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Red & Aqua Part 2 June Block

In the mad dash to get my blocks done before I went back to work I finished up two Wonky Log Cabins for Donna in the Red & Aqua 2 Bee.

She wanted a slight wonk and I hope I delivered for her. The first block need to be all her own fabric because she is combining these blocks with blocks from another bee that she is in to create her finished quilt.

She said if we felt so inclined we could make a second block for her and we could incorporate our own fabrics into this one. I ended up running out of fabrics when I got to the outer edge so I added fabric from my own stash. I must admit, I have lots of aqua in my personal stash but unfortunately no red at the moment so a quick run to the fabric store was in order. (Like I need an excuse!) I could have sent it back with all aqua on the outside but I think it needed some red. And, yes, I could have sent it back to her unfinished, but what's the fun in that?

I was so determined to get red fabric to finish the block that I didn't even realize until I was looking at the pictures of the finished block much later that I ended up adding one extra (unnecessary) strip of red. And here I was wondering, as I cut it down, why I was cutting so much off one side. Silly me! I still like the way it turned out.

I must say, I have now made several wonky log cabins now but the tutorial Donna sent along taught me something new and I wish I had known it when I made the Laker's Log Cabin for Sorrel. Thankfully I am a habitual reader. I'm the type of person who will read the manual to the vacuum cleaner if it's lying about, so I scanned the tutorial Donna sent along even though I thought I already knew "how" to make a wonky log cabin. And I do! But reading the tutorial I learned to use 3" strips for the last layer so when you cut the block down to size you don't end up cutting to the seam or end up with super thin layers. Awesome!

Sewn Together June Block

I finally went back to work yesterday after a two month hiatus but I got a head start on the blocks I needed to make for June before I went back to the office. In the Sewn Together Bee Mandy asked for a Kaleidoscope String Block. Since I am very new to quilting and piecing (and bees) this was my first String Block. There was also an interesting choice of fabrics that came our way, not your traditional quilting cottons, oh no! Mandy sent us an awesome array of satins!

Mandy's Fabric Choices for June

Paper piecing this block was so much easier than my other two attempts, mainly because it's an extremely easy block to paper piece. I did have one mishap along the way. Mandy wanted the green fabric to be our starting piece. She thought it would unify the quilt when it comes together. Well, I finished my last square and was getting ready to put the whole block together when I discovered that I had laid out the middle green strip incorrectly and it was at a slightly off angle. I freaked. At this point I had already cut the square down so I could salvage some of the strips but there was no way I could salvage the most important fabric, the green. Thankfully I discovered that I had enough of the green left to make one more square - but just - so I was able to save the block. Phew!

Mandy's String Block for June

I really hope Mandy likes the block. It was a lot of fun to make and I really enjoyed working with the satins. This block is now on it's way home to England. I can't wait to see the whole quilt put together.

The New Set Bag

The New Set Bag

I've been bored while I've been off work and that means I've had time to concentrate on PROJECTS! Woo Hoo! So the other day I was wandering through my favorite little craft store and got the idea to make myself a new bag. I work in production so I always have, what I call, a "Set Bag". My set bag is a durable carry-all that I use when I am literally "on set" during production. It needs to be able to hold my laptop, clipboard, pens, walkie talkie, and every other little thing I need to have with me on a shoot. But my set bags take a beating and often get dirty so I don't want to take my nice leather purse with me. Just because it needs to be functional, durable and rough and tumble doesn't mean it can be cute too, does it? So I made myself a set bag. And I love it!

Close-Up on the Front Details

View of the Lining and Inside Pockets

View of the Back Pocket

But as I was finishing it I thought maybe I should give it to my friend Candi instead as a gift. I am helping throw her baby shower tomorrow so I thought it might make a great diaper bag for her second bundle of joy. She's having a little boy and I thought the colors fit her and her little boy-on-the-way well. I may just have to make myself another one. And one for my sister, my mom, oh, and my friend Alyssa who fell in love with it as I was making it. I guess I'm taking orders!

Red & Aqua Part 2 May Block

So my second attempt at paper piecing went much better. In the Red & Aqua Part 2 Bee, May's Block gave me an opportunity to further my paper piecing skills. The request from Canada was a Laced Star. Sigh. It was daunting at first but thankfully she included enough extra fabric so there was some room to play and I quickly discovered that this is - for me at least - one of the keys to paper piecing. Having the extra fabric made all the difference. Paper piecing can produce an excess of waste, and I tried to minimize this as much as possible, but it helped to have extra fabric especially since my distinctly non-mathematical mind has difficulties figuring out the angles backwards. Does that make any sense? This time around there was definitely less frustration and it was a little easier than the last - so much so that I discovered that I don't hate paper piecing as much as I thought I did, especially after seeing the finished product.

Laced Star for May in the Red & Aqua Part 2 Bee

I fell in love with this block. It was sad to send it home. And I was thrilled that I got one of the packages with the special Eiffel Tower fabric. I can't wait to see this quilt all put together. It's going to be amazing!

Sewn Together May Blocks

I haven't updated the blog for a while, but that's not because I haven't been working on any projects, quite the contrary. At the end of April I got caught up on my Bee Blocks for the month and I got a head start on May.

In the Sewn Together Bee Sorrel couldn't decide so she sent out fabric for two different blocks and let us decide which one we wanted to make. I don't go back to work until June and I absolutely love piecing so I was happy to take a stab at both - plus she had the best stories behind both of the quilts. The first block she asked for was a Los Angeles Lakers inspired wonky log cabin. Her grandmother had started a quilt for her cousin with Down Syndrome but never finished it before she passed away. Years have passed and Sorrel discovered the old project and has decided to update it for her cousin who is now living in his own place.

Lakers Inspired Wonky Log Cabin #1

I had enough fabric left over to start another block but I ran out of yellow so I sent her a block and a half for the Lakers Quilt.

Lakers Inspired Wonky Log Cabin "Half Block" #2

The alternate block she wanted was inspired by Denyse Schmidt's "Drunk Love" quilt. This quilt she is making for her husband. She told us how supportive he's been of her quilting habit, even creating a workspace for her in their house. Her mother-in-law wanted to buy her a display case for her quilts and she had to admit that she never keeps the quilts she makes. That's when her husband asked the same question my wonderful and amazing fiance asks me every time I sit down to my sewing machine: "Why don't you ever make me anything?" So she is making the second quilt as a surprise for her husband because he commented positively on a similar block she made for another bee. (Please ignore the dark spots on the photos I had an issue with my camera. It's since been fixed!)

Drunk Love Inspired Block #1 for Sorrel

Again I had leftover fabric and time on my hands so I started a second block for her but ran out of white fabric this time. So I'm sending her one and a half blocks for each quilt.

Drunk Love Inspired "Half Block" #2

As I was working on these I really fell in love with them. I loved the colors and I was happy with the way they turned out. I was inspired to maybe do something similar for my own wonderful and amazing fiance one day. I hope Sorrel is as happy with them as I am!

Red & Aqua Part 2 April Blocks

Since I was away for most of the month I had to scramble when I got back to finish my bee blocks for April. In the Red & Aqua Part 2 Bee Mary wanted us to make a Strip for her Strip Quilt. I must admit I wish I had been a little more creative with this one. I like how it turned out but looking back on it I think I could have pushed the envelope a little more.

Strip #1

Here is some close-up on the details for the first strip.

Close-Up on the Details on Strip #1

I actually made two strips for her.

Strip #2 for Mary

More detail on the second strip.

Close-Up on the Details on Strip #2