Foray Into Thread Art

Last night I decided to make a small purse for my granddaughter. I made her one a few months back and she carries it around everyday and has literally worn it out.

The pattern suggested either simple quilting or free motion quilting since it's such a small piece of fabric.

I put the three layers together and was going to do some free motion quilting but instead ended up using some of the decorative stitches on my Bernina and did some simple couching. After I finished the decorative stitches, I serged the four sides so it will look nice when it's all put together.

Wow - it was a ton of fun! Nothing fancy, mind you, but I enjoyed it and can't wait to get home and try again on another small piece of fabric for another purse. It's a beautiful piece of batik fabric which just begged me to practice this technique and I think it worked together nicely for this project.

Quilter's Candy Store

I spent yesterday at the Long Beach International Quilt Festival. If you've never been, you gotta go! It's like a huge candy store for quilters and stitchers.

Here is a photo of the treasures I brought home with me.

I also purchased a new foot and binding tool that will be shipped to me this week.

Everything and just about every vendor you can imagine is at this event. There are also many very beautiful quilts that help stretch the imagination for your next quilting project.

Guess what all the grandkids are getting for Christmas this year.

 

Weekend Sewing Plans

Let's see - tonight there is a dinner meeting, then there's a birthday party tomorrow for my goddaughter and a family 4th of July BBQ on Sunday just because that is the day we were all able to get together. The weekend's barely started and it's already full of things to do.

Somewhere this weekend I hope to be able to do some sewing. I have several baby quilt tops that are done but they need to be sandwiched and quilted. I have some red, white & blue fabric to make things for the grandchildren which I haven't even started yet. There are still a number of Christmas motifs that need to be embroidered, and I have two, maybe three, jelly rolls that are just waiting to be made into quilts.

Oh I hope I can sew this weekend. I have many things to do and am anxious to work on all of them!!

The Itch to Stitch

All I want to do this week is sew, sew, sew. Unfortunately, there have been way too many interruptions!

I'm going to try again this evening and see if I can't accomplish a little sewing. I always feel better after I've spent time at the sewing machine. What about you? Do you find sewing and crafting relaxing?

Sew Busy!

I have been SEW busy lately!

I'm really, really trying to finish up some UFOs before beginning any new projects, but it's hard to stay focused on current projects. Every time I walk into a quilt shop or go to a quilting demo, I see something new that I desperately want to try and have to remind myself I already have a zillion projects in the works.

Some progress has been made though. I have hemmed about a dozen T-shirts, blouses and pants for my mom; practiced some trapunto quilting; used the Cutwork tool to create a flannel rag quilt block; practiced some free motion quilting; worked on two more embroidered Christmas blocks; and made some quick receiving blankets. I also took a Lemoyne Star class from the local quilt shop and have started making a cute wallhanging from the pattern that came with the ruler.

Earlier this year I participated in a jelly roll race and made a flannel quilt top out of jelly roll strips. This weekend I decided that instead of making one large quilt top, I would cut it up into 12-1/2 inch blocks and make smaller baby quilts. So far, I've got two quilt tops made and I think this week I'll cut up the rest of the original quilt top. This time, however, I think I'll make some wonky blocks instead of traditional blocks by twisting my ruler a little so that they're all tilted. I think it will be cute.

This year I joined a group that meets every month and we are making quilt blocks from two different books. I have finished all the blocks (there were only six) from one book and am halfway through the blocks I want to make from the other book.

Will post pictures soon as well as more updates on my progress.

1st Block for Christmas Wall Hanging

I'm so excited about finishing the first embroidered block for my Christmas wall hanging. Isn't it beautiful? It is from the 2011 Holiday OESD design pack. I will be making six blocks for a wall hanging and I think I'll use a quilt-as-you-go technique to sew all the blocks together. It shouldn't take too long to finish. Last night I cut the fabric, applied some fusible stabilizer, and downloaded all of the designs I want to use to my machine. I got the idea from an embroidery demo I attended on Sunday and I couldn't wait to begin.

Quilting Community

I am loving this online quilting community. Everyone is so helpful and willing to share their tips and tricks, ideas and patterns. You are a great group of quilters and I appreciate all that you do for the online followers of your blogs and websites.

Thank you!

Inspired to Create

Last week I attended a Bernina event in Chicago and was totally inspired to come home and try all the new things we learned during the 2-1/2 days of non-stop fun.

I have been practicing some of the techniques we learned and am using new attachments and presser feet in ways that I hadn't thought of before. It is so much fun to color outside of the lines and step outside of the box and try new ways of putting things together. Most of the time, they turn out to be fabulous. Occasionally, they flop but all the time, they are tons of fun and help generate new ideas to explore on my Bernina.

Thanks Bernina for a great event and for opening my eyes to new and creative options in sewing, embroidery, and quilting!