Thread

While sewing on Tuesday evening I ran out of black thread.  Hey. It happens.  I took out a new spool and threaded my machine.  As I have done every time I end a spool of thread for the past year I tossed the empty spool into a bucket.  Then I paused.

Last January I started a thread bucket.  I wanted to see just how many spools of thread I use over the course of a year. This last empty spool was the first empty spool of 2015.  How many spools did I use up.

Twenty one.  Twenty one spools of thread from 200m to 5000m.  Black, white and every color in-between (although admittedly mostly white).

I started saving spools hoping that this would help me plan ahead and know how much thread to purchase the next time I am out.  Now I know..  I need a lot of thread.

The demise of a sweater vest

Look how much I was able to knit on George's Vest over the weekend!!  I really was able to get a lot done and I was so excited...until.

Yes. The dreaded until.  Until I laid it out just like in the photo above.  I thought to myself.."self.  That looks a little small for a 2T-3T."  And I answered, "yes, I do believe you are correct."  Just to be sure I measured it.  Yup.  I had made the 24 month size not the 2t-3t size.  UGH.  I guess that is what you get for casting on when you are watching a movie.

So, it was today with a heavy heart that watched the demise of a almost finished project.

I took it off the needles and started to rip-it.

And rip-it.

Sniff...

At least I was able to capture our last few moments together.  sigh.

Now, I think I'll find a nice one size fits all pattern. Perhaps a scarf.

Can't a Girl Just Hammer

Both my machines are finally, finally  repaired.  Hopefully this means many more hours of sewing.  Since they are both back in working order I found it appropriate that I start sewing!  The first thing I wanted to do was finish those Cargo Duffels I started back in May.  I am using Noodlehead's Cargo Duffel pattern.  You can find it here. I sewed up the last one and finished off the interior binding in record time.  Sadly, it was then I realized that I had no snaps left.  sigh.

Eventually, I did pick up the snaps.  I sat down in the hot, humid, sticky garage to install the snaps.  I have these Dritz brand snaps.

This package comes with all the essential snap installing hardware.  Which is Awesome.  After having marked the placement of the snaps, I set out working on punching the holes needed in the fabric.  This kit even comes with a little punch for making the perfect size hole.  How nice is that? With hammer in one hand and punch in the other I set out to make some holes.

Not 4 hits with the hammer later, my oldest son comes out into the garage and says, "Why are you making all of that noise?"
"I'm installing snaps."
"With a hammer?" he asked.
Looking at the hammer I have to admit is does sound a bit crazy but I simply say, "yes."
He shrugs and goes inside.

Once all the holes are punched, I switched out my punch for the other little "doodads" that are required to install the snaps.  (I assure you the directions on the back of the package are much clearer than I am.)

After I have the first snap installed the garage door opens (again) and my second son says, "What are you doing?"
Again, "I'm installing snaps."
"What are you installing snaps on?" he asks.
"These cargo bags."
'Okay." he says and then leaves.

I finish the snaps on the first bag and start on the second.  These snaps take practically no time to install which is a good thing.  The bad thing is that the temperature in South Carolina has been nearly 100 degrees.  The humidity has surly been 100%.  The temperature in the garage is at least that hot and of course, there is NO breeze. By now I have sweat pouring into my eyes and down my back and I just want to get back into the air conditioning.

I start the second bag and no sooner than I get the first snap installed, my husband steps into the garage.
UGH!
"What are you working on?" he asks.
"I am just trying to finish these flipping' bags!  Why does everyone keep asking me? It's a billion degrees in this garage and I am hot, sweaty and irritable!  Can't I just bang something once in a while!  Does everyone need to ask me Why!"
and he left.  (smart man)

Good news Bags are finished and all are alive.
:)


Remember to stop by this post and leave a comment for a chance to win this AMB duffel!  Only 2 more days until a winner is chosen!

Baby Quilt.

I received this modern log cabin baby quilt in the mail on Monday.

 It was a slight rush to get it loaded and returned to her before the birth of her grandchild, so I was only able to snap a few pictures before getting it back in the mail.  Her choice of fabric and the setting made choosing a quilting design simple.

To soften the square setting and sharp corners I used a free-motion ribbon. I changes the ribbon's orientation to make it look like it was circling around the center.

As for the center square.  I used the adorable whale fabric as inspiration for this little guy. 

Happy Quilting!

Timing is everything.

With summer rapidly approaching I decided to make a few more Cargo Duffels for the kids.  With all of the travel for sports, band and camps we end up spending a great deal of time in the car.  I thought these bags would be perfect for hauling all of their car activities.

You may remember this Cargo Duffle I made for Easter using Noodlehead's Cargo Duffle pattern.  If you would like the pattern you can find it here

For the kids I decided to personalize them with a little embroidery and colors of their choosing.

