Finishing on Top

Okay, maybe I need to admit to myself that I am terrible at remembering to blog–or, rather, at remembering to blog at a time when I can actually sit down and get it done. Only time can tell, I guess.

Hopefully this week I’m going to post about my early experiences with machine quilting and some of the disasters I encountered on my first few tries, but for now I’d just like to share the two quilt tops I finished this week.

I finally finished the top to my granny squares quilt. When I set off to do this one, I wasn’t really prepared for how tedious making 42  9 1/2 inch blocks out of 2 1/2 inch unfinished (2 inches finished) squares would be. The previous tops and blocks I’ve worked with have used bigger pieces and have been faster to turn out. In the end, however, this was very rewarding. As of now the top measures 64″ x 75 ” ish:

The edges are curled over in this picture because a) there’s not enough room on my living room floor for it and b) I was so anxious to snap a picture that I hadn’t pressed all of the sashing seams yet.

Also, I have really got to learn how to take better photos of my work. Or maybe make the boyfriend help me take pictures outside since our apartment is pretty poorly lit.

The tradition around quilting-blog/flickr land has been scrappy granny squares, but since I just started quilting 5 months ago, I obviously do not have the fabric scraps yet to be able to make this size of a project, so I used a Kona jelly roll for the squares. I also decided that I liked the look that was created when the center square matched the outer ones. Finally, I used a light grey solid for the background because I plan to put this on my bed and my kitten will not hesitate to destroy a white quilt with her dirty little paws if she’s given the chance.

I also finished my You Zig I’ll Zag quilt top last week. I used a layer cake of Circa 1934 by Cosmo Cricket for Moda for this one and I love love love it. I went a little out of my comfort zone with this fabric line, and I’m very satisfied with the results:

This was super fast and super easy and I highly recommend checking out the recipe over at Moda Bake Shop (link above).

I have backing fabric coming in the mail to me sometime this week for both of these quilts, so I’ll have to spend the next few days trying to decide how I’m going to quilt them. I haven’t actually done any straight line machine quilting yet except for my very first quilt which I just stitched in the ditch, and last week my very first and very own walking foot finally came in the mail!! So I’m excited to try some straight lines. After my plus quilt (which is done! pictures to come as soon as I get a chance to get outside and take them!), I’m pretty worn out on free motion quilting for a while. Any suggestions?

In other news for W.I.P. Wednesday–no progress on my Sassy quilt for my sister, waiting for backing fabric so I can start quilting that one.
I’ve been working on tiny log cabin blocks using pezzy print–pictures to come soon.
Hexagons are sitting in a corner forgotten.
And I started sewing together my quilt top for my pinwheels. Hopefully I will finish that up tonight!

Thanks!

Some explanations and musings…

I’m back!

In starting this blog, I wanted to aim to not let it become one of those projects that I begin and quickly get bored with and throw away. That being said, I have not been avoiding new posts on purpose. My computer’s AC adapter actually broke and it took me a while to get a new one. (Macbook AC adapters are actually pricier than I thought!) Blogging from my phone just did not sound fun or promising. Only having my phone has also limited me from perusing the quilting blogs I love so much and from even getting on pinterest very much (tragedy!)…so quilting inspiration and motivation has been lacking in my life as of late.

Which brings me to the two things I need to muse on for a while in this post: money and motivation. I’ve noticed that rarely ever does the issue of being able to afford fabric and supplies ever come up in most of the blogs I follow. Quilting is not a cheap hobby by any means, especially if you are a fabric stash junkie like myself. I am not wealthy at all. I actually technically live below the poverty line, in terms of my income. I am only 22 and am currently working as a waitress. Having paid for my school myself, I also have thousands upon thousands of dollars of student loan debt. Between rent, utility bills, loan payments, credit card bills, our new kitten (!), and just generally supporting ourselves, my boyfriend and I don’t have much money left over for fun-times or hobbies.

I’m also a sort of shopaholic. I don’t typically spend a lot of money on clothes or shoes, but crafting supplies is my ultimate weakness. Buying new fabric, cardstock, or whatever it may be, just gives me a feel-good buzz. Until the guilt sets in (and it always does). I spent way too much money this past month on fabric. There were a few collections I just HAD to get my hands on. I now have new fabric from Fleamarket Fancy, Riley Blake’s Chevron, Tradewinds, Pezzy Print, Summersville, Reunion, and a few other collections that have either just come out or that I’ve been drooling over for a while.

