Monthly Archives: August 2013

Finishing projects makes me so happy these days!

In addition to my larger quilt this week, I finished up my smaller, but still pretty work intensive New York Beauty mini quilt project. I suppose overall that the majority of the work was done in the paper piecing itself, but I decided a project like this deserved to be hand quilted as well.

I really do love to hand quilt. It’s such a relaxing hobby, more so than anything else that I’ve found for myself. The closest thing that I’ve come to enjoying hand quilting is sewing binding by hand, but even that’s not quite as nice. That being said, this little quilt was TOUGH to hand quilt neatly. There were so many layers of fabric pieced together that is was hard to get my needle through neatly and and without A.) puncturing my finger every time I made a stitch and B.) really more importantly, getting the stitches even on the top and back of the quilt. I noticed after I was finished that there were a few places that I don’t think the needle actually punctured the backing in spots. I tried not to worry about it too much since it was just a project for me.

I know it’s not something that can happen a lot, but it’s really exciting to be able to finish two projects in one week! I have a few other things that I’d like to get started soon, but shows are going to start taking priority for the next few weeks for now. I’ll do my best to share how those projects go though!

It’s been TOO LONG since I’ve finished a real quilt. I’m so happy to have finally finished this one!

I bought this quilt kit from the crazy talented Modern Quilt Studio duo of Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr last August at the American Quilter’s Society show in Grand Rapids. I was so busy through the fall and the holidays last year with my shows that I didn’t begin working on it until January. I spent a few days cutting everything out and beginning the piecing, but then I lost my stamina and hung it over the door of my sewing room where it stayed until the beginning of this week.

In the past month though, I’ve really been excited to make quilts again. I have a big project that I’ve recently begun cutting out, but with shows starting again soon, I’m not sure how long I’ll have to really give that my full attention. I have a few other projects that are started as well, but I knew I’d be able to finish this one up and finally have a project that I could wrap up in a few days.

The remainder of the piecing was very quick. The technique for making the improvised strips was super easy and took little planning on my part. I was able to finish off the remainder of the top in one day, and I was quite happy with that speed.

I had initially planned on using a solid yellow backing, but both of the yellow Kona cottons at the store had less than I needed on the bolt. I took a chance that I would be able to find something at JoAnn’s and in the end I was so happy my first choice didn’t work out. I used a Denyse Schmidt print (which is pretty much the only fabric I buy from JoAnn’s now) and it worked perfectly. I love the all over brightness with the subtle design so much.

Quilting is always my toughest challenge, but this time I stuck with a tried and true stippling pattern, and I did okay with it all. Not perfect, but I’m getting better. One of these days I’ll branch out, but I wasn’t in the mood to pick out stitches when new attempts didn’t work out with this one.

The kit also came with enough of the same gray fabric from the front of the quilt to make the binding, but I decided that I wanted something with contrast. I chose a much lighter gray and white, Michael Miller polka dot print. I think it really finishes the whole quilt off nicely. The design of the whole quilt, despite the dark gray, feels very bright and fun. I’m so happy with it!

And of course, here’s the necessary quilt and dog shot. Hudson wasn’t in the mood to look at me, since I had just woken him up from his job (nap) to take photos. I think though, since he was previously sleeping on the quilt, that he approves of my work.

I get so easily distracted. Quilt and sewing books, Pinterest, and other people’s blogs should be banned when I have projects that are already started that need to be finished. Thankfully, nothing specific was on the books as a “must-finish” project this week, and I went where my distracted little brain wanted to take me yesterday and today…to paper piecing!

Earlier this summer I bookmarked this tutorial for paper piecing a New York Beauty block by In Color Order. I printed off four of the templates found here, hoping that I might find some time this summer to give them a try. This, like most quilting projects in the past year or so piqued my interest, but fell to the wayside while I worked on getting ready for craft fairs and keeping up with my business sewing.

So, I guess here’s where I get a little distracted. A few weeks ago, a friend and I decided to check out the Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild. I was a member of another modern quilt guild several years ago, but that one folded, and since then, I’ve been guild-less and feeling less and less interested in quilting. I know I incorporate quilting into my bags and pouches and things that I sell, but I haven’t made a real quilt since, oh, maybe last winter. Like winter 2012. But that meeting invigorated me, and I left wanted to do some real piecing and real quilting again. So over the past few weeks and days, I’ve been playing around with fabric again, working on some stalled projects.

So now that I’ve figured out how wonderful paper piecing is, I think I’m going to let those other projects continue to hang out a while longer. The process challenges my brain to think, and I’m in awe of what I made in the past day and a half. Tonight, after I finished piecing it and took it out to photograph, I sandwiched it up and debated how I wanted to quilt it. I know I could finish it faster on my machine, but I really feel like this quilt is bringing back my love to quilting, and I’d like to spend a little more time with it while I hand quilt it.

I think it’s alright to be distracted by what you love.