#16 Catching Up

Today has been a very long day!!
I've been trying to catch up on the Craftsy BOM 2013, which I had fallen months behind on.  The blocks are a lot more complicated this year, and some months you are making multiple blocks, so it has been really hard to catch up quickly! Over the last few weeks and a bit I have  however finally been able to conquer and as of this evening I am finally caught up....just in time for the August block to arrive!!! lol

April, a fan block, not so bad, right??

This is the block that started my falling behind. It required you to make 3 templates!! I really don't like to make templates, that's why they sell really nice, perfectly cut rulers and templates!! So I don't mess it up!! And I couldn't find freezer paper here in Canada. So I just refused to make this block till I could find freezer paper, but of course I didn't. I finally gave up on finding freezer paper and made a template, only to find freezer paper, of course!! But, miracle or miracles... the templates worked, which made me extremely happy. One down!!

May, Not too bad either, except learning how to cut on 45 degree angle! Doing the first cut wrong and not having enough fabric left in your strip sets and having to make more, ugh!!

June, June is beautiful, but Y-Seams, the name says it all......WHY!!!!! Honestly I was more frustrated with the differences between the print outs for the month and the tutorial itself. You can't just read the paper work and do the block or just watch the tutorial and do the block, neither one has all the information. Which caused me and my stitch ripper to spend a lot of unnecessary time together!! dble ugh!!

Will I do another Y-Seam, not if there is an easier way!!

 July, Tumbler Blocks, another could have been Y-Seam. Thankfully the instructor simplified the block. So we only had to do 60 degree cut triangles and diamonds. So more bias edges than I've ever worked with again and the light triangles you had to keep track of  the straight grain edge and place on the straight seam joint!! Oh my! Last year when we had a more difficult block one month we would get a break the next, : (

Laura did make a suggestion for a small design board to help keep this one straight, and thankfully I had all the supplies needed left over from the design wall I made a month or so ago!! It really did help, because keeping track of all the angles and pieces for this one was a little bit of a challenge. 

So I am all caught up with 2 days to spare before the next block tutorial is released, though it is an applique and I am not sure I am putting it into my quilt!! I think I am going to go free style and add a block of my own choosing or design in it's place!! And I am off to relax, till tomorrow, when the ups and downs of quilting will continue!!! : )

In case you missed seeing the first 3 blocks or just want to see them all on one page, here is Jan-Mar.

January

February

March

#15 Dress Making! Hit or Miss

I tried my hand at dress making. It went ok. I say ok, because I am not totally happy with the fit of the dress! I gladly admit that I have little skill in the area of tailoring, and thought if I took a class it might help. So I signed up for a dress class, 2 classes over a 2 week period. Everyone was so great and the woman teaching the class knew far more than me, but was not a seamstress. And I think that is where the problem lays!! I need a professional!!!!!!! I really want to learn to make at least 2 patterns that will fit me!! That's it, just 2... a dress and a skirt!! Is that really too much to ask????

So the problems as I see it with this dress is if you don't get the fit right, it can look like a maturity dress!       I am passed that stage in life, lol, so not what I am looking for!!

The darts I think ended up in the right place, but above the darts is baggy, not good if you ever want to bend over, without showing off the girls!!

Also the dress seems to flare out, along with having side pockets....again that combination for a girl with hips...not working so hot for me!! So needless to say this venture into cloths making is a miss at this point!!!

  But I haven't totally given up yet, I have an appointment with a local seamstress/dressmaker on Tues morning!! I told you I want to master 2!! This may not be one of them, but I am hoping we can at least save it from being cut up and used for a quilt project!! ; )

#14 Sweet Pouch Swap

So I was one of 100 lucky appliers to make it into the Sweet Pouch Swap Round #2!!!!  The 100 spots filled up in under 5 hours, so it is pretty popular!!
Not being one to procrastinate... because if I do, nothing ever gets done till the last minute or late, because I totally forget about it.
I found the pattern on Craftsy.com The tote is called No Guts Boxy Pouch (click on the name link to get to the pattern) Over all the instructions were clear, but there were a few places were pictures and instructions didn't line up and where instructions weren't clear or missing. I still managed to finish it!
 (This is my first boxy pouch!)