Even though I always spend too much money, I do however, have a few tips for the quilter on a budget, like myself:

1. Don’t give into that urge to buy a yard (or two) of each fabric of every collection that you want. Precuts exist for a reason. It’s much more practical to buy charm packs, layer cakes, and even fat quarter bundles, especially if you don’t already have a project in mind for the fabric. If you do have a project in mind and have certain yardage requirements, then by all means purchase what your project requires, but in general, I’m perfectly happy with a good layer cake or fat quarter bundle. That way I get all of the fabrics that I love from each collection, and can still make pretty large (or small) projects out of them by supplementing that fabric with sashing and borders.

2. Vintage sheets and thrift stores for the win. I’m serious. I know that they are not always the highest quality of quilting cotton, but typically cotton sheets are built to be pretty durable. I recently picked up a bunch of solid color sheets from goodwill, ranging in size from twin to king, for less than $2 a piece, that are going to work out as excellent backing fabrics for some of my quilts. I suppose that a lot of quilters may frown upon this practice, but for me, quilting is a hobby. It’s something I enjoy and it’s not something that I do for monetary gain. I don’t sell my quilts. I either keep them for myself or give them as gifts. Therefore, it’s not always important that I use brand new fabric for every piece of every quilt.

3. This one may be obvious–but wait for sales! Subscribe to the email list of your favorite quilt shops. Hold out for those sales, because usually they are totally worth it. If you’re like me and order everything online for lack of a nearby quilt shop, keep an eye out especially for those free shipping coupons. If I wait until things are on sale, I at least don’t feel as guilty as I might when buying fabric at full-price, and I get more for my money.

4. And of course, save those scraps. All of them. Right now I’m even saving my selvage edges and little tiny scraps because I’m going to eventually use them as a filling for a cat bed. Every piece of fabric can be used for something, whether you think so at the time or not. There are a ton of great scrappy quilt patterns out there too. It takes a while to build up a great scrappy collection that you can appreciate, but if you don’t ever start saving them, you’re never going to be able to build up your stash.

If anyone has any other ideas as far as saving money in the quilting world goes, I’d love to hear your advice!

I don’t have any pretty pictures of projects to post today. I have made some progress, and even finished a quilt top, but I literally just got my computer working again about an hour ago, so I don’t have anything prepared for show-and-tell, and I wouldn’t want to spoil W.I.P. Wednesday!

I’ve been pretty lackluster as far as motivation to get into my sewing room has gone lately. I have way too many projects going on. I have 2 quilt tops that are bordered and waiting to be basted and quilted. I have one quilt that I’m currently quilting that I’m very frusterated with and can’t seem to get finished. I have about 5 stacks of a variety of blocks that I need to do something with, but I just can’t decide. And I have two projects still in the cutting and piecing stage. Yikes!! Too many! I just can’t help starting a new project as soon as I get inspired, but I do have a problem finishing them up. Maybe I will work some more on quilting my plus quilt today so I have something to show on Friday.

This is Millie. She hasn’t tried to paw at or attack my sewing machine yet, but she is very curious as to wear all that noise is coming from.

I will leave you with some pictures of our new kitten, a stray who just wandered into our apartment about a month ago and has loved us ever since. She loves to get in the way  help me sew!

She loves to bat around my rotary cutter, which is a habit I’m trying to break her of before she loses a paw!

 

And she loves to nap right behind my machine because of the heat that the lamp gives off. Not an excellent place for her to hang out if I want to get anything done!

Clearly starved for attention. God forbid I try to get any cutting done while she’s awake.

My first W.I.P. Wednesday!

I’ve always loved reading about everyone’s W.I.P.s on Wednesdays, so I’m super excited to finally join in!

I feel like I’m always undertaking too many projects at the same time, but I’ve also found that when I head into my craft room, I like to have options. I don’t like to be tied down to a single project, or even multiple projects that are all in the same phase.

