Sewn Together January Blocks

I am so late with these blocks I can't believe it. I am usually ahead of schedule on all of my bee commitments and I have only fallen behind once before this. I am embarrassed but finally, this weekend, I was able to catch up on Paula's blocks in the Sewn Together Bee. What makes it even worse is that I am one of the Bee Mamas and so is Paula. Sigh.

Paula asked us to make a Spiderweb Block from Elizabeth Hartman's tutorial found on Sew Mama Sew. I don't know why but the first time I sat down to make this block I was a little intimidated and I think that's why I put it to the side and finally came back to it after I completed the rest of my January Bee commitments. Usually I churn out my bee blocks early on in the month. I try and attack them as soon as I get them in the mail. They're so much fun but also I don't want to leave people hanging. But these blocks caused a creative block. Seriously. Maybe it was the way the tutorial was written. Honestly, at first I didn't grasp that the black fabric Paula sent was supposed to be the foundation piece and I think I let that get the best of me. Luckily, one thing I have learned by participating in bees, is to ask questions first and then build your block. (Also read directions multiple times, not just two before starting!) I asked about the foundation piece on our bee message board on Flickr and learned that we were supposed to use the black fabric as the foundation piece so finally this weekend I found the time (and mustered up the courage) and attacked these blocks. And you know what? They are soooooo much easier than I anticipated. Seriously, I feel like a complete idiot for letting these silly little blocks get the best of me. I mean I've attempted much more complex blocks.

Now that all is said and done I am embarrassed that I put these blocks off. They were so easy and it's a gorgeous pattern. I also love Paula's fabric choices. I mean the black, green and grays are amazing! Really! So Paula, I apologize but your blocks are on their way home to you. Hope you enjoy them. I can't wait to see the finished product!

Join the Block Party at Quilt Story!

So I've decided that I'm going to enter a couple blocks in the Block Party Challenge over at Quilt Story. There are three categories for blocks: Traditional, Modern and Creative. So I thought, "What the hell, I'll enter something!" So here are my entries...

Traditional

I chose this Laced Star Block that I made in the Red & Aqua 2 Bee. I love the fabrics and although I abhor paper piecing I do love the end result. Sylvia requested this block from us and we used this pattern.

Modern

My Plaid Block that I made for Leah. I completely adore this block and I really want to make more. The tutorial for this block can be found here on the Block Party blog.

Creative

This was tough but I settled on an improv block I made in the Sewn Together Bee. All the circles are hand stitched onto the block.

If you want to show off your fancy blocks you still have time. Head on over to Quilt Story and get in your entries. The Block Party is open until tomorrow so run don't walk! Oh and they have fabulous prizes for the winners!

My First LAMQG Meeting

Visit LA Modern Quilt Guild

Tonight I finally made it to my very first LAMQG meeting! It's about time, dontcha' think? I signed up for the guild over a year ago after I took Alissa's class at the Urban Craft Center but I managed to miss every single Monday night meeting and Saturday Sew all year. The Los Angeles branch of the Modern Quilt Guild hosts meeting on the first Monday of ever month. Up until this month they were held at the Reform School in Silverlake. And while Silverlake is completely hip, cool and usually relatively close to wherever I work I always found it impossible to make it to a 7 pm meeting. I am usually just leaving the office around 7 pm on a good night.

This month they moved into a new home on the Westside. Not only am I excited about their new proximity to my house, I am also stoked about the new 7:30 pm meeting time. Also exciting is their new home in the recently opened Sew Modern! Seriously this new quilting store rocks. The carry different fabric lines than the Urban Craft Center and they have different classes. Plus, as an extra added bonus they have a brand spanking new longarm machine named Harley! She's gorgeous and they're offering longarm classes and rentals! I am planning on utilizing both!

I will admit that I was a little intimidated walking into my first meeting. There were over 60 people at the meeting and everyone seemed to know everyone else, so I kind of hung in the back and observed the action. I know the more meetings I attend the more people I will meet and eventually I will fit right on in. I am really not all that shy but it's always a little weird to walk into a place where you feel like you're the only one who doesn't know anyone.

The meeting was great. All the first-timers, like me, introduced themselves to the rest of the group. They announced a Denyse Schmidt weekend in June and there was a show and tell where so many talented guild members showcased their latest and greatest. If you haven't checked out a Modern Guild meeting in your area I encourage you to do so. It's a great way to meet other like minded people close to you. I can't wait to attend the next one!

International Fabrics

I realize that I haven't even shared all the fabric treasures that I brought home from my Asian Adventure. I've started collecting native fabrics and handcrafts from my travels. Someday I'm going to make a travel quilt that showcases all the places we've been in textiles. Who knows when that will happen, though.

Our first stop was Thailand, so of course I had to come home with some Thai silk. I mean this stuff is the real deal and it can easily set you back $20 a yard or more. When we were in Chiang Mai we visited a Thai silk factory and saw the entire silk harvesting and making process in action. I knew that the silks here were priced for the tourists but even at tourist prices I was still getting a steal. I swept up three yards of high quality Thai silk for about $13 a yard. Then when I returned to Bangkok on our way home I stumbled upon a treasure trove of Thai silk in the back of a tiny fabric store after scouring the fabric district in Chinatown. The sweet lady who owned the shop sold me two meters of Thai silk for closer to $8 a meter! She also gave me her card and told me that she would happily ship to me in the US!

