False Starts and the Design Process

What do these little cuties have in common? They are rejects...all three of them.

3" Quilt blocks

Last November when I participated in the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks blog hop for my block, All Points North, I asked readers to leave me a comment with the name of their favorite quilt block. I thought it would be fun to use one of the suggested blocks as a jumping off point for a new design. It was fun to read the suggestions and there was a nice variety of blocks named. I'd never heard of some of them and had fun looking the blocks up online to find pictures.

Favorite blocks from my blog readers

As you can see from the list log cabin is the clear winner followed by star blocks and churn dash. Well gosh...it was hard to ignore the fact that the log cabin is so popular. Up to this point my method for designing quilt blocks has been to take a traditional block and find some way to modify it. But really, what could I do to change up a log cabin quilt block? I've already modified a star block (All Points North), and a churn dash (Dashing Geese) so I felt like I should give the log cabin block a try.

For two months I have been sketching and mulling over what I could do. I was just about ready to admit defeat and move on to a second choice when all of a sudden inspiration hit! Funny enough I was taking a shower...what is it about showers that helps to clarify thinking? This has happened to me more than once.

I sketched out a couple different variations of my idea in my sketch book then got to sewing. In the process I made the three little reject blocks up at the top of this post. My dear friend, M, was pulled into the review process for a second set of eyes :o) On the first couple tries either the colors just were not right, or the pattern didn't look the way I thought it would in the finished block. It took a bit of ripping and replacing elements to get everything just right. I also put to good use Leanne's (She Can Quilt) post for how to replace a piece in a completed quilt block. Thank goodness I could refer to this post so I didn't have to start from scratch!

I'm so excited to say I have a block stitched up and ready to send in the mail for possible inclusion in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 14 which will come out next November. It will be several months before I hear whether or not it is selected ~ wish me luck :o)

Quilt as You Go: Assembling the Quilt Top - My Experience and Thoughts

Quilt as You Go (QAYG) really calls for two areas of evaluation if you are considering using it. The first area is simply quilting the individual quilt blocks. I wrote about this stage of the process in my previous blog post. Perhaps the biggest factor to consider with this method of quilt construction is how the blocks will actually be joined together to make the quilt top and how the backing fabric will be incorporated. Looking at the front of a quilt one may not even notice that it is assembled using the QAYG method.

Great Grandmother's Quilt - a Quilt as You Go quilt

When I first contemplated using QAYG I did some searching online to see how others have used this method. There are several good tutorials out there with varying degrees of difficulty for assembling the quilt top. Because the quilt I was working on was for do. Good Stitches I also wondered if there was any prohibition against using QAYG. However, as part of my research I discovered that Rachel (Stitched in Color), the CEO of do. Good Stitches, used it for one of the quilts she made as part of the Love Circle of do. Good Stitches. Rachel's method is straightforward - not requiring any fussy sashing to cover the joining of the blocks so I opted to use her method.

Here's an overview of what I did to finish my Great Grandmother's Quilt (be sure to check out Rachel's post if you want the full tutorial).

First I used my rotary cutter to square up all the quilt blocks once they were quilted. I did loose a bit of the overall size due to the different quilt patterns on the various blocks, but having uniform size to the blocks is always a good thing. The next step was simply to sew the blocks together.

Sewing the quilted blocks together - still no backing fabric

Because the blocks were nicely squared up it was an easy process to sew them together. Next came pressing all the seams.

Ironing the seams open

Okay, I will admit this was one of my least favorite stages of the assembly process. Generally I enjoy ironing and almost always choose to iron my seams open. I will just come out and say that an iron does not glide enjoyably across batting - there is a certain amount of drag. Also, since I was ironing both fabric and batting it was harder to get a 1/4" seam to want to stay open, but due to the bulk involved it was not an option to press the seams to the side. As a side note: It is very important to use natural (cotton or wool) batting because of the iron directly on the batting when pressing seams open.

Once the top is complete the back is simply added on and you stitch in the ditch along the horizontal and vertical seams to attach it. If you look carefully in the picture below you can see the grid pattern used to attach the quilt backing fabric.

This picture shows the stitching that attaches the backing fabric

As you can see it creates a grid that is almost 12" square. Since the batting is securely quilted to the quilt top you don't have to be concerned about this large unquilted area on the quilt back. In her blog post Rachel suggests using zigzag stitching for this stitching in the ditch. I tried that for about one block length and then ripped it out. I could not imagine zigzagging all over this quilt and instead chose to just use straight line stitching. Edited to add: Surprisingly, you really don't notice any bulk from the quilted seams-not on the front or the back of the quilt. This was one area I was concerned about.

