Improv, Baby!

When we came up with the idea to do an all-day improv quilting event in my local guild, I'll admit that I had some mixed feelings about it.  People were pretty excited about the idea, and a day of sewing sounded fun.  Buuuut... improvising means working spontaneously and/or without preparation.  I have the impression that with true improv you kind of go about willy-nilly sewing things, and there is a very real chance of creating something that doesn't appeal to you in the slightest.   Kind of like what happened with this improv quilt.  I'm trying to clear out old UFOs that got derailed along the way, so the thought of creating another quilt top that would just be a problem child was no bueno. 

Besides that... I really love planning!  If I head into sewing without a plan or goal, I'm just pushing fabric through my machine.  Good for therapy, maybe, but who needs therapy when you're spending the whole day hanging out with your quilty buddies? 

In the end I came up with a plan, which was to have a plan.  At least, a loose plan.  I love the design of this rug, so I decided to make a few square-in-square blocks and few stripey blocks and then add some solid pieces to create a similar look.  I was pretty confident that if I kept it simple and used a color palette that really grabbed me, I would be happy with the end result. While I don't feel like I went "aggressively improv," I assembled my blocks with no pre-determined pattern, block size, or quantity, and then worked through arranging them and putting together the top. 

I love how it turned out.  I did re-discover something that irks me a little about improv piecing.  It really is more work to get everything fitting together when you don't plan it from the beginning.  Curvy, wonky improv takes doubly long because you have to custom cut every piece to match what's already been added.  Ah well. 

I free motion quilted the top with Leah Day's pipe maze pattern.  She has it marked for beginners, and it's true that it was really easy - plus it has amazing texture.  Free motion hasn't been my favorite in the past, but I think as I improve my skill I will also like it more.  It's a little easier on your body than straight line since you don't have to haul the quilt around as much.  So, I'm working on it.

This was *ahem* supposed to be a donation quilt for charity, but I fell in love with it and ended up making a different quilt to donate in its place.  This guy is going to hang on the wall in my sewing room - I've just finished painting in there and am waiting for the fumes to clear.  I'll keep you posted!

Marci's round robin quilt

It's hard to believe it, but my guild round robin group has only one round left.  I'm a little sad because I have really enjoyed these challenges - but on the other hand I couldn't be more excited about the quilt top they have been creating for me.  I believe that I will have that back sometime around April, and I can't wait to show it off here. 

Marci's round robin quilt is one of my favorite in our little group - with some stringy lines running around, bursting stars and an asymmetrical layout.  I was really digging the 50's style diner kind of groove that it has going on.  So, I was pretty eager to get my hands on it!  It came to me like this:

I love how all of the initial rounds blend together so that it's difficult to determine where they start and stop.  In case you are wondering about it, I believe this is how the previous rounds were added:

I definitely wanted to extend the seamless look into my round, so I drew out what was already present and then planned my round to continue the lines and themes that were already there.  I also wanted to refer back to the center block, so I incorporated more larger blocks along with more strings and tiny blocks.  I had initially planned on adding equally to all sides, but Marci saw it partway through and was excited about it becoming rectangular, so I added a little extra on the top and bottom.

In the end, it really got huge.  There is another round to go on this quilt, plus Marci wants to add some borders, so the amount of fabric that this took turned out to be quite an issue.  I didn't recognize the problem until I was deep into construction.  I actually eliminated some of the design that I had been planning to do, and it still took nearly all of the fabric that was provided.  Thankfully, Marci was able to find most of the fabrics on a local shop-hop, so it turned out ok in the end.  Still, a lesson learned for sure - make sure you have enough fabric before you jump in! 

Color group quilt

Happy new year!  Since I just did a UFO update, I'll refrain from a looking-back-over-2013 post but I do feel like I got a lot done in the end.  I think I might have "finishing moods" where I start finishing up projects like wild.  It catches hold of me and then I come out the other side exhausted and holding a stack of finished quilts.

