Yet another HUGE mishap in my quilting world this week. And while this one is fixable I am really upset about it. I am worried it means I am losing it. I'm not sure what I am losing but I am pretty sure it is really important.
So I am happily working away on my watercolour quilt and have traced and cut out all the applique bits n bobs from the adheasive and ironed it all to my fabrics. I let it cool so I wouldn't have to worry about peeling or glue seeping into the fabric too far and becoming unusable. In other words I am feeling like a pro! An Olympic grade champion of the adheasive applique world and going for gold.
I'm about to start layering all the pieces on the watercolour backgroundb to form my sceen when I discover - and I am struggling to hold back tears.
I discover I have put the glue on the wrong side of the fabric. For every single bit and every single bob I have glued it so the backside is facing up. Excuse me.
Sorry I needed a moment there.
Anyway. Yes this is fixable. I didn't glue anything to the background before I discovered my mistake. And, after a few hours of temper and tears, a search through my stash turned up the right colours and shades to make some more bits and bobs. Luckily the specialty metallic fabric is double sided so I can use the original.
I'm still pretty upset. This was a really dumb mistake and I don't know I feel kind of slapped down like I was getting to cocky or something. Which is silly but it's how I feel.
I'm going to be glad to put this one to bed.
Showing posts with label UFO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UFO. Show all posts
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
UFO Rainbow Circles Complete
Today I am going to hang Rainbow circles in DD's room. Really pleased with how it turned out. I am going to retro post my process with photos. My first completely finished quilt since 2009. I'm so happy.
I haven't decided which UFO I will tackle next. I'm excited about a few but I also have a couple which will be very easy to finish. What to do... what to do... Design excitement or finishing momentum? Both are equally rewarding.
DD just smeared diaper cream all over herself, Pink Puppy, the TV, and the coffee table so the decision will have to wait.
I haven't decided which UFO I will tackle next. I'm excited about a few but I also have a couple which will be very easy to finish. What to do... what to do... Design excitement or finishing momentum? Both are equally rewarding.
DD just smeared diaper cream all over herself, Pink Puppy, the TV, and the coffee table so the decision will have to wait.
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| Made my day. |
Monday, February 18, 2013
Week Eight: Break
This week I am taking a break from my Dear Jane until Feb. 26th. Thus I have ignored my blog and for that I apologise dear Reader. I've been a bit under the weather and we had company on Sunday so I just haven't been up to blogging. I have managed to finish piecing my UFO Rainbow Circles and it is looking fantastic.
I have been taking progress photos as I've gone along but I totally forgot to blog about this one. I really want to talk more about my progress and process than my accomplishments so I have to stop neglecting the blog. I may retro post some stuff or I may just do an extra long post on all my progress to date. I've been working on RC since I finished Flying Pirates on Jan. 29th.
I purchased the wedge tool at my first CreativeFair in Fall 2011. I have always wanted to do a giant circle quilt and this is the year of finally doing all those "I'm not ready yet" projects. The Dear Jane, the curved seams, the lone star, machine quilting, etc. I've been quilting for fifteen years. I don't know when I thought I would finally be ready for all these dream projects of mine.
The only way to "be ready" and get "good enough" is to just do it. Curved seams weren't the nightmare I thought they were going to be and the circle quilt is the same. I'm not saying I'm not having any problems because of course I am. Even an easy project produces mistakes and headaches but the circle quilt has proven to be very doable.
I purchased the fabric for this quilt at Fabricland in Spring 2012? Not quite sure that's right may have been the fall. I fell in love with this range of super saturated primaries they had so I bought the rainbow specifically for this quilt. The colours make me smile every time I work with them. They are so happy and so bright. And even though they are just plain cotton they have an almost metallic gleam to them. DH noticed it too when he was looking at the quilt last night. No metallic or other colours in these fabrics they are all strictly tone on tone but somehow they gleam at you.
I also found a great design idea for one of my unassigned jelly rolls. I`m not sure where to put it on The List or what colour to use for it. Technically it is a new project but it will not require any new fabric. The fabric was purchased about two years ago so I don`t think that makes it new and while the fabric is in my stash I`m not sure just jelly rolls are stash fabrics. My plans call for only the jelly roll to be used. I am pretty sure I won`t need borders. Well, it`s my list and my rules so I am going to say, no, its not a new project because I am not going to purchase any fabrics, patterns, or notions for it and, yes, jelly rolls are part of the stash so it is a stash busting quilt. Huzzah.
