SewKatieDid

Because thread is the best glue

linen

::Throwing Star Pillow::

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sewkatiedid:throwing stars pillow:to the point triangle workshopThat leftovers thing happened again.  Hexes turned into triangles, and now I have another shape to show as an example in my triangle workshop with a hexagon shape center to boot!

sewkatiedid:throwing stars pillow:to the point triangle workshop

The stars turned out pretty wee by the time I cut them from the left over hexes.

sewkatiedid:throwing stars pillow:to the point triangle workshop:

The precision I’m pretty happy with, no paper piecing involved for those of you that asked, just 60 degree triangle piecing.

sewkatiedid:throwing star pillow detail 2:to the point triangle workshop

I floated them in Essex Linen.

sewkatiedid:throwing star pillow favoritesThese prints are favorites and deserved some limelight.

sewkatiedid:throwing star pillow

The diamond shape the quilting forms was simple enough to execute.

sewkatiedid:throwing stars pillow detail:to the point triangle workshop

And it matches the pillows on my couch;)

sewkatiedid:invisible zipper tutorial

Finished off with my Invisible Zipper Tutorial.

The weather couldn’t be any more perfect for quilting and if my child’s mood this morning is any indication of how most of Seattle is feeling today I think I’ll make the best of it and stay home to sew.

Chin up Seattle.

Happy Monday;)

::Almost Done::

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A HUGE thanks to all friends, family, blog followers, students, fabric whores collectors and excited quilters that popped into the Quilting Loft for the book signing.  It made my day and I was one happy camper.  It wasn’t till I sat down for dinner that I realized I hadn’t eaten anything all day.

I’ll get some photos collected from my friends for a future post of the fun day.

Now onto the final push to finish last-minute things before my Island Quilter exhibit reception on Friday!  I finished off the quilting on Psychedelic Baby this afternoon before I went to work.  I really wanted this quilt in the exhibit.

As always, I quilt faster in my head than in real life, so I had to set aside a few ambitious quilts and suppress those ‘I want to start a new quilt’ feelings.

Psychedelic Baby only needs a binding.

I’m thinking the red.

Whatcha think?

I feel a new class coming on.

::Grandma Goobin’s Christmas Gift::

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SEW KATIE DID:Pouch

We call my husband’s grandma Goobin, the details are fuzzy as to why.

But every year I make her a zip pouch for her ciggies.  I save a few sample blocks for this purpose.  This block is a cast-off from a quilt somewhat in production mode.

The story this year is a little sad and a whole lot funny.

You see, I always include a strap to attach the pouch to her walker, like this one last year.

Well, with old age we forget things and apparently Grandma Goobin has forgotten she smokes!  So I guess not all is downhill when it comes to losing our memory after all.

So this year I didn’t add a strap.  She can leave this in her room, no need to venture outside for a puff.

This pouch from last year is still my favorite ever, though for the smell it likely should be burned.

Wishing my Bernina had this triple stitch, possibly the only redeeming characteristic of the Pfaff that I practically lost my own mind using.

So, that’s one checked off the list.

How are you getting on with gifts?  My list is short this year for lack of time.

 

 

::Half Rectangles or Something::

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I messed with Half Rectangles today, or at least that’s what I call them.

Has anyone else played with these?

Tucking them aside, but will play more later.  They do weird things.

I made some progress on Anything Goes.  The pictures are not good and I’m at a standstill.

When I stall out on the direction of an improvisational quilt design my general default solution is too make more blocks.  However, this involves buying more linen, so I might stick with the original design option above.

That sounds like I’m unsatisfied with it, but I’m not.  It’s that large neutral space.  I have to let it sink in my brain that the right quilting can transform that space into part of the overall design.  I know it will be simple quilting, but beyond that I’m lost.

Or I could just throw the fabric budget to the wind and start going in another direction with more blocks.  But wait, I already threw the budget to the wind…

Sewing with a friend tomorrow, and if I’ve learn anything from my collaboration with Jacquie, it has been that sometimes you need a new set of eyes to see the vision clearly.

I embrace that.

I’m trying hard to stick to my list of unfinished projects, but I’m really itchin’ to ditch it all.

I have a pile up of ideas and am in the mood for a sunny, picnic sort of Summer Love Quilt.

Oh, I think it already has a name.

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classes

destash

::Digging Up the Past::

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It has been a long time since these blocks have seen the light of day.

It took me ages to find more of the Japanese print dots that I ‘needed’ to execute my idea and then the book came along and it all got tucked away.

It still looks like this on the wall, but I pulled the sewn row apart to insert the ‘hollow’ blocks.   It isn’t quite there yet, but close.  I envision geometric rectangular quilting, so this one might have to be farmed out to a professional, unless I get my free motion grove on.

Ella’s quilt is still under the machine and I’m not sure if I like the quilting, but I’m committed now.

Happy Monday.

::Stacked::

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One of my favorite things to do is make piles of coordinating fabrics.  I’ve got a baby quilt commission.

I’m not sure if it will be A?

Or B?

I’m going to play around a bit today and see.

::Hit the Spot Finished!::

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Straight from the dryer in its crinklie goodness is Hit the Spot.

Three must be the lucky number, because that’s how many times I starting quilting it and then spent some time with the seam ripper.

I finally settled on this little square as a starting point and went round and round without worrying about straight lines so much.

The whole quilt is made with leftovers.  Some strip piecing and past binding discards,

and blocks made as samples for a past bee.

