::Fabric Selection::

Here's the stack of fabrics I've pulled for the Virtual Quilting Bee.  I'm happy with all the color choices but I may have too many polka dots in there.  I'll have to see as I go and make sure I space them around.

This stack was used for my first Block 1.  Love, love, love it and really happy with how the block turned out.  This block was designed by Sherri at A Quilting Life.

This stack I pulled was centered around the top fabric~ Marmalade Floral Pink by Bonnie and Camille.
I love how it looks but ended up changing it for Block 2.  I will try to use it again in another block.

Here's Block 2.  The tutorial is by Sukie of Sukie Don't Ya Know and it's fairly simple.

And because I'm loving this Bee, I made a second version of Block 1.  I hope to make two of each block but we'll see how that goes.  Doesn't hurt to try!

 

::Block 1::

Behold my pride and joy.  I'm smiling today.  Block 1 for Amy's Virtual Quilting Bee is done!  I was able to piece it without too many mistakes and am a little amazed that I was so accurate with all those points.

Choosing fabrics that go well together is hard and takes practice.  It's so much easier to start with a collection from a fabric designer~ and I've done that plenty~ but I wanted to take a risk and pull fabrics on my own.

The seam ripper is also my friend.  I sooo want to just leave a mistake if it's not too bad, but I always feel better when I rip it out and redo it.  I ripped out one of these seems 5 times.  It was worth it.

I'm so pleased with how it turned out.  I love the colors, the variety of scales and the placement of them. In looking at blocks that other quilters made, I was pretty sure I wanted the main square and points to be the focus with the background more muted and the corners to pop a bit.

What do you think?  Do you like?

::Virtual Quilting Bee::

I joined a virtual quilting bee.  My first one evah!  And I picked an awesome one for a newbie like me to do.  I've always wanted to join a 'bee' but was hesitant and unsure but this one is too good to pass up.  I'm totes confident I can do this.  Amy of Diary of a Quilter has started this one and so far it's been awesome.  I haven't even made anything yet, but that's beside the point.  Ha.

I trust Amy to guide me through the process~ her blog is the best around, plus I met her at Sewing Summit '12 last fall and she's sweet as pie.  I like to think I can call her a bloggy *friend* but not sure she even remembers me.  I'll have to ask her in September during SS '13.  'Cause I will be stalking her, for sure.

me with my friend Amy!

Want to know all about the Amy's Virtual Quilting Bee?  Go here to get the deets.

Want to get the information about Block 1?  Go here.

Want to get the actual tutorial for Block 1?  Go here.

Want to see blocks that the VQB members have made?  Go here.  I love seeing all the blocks that people have started.

I'm at step one, picking out fabric and here's what I've pulled.  Gray, lime green, yellow, turquoise/teal blue, orangey red and some pink.  What do you think?  I seriously need opinions, people.  No seriously.  Please jump in with your two cents.  

Wish me luck.  I'm off to make Block 1!

 

::I Spy Quilt::

One thing I did for Sewing Summit was to join a fabric swap.  Wasn't sure what it was all about but I'm so glad I did it.  I got all these awesome squares of fabric in the exchange!  They are so cute and it's fun to see what you get.  This one was an I-Spy swap so all the fabrics have cute, little images.  

Coupled with Amy's inspiration and my daughter's teacher having a baby and voila!

Oooopssss.  I always have trouble with the darn corners.  Any suggestions to avoid that?

I decided to pin baste it and skip the spray.  I used the knitting/crocheting needle to help pull the pin tip up and out of the fabric.  Super easy.  All I could think of when I pinned was visiting my gram and watching her sit on the floor with her head and shoulders bent over and pinning her quilts on her family room floor~ most were very large.  She still quilts at 96 years young and it's so sweet to watch her work.  

More work to be done and I hope to do it soon!

::Finally Finished A Quilt::

I finished a quilt!  What a great feeling.  I did the entire thing on my own from start to finish.  I cut and pieced it way back in April.  See it here.  And then summer got in the way.  

I love, love, love cutting and piecing the fabric that came in the Vintage Modern layer cake.   It's so much easier to focus on the process of quilting when the fabric is coordinated and I don't fret about fabric colors and placement.  

Basting the quilt top, batting and fabric backing is a little tedious in that I get so frazzled trying to keep everything smooth and flat.  I spray basted but I'm going to use pins next time or maybe I'll try the spray again one more time, but spray it on much thicker.  I'm just not ready to give up on it. 

 Quilting on my sewing machine is not easy but will get easier with time, I'm sure.  I was a bit disappointed that I missed quilting two lines that I had intended to do but by then the binding had been added so there was no going back.  I attached the binding on the front by machine and hand sewed it closed on the back.  I love hand sewing the binding, especially in the winter when I use the blanket to keep me cozy.

I gifted the quilt to Flannery and family and maybe she'll take some more pics of it for us to share.

Happy New Year!

 

::I'm Obsessed::

I'm obsessed with this quilt.

~a layer cake of Vintage Modern fabric from Bonnie and Camille~

I can't stop sewing.

It was so easy to cut.

Chain piecing makes it a quick project. 

I love every fabric in this line.  

I made the blocks and laid them out in the order that looks appealing.

Here are the rows I've started~ there are 6 rows all together.

I'm so excited I can hardly sleep.

I stayed up until 2:30 am the other night to work on it.

That always hurts the next day but

it was soooo worth it.

The other thing keeping me up at night? 

Sewing Summit.

I am really looking forward to learning

a lot from the teachers who will be there.

How to sew better, how to blog better.

I wish we could sign up for classes NOW, 

but I'm just so thrilled that I was able to sign up 

before it sold out and

I was one of the first 50 to do so and 

got a $50 discount.  

Holla!