Carpenter Star- yes I love!

Oh my, when I first saw the carpenter star I was in love.  And now that I have pieced together one, I AM SO IN LOVE (Don't worry Steve, I still love you!)


Love the simplicity yet character of the pattern.  You could make many small ones and piece them together, or just make one giant one!  So  I drew up a chart of piecing it together on graph paper (figured this was the safest route for my sanity after trying to just do something out of my head it drove me nuts!).I knew the general colors I wanted so I colored it in to help with laying it out.

 I will admit that I ended up going with blue where the yellow is on the chart and yellow where the blue is on the chart, which really gave my brain some exercise  :)


Figured out how many HST I would need (16 in each color combo) and 16 solid and went to work cutting yesterday.  And of course I used the new awesome method at making HST!

Today I laid the pattern out on the bed and then started piecing it together section by section.

I was very concerned that the blue would make it look psychadelic, but it def does not. I love it.  Now to finish it off with some awesome trim and quilt it out.  Can't wait to see the final product on this one.

linking up to work in progress wednesday

you can also follow me Lisa at Bound with Stitches by Lisa on the Facebook  :)  ( I am anxiously waiting for Kate to make her page possibly  :)  )

it has been a while

I haven't forgotten to post.  But rather have been a little busy and my time to sew has been limited.   :(  But in the last week, I have been quite busy with the sewing machine working away!!

  I started this HST last weekend, and as of tonight I have the complete top sewed together!  So excited to have this one completed this far in such a short amount of time.  I am loving the mix of yellows and blues. And yes, there are sailboats, and fish all over the blues.  Now to come up with the design for the back.  

 Below the square in which it all extends from.  Again, like my last HST, this square is located in the upper left region, offset from the center, for additional character.

I also have been working on the string quilt gradually.  Sewing all the have sides of the squares of one color and eventually adding the other color has been a tedious process.  I have gotten a little impatient and had to sew some of the pieces together (using my template for guidance) and needless to say, I AM LOVING IT!  All the cutting, and sewing with no idea what it may look like is coming out beautifully!    This helps re-engerize me to finish up sewing the purples with other colors and cut the red and sew it all up.  Hopefully I can find some time this week to finish this.

 all of the pieces I have sewed to another square.  Just pieces of the soon to be finished top.

I love orange and I just think the black helps define the orange and each color! I love scrappy and this is all scrappy.  Definitely one of the coolest designs I have done!.  Thanks Kate for the idea.

It is a work in progress, but hey, aren't we all?  It is only Wednesday,and can't wait to see how it looks come Friday  :)  (linking up to WIP Wednesday)

it has been a busy time

I know have been super busy as the weather is improving, and home improvement season has begun.  But I have made just a little progress (and I mean little) towards my string quilt.

I drew up my layout (which can be seen in the last post) and found I will need 80 center black strips.  So all those have been cut.  Then I just picked a color and started sewing together strips of blue together and attaching to the center black piece.  As I have mentioned, I have made slow progress, but it is a start.  So far I am liking my method, it is similiar to the paper piece, but no paper will be used. (I don't have the patience to cut out 80 squares of paper)

I hope to have a lot more done by Sunday evening, but will have to see.  More painting walls and trim awaits me along with various going away parties for friends.

Happy Wednesday all!

~Lisa

linking up to Work in Progress Wednesday  :)

Finishing HST and start of the string

I have been busy trying to finish up my blue and green HST quilt I started the other weekend.

Unfortunately my original idea for the back of the quilt fell through. I tried over and over again to get things to line up correctly, but just could not think well enough to make it work.  So, I started over and came up with this!

I must say, I really like it.

I worked on quilting it, and my original thought was simple straight lines every 2 inches or so.  Did one direction like that, then decided to mix it up.  Final result was:

Conclusion while sewing this quilt, keep it simple.  Don't think too abstractly when sewing pieces together, it just requires too much brain power.  Also, with quilting, you can pretty much do anything it may turn out cool.  Even with artistic areas of flair  :)

It is also May 1, so that means that Kate and I have decided to start our next quilt project together.  We have decided to complete a string quilt.  I have found my inspiration at favequilts and also through the book Kate got me for Christmas.

So I have drawn out the pattern for my string quilt.  Now time to get cutting.

Happy Wednesday!
-Lisa

Busy Busy week, more quilts!

