Paper Piecing Woes

Since I got home from Guatemala I've been busy catching up on blocks I needed to make for my virtual bees. I purposely left the first block in the Red and Aqua Bee Part 2 until after I returned from my trip. The block was a Colorwheel Geese block and was my first ever attempt at paper piecing. I tried to put it together before I left for Central America but I was having some difficulty learning how to paper piece so I figured I would have more time to focus on learning this technique when I returned home. I have to say that putting this block together gave me more than a few gray hairs. It was a labor of love. I hadn't been this frustrated sewing in a very, very long time. I had to rip out stitch after stitch over and over in my attempt to learn how to paper piece. Initially I would have thought that paper piecing would be easy but boy was I wrong. But after many failed attempts I finally got the square together and I must say I am pretty happy with the finished product. I love the design but I think it will be awhile before I attempt this one again.

Sewn Together April Blocks Done

It's been a while since I've posted. March was crazy trying to wrap up Celebrity Fit Club and then my wonderful and amazing fiance and I were able to sneak away for a little while and take a much needed vacation. We spent nearly three weeks backpacking through Guatemala and Belize. It was fabulous and so difficult to return home. I did buy lots of fabric and textiles while I was down there, but I'll share some of that later. Since I've been home I've been trying to catch up on some blocks I needed to finish for the Bees I am in currently. Truth be told, I finished Mary's first block for the Sewn Together Bee before I left the country but I had so much fabric left over I offered to do a second block for her. Unfortunately I couldn't get to that one until I got back. In the first one I added the pink and brown fabric in the top right little square in the middle. Mary said we could add our own fabric as long as it had small dots or circles.

Mary's first Dotty Squares block for the Sewn Together Bee month of April

I had a lot of fun making Mary's Dotty Square blocks. Sadly, as much as I had an overabundance of fabric to make all the small squares and triangles, I didn't have enough large pieces of fabric to create the large squares and triangles. Mary was fine with that and told me to do what I can. So I got the second one about three quarters of the way finished and sent it on it's way to her. I hope she likes it! I added the blue fabric in the very center of the second block from my own stash.

Mary's incomplete second Dotty Squares block for the Sewn Together Bee month of April

Sewn Together March Blocks Done

I finished April's blocks for the Sewn Together Bee this month and I'm quickly getting them off in the mail before I leave on a trip to Guatemala for the next several weeks. I really love the Wonky Log Cabin and it was a very easy way to ease my way into my first ever quilt blocks. It was also such an honor to help April make this quilt because I know these fabrics mean a lot to her. She asked each of us to initial the blocks so I machine embroidered mine onto each.

My first ever block! I loved making this for the month of March in the Sewn Together Bee!

I was experimenting a little so I made the center of my first block with two triangles and I have to say that I really kind of like how it turned out. As I was making the second block I realized that I was running out of strips of fabric long enough for the outer rows so I had to improvise and change my vision a little at the last minute but in the end I am satisfied with the outcome.

I hope that April likes these blocks!

Relief!

I can breathe a sigh of relief! Tabatha’s Salon Takeover got our 3^rd season pickup! I have two and a half weeks left over here at Celebrity Fit Club then hopefully I can take a short break with my wonderful and amazing fiancé before we start pre-production back on Tabatha! If you know any salons out there that need Tabatha’s help let me know, we’re casting! Yippee! Now I just need to find some time to work on April’s blocks for this month in the Sewn Together Bee. I was in Minneapolis last weekend. I’m sick and working late nights all this week and through the weekend. I guess I’ll get to it the following weekend. Sorry April!

New Fabrics

I just got back from Minneapolis because I had a Board of Governors meeting this weekend. I was elected to the BoG of the Up With People Alumni Association last August to a two year term so this was my second meeting. Actually I felt it was very productive and I came away from this weekend on a mission. I can see clearly a way that I can help and give back to the world in my own little way thanks to the BoG, now I just need to put a motion in front of the Officers Board and hopefully they'll grant me the opportunity to form the committee I need to make this happen. It's been fun and productive and great to see new and old friends and the cast currently on the road but it's also been a whirlwind this weekend and I'm exhausted. So I thought I'd share some of the new fabric I've had coming in to help get the creative juices flowing again...

New Fabrics!

More Machine Woes

My wonderful and amazing fiancé picked up my machine while I was in Las Vegas this weekend celebrating at my best friend’s bachelorette party. It was a sweet little surprise when I arrived home on Sunday. I wasn’t able to sit down and work on Yasmine’s quilt until last night when, much to my chagrin, I discovered that although the walking foot is now feeding properly, there is a new problem. I’m breaking needles! I can’t figure this one out. Ugh! I have broken four quilting needles in about a 20 minute time span. The screw that holds the needle in place won’t tighten properly. I tighten it and have to keep re-tightening it every few stitches. To make matters worse, I can only sew at a snail’s pace because as soon as I put the pedal to the metal (or the hardwood floor as the case may be) the needle immediately comes loose and breaks. I tried going slow and steady but even then I still broke needles. I am at my wits end!

April's Fabrics for her Sewn Together Bee Blocks

But on the bright side I have been getting a lot of new fabric in that I’ve been ordering online, including some awesome Jay McCarroll Woodland Creatures line. And I got fabric for my first block in the Sewn Together Bee! April sent out some great fabrics including some cordoury that I can’t wait to start working. Her design this month is a Wonky Log Cabin. Since I’m new to quilting this will be my first foray into the Log Cabin Block but I can’t wait to get started! Sadly, these fabrics were from her clothing company that she had to close last month so we’re helping her make a memory quilt. I’m honored to help her with this project and I can’t wait to get to work and see where my inspiration takes me.

Awesome Jay McCarroll Fabrics

Shameless Plug...

I'm dying to get some pictures up of the new fabric I've been purchasing. I'll get it up soon, I swear but for now be sure to check out an all-new episode of Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp tonight on VH1. Tonight's episode is full of crazy drama. When we were shooting it everyone in the control room was transfixed by the fight between Tanisha Thomas and Sebastian Bach - and that was BEFORE we got it into the editing bay. This is a great season and the episode tonight is the best yet.