Okay, here's my final thoughts. Did I like using the Quilt as You Go method? For the actual quilting of the blocks I loved it! It was so very easy to quilt an individual block instead of wrestling with an entire quilt top. For the attaching of the back? Well, it certainly could not be much easier than this process, but to be honest I am just okay with the way it looks. Often the back of a quilt will show off the pretty quilting better than a busy quilt front. The back also does not get that yummy just-out-of-the-dryer crinkled look without dense quilting. That being said, would I use this method again? Yes, I think so, but it will really depend on who the recipient of the quilt is.

All in all this was a great opportunity to build up my free motion quilting confidence and give a new construction method a try. Next time I may try using one of the sashing methods to join blocks - but we'll see :o)

Quilt As You Go: Quilting the Blocks - My Experience and Thoughts

Quilt As You Go {QAYG} is a technique that captured my attention early in my quilting journey. While attending a 2009 quilt show in Cumberland, MD I watched a demonstration for QAYG placemats. It made total sense to me that this would be a great method to learn and develop free motion quilting skills. For some reason it took me six years to give it a try - I highly recommend you not wait that long.

This stack of blocks provided a lot of QAYG practice

Before going any farther let's define quilt as you go. Regular quilt making begins with assembling a quilt top, then making a quilt sandwich (top, batting, and backing), and finally quilting the entire top as one large piece. QAYG breaks the whole process down to the block level. A quilt block is completed, layered onto batting and then quilted - at this stage there is no backing fabric. One reason I really wanted to try this method of  quilt making is the small size of my sewing machine. Some of you may remember this picture:

Yes, that is a grapefruit

As you can imagine it is pretty difficult to stuff a large quilt through the throat space on my sewing machine. If I only have to quilt one block at a time it frees up my hands and arms to focus on the flow of quilting rather than pushing, pulling, and twisting a bulky quilt through this relatively small space.

Before beginning I did some research on QAYG methods, considering both quilting the blocks, and what I was most concerned about, assembling them once they are finished. In this blog post I am going to focus on the quilting of the blocks and will save my thoughts regarding assembly for a Part 2 post. Okay, enough of the background...on to my experiences and thoughts :o)

My recent quilt finish, Great Grandmother's Patchwork Quilt, is made up of three different blocks: 9 patch, 16 patch, and 36 patch. These blocks provide a great opportunity to give QAYG a try. First I selected a different quilt design for each of these blocks.

Simple edge to edge quilt designs

All three of these easy quilt designs are suggested in Christina Cameli's book, First Steps to free-motion quilting. I mentioned this book last year in another of my free-motion quilting posts. I highly recommend it (please note I purchased my own copy of this book and am not being asked to endorse it.)

For the actual quilting I grouped my blocks together and quilted all of each block at the same time, for example, I did all of the 36 patch first, then all of the 9 patch, and finally all of the 16 patch blocks. Also - and this is an important point - keeping in mind that a run through the washer and dryer improves the look of all quilting, I gave myself permission to learn how to do these designs on the actual blocks. In other words, the more blocks I quilted the better I got. The first few times I did each pattern it looks like beginner quilting.

I started with the loops on a line design because I thought this to be the easiest of the three. It actually was very easy and did not matter if I was working top to bottom or bottom to top on the block I got the same look - in other words I did not need to rotate the block when I reached the edge, I just stitched over to the next column and began again. Next, I did the figure eight/wishbone design. I loved the smooth movement of this design and it really was easy to find my rhythm with it. For this design I also I did not have to rotate my blocks but it took a bit more mental processing to switch from quiting up the block to quilting down the block. Finally, I saved the vine for last because I thought it was the most difficult of the three designs. For this one I definitely had to rotate the block with each pass and always worked bottom to top. Here's my skill progressions with the vine pattern:

Vine: early attempt yields poorly formed leaves and inconsistent sizes

Vine: after a few blocks the vines are starting to look more uniform in size and shape

Vine: finally a block I am proud to show. Good spacing, shape, and sizing :o)

I did notice that since I was only quilting a top and batting (remember, there is no backing fabric on the blocks at this stage) there is more drag when moving the blocks around. I did use my Supreme Slider and it was a big help. However, even without a Supreme Slider this would not be too difficult given the small size of my blocks.

