Christmas in July

Those of you who do sew (in any fashion) recognize the importance of having the correct tools. I have a very nice tool - my machine - which I love. It's a Bernina 750 QE and it is really wonderful. I received excellent advice from my sister-in-law before buying, but also did my due diligence with research. Bernina owners are very loyal it seems! And it also seems that with proper care a Bernina machine can have a good, long life span. So I am happy with it! I've had it since February, when I traded in my previous Bernina, a small 350 Special Edition. I loved that machine, it just wasn't quite big enough for doing the quilting I wanted to do.

So here is my current tool.

This week I was over joyed to receive a care package from my sister-in-law that was stocked full of Bernina presser feet! Seems she and a friend both traded out their machines and have not replaced, so decided to donate their extra feet to me. My oh my, it did feel like Christmas in July!

This handy quilt calculator was also in the box. Sweet!

But that doesn't get into what I'm working on as of late. 

My churn dash quilt is coming along. I have all 30 blocks made and put in proper order, and one row completed (sewn together, sashing and corner stones in place). It is looking good! The order looks something like this:

I'm excited to finish work on it, though we have been busy as of late. Late summer has been beautiful in the Lou. We had a chance to enjoy a Cardinals victory last weekend with these lovely ladies.

Summer Interruptions

Summer interrupted my best laid plans to post regularly. I'm sure autumn will do the same. But that said, I have been working on things.

I had in mind the desire for a black-white-grey quilt and it is coming to fruition. Not exactly what I initially anticipated, and in all honesty, probably better. I'm excited. I'm using churn dash blocks for it, 30 in total, few repeats. I laid the quilt out yesterday to get the blocks in order and have one row sewn together. No pictures yet - I want to have a bit more done before I do show-and-tell on this one.

What I did complete was another baby quilt, this one for my nephew and his wife, who are expecting their fourth child, a girl. But I couldn't go all girly-girl, so compromised with this cheery fabric. I was pleased with the result! Since I didn't make quilts for the older three kids, I made them custom pillow cases. The other daughter received one to match her new little sister's quilt. For the boys, one was a football theme and the other cammo.

 

Other than quilting, we did sneak in some travel to eastern Tennessee. It was beautiful! We traveled by bike and enjoyed much time exploring and checking out some fun roads.

My carriage for the week!

Home again and I am back at my machine. Among other things. :-)

Keep On Sewin' On

I am a bit slow in posting due to a crazy work schedule and a bit of summer fun. We had the opportunity to spend several days with all the kids at Kentucky Lake. A good time was had by all and I suspect we will repeat the trip next year. Love it when the kids have fun! (And we get to relax as well!)

That did slow my quilting progress slightly...but only slightly. I've managed to finish two baby quilts, one each for Mike's expectant nieces.

One niece is expecting a boy and wanted a quilt all about rockets. So this is what she will get.

What you don't see on this one is that on the bake I appliqued a rocket ship as well. I love this quilt - the bright colors just make me smile. 

The other niece and her hubby are all things KU and that was their request for their little girl. So - below is what they will receive. We ordered KU fabric online for it. 

Yes, we did take her seriously - the backing is KU as well.

In the works...today I cut out the pieces for my black / white / red churn dash quilt. I also cut out fabric for another baby quilt. Those pictures will be coming soon.

Finally, to show you I am not all work and no play, yesterday we took a long motorcycle ride. Much needed and much fun! We picked the perfect day for the ride - not too hot and a bit overcast. 

A Bit of Fabric Shopping

Today was a rainy one. I spent much of it shopping - catching up on things like groceries and other household necessities. But I'm also working on my first large quilt design and wanted to purchase the last of the fabrics I needed. So all those pretty black and white fabrics in my last post? Those have expanded. I think I am finished with the fabric I need for the churn blocks. I am not sure how much of the red I'll use, but I do want a bit of red in it. I did not purchase the backing fabric, but when I so, it will also be red.

However, before I start on this one I have several projects to finish up. One is a baby quilt, cut but not yet started. That is next on my list and I suspect it will go together quickly. But my more immediate project to finish is this beauty. 

This is my first bargello project and I love how it is coming together. The camera doesn't quite do the colors justice, but it's not bad. This whole process was interesting, starting with the color selection. As it was coming together I had this fear that my eye was not good the day I selected the fabrics, but now that it's close to complete, I love it. (The piece was actually supposed to be long and narrow, but I decided to use the two halves this way instead of making it long.) I'm not entirely certain what I want to do with this piece, but I do want some flexibility with it so will add a hanging sleeve...just in case I decide I want to use it as a wall hanging.

Calm...for the moment

Our life is calm...at the moment. And because of that I've been plotting. Plotting in the gathering fabric kind of way. While in North Carolina, I added to the stash I'm trying to build for my upcoming black-white-grey quilt.

I also want red in the quilt, as an accent color and as a backing, so I saw these and thought I'd try them out.

