a rainbow baby quilt! 

As a beginning quilter, I think this quilt will be a great opportunity to learn foundation paper piecing. 

Last week Faith made a coloring template to play with block/color designs. 

I had fun trying different things. 

This week is about making a test block. 

I just used some scraps left over from my Cameo and Yellow Brick Road quilts. I am hoping to be able to post the finished product on both quilts later this week! I  bet you feel like my progress has been super slow...because I know I do...

Anyway - paper piecing is pretty easy! At least this pattern. Faith's directions are super clear. I had NO problems with the paper piecing part at all. 

Here's my finished block - along with all the fun fabric and paper trimmings. :) 

Ta Da!! What do you think? 

I'm glad I made a practice block. Things got a big wonky in the center. I think it's because of all the bulk from the seam allowances meeting up in the center. Faith didn't really provide any pressing directions for the seams, so I just pressed them all to one side. Next time, I think I'll press them open, so that things line up better and lay flatter. 

That's easily the most complicated (looking) block I've ever made. For sure the first time working with bias edges and such small pieces. The block is supposed to finish at 8.5 inches. I used a scant 1/4-inch seam for all seams, and my block finished just a hair over 8.5 inches - just enough to trim it down and make everything nice and square. 

Pretty good for a newbie, I think.  

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced.

Zombie Sewing and a Craftsy Class Review

Oh friends. 

I am SO tired right now. 

Remember last week when I mentioned working 8 days in a row? That totaled to 86 hours at work last Friday thru Friday. Ughh.

Which also got me behind for my quilting class. I stayed up until 5 am Sunday night finishing my borders and spray/pin basting to get ready for class Monday morning. 

Class went well, but now I feel like the walking dead. 

Man I love that show! 

Just finished watching Season 3 on Netflix last weekend. Did anyone else think "The Governor" was WAY creeper than the zombies by the end of the season? I know I did. 

*Shudder*  

On to happier, quiltier things...

Brian bought a new/used Nikon dSLR on Amazon just recently. So excited to be able to work on my photography skills and put my ancient point-and-shoot away. Expect the quality of my photos to get better. If I can pry the fancy camera from Brian's fingers for a few minutes, that is. 

I'm thinking I'd LOVE to take this Craftsy class sometime soon. Maybe if it goes on sale closer to the holidays.  

I've taken a few other Craftsy classes recently. Here are a couple of my faves: 

Craftsy Block of the Month with Amy Gibson  



It's a great class for beginners, with clear, simple instructions and TONS of skill-building blocks. P.S. It's FREE! 

I'm enrolled in the 2013 BOM class as well, but the instructor is harder to watch and I don't like the blocks as much. 

Pre-Cut Piecing Made Simple with Camille Roskelley



Another great beginner class, and a great deal if you can get it on sale. I just LOVE her patterns, and it's so nice to have a step-by-step through each quilt. 
        
Just a hint - I tried her cutting method. As a beginner, I thought it made sense and gave me more confidence with my rotary cutter. However, I recently discovered that using the mat to measure the way she does is more time-consuming, error-prone, and yields inaccurate results. I have made MANY fewer mistakes since using the ruler instead of the mat. 

I know, rookie mistake as a beginning quilter, but this is something I just changed in the last month. My cutting skills are getting better as time goes on.  

I bought Camille's second class as soon as it came out, because I loved the first so much. 



This class was good too. She squished more information into a shorter time with some advanced techniques. As a beginner, however, I would recommend her first class over her second. 

The fusible applique techniques and the piecing instructions for the Juggle quilt were particularly helpful for me. I've had the pattern and supplies for Juggle sitting on the shelf for a while, but I've been too chicken to try tackling those hexagons just yet. 


I have my eye on a couple of other classes down the road. Perhaps this one. Or this one. 

Like fabric collecting, I have been collecting and taking Craftsy classes without actually doing much with them. I've promised myself I have to actually make some of the projects before buying more classes. We'll see how that goes. 


*I have not received money or sponsorship for this post. These are personal opinions for things I have tried on my own. I added the links for the classes, in case anyone is interested in taking a look.*