The background all pulled from my neutral scrap bin.  I probably should have gone with darker thread.  I had no clue how much the quilting would sink into the flannel bits.  Hit the Spot has linen, Kona, flannel and regular print quilting cottons.  I learned a bit about quilting with such a variety of different textured fabrics…no consistent stitch length.  I’m not winning any shows for sure.

It’s now up as a sample for my Improvisational Quilting Class come March.

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I started my Destash finally.  There are the Boys Squares (see this post) available again and you don’t have to bid!  I have a few sets so let me know if I need to relist.  Things have been moving out already without me even mentioning it here.  I’ll continue through the week.

:: Hit the Spot Quilt ::

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Straight from the dryer in its crinklie goodness is Hit the Spot.

Three must be the lucky number, because that’s how many times I starting quilting it and then spent some time with the seam ripper.

I finally settled on this little square as a starting point and went round and round without worrying about straight lines so much.

The whole quilt is made with leftovers.  Some strip piecing and past binding discards,

and blocks made as samples for a past bee.

The background all pulled from my neutral scrap bin.  I probably should have gone with darker thread.  I had no clue how much the quilting would sink into the flannel bits.  Hit the Spot has linen, Kona, flannel and regular print quilting cottons.  I learned a bit about quilting with such a variety of different textured fabrics…no consistent stitch length.  I’m not winning any shows for sure.

It’s now up as a sample for my Improvisational Quilting Class come March.

——————————

I started my Destash finally.  There are the Boys Squares (see this post) available again and you don’t have to bid!  I have a few sets so let me know if I need to relist.  Things have been moving out already without me even mentioning it here.  I’ll continue through the week.

::Find::

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I often get asked where I get my pillow forms during my Add Zip to Your Pillow classes.  I shop around a lot for deals, because I really like to make pillows in various sizes.  If I am in need of a specific size I go straight to Garnet Hill.

(Photo By Chara Michele Photography)

I love long narrow pillows and often use Joann’s forms, but they just don’t hold up well.  Look for down.  It just lasts forever with a little fluffing.

Garnet Hill often has sales, so I recommend signing up for them via email notices.

I’ve scheduled an invisible zipper class and others for late Winter and early Spring.  Grab your forms and come learn a new skill.

A big shout out to all of you asking for another Improvisational Workshop and Value class, they are on the calendar finally!  For those beginners wanting something basic with loads of design options to explore I added a Half-Square Triangle Class, truly a favorite.


For those of you that showed interest in a second round of the Value-Quilt-A-Long, I’m busily destashing and cutting squares.  As soon as those are ready for the shop I’ll announce a date!

DESTASH

::Hit the Spot Quilt::

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Things have been a balancing act around here since we arrived home.  We had one of those life events happen with the passing of Jeffrey’s extremely sweet, very small, giggling 92-year old Norwegian grandmother G.G.  You crafty ladies would have appreciated this domestic arts diva.  She lived her whole life in her own home.

I was pretty thrilled this morning to take a breather and shake out this long forgotten baby quilt.  I put it up on the design wall for some quilting contemplation.  I have a few ideas and am even hoping to tap into some of the hand quilting knowledge you all provided on this blog and that I can’t find for the life of me.

I’m even more thrilled that I get some time to go sew this Saturday with the lovely ladies of the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild.  Of course I have to go.

I’ll quilt this up and help Noelle out with her school auction quilt.


There’s a lot I like about this quilt.  I like that the focuses in it are made with left overs from some Bee Blocks made from my own fabric stash and a ton of  random neutral fabrics.  It has texture with a mix of Kona, linen and flannel.  I think the design layout worked well too.

There’s some things that I also would change and those I won’t point out cause that would get me nowhere now would it?

I’m still working on making time for a Value Quilt A-long and think I picked some dates for classes.

Now just send me some sun…I’m in need.

 

 

Here’s to

::Reinvent, Recreate::

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Have you ever made something that you just LOVE, but you gave it away?

I’ve been thinking about this zip pouch I made for Grandma Goobin to carry her Ciggies.  Maybe it’s just the fabrics.  These prints were made to cozy up with linen I swear.

I recently recreated with thrilling results a quilt that I had gifted…but I don’t know if I could pull this one off differently and like it as much.

Right down to its triple stitched strap I want to duplicate it.

Is it me or do you make things improvisationally and wonder…now how in the…am I going to recreate THAT?

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*Half Square Triangle Class

*September Improvisational Workshop/Strip Piecing

*Improvisational String Blocks Workshop

*Value Class

::Hoot::

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I did manage this week to finish a wee pillow (12×12).  I left it in the hands of my wonderful coworker as a possible gift for a birthday party she’s attending.  The owls are from the Pottery Barn bedding called Brooke.  I was gifted a FQ and am always tempted to buy some.

Like all my pillows, it’s lined in muslin and the seams are serged.  I have some of the bits left so I am sure there will be some more in the making.  I LOVE the Alexander Henry Arvika and am always looking for it online.  If you run across the black and white let me know!

I did an invisible zip and the back is this sweet flannel that is almost gone.

Some other projects have been on the front burner.  In a shocking display of my perfectionist personality, I took the seam ripper to the quilt back I had completed AND basted to Roan’s quilt front.  I’m so happy I did, it wasn’t sitting right with me.

I’ve had the Alexander Henry fabric forever.  This won’t date me at all, but it reminds me of the Ah-Ha video, “Take On Me.”  Remember when you actually watched videos on MTV?

The dots are a flannel old school Amy Butler score on Ebay.  I have some of the blue left that I’ll stick up on Etsy when I get my act together.

Many other sticks in the fire of course, including a simple tied quilt like this.  Run out and buy yourself some of that Country Fair that’s at crazy discount all over!