While looking for help with my RC quilt last night I stumbled upon a free pattern from a fabric company which would look fabulous with one of my Tonga Treat packs. This one would require additional fabric so I am not sure I will put it on any list. We`ll see.
The fabric companies sure have a lot of nice free patterns now. They all use traditional blocks for the most part but they run the gamut of skill levels and they do a great job of showcasing the fabrics. Much better than those ugly sort of framed panel type quilts they were favoring at first. I saw a couple last night which made me want to purchase the fabric line just to make the quilt. Which is of course the whole point of the companies providing this new design service. Bravo for them.
Well, there you go. The state of my quilt union to date. I think it`s going pretty well and I haven`t been to distracted by new fabrics and patterns. I very happy with the progress of my Dear Jane quilt and my UFO project. Still early days but the year is looking good from here.
I have been taking progress photos as I've gone along but I totally forgot to blog about this one. I really want to talk more about my progress and process than my accomplishments so I have to stop neglecting the blog. I may retro post some stuff or I may just do an extra long post on all my progress to date. I've been working on RC since I finished Flying Pirates on Jan. 29th.
I purchased the wedge tool at my first CreativeFair in Fall 2011. I have always wanted to do a giant circle quilt and this is the year of finally doing all those "I'm not ready yet" projects. The Dear Jane, the curved seams, the lone star, machine quilting, etc. I've been quilting for fifteen years. I don't know when I thought I would finally be ready for all these dream projects of mine.
The only way to "be ready" and get "good enough" is to just do it. Curved seams weren't the nightmare I thought they were going to be and the circle quilt is the same. I'm not saying I'm not having any problems because of course I am. Even an easy project produces mistakes and headaches but the circle quilt has proven to be very doable.
I purchased the fabric for this quilt at Fabricland in Spring 2012? Not quite sure that's right may have been the fall. I fell in love with this range of super saturated primaries they had so I bought the rainbow specifically for this quilt. The colours make me smile every time I work with them. They are so happy and so bright. And even though they are just plain cotton they have an almost metallic gleam to them. DH noticed it too when he was looking at the quilt last night. No metallic or other colours in these fabrics they are all strictly tone on tone but somehow they gleam at you.
I also found a great design idea for one of my unassigned jelly rolls. I`m not sure where to put it on The List or what colour to use for it. Technically it is a new project but it will not require any new fabric. The fabric was purchased about two years ago so I don`t think that makes it new and while the fabric is in my stash I`m not sure just jelly rolls are stash fabrics. My plans call for only the jelly roll to be used. I am pretty sure I won`t need borders. Well, it`s my list and my rules so I am going to say, no, its not a new project because I am not going to purchase any fabrics, patterns, or notions for it and, yes, jelly rolls are part of the stash so it is a stash busting quilt. Huzzah.
While looking for help with my RC quilt last night I stumbled upon a free pattern from a fabric company which would look fabulous with one of my Tonga Treat packs. This one would require additional fabric so I am not sure I will put it on any list. We`ll see.
The fabric companies sure have a lot of nice free patterns now. They all use traditional blocks for the most part but they run the gamut of skill levels and they do a great job of showcasing the fabrics. Much better than those ugly sort of framed panel type quilts they were favoring at first. I saw a couple last night which made me want to purchase the fabric line just to make the quilt. Which is of course the whole point of the companies providing this new design service. Bravo for them.
Well, there you go. The state of my quilt union to date. I think it`s going pretty well and I haven`t been to distracted by new fabrics and patterns. I very happy with the progress of my Dear Jane quilt and my UFO project. Still early days but the year is looking good from here.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
About "The List"
2013 is my year of the UFO (UnFinished Object). Thus I have done my best to compose a list of all my unfinished quilting projects and added this list as a gadget on the right side of my blog. Those of you who have an email subscription will have to actually go to my blog to see it. I am pretty sure the blog add-ons do not show up in the posts received via email. This is an incomplete list but for now it is good enough. I will add to it as needed
The List is organized into three categories:
Some will say a UFO is any quilt which isn't ready for use ie. quilted and bound and laying on a bed, hanging decoratively, or en route to a grateful recipient. But I am not those people. Quilting in a many stepped process and each of those steps is a big accomplishment and (in my opinion) needs to be acknowledged.