Overall QAYG was a great experience! It was so fun to quilt small blocks and to try different free-motion quilting patterns without having to wrestle with a large quilt. It was also exciting that it really did not take long at all to see improvement in my quilting - a big motivator!

I'll write up another post soon giving my thoughts and experience with assembling the quilted blocks and adding a backing, so stay tuned! In the meanwhile run, don't walk, to your sewing machine and give quilt as you go a try on some of your quilt blocks - you'll have fun! I promise :o)

Planning Randomness??

In my previous post I noted how Anita, from Bloomin' Workshop, is once again leading a group of quilters on a journey...this time to finish the Random Sampler quilts we started some time ago. Earlier this week she posted The Finishing Plan. Until reading her post I had no idea how to take a mish-mash of blocks and turn them into a layout that would end up as a quilt top. 

To begin the process I decided to take inventory of my blocks - how many different block sizes have I made, and how many of each size. At this point I have blocks ranging in size from 2.5" square to 15" square. I know! Where did this weird quilt block come from?

Quilt blocks grouped by size

This maple leaf block is the odd-sized one. I'll probably add borders to bring it up to a more workable size. I can't even remember how many years ago I made this block - early in my quilting career. It's a bit wonky, but I love it :o) When we first started this quilt along I pulled this block as my cornerstone to build the sampler around. 

Maple leaves - inspiration for colors came from this block

I've pulled my instructions for Moda's Modern Building Blocks quilt and I'm looking at the breakdown of this layout to inspire me how to divide my quilt top into sections. 

Planning a random layout :o)

My quilt will be in the neighborhood of 60" x 72" so I'll play around with the mental challenge of how to best divide that into sections. Then, as Anita suggested I'll work on filling one section at a time. This will be fun!

Happy Friday!!

The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown Down

About a month ago I posted this picture on Instagram of blocks hanging on my design wall. These blocks belong to a quilt project named The Random Sampler. It was a quilt-along begun by my friend Anita from Bloomin' Workshop. Several of us started these blocks back in 2012 and to my knowledge only Lotje ended up with a finished quilt.

Random Sampler quilt blocks

Anita suggested we all pull our blocks back out in March and cheer each other on to a finish - effectively throwing out the challenge to the rest of us slackers :o) Now I have to admit, I love working on blocks for this quilt because I can toss in anything and everything I feel like making. And, this is a quilt I am making for myself so there is no right or wrong. Funny - We don't have any quilts I've made, except for a few small wall hangings, so this will be the first large-ish quilt I'd finish for our home. There are two other unfinished quilts that are also supposed to be for us. Seems the only quilts I manage to finish are those intended for others.

As much as I'd love to dive in and work on my Random Sampler I've got two projects I should finish first. I've been so good at working my way through the To Do list I wrote up some time last summer and I'm down to just the two quilts. Here they are:

Social Climber is another Faith Circle quilt destined to be sent to Restore Innocence. This quilt is pin basted and ready for quilting. As of yet I have not decided how to quilt it...any suggestions are most welcome! Feel free to leave them in the comments. 

Social Climber ~ A Faith Circle Quilt

Then, I'm on a tight schedule to finish up my Mixed Flock quilt for a local show coming up in mid-April. I don't think I've introduced the Mixed Flock top on the blog...this is my original design using the Dashing Geese block I created for QuiltMakers 100 Blocks magazine, Volume 9. However, Mixed Flock puts a completely different spin on the block by mixing up the color placement. 

Mixed Flock - progress shot

I'm hoping you can see four large, bright "interpretive" stars, and one gray star, too. In a way I think Mixed Flock has a bit of a Southwestern look to it. I'm in the process of piecing the outer borders to finish the quilt top. Here's a sketch to show where I'm heading with the final design:

Mixed Flock - the plan

So, the question is, "Will I be picking up the Random Sampler gauntlet?" Many times what I should do, and what I end up doing, are two different things...we'll see how the month of March plays out :o) 

What would you do?

Around the World Blog Hop

Hello! You have arrived at my stop on the Around the World Blog Hop :o) Today you are in Winchester, Virginia, USA on a pretty typical cold, damp January day. If you are here for the first time - Welcome! 

I was trying to do a little research on the origins of this particular blog hop and the nearest I can figure out is it started in early 2014. I'm not sure who started it - if you try to follow the hop backwards it just keeps going and going. Throughout it's spread it has featured blogs from all genre. I was tagged by the lovely Karen of CapitolAQuilter to participate. You can read more about Karen here on the post she wrote for the hop. 

