merry 2020

here we are at another traditional sibling line up.
we wish you a merry christmas...
and an impending new year that was better than this one.

nerdy math themed festive fir quilt

 here we are, the week of christmas, can you believe it?
a whole lot has been going on around here, but this quilt has already been in it's home and used (i hope) all month long.  i won this pattern on an instagram giveaway by the designer, sewbrainy, along with my guild president kathy and waited for awhile to see what fabric i might use for it.  once i found this math print in blue for ben's star wars gradu-mas quilt last year, i knew it would be perfect for my sister (and ben) as a holiday quilt.

this quilt sat in limbo for awhile, because i was waiting for the perfect background fabric to go with it.
while home on unemployment in march (the perfect time to buy fabric, right?) i found this white on white molecule fabric from my now place of employment, and it was the perfect science addition to this quilt.  the top was knocked out in the month of april, and then sat around forever waiting for the perfect quilt back. the shop that i bought all the math fabric was had a retirement/closing sale, which was so sad to have happen, but i was able to swoop up some of the red math fabric for the binding, which was a perfect addition to the quilt as well as it went with the backing. i just love this little star tree topper.

we have always had an angel on the top of our actual christmas tree, which would have been a little tricky to piece, but man did sewbrainy designs NAIL it with this cute little star.
no math fabric in the star, just some cute itty bitty stars on stars on stars.

originally i was going to free motion the woodgrain that i've done before on this quilt, but i kept going back to the poinsettia stitch i did on the norweigan woods quilt.  i had to refrain from doing it again and again and again... but this was PERFECT for it.  i used a white aurifil thread for the quilting, both top and bobbin, and i just love how it gave it the perfect texture from a distance and then close up, you can see the flowers and berries. this backing was EXACTLY what i needed for this quilt, and i couldn't imagine anything else going on it.  little did i know, it was on the way to our shop!  well, it came in just last weekend, so this would have been waiting awhile for it.  anyways, i did a strip of vanilla grunge to break up the prints, since i don't mind piecing backs, but also can't stand when prints don't quite line up.  these grumpy faced "not ameowsed" cats by dear stella are the best... so much so, i have four more yards of this fabric in my stash now.  whoops! this quilt went home with ben and aileen the week they were in down due to the chaotic fires in oregon as well as the ones here in california (hence all the hazey looking photos).

i had a lot of fun putting together this quilt, and since the pattern comes in a few sizes, it could make a great wall hanging or pillow for christmas next year! i can already imagine a lot of fussy cut ornaments that would be super cute.  maybe these grumpy festive cats even!

pattern: festive fir by sew brainy designs
quilt count: 145

norweigan woods christmas quilt

it's time to meet my first shop sample quilt!

working at a quilt shop has been AWESOME, and making quilts to have on display has been one of the perks of the job.  quilting for work, and then having an awesome project in the end?  don't mind if i do!

tayva showed me a handful of quilt patterns and asked if i was interested in making any of them, and when i saw this quilt with trees made out of triangles, i fell in love.  originally, i had another line of fabric in mind, but when that quickly sold out on a live show, i found the farmhouse christmas line of fabric from northcott and fell in love with the cute little candy canes and gingham prints.

i had to add some extra emily to it, by creating the star out of moda grunge as well as the entire background.  silver grunge is probably my favorite shade of gray to use.  it is perfectly perfect! 

i debated doing a white star, since i wasn't sure how the yellow would blend with the other fabrics, but after some convincing, lemon drop yellow grunge was there to stay on top of the trees

piecing the triangle trees was incredibly easy.  i actually did most of them at a sew day with the sacramento modern quilt guild.  the templates are included for all the triangle shapes as well as the stars.  there were a few pattern corrections, but it was just the labeling of pieces.  no measurement changes or anything. i just love these little trees!

i was pretty certain i was going to gift this quilt to someone (not that i had any idea who at the time) but i'm pretty sure i might keep it...  even though i still have my own planned christmas quilt to finsh up... which i finally bought thread for too!

i didn't use the red snowflakes in the trees, so i thought they would make the perfect binding.

and they did.

i have been talking about binding options with a lot of people lately, given my job, and i've come to find that i'm all for a bolder binding that really frames up the quilts.  if it is lighter or more subdued, its great and all... but boy do i love that red against the gray!

alright now this quilting...

i had planned to go in and just free motion woodgrain all over it, but once i saw this holly berry/poinsettia pantograph, i couldn't NOT use it.  it went so well with the prints in the fabric, and added a great all over texture to the quilt as well.  the way it popped out over the darker colors, but blended in with the rest... perfection.

and i loved the candy canes so much, i couldn't help but use them for the backing.

i'm not one that devours candy canes by the package during the holiday season, but they are probably one of my favorite festive prints to have in fabric.  plus the holly berries and snowflakes just make it that much cuter!

spud cat... always in the way.
with the new shop open, plus the grand opening this weekend, i was able to make a few kits of this pattern for customers to buy.  many had been asking for awhile, and since the fabric had come and (almost) gone, i was able to get 9 kits put together.  it was pretty awesome seeing people buy them, since that meant they really liked my choices!