Been busy this week starting projects, and about mid way thru a couple of them.

I decided I loved the offset pattern of a square with just 2 colors.  Me loving scrappy, included a variety of fabrics in same color.  This has been a super quick sew thus far.   The back portion seems to be taking me the longest. Next time I try to piece something together, I am going to try to be methodical about it and not just randomly piece together.  It just requires too much thinking.

 And yes, the pups love checking out the new items that are being modeled.

I have also started a rag quilt for per request from a friend of mine.  Hence the fabric selection.

 Yes, you see it correctly, hello kitty!

A few pieces sewed together at initial stage of sewing into final piece.  I think it will come out really cute in the end.

I am hoping these pieces to be finished this week (doubting for Friday as I do have to work all day tomorrow and haven't figured out how to sew and work all day).  But this weekend is looking promising :)

Linking up to Lee at Freshly Pieced  :)  Have a great rest of your week!

Lisa

The naps are gone!

My 4-year old twins have recently stopped napping. I know, it's a sad day. Nap time has morphed into quiet time. (Just typing "quiet time" in relation to my boys makes me laugh. I'm pretty sure they think "quiet" just means turning down the chaos a bit. Ah, boys! Gotta love them, right?) Anyways, attempting housework with the dynamic duo around usually involves them "helping", which I never discourage, but it also means very little gets done. They have much less interest in mom's sewing however, so their rest time has become my new quilting time. So the end of naps isn't a total loss.
Today I used my "quiet" time to piece together my Christmas scrappy trip.

I was originally thinking I'd quilt them all as I went along, but I think I'm going to let this one marinate a bit while I decide on a backing. Plus, that way I can dive into the next project Lisa & I have planned, which is tentatively set to be a string quilt. I've wanted to make one for a while & with Lisa as my sewing buddy, I know I'll actually finish it. (Nothing like deadlines to keep you motivated, right Lisa?) I haven't decided whether I'm going to make a Christmas string quilt (& thus knock out another one of the 7 I need by December!), or make yet another one to keep around our house.
Ah, decisions, decisions! I think the planning & design part is my favorite part of quilting-- I haven't committed to anything yet, & the possibilities are endless!
I'm going to go munch on one of these that the kids I made this morning & contemplate the possibilities.
Linking up to WIP WEdnesday over at Freshly Pieced.
Kate

How many is to many?

I have a rule for myself that I can have at most 3 quilts in progress at any one time. For me, "in progress" means actually being worked on RIGHT NOW. So the lurking half-square triangle behemoth hiding in my front closet awaiting the day when I decide to finish the hand quilting, & the black & white strip quilt top that I don't know how to finish don't count. Neither do the projects that are as yet only sketches or piles of fabric. (Really, it's stupid I haven't finished that half-square triangle monster. I'm so close to done. I'm annoyed with myself just thinking about it, but I'm also not getting it out to work on any time soon. I feel like you have to be "in the mood" to hand quilt, & I'm not. But that's a whole different post!)
Anyways-- my magic number is three. I feel like that gives me enough variety so I don't get bored, but not so much variety that I'm overwhelmed. My current three WIP's are:
1- My ongoing Christmas quilts. (I'm making one for each of my aunts this year, so I need 6 total.) The first is a scrappy trip, & I have half the blocks pieced.
2- I'm doing this quilt along.
I love the pattern, but couldn't afford the pearl bracelets that Lee is using, so I'm using a mix of solid fat quarters I had.

I also switched the background to black (Kona pepper, technically.) My intent was to have my lightest values be the spokes & the darker shades take the place of the lighter triangles Lee used, since on a dark background the light shades will jump out the most. In a total dolt moment however, I followed her cutting direction so exactly that my dark shades are the spokes & the lights are the backgrounds, just like on Lee's original white blocks. (I hope that all made sense!) By the time I realized my mistake, it was too late to correct it, so I'm rolling with it & hoping it will still look ok. We'll call it a "design choice" & hope for the best!
3- Until today, the rag quilt project Lisa & I were working on was my #3, but I finished it while my littles were napping! Snipping & all! (& boy, was that snipping the seam allowances brutal! I don't think I'll be making another rag quilt any time soon, especially since I know Lisa will whip them up for me. Right, Lisa?) I don't have any pictures, since it's currently buried under children & is in need of a wash, but I'll post some later this week.
My new #3 is going to be a bed quilt for my folks. My mom has been asking & I think it's time!

