Ten years ago today, the decision to step on a plane to Germany completely changed the rest of my life... in every way that could be imagined. It was on my granmother's 80th birthday that I was flying halfway across the globe to be with the man who had captured my heart.
Almost a year later, I started blogging about my life in Germany, and the feelings and emotions about living in a country that was not my own. Talk about not being in Kansas anymore?!? Those first years were very much processing what it means to experience daily life in another language, another way of doing things, and another culture... all different from mine.
At the time, there is no way that I could have possibly understood the depth of what I was about to do. And I really don't know if I will ever be able to comprehend the full depth of it. There is so much to process on so many different levels, although I am grateful that the struggles are not what they once were.
The processing has been daily, it's been gradual, even seasonal, and it's given me a deeper understanding of who I once was. There are things that I've only realized about myself since I've made that leap.
In our afternoon tea time with my husband today, he posed the hypothetical question "if you knew what you know now, would you have done it again"? Perhaps some things are actually better if you leap before you think about the landing. Would it have helped to know ahead of time what challenges I would go through, and am still going through? I doubt it. Would I have done it all over again for the same man? No questions about it.
... supposedly the number 10 represents perfection or completion, which I dare say, does not apply in this case, but it sure does help to give guidance to know where to go from here.
Pattern: My Jeweled Kaleidoscope quilt pattern, mini block made into a pin cushion
Fabrics: Cotton & Steel, Carolyn Friedlander, and various low volumen Art Gallery fabrics.
Thread: Auriful
My earliest memories of sewing was with my mom. As a trained home economics teacher, her desire to teach was there, but she had a "student" who was not only willing to learn, but quite eager. At the time I did not value her contstant urgings to do things the proper way, and iron each seam... for me that took too long. But the deeper I got in the craft, the more I came to appreciate her good advice.
Walking hand in hand with those memories of learning to sew, are the memories of me digging through her notions boxes. I had favorite buttons, and bobbins, thread, and what-nots... and there was nothing more delightful than to dig and dig, making one new discovery after the next.
I thought it would be fun to use the 6" mini version of my Jeweled Kaleidoscope quilt pattern
as a single block for a pin cushion... well, actually the idea came
from one of my pattern testers. I've been itching to cut into these
notion themed fabrics from Cotton & Steel, and I pulled some of my favorite low volume sewing fabrics to go with it.
There
are some projects, usually small ones, that I really enjoy the process
of carefully thought out fabric placement. Fussy cutting is not always
for the thrifty quilter, but I love the challenge of a perfectly placed
snippit.
Cotton & Steel always had such fun selvages, and the Trinket fabrics from Melody Miller, are no exception!
Do such sewing themed fabrics like these evoke any memories of crafting and sewing as a child too?
Linking up with Let's Bee Social.
Don't miss out... I'm celebrating the release of my Jeweled Kaleidoscope quilt pattern with a GIVEAWAY on Instagram! (link here) Be sure to hop on over to win these fabrics and my newly released pattern:
- 8 - 1/4 yards/meters of #modernbackgroundfabrics sponsored by
Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic
- a downloadable PDF copy of my Jeweled
Kaleidoscope quilt pattern
- and
40 pre-cut favorite fabric triangles in jewel colors as seen in my quilt.
NOTE: Unfortunately blog comments do not qualify for the giveaway. For details how to win, see my post on Instagram! (this
giveaway is open internationally)
Finishing my Farm Girl Vintage quilt means that I get to check the last thing of my quarterly goals list for the 2016 Finish-A-Long. When I first started this, the blocks actually came together pretty quickly, but waiting for sashing fabric meant getting pushed to the backburner... then there was, of course, the issue of how to quilt it?
I really had to think long and hard about how I wanted to quilt this since this was my first border quilt, and I only quilt with my walking foot. I had originally thought about an all over pattern, but decided that it was not the best solution for this quilt. I eventually ended up quilting in the ditch around each motif, then addressed each block individually. (yup... that was a whole lot of turning under the machine!) Since each block is quilted differently, I thought it would be fun to also share them individually.
