W.i.P Wednesday: Ready for the Weekender

Me and my big mouth;-)  I'm guessing anybody reading this knows how this story goes...  A group of us from the BMQG registered to go to the MQG Sew Down in September.  Once we got our tickets and finalized our travel arrangements the next big question was what bag are we going to make??? We've all been meaning to make the Amy Butler Weekender Travel Bag.  Of course to get it done in time we were going to have to hold each other accountable and every time I mentioned our plan to someone else they wanted to do it also until the idea for a sew-along was born.

We spent a long weekend in Maine which seemed like the perfect stress free environment to get started.  I decided to start with the "traditional" Weekender before advancing to Oh, Fransson!'s fabulous patchwork version which meant there was lots of cutting to do.

Once I setup shop on my porch it went together pretty easily.  So far I'd say it's more time consuming than challenging but I haven't faced the zipper yet:-)  It helps that so many people have done this already and shared their lessons learned.  I've got a board on Pinterest to keep track of them all.

You can read more of my tips for getting to this point (Step 7) over on the BMQG blog.

Check out what everyone else is up to at this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

Show-Off

This week I've been busy getting ready for the BMQG exhibit at the Lowell Quilt Festival.  My quilts were all done, but I had lots of sleeves to attach... not only for my own quilts but also for some of our Quilts for Boston quilts which will be on display.

I'm on the setup committee and was a drop-off location so today I packed my car full of quilts and headed up to Lowell.

It was a long day getting everything ready but we've got all the quilts hung and we're ready for the show to open tomorrow.  The show runs Thursday 10-6, Friday 10-8 and Sunday 10-4.  If you're in the area be sure to stop by Appleton Mills.  It's absolutely fabulous!!!

Check out what everyone else is up to at this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

Shades of Grey

I don't know why I'm always so surprised that I find challenges such a challenge.  In this case, the color scheme was definitely out of my comfort zone.

For the BMQG 2013 LQF Mini-Quilt Challenge we were given this color scheme.  When I started picking fabrics from my stash I realized I didn't even have a grey category.  

Not that I didn't have any greys...just that they weren't all stored together.  With some digging I was able to pull together a nice assortment, all from stash! 

When I was brainstorming the first thing that popped in my head was Grey Goose, which lead to flying geese but I also wanted something modern with some negative space.  Inspired by the amazing Victoria Findlay Wolfe I used this awesome curved geese tutorial to make a flying geese template on freezer paper.  It's nice because you can see how it's going to look and adjust your lines.  Just remember the image will be reversed when you are done.  For the curved piecing I referred back to my favorite tute by the incredible Sarah Fielke.  She makes it sooo easy!!!

I debated doing some fancy FMQ but decided to keep the quilting minimal so I just used masking tape to echo the angle of the geese.

When I was designing this I played around with the perspective so that the geese got bigger as they approached the bottom of the quilt.  I wanted to create the illusion of them flying off the quilt so I planned to match the binding on the final goose.  It came out almost perfectly:-)

Quilt Stats:

Finished quilt is 22" x 26"
Pattern: Based on this awesome curved geese tutorial by the amazing Victoria Findlay Wolfe
Fabrics: Assorted greys from stash.  Binding is Woodcut from Innocent Crush by Anna Maria Horner.
Background: Kona Azure
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient
Thread: Aurifil 5006

Linking up to the fabulous Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

W.i.P Wednesday: Surf's Up

I can't believe we've made it to Block 4 of the fabulous Jaybird Quilts' Toes in the Sand.  It was definitely a treat to hang out in the cool at Quilter's Way this week.  I don't usually mind that my sewing studio isn't air-conditioned but this heat wave is starting to cut in to my sewing time!

Luckily, this block really lends itself to chain piecing.  I was done in no time!!!  

While the partial seam may not be something you're used to doing, it really is just as easy as sewing part way and stopping.  I didn't even worry about back stitching since you're going to sew over it again when you complete the seam.

Two more finished blocks... and those blues are so cool and soothing.

Check out what everyone else is up to at this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

The HHH Coasters

The heat wave is getting to me!  This week I made these Hotter than Hell Hexagon Coasters:-)

I think I've mentioned I have a bit of a drinking problem.  In the summer this manifests itself in the form of massive glasses of iced tea that sweat all over my tables.  Obviously I need some heavy-duty coasters:-)

I've been a bit hex-obsessed lately.  Last week it was hexagon week over at Quilter's Way which reminded me this would be the perfect way to use up some of my leftover Toes in the Sand triangles.  For the first one I just layered the hexagon, batting and backing together and did a pillowcase finish then did some light quilting.  For the other one I actually added binding because there's nothing better to do on a hot night than crank up the a/c, watch a movie, and tack some binding.  I'm loving these cool blues and my furniture is thanking me!

Linking up to the fabulous Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

W.i.P Wednesday: Quilting on the Common

Most of my sewing time lately has gone to Quilts for Boston.  It's really been amazing to see this project come together and we're in the home stretch.  This weekend we had a meet up at the Boston Public Gardens to attach labels and finally have our first completely finished quilts.

Yes, it was insanely hot but we setup in a shady spot with a lovely view of the entertainment happening on Boston Common and close proximity to icy cold beverages from Starbucks:-)  It was so much fun to just hang out and sew with friends...  I think we should make this a regular event:-)

Audrey came along to help out.  It was so amazing to see her sewing just steps from the ducklings she used to play on as a toddler.

We now have a dozen quilts finished and we're ready to start giving them out.  A huge thank you to the fabulously talented Taz for taking these awesome pictures!!!

Check out what everyone else is up to at this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Fabric

You know what they say, "Those who can, sew...  "  Well in my case, those who can't, shop:-)

First off, I have to give huge props to the amazingly awesome Hawthorne Threads!!!  I have been waiting not so patiently for this adorable Sarah Jane Out to Sea Anchor print to come back in stock.  Friday morning I got the message it was finally available.  11:28 AM, I raced to my computer and placed my order (with this cute little bundle of  JenPag Circa for good measure).  At 1:46 PM I got the message CharlieandLindsay@HawthorneThreads.com had sent me a package and bright and early Monday morning it showed up in my mailbox.  Incredible selection, great prices...  Fabulous!!!

I'm a big believer in shopping locally so I also had to be sure to do my part for my favorite local quilt shops...
Sunday the coolest peeps in Cambridge hosted us for another Quilts for Boston sew-in.  I had to drive all the way down from Maine (and back) but it was totally worth it!!!  I have been obsessed with the pink Liberty print since my last trip to Gather Here when I didn't have time to buy it.  Luckily it was still there along with a few new additions I also had to have.  Seriously, pink scissors...  I think Virginia knew I was coming;-)

Since I was in Maine I also had to run by Marden's for some "discount" fabrics.  This is definitely my go to place to get yardage for backings.  It's hit or miss but for 5 yards of designer fabric for under $15.00 I'm willing to do a little digging.

Of course I also had to visit my totally awesome friends at Quilter's Way (4 times!?!).  This month they are hosting 31 Days of Holiday Gifts.  This week was Chevron Week...  how could I resist?  Be sure to check out their blog for 7 adorable tutorials using chevrons.  Next week is hexagon week...  I'm in trouble!

Don't think I'm just going to hoard all these amazing fabrics.  I actually have a project in mind which finally precipitated a trip to new kid on the block, Daley by the Yard.  They're a Bernina Shop so I was able to pick up a piping foot (Any guesses what I need that for?) but they also have a nice selection of modern fabrics.

No more excuses, it's time to get back to doing what I do best;-)