10 Years...

This past week my husband and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. Our wedding was held along the banks of the Crooked River 15 miles outside of Prineville in the canyon desert land of central Oregon. 

It is a place we call home, a place we come back to for renewal and growth. 

This was a trip surround by family and friends who have become family.

It was the first time we took our son out there for camping. An adventure that will be repeated many times I hope. 

The next 10 years begins again.

Cheers, 

Kelly 

Seeing Red:: August Garden

As I was wandering the garden this month I noticed something...something other than green. Red was every where in every shade from bright orange red to soft magenta. Of course there are red tomatoes and red hot peppers but the not so apparent hints caught my eye this month. 

A special flower: The Nightwatchman variety of Holly Hock. Saving seeds as I type.  

Red Leaf lettuce.

Beets! Yum. After watching my Grandma Dutra eat these from a can I never thought beets would be a favorite. But they are easy to grow and taste like candy when roasted.

Sun Gold tomatoes; these maybe more orange than red but they are beautifully sweet.

Another bee buzzing about collecting pollen. I told my son about this magical process and now each time he sees a bee he says "Awe look Mom, a bee getting pollen." The scientist in me melts each time.

Hot, Hot, Hot!

The constant in all my gardens, nasturtium. Also saving seeds from these little ones.  

A basket full of red veggies (and green and yellow and orange). The garden is bursting. In the next couple of weeks I will be harvesting and preserving drying, freezing and canning. The bounty is too much to eat; especially when there are figs coming ripe. 

Maybe next month Orange will be the dominate color :) Till then, 

Cheers!

Kelly 

Hexagon Flower Garden Quilt: A Finish

Hooray! A Finish! Finishing a quilt is so satisfying. Putting the last stitches on a binding and standing up to shake it out, lay it down on the floor and take a good long look.

The first inkling of a quilt is so magical - and this first look of a finished quilt is also that way. The colors coalesce, the pattern emerges and the binding makes a frame to ground the life within it.

This hexagon flower garden is for a dear friend and her family as part of our bartering deal. She made me a branding package for Blue Bird Sews (banner above!!) and I made her a quilt. She choose the design and steered me to the colors and patterns she likes. The rest was up to me. I've been working on it for a while, find more about this quilt at my earlier post.

Scrappy hexagons are unified by colors and quilting. Bright red and orange pop this quilt into hyper color with the spots of brown and green bringing it back down to earth and foliage.

I put on the walking foot for straight line quilting in an all over triangle pattern; mostly following along lines of the hexagons. I used masking tape to get the first set of lines started and then by the end I was eye-balling it. I hope I'm not the only one to to this...is this where 'organic quilting' comes from? he.hee

A little special touch of quilting was done in the very center hexagon; interlocking petals for a flower in red thread. Binding was made from scraps and hand sewn on. The back is a favorite is great! Using the leftovers and scraps I stitched up the back for a modern quilt finish.

Washed and packaged up; on the way to it's new home across the United States. To be loved, washed and loved again.

Cheers,

Kelly

ps. thought I should mentioned I've made this pattern before. Check it out here.

New Technique for flying geese

Well, new to me technique. I was stalled on my cowboy wild goose chase quilt for my little boy. I have about a thousand flying geese to make. Small flying geese, like 2"x 3.5". It was a bit discouraging. But after making about 8 blocks by eye-balling it (i live my life by the eye-ball method) I had to step away and think. I did not want to mark each square - twice in fact! So I waited and then I saw this method on Pinterest and it was a game changer for this quilt. 

The photo above it not the best I am sorry for that, but under my fingers is a piece of lightweight cardboard. That dark line next to the needle is my mark for cutting out said piece of cardboard. Take the piece and line it up from corner to corner of the square then simply follow the edge of the cardboard from point to point. So simple it's crazy! And no marking. 

Bam! Problem solved, WIP progress made. I've got all of the geese half way sewn up. A nice straight edge on each. Sometimes a WIP quilt that has stalled out just needs a little trick to get it going again. This new technique saved my sanity. 

What's your best trick? Let me know!

Cheers!
Kelly 

Vintage Calico Nine-Patch: A Finish

A Finish! A Friday Finish! What are you feeling good about today? Here it is sunny, warm and a new day. What is better than that - how about a finish almost 3 years in the making.

I started this quilt by cutting up little bitty 2" squares out of a stack of calico's that came from who knows where. Little flowers on soft pastel backgrounds. I cut and cut then I sewed and sewed. There wasn't a real plan, just quilting along.

Then all the little squares were sewn up. Each nine-patch had a white middle square that was the extent of the plan. It sat a while and I auditioned fabrics to go with the scrappy blocks. 

