Too Much of a good thing...

I learned an important lesson about quilting yesterday. Don't try too many new things at a time! First hexie quilt=too stretchy. Hello bias edges. First time trying double batting a al Angela=too wiggly. Maybe I should call it the wiggle wagga instead of Baby Meets Modern. I kinda goobered up the numbers at the bottom too. Turns out I created an eye test. Do you see the number 3 at the bottom? DS says that I was just messing with my color blind DH. Bad me.

I got the blocks quilted yesterday with what I am calling monkey vines in honor of the cute monkey fabric on the back. The lines echo the edges of the blocks vertically but vary in their width. Dreamt last night that I was qulting bubbles in the border so bubbles it is. Don't you just love it when inspiration comes in a dream. I get the best ideas that way. The binding is going to be stripes. Too cute!

Tata!

Bad Me

I am a very bad blogger. Bad at blogging.  And I apologize.

This year has been a little more difficult (read also sad, frustrating, and overwhelming for starters) than expected and it seems that real life got in the way of the blog. You know how it goes with the best of intentions.

<sigh>

Let's start over, shall we?

Thought One: Start a NEW blog. Yes. I hear you asking why would I start a new one if this one is suffering from neglect. Basically I had one of those moments of inspiration that I typically get in the morning just before I get out of bed. Sort of a fantasy blog idea. LOL not vampires and shapeshifters kind of fantasy. More like alternative personality blog. My daughter decided that she would change her name when we moved from the land of mountains and Birkenstock to the land of bluebonnets and mockingbirds. Worked out great for her. Maybe it would work for me. Fresh start and all.

Thought Two: Actually...there is no thought two.

In other news, here is what I am working on "Around the Town" from Jillily in the studio. I bought her kit at Quilt Festival in Houston. So cute. Here is the pic from her blog:


I will post my pics when I get further along.

Modern Quilting

I find myself on the fence about modern quilting. Do I like it? Do I not like it?

I like the bold colors. I am so over Civil War prints and some of the muddy looking colors. Never mind that I just bought some. On the other hand, there is only so much of the sixties I can revisit

Let's here it for piecing that leave room for imperfections. So what if everything doesn't match exactly. On the other hand sometimes they just look sloppy. I am trying to screw up my courage to try improvisational piecing but I suspect I already tried that and didn't know that is what you called it.

I giggle every time I hear "negative space." Really? You just named the background. Yes, sometimes the background is important. We have been using some kind of negative space in quilting for like, forever. Check out the Amish. They were all over background/negative space. Any traditional two color quilt is all about the negative space. <snicker>

What do you think of straight line quilting? Pretty much what I already do. But lines after line after line after line? Maybe not. Thankfully, modern quilting is not all about the feathers. So not digging feathers but still. Sometimes they are okay.

Still not sure about the modern quiting thing but evolution is inevitable. As Dr. Ian Malcolm said in Jurassic Park, "I'm simply saying that life (art), uh, finds a way."

Carry on!

So…long time, no write?

 Yeah. That would be me. I have been in a dark place lately between airline “excitement” and hospitalized hubs. And winter is never kind to me. It takes me till early March to climb out of my hole every year. I would describe my sewing as listless. Is that possible?

The Dallas Quilt Celebration runs from today till Sunday at the Dallas Market Hall. I love seeing all the quilts. I alternate between two states-“My work is as good as that” and “OMG these people are freakin’ talented and no way is anything I do that  good.” And so it goes that the quilt I wanted to submit is still not completed. Maybe next year…

Ready for some fabric porn?

I swore that I was not going to buy any fabric this year until I saw this...

I LOVE ribbon candy. This is from Timeless Treasures. I could not resist.

Then I saw the fabric on the bottom and badabingbadaboom the other fabrics just did it for me so they had to come home with me...

Then I found this panel and coordinating fat quarters to make a cute wall hanging so they had to come home with me...

And these fat quarters just would not stay on the shelf...

And a magazine and a book and I made myself leave. There is only so much tempation a girl can handle at one time. Since my camera had issues and I didn't get to take all the pictures I wanted, I might go back tomorrow. I will leave my credit cards as home. I promise. 

Wow! Do I feel better. Big thanks to Quilt Mercantile, Material Girls, Ruby's Gone Quilting, Front Oorch Quiltshop,  Joy's Fabrics and Gifts, Bernina of Dallas, and the rest of the merchants who keep my addition alive. Many thanks goes to the Quilters Guild of Dallas for all their hard work. You all rock!!

May your needle never get rusty.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone. May this be a great year for you.

My new happy is that my fancy Bernina can sew without the foot control. It is so easy. Just unplug the foot control...

There is a green button on the front...

Push briefly and it puts the foot down. If you need to move things a bit, push it again and it hovers. Ready to go? Push and hold the button. Just push it again and it stops. I love using it when I am foundation piecing.
I use the speed control a lot too. I can't sew too fast or my table get too shaky.

(Sorry for the not so great photos. I am such a bad photographer and I have just a little point and shoot.)

DH bought me a new 34D foot for Christmas. It has a clear plate so it make is so easy to see where you are stitching. I understand that Bernina does not like clear feet but this one is just what I had been needing.Thanks love.

I can finally post a picture of the placemats I made for Christmas. I used slightly different fabrics in each of the pairs but here is my favorite:

The pattern is from the December 2012 issue Quilter's World. The minute I saw them on the cover I knew that they would be presents this year. I have the fabric to make some for myself but have been carried away with the project I am foundation piecing so I guess they will get made for next year.

Happy Sewing, ya'll!