Still Focused on Finishing

At least I'm trying my best.
Amost finished. Here's the first part of my niece's graduation gift. The placemats are done. I'd sure love to keep them. I did a few things differently on these. I used flannel for the batting and I love the weight of them without true batting.
I also did machine binding. It turned out fine, but I'm regretting it a bit. I do love the look of handstitched binding. I just have to get the grommets in the potholders and then I can count this as a finish.

Have you been visiting Sew Mama Sew During Quilting Month? It's been a wonderful month of inspirational quilts, super tutorials and lots of good info on quilting from applique to machine quilting. I've learned a bunch and been inspired by some creative quilters. I've done a series of quilting basics posts during the month. You can find them here:

Part One: Preparing and Cutting Your Fabric

Part Two: The 1/4" Seam and Pressing Techniques

Part Three: Matching Seams and Quick Piecing Techniques

Part Four: Maintaining Your Quilting Momentum

My friend Katie, of Sew Katie Did ends the month with a really cute quilted pillow. It should be posted later today. If you haven't been keeping up, grab a cup of whatever and spend some time cruising quilting month. You'll be glad you did. Have a great weekend everyone!

Good Monday Morning To You

It's always a good day when fabric arrives in the mail. I got this this other day from Kathy of Pink Chalk Fabrics. You know, some online stores are better than others and Kathy's is one of the best. Do you know she irons your fabric before she packs it up for you? Fabric from her store is perfectly folded, cut beautifully, and best of all she has great taste. There's never a time I click on her store that I don't find something I like. I think I must have been channeling her last week...this post summed up exactly how I was feeling. I was suffering from 'Pissy' (read her post to find out the symptoms). I was glad to be diagnosed...knowing what's wrong with you is the first step to a cure.

New fabric might be one of the required medications.

Love these soft pinks and grays.
Wild thyme is one of my current favs.
I think these dots are fabulous and mingle will always be in my stash. I was running low on these squares.
Spent part of the weekend perfecting my oval template....I think I've got it now...it's going to show up in lots of designs. I get tired of squares and rectangles sometimes...and I think an oval shape is really fun and modern. I usually pin the heck out of my curves, but thanks to my friend Fulvia I tried something new. I sewed the above with NO, yes I said NO pinning. I watched this and gave it a go...and it worked first time, every time. Who knew?

And now for the giveaway. Holly is the winner. The Fat Quarterly team should be in contact with you soon. Congratulations!

Have a great week, avoid 'Pissy' if you can and let's see if we can get some finishes happening. At least that's my plan.

Excuse Me While I Finish Things

It's been a crazy busy week. No time to take pictures. I had my first finish...a BIG one, my quilt for the Block Party book. I can't show you anything, not even a peek. I packed it up, tracked it, insured it and sent it on its way to Los Angeles.

Some of my favorite bloggy friends are starting a new venture called 'The Fat Quarterly.' Here's their announcement:

The authors of six blogs popular for their modern sewing and quilting projects have teamed up to launch a new e-zine featuring quilt patterns, interviews with top fabric designers, previews of upcoming modern fabric lines, and more.

Fat Quarterly is a collaboration between Kate Dixon (One Flew Over...), Katy Jones (I'm a Ginger Monkey), Brioni Greenberg (Flossyblossy), Tacha Bruecher (Hanies), Aneela Hoey (Comfortstitching) and John Adams (Quilt Dad).

"With Fat Quarterly, we hope to provide a source of ideas and inspiration for anyone interested in the modern sewing and quilting aesthetic", says Ms. Dixon. "We have assembled a truly global team with diverse skills and styles, but connected by a love of handmade items and of sharing the joys of creating with others."

Fat Quarterly will officially launch when its first issue is available on Tuesday, April 27th. This introductory issue will be packed with exciting and original content including six brand new patterns for modern quilts and other sewing projects, designer interviews and previews of six upcoming fabric lines, book reviews, a report from the British Quilts exhibit at the Victoria & Albert museum, amazing giveaways of some of the fabric and books featured in the magazine, and much, much more.

