Playing with the lights...

I'm hoping this makes a huge difference in the amount of real sewing I can get done. For the past month I've been doing a step here, a step there, of projects that I need to photograph each step. I sew at night and my pictures are TERRIBLE at night. So after a chat with Sara the other day about her set-up, I stopped by Home Depot and picked up a couple new (cheap) lights. 

It just so happened that my walls and wardrobe are white. This saved me from really having to do much else. I used a random sheer curtain panel from Ikea to diffuse the direct light. The light bulbs are "daylight" bulbs like Sara used. I think the next step is to paint the other side of my blue board white. A pillowcase worked in a pinch, but it was hard to get it pressed exactly flat. 

Here's to being able to actually get whole projects done late at night! Wish me luck while I start crossing projects off my list! 

Check it out!

I'm focused on the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild Blog as a part of our "Meet the Members." 

I'd like to challenge my fellow Guild members to go to our BigTent forum to get the questions and fill them out - I'd personally love to have the chance to chat with each and every person - unfortunately our meetings aren't long enough for that! So, instead I'd love to read about how and why you sew! Go do it guys! :) 

In the mean time go check out my little post at the CMQG blog! 

Late Night Sewing...

I've been doing a lot of sewing, but not in big chunks of time. 

I am itching to finish some projects that have been lingering - 1 quilt is basted but not quilted. Another quilt top is finished, but the backing has to be pieced (and I keep forgetting to buy white thread for it!). I have a couple smaller projects in various stages too. At least one of these will be finished this week (deadline!)

I'm really looking forward to having some daylight sewing time soon. School will be starting in another month and then I'll have at least one of those mornings to sew / take daylight pictures!

The Chicago Modern Quilt Guild fall retreat is coming up soon too! I can't believe it's so close. The round of blocks that I added to the quilt pictured above was the first that I'd added since the spring retreat! It's been slow going since that project has no deadline! I'm loving it but it's so very complex. Each step makes my brain hurt a little. It's fun to be so challenged sometimes though!!

There are some really great things on the horizon. I'm pretty excited to share them with you all. 

Until then, I'll be sewing late at night. 

{Sew} Beautiful Bee - Paper Pieced 3 Layered Star & Tutorial

Last night (last week) I broke down and finally started on my July Bee block. I've had it in my mind for a while, but was deciding whether I should draft the one I wanted to make, or take the easy way out (easy?) and use a pattern that I could just print out.

I decided it was worth the effort, so I broke out the freezer paper and drafted paper patterns for this star. In a stroke of genious I realized that I could simply print copies of the pattern using my printer/scanner. I guess I could have used the other method (I can't find a proper tutorial for it, and have no idea where I learned it). For the other method, print one copy of the pattern and then staple a few sheets of paper together with the pattern on top. Then simply sew over the pattern lines with your machine using a long stitch and no thread (no thread!!) this will make several identical copies of your pattern. So easy!

Alright, I managed to get the pieced sections done (all 16 of them). It really was a struggle to get all the sections pieced out of the fabric Kati sent - since I didn't plan that part ahead! I did manage to finish one quadrant of it, and will finish sewing those sections together today! It's finished!

I'm calling this star a 3 layered star, since I think of it as being three different sized stars that are stacked. (and because I'm too busy to think of a cooler name for it.

Stats: 12" finished
Made for: Kati / From the blue chair
Pattern: drawn by me, maybe I'll share it later this week. Here it is!

Free paper piecing pattern here. 

Instructions:
Download image from googledocs.
Open using Microsoft Office, and print as "Full page fax" (no margins etc)
Double check that the square at the top of the print out is 1".

• Cut along the outer lines, and across the three diagonal lines (at the arrows) 
• Sew pieces in order 1-4 leaving 1/4" seam allowance around the outside of the paper pattern.
• Use the same fabric for each number (in my example 1 is bright yellow, 2 is dark grey, 3 is light yellow, 4 is light grey)
• Trim sections leaving 1/4" around all sides
• Sew sections together in order. 
• Four of these blocks will make one 12" finished block (12.5" before sewing full stars together)

Enjoy! If you use this pattern I'd love to see it! Feel free to drop me a line, and add it to the Mommy's Nap Time flickr group!

I'm not there yet...

Learning to bury my thread tails!

I'm doing a bit of quilting tonight.

Not a lot, nothing crazy, just a little doll quilt.

I'm adding the quilting to my Chicago Modern Quilt Guild Modern Art Challenge quilt, and I'm contemplating.

I'm contemplating whether I should finish the "sister quilt" that matches this one. If it's worth spending the time making another (everything past the first step) so that I can enter it into a show.

Getting a quilt into a show is one of my goals. I'd like to get some proper, serious exposure to the general quilt world because ultimately I'd love to teach at one of these shows. This is a pretty lofty goal, and it's still something that's only on the edge of my thoughts. I think that's where I want to go as an artist  (look at that, I dropped the "A" word). I don't know what I'd teach should I get to that point - that'll work itself out - but I'd like to teach something to people who know what they're doing (not beginners).