When I complete a top I will usestrikeout on it's original list placement and then add it to the "To be Quilted" list in green. Thus a quilt could be in more than one place on the list.
Any project uncovered during the course of the year will be added to the appropriate list in blue. In the back of my mind I can already think of three projects which aren't on the list but until I can go through my stuff and find them they aren't going on the list.
Any new projects (a big no no) will be added in red. I am hoping to stick to my no new projects resolve but as I plan to join a guild this year and may possibly become involved in activities which mean adding a new project I thought I would make room for the possibility. Plus lets face it new fabric and patterns are really hard to resist.
Dear Jane is not on this list. The UFO list is my secondary project and Dear Jane is my main.
The List is organized into three categories:
- Tops - quilts I have all the bits and pieces and just need to assemble.
- Stash Busting - quilts I have the main bits but still need background fabric or blending fabrics.
- To be Quilted - quilt tops which need quilting this includes quilts which have been sandwiched or even partially quilted and completed tops.
Some will say a UFO is any quilt which isn't ready for use ie. quilted and bound and laying on a bed, hanging decoratively, or en route to a grateful recipient. But I am not those people. Quilting in a many stepped process and each of those steps is a big accomplishment and (in my opinion) needs to be acknowledged.
When I complete a top I will use
Any project uncovered during the course of the year will be added to the appropriate list in blue. In the back of my mind I can already think of three projects which aren't on the list but until I can go through my stuff and find them they aren't going on the list.
Any new projects (a big no no) will be added in red. I am hoping to stick to my no new projects resolve but as I plan to join a guild this year and may possibly become involved in activities which mean adding a new project I thought I would make room for the possibility. Plus lets face it new fabric and patterns are really hard to resist.
Dear Jane is not on this list. The UFO list is my secondary project and Dear Jane is my main.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
UFO Complete! - Next!
Last night I finished piecing Flying Pirates and am able to move it to the "to be quilted" list. I will post about my list soon - tomorrow or the next day.
I am quite please with Flying Pirates and decided it didn't need another border. The sashing on the alternate blocks and the binding should be enough. This photo doesn't do the quilt justice. When DH came home last night and saw me pressing it he said "wow that's really nice!"
I didn't think I would have time today but by cheating just a little bit on Dear Jane and not taking a nap I managed to gather and organize everything for my next UFO Rainbow Circles. I hope I come up with a better name soon.
Tuesday is becoming my favorite day of the week. If it wasn't for the extra family time on the weekends Tuesday would win hands down.
I am quite please with Flying Pirates and decided it didn't need another border. The sashing on the alternate blocks and the binding should be enough. This photo doesn't do the quilt justice. When DH came home last night and saw me pressing it he said "wow that's really nice!"
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| Hanging off my ironing board while being pressed. |
Tuesday is becoming my favorite day of the week. If it wasn't for the extra family time on the weekends Tuesday would win hands down.
Monday, January 28, 2013
UFO Flying Pirates
Status: Blocks finished
I really pushed hard this weekend and finished all the blocks for Flying Pirates. I ran out of the white I was using and had to substitute another but it blends in fine. I have to admit I was starting to hate the pirate fabric again but now that everything is all assembled and laid out I love it.
The fabric is fun without being cutesy and masculine without being drab. I am hoping to assemble the top while DD is napping this afternoon. Not sure about borders. The pattern doesn't call for any but I put borders on almost all my quilts so I will have to see how the quilt looks once it is assembled.
In knitting news I am working on a cabled baby blanket. The yarn is giving me some trouble. I had knit about 15 rows when I noticed I seemed to be getting unintentional yarn overs. On closer inspection it seems that the extra thik and fuzzy yarn wasn't drawing very close. So I tried pulling on the yarn to tighten it up but as there is almost no slack this made it impossible to get the needles into the loops to knit them. Therefore I am just going to have to live with the occasional "hole" and be sure to pull the cabled bits tight - but not too tight. Therefore this project is going to take longer than it should.
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| Facing Geese block |
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| Flying Geese block |
In knitting news I am working on a cabled baby blanket. The yarn is giving me some trouble. I had knit about 15 rows when I noticed I seemed to be getting unintentional yarn overs. On closer inspection it seems that the extra thik and fuzzy yarn wasn't drawing very close. So I tried pulling on the yarn to tighten it up but as there is almost no slack this made it impossible to get the needles into the loops to knit them. Therefore I am just going to have to live with the occasional "hole" and be sure to pull the cabled bits tight - but not too tight. Therefore this project is going to take longer than it should.
