Quilter Guy

Navaho Rose, Almost Completed!

September 15, 2014 by Michael · Leave a Comment

Well I didn’t get as much done this weekend as I had hoped. But I certainly got a good deal done, so I’m content with that. My “Navaho Rose” quilt is almost complete, just need to add 3 borders. This was a really fun pattern by Cynthia Rang at The Fabric Patch in Ephrata Washington.

It was also my first time making a quilt with “traditional piecing” which wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I use specialty rulers (Nifty Notions rulers – which I LOVE) But I thought it would be a good exercise to make it traditionally, so I was marking squares and sewing on each side of the line to make my half square triangles. 🙂

It’s also the first quilt I’ve put on point, that wasn’t from a “Straight to the Point” pattern, and it wasn’t bad at all. I’ve heard stories about how it was difficult, but it was really straight forward to me.

So hopefully I will have this ready to go this week and sent off to my FABULOUS quilter Charisma.

Filed Under: LQS, Patterns, Quilts

Quilter….Interrupted!

September 13, 2014 by Michael · Leave a Comment

I have become a quilter interrupted!! It seems like the more I try and make time for quilting the quicker it gets eaten up.

Take today for example, today I was going to lock myself away in the studio, put together my other design wall, finish up my BOM blocks and a quilt that I need to cut sashing for. So I get my design wall all put together (it takes all of 5 minutes) and then start putting my quilt blocks on my wall. Then I really hate starting project(s) in a messy sewing room, so I sort a few things, pull out the sweeper and vacuum the floor, and have just about everything ready to begin. Then Karl comes done and says, we’re meeting some friends in 30 minutes. Friends I like, friends that always take care of our dogs when we’re out of town. So of course I want to go and see them….but then I’m a tad torn because…well I was going to sew today. Can I sew when I get back, ABSOLUTELY. But, I always have a problem starting a project I know I won’t finish that day…

When I quilt I love know that today I’m going to press and cut everything. Then tomorrow I will get the first part of piecing done, then the following I will piece the blocks, etc, etc. I like have a clear beginning and ending, because it means I met the goal I set for myself. While I LOVE doing it this way I clearly need to take a new tact. My friend Charisma finishes TONS of quilts, and she does it in small increments, 5 minutes at a time if that’s all she has. We works little by little and at the end of the quilt POOF there’s a quilt, next week POOF there is another quilt.

So, I’m going to FORCE myself not to come up with an excuse today why I can’t go back down, and then try and set aside at least 30 minutes each day to each some sewing done. I really do love it, and it helps tremendously with releasing stress (except when you can’t get those blasted seams to match up)!!

So this is my new challenge to myself….less procrastinating more short bursts of productiveness…

Filed Under: Personal, Quilt Studio

New Design Wall!!

September 2, 2014 by Michael · Leave a Comment

Well I’m really excited because my box from The Fabric Patch was delivered! So I have been unpacking it, and organizing my fabrics and room as I go. One on the items were 2 pieces of graph flannel to make a design wall. So I got one put together today, (really simple, the fabric, and a piece of foam insulation board a BOOM) but will need to get the other one done (I ran out of tape!). I had been wanting a design wall for a long time. Normally I’m on my hands and knees, hunched over my blocks trying to arrange them. This way I can throw them up, back up and see it much better.

You see my Navaho Rose quilt, I have all the blocks done, just need to get the sashing cut out and then the 2 borders and she will be ready to go!! It’s my first batik quilt ever. I’ve always loved batiks, but am always afraid that the colors will just kind of blur into one another and I’ll have a wishy-washy quilt. So I decided to make one, and go for color, color, and MORE color! 🙂

On a personal note, my spouse Karl and I recently got our license to foster and adopt in the state of Iowa. So while we are gathering items we need for any children we might be looking after (ages 0-3 at the moment) I have been buying alot of baby / toddler items. One thing I have found, crib and toddler bedding is SO expensive!! And what you get for the money isn’t in 100% cotton most of the time, and feels….terrible!! (It makes my teeth itch!) So I have been on the look out for great patterns for cribs, etc. So if you have any favorites let me know. I’ve already decided to make my own crib sheets, as the tutorial I found on Youtube seems easy enough!