Next up I need to buy fabric to surround the blocks, plus to use for the sashing and borders. 

In my spare time, to further challenge myself, I am using the month of June to get in better physical shape. I've been a runner for years and will continue that. I'd like to try to do 3 to 4 miles of movement a day (run or walk; I'd like to get in 100 miles this month), but I'm also up for an abs, arms, and legs workout daily. Just because. 

Today I am in North Carolina and visited a very nice quilt shop where I bought a stack of fat quarters. Some for my planned black and white quilt. Some because I just really liked the fabric.

I am not always certain what I will do with fat quarters or how I will use them but I certainly like them. They are almost like buying a paint sample from Home Depot except instead of a splotch on the wall I get a sweet final product.

This is a beautiful part of the country and I certainly hoped to return. With my guy. Can't wait to share it with him!

The past week was a whirlwind, which left me precious little time to post. My youngest daughter has been home for two weeks. She graduated from college (cum laude, I may add) and tomorrow is off to the Pacific Northwest for, at a minimum, the summer. 

As one would expect, I have mixed emotions about this. I raised my children to be independent, but it is difficult as a parent when that "independence" means moving halfway across the country. 

Not that I didn't leave my parents.

Not that I ever expected my children to stay in the vicinity of me.

Just that when the day actually comes it's...well, it's hard. 

And if I say much more, I will start to tear up, so I will just leave it at that.

During the week I did not get much of a chance to quilt, though I did get a chance to think about quilting. My thoughts drifted to testing the waters with using some of my sewing machine's more creative stitches for quilting purposes. I think I will do a test of just this and see what I think.

I was inspired by a small video on the Bernina sewing machine, We All Sew (http://weallsew.com) site. 

I don't think I mentioned that I sew / quilt on a Bernina. Specifically the 750 QE. I had started with a terribly cute litte 300 series Bernina that I loved. The only problem was that it was so doggone small it was difficult to quilt. The throat just wasn't quite enough.

I don't have any pictures to share this week. And I am also starting out kind of slow with this blog as this week I'll be on the road most of the time. But when I get back, I will try to be more diligent.

And while I'm traveling I'm going to visit quilt stores for new inspiration!

Welcome to my simple world. I am a runner, mom, wife, reader, sometimes writer, new quilter, dog lover, and slightly restless soul. I am inspired to blog as my youngest child takes off for a post-college adventure and my empty nest becomes even more empty since I realize that she will probably not live at home again. It's a good life as I am blessed with terrific children, an amazing husband, a rockin' dog, and good health.

Plus restlessness, which is what led me to start to quilt.

Just a little over a year ago I decided I needed a new creative outlet. As a kid, music was that outlet as I played piano. My master's degree, an MFA in Creative Writing, let me express myself with words. And still, even with the recent purchase of an electric keyboard and an ongoing love of the written words, something was missing.

On a whim I found a local quilt shop that offered a basic, machine piecing quilting class.

I should explain that I have/had a love/hate relationship with sewing. My mom made many of my clothes when I was growing up. I spent hours and hours in fabric stores, waiting while she picked fabric and patterns. As I got older, I was allowed to pick my own patterns and fabrics. She tried more than once to teach me to sew, but it never took. I had neither the interest nor the patience.

I did try over the years. A weak attempt a maternity jumpers and clothing for my kids. I even made a very simple block quilt.

Then I put away the sewing machine and dedicated myself to raising my daughters and running.

Until last year.

I was surprised to find myself seeking out a quilting class, but seek I did. And I found the perfect class for me.

My instructor, Linda, is a passionate quilter and amazingly patient teacher. She is what most would call a dynamo - energetic, creative, funny. To this day, when I have a question about fabric selection I always hope she is in the shop to assist me. Part of what inspired me so much and part of the reason I love to quilt is because of her and her creative open mind. Colors, prints, anything at all, she finds lovely. When I initially made a fabric selection it was very pretty, but also predictable for me. I have turned a corner since.

The class provided groundwork that has since seen me complete several table runners (a great way to practice), wall hangings, Christmas stockings for my family (ahem...seven stockings to date), and more. I've taken machine quilting and free motion quilting classes, as well as an applique class. And loved every minute of them.

Constantly, I'm planning my next project. Currently, I'm working on this wall hanging. I'm to the point of quilting it, which is a lot of work for me. I realize I have not spent many hours behind a sewing machine so my skills are not those of someone who has sewn for years. But work or not, I do enjoy it. Here is how the project looks:

I'm also practicing the churn dash block.

Because I am planning a black / white / grey churn dash quilt for my bed. The start of my fabric selection.

And lastly, I have selected fabrics for a small bargello project. I love these fabrics - they make me smile when I see them.

Today I also found I had my first iris of the year bloom.

These little beauties are almost ready to bloom as well.

All in all, it was a good Tuesday!

After a hiatus, I am back in the blogging world. Much has changed - as much always does - but I think it will feel good to be back. More to come - I'm in the blog set up phase at the moment!