Friday, January 25, 2013
UFO Flying Pirates
Watched Popeye last night with DH and it put me back in the mood for this fabric. Everything is progressing well. All the flying geese are pieced and paired. All the facing geese are pieced and all the pairs are pressed.
On to the four patches!
This afternoon during snack time I photographed Isabelle wearing my finally finished "Determined" hat from Hattitude. Love, love, love this hat. Gorgeous colour and the design is very cool.
I also had her model some previously finished but never photographed hats from the same book.
Sidebar: Mr. Noodle was in Popeye. I don't think Isabelle would have recognized him.
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| Pressing pairs. |
This afternoon during snack time I photographed Isabelle wearing my finally finished "Determined" hat from Hattitude. Love, love, love this hat. Gorgeous colour and the design is very cool.
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| Please excuse the peanut butter. |
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| Haughty |
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| Rebellious |
Monday, January 14, 2013
UFO Flying Pirates
Status: still working on the flying geese units.
Today I was super tired (hubby was a chain saw last night) so I didn't get much more done on these geese. I also seem to be falling out of love with the fabric. Maybe I should have gone with black instead of white for the background? Oh well too late now and I loved it before so I am sure I will love it again soon.
In other news I found a cool block on another blog which would be perfect for Dad's quilt. I want the project to be a bit of a surprise so I am not going to link it but I found the block at Quilt, Knit, Run, Sew.
Today I was super tired (hubby was a chain saw last night) so I didn't get much more done on these geese. I also seem to be falling out of love with the fabric. Maybe I should have gone with black instead of white for the background? Oh well too late now and I loved it before so I am sure I will love it again soon.
In other news I found a cool block on another blog which would be perfect for Dad's quilt. I want the project to be a bit of a surprise so I am not going to link it but I found the block at Quilt, Knit, Run, Sew.
Monday, January 7, 2013
UFO: Flying Pirates
Status: Working on the flying geese units.
Today during nap time I managed to finish sewing all the geese and cut them apart. Almost got them all pressed but the maintenance man came to fix the light in that room so my time was cut short. I should be able to finish pressing alter today and I am hoping to get the next step done tonight. Probably not going to happen but if I get even a few squares pinned on for the second side I will be happy.
Looking ahead to tomorrow I am worried about doing applique for the first time in years. Much harder and more fiddly than foundation piecing.
Today during nap time I managed to finish sewing all the geese and cut them apart. Almost got them all pressed but the maintenance man came to fix the light in that room so my time was cut short. I should be able to finish pressing alter today and I am hoping to get the next step done tonight. Probably not going to happen but if I get even a few squares pinned on for the second side I will be happy.
Looking ahead to tomorrow I am worried about doing applique for the first time in years. Much harder and more fiddly than foundation piecing.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
UFO: Flying Pirates
Status: All fabric, thread, and notions for quilt top are ready to use. Preliminary cutting done. No sewing.
This is a project I started around Thanksgiving. Not quite sure but it has been a few weeks. It is based on a tutorial I found while searching the Moda Bake Shop blog for "layer cake". It uses a fun layer cake from Benartex called Buried Treasure and some white yardage. The tutorial is Flying in Squares from Happy Quilting. I love flying geese so I was hooked as soon as I saw it.
I had already finished drawing the diagonal line through all my white squares and had started to line them up and pin them to the larger printed squares. I managed to finish putting these units together and sew on either side of the diagonal line on all the large squares.
I had company and errands to run today so that is all I had time for but I did squeeze in a couple more rows on my hat tonight while watching Dr. Who with the hubster.
This is a project I started around Thanksgiving. Not quite sure but it has been a few weeks. It is based on a tutorial I found while searching the Moda Bake Shop blog for "layer cake". It uses a fun layer cake from Benartex called Buried Treasure and some white yardage. The tutorial is Flying in Squares from Happy Quilting. I love flying geese so I was hooked as soon as I saw it.
I had already finished drawing the diagonal line through all my white squares and had started to line them up and pin them to the larger printed squares. I managed to finish putting these units together and sew on either side of the diagonal line on all the large squares.
I had company and errands to run today so that is all I had time for but I did squeeze in a couple more rows on my hat tonight while watching Dr. Who with the hubster.
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