Friday, January 31, 2014

Work, work, work = fun, fun, fun

   Lots of different things going on. I labeled and bagged all my UFOs and put them standing up in a bin under the counter. I sewed all the blocks for the You've Got Mail quilts. One layer cake made 2 quilts, 4 blocks by 5. I tried to use all the cool color ones in one, and the mostly warm in the other. It was grey today, so I don't know how well I did. I used blue painters tape and labeled all the rows so I could stack them for sewing. One fit on the design wall, and I had to lay the other on the floor.
The warmer blocks

Cooler blocks
      All finished quilting Emma's Star! Ready to put in a tote bag and wait for someone who needs it. I have another one (Emma's Star) all cut out waiting to piece. I used patterns from Free Motion Quilting. Thank you, Leah Day. I would never be able to be the quilter I am today without your tutorials and blog! The designs I used were Bubble Wand, Flowing Lines, and Basic Chevron. I bought her book and use it to plan out what I am going to use on a quilt. Then I go to her site and watch the video to practice it out. I started using Isacord because of her, but now I also use Glide because it is USA made and works so well.
     I also want to thank Lori from The Inbox Jaunt for excellent FMQ tutorials that I have used at times.  And for sheer production of comfort quilts, Sarah is the queen to me at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.
Emma's Star
     I finally found fabric for my daughter's tote. It is probably not the first color choice she would take, but I think the design is and I think the color goes with her hair and being a chemistry college professor at Allegheny College (read proud mom).  The tote is going to be a challenge for me. It has a zipper (gasp) and I have to change up the pattern (yikes).
Local Quilt Store fabric comes through
     Last, I would like to show I finished the Christmas cactus watercolor. I always enjoy Wanda's photos of her cactus and I told her I would post a photo of this when done. I owe her gratitude for her knowledge and kindness to me.


8 comments:

Unknown said...

I love the look of 'Emma's Star'. Nice touch to have the little stars in the sashing.

Linda Swanekamp said...

I love this pattern. It is from Pleasant Valley Creations. I have another one to sew.

Gemini Jen NZ said...

I love your Emma's Star - very colourful! And the floral fabric for the tote bag is really gorgeous!

Peg said...

Love Emma's Star too. Also love your Christmas Cactus watercolor - please post more of your paintings here. Maybe you could give us a mini show on this blog?

Don't be afraid of zippers! Just a little bit of fabric with teeth.

Linda Swanekamp said...

Let's hope I can do the fabric justice. I have to take a deep breath and cut it out.

Linda Swanekamp said...

I find it a little challenging to piece Emma's star because it is set on a diagonal, but it is worth it. With the zipper, it has to have a bunch of pieces sewn to it before it gets sewn into the top of the bag; it becomes a loop that has to meet the bag perfectly. That is tough.

nankc said...

I dearly love your watercolor! I would love to get back into doing that after many years. Some of the more "garrish" watercolors some paint I don't care for, but yours I love! I'd love to see more of yours!

Linda Swanekamp said...

Thank you for your kind comment. I started painting again last year. My paintings are on my Flickr page. I have more to add. I take classes with the most wonderful teacher, Jody Ziehm, http://www.jodyziehm.com. She has helped me go in the right direction for the way I want to paint.