The publication will be released four times per year.

Learn more about Fat Quarterly at www.fatquarterly.com, where even more original content will be available. Current and past issues of the magazine will be available via the Fat Quarterly Etsy shop (fatquarterly.etsy.com). Fat Quarterly is also on Twitter (www.twitter.com/fatquarterly)!

To help them launch their venture they've offered a free issue of their new e-zine to one of my readers. So leave a comment and let me know what's up for you this weekend. Entries close Sunday at midnight central time. I'll announce the winner Monday morning.

Are you 'Spring to Finishing?' Check out Rossie's post 'feels good to get stuff done.' She made this great list and I'm loving her rewards too.

Spring to Finish Challenge 2010

The "Spring to Finish Challenge" starts today and ends six weeks from today on May 31st. We'll have a 'Halfway There' check in on May 10.

Let's keep it simple. You decide what you want to work on, and do your best to achieve your goal. It doesn't matter to me if you are finishing quilts or finishing that half painted room in your house. It's all up to you. Count your projects however you see fit.

Simply writing the words 'spring to finish' the other day gave me the kick in the pants I needed to motivate myself.

After you've decided what you want to do, decide how you're going to reward yourself for completing your goal. If chocolate is your thing, indulge. If you love movies, take a friend or your honey and get a big popcorn to go with the show. Have a relaxing bubble bath with candles and all the trimmings. Treat yourself!

I've made a button for all of us. Feel free to take it from the sidebar and link back to this post. Here is the code for the button. I hope this works!
<a href="http://tallgrassprairiestudio.blogspot.com/2010/04/spring-to-finish-challenge-2010_19.html" title="spring to finish big by Jacquie G, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4022/4533831188_69e0fce7d2_m.jpg" width="202" height="240" alt="spring to finish big" /></a>

May 10 is the halfway point in the challenge. I'll do a post that day and everyone can come back and leave a link to their finishes so far and I'll do a little giveaway that day for all of you who have at least one finish by that date.

May 31 is the end of the challenge. There may be a prize or two that day, but folks, any finish is a prize and remember, we're all going to reward ourselves!

So, leave a comment to tell me you're in. Tell everyone your goal and most importantly how you plan to reward yourself for your finishes. Feel free to invite others to join.

Can you feel the collective energy building?

I have my list of projects made and prioritized. First on the list is my niece's graduation gift. This is not a quilt (though I'd sure like it to be.) They will be four stacked book placemats. She's getting dishtowels and potholders too.

As for how I'm going to reward myself. If I finish my list, I'm taking my hubby away....it may not be very far away, but we are getting away together and NO ONE is going to work.

I hope you'll join me. (not on the getaway...on the challenge!) Now, I'm off to sew. Could I get that first finish by the end of the day?

With the Finish Line in Sight

The Spring to Finish Challenge will start on Monday, so you have the weekend to get prepped, make your list, in my case, lists. I have a 'want to' and a 'have to' list. Count your UFO's (unfinished objects), your WIP's (works in progress) and get ready. Be sure to come back on Monday and comment to get in on the action. I'm working on a blog button for us and maybe even a prize or two.
This is my WIP for the Project Plume Challenge at the KC Modern Quilt Guild. The challenge is over and alas I didn't get mine finished. I do love an integrated whirlygiggle quilt...I used what I had left over from my charm pack to put this together the night before the meeting. I know, I'm a lame President. You should have seen all the great quilts our group created. I hope to have pictures to share soon. I'm thinking this might be one of the prizes (if I get it finished!)
Lots of folks asked to see the quilting of this quilt up close...so here it is. Today is the auction, so keep your fingers crossed that it makes some cash.
I finished Wendy's block for my Common Threads quilting bee. She asked for doll representations of ourselves inspired by a quilt in the Material Obsessions book. This is my mini me. I took a little artistic license and made myself tall and thin. Why not?
I think the log cabined dress makes it very me.
I'm trying to get things basted ready for the Spring to Finish Challenge. I didn't do well at all in the Joy in the New Year Challenge, but it's a new time, a new opportunity. I'm going to bust it out!