I think the stress of closing on our house brought on one of those "finishing moods," and the result is that I have a backlog of quilts to show off.  Like this one that I whipped up from teeny tiny blocks that my BAMQG small group made (we interpreted the term small group very literally...): 

I sashed all the blocks unevenly in teal and grey, then sewed it into a top and free motion quilted it.  The last (and only!) time I free motion quilted a project was back in 2010... and at one point I literally threw that quilt across the room.  So, I am happy to say that it went much better this time.  This little guy (36" square) has already been passed off to the guild to be donated to the NICU. 

UFO update

We moved nearly all of our stuff to the new house last weekend.  So happy to be in the new space!  We originally selected our rental house for the price and location - NOT the condition, so there are a lot of upgrades and amenities that we loving about the new house.  My fabric hasn't made the move yet - I know that is usually the first thing people move, but the new house still has some lingering smell from floor refinishing, so I'm waiting for that to clear up some more before I bring my fabric over.

I do have everything packed up, though.  Going through my UFO drawers reminded me that it's probably about time for an update.  Errr.... make that past time!  When I went to pull in the previous list, I discovered that I made it in May of last year.  At the time, I had 8 WIPs.  I finished four of them but added four more in the same period, so I'm still at 8.  The projects are definitely getting more current, though, which is a good thing.

Linen Stripes Quilt  Finished in August 2012!

Sewing Machine Cover Finished it, decided I didn't need a sewing machine cover, and then turned it into a tote bag in mid-2013.

Bed Quilt Finished in November 2012!

This quilt is double-sided and so large that I have never gotten around to taking proper pictures and blogging it.

Embroidered Kitties Quilt  Finished in August 2012!

My niece is using this quilt on her bed!

1.  Wedding Quilt

I have decided that I will probably use this as one side of a double-sided quilt.

2.  Queen of Embarrassing Toasts' Quilt (Modern Quilting Bee)  - This quilt is basted and ready for quilting!

My sister has spoken for this quilt.

3.  Giraffe Quilt (Tethered Threads 2 Bee)

This is one of those times when cutting a precious fabric turned out to be the best choice.  This quilt is definitely staying with me.  The block/fabric combination is straight copied from Film in the Fridge.  Sometimes you see something and you just gotta have it. 

4.  Secret project

What?  It's a secret.  No pictures!


5 (NEW).  Round Boo Bee

My round robin quilt is still going!  We are filling in the four corners to bring this out to square.

6 (NEW).  Other secret project

What?  It's a secret.  No pictures!

7 (NEW). BAM-BOM Quilt (more like an ongoing project than a UFO)

Photo from the design wall - I need to sew these blocks together and then I have four borders planned..

8 (NEW).  BAM Round Robin (more like an ongoing project than a UFO)

I wish I had a more recent photo!  This quilt is going to be epic.

My new (as of this year) approach is to slow down on starting new projects to keep from getting bogged down with new starts, and meanwhile chip away at the older projects in between.  With that in mind, I'm setting my new year's resolution early:  Whether I start new projects or not, I want to get my UFO&WIPs list down below five by the end of 2014. 

Excited, exhausted, and confused

I have been in such a state lately.  We spent the last two months shopping for and then buying a house (I know, it was so fast!!)  I'm still in shock about it, and at the same time so excited that sometimes I feel a little ill.  In addition to the happy transition from renting to owning, I'm thrilled that my sewing area will be moving from the dining room table to my very own sewing room.

It's not much to look at yet, but hopefully it will be!
 
Because of some work that needs to be done at the new place, we won't be moving our furniture until mid-December.  In the meantime, I have plunged enthusiastically into getting ready to move.  I have to say, the logic element doesn't factor very strongly into the tasks that I've been completing in "preparation" for moving.  For example, I had some thread spools sitting on top of my fabric drawers, so I decided to put them away.  There wasn't room in the thread bin, so I ended up on the floor surrounded by a hundred spools of thread, winding loose thread and picking out ones that could go in the trash bin.  Oh wait, actually that does make sense.  Clearly, organizing my thread = critical pre-move preparatory step.