With the first one under my belt I knew the 2nd, 3rd and 4th bags would go much smoother.  Ha!  Silly me.

Close to the end of the second bag my sewing machine started leaving huge tangles of bobbin thread for me.  Obviously the timing was off.  I played with what I could but couldn't get the tension adjusted.  A frustrating hour later, I switched to my old standby. My second machine is a good 30 years old but sews like a champ!  I finished the second bag assembly with the second machine.   As I was finishing off the inside of the second child's bag, my needle broke.  Then another and another.  YOU have got to be kidding me!  My old stand by, also had a timing issue.

My machines are off to the repair shop.  Perhaps it is time for a little English paper piecing. The bags will make Great Christmas presents too!

The Key to Success.

Well, it's that time again.  The end of the school year is upon us.  The kids are giddy with anticipation of Summer Vacation.  One more day and it will be here.  Imagine my surprise when my 6th grader asked, "What are we giving the teachers this year?"  Hmm.  I had totally forgotten.  Off to pintrest to see what I could whip up in under an hour.  Nothing like last minute planning.

I stumbled upon these cute little key fobs at The Ribbon Retreat and knew that they would be perfect.  A few ribbons, 1 inch webbing and key fob hardware was all it took to make these cute key rings.

Unfortunately I Jo-Ann only had 5 packages of key fob hardware.  I went back to pintrest and remember this tutorial from The Idea Room that I had used once before.  It is slightly more time consuming but still a really quick and simple key fob just perfect for teacher gifts.

A little note tucked inside each teachers Thank You card and Ta-Da! Last minute teacher gifts finished.  Gotta' love the internet.

Now What?

Okay.  Let's say, "hypothetically" you are following along the AMB Blog tour and you like what you see.  It's Just.  Well, it's just you don't really want to make 50 blocks.  Say you want to make just one block. Your state's block.  Great.  A block.  What are you going to do with that?  Added it to the 100's of others you have saved, stored or stashed away.

Most certainly not.  Today I am going to show you what I have done with my 'test' block.  I get a little OCD, on occasion.  This project happened to be just such an occasion.  I made a test block from fabric I had laying around, just to make sure everything was going to turn out as planned.  Just be thankful.  It could have been a real disaster.  I digress.  So this test block.  I had it sitting on my cutting table, staring at me.  "look at me! look at me!"  What in the world was I going to do with it? Throw it away? I think not.  Save it in the bin with all the other random blocks I have.  Ah, No. I guess I could make a pillow out of it? or a journal cover?  Then I was struck upon an idea so simple I was amazed I hadn't thought of it sooner.  My Wreath.

If you are scratching your head right now, let me let you in on a little project I worked on 2 or 3 years ago.  If you look at the page titles at the top of the blog UP THERE.

You will see a heading labeled Wreath.  Basically I made a simple wreath design from grapevine and artificial greenery.  On the wreath I attached 2 clothes pins with which to hang quilt blocks.  I made a different block each month representing a holiday, season or special event.  I liken it to those 12' X 18" garden flags people have in their yards, only much more specific to quilters.

I sandwiched my block with batting and backing.  Simply echo quilted the block around the South Carolina State Image and then bound the mini-quilt. Well, it's been 3 years and that wreath was getting pretty tired looking. I swapped out the greenery for something fresh and new.  Added safety pins to the back of the block.  Threaded floral wire through the safety pins and tied the wire to the wreath to hold up the quilt block. (instead of clothes pins)  And TA-DA.  My new and improved wreath.

Be sure to check out todays stops on the AMB Tour.  Up today is Pat Sloan (Virginia) and Park Hill Farm (New Hampshire) It could be your state!  Soon you could have your very own state inspired Wreath.

Simply Woven - {finish}

I spent Friday finishing up this small quilt.

 Using up a stack of 2.5 in strips that may have once come as a jelly roll.  As mentioned in my previous posts I used Simply Woven quilt pattern by Jessica Kelly of sewcraftyjess.com for Moda.  I found her directions superb, I really enjoyed watching the emerging pattern. I ended up making 16 block for this quilt.  However, due to a small miscalculation I could only use 12 on the front and 3 on the back.  Somehow I mixed up the placement of one of the stripes causing the entire block to not match up with the other 15.  One of the downfalls of quilting past your bedtime.

I used an all over quilted swirl on this quilt, trying to balance out the square edges and sharp corners with a few curves and waves.

  

The back I pieced from a few pieces I had leftover from another quilt + the three blocks I couldn't use on the front. The misfit block that wouldn't work anywhere will probably be made into a journal cover.  Only time will tell. This quilt is going up in the basket of quilts to be gifted.  More than likely it will find a home with one of the 4 teachers we have this year who are becoming first time parents.

E was my big helper for this photo shoot. 

