Quilted Hex Needlebook

It seems that everyone has taken The Process Pledge.  This pledge basically states that pledgers will share and discuss their process of creation, rather than just their finished products.

Usually I do talk about my process and share photos of what's in progress.  In some cases, however, I just don't feel like doing all that work to share the process-- I'd rather enjoy it!  Agree or disagree?

I finished my quilted needlebook last night.  I used a few different prints from Jessica Levitt's line Timber.  These calm colors and botanic prints have been calling to me for a while, so I decided to answer.

The patchwork cover is made of 3" paper pieced hexagons.  The book, unfolded, is about 8"x10".  In order to get this size, I needed to piece together 11 hexagons.

I quilted 1/4" inside the edge of each hexagon.  I don't like to stitch over or do heavy backstitching on quilting, so instead I pulled my bobbin thread up to the top at each starting point.  Doing this allowed me to bury the thread tails when finished, creating a nice, clean quilting motif.

After quilting I trimmed the hexagon edges to make an 8"x10" rectangle.  Then, I attached binding as I normally would, making sure to get perfectly mitered corners.  For this size quilt I only needed to cut one binding strip-- how easy!

This needlebook is really just a tiny quilt folded in half, with needles stuck into it.  I chose to make it this way, rather than with pages because of a needlebook that Amy has.  Hers doesn't have pages and I love it, so I chose that form for my needlebook.

Now I've got cute on-the-go storage for my needles!  This project was so quick and easy, I can see myself making several more as gifts or for swaps.  My only regret is that I didn't put a Jennifer Can Quilt tag on it.  Ah, well-- next time!

P.S.  This is what I was using to store my needles before; a scrap of batting with fabric stuck to it.  Sad.

Summertime...

...and the living is easy!  I've already been to the beach!  Now I'm home and there are a million unfinished projects staring me in the face.  Want to see the list?

• Sea Glass Quilt
• baste
• quilt
• bind
• May ISQ bee block
• piece
• mail
• June ISQ bee block
• piece
• mail
• DQS 9 needlebook
• piece
• quilt
• bind

The worst of it is that the bee blocks aren't even that complicated; I've just been putting it off for who knows what reason.  I'm posting this list so that someone can hold me accountable for these items.  Go ahead, hold me accountable!

Humility Blocks

Remember this quilt?  And the messed up blocks?  Well...

Thankfully I noticed this when piecing rows together and was able to fix it, unlike last time.   The quilt top is now pieced and error free!

Joy in the New Year

I finished!  I finished all my goals for the new year!  Only six months late!  I'm so thankful to be done with all these projects-- some of them had been hanging around forever.  Now I've only got one unfinished object, and that's really more of a work in progress.  Yay!

Updated List

• Black Eyed Susan
• finish top
• quilt
• make binding
• bind
• Go Navy T-Shirt Quilt
• make top
• drop off for quilting
• make binding
• bind
• French Braid Quilt
• quilt
• make binding
• bind
• Alexander Henry Cars Quilt
• quilt
• bind
• Ugly Eye Spy Quilt
• quilt
• make binding
• bind
• Brick Road
• bind

Yellow Bricks

I did it!  I finally finished this quilt-- you know, the one that I started January 18, 2009.

As discussed in the previous post, I was big time inspired by The Silly BooDilly to make this quilt.  She made some extremely bold, graphic mini quilts that really grabbed me!

So, I decided to make my own.  All these fabrics are Kaffe Fassett prints (I'm pretty sure).  I used two different prints, in two colorways each.  This mini is quilted in one direction with straight lines about a quarter inch apart.  The thread used is a dark red King Tut variegated thread.

I'm sure you know, this quilt was on my Joyeaux Noel, or Joy in the New Year list.  Like so many of my quilts, this one stalled in the binding attachment stage.  I just didn't want to sew it on!  Once I finally did, it stalled for several months in the hand-finishing stage.

I finished it this weekend while Josh was playing some disc golf in Albemarle County, outside of Charlottesville.  Of course, the picnic area was deserted (save for me) and I kept getting creeped out by random nature noises and the occasional grounds maintenance worker.  At one point I developed a plan about how to use my embroidery scissors as a weapon.  Hilariously enough, Josh suggested the same plan when he came to check on me!

I haven't decided on where or how to hang it.  Framed or not?  In the bathroom, above the bed, or somewhere in the living room?  Suggestions?

Neon Houses

My Modify Tradition Swap quilt is finished and out the door.  I mailed it on Thursday; hopefully it has already arrived (because I'm revealing it right now)!

This quilt measures 13.5"x13.5" and is constructed of four paper-pieced house blocks.  Fabrics used include a selection of batiks and Kona cotton solids.  I machine quilted this quilt in an orange peel (also known as pumpkin seeds) pattern over each block.

After a binding mishap (cutting it too small, attaching it, realizing it was too small, and ripping it off), I hand-finished the binding in one short sitting.  The corners are perfect, if I do say so myself.

To create my label I used the Electric Quilt Co. printable fabric in premium cotton lawn.  I first used a word processor to design my label.  Then, I printed it on printable fabric and cut the label in one long strip.  Finally, I pinned the label into the corner of the quilt and trimmed it down to a proper size.  I attached it when I finished the binding.

Sunday Stack

Half-square triangles-- 108 to be exact.  I love stacking up cut fabrics and seeing the color patterns that emerge.  These look a bit like stained glass, don't you think?

Reasons to EQ - #1

I finished my Modify Tradition swap quilt top!  It's very cute, and I knew right away that it deserved a cute quilting motif.  But what motif?  Diagonal lines didn't seem quite right and neither did stitching in the ditch (Which ditch?  There's a million!).

Luckily I've got Electric Quilt 7.  Did you know that you can print quilting stencils with this program?  It's so easy!  All you have to do is search through the stencils (they're in the blocks library) and add your choice to your project sketchbook.  Then, drop it into the appropriate layer of your quilt.  The program will size the stencil as necessary!

I decided on an orange peel pattern and printed four copies of the stencil.  Just cut them out and use spray adhesive to attach them to the quilt.  Then, stitch along the quilting lines.  Go as fast or as slow as you are comfortable.

Once you've finished quilting, carefully rip off the paper.  Use your fingernail to hold down the stitches and gently rip away the edge of the paper.  If you pull some stitches up, just tug on either side of the stitch and it should go right back.

After you peel all the paper away, you may have some tiny specks caught in the seam.  Use tweezers to pull them out.  Voila, you are done, and you have perfect quilting!

Swap Progress

Something is happening with my Modify Tradition swap quilt.  You know there's a swap going on, right?

I've paper pieced these blocks with templates from EQ7.  I have to say, the program is amazing!  The block I chose (from what seemed like hundreds of blocks) isn't even intended to be paper pieced.  However, the program allows you to print any block in foundation piecing format.  It will even section and number the pieces for you!

My swap partner likes house blocks, and I've always wanted to try them, so I decided to go for it.  I went through several virtual mutations in layout and eventually settled on some kind of combination of all of them.

The blocks are about 6.5" square and I think they are super cute!  I love the fabrics I chose.  Originally I had picked a pink Kona solid, but decided to use a bit of pink dotted batik from my stash instead.  I'm glad I did; these pink houses are adorable.  The background is a natural colored Kona solid, and the roof is also another Kona solid.  I don't really pay attention to the colors; maybe I should get one of those whacked out color cards.  Or just check the bolts when I buy.