I said in the title that I was confused, but actually has to do with the blog, not the move or the new house.  I thought that I had already posted something from a few months ago, but now I don't see it! Since that apparently happened only in my mind, here is what was passed to me for Kelly's round robin (with my local MQG):

And here's where I ended up:

I planned the outline for my additions on graph paper, with the hope of echoing and emphasizing the partial star shape.  Once I started sewing, I added in a little bit of improvisation with details like the geese and the nine patches.  I just love this quilt, and I'm totally jealous that Kelly gets to keep it.  I can't steal it 'cause Kelly would just track me down... but maybe I'll duplicate it when some more of my UFOs are cleared out. 

Rhonda's Round Robin, UFOs, and my neck

It has been pretty slow on the blog lately - and for good (bad?) reason.

Apparently the cumulative affects of years of bad posture and too many looking-down-at-things activities (oh hai sewing) made some discs in my neck go all bulgy and smush into my spinal cord.  WHICH, as it turns out, makes you hurt all kinds of places other than your neck.

The good news is that they finally got from me saying "under my shoulder blade and also near my elbow hurt really bad and I can't lay down without wanting to cry so I don't get any sleep at all" to the doctor saying "lay on this thing for a few minutes a day and cut back on sewing and looking through microscopes." 

Nowadays the only pain I get is in my actual neck, when I've done too many looky-downy things.  I am not able to spend a lot of time sewing yet, but I have been able to get some in.  First on my list is for my guild round robin.  Rhonda asked for people to add pieces to her quilt in a log-cabin fashion, i.e. add to only one side, going in a spiral pattern from one person to the next. 

This is the piece that I received, with Rhonda's start on the upper right, Kelly's addition below that, and Jen's piece on the left.

I took inspiration from the fabric down the left side and decided to make some diamond & chevron shapes (on the dark purple background).  After adding that, I felt that my part stood out too boldly, so I put on an additional section that incorporated the stripes, chevrons, and multiple backgrounds that other people had used.  Then I did raw edge applique and added flowers to blend the two sections a little and tie in with Jen's contribution.

I know I've said it already, but it bears repeating - I love the challenge of this round robin!  It is certainly a welcome change of pace... I have been working for nearly 2 years now on clearing out my UFOs.  Since January 2012 when I declared my goal of living a UFO-free life, I have finished 7 of the 10 quilts that were in progress at the time, and 9 smaller projects that were languishing in my sewing room.  Since the Great Declaration, I started an additional 12 quilts and finished 7 of them, leaving me with 5 new projects in progress.  Even though my number of quilt UFOs has only gone down by 2, it's a big success for me considering that before 2012 I generated new UFOs at a rate of about 3 per year.  Also, my UFO's are getting "newer", which means that they are a better match to my current taste. 

Still, these round robin quilts are a welcome break and a chance to get inspired & creative.  Jen passes to me in this round robin, and her great sense for simple & effective design puts the pressure on!  I just saw what she did for Marci's piece and my mind is already rolling thinking of what I will add.

Tutorial - More Birds in the Air

This month I am hosting the Block of the Month tutorial again for Bay Area Modern.  You can see the rest of the blocks on the BAM blog.

This block is a variation on the traditional Birds in the Air quilt block, translated to a 16-patch rather than 9.  This tutorial makes two blocks at a time.  One option for a 12" finished block is to make two sets of the 6" block and then arrange them in a four-patch.

The final look of the block will be like this if you chose to cut your 4 rectangles from background fabric:

Or like this if you chose to cut them from print fabric:

Starch all your fabric pieces before you begin because there is a lot of bias sewing in this block.  I use Best Press and press all seams open.
Sew and trim up the half square triangles using your preferred method.  If you are going for a scrappy look, you may want to sew in pairs.  If you are sticking with just 2 fabrics for the block, you can use this method to make 8 HSTs at once.

 All your pieces should look like this:

Lay out the pieces as shown below, then sew together in rows:

Sew the rows together (it's supposed to be a rectangle right now... don't worry!) Turn the block over to mark the back.  Draw a line on either side of the center diagonal, just touching the points of your print triangles:

Lay the pieced rectangle centered over the large rectangle (right sides together) and sew down each of the drawn lines.  Cut the in half between the sewn lines.

Press the seams, and trim off the extra background fabric to get a perfect 6.5" or 12.5".

Done!