That's when I found the background print, tucked away in a pile of fabric. It took a while to commit to it, but it was about the same time that I bought the book Material Obsession 2 and I knew I needed to take a chance, step away from the kona white and go for the print. That is also when the design came together. With not enough fabric to make every other square I came up with another plan. 

The large patch of nine-patches is surrounded by patchwork. I love it, it's perfect. Material Obsession 2 was also the inspiration for the boarder print. Vintage, check. In the stash, check. Unexpected, check. I had a quilt top. 

Once the top was complete I knew it needed free motion quilting in a dog wood pattern. The squares lent itself to that, no marking needed. The boarders are quilted in a petal in petal design that meanders around the quilt.

The back is the left overs from the calico stash. I am happy to say that it took every last bit to make the back and I don't have anymore calico left. Not sad about that. 

Now I have a question for you. I am experimenting with quilt photography and I took pictures with my happy snappy digital and my iphone camera. Which do you prefer? 

Digital Camera

iphone camera

They are both touched up to look their best, but they each have such a different look. I'm not quite happy with either, but that's what I got. 

Best to you! A new month awaits, a weekend and I am feeling more like myself. 

Cheers!
Kelly 

linking up with: 

Crazy Mom Quilts

Color Play Applique Mini Quilt Finish

Hello there you! You know what -- I thought wouldn't like hand quilting. When I first started the blocks for this mini quilt I knew it was going to be hand quilted in white; it just fit. But having never tried it before and having no technique what-so-ever I just wasn't expecting to enjoy the process.

And then once I started on the background of the color wheel block - in little tiny 'popcorn' stitches I thought I was going to go insane before I finished. Instead of going crazy, I fell in love. Isn't life funny like that. 

It began with my need for a color wheel. I wanted something I could hang on the wall and reference each time I needed to know what color comes after green. It's like singing the whole alphabet to know what comes after Q. 

Once I finished the color wheel more blocks started coming to me. A crazy 8 point applique contraption. Another color inspired block, this one more complementary. And then the need to finish it and hang it on a wall. That part took longer than expected. 

But now what bliss, that it is finished. I really did enjoy the slow process and the texture of the quilting. I miss having something to work on that does not chain me to the sewing machine in the craft cave. Just relaxing in bed with my son and stitching was really nice.  

Also, I still really do enjoy a good rainbow. I don't think these scrappy rainbows are done with me yet.

Cheers!
Kelly 

Blue Bird Sews Top Ten Tips for finishing WIP's

Hello and happy Wednesday! I thought it would be fitting to post this article about WIP's on a Wednesday the day we designate as WIP Wednesday and share what our progress looks like. It's also a chance to document what and how many quilts, clothes, baby things and sewn projects we have gotten our selves into.  I linked up with Freshly Pieced today; check it out for more WIP Wednesday inspiration. 

I've heard and read around that this year people want to finish up those stacks of WIP's in search of a more organized and focused approach to the creative process of quilting. I know for me that rings true, if I could just get some mental space around my quilting I think the ideas might start coming and time will not be so scarce. 

So on that note; here are some helpful suggestions to get you started on your WIP pile as originally posted (expect the photos are of my current WIP's not the FAL crew) at Quilter in the Gap earlier this month as part of the year long Finish A Long which you can join up with still, see the end of the article for more details about that.

There will always be new WIP’s (work’s in progress) for the quilter. New ideas to contemplate, new patterns from the best designers,  inspiration to be found from all over quilty internet blog land, new fabric to dream with and of course the stash to work from. As quilters we yearn for the next project that sparks our interest; so much so that we stay up until ungodly hours of the morning to cut, sew and press just one block out of 50 that is needed for that next quilt.  We try to finish,  oh we try really hard! But by the time all the blocks are done — well then there is sashing options, boarders to miter, sandwiching to be done, quilting (eek! even FMQ) to be tried…binding to sew. You know the list too and somewhere in the middle a WIP is born.



I love all my quilts, all my projects equally but invariably the quilts that get done are destined for a purpose. Something for my shop, a family member or Portland Modern Quilt Guild commitment. All of these are equally good reasons to finish, but what about those inspired quilts of the moment that happen all at once yet wait for months, years maybe to be completed. How to finish those? Hmmmm….

That was a question I had earlier this year. How on earth do I finish these umpteen quilts I have around in various stages of completion? How could I even start a new quilt with those umpteen quilts hiding in the drawers? Am I really going to buy another 1/2 yard of this awesome fabric because I wantto, what about my huge stash at home?   Now wait here, even if you don’t harbor the same kind of WIP guilt I do, read on you may find a tip that speaks to you…or please share your own with us in the comments! So with that here are some suggestions for you to use or ignore as you like.