Finished...Whew!

Just in time too. This quilt is going to be part of an auction in Omaha for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. It's made up of blocks from this tutorial (nice to know I could make use of them) and I made a few additional sections to make it a little bigger. I hope it raises a good amount of money. My nephew was recently diagnosed and it's a tough road for adults and even more challenging when you're a youngster.
Has spring sprung where you are? I spent a few minutes outside with my camera today capturing this year's redbuds in bloom. The woods surrounding our house are sprinkled with the purply pink lace of redbud blossoms. Rejuvenation and rebirth surrounding me inspire a fresh attitude and the feeling that I can accomplish anything.
I was thinking that it may be time for another Spring to Finish Challenge. Anyone up for that? I don't have loads of time to organize anything too complex, but I'm inspired...maybe we could be inspired together? Let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can put together.

Before Reality Sets In

Before 'real life' overwhelms me again in I wanted to live a bit in my Seattle experience. On Thursday we had time to visit Kathy Mack's (of Pink Chalk Studio) new warehouse. Since her fabric business had taken over EVERY room in her house, she decided it was time for a space dedicated to her business. It's a dream come true. Look at the high ceilings, the natural light, the lovely color blue on the walls and the fabric...bolts and bolts of Kathy's exquisite taste in fabric. I've shopped with Kathy since the beginning, first because she makes great choices, second because her service is the best, but most of all because she's a wonderful person. She's giving and open and her blog is a place where I always learn something new.
She let us dig through her scrap boxes. How nice is that! We pretty much covered her pristine floor with little stacks of fabric. Totally fun! Of course I came home with fabric. (Actually I had to borrow an extra suitcase to tote all my treasures back home.)

I had another pretty cool experience when I was in Seattle. After my trunk show on Tuesday I got to meet on of my project improv participants in person. Gabriella contributed a block and at the time she was just 11 with a brand new sewing machine. Gabriella came to the trunk show with a gift for me. Isn't it fabulous! Such great color choices and perfect construction. Practical too. I'm going to use it everyday in my studio.
She signed it for me too. (as all artists should!) Thanks Gabriella. Keep up the great work!

P.S.
Welcome to all of my Canadian friends. I was on 'Canadian Living' today. All my Canadian relatives are going to be sooo proud!

A Day Without Bacon Is...

...like a day without sunshine. Bacon, chocolate croissants, bran muffins, black tea and some quality time with a quilty friend. I'm not sure what's better than that. Working isn't interfering with having a great time!
Last night was the trunk show at Fabric Crush. It was an enthusiastic, supportive crowd. They came, I talked, we talked, and many of us indulged in our favorite activity, fabric shopping.
It was so great to connect with old friends, meet virtual friends and make new friends as well. Thanks for coming and making me feel so welcome! Thanks to Sarah of Fabric Crush and my friend Katie for inviting me. It was almost better than bacon.

check this out!

For those of you who were a part of Project Improv with me last year, guess what? We're famous! Project Improv and Tallgrass Prairie Studio are a part of the Spring Issue of Stitch Magazine. There are two great pictures, one of several of our quilt tops and a close up of one of the blue/green tops. I wish I could tell you if your block is in the picture...I guess you'll have to check it out and see for yourself. It should be on newsstands soon. You'll want to get it anyway. There's lots of great stuff in this issue in addition to us. I love Stitch.

Gosh, I can hardly believe it. I keep looking at it wondering if it's real.

Spiderweb Quilt Tutorial (for selvages)

I've had so many requests for how I made the selvage spiderweb quilt, I thought I'd do a quick tutorial of how I adapted Bonnie's Quiltville spiderweb tutorial to make my quilt. I'm not going to repeat Bonnie's instructions for how to make the template. You can find her instructions on the Quiltville site.

