Showing posts with label pattern testing. Show all posts

My Quilting & Sewing Agenda

I mentioned last week that I was pattern testing for Megan at Tiny Orchard Quilts.  I finished my quilt top over the long weekend.  Once you get all the initial sewing prep finished, the actual block assembly and top assembly goes really fast.  Another nice thing is that there is very little waste (it is a very efficient use of fabric). This top is 72" x 96". I used Tula Pink's Spirit Animal fabric with Kona Snow for the background.  My daughter picked all the fabric combinations and selected the block layout.  
I selected Tula Freefall wide back fabric for the backing and my daughter chose one of the Spirit Animal prints (purple with birds) for the binding.  In case you couldn't tell, she has claimed this quilt already.  She wants custom quilting rather than a pantograph.  This is in line behind the Nessie quilt my son has claimed.  He also wants custom quilting and he was very specific on what he wants done on each part!

 You may know that I maintain a pretty extensive UFO/WIP list here on my blog.  It seems really overwhelming to me at times, so I made a shorter list to help me focus on things I'd like to get done sooner.  Currently I have 13 quilt tops ready to be quilted, eight quilt tops in progress that are relatively close to being done, and five I'd like to work on but haven't started yet.

 I also have three cross stitch projects in progress that I'd like to finish.

 And I have fabric to make eight shirts for myself.  I really need to get these done because I could use some new shirts!  Many of mine are too big or are worn out.

 Plus, I really need to work on my Woppet bucket swap.  This will probably get to be first in line since it has a firm deadline and firm check-in dates.  I think I know what I'm doing for my partner, although it isn't what I initially planned.  I want to make one as a test before I cut into the actual fabric though.

 I also need to resize some of my doll clothes patterns.  Speaking of dolls, be sure to click on the My Friend Doll link at the top of the page.  I updated it with photos of the amazing outfits my great aunt sewed for me as a child.

 I'm pleased to say that I currently have all of my flower gardens and vegetable garden under control.  I've done everything I can do right now for my sewing room (waiting on others for things I can't do).  My daughter's dressing table has the paint on and just needs a clear coat to finish.  I do need to have new mirrors made and we need to find a chair to go with it.  The rug to go underneath is on order.

 Looking at this, things are going better than I thought.  That's always nice!  I do, of course, have the time drain of the FLL season for the next few months, but my weekdays are primarily free, so maybe I can get a move on and accomplish something?  One can always dream!
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A Start, a Finish, and Progress

I completely finished the Serengeti quilt I quilted last week.  I made a flanged binding, the fabric for which came in the kit I'd purchased.  There weren't any directions for how to make the flange, so I turned to Google for help.  I read through several different tutorials and finally went with the one that made a 2.5" finished strip, since that was the closest measurement to an actual binding I could find.  It went pretty well and I feel that it adds a bit of oomph to the finished quilt.  The only thing I didn't like about it was that it cut off the points of my top and bottom flying geese units.



I started a new project too.  I am pattern testing for Megan of Tiny Orchard Quilts.  This is still a work in progress.  I have three blocks done so far.  The fabrics are Tula Pink's Spirit Animal and Kona Snow.  When I purchased the Tula fabric, I figured I'd just use one of the white fabrics I had at home.  They were too stark with the fabric, but then I remembered that I had a large chunk of the Snow that was the wrong color for a previous project.  It looks good with the Tula and I used up something from my stash.  Score!  Be looking for her new pattern soon!

Last week I was debating whether my paint color choice (Valspar Homestead Resort Jefferson White) for my sewing room was going to work.  My wonderful husband wired the lights in the room so that I could see how the actual lighting looked with the paint.  I think it will be fine and put the second coat of paint on yesterday. In case you're wondering, we always tape off around the ceiling with the wider painter's tape.  This helps not only with getting a clean edge, but with avoiding roller marks on the ceiling too.  They land on the tape instead.  Which is good, because painting ceilings (or touching them up) is just the worst.

I ordered my flooring from flooringmarket.com.  We chose this place because it had good online reviews and the price was very competitive.  They also offer free shipping. The ordering process was super simple and painless.  I ordered on Tuesday and had my flooring delivered Friday.  I had anticipated that each box would weight 20-30 pounds, and in reality each box is just under 50 pounds.  I'm really thankful for the FedEx driver who used the lift gate to unload the pallet even though the shipper didn't pay for the lift gate.  As you can see in the picture, the flooring is AduraMax by Mannington.  It's a luxury vinyl plank. The color I chose is Sundance Gunstock.  I'm sorta laughing because it is very similar in color to the paneling that graced my walls in my childhood bedroom, which I always thought was dark and ugly.  Hopefully it will be better on the floor!  
Can you see my ugly paneling on the wall behind me (I'm in the center)?
An approximation of the wall color, flooring, and trim.  The trim will be more white.
I've been meaning to get this Nessie quilt quilted for several weeks now.  My son has laid claim to it and has very specific ideas on how it should be quilted.  He wants random clouds across the top around Nessie.  I can't draw a cloud to his liking, nor can he draw an example of what he wants.  We use the Magna Doodle to practice designs.  Until I can figure out the cloud situation, it sits and waits.

I'm still agonizing over my fabric choices and what to do for extras for my Woppet swap partner.  This is a tough one.  I think that almost every time I do an Instagram swap because my partners generally like things that I do not have in my stash and that are extremely specific.  I thought I knew what to do for this current partner, but now I am really questioning it.  And I can't just keep buying all sorts of different fabric.  I wish, but that is not my economic reality.  Gah!

 MQX Midwest is quickly approaching.  Just three weeks away now.  I'm excited to learn more longarm skills.  What shows or expos do you like to attend?  Do you go to take classes or just to browse the exhibits?

 Have a great Labor Day weekend. I can't believe it's that time of year already!  Until next week, happy sewing.

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