HST Love

Last year I picked up a really awesome charm pack during a Shop Hop.  It is Mama Said Sew from Moda - red, black, grey and ivory.  Soooo pretty.  I looked at it, took it out of its slip, stacked it, put it back, took it out... for over a year. At first I thought I would do another Disappearing Nine Patch, then a tote. 

Then I saw this video and knew this was what I was going to do.  

The Love Note quilt.  

I had yardage of black fabric - perfect.  

Using the technique in Missouri Star Quilt Company's video.... I am in Half Square Triangle Love,

And its only the beginning.

(Isn't this fabric just too cute!)  

New Quilty Beginnings

Have not decided which sound I love best.  

The slicing of new fabric across my cutting mat.

The steam from my iron. 

The hum from my sewing machine.

The outside noises because my window is open. 

It really depends on my mood.  

Right now, the cutting of fresh fabric... into 5 inch squares is making the best sound of all....

......because it means a new Quilty Beginning!  

Two Down....

Got the second centerpiece done! 

The artists in the tutorials used greenery to fill in the gaps. While the bouquets were beautiful.... the greenery was my least favorite element.  But my youngest and I looked at JoAnn's yesterday.  Nothing really jumped out at us, not to mention the prices... yikes.   

After making the actual bouquet, still just did not think the greenery would work.  Ran up to Michael's, walked around and again did not find anything that struck me.  Then... the Easter craft section.....  Easter Basket grass!  

Love, love, love walking around craft stores, fabric stores, thrift stores... so much inspiration.  

But pastel colors would not cut it... so over to the gift wrap section and .......

Now I can get back to sewing.....  

Hazards....

After visiting the sewing machine doctor....  I did not have the excuse to bring home another Janome.  In fact, not even sure I should have been allowed to return home with mine....  

Just kidding.  

Apparently, I just kept forgetting the thread take up lever....  Yep.... that is all that was wrong.  Not the machine, not the sewing machine elves... nope...  

it was me!  

One of the many hazards of late night sewing.  

One Down.... One to Go

Had a lot of fun putting the first of two Baby Shower Centerpieces together.....  

I wish the diapers had been solid white because the decorative prints seem to make the rolling of the diapers lopsided.... but overall I just love it!  

I have to give lots of, if not most, the credit to Youtube tutorials........  I just watched quite a few and then put this guy together. 

Tomorrow is the onsie/washcloth flower bouquet.  

Gathering Supplies

...... for Baby Shower Centerpieces.

Love three day weekends!   

O Where, O Where are the Sewing Machine Elves....

As I was practicing, practicing and practicing.... my top thread kept breaking.  (I will confess right now that I was not a very good girl and bad words were flying out of my mouth faster than I could ask for forgiveness!)

So I went to Missouri Star Quilt Company and watched a video on machine quilting.  I lowered the feed dogs, raised the tension and tried again.... well that did not work AT ALL! 

So I raised my feed dogs back up, put the tension back, re-threaded my machine for the 100th time and went back at it.  

Again.... the not so nice words were flying and I was re-threading. 

I changed the needle.  

Did not help. In fact, it got worse.  Now all the top thread was staying down in the bobbin area.  So I changed bobbins. 

(Yes, by this time I was using practice material - not John's Quilt!)

Soooooo I decided to do something I have never done and that is clean the machine.  Got the manual out, took all the necessary parts off and you would not believe the lint I found!  Oh my gosh - I probably could have knitted a small sweater!  HA!   

Without looking at my paperwork - I think I have had my Janome for a year... so it was probably wanting a good cleaning for some time.  

Put my machine back together according to the manual.......  

and........

still doing the same thing.  Yes, I am crying now. It is Thursday night.  We have a three-day weekend coming up... I was going to sew, sew, quilt, sew and sew....  

I did what any good sewist would do....  I went to bed hoping the Sewing Machine Elves would magically appear, fix my poor Janome and I could carry on my merry way.

And I woke up to........ 

.... not a Sewing Machine Elf footprint to be found.

So I guess it means a visit to my sewing machine dealer on Saturday..... hmmmm.....  

Is this a good argument for having two sewing machines on hand?  

Oh wait... I do... my old Singer.... 

Okay so this is a good argument to have two Janomes on hand.....  

Practice..... practice..... practice.....

Started quilting John's quilt last night.  I had the bright idea that swirls in the squares would be fun and hopefully easy for me to do.  