1. Throw them out. Gently of course, slowly at first. Put the pieces into a bag and close it shut. Leave it the closet for a month or two. Open it up and ask is the world going to end if I don’t have/save/hoard this unfinished quilt? If the answer is still yes after a month then salvage what fabric you like for scraps and donate the rest. Let go of the WIP guilt.

2. Make it to donate it. Okay if number 1 freaked you out then consider finishing your quilt with the intent to donate it. There are lots of organizations that would love to pass on a quilt. Every year Kate at Swim, Bike, Quilt! hosts a 100 quilts for kids initiative and she shares a few worthy charities that need your finished WIP quilt. If you are involved with a guild check with one of your officers about the current charity they are giving to. Make some else warm and give yourself the warm fuzzies too.

3. Try out a new technique. Okay you have a few quilt tops done and you just can’t bring yourself to quilt them out. Take a big gulp, sandwich it up (Elizabeth Hartman has a great tutorial for this) and try something new that you’ve admired. By the time you are done you will be way better than when you started and you’ll feel like a quilting queen! Another way to broaden your skills is to take a class, try improv, color play or free motion quilting. We can all benefit from learning  and doing something new!

4. Join a support group. Seriously we all need a little help to finish these languishing quilts. Besides having a blog to shout about it, there are flickr groups, Finish-it-up-Along 2013, the Threadbias community, instagram, your local quilt guild, WIP Wednesday with Freshly Pieced or join a quilting bee. Having a group of people to encourage you in your work, especially when the labor part of the love of quilting kicks in will increase those chances of completing a project.

5. Get organized! You might not even know how many WIPs you currently have! (I am currently guilty of this 100%, my list isn’t many but I know there is one or two I plum forgot about!) Take a quiet moment and pull them all out onto the dinning room table or somewhere you’ve got some room. Bring out some storage like gallon zip lock bags, clear totes or shoe boxes and start sorting the unfinished pieces into the bags and boxes.

6. Make a list. Write down or create a computer document that has each project  listed with the date started, current progress (i.e. blocks complete or 10 blocks to go), any supplies needed to complete the quilt  and the intended purpose of the quilt (gift, donate, your couch) Having this information at your finger tips might prevent another WIP and encourage  you to finish up steps along the way. Here are some other great tips I stumbled across in this blog post specifically for quilt organization at Sew We Quilt!written by Karen from Sew Many Ways, she has a whole section on craft organization! Check it out and get inspired to be tidy!

7. Edit the quilt. The fabric is picked out, the pattern decided upon and the queen sized batting bought. But stop there, would a mini quilt satisfy thatpickle dish yearning? What about the blocks that were started but never made into a quilt top? Do any of your completed tops or blocks fit into this wall hanging category? Hooray! Make it easy on yourself and edit it down.

8. Stop hoarding fabric. This might break a quilt commandment but it’s true for me. I try really hard to use the fabric I have to complete my WIPs. Maybe that back doesn’t have to be 4 yards of new flannel. First try auditioning all possible fabrics for the boarders or back before buying new — and maybe make a bold choice that pushes your usual design. Only once you’ve exhausted your current stash options should you hop to your favorite fabric store (online or in person) and shop for your specific WIP. Treat your self restraint with a pedicure or mocha and quickly cut into that new WIP fabric and finish it up.

9. Work on WIPs first. That golden hour when you have a few moments to yourself and you’ve got a ton of things you would like to accomplish (because that WIP list has been staring at you every time you go to your sewing space!). Well start off on the right note and take 15 minutes to work on a WIP. I like to do this because with a time limit I can iron a few pieces, mark a few sewing lines or stitch up half a pile of flying geese. Then the 15 minutes are over and I can mentally check those things off the list and either keep with my WIP if I’m in the mood or move on to my new love; without the WIP guilt.

10. Set a WIP goal. How much do you want to finish this year, this month or by next week? Write that down and post it next to your WIP list. Share it with your support group, take those 15 minutes to check off an item or two and be mindful of the purpose of the quilt. Having these things in mind will help to overcome the urge to shove the WIPs into the back of the closet.

So did one of these tips speak to you or do you think I’m completely loco? Ha! I admit there’s a little crazy in these ideas but used in the right scenario it just might transform a WIP into a beautiful finish.  What is your strategy for creating a quilt from start to finish? Share your get it done tips with us!

I plan on making my WIP list up this week so I know where to focus my efforts in 2013. I’ll be sure to share my progress with you all at the Finish it up Along flickr group!

Cheers!

Kelly