now that this quilt kit has had such success, i cannot wait to see how well the dinosaur kits do.  which is totally on my list of things to get together soon, so stay tuned if you shop our live shows!

pattern information: norweigan woods by abbey lane quilts

quilt count: 144

christmas village bold blocks quilt

 

today is the day! bold blocks quilt is available and ready for a sew along!  head on over to allisonramsing.com for more details about getting the pattern, timeline and more on that straight from the designer allison herself :)

once the kapow! quilt pattern test was over, i was totally on board to test another (and clearly put off all my own projects even more).  i saw the "better not pout" line of fabric while cutting orders one day at the shop and couldn't help but fall in love with these cute houses and need to find something to make with this.  allison sent out a call for pattern testers, and once i was chosen, i KNEW i had to incorporate them.  I picked a wintery/festive variety to include, and then BOOM.  it came to life!

the simplicity of these blocks and the way the layout makes them look askew without being overly chaotic.  i stuck closely to the pattern this time, and didn't get too fancy with adding more colors to the quilt at all.  i purchased exactly what the pattern called for, and while my cutting instructions changed from the recommendations Allison gave, i still had enough fabric to use (both the blue blocks as well as the yellow background fabric were cut directionally) i considered doing the same poinsettia quilting i had done on previous christmas quilts (which you'll FINALLY get to see sprinkled through this month) but the more i thought about it, the more i wanted the prints and the quilt's layout to be the focus and not be overwhelmed by the quilting.  i used one of my favorite pantographs "loop the loop" with jade green glide thread and i'm SO happy with the results.

i decided to use glide in particular because it was new in our shop and i had been getting a lot of questions about it from customers.  i was able to use a mini spool for the quilting (plus winding three gamill bobbins for it)  and still had plenty of thread to spare in the end.  i have also heard it is good for piecing, so i will have to give that a shot sometime as well!  my current projects are far from jade green, so i'll have to find something soon to give it a go with :)

i went with blue grunge 108 for the backing, since it was a perfect "solid" tie in without having to add even more print to the back.  after talking with customers and hearing about how "nobody wants to cuddle up with a cotton backed quilt, they want minky" i ALMOST took the plunge, but at the same time... i don't know if i'm ready to jump in to that quite yet.  maaaaybe soon.

i also had a huge struggle trying to decide on binding.  i asked instagram, and got a lot of responses.  i wanted to steer clear of red to keep this more "wintery christmas" instead of IN YOUR FACE obvious christmas.  that way, it isn't awful if it stays out just a little bit longer beyond christmas.  i even purchased a stripe from this same line of fabric, but when i got it home and next to the quilt... i hated it.

so back i went the next day to get a bit more of the holly leaves to finish up the quilt, and it is perfect.

someday i won't feel like i have to include a quilt tag photo on each and every post...
but today is not that day.  i'm still pretty obsessed with them.  and i also managed to remember to fold this one out of the way when i was top stitching so that it wouldn't have a green line through it.  it's the little things, guys.  mentioning green lines, i DID sew on my binding with the glide thread, and it worked like a breeze for that as well.  nothing wigged out at all beyond the weird spots my machine occasionally catches ALL thread, so there was nothing specific to glide that i had to grumble about.  and now that you've made it to the bottom of the post, rosco is here to remind you the quilt along starts TODAY!  go get yourself that pattern (it's on sale through my birthday, even!) and join in the fun.  allison has some great prizes in store, and i'll be rummaging through my stash to see what i might come up with for my very own quilt along version.  this holiday one has a home already, but the recipient doesn't quite know it yet.  will it be you?
guess you'll just have to keep checking your front porch every so often this month!

pattern information: bold blocks by allison ramsing

quilt count: 142

moda holliberry alexandra tote

i'm in love with this bag, but i'm not going to lie... it has a funny backstory.my boss asked me one friday night if i had any plans after work.  being the year 2020, obviously not...  my only plan was to sew, but i was intrigued to hear what the offer was.  tayva asked me if i would be up for sewing a new sample bag to go with some sew by number battings we had in stock for our live show that weekend.  with a handful of jelly rolls to select from, and a quilt shop at my fingertips, i selected moda's holliberry jellyroll for my exterior and a cut of grunge for my bag lining.  my apologies now, i forgot to write down which shade of grunge it was...
but let me tell you, it was fabulous.
the hardest part of this bag was deciding the layout of the strips.  overall, it used about half of a jelly roll, which allowed for a lot of variation between the two sides of the bag.  i started with one consistent middle red strip, and worked the rest of the colorways out from there.  when it came to the other diagonal on the bag, i tried to keep them matching the best that i could so it would be cohesive on both sides.the process of sewing the bag was super easy.  spray baste the lining to the solid side of the batting.  then, once that is flat and good to go, select your strips and lay them in the numbered rectangle.  sew, and then repeat.  apparently i wasn't supposed to iron it until the very end, but you know... rules are meant to be broken sometimes.  no quilt police were called on me either, so that's a plus.speaking of breaking rules...

