zigzag

Another pillow. This one is for the rocker in the nursery. As soon as I saw the new Full Moon zigzags from Moda, I snapped up three colors to use for baby. The room decor is starting to take shape and we finally have a crib. Now if we could just get some of the extra furniture out of there...

pillow parade

Well whataya know - I spent the whole day making stuff and it felt so good. It all started with this little guy.



I need a pillow at work for my aching pregnant back, and I thought a little color wouldn't hurt things. Then I was going to move onto nursery projects, but decided that pillows were going to be the thing to make today. I have been itching to change out the ones on our couch for awhile. they were made hastily and without design - just used a single fabric and free-motioned around (and just might have been the worse free-motion ever).

A while ago I made this quilt top - just needing to make something and using up stash. And it turned into a little bit that I really loved, with a whole lot that was just eh. So today, I started ripping it apart. I decided that the nine patch postage stamps needed to be displayed and would make a great pillow. So I pulled out a 7x7 section and instant pillow top!



Then I had to update the other pillow - this one took a bit of time, but I'm so glad I did it. Inspired by the many plus-sign quilts out there, (specifically this one), I decided to take the same fabrics, add a punch of red, and rearrange them to make plus-signs.



On both pillows I reused a lot of things - used the old pillow top as a backing (added more batting to bulk it up), and the old pillow back and more of the quilt top to make an envelope back. I'm not going to show you the back, because today was also about too small. My backs didn't close all the way (probably because I was reusing), so there is a bit of velcro holding things together.

I love the results.
And love that I made some things.
And that I was able to take pictures. (For such a warm winter, it's still been pretty gray around here).

I still need to make some baby stuff, but think the rest of the house projects should get done too. Baby won't care if it's not ready right away...right?

I've got a few more things to show you this week. Maybe this is the beginning of nesting?

swap results

Remember this solid project?
I'm sure you're dying to know the secret back...

Sticky!

I got some of this Grip-Tight utility fabric from JoAnn's. It's lightweight and grips to wood and tile, so if it's on the back of your quilt - it's a rug!

As always with a new material, there was some trial and error. A few things that I found helpful -

Binding backwards - I sewed it onto the back with the machine and then finished on the front. This saved my thumb from pushing through the rubbery nubs and elimiated the need to run the sticky fabric through the machine facing down (see below); I just had to be super neat with the stitching.
Straightline quilting - This was necessary, becuase the fabric literally sticks to the machine while you are sewing. So there is some puling necessary in order to keep going forward and straightlines are easiest.

Finally, I had to adjust my rug size after finding the backing, becuase it only comes in 15" widths. I didn't mind the narrower size - I hope my partner didnt'!

In return, I got this beauty.



It holds a couple of my baking dishes perfect and will be great for the next potluck! Tatertot hotdish anyone?

solid

Hi - just wanted to interrupt this lovely weekend with a peek at my finished solid challenge swap items.

We were asked to make one all solid larger item (mine ended up not too large - about 15"x36") per the request of our secret partner. I asked for kitchen things - potholders, casserole cozies and such in a variety of bright colors - especially red.

My partner likes linen and neutrals with a pop of color, so I gave it too her. I hope she loves the finished product and can use it for it's intended (secret) use. I can't give everything away, but let's just say there is a surprise on the back that makes this a very unique quilted item. Something I've been wanting to make for a while now actually.

This was a total improve job. I had left-overs from this block and used them as a starting point with various scraps in-between. Then I just made some bias binding and wrapped the squares to finish the edges. I guess it's a variation on quilt as you go.

We were also asked to send one smaller item - not necessarily quilted or solid. I had some birdies laying around, so I'm sending them off too!

A sneek preview of my solid swap project. It's a fun one - I can't share what kind of project it is yet, but it's something that I've never made before with techniques that I've never used before.

patriotic projects

I've been working on a couple of projects today - one red, one white...

Above is a piece of a quilt that I've been working on for a while. It all started with this post about white stuff. And it sat in my head for a long time. Then this spring I worked a bit harder on it, thinking I could whip it out in time for the Modern Quilt Guild monochromatic challenge. Six months later I'm still working on it. And it is a monster. I've never made a quilt bigger than a baby size and there is a reason - they don't fit in my house!!! I can't find a place to baste it together, and I'm scared of quilting it. I actually think I may tie it (mostly because I'm afraid of quilting it with my machine, partly because I want that fluffy duvet feel), but need a larger space to spread out. Looks like it will have to wait a bit longer...

The second project was a surprise - I ran to Ikea to get a dust pan and a garbage can and came back with a red shelf! I've been waiting for these to be in stock for what feels like forever. So I made husband hang it immediately and started filling it up.

I hope all my friends in the States are getting their red, white and blue on - I'm off to a picnic!

Happy 4th of July!

city patterns

Last weekend the husband and I jetted off to NYC for the weekend (I know - aren't we glamorous). It was a quick trip to visit friends, take pictures of friends and see some of the city. I had been there for less than a day earlier this year for work, but really we haven't been in four years.

Last time, it was a whirlwind tourist trip and a surprise engagement trip (for me...B planned one heck of a surprise). This time is was more laid back and my feet didn't hurt nearly as much.

I spent a lot of time looking at patterns - inspiration for new quilts.

I'm in love with the highline - new park built on old elevated rail lines. Beautiful detailing for the architecture nerds in the group. Lush green surroundings and fun public space for all. And I'm totally going to make a quilt inspired by the rails.

 

These two were at the Cloisters. Another lush garden place, but also really old buildings and roads. I love those three curves coming together and the fence above. Thinking about quilting patterns and blocks!