Fresh Pears Block: (My first block and still one of my favorites in this quilt)
Scrappy Strawberry Block:
Welcome Block: (I loved the way this block looked after I had made the first one that I ended up making two for this quilt! This goes into the blocks-to-repeat category for me!)
Patchwork Pumpkin Block:
Crops Block: (This is another favorite block... not necessarily to sew, but the end result)
Baking Day Block:
Kettle's On! Block:
Farmhouse Block: (When I first saw this block, I knew Cori Dantini's "The Makers" needed to be in the windows happily working away)
Spring Star Block:
Pie Cherries Block:
Welcome Block:
Canning Season Block:
Quilt pattern: Various blocks from "Farm Girl Vintage" book by Lori Holt
Started: August 2015
Fabrics: Alison Glass, Cotton & Steel, Basic Grey Grunge yellow border, and selected scraps from stash. Low volume background fabrics.
Finished quilt top size: ca. 51 x 62 in. (130 x 158 cm)
Linking up to Let's Bee Social and Sew Cute Tuesday.
A friend of mine, who was a smoker, once told me that when she had to wait a long time for her food when she went to a restaurant, all she had to do was light up a cigarette and then her meal would show up! Well, now I've been wondering if the same theory applies to other things too... even quilting?!? Last week, I poured out my frustrations about having to wait an insanely long time for my batting... and then after I had posted about it, it came! (no worries, it's not a planned topic to make my sewing supplies come faster... although if I thought it would help, it really would be tempting!) So, with batting now on hand, I'm hitting my to-do list hard!
Since I don't usually make things with myself in mind, I decided it was high time to add a few touches around the house. After making my first Facing East block, and then later repeating the color combination for my "Buttoned Up" pillow, I realized how much the color combo appealed to me, and knew I wanted to repeat it. For the quilting, since the design has so many curved elements, it seemed natural to me that the wavy lines would be a nice compliment. (a first for me and a step away from straight line quilting!)
When I first saw this "Wordfind" fabric from Melody's Miller's playful collection, I have to admit that I was not that impressed... that is until I saw it in person! If you would try to nail me down to just one shade of pink, (and that's a hard one for me) this would be it!... it's just so darn juicy!
I love adding an extra little detail somewhere in a project to look for like a Where's Waldo element, and a few snippits in the binding gives it just the touch!
So this first finish of 2016 has landed on our front entryway table, and I'm so pleased to have something that I've made greet guests as soon as they come in!
Pattern: Modern Beauty Block from Pilo o' Fabrics
Fabrics: Various Anna Maria Horner, Cotton & Steel scraps, Carolyn Friedlander background, Melody Miller Wordplay backing & binding
Thread: Aurifil 50 wt white
Linking up this week to WIP Wednesday and Let's Bee Social
When Kitty first e-mailed me to ask if I would like to participate in a mini mini quilt swap, I sat there for a bit having an inward discussion with myself: Would it be fun to join a swap? Do I have the time? Will I commit to this and end up having another WIP just lying around waiting to be finished? Can I really sew something that mini mini? After much debate, I decided to just do it!
I knew that in order to be able to sew something so teeny, tiny, I would have to paper piece. I have noticed that the smaller my fabric bits get, the more crooked my seams become. Once I started sewing on my paper pieced Facing East quilt, I've never looked back and have become a total fan!
I thought that it might be fun to get more people in on the mini mini quilt craze and share my free "Mini Mini Sunburst Pattern" to tempt others to hop on board. WARNING: Use with caution. Making mini mini quilts is extremely addictive. Even just one mini mini project could lead to additional and frequent use. Mind wondering may occur and finishing current WIP's may become increasingly difficult.
Picking colors was not hard for me since Kitty and I share the same passion for color and all things Alison Glass. But when I was working on additional mini's I decided that I really wanted to push my limits and work with colors that are not in my usual palette of colors. I've been sitting on a fat quarter pack of Cotton & Steel fabrics from Sarah Watts for a long time. The designs are fantastic, and I really like the colors, but I have a tendency to mix softer shades with fairly bold colors because I prefer a stronger contrast.