i totally didn't understand how the pattern wanted me to do the straps, nor did i end up with 2 matching jelly roll strips to do it the way i thought it was saying.  so i flubbed it.
i pieced together the straps from some of the lining/binding fabric (grunge) with one of the jelly roll strips i really liked but didn't have enough for two straps.  i then folded it around the batting strip as well as the webbing that was included and stitched down the center to close up all the seams.  i also did a top stitch on both edges to help finish it off and really hold it together.
it may not have been what the pattern said to do, but i love it.given that this was a question that was posed before i left the shop, i didn't really have time to analyze what color of thread i would need, since the inner quilting would be visible.  i did not have the right shade of gray AT ALL, so i decided the next best thing would be a bold, contrasting red.  and i was right!  it adds a little bit of festive-ness to the inside and really helps the binding on the edge pop.  the pattern also says that you can leave the inside edges raw or zig zag them, but after talking to tayva about how she did her batik sample, i went ahead and made a sort of binding for that as well.  i much prefer the clean (yet slightly wonky) look that it gives without having white batting peep out against the gray.

go figure, i don't have any photos of that though...

i really enjoyed how quick this project was, and the instant gratification that came from finishing it in about an hour or so!  i can't remember if i had a show or movie playing, or if i ended up listening to a podcast... but it didn't take long at all.

this would be a great project for beginners, since it gives you all the numbers of what way to sew the strips on and everything.  

would i do another one?  absolutely.

i've already oogled halloween rolls and thought about how cool they would look, or even some of the other fun june taylor bag patterns caliquiltco carries.  wouldn't it be a super fun gift bag?  or trick or treat bag?  i was also thinking of how cool it would be for a baby shower gift, filled with diapers or other necessities.

starship sweet starship cross stitch sampler

somehow, my sister became a trekkie... don't know how. don't exactly remember when... but it happened. i decided to compete for the coolest sister awards with this year's christmas gifts for her by busting out my cross stitching skills. mind you, i haven't finished a cross stitch in years, so things were a little sketchy if i would break the trend or not.well, the trend was broken, and i busted out this thing in two sittings. i probably could have done it in one, but my fingers decided they needed a break instead. so two sittings at my computer... because that is the ultimate place to stitch? i don't know... and that sucker was done! i changed the colors around from the original sampler that i saw online to make it a little more star trek colored with the red/yellow of the show's uniforms.i have recently picked up a liking for hello kitty, and since she isn't as in to the "normal" hello kitty as i am, i stumbled across this shirt online and had to get it for her. it was a little bit trekkie, and a little bit kitty, paying homage to her past as a cat obsessed child. two birds, one stone. bam!
and here are the fun links as to where i found these items for inspiration and/or purchase:
starship sweet starship: on etsy
next generation kitty: on redbubble

weekend wips

another I GOT STUFF DONE! weekend. hip hip hoorah! so crazy that christmas is now officially less than a week away, and i feel like things are finally dying down. of course that means come january, it will be on to wedding crafting... and maybe even that t-shirt quilt of mine... or the scrappy squares one. so many choices! anyways, here is what went down this weekend.
christmas gift c: done. and i'm SO happy with it. like, want to keep it for myself but i know i shouldn't because that would just be plain silly happy with it. i just now need to make my sister model it for me, so i can wrap it up and make plans with it's soon to be owner.
christmas gift e&f: yeah. things aren't looking good as far as this one goes. i think it may just turn in to one of the two planned things, since it's something i've never done before, and christmas is inching closer moment by moment. if i can knock out one, that's better than i'm feeling about it right now.
christmas gift g: was delivered yesterday, but i'm going to wait until post christmas to do all the present reveal posts... just because i can.

happy gradu-birth-mas - scrapbook project

well, the planning for this started nearly two years ago. how do i remember? well, apparently it was my photo for the day back on january 14th for my 365 photo project. fast forward however many exact days later, and i finished it right on time! of course, erika's birthday coming up made me push myself for that deadline to get the dang thing done.
when she graduated high school, i made her a photo quilt. this scrapbook option was much easier, and probably much better space saver since she's now coming on 6 months until her wedding day (ahhh! that's what tomorrow is! crazy!) and probably doesn't need a whole lot of extra things laying around. shoot, i'm not engaged or anything, and i know that i don't need things laying around... but it happens anyways. i do it to myself. hah.
the book starts off with the very first photo of us. 2003. brace faced and at marching practice. no, i'm not going to feature it on this blog post. sorry. through out the book, i tried to feature as many photos of just US without the extras along the way. you know, the high school boyfriends, the people we don't talk to anymore, the ex coworkers. all that jazz. some of them made their appearances because they had to - sadies, prom, homecoming - but hey, it's all part of the journey right?
i'm totally not a die hard with my cricut either. my main use consists of making letters so i don't have to use stickers. and that is just fine with me. the pictures say it better though. i'm sure i could have left the entire thing blank, and everything would have fit just perfectly.
2003 all the way up to november of this year (my birthday even!) all covered with photos. a friendship that i'm super happy to have all these photos from. seeing this complete makes me want to get MY scrapbooks going... but at the same time, i'm so much less motivated when it is something for myself versus a gift... time to keep those holiday gifts going!