Guest blogger today at Confessions of a Fabric Addict!

      It is a great honor to be a guest blogger at Confessions of a Fabric addict on how to make the Maybe Quilt. Go check it out and tell me what you think!

The Maybe Quilt

Modern 16 patch done!

     Because of Sarah's post during her Sweet Sixteen series, I pieced this quilt and used recycled denim jeans for some of the blocks. I want to sew more with denim. The denim was used in places where it did not create a lot of heavy seams. The large empty space let me practice my rather sparse longarm skills. This was a very fun quilt to make. The only purchased fabric was the Kona White. The backing pieces were donated to me and I thought they went together well here.

Back

I'm Sarah's guest today!

 

Double tulip from my garden

     Sarah asked for guest bloggers for her Hands2Help challenge this year and I volunteered again. Writing directions is not one of my strong points, so I needed help and editing. I think that the Disappearing 9 Patch that self sashes is a quick and beautiful quilt to make. I am honored to be a guest blogger and pray someone will benefit and make some gorgeous quilts!
http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com/2015/05/hands2help-introducing-our-next-guest.html

My garden for a few short days before the heat

Sweating off the finish

    I have resumed taking the finish off the treadle cabinet I bought last October. I do this outside, so it had to stop for the winter and cold spring. Why I picked one of the hottest days in Buffalo with no breeze, I don't know. I just want it done and the 237 encased inside so I can zig zag treadle. I bought more Formby's Furniture finish remover and more green 3M scratchy pads. I wore through another pair of heavy duty gloves on the right hand. I used over half the Formby's and almost all the scratchies. Previously, I had removed most of the finish from the drawers and side pieces. I had left the top for last. I thought this would be easier since it is flat. Well, the good news is that the wood on the top is in pretty nice shape. The bad news is someone had put another coat or two of finish on real thick and left a lot of brush bristles. It took lots of liquid and elbow grease to get to the wood. What looked beat up turned out to be mostly the finish. I still have to go over everything another time to get all the leftover patches off. So, I did not get it done. Once the finish is off, I will use Minwax Antique Oil finish on the cabinet instead of Poly. The wipe on Poly has tempted me. Today is hot again and humid so I do not think I will attempt the final removal. Things were pretty sticky yesterday. I thought it was ironic that I was stripping the oak cabinet under my oak tree. You had to be there.

     On the subject of treadles, I bought a necklace from Nancy Cornwell, who sells on Etsy, landedesignco.etsy.com, with a custom treadle photo. She is making necklaces to earn money to finalize their adoption of a Chinese deaf boy. They already have a deaf daughter. Nancy is the daughter of Sarah Craig, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, who has an awesome quilt ministry. Nancy's story is on there; she has lots of designs, and made a custom one for me, as I had to have some finished treadle. She was great to deal with and it shipped so fast! If you need a gift, Nancy would be grateful for your business. Here is mine:

Hands2Help quilts in the mail to Happy Chemo!

     On the blog, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Sarah has posted about Hands 2 Help Challenge and donating some quilts. I made two and they went to USPS today on their way to Emily and then to Happy Chemo. I have had the logo in the border for awhile and it is finishing this week. Thanks again to Sarah for asking me to be a guest blogger. Here are the two quilts, newly washed and in the sun.

Children's prints, Double Nine Patch, flannel back

Exploding Squares as per tutorial,
notice the plants not potted yet so I can get the quilts done and out.

I'm a guest blogger today!

    Whether you visit at times or are a new visitor, thank you. Today I am a guest blogger at Confessions of a fabric addict giving a tutorial on the Exploding Squares quilt. Thank you, Sarah! This is in promotion for the Hands 2 Help drive for quilts for some designated charities. I really think you can easily make one of these quilt with what you have around and quickly to give away.  Since I wrote this tutorial, Missouri Star Quilt company has posted a video starting with precuts. I use scraps and fabric people give to me and fabric finds at sales.
  My newest exploding square, which starts with 6" blocks, doesn't have the borders on yet, but here is an idea. I will wait and see if that leaf fabric is what I want. I have two that start with 4" blocks going, but not enough to photo yet.
 

Will be lap size when borders are one

     I cut up the scraps given generously to me according to the system Bonnie Hunter uses. I don't cut anything smaller than 2". I cut 6.5", 5", 4", 3.5", 2.5", and 2" squares. I cut 2.5 x 3.5" rectangles. I save random strips also. I put these in plastic bins by size and dark or lights.

Some fabric just received from a friend I already cut up and sorted

I also received this Charley Harper print as a gift, but will not cut this up.
I love Charley Harper. I wish I had all his birds!

    My next post will be my new sewing table all put together in the studio. It is done and being used. Now go make something! 
    Thanks for visiting.

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.

2014 Goals

    Every year, my husband and I sit down and go over the goals we set the year before. He keeps them in a folder by year. We also list the top 25 things of the year for each of us. We look over our datebooks to refresh our memories. We read them to each other. To do this, we go someplace else rather than home so we don't get interrupted/distracted. Spot Coffee is one of our favorites. Yesterday, the sun was shining on us as we worked through them. We then write goals for the new year in categories. Here, I want to list my goals for quilting/sewing/machines. I was inspired to do that by Sarah from Confessions from a Fabric Addict. I am one of those people who have a lot of projects going at once. I think it is from a career in graphic design and teaching art to many grades each day in public school. I log every quilt into a sheet I made and printed out. I have separate sheets for my comfort quilts. I keep all my sheets, a list of comfort quilts given, quilt patterns, and ideas in a very large binder. If this sheet is any use to you, it is a Word document that I can send you. You can tweak it for your own use. It could be better, I am open to input.

Red dots and cross marks mean the quilt is done.
I write comments in pencil so I can change them.

 I have another sheet, hand done, that lists all open work in three categories: Comfort, regular, and art. 

      I list the progress so I can see where I am. For example, I saw I had a lot of quilts that just needed binding, so I worked on those. 

I remade this today for a clean copy

     I also have a wish list, ever expanding of quilts I want to make.

Twenty one  goals for 2014:
1.   Make more comfort quilts. I would like at least one complete with bag per
      month. Ideally, I would like to have others join me somehow.
2.   Make a paper pieced quilt. I love New York Beauty, but anything like that.
3.   Get a lot better at Free Motion Quilting.
4.   Blog- regularly with information to help others along. Gain more readers.
5.   Attend quilt retreats- one scheduled for the end of February.
6.   Take at least 4 classes.
7.   Go to Houston for the International Quilt Festival in October.
8.   Quilting by the Lake in July, class with Victoria Findlay Wolfe. Find a roomate.
9.   Teach people some quilt related skills, techniques.
10. Cut out, sew, quilt my daughter's choice of wedding quilt. Fabric is bought.
11. Equipment changes: one new large sewing table for machines, better lighting   (ceiling), better way to photo quilts, more fabric organization (did some scrap organization recently- photos to come), treadle cabinet refinish and machine installed, new large cutting mat.
12. More fabric- scraps, batiks, strips
13. Serve my guild.
14. Learn at least 3 new techniques.
15. Sew purses/tote bags. I did a few, but want to expand.
16. Do denim art quilts. One started on design wall.
17. Make more scrap quilts.
18. Do a challenge.
19. Treadle more.
20. Do more art quilts- incorporate fibers, landscapes.
21. Keep my machines maintained and help others with vintage ones.

      What about you? Write 'em down!