So let's get started. Using Bonnie's instructions you will make your kite templates and cut your paper foundations. You will need just a touch of glue. I use Elmer's washable glue stick. I recycle paper from my printer to use as foundations.
Here's how I trace my templates. I cut a 6" wide strip of fabric and trace the template alternated facing up and down butted against each other. I can get 13 kites from one width of fabric strip.
Next, you'll need selvages...lots of them.
Not all selvages are created equal. You will need at least 1/4" of fabric above the actual selvage for this quilt. You can make smaller ones work, but that 1/4" of fabric will make your life easier as you make this quilt. I also like to include peeks of the fabric when I use selvages so for me it's more like a 1/2" to an inch of fabric above the selvage.
For the outer ring on my spiderweb blocks I decided to include a significant amount of fabric in addition to the selvage. I wanted the quilt to be colorful and I wanted to showcase some of my favorite fabrics that I've used in quilts. The outer ring selvages ranged in size from about 2 1/2" to as small as an inch. You will need to trim your selvages so the top edge is straight and even.
Place your kite on your foundation triangle with a tish of glue as in the picture below. Now it's time to start placing selvages.
I lay the selvage face down lining up the raw edge with the edge of the kite to trim my selvage to right length. I let it extend past the foundation on each side just a bit.
Sew the first selvage with a 1/4" seam allowance. Be sure to set a small stitch length so that you'll be able to easily remove the paper later on. I set mine at 1.25 on my machine.
Flip the selvage and press. Here's where I adapt Bonnie's method. With normal fabric you would continue the stitch and flip method of the first strip. With selvages it's a little bit different.
The second selvage will be placed 1/4" UNDER the first selvage as in the picture below.
With the second selvage slipped under the first, you'll sew on top of the first selvage just a tish from the finished edge. This will secure the second selvage. I run the inside edge of my 1/4" foot along the edge of the selvage when I sew.
Continue this process all the way down the paper foundation until you have about an inch or so of paper still showing.
On this piece I added one more narrow selvage. Try to keep the last pieced added to be at least one inch wide. This will help to reduce bulk as you join the wedges together to form the spiderweb.
The last piece should extend just to the tip of the paper with 1/4" slipped under the selvage above.
Repeat the entire process on the opposite side of the paper foundation and it should look something like this.
Flip over the section and get ready to trim.
Use the edge of the foundation to line up your ruler and use your rotary cutter to trim off the selvage ends that extend past the foundation.
You can remove the paper now or wait until you have a bunch completed. The paper should tear away easily if you use a nice small stitch length. Be careful not to stretch or distort the block as you remove the paper.
A completed section looks like this.
I join the sections together differently than in Bonnie's tutorial. If you join sections like Bonnie does you will create a straight setting. Your webs will line up across your quilt. If you join them like I do here, your webs will be offset. Place two sections right sides together and sew along the long edge. I line up the kite points and pin there. You may want to pin more.
I highly recommend that you press your seams open. This will greatly reduce bulk and make your assembly much easier and your quilt will lay nice and flat. Pressing seams with selvages open can be a challenge, but I learned to start in the center (where the points of the kite come together) and work to the edge when you're pressing. Open the center with your fingers, use the tip of your iron and open the seam as you float just above the fabric moving to the outer edge. Just touch the fabric enough to open the seam. Then press. Repeat for the other half, starting at the center and working to the other edge. If you try to go from one end to the other you'll be working against the selvages. Be sure to press again from the right side. Don't forget to trim those little triangles that extend on the corners. Again, it will help reduce bulk if you get rid of them.
It will take 4 of these blocks or 8 sections to form your first full spiderweb. It's time consuming, but you'll find a rhythm and you'll have a quilt in no time. Have a great weekend and don't forget to check out Quilting Month on Sew Mama Sew...some really cute quilts are being showcased!