In Laos I was turned on by all the amazing Hmong textiles sold at the night market in Luang Prabang. We ended up bringing home a beautiful duvet cover and matching pillow cases. Everything was 100% stitched by hand and it was incredible to watch these women work.The quality of the fabric isn't the best but the hand stitching is amazing and I am in awe of the beauty of the piece.

I also picked up several meters of woven fabric in the local market. I thought the purple and the green would compliment the fabrics I picked up in Guatemala earlier last year.

Finally in Burma I found an amazing hand painted piece. I didn't know what I was going to do with this yardage when I bought it. I knew I couldn't cut it up. It is just too beautiful. I imagined that it could be used in it's entirety as backing fabric when I finally put the travel quilt together. Or I might even use it as a shawl. Then my sweet husband had a wonderful idea last night... We're going to use it for our chuppah in our family wedding that we're having later this month.

I need another trip so I can expand this growing fabric collection. Any favorite fabrics or textiles out there from any of your travels?

Swaps Galore

I know I am over committed, in fact Natalie and I were chatting about it just the other day. And I swear I am starting to scale back... a little. In fact I am not joining in on the current round of the Scrappy Pincushion Swap on Flickr just for that reason. But I couldn't help myself from joining in the Spicing Up The Kitchen Swap and the Urban Home Goods Swap. Seriously, how could I resist?

During the Fall I participated in the SavVy {Seasons} Swap and Darci made me an amazing table runner that adorned my Thanksgiving table. Seriously, she is so talented! So when Darci told me that she was organizing a new swap and invited me to join how could I resist? I love to cook, although I don't ever have enough time to because of my crazy work schedule. But I have all the bells and whistles and kitchen gadgets a girl could want. I'm always looking to dress up our kitchen and dining room so I made a mosaic to inspire my secret partner.

I've also been having a ton of fun stalking my secret partner. (Insert evil laugh here!) And last night I had a strike of inspiration. I know exactly what I am going to make for my partner. Now that I know the "what" 'm starting to gather design inspiration. I'm thinking, linen, Echino, clean lines and a pop of color... I smell a trip to the new fabric store that opened on Tuesday in my weekend plans!

Then I cheated and made one mosaic to inspire each of my secret partners in the Make Mine Modern Swap and the Urban Home Goods Swap. I figured they were similar so I could get away with it!

I've also started stalking both of those partners too, but I am prioritizing each swap by due date to keep things organized and moving on schedule without getting overwhelmed. Although since a lot of people tend to join all three swaps I am stalking all three of my partners all over the place! It's a lot of information to keep straight, let me tell you! But me, the super organized producer type that I am, of course, has an electronic file for each person I am stalking on my computer. Boy, that sure does sound creepy doesn't it?! Watch out partners I've got my eye on all of you!

Lucky Pay It Forward Ducks!

Okay, there were only four comments on yesterday's Pay It Forward post so I can't just leave one person out so I will be making something for each of you! Jewel, Anabel, Wandering Minstrel and Lee I'll be emailing you shortly to get your addresses. Watch your mailboxes because sometime when you least expect it between now and February 1, 2011 you'll be receiving something special from me made just for you. And once you receive your gift remember to Pay It Forward to three more lucky ducks!

Pay It Forward

Have you seen the "Pay It Forward" trend that's been sweeping through crafting circles for at least the past year? Well I was lucky enough to be the recipient of not one but TWO Pay It Forwards. A couple months back Cherie of Sew and So Quilts picked me and I am anxiously waiting to see what creation she makes me that will end up on my doorstep. That's part of the fun. The not knowing! The waiting! The anticipation!

Then just recently my very talented and amazing friend Carla posted a Pay It Forward on her Facebook page. Carla and I are old friends from college and she is a gifted crafter so how thrilled was I when these amazing handmade cards showed up in my mailbox the other day?!

I mean, could you just die. You seriously have got to check out her stuff. It's breathtaking!

So in the spirit of Paying It Forward now I am going to give three lucky readers a chance to play. And don't worry if you don't get picked this time around just know that there will be another chance coming up sometime... who knows when... but on that blessed day when Cherie's surprise lands on my doorstep.

So how do you Pay It Forward? The rules are simple... I have one year from this date to make something handmade for three lucky readers. Each in turn must commit to "Pay It Forward" to three people and so on and so on. You have one year to complete this challenge starting the day you receive your gift from me.

Do you want to join in the fun? It's simple. Just leave a comment on this blog post between now and 5 pm Pacific on Wednesday. I will use the Random Number Generator to pick three lucky winners from all the comments. If your name comes up then sometime within the next year I will make you a handmade gift. You won't know what or when but one day you'll open up your mailbox and there it will be. And on that day you'll spread the love and commit to Pay It Forward to three more lucky folks. Please, only one comment per person. International comments welcome. Good luck!