I live in a rural town in Ontario Canada, which has Scottish roots and hosts Scottish Festival and Highland Games every year! So I dropped by the local Scottish shop and picked up some goodies there as well as a local Chocolate Shop!! Yum

It is ready for the mail tomorrow!! Well ahead of the Aug 23, 2013 mailing deadline!! : )

 I also have a few more letters done for the back of  my nephew's Wave quilt!! No one has attempted a guess at what the 2 words could be?? Here's a clue.... it has something to do with food.

And I made a quilt block card to send with the above pouch!!

 I need to practice, over all not bad, but small pieces (7/8" squares ) and big hands aren't a great combination!! But I like it!! I added the stitch lines with a scrapbooking fine tip marker.

Hope everyone is having a great sewing week!! Thanks for dropping by!! Feel free to leave a comment or just say hi!!

#13 New Projects

So I have been working on a few new things, so here's an update:

Completed the Vanessa Christenson pattern for the Zippered Salvage Pouch found here for Bernina.

This is a fun way to use up salvages without wasting fabric!!

And I started on the letters for the back of the Wave quilt I am making!! Any guesses as to what the 2 words will be?? Lol

Love the alphabet patterns from Quiet Play.

I also took the first of 2 classes for sewing a dress!! I have never been able to master making cloths for myself, so I am hopeful for a positive outcome!! First class was tracing the pattern and making template for the bodice of the dress. With the help of the instructor I was able to adjust the darts, produce another mock up and than make the adjustments to the pattern. I was than able to cut out my actual dress!!

So when I got home I did a little work on my own and the darts are in my dress bodice!! Amazing!!

So hopefully Wednesday next week I will be wearing my new dress!!

#12, Alberta and Quebec

I was spending some time this afternoon reading blogs that I follow and came across a request.  Pam at Mad About Patchwork was helping get the information out about a project being spearheaded by Cheryl Arkinson, for Calgary and Southern Alberta, to make quilts for those affected by the recent flooding. My brother and his wife live in Calgary, though were not hit directly by the flood. When things like this happen, it affects everyone, because you will know someone, a friend a co-worker, the guy you buy your gas from, the person next to you in church....so of course I would love to help, spread the word and build a block!!

Cherly's blog can be found with the link provided, which takes you to the most recent update. Go here to the June 24th blog with information on how to make a slab block, and how to contact Cheryl, if  you would like to donate a block. The deadline is July 31, 2013. 

Here is my block, though I had not sure I totally understood what she was asking for, it is 15.5" and I hope it will work!!

I think we have all heard of the devastating train derailment in Lac Magantique. Cinzia at Deux Petites Souris has started an rallying to have flags made like those done for Boston after the marathon bombing. 

                                      

The deadline to make a flag is Aug 24, 2013 and can be mailed to:

Courtepointe Claire

re: Drapeau Lac Megantique

3143 boul.Dagenais ouest

Laval, Quebec

H7P 1T8

Here is a link for flag making insstructions, Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild

I will post a picture of mine here when I am done!!

 And I finished my flag only to realize I didn't read all the info and used pinks!! (Wrong)

 They have asked for blues and greens and to avoid the use of flame colours!! Back to the drawing board!!

 And here is the new flag, in the right colours!! I was able to tweek my heart pattern a bit and changed the scrappy version of my hope pattern to be more readable and still scrappy looking!! So over all having to make the flag twice wasn't so bad after all!!

#11 So Tempted to Start More Projects.....