Karen's SuperNova                              My SuperNova
SuperNova pattern by the talented Lee of Freshly Pieced

I met Karen about 2-1/2 years ago while we were both participating in the SuperNova Quilt-Along over on flickr. Here are the quilts Karen and I made. Karen's quilt is on the left and mine is on the right. Since then our virtual paths have crossed several times. Maybe someday we will meet in person :o)



This is an interesting hop because it basically permits the blogger to share anything they choose with four questions as a guide, so I'll work my way through them. 

My quilting To Do list

What am I working on?

In the last year I've really been convicted about not starting new projects that just add to the pile of unfinished work. To help me focus my efforts and make the best use of my time I started a short list back in the summer. Doing this has really helped me resist the urge to drop everything and jump in on the latest quilt-alongs and swaps going around on flickr and Instagram. Don't get me wrong, I love to join in every once-in-awhile because I think it helps keep creativity and fun going - not to mention the great people you meet, but if I'm to make any long-term progress I have to focus and not be dividing my time among too many projects.

Since I've shown you my list I'll share with you my progress on three of the quilts not yet marked off.








The March Faith Circle Quilt is a Wonky 4 Patch with machine applique borders. I am currently hand sewing down the binding. After this only the label is left to finish and then this one is heading for Restore Innocence in Colorado. Hopefully it will bring comfort and joy to a young woman in need.

As you can see I use a lot of pins when I stitch down binding - I find it helps keep my hands from fatigue

Next up I need to finish repair/restoration work on a quilt belonging to a friend of mine, Penny. The Dresden plates on the quilt were originally pieced by her mother from clothing worn by her little girls. I made took the Dresden blocks and added pieced borders to make one large quilt for Penny and her sister to give to their mother. If you would like to see a picture of the quilt as it was originally finished click here. When she passed her daughters each wanted a lap quilt so we separated the large quilt into two quilts. This created the need for new borders and the binding to be replaced.

Repair/restoration work - need to add an appliqued border and binding

Finally I'm working on a quilt to enter into a local show. The Northern Shenandoah Valley Quilt Show will have a modern quilts category for the very first time. I'm excited for the opportunity to play a part in showing the community what modern quilts can look like. I'm making what I hope will be a well received adaptation of my Dashing Geese quilt block. 

Dashing Geese block show in top left corner for reference only.

This pretty much wraps up what I'm working on in the sewing realm. In addition, I have a pair of crochet Croc sock liners in the works for my son, and an infinity/mobius scarf for me. I'd probably better save those photos for a different post :o)

I'm going to attempt to combine the next three questions into one answer. 
How does your work differ from others of its genre? 

Why do you write/create what you do? 

How does your writing/creating process work?


Often, as I'm sewing, I ponder how my work differs from that of others. Learning any new skill requires sitting under the teaching of others who have come before...talented, brilliant people who have caught my eye and caused me to stop and admire the beauty they have created. I have learned so much from the excellent tutorials and patterns so freely shared throughout the virtual quilting and crafting community. Generous people who have it in their heart to bring others along do so much for us all. This was an excellent starting point...but did my work differ from that of anyone else?

I began to wonder if I had it in me to move from simply remaking what others have already done and begin to create my own quilt designs - maybe not full patterns, but starting with quilt blocks.

About this time another online friend, Emily of Simple Girl, Simple Life, introduced me to Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks. I wondered...can I do this, too?? Can I come up with my own original designs? In all honesty I didn't think so...where would I even begin...how could I be 100% sure no one else had already designed what I came up with? Nonetheless I jumped in to give it a try. 

I know there are a few excellent drafting programs out that are popular in the quilting world...I don't use any of them. As a technology resource teacher I spend all day, every day, on a computer, so at this point in time I find it a fun change of pace to sketch out my design ideas on graph paper. 

My design notebook

For starters I open my 1/4" grid composition book and take up my colored pencils. To generate ideas I look at several resources, books of traditional quilt blocks, images on the Internet, quilts I've seen in magazines, etc. I look at the blocks and try to come up with ways I can change them...kind of make them my own. Once I've sketched out some miniature drawings I move over to 12" paper. (Quiltmaker's requires all blocks to be 12" square.)

