WIP+TNT little sleep and lots of sewing

I love my little sewing room all to myself, but really - quilting together is so much more fun!  It was such a special time this long weekend together with my SIL and her two daughters, sewing away non-stop. 

Lending a hand and sticking my nose in everyones projects was my favorite part - well maybe not, there was constant chatting, healthy gourmet food and an adorable puppy so... it was all frosting really.

My original plan was to take the WIP from two weeks ago with me finished. Well, sometimes things work out for the better because designing the overdue shams with input and being able to see the quilt again in person made much more sense. I had totally remembered the quilting thread color and loopy loop scale all wrong and would have been bummed if I'd pushed through to get them done at home before our trip.

The wedding gift is now complete and there's still a few months before their first anniversary !  Sweet Dream.  Linking Up for Ellison Lane Quilts summer sewing contest Home Decor entry.

TNT - me and my machine

My new machine and I are still getting to know each other and the upside is that the overlock stitch was the perfect finish to the inside seams. The downside is that despite trying every foot in the case, I struggled to attach the piping - a lot.  Linking up to TNT.

Retreat Advise

On the subject of gathering for a marathon quilt session, research falls under WIP, right?  It does in my mind so here's what I've been up to this week when I wasn't sitting at the machine.   Our MQG is in the planning stages of holding our first Quilt Retreat and it's so exciting.

Here are some pictures of the workspace, lodging and grounds. It was a beautiful day in the redwoods when I toured.  We may not be quite as lucky in November, but we just might be. After all, that's why we live in California :)

linking up to Lee at Freshly Pieced WIP

I'd love your help - since I've never been on a retreat before and chances are many of you have: Tell me what you like best or a bit of advise on making it a success - thanks!

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Catalyst

I was excited to see Blogger's Quilt Festival come up at Amy's Creative Side because I knew that meant lots of eye candy and the discovery of many new bloggers to follow.  This time it means something more. My first time to participate, festival entry #447.  Nominations and voting begins soon - be sure to check it out.

Since the point is to share, inspire and tell a story, I chose Mod Mosaic, which I have re-titled: Catalyst because it sparked a chain of events that has changed my quilting world and has resulted in many more firsts.

My Catalyst Quilt: previously called Mod Mosaic

It began 15 months ago when I participated in my very first flickr swap at Scrapbuster Swap Round 1, hosted by the amazing Kreated by Kari.  There were 300 blocks swapped and 20 were mine. The group is now in their 8th round and I join in when I can.

This was such a pivotal point in my quilting journey that I made a Mod Mosaic Set in my photostream and the 15 blocks on the design wall photo continues to rank on my Flickr Most Interesting under the Popular tab with 1,109 views, 20 comments and 62 favorites (I'm blushing)

Elizabeth Hartman's Mod Mosaic pillow tutorial was used however my process to create vaguely resembled it. Mine was more a crime of passion approach rather than her premeditated version as witnessed here by the perimeter of debris that surrounded my work.

The mounds of scraps felt like an artists palette with dabs of paint to choose from. It was fun and addicting. I made 36 as seen here in a bighugelabs mosaic.

The Origin of the Scraps - Time Stands Still

When I look at Catalyst, I'm reminded of the creations that have come before and the loved ones that are far and near.   I get to keep a fabric time capsule and hold them close, imagining that they are snuggled in their quilt gifts. Here are just a few, can spot the scraps from these birthday, graduation and get well quilts?

Alyssa's 21st Birthday Quilt

Amanda's College Graduation Quilt

Ralph's Get Well Quilt

Lynette's 70th Birthday Quilt

Candice's 21st Birthday Quilt

Steph's 50th Birthday Quilt

a WIP no more and Why

Like many bee and swap blocks, this project sat in a box untouched for months. Ten ridiculous months to be exact. It wasn't until I joined the local Quilt Guilds and decided to enter the PVQA Show in February that I actually finished it.  Nothing like a deadline to breath life into a WIP. Here I am, proud as can be and I must say it did turn a lot of heads!

First Quilt Show February 2012

Many Firsts with More to Come

This was my first big quilt  (62"x74") to pebble quilt, my first time to completely improv the back, my first time to iron open the seams and one of the first times to use my beloved bamboo batting. 

Catalyst makes an Impact

There were a good number of blocks left over and started to lay them out like Elizabeth's Mod Blue for Do Good Stitches but tucked them away for another day.  I have since made the block for my hive in the 3x6 Swap in specific color-ways rather than scrappy like this one for Beth in black/white/red.

 

3x6 Bee Swap Blocks inspired by Catalyst

Another first for me was doing a Demo for SBAMQG.  It was suppose to last 10 minutes but it didn't and I'm not sure why I thought it would.  Some of the blocks in Catalyst took a couple of hours to make... so I posted the final steps on flickr for closure :)

This October I'm going to Sewing Summit, my first conference and Amy will be there teaching a class so I'm hoping to meet her in person!  It's pretty fabulous that she's throws this annual festival for us with hundreds of quilty stories at our fingertips - start your clicking, I know I am.

• May 18 – 21 Festival begins!
• May 22- 25 Nominations are made
• May 26 – 30 Vote for your favorites
• June 1 – Winners announced

The chain reaction of Catalyst is far from over I suspect.  Thanks for listening to my story.   I hope you'll leave a comment and let me know you stopped by.

WIP Overdue Shams

Everything I need - just waiting to be made

When I made my niece and her husband a wedding quilt it was suppose to come with matching pillow shams. Well, that was 8 months ago and I just don't know where time flies.

Wedding Quilt - Queen Size

They loved the quilt and would wait patiently without saying a peep.  All the parts are sitting in a box just screaming to me made.  I'm doing a simple patchwork with piping. Not anywhere near the undertaking of the queen size quilt that they go with but I've just had a total road block on progress.  Lee's WIP is the perfect kick in the pants to get me going again.

Completion Pics as Promised

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. Here are the photographs - aren't they great?!

She's a natural quilter - can't wait for our next project

Round placemats compliment all those circles

 I finish the Zakka Style tote made using My Precious Echino and lined it with Kaffe kite tails adding a second phone sized pocket.  This was one of my projects for FALQ2. It was hard to cut into the fabric but I'm happy for the push to do so. Check out the other May Link Up and Giveaway projects - fingers crossed - maybe I'm on a winning streak! Since the zig zag was New to me and quite a stretch of ability in Linen, I'm also linking up for Melissa's TNT (try new things). Also Linking Up for Ellison Lane Quilts summer sewing contest Bags entry.

Now I have something handmade to take to Sewing Summit. 

Seems a shame to be on the bottom...

Linky Party at Manic Monday