March Bee blocks

I stitched up a few  March Bee blocks recently.  The first is for the Modern InstaBee.  It is Amorena'a month and she requested the flying windmills block with a black background, some solids and no more than two prints.  It took me considerably longer to come  up with the fabric selection than to sew the block.  You will notice in the second picture that I almost put the final block together incorrectly (see the green pieces) but thankfully I realized the error before any unsewing was necessary!  You can check out the other blocks on instagram using #moderninstabee2014.

I also finished blocks for the SMQ 3 bee for Francesca.  She requested blue  slab blocks with one piece of brown.  These are easy to make - thank you Francesca!

Still on the To-Do list  for March bees: do. Good Stitches  and SMQ 3  for Christine.  I need to get crackin'!

Finishing up the borders on Min Skatt

By now maybe you are tired of hearing about Min Skatt my dear readers!  I don't want you to think I have not been busy and the truth is the quilting on this one has been quite time consuming but I am almost finished!  I turned the quilt for the last time and I quilted three of the four borderers with only the black one remaining. 

I fairly sure I will use the leftover backing for the binding.  The back is a single fabric and will look like a wholecloth when it is done so I want to have the binding match.  The new owner can display either side of the quilt as it is my belief they will be equally beautiful!

And new labels!

I am almost out of quilt labels.  It's hard to believe I made that many things that needed a label!  The old labels were 1/2 inch twill tape with the design applied by heat transfer.  I was not crazy about that type of label because it will not survive a hot iron.  The new ones are a bit larger at 3/4 inch and are printed with ink directly onto the tape.  I hope they will stand up to some washing since my quilts are made to be used!

What do you all think?

A cute birthday gift for my granddaughter

My granddaughter turned two recently and I was struggling to think of a gfift for her.  I decided to pick some super cute fabrics and make a little purse.  I had a lot of help from another Swink Girl (Margaret).   We cut some squares with the AccuQuilt and then made half square triangles.  These were pieced together in three sctions; front of purse, front pocket and  rear of purse.  Some quick straight line quilting on the Juki and the panels were complete.  We used some cute japanese fabric for the lining reinforced with lightweight  interfacing.  I happened to have some d-rings and a  slider on hand for the strap.  The purse is so cute and bright!  And I am happy to say the birthday girl loved it!

More Long Arming

I am plodding along with  the quilting on Min Skatt, my Nordika quilt.  I   had promised myself I would do something simple  - ha ha ha!  That quickly went by the wayside and I am quilting a different design in each hexie (a total of five different designs randomly applied to each hexie).  I used my gecko stencil for the first time asnd I am loving the results.  I actually ran out of bobbin thread as I was pebbling around him and then decided I like how it looks - the gecko appears to be crawling out of the pebbles - cool!  An accidental design decision - gotta love it!

I am going to turn the quilt to finish the borders I think...at least for the outside black one.  It will be my first attempt at turning a partially quilted quilt - wish me luck!

Ther back is looking awesome - can't wait to finish this up :)

New Business Cards!

A good friend helped with formatting the background and text into a high resolution image that could be used by the print service (I used Vista Print).  The background is is actually  a portion of the Insane Geese quilt I made for do. Good Stitches with a filter applied.  Love it so much!  I am thrilled with how they turned out.

Catching up - Computer Tote

Wow!  Has it really been two weeks since my last post?  Time sure flies.   My only excuse is that I did have to travel for my (day) job last week.  I have lots to share.   A few months ago (on another business trip) a work friend admired my computer tote and asked me to make one for her.   I found the perfect fabrics and got to work.  I used Peltex to provide sturdiness  and also a lightweight fusible on the lining.  I tried something new - an  interior zipper pocket.  It turned out pretty good for my first time installing that type of zip!  I learned a few things along the way too.  My Juki performed flawlessly through the construction.  I did have some trouble with tension during the quilting of the exterior though.  I adjusted the foot pressure, tension dial and stitch length and I was  still unhappy with the uneven stitches in some areas.   I am sure it is user error of some sort and I will just have to keep playing with it.   I also made a quilted laptop sleeve and zip bag (for cords) to coordinate.  She was happy with the end product and maybe someone will admire it and I will gèt some more business!