 She really got into it.  Posing in all sorts of funny positions and faces.

  Even she enjoyed this fun quilt.

Sewing Tools--{Pins}

Imagine that you are planning a romantic picnic. (Okay, first imagine you have no children, then imagine the picnic. :) You have packed your picnic basket full of goodies.  Gotten together a blanket, some wine and a nice relaxing playlist for your MP3.  Everything you will need for a beautiful picnic together in the park.  You arrive at the picnic location the sky is a beautiful shade of pale blue, the sun is bright and warm, the perfect day for a picnic.  As you unpack and set up your amazing spread, you complement yourself on your fantastic job, you really are quite the culinary genius. You suddenly realize you have no utensils. What do you do?  Use your hand?  Improvise with sticks? Run down to 7/11 and pick up some plastic wear.

Tools are something we take for granted until suddenly we need them.  What then?  The same can be said for having a tool and then getting a "new and improved" version.  How did we ever survive without the rotary cutter?   Use scissors! Well, last week I ran into just such a circumstance, minus the romantic picnic.

I have lots of quilting supplies.  I have tons of rulers, needles, scissors, measuring tapes and pins.  Pins!  I go through them like mad.  I sew with them in my fabric.  I know that is supposed to be dangerous, bad for your machine and all.  It is how I learned to sew.  Since I started sewing with garments, I pin.  And pin and pin.

When we moved here from El Paso, TX I thought I had brought with me all of the quilting tools I needed, the rest I put in storage. (silly me.)  What I found I needed more of was pins.  Who knows where they all go?  Kind oflike socks that way.  I purchased pins at the local Wal-mart and have been using the same batch ever since.  Several years ago I was at Tuesday Morning when I found a box of glass headed pins.  There were 200 of them that came in a cute little tin for 3$.  I brought them home and set them aside for when I should need them.  And promptly forgot about them.

In my spring cleaning, fabric organizing, re-arranging mood I stumbled upon them last week and decided to open the box.  My pins were getting low and I had a few crooked pins that needed tossed.  I usually throw the bent ones out immediately, but somehow I always manage to find one more bent pin in my pin cushion.

I was working on the Simply Woven quilt pattern, which requires pinning to keep the rows and columns in alignment. I reached for a pin and picked up one of the 'new' pins I had just pulled out.  The first thing I noticed was how much smaller the pin was than the older pins.  Not the length, but the width or diameter.  As I slid the pin into the fabric I noticed that these pins were much sharper than the ones I had been using.  WoW! What a difference.  I imagine that pins like needles come in sharps and ball points.  I have no clue what the original pins were classified as but now they are definitely 'dulls'.  I suppose, like needles pins also loose their sharp point.  This is something I have never considered before.  As quilters, sewers or crafters how often do you need to replace your pins?  Ever?  Do pins go Bad? Sounds like a bad reality series,.."When good pins go bad!"

The new pins also stayed put when I used them.  With the older pins I often have pins that will slide out of one or both sides, scattering themselves randomly all over the sewing room.  Is this a sign that the pins need replaced? or that the wrong pin is being used?  I don't know but I believe as another tool in my proverbial tool belt, I need to be doing an investigation.

Bits and Pieces

Last week was a flurry of activity.  It appeared to me as though I wasn't getting much sewing done. I grabbed projects here and there, worked on what I could throughout out the week.  When I looked at the bits and pieces of my work individually it didn't seems as though much was getting accomplished.  Some weeks that's how it goes.

The RBHS Varsity Soccer Jackets consumed the majority of my time.  It wasn't a tough project, not necessarily easy and not particularly fun.  It was just, well time consuming. 22 Men's Soccer Jackets in which I heat fused pre-embroidered letters, then machine stitched the letters in place.
Twenty-Two!
Seriously, What was I thinking?
The heap of Jackets my son brought me was, to say the least, daunting.  When I agreed to to the project I anticipated 30 minutes per jacket, and I wasn't far off.  Roughly 11 hours of sewing letters on gets mighty repetitive, translation....boring.  But they are all finished and the boys were able to wear them all as a team on Friday nights game.  It is really a pleasure to see them all so happy.  The fact that they were all so thankful made the joy that much greater.

pre-embroidered Jackets

stack of completed Jackets

I broke up the monotony of "Great Soccer Jacket Project" with sewing up a couple of blocks for a baby quilt.   I am using a pattern by  Jessica Kelly of Sewcraftyjess.blogspot.com called Simply Woven.
I have finished about 7 blocks. Okay 10 according to the picture below.

 I am shooting for 15 blocks to make a quilt 48" X 48".  My initial plan was to use up the pink, blue and purple jelly roll strips I purchased eons ago.  (Still working on cleaning out)  I wanted to make each strip in the simply woven one of the colors.  After my initial 4 blocks I decided the blocks needed a little mixing.  I interchanged many of the colors to try to get a more random pattern. I'll let you know if it works.