I'm posting for Lisa today too, since one of us actually has to leave her house to work. (& since I'm still in pajamas, it's a safe bet that it's not me!)
Lisa is a mom to 3 giant doggy fur-babies- Dexter, Dakota & Draco. (You've probably seen Dex lurking in some of her photos.) They're all rescues & Lisa loves a good cause, so she is donating one of her rag quilts to her local SPCA auction. She's got some super-cute puppy fabrics in there, & I can personally vouch for cuddliness of her quilts! Hopefully she gest it done in time & it brings in good money for a good cause!


Linking up to WIP Wednesday!

WIPs & some quilting therapy

Never would have I imagined that I would be  using quilting as my creative outlet. It has become my therapy to self reflect, relax and just get back to the basics.  I used to always use a good work out, a great book, or just an awesome nap.  But now I find myself after a stressful day of work, looking forward to coming home and just sewing.  My choice of therapy this week, my crazy quilt.

It is still a work in progress, but the therapy is has provided over the last several days has been priceless.

I hope to have the top part of the this crazy quilt finished this week, and will be working on the back this weekend.   But, of course, I have about 5 other projects also lined up for the weekend.  Good thing I have a few days off work coming up.
Lisa

It's Kate here, I'm jumping in at the end of Lisa's post to add on my current WIP! I finished piecing my Star Wars giant X and + quilt top this week & spent yesterday basting while one of my boys cheered me on ("Go, Mama, go! You can do it!") from the couch. I'd like to think he was excited about quilting, but more than likely he was cheering for Star Wars. Whatever-- I'll take a cheering section any day! Made basting (my least favorite part) go much faster.


Also, per Lisa's request, here is my little stack of flannel waiting to be cut into squares for our rag quilt. I'm not going super scrappy, so it will have a little different look than Lisa's.

Happy humpday & happy sewing!
Kate


Linking up to WIP Wednesday!

Patchwork Insecurity

The silent auction for my twins' school is coming up in a couple weeks, & I had originally told the organizers that I'd give them a baby quilt in addition to the handprint quilt. I wasn't really feeling the project though & didn't make much progress on it until this week, when I whipped up this top.


The patchwork finished at only 30 inches. I've since added a 2" white border & plan to bind it in red, since I feel like it needs something to hold it all together. I'm feeling ambivalent about this little guy, & totally insecure about putting it in an auction. Most of what's in the auction so far is services, (a night out at local restaurants, a beer tasting, salon services, a family photography session), & I feel like my little quit might not draw any bidders & I would be super embarrassed if this sucker went through the auction without a single bid. Or sold for $20.
I know the point is to raise money for the school & I shouldn't worry about my quilting skills, but I can't help it- that's just the kind of nut I am. My plan is to finish the quilt & then see how I feel about it. I guess the worst that happens is I bring home a baby quilt & my pride takes a knock.
So that's where I am this Wednesday-- feeling insecure & linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.
Kate
p.s. Lisa is feeling much less ambivalent about our pending rag quilt project! Check it out here.

It's (Almost) a WIP!

I wrapped up 3 (count them--THREE!) quilts this week, & I am super excited to start something new. I've had a pile of Star Wars fabric staring at me for about a year now. I leave it out in my sewing space (aka our kitchen) intentionally so I am confronted with it every day in hopes I'll finally figure out what to do with it. Novelty fabric are tough, especially large scale prints & character fabrics, because really-- who wants to slice up Darth Vader? I'm pretty sure that would cause some horrible disturbance in the force or something & I just don't want to be responsible for that!

So the stack of Star Wars prints has sat & languished. My kids pull it down pretty regularly & pet it, & pick out all their favs, & generally make me feel guilty for not making their quilt.
Fast forward to a few months ago when I saw this block keep popping up on Flickr.

Honestly, I didn't really dig it at first. Then, I saw this giant + and x version & I was intrigued, but not totally persuaded.
Last night around 3am however, while up with a fussy baby, I decided the giant version was the perfect vehicle for the crazy star wars prints & this morning I'm off & running! (Or I will be as soon as my kids go down for a nap!)
Linking up to WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced!
Kate
p.s. thanks to Rossie for doing all the math or a 24 inch block!! I really hate math :)