It was a challenge to think muted, soft, and delicate... basically the complete opposite of every one of my other projects! I am always amazed at how designer's like Carolyn Friedlander can take the most quiet and understated fabrics and turn them into WOW - it really is an art all of it's own.
What pushes you or is challenging when it comes to working with colors? Do you have your "standard color palette" and stick to it, or do you force yourself to step outside that comfort zone?
Linking up this week to WIP Wednesday and Let's Bee Social.
When it comes to my quilting projects, I feel that I am somewhat of a realist. It's never been my goal, or intention, to whip out one quilt after the next as fast as one can blink... in fact I've actually intended my long term projects to be just that, and something that I work on throughout the year. I want to enjoy the process, and be satisfied that a quilt is not something that is just thrown together over a weekend. (well not at least for normal people anyway) I want the freedom to set something to the side if I am not feeling motivated or inspired, and pick it back up when if feels right. While finishing is so vital, setting time constraints for when is not. I've enjoyed moving at a snail's pace despite the fact that I know that such a pace does not exactly grow blog readership, but my projects are growing little by little, bit by bit... and believe it or not, I'm OK with that. As for the progress on my Facing East quilt... talk about a not-done-overnight quilt, yup, you're looking at the epitome of it!
Last week I shared my Scrappy Windmill quilt top finish, and after peeling all those papers out of the seams, I was more than ready to set it aside. Since it came together so quickly, I gave myself the liberty to do so, not to mention that I am waiting on the batting to finish it. My husband graciously took our two little guys for the weekend, and I was able to have some time to myself. Usually my sewing room is an explosion after being granted such freedom, but I had several things to ponder in my heart... thoughts of change, unanswered questions, and what if's. Things are shifting and moving, and the quiet and stillness was just what I needed. But nonetheless, after working so intensely on the quilt top, I just wasn't ready to pull out one of my tedious, long-term quilts.
You may remember me adding a few,... er, well, ahumm, several... ok, ok, a huge stack of fabrics that I hauled back recently from vacation. And while in the land of fabrics, I found that I simply could not resist the Farm Girl Vintage book from Lori Holt either. While these blocks are a little off the beaten path from my usual style, I found myself gravitating back to it.
You might notice several of those fabrics all sliced, diced, and sewn up together in these blocks. Working with low volumes with a little touch of color has been on my to do list, and up until now, my low volume's have essentially been black in the black/white category.
Somehow I'm still stuck on going for a fresh and juicy look... I really want to have colors that just pop! When I first saw the Word find fabric from Melody Miller's Playful collection, I have to admit that I wasn't too impressed... until I saw it live! Talk about a story change... for me THIS is the absolute perfect shade of pink!
... and my little house block ends up boasting not just one, but several favorites of mine... Alison Glass, Heather Ross, Cori Dantini, and I am just as smitten with the Eric & Julie Comstock Baby Jane in yellow.
What's your approach on long-term quilting? Do you take on year-long (or longer) projects or do you prefer quilts that don't need as much time to finish?
Linking up this week to WIP Wednesday and Let's Bee Social.
My original plan when I started making sewing models for our Kreativ Hamburg stand this fall was to make a mock skirt that I could later transition into something else. It made no sense to me to make something that could only be used for the show.... especially since my model has a (ah hum), slightly "trimmer" waistline than mine.
I used this great tutorial here for the arrow blocks... not to fret, no paper piecing involved. So, I thought that simple straight line quilting would show off the off-center design the best... and that's how I ended up with yet another pillow! (much more practical than a skirt that doesn't fit, right?)
After having cut my strips for the arrow tail into 45 degree angles, I thought it would be too bad to just throw away the sewn scraps... so, I decided to sew them together and make a cosmetic bag out of them, which has now become my sewing notions bag with my favorite and highly used sewing tools.
I love it when I find a way to use those wasted scraps. How about you, do you have any projects using leftover scraps or that you've transitioned from one project into another?... leave me a link!
