A New Blog Post Three Years Later

Holy moly, where did the time years go?  I've been beyond MIA and have wanted to get back to blogging forever.  My day job took off and went in a whole 'nother direction that has me learning new things every day and has become a true challenge.  And well... I love it.  Not as much as sewing of course!  Here's what's been going on in my sewing world since 2012.

The "little bug" (my grandson) in my first post back in 2012 is now almost 4 and has a baby sister who is 14 months.  Of course, I had to make her nursery and birthday banner.

My Grandbabies

 

My grandbaby girl is a Christmas Baby so I made her birthday banner from Sugar Rush by Dan Morris for RJR Fabrics.  I thought this darling fabric would not only capture the season but it's also not so kiddy-Christmas that it will be perfect to put up for her teen birthdays as well.

 

 

My quilting skills have broken the boundaries and I'm nearly finished with my first commissioned quilt.  I'm working on a Crown Royal quilt (more on that in another post) that is at the quilter's now for long-arming.  It took 113 large CR bags and was an albatross.  I sewed everywhere I could - even with hubs and his buddies on a dove hunt.  Yes, I drink and sew simultaneously.  It's called being a multi-tasker.  Hey, don't judge.  If you had any idea about my day job...

 

This beast is king size:  104" x 104"

 

This is actually my 2nd CR quilt - my first being a lap size for a co-worker and it was a gift since I wasn't sure what I was doing.  It fell apart on the long arm from miniscule seams, it required tucks in the inner border because it wasn't square and rippled like crazy on the long arm frame.  I mis-measured my fabric so the horizontal sashing is narrower than the vertical sashing.  In short, it was a disaster.  And he loved it.  I warned him not to wash it and added a hanging sleeve to the back.

This time around, I used a Quilt in a Day Flying Geese Ruler which was a total game changer.  The lady who is quilting it said it lays perfectly on the frame without any ripples.  Excuse me, are those PERFECT points on those blocks?  Why yes, yes they are thank you very much.  The sashing is a discontinued RJR print I had to scrounge from multi quilt shops across two states and the backing is a Hoffman batik called Vegas Purple.

 

My sewing room blew up and gave birth to an embroidery machine.  It went from this:

 

 

To this.  Gad, I've GOT to lose that horrible swag over the window and replace it with the cute sewing room fabric I bought.  Don't you L-O-V-E that hanging ruler stand hubs made for me?  He thought it was so big that I'd have lots of spaces left to fill it up.  Ha...silly man.

 

 

I'm currently on a quest to successfully embroider a quilt so that it looks like it was done on a professional long arm.  This was done on my Brother PE770 Embroidery Machine using the End-to-end quilting technique by Amelie Scott Designs.  I'll do another post on that technique soon.

While not sewing related, this my new Sewing Retreat.  Hubs and I bought our own 4 bedroom/2 bath "wheel-estate" on a quarter acre on the Texas Gulf Coast and we spent the summer of '14 gutting and remodeling the interior.  I'm a tile-setter!  Who knew?  (YouTube is a wonderful thing...You can learn anything on YouTube).  That's our RV behind it where we stayed during the remodel.  Of course I put a sewing machine down there immediately.  He bay fishes and I sew in peace.  The previous owner's business sign is now gone from the fence and the place is receiving fresh exterior paint this week - a soft yellow with dark blue/gray shutters.  The project this spring will be to put an awning over the deck.  We broke into our retirement plans to purchase this outright.  I actually own this little piece of Texas.  Paid.  In.  Full.  It's right across the street from a neighborhood full of half million dollar homes with wet slips.  Location, location, location.  Maybe one day Valero will buy it to put up a gas station and I can retire and sew full time.  A girl can dream!

I went to the 2014 Houston Quilt Fest and met my quilting and sewing heroes.  I had to get pics and autographs like the dork I am.  This wonderful lady, Jenny Doan from Missouri Star Quilt Company, unknowingly taught me how to quilt starting back in 2011 with her online videos.  She changed my world and has cost me an ENORMOUS amount of money.  Ha!  But hey, you can't take it with you right?

 

And if Angela Wolf is teaching a Craftsy class, I'm enrolled.  I just love her teaching style.   I've bought her jeans pattern too so they are in my sewing queue.

 

And while I was at the show, I bought a Tin Lizzie long arm sit down machine that I'm just now beginning to get the hang of.  When they say "Practice, practice" it's the truth.  Right now I'm still learning to draw with thread and attempting stippling and pantographs.  I'm bound and determined to finish my own quilts but not having an artistic bone in my body makes it tough.  Being more analytical than artistic (left brained), I don't possess the ability to visualize a design from nothing to something, but I sure can follow a pattern, copy, and trace!  My mom kept all the artsy-fartsy genes for herself and passed none of them down to me.  So I spend a lot of time with practice quilt sandwiches just doodling and attempting to follow drawn lines.  Discovering the loop-de-loop method was heaven sent!

So that's it!  You're all caught up.  I plan to post regularly now and add my sewing adventures to the blog world.  Thanks for spending the time!

Football Season!

One of my best friends, Dana, has a daughter, Michelle, and both Michelle and her husband went to Texas A&M (gag - I'm a UT Longhorn).  Well they bought season tickets for all the home games (waste of money ha ha) and Michelle absolutely must deck her Little Miss out in total A&M garb.  Of course, I'm more than happy to oblige any opportunity to sew...even if my machine nearly died with that maroon fabric in it.  I've purchased some additional fabric that's in the wash right now to pre-shrink that will be an adorable dress.  Can't wait to knock that out this weekend!

Here she is modeling the Simple Skirt from DanaMadeIt.com  This was SO easy and it turned out perfect.

My first attempt at the bloomers had them too small so I had to make another set.  This time I borrowed a pair of Little Miss's bloomers that did fit for a pattern.  You know it's such a scandal to have your diaper show out from under your skirt!

A friend mentioned that I might make the sides of the bloomer deeper from above the ruffle to the waist to cover the entire diaper because the diapers are so tall.  Never thought of that and I'll have to play around with the pattern to see if I can make it work.

Giving this a go!

Okie, dokie.  I'm a blogger!  WooHoo!   ...now enough of that.

I'm not real sure why people have a propensity to put parts of their lives out on the web but they do - I do - and so here I go.

I love to sew, addicted to it really.  I really enjoy home dec and making baby clothes because babies don't care if the seams look wonky.  (Yes, that's a word).  I'm pretty good at repairing things like zippers, buttons, hems, etc. and after 20 years in the Air Force, I'm a master at sewing on patches! 

So people look at blogs to see pictures, right?  This is the Pinwheel Baby Quilt from Moda Bake Shop and I made it for my grandson this summer using "I Spy 10 Little Things" from Moda Fabrics.  Adorable if I do say so myself and my little bug seemed to love it too!  I chose a brown for the backing and binding so it could stand up to being drug around and survive the grunge.  This little quilt could only be so lucky as to be drug around by a toddler.  What love!  I quilted using an echo and SITD.  I'm about ready to begin trying to free-motion, but I'm not quite brave enough yet.