12" Grid paper to reflect actual size of blocks

My first block design, Dashing Geese appeared in Quiltmaker's Volume 9. Dashing Geese combines a Churn Dash quilt block with flying geese. This block requires paper piecing because the geese units are not conventional 1:2 ratio. I did use the drawing tools in Microsoft Word to create the paper piecing pattern. Next, I came up with the idea for Nested Bear Paw. This block was inspired by land we purchased and where we hope to build a log cabin. It was super exciting to have Nested Bear Paw appear on the cover of Quiltmaker's Volume 10!! I loved this block so much I was convinced I would not be able to come up with any more ideas. However, I kept my eyes open and before too long inspiration for a third block materialized-also inspired by our future log home. I've submitted this block to Quiltmaker's for consideration in Volume 11 and am waiting to see if it will be accepted for this future issue. 

As I was reading blog posts written by other Volume 10 designers I noted how many of them refer to secondary patterns created by repeating their blocks across a quilt top. This became a new challenge for me as I puzzled with how to design a block with both a primary and a secondary design element. I've sketched out a design, but have yet to make a up sample block. This one may have the potential to become a pattern for a whole quilt instead of just a stand alone block. I'm pretty excited to see how it will turn out :o) 

Drawing out ideas with pencil and paper makes me feel connected to those who quilted in the generations before me...women who did not have benefit of computer drafting and copy/paste features. Many of them possessed mighty talent and I admire their ability to create the intricate designs that so captivate us today.

Well, in a nut shell that summarizes how I'm different from others, why I create, and how I do it :o) I sincerely hope that if anyone who reads this has imagined designing their own quilt block, but not taken the steps to do so, they will feel emboldened to give it a try :o)

Next up on our trip around the blog world I am pointing you to the Pacific Northwest to my good friend - and I can say my quilting mentor - Anita, of Bloomin' Workshop. Anita has taught me more than anyone else how to be a quilter. She has a heart for sharing her talent and writes the best tutorials of anyone I know. I met Anita when I stumbled across her Medallion Quilt-Along. I look forward to reading her post next week - Monday, January 12.

ps. If you are inspired to design a quilt block I urge you to submit it to Quiltmaker's...let me know if you need submission information. I'm happy to point you in the right direction :o) 

Happy quilting...and creating?!?!

Easy Free Motion Quilting?? Yes!!

Over the past year I've really felt a strong pull to grow my skills at quilting the quilts I make. I want to know that when I make a quilt I've not only made the quilt top, but quilted it, too, and can be proud of both.

It helps to take some time to learn about your sewing machine. In the five years I've had my machine I've learned a lot through trial and error. For instance: most of the free-motion quilting references say to lower your feed dogs. I never could get the tension to come out right on my machine when I did this. While researching tension problems I came across this post about feed dogs by Leah Day of the Free Motion Quilting Project, and it completely changed my experience with tension. On my Janome it is essential to leave the feed dogs up. If I put them down the tension is just a mess. I just have to set the stitch length to zero and all is well. I've also learned to get comfortable with the small harp space (it's about 6" wide and 5" tall) on my sewing machine, a Janome DC3018. This picture illustrates it pretty well, I think :o) Yes that is a grapefruit!

Janome DC3018

Back in March I ordered some supplies to seriously begin quilting practice. After reading recommendations from others I bought a Supreme Slider, a pair of Machingers gloves, and some Little Magic Bobbin Genies. They didn't see immediate action, but one by one I've started using them. 

Free-motion quilting supplies

I'm not certain my Janome likes the Little Magic Bobbin Genies. The bobbin holder is not very deep and it does raise the height of the bobbin...but I've continued using one anyway. I can say I like the Machingers gloves so much better than any other gloves I've tried-they are definitely worth investing in! They have a nice amount of grip to them, but are not heavy and hot. More recently I've been using the Supreme Slider - I like it a lot, too!

In addition, I used a few 40% off coupons at Joann Fabric to purchase several free-motion quilting books. 

Free-motion quilting books

If you are like me, and are truly starting from square zero I found it helpful to read through more than one book. Each author is so encouraging and shares many helpful suggestions. Each of these books divide quilting designs into categories and show how to build on previously taught skills. I also took their suggestion to use paper and pencil and draw out the design I wanted to use so my muscles would get used to the flow of creating it. 

In the past I always thought that doing a stipple/meander design was where one should start when learning to free-motion quilt. I tried this on a few quilts with okay results, but just was not comfortable. Many times I would find myself backed into a corner - surrounded on all sides where I had already quilted and no way to get out. In Natalia Bonner's book, Beginner's Guide to Free-Motion Quilting, I selected a design called Loops and Poppies. It is similar to the stipple design, but just as the name implies it includes loops and flowers. 