I'd love to teach solid intermediate - advanced piecing. I'm not sure if I've found my specialty yet - or if I'll ever stick to one thing. Maybe I'm bound to continue my work on teeny tiny piecing, or paper piecing. Perhaps it's free piecing / design as you go that I'm into. It doesn't really matter right now, I'm still perfecting my own work. I'm not there yet.

Back to my original train of thought. I'm not sure if I want to make another one of these quilts to enter into the show - I could - and the deadline is still a few weeks away... but I'm not sure if I should go for it now or just wait.

I am planning on entering a quilt or two into the show for QuiltCon - but that's different. I don't know how QuiltCon will grow and change. I don't know what to expect from it now or in the future. Maybe one day I'll want to teach there - but for now I feel too intimidated by the talent there. The people teaching at QuiltCon are people who I have been following and learning from since I started quilting.... I don't know that I would feel good enough about my style to stand among them. It may be because I'm not as not as knowledgeable about the teachers at the national shows that I am not worried about comparing myself to them.

So I guess I'm putting it out there in writing for the first time. I do want to teach. I want to share my love of sewing and quilting and playing with fabric with others. (I just don't want to have to teach them how to use a sewing machine first!).

PS - I'm learning to bury my thread tails as I'm quilting. Ugh it's annoying (but it's very pretty and tidy). Thanks to Ebony's video tutorial I know how.

Reasons why I love my landlords...

This one tops the list!

The sewing gods (aka my landlords) dropped this beautiful Singer 301a on my door step last week! They told me that a friend was clearing out their house and no longer wanted it. They had no idea if it worked or if I'd have a use for it - but told me that the friend had sewn her kids clothes on it, and that she may find the extra parts at some point in the cleaning (lol).

Yes indeed it does work!

With a little bit of searching online I found the full manual, so I could thread her up! I only have one bobbin so I haven't yet checked to see if the bobbin winder works, otherwise everything is in working order. With only the very little searching that I did, I found that this machine was manufactured in the 50's - it's amazing that after about 60 years it's still working beautifully!

What a nice machine. After scanning through the manual I do hope that the extra parts turn up - it seems like it came with a lot of feet! I could use a spare bobbin too.

If you know me, you know I'll have to mention how fast it is... up to 1500 stitches per minute? that's pretty fast! :) That's just about as fast as my Juki, and much faster than my other Singers!

I'm lucky to rent from such nice people (they're nice all around), but this is pretty fantastic! Now I want to go play with it!

(PS does anyone have experience with this model? Drop me a line, I'd love to hear what you think of it!)

WIP Weds (thursday)

CMQG Modern Art Challenge for Natalie

Where has the last week gone?

I'm knee deep in WIP's this week. I typically don't leave things hangning when I haven't surpassed a spacific step (a full block done. etc). But not this week. I've got half projects all over the place!

Let see:
I have a bee block that's half finished - hand drawn paper pieced... all the sections are pieced, but only one quadrant is sewn together... I guess I'm a little late on that one since it's now august! Eep!

This little guy measures just 3.5" square... yep that's a 1/4" border. 

Then I've got some teensy peicing done for a special tiny piecing blog post... but you'd know that I have the blog post written and had to go back and take pictures for all the steps. Now I have all the steps photographed but no desire to add them in to the blog post / edit. lol. Soon soon. It'll be a fun one.

I'm wrapping up some loose ends with my QuiltCon funding - have a couple pouches to deliver this weekend and a couple more to ship out tomorrow. My lovely MIL has put money down for an order of mug rugs for Christmas gifts for all her co-workers --- which means: I've hit my goal and I'm going to QuiltCon! :) lol. This will actually cover some of my hotel stay too! I'm a little excited to work on some mug rugs too - I haven't made one in a while!

Also, this little girl helped me sew up this little mug rug for my MIL for her birthday. Allie was so excited to help. She picked the fabrics and helped me feed them through the machine. She was very patient, which I'll need to keep in mind for the future!

I finished reading a book yesterday (this counts as a project finished?) It was a quilting related book suggested to me/loaned to me by my quilty friend Emily. The book was "O the Red Rose Tree" by Patricia Beatty. It was a pretty good read. It reminded me of my days in 4th grade when I was reading through the Little House On the Prairie books.

Ok now for the WIP count - this is a very imprecise list.

• Lindsey's quilt - ran out of white thread - back needs to be pieced, then basted, quilted and bound. I'm getting close!
• Bella bella quilt - no progress.
• CMQG Modern Art Challenge: mostly finished with the quilt top - but need to finish the same part on the "sister quilt" so that I have one to keep.
• My Precious QAL - basted and ready to quilt. Not sure if I'll quilt it now or wait - I really aught to buy a new walking foot first.
• Bee block for July - in progress
• Some pouches - one for my mom specifically --- I need to get that done!

Actual finishes:

• Bella solids quilt - finished!! I need to take some pictures of it though!