I also spent quite a bit of time last week doing a little more hand embroider.  I found this cute pattern... somewhere.  I believe it was in Generation Q Magazines Winter issue.  It is intended to be the center focal point of a sewing machine cover.  I haven't decided what to do with it yet.  I am just enjoying the slow pace of hand stitching.

And last but not least I finally stitched on the binding for This Animal Jungle quilt I made and quilted last March.  A year ago.  eek!

Initially it didn't feel like last week accomplished much.  When I list them all here and I begin to see them all add up and it feels good to know that so much was finished up, even if it was just in bits and pieces.

Sorting Fabric

This Monday marked the End of my Color Class.  Having taken classes in art and design in the past this class was a great refresher.  It was also a chance for me to examine my fabric from a new perspective.  I learned a few new ways to look at color in terms of quilting and designing with fabric.  The class gave me a new and fresh look at what others see when they look at and select fabrics. It enabled me to look at color choices through a different set of guidelines.  A very interesting thing indeed!

I learned new things about what I like, what I don't like and fabrics I tend to lean towards.  I learned that my choice of fabric has grown and changed significantly since I started quilting 12 years ago. Believe it or not I still have some fabric remnants from that time period.  While some of these stashed fabrics I still use and love,  others I most definitely do NOT.

Today in an attempt to re-organize my stash I went through and grouped all of my fabric yardage by color.  (I have not yet attempted to organize all of the scraps. perhaps next? or not.) I was not at all surprised to find that I have an entire bin of Green and Blue fabric.  Blue is after all my favorite color.  I have been gravitating lately towards the brighter colors of yellow, orange and a few bright pinks, so I have a fair amount of those colors. What surprised me the most was the amount of colors that I don't have.  I have very few purples or violets, very few tans, beige or light browns and no cream colors at all.  I seriously need to stock up!

 Then I went through and piled up all the fabric that I have been toting around with me for 12 years that I no longer love, like or would even consider using (no not even as a backing) While it hurts just a little to let go of some of the old fabrics, it is time it found a new home.

Color Mosaic (A rainbow of fruit flavors)

Another Color Mosaic challenge from my Color Intensive Class.  This time we were challenged to make a Rainbow Mosaic.  Seemed simple enough of a task.  Would you believe it took me over 90 minutes to make 2 simple mosaics!  We were told choose our fabric selections from Pink Chalk fabrics.  Boy do they have a large selection!  Simple task. Ha!

When I think rainbow I think of the cute little semicircular shapes that I drew when I was in elementary school.  When we had 10 or so colors to choose from in our box of crayons the task was simple.  Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple.  Even with the big box of Crayola 64 it wasn't a difficult task.

Somehow when you transform those colors into fabric, give them texture, patterns, designs, it befuddles my mind.  I did manage to finally come up with 2 mosaics although I cannot say that they are the best representation of a rainbow.  What is truly amazing is that when all of the students post their mosaics onto the blog, all of the rainbows are beautiful, and they are all different.  Sure some of the fabric choices overlap but just like in nature, never are their two that are the same.

Color me confused.

I love color!  I mean who doesn't?  Can you imagine seeing only in shades of gray?  How ordinary every thing must look. Very blah indeed.  The thing is I am not aways very good when I mix colors.  I took several art classes when I was in High School and College, but never took a class specifically on color.  Sure their was the color wheel, primary, secondary and tertiary colors.  I get that.

When I paint and draw the colors can easily be blended, mixed or completely covered to get exactly what I want.   But when it comes to fabric sometimes I'll admit, I am a mess. Fabric is not so easy to manipulate.  Once it is sewn, you get what you get.  And what I get is not always what I thought I would get or what I wanted.

So imagine my surprise when I saw Rachel at Stitched in Color was offering a class on Color.  Well color me happy!  Another chance to learn and grow as a 'fabric artist'.  And if it just happens that I might need to go purchase more fabric, well that is something I'll just have to live with.  I have taken a couple of her classes and they are always well planned, thought out and informative.

The Color intensive class started this week and our first assignment was to come up with a color mosaic that exemplifies "Spring."  Well, that turned out to be much harder than it sounds.  She sent us over to Fabricworm to choose fabric selections for our mosaic.  They have so many fabrics!  Overwhelming to say the least.

I selected, sorted, selected more, sorted more, threw some out, added some and came up with what I thought was a fair representation of spring.  Then when I added it to the hundred others over at Rachel's blog, I felt terribly adequate.  Is this really what spring looks like?  So I tried again.  Again, still just adequate.  If I were to make a quilt from these fabrics would I really think Springish or would I think Drizzly Rain Day?  I am not sure what to make of it.

Here are my two mosaics.

Springtime

Springtime2

What do you think?