Loops and Poppies design by Natalia Bonner

This pattern has really freed me to enjoy quilting! As I'm stitching along I no longer have to worry about my quilting being surrounded on all sides. If I get into a "road block" I simply stitch a poppy and come right back out on the same side of the flower where I stitched in. Wow!! As you can see from the picture above, my little poppy flowers are not perfect, but they look cute, anyway :o) Fun. Fun. Fun.

I'm stitching this on a pretty large scale and I find I'm not so good at using my hands to frame the area I'm stitching...as a matter of fact, my "technique" definitely needs some work. I'd like to practice on some smaller items like pillows or wall hangings where the scale of the quilting can be a lot tighter. I think doing this will allow me to improve my hand/arm position while quilting. I'm actually looking forward to it!

I hope this has encouraged you if, like me, you have felt overwhelmed by learning to free-motion quilt. Sequential building of skills (and a few of the right tools) make a big difference! I'd love to hear any tips you have to share with me...we can continue to learn this together! Happy quilting :o)

Debbie's Sewing Class :o)

Welcome to Debbie's Sewing Class :o)

I don't think it's a secret to anyone who reads my blog that I love doing hand work. We live in such a busy world and often I find myself compelled to finish things as fast as I can in order to begin the next new project. Hand work slows all that down. Sitting quietly and focusing on the small project between my hands brings such peace and allows time for reflection.

A few years ago my dear friend, M, and I decided to choose a project to work on that would encourage us to schedule time to get together and invest in our friendship. Life can get so busy that having a reason to get together helps make it happen. We chose this beautiful Poinsettia Basket pattern Leah Smith of The Country Cupboard. As we worked our way through this pattern I taught M how to do the blanket/buttonhole stitch on wool felt.

This beautiful fireplace is at my friend, M's, house.

Each Christmas M displays her lovely wool felt picture on her mantle where the beauty of the pattern has drawn many admirers. (Her husband made the great frame for her picture!) This fall M asked me if I would teach a wool felt class to friends and family and we chose a Saturday morning in November. 

I set about working on a pattern to use as I taught the basics of making wool felt pictures. I wanted the design to have gentle curves with no sharp angles so first time stitchers could build their confidence. Using round objects from around my home and a star-shaped cookie cutter I came up with the following pattern:

Wool star candle mat.

These small candle mats use both the blanket/buttonhole stitch and a decorative running stitch. The circles and chunky star are so easy to stitch and I like how the running stitch adds to the texture. We had several different colored pieces for the students to choose from. 

I was a bit nervous teaching eight people at the same time how to hand stitch, but they were great students! It turns out that previous experience mending soccer shorts translated right over to working with wool felt for my friend, R. He happens to be my supervisor when I'm a technology resource teacher at school...I thought we should just use this sewing class for my formal teacher evaluation and be done with it :o) 

Here's a short video I made using Animoto to show you the fun we had :o)




Each student was able to complete the project in one morning and seemed to enjoy the process. We had some great laughs as new skills were learned :o) I'm looking forward to teaching again!

Just in Time

{Way} back when I was in college I majored in business administration. This major required classes in economics, and I have to say they were probably my least favorite classes. It has surprised me, in my adult life, how much economics really does apply...and not just to money, but to many different aspects of life. 

One economic principle is that of "Just in Time." In college we were applying that to inventory and the laws of supply and demand...not stock piling inventory, but purchasing it just in time to be used. Boring to a young college co-ed, but important to the cash flow of a company. 

I find that as I live and work "just in time" is happening all the time. At school we train our teachers "just in time" for the technology they will be using with students. At home I cook dinner "just in time" for family to arrive home and eat it. Cleaning the house happens "just in time" for a guest to arrive {bad, I know!} Even crafting pursuits happen "just in time" for a gift that needs to be given. Sometimes all of this "just in time" drives me crazy. 

If I am honest with myself I can see how I cause a lot of my own "just in time" issues by how I choose to spend my time. At some point earlier in the year I made the decision that my sewing was getting a bit out of hand. In an attempt to keep up with the ebb and flow of the online quilting community I was starting to loose meaning in the things I was spending my time working on. Many projects were being started, but few were actually getting finished. Each new start made past unfinished projects a bit less precious and desirable to finish. 