I have been reading so many Blogs and they are so good! So much information out there and so many projects to try!! Like the QAL at Happy Quilting Melissa's blog            

                                                                                                                               
and Sew Mama Sew, has the Modern BOM 2, and a Sewing Match contest,

  also Craftsy just sent me info on a  Mystery Quilt, taught by Amy Gibson....and that is just the ones I've noticed in the last few days!
Ok so let's be honest, well I mean me, lol!! I signed up for the first project the Sewing Match is doing, design your own A Line Skirt, through Craftsy, it was half price, and I am hoping  I will be able to master a pattern!! The nice thing with the Craftsy classes, I don't have to start until I want to, once you purchase a class ( and there are some for free) it is always available to you. So no pressure!!
I also signed up for the Amy Gibson, Mystery Quilt!! I couldn't help myself, a mystery...using Amy Butler's Belle line, top fabric included in the class price (US and Canada only) and 35% off!! Can't wait for the fabric to arrive, class starts Aug 1. (stand alone class will be available for purchase around or on Aug 1, for outside the above mentioned areas) I feel like a comericial... but this is just info, no affiliations, I'm excited about!!

Anyway onto the WIPs:

I continue to work on the Bloom Bloom Pow, its on the design wall waiting to be sewn together!! I'd been looking at it for a few days desiding if I liked my placement, when I realised I had flowers with petals falling off!!! Somehow the gray and white got switched on one of my strip sets so 2 of my green gray combinations look like they are loosing their petals! I just laughed, and I couldn't help but think of one of the girls I follow on Instagram, whose user name is perfectionnotincluded. Perfection is over rated!! I love it! It's mine!! and now mine is unique!! ; )

I  completed blocks 22-24 of 100 of Tula Pink's City Sampler

and my top is sewn and my back is ready for the String of Pearls QAL 

Hopefully that will be finished in the next week or 2!

And lastly....I signed up at a local quilt shop for a Dress making Class!! OOh Boy! I really want to be able to make at least a dress and a skirt, being 5'10" it is hard to find cloths long enough!! I know boo hoo, I hear from my friends who are shorter, they have to shorten everything... to which I say...at least you can remove extra material, I can't add material that isn't there! The usually agree!! ; )

So wish me luck, and if anyone out there is a clothing sewer, any helpful tips would be appreciated!!

#10 Frustration and Triumphs and Blog

Well lets be honest not everything in life goes as planned!! And this week I certainly found that to be true.

 My plans for my summer included staying on top of all the projects I have committed myself to, and this week I wanted to get caught up on the Flower Patch QAL, the Virtual Quilting Bee QAL , Craftsy Block of the Month, and finish the assigned work for the String of Pearls QAL, and if I was lucky some odds and ends. Ambitious?? Sure! Doable?? I wanted to find out!! lol

I started with the Flower Patch:  I don't know why this pattern is giving me so much trouble! It is beautiful and I have made all the components of the blocks before, but for some reason right from the start I have had problems. (Completed blocks, aren't they cute!! But they're evil!! lol)

First problem arose right at the beginning of the  QAL, while trying to figure out the pattern,  I sewed the background fabric in the wrong place which resulted in me hunting everywhere to buy more fabric! (can't find it anywhere in Canada, ??) Than this week while trying to get 4 more blocks done, I must have sewn on the wrong line when doing my pedal corners, resulting in 3 units being 1/4" too small when I went to sew my blocks together.  ERRR!! Not a great day!!
 So I packed it up and put it all away for a few days!! 

So now 4 days later, I have re cut the pieces and sewn all pieces together up to the rows, and will complete that another day!! 

Someday I am going to truly appreciate all the hard work I am putting into this quilt, but right now is not that day!!! : ) 

Now onto the smooth sailing part of my week....

I have all my String of Pearl QAL blocks done and 2 rows are already sewn together!! I have till the 17th to complete the top! To stay on track.

 I'm all caught up on the Virtual Quilting Bee!! And found a new photo editing app!! Fun!! ( Rhonna Designs, thanks to Amber of One Shabby Chick Hawaii)

 I'm ahead in my cutting from the City Sampler QAL. (You can see all my pictures with the Flickr and Instagram links above)

 And I am about half way through sewing my 1/2 hexies, for the Bloom Bloom Pow QAL.

 So I didn't get the Craftsy BOM caught up or do any extra stuff, but all in all, even with the frustrating, bumpy start to my sewing week,  I still managed to accomplish a great deal more than I thought I might!!

This week....more of the same...hopefully without the frustrating parts!!