They are fun, but not so easy (at least for me).  Finally showed them to John and he said he did not care.... just wanted it "finished and on his side of the bed."  Well if that is not encouragement, I do not know what is!  

But..... I keep looking at other blogs and pictures where the quilting is stunning, adds depth and texture and is just so PERFECT. 

After thinking about it.... I realized that I have "meandered" three quilts and two table runners.... so trying swirls right now is good and part of the journey.

A long arm quilter, after I complimented her quilting (with a tone of admiration and longing), responded to me.... "Ten-plus years and over 1,500 quilts---you'll get there!"  

So I will just practice.... practice.... practice.... 

Only 1,497 more to go!   

John's Quilt....

Getting ready to finish John's Quilt. The funny thing is I was working on it about a year ago.  And nothing has changed.... still having hot flashes! 

The backing is pieced, pressed and ready.  The batting has been cut and is also ready.  

I just need to sandwich it and then get started...  

but I am having a hot flash and the last thing I want to do is crawl around on the floor.... 

so John will have to wait until tomorrow....  

Getting Stuff Done...... and some adjustments

Setting goals.... either love or hate it.  Obvious reason to hate would be setting the goal and then not achieving it. Another reason is creating unrealistic goals.... "Well, it sounded good at the time," etc... 

It is easier to love goals when you reach or even exceed them.  

My goals for 2014 were simple. At least I thought they were. Two months into 2014 and some are being met, some are above and some are just not getting done.  

2014 Goals:  

1.  Walk everyday. 

2.  Blog everyday - even if it is just a picture.

3. Spend at least 30 minutes in the sewing room everyday...  and this does not include blogging, checking e-mails, etc. (yes my sewing room doubles as my little office).  

Must create for 30 minutes everyday.  

4.  Finish all my quilts.... no more quilt tops being stored in a closet - get them out and in use!  

5.  Spend time with friends at least once a week.  

6.  Put down the club and stop beating myself up. 

7.  Learn to say no. 

8.  .......

Well, 1 and 2 are not being met...  I am walking and blogging, just not everyday (and not at the same time).  But I still call this successful because I am walking and blogging a lot more than last year...  

No. 3 is being met for the most part!  

(Disappearing Nine Patch - inspired by Missouri Star Quilt Company - Pieced and Quilted January, 2014) 

No. 4 is still a work in progress... but I already have one of the quilt tops done and it was the largest.... so we are right on track!  

No. 5 is probably unrealistic - but I am spending more time with my friends.  

No. 6 is one of those ones where I am good for a couple of days but then fall back into bad habits... but I will not call this one a loss at all!  

No. 7 is probably the easiest of all of them and probably the one I was most ready to tackle....  totally exceeding at this one!  

No. 8 was left blank on purpose.... it was for adjustments. Adjust the goal, adjust the schedule and most of....make sure attitude is being adjusted!  

And I can state, without a doubt, that no. 8 is exceeding....

Happy 2014 - getting stuff done!    

Forgiving......

The Beast is finally finished...  But it is a mess.  I loved that quilt top - especially since it was my first.  It sat in my closet for a year and a half until I decided that 2014 was the year that I was going to complete all the quilt tops into actual quilts before I start another one.  I had four....  

After I quilted a couple of tablerunners and felt a little confident...  I pulled the Beast out.  

Meandering.... meandering...  and then... pulling, pulling, pulling...  It is heavy.  

My shoulders started to tense. I am going to mess this quilt up.  Then I noticed that there was a pucker in the back.  I had to rip out some stitches.  Oh no, I am going to mess this quilt up.  

Then finally, after a couple of days.  It was done.  Was I happy with it... not as much as when I finished the top, but I was happy that the quilting was done.

Now on binding.  

Measured, calculated and measured and calculated at least two more times before I cut....  

Decided to machine bind the Beast.  I just could not see it getting done before the end of winter... 

So last night was the night.  

I watched Missouri Star Quilt Company's tutorial over and over and thought I had it down pat.  

Well, after using one pretty stitch and then another... finally just went for the straight stitch.  Mind you by this time I was so tired that I did not rip out any of the other stitches...  

So the Beast has many different quilting styles, binding and decorative stitches.  

But we slept under this quilt last night.  My first quilt top. The first large quilt completed.  

I must be more forgiving....  remember this is a learning process....  something fun to do, something to share....  

yes, more forgiving to myself and 

especially to the Beast.