Currently stuck under the needle of my sewing machine is a plus quilt I made using this lovely tutorial from Jen at In Color Order. It’s in the quilting phase, and as I’m trying my hand at free-motion quilting for only the second time, it can get frustrating so it’s been slow-going on this one.

This week I finished a quilt top for my sister using the Sassy line of fabrics for Moda. I used the instructions from an old quilt-along from last year which is found here. The blocks were simple but still fun to make on this one, and I absolutely love the fabric, and I got the two borders added this week. So I guess now it’s time to decide on backing fabric.

I’ve also been working on some blocks following the You Zig I’ll Zag tutorial from Moda Bake Shop using Circa 1934 by Cosmo Cricket for Moda.

These blocks are super easy and fun to make and are coming together rather quickly.

No progress on the following projects:
Stack of pinwheel blocks sitting in a forgotten pile that really need to be pieced together.
Granny square blocks

That’s all my progress this week. Now I’m motivated to get out of my post-dinner food coma and get back to work!

Instant Gratification

Hi. I’m Erika.

I guess I should begin by welcoming you to my brand-spanking-new-most-fabulous(maybe?)-quilting-blog. I love to write and I love to quilt, so this blog was an obvious step for me. I also think that, as someone relatively new to quilting, it will be useful for me to journal my progress and hopefully share what I’ve learned with others who may be interested in sewing or quilting.

I received my beautiful baby sewing machine as a graduation present from my wonderful boyfriend! I barely knew how to sew when I received it, and am pretty entirely self taught with the help of a few books and many more wonderful blogs out there. I’m hoping to share my successes and failures with the e-world, here, as I continue to learn to quilt.

Why Quilting?

I’m not sure what exactly gave me the itch to quilt. I don’t have any friends or family members that quilt (that I know of). I’ve always admired and enjoyed well-put together, beautiful quilts. I’m also obsessed with color and playing around with contrasting/complimentary patterns. Quilting, however, still isn’t an obvious choice of a hobby for me. Even though I am crafty and like to make cards, scrapbook, knit and crochet, I have always been an instant-gratification type of person. I have very little patience. Evidence: This morning I had microwaveable chicken fingers for breakfast even though my fridge and cupboards are stocked with eggs, bacon, bread, and pancake mix, because I literally could not wait the amount of time it takes to scramble an egg to eat breakfast. (Oh, the shame.) I do not take delight in having to wait for anything. Ever. I’m sure everyone who knows me can attest to this.

Anyone who quilts or is close to anyone who quilts knows that it is not a quick-and-dirty type of hobby. Hours upon hours of work go into a quilt and there are many stages. For me, I think the number of stages that go into quilting help me keep motivated to finish and move on. I know that the cutting phase can be tedious, but I also know that as soon as I’m done I’ll be able to start piecing, which is way more exciting. Piecing my backing together is always pretty boring, but I know that it’s an easy step that I just have to get past. Basting is exhausting and involves a lot of frustration for me (no matter whether I choose to stitch, pin, or spray baste), but I’m so excited to get that quilt sandwich under my machine and start designing my quilting that I push through. Etc. Etc.

Another reason why I should never have taken an interest in quilting: I am a procrastinator of the highest degree. I will put off doing unpleasant tasks until I literally have a panic attack and cannot put them off anymore. On my last pair of clean underwear? Ok, now I’ll do the laundry. Out of cups (and mugs and anything else that will hold liquid)? Okay, now I’ll wash the dishes. During my undergrad years, I think I started less than 5 papers (and as an English major, I had to write a whole lot of papers) earlier than the night before they were due. I literally wrote multiple 10 to 15 page papers the night before they were due. There are aspects of quilting that are unpleasant to me. I am terrible at cutting straight lines, despite the aid of my mat, rotary cutter, and rulers. Why don’t I procrastinate? Because I can’t if I ever want to get to the fun bits like piecing.

I think what I’m trying to convey is that you don’t have to be an overly patient person who pays meticulous attention to details in order to enjoy quilting or in order to quilt well. I think my whimsical and light-hearted attitude toward quilting has made it one of the most enjoyable hobbies I’ve ever had.

Stay tuned for my next post and some amusing anecdotes about things I’ve learned the hard way.