With this knowledge under my belt I resolve to be more intentional about what I work on and not get drawn into beginning projects that have little real purpose to me personally. I'm finding joy in cheering other on from the sidelines, but not feeling compelled to always join in. Now I will say that occasionally a bit of impulse is a good thing, because it does help to keep creativity flowing ~ at least for me.

Wow! If you're still reading at this point thank you for listening :o)

I will share my latest "just in time" finish...but, I'm happy to say that I started these socks back in June in order to enjoy every step of the process while crocheting them. I did just get them finished this morning "just in time" for a delightfully cool autumn day :o)

I realize these are just plain, utilitarian socks, but I am oh-so-happy to have them finished! They turned out exactly as I hoped they would: cozy and soft :o)

The yarn is Patons Kroy Socks FX in Cascade Colors. The design is a hodgepodge of patterns: 

• the toe area comes from Patons Women's Twisting Lace Socks
• the heel & cuff areas comes from Patons Kroy Toe Up Socks
• the foot and ankle are my design (just simple half/double crochet stitch)

I've wanted to make myself a pair of these ever since I made socks for my brother-in-law last year. My yarn is a bit more chunky than what I used for his, but I'm liking them :o)

How about you? Do you live a whole lot of life "just in time," or have you learned to master your schedule and live a bit more intentionally?

Leave no blocks behind - In pursuit of a quilt back

Back in March I was the quilt designer for the Faith Circle quilt. For this quilt I asked the Faith Circle ladies to make wonky disappearing 4-patch blocks using a palette of soft colors. You can read more about the quilt design and find the block tutorial here. In my mind I had visions of a plaid center section surrounded by applique borders of whimsical flowers. 

After a few more months than I intended the finished quilt top finally emerged :o) These happy little flowers took longer than I expected to complete, but I am oh-so-happy with the finished top...it turned out exactly as I pictured it.

As often happens with our Faith Circle quilts there were a couple of blocks left over after the quilt top was assembled.

I try to go by the motto, "Leave no blocks behind." In other words, when a quilt is completely finished (quilted and bound) I really don't want any orphan blocks left over. A good way to accomplish this is to use the extra blocks when making the quilt back. I have collected a few larger cuts of fabric to put together with the two blocks in a pieced back. I want the back to use the same soft colors as the quilt top.

In my quilt notebook I've started to sketch out an idea...we'll see if it works out with the blocks and fabrics I've pulled. I hope to get the back pieced this weekend, and maybe get the quilt basted, too. 

I'm excited to see this quilt progressing! 

One Year Blog Anniversary - Cause for a Giveaway!

Shadows of the Blue Ridge is one year old!

 
I knew this day was coming...I've had a mental note about it in my head for the last month. Summertime for teachers is often a time of reflection on the previous school year. This habit of reflection is one reason I began blogging. As I'm sure many people feel, I was nervous writing and actually publishing that first post. Insecurity about writing styles and proper language mechanics whispered into my ear. I am happy to say not a single comment all year has come in referencing either of these areas :o) Apparently none of my errors have been too egregious, or people are very good at following their mother's admonition, "If you don't have something nice to say then don't say anything at all." 

So, reflection...what has blogging caused me to reflect on? Or maybe, if I reflect on the act of blogging what has it done in my life? I believe the two of these are really tied together. Blogging has caused me to reflect on what I really think. If I didn't take the time to blog I might not seriously consider things such as:

• Why do I make quilts and various other crafted items
• What influences me to make the things I do
• Whose "voices" am I listening to in the quilting/crafting world, and why
• How do I balance crafting with the other important aspects of my life
• How can I use blogging/crafting to honor God and bring Him glory 

This is a pretty good list to start with. I have thoughts and feelings for each of these areas. There is value in taking the time to wrestle with answers to "who, what, when, where, why, and how" questions. Sometimes the answers to these questions are included in what I've written about, or what I've specifically chosen not to write about.

Now for the celebration and giveaway! 

Celebrate Shadows of the Blue Ridge with me for a chance to win this pink and green fat quarter bundle, zippers, and a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 9 which contains the pattern for my Dashing Geese block. Why pink and green? Where I live we have long been know as the "Apple Capital" and each year we celebrate like no other town with a HUGE celebration called the Apple Blossom Festival. You've never seen so much pink and green in your life! So it seems completely appropriate for me to share this pink and green-ness with one of my lucky blog followers :o) These lovely fat quarters and zippers come from my local quilt shop, The Scrappy Apple. 

There's just one thing you need to do for a chance to win: Follow my blog. That's it, just be a follower of Shadows of the Blue Ridge. If this is your first visit to Shadows of the Blue Ridge and you'd like to follow me you can choose from three different ways: (1) Bloglovin', (2) sign up for email notification, or (3) click Join the site to use Google's Friend Connect. Then, whether you've been a follower for awhile now, or are a brand new follower, just tell me in a Comment  how you follow Shadows of the Blue Ridge...simple as that :o) If you suspect you are a No Reply Blogger please include your email address in your comment so I can contact you if you are the winner. 

A winner will be chosen on Sunday, July 20th at 9:00 p.m. EST using the Random Number Generator. 

Thank you for traveling through this year with me! I look forward to sharing more of this crafting journey in the year ahead :o)

Summer handwork {sewing & crochet}

Something about summer just makes me want to do handwork. Whether it's sewing or crochet it's just so relaxing to have a portable project to take outside. Last week I reached into my unfinished projects and pulled out my English paper pieced Lone Star and got started with adding the background fabric. I knew it wouldn't take me very long to get it done, and in fact it's almost finished. I'm getting ready to take a trip and have been searching for something to take with me for some down time. So...I guess I'll just have to start a new hand piecing project to take along...darn :o)



A couple years ago I bought this magazine, Sew Scrappy, by Better Homes & Gardens. I've looked through it many times - there are some really great scrap quilts in it. I've had my eye on a few of them...just waiting for the right "need" to come along :o)



This quilt, Autumn Twilight, really caught my eye! I've always been drawn to stars. I don't need a quilt, but I do need new covers for the pillows on our couch. The current covers fell victim to a teething puppy quite a while ago...we've just been living with them. I'm thinking four stars per side will do nicely for new covers. 



Temptation is always there to go out and buy new supplies, but I've got more than enough fabric to meet the needs of most any small project so I've reaching into my stash instead. My plan is to go with an assortment of red stars {the center one with the curling ribbons may not make the cut} and use the low volume cream for the background fabric. 



This is my little hand sewing kit. It's all stocked up ready to begin the pillow covers. I made the square and triangle templates from scraps of cardboard I keep on hand. The pattern in the magazine calls for 6" finished blocks, but I resized my hand stitched blocks to finish at 10" in order to fit the 20" couch pillows. 



I believe I'll also take along some sock yarn to get started with a new pair of socks. Ever since I made these mean-green hunting socks for my brother-in-law I've been wanting to make a pair like them for myself. I like the toe section from one pattern, and the heel section from another pattern. For the foot and ankle I'll probably follow what I made up for my brother-in-law's socks. 

I do believe that between these two projects I'll have enough handwork to last me through a summer of enjoying time outside on the deck. How about you? Do you like to fill your summer with any handwork projects? If so, I'd love to hear about them :o)

Clever?!

Do you ever marvel at the clever creations found all around us? It can be seen everywhere. For example, here is a fabulous succulent wreath from the Christmas display at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. This wreath is so amazing because of the the precise placement of texture and color...so clever!

Debbie of A Quilters Table is the host for the February Faith Circle quilt. She selected the Vice Versa block by Gen X Quilters. This block design is just so clever! I love it :o) Here are the two I made for our bee quilt:

I look at things like this and I wonder...how did AnneMarie think of this? Was it a sudden inspiration or did she ponder, sketch, cross out, and finally arrive at this Vice Versa block? She says blocks for this series were studied for positive and negative space and the inverse relationship that can be created. Clever, clever, clever. 

In one of my previous posts I mentioned my desire to someday be a designer. I've tried a bit of designing while crocheting socks. I've combined toe, heel and cuff construction from various patterns, and used my favorite stitches for the foot and ankle/leg sections to make these socks. 

Socks I made for me :o)

Socks made for my brother-in-law :o)

It's been fun (and at times frustrating) and takes me quite a while to get a finished product that actually fits. I find that one of the hardest parts of the design process is writing down what I did so I can actually replicate it again. I might call this mish-mash of sock parts a kind of franken-pattern for socks (taking from several different sources), but is it clever? I don't know. 

Back in the fall I started sketching out some ideas for my own quilt block design and then creating layout options for it. I've found that it take time, and it takes quiet. One of my layout options is pretty straight-forward and what might be expected of the block, but dare I say it...I think my second layout option just might be clever :o) It will be fun to make up these quilts and see just where they stand. 

Meanwhile, here are a couple of pictures from the huge snowstorm we had today. I just love snow and never tire of the beauty and wonder it creates in the world. Enjoy!