Another WIP Finished!

As I get more into blogging (well, reading other's blogs) I become inspired to better my abilities as a quilter. And one that I think most quilters admit to needing help with is the dreaded WIP (work in process) pile. I swear I DON'T have ADHD. I have just have sooooo many projects I want to do, try, attempt, and hey, a girl has to justify that latest fabric purchase somehow!


So, in the spirit of so many other bloggers out there, I decided that while it is hopeless to think I won't start another project before finishing the one I'm on, I should at least TRY to finish as many as I start. I just haven't decided if that should be a monthly or annual goal. sigh. But, hey, I finished another quilt today! And this one is one I started over the summer. I can say that the time to finish (TTF) was cut down drastically by the decision to make this my sacrificial victim for my first attempt at machine quilting.

And I am most proud of myself. I think it turned out just wonderful, and I don't want to give it up. I can't decide what the deal breaker was though. Was it the fear of ruining a gorgeous quilt??? Or the new awesome machine??? Or the patience and desire to learn that my last birthday granted me (yeah, no.) I think it is a lot of reading on fellow bloggers, books, and realizing that I can only better myself and my hobby by trying new things. And honestly, taking a month to hand quilt is just so ugh.....
I posted this quilt in a previous blog. It's the one I decided to use as a progressive post. When I found the backing fabric I wanted, I thought about how so often the back gets over looked or is just a place for the stitching to show. I had some extra blocks and had seen others put something on the backing to tie into the beautiful fabrics used on the fronts, hence the strip between the panels.

It was a lot of fun to quilt, and the quilting sort of came to me by accident. As I was looking through a book, I saw a neat method of using a double needle to stitch a parallel stitch. So, I took it one step further and put my stitch-the-ditch foot on, straddled the needles over the guard, loaded up this pretty embroidery floss and poof!, off I went! On the boarders I decided to go with a pretty little stencil and then free hand the geese blocks with a single stitch method, but using the same thread. Now I just need to snips my tails and decide where it will "live" in the house!

Lone Star (done for now)

Here it is! The Mom and Me Lone Star (as I call it) TOP is done.


And for extra measure, I decided to learn on the fly how to miter borders. What an adventure. Mark, pin, sew. Curse. Seam rip, re-mark, re-pin, re-sew, sigh, decide it is handmade and should have flaws to make it more personable.

I have learned that sewing at a 3.0 stitch length is the smartest idea in the world. It makes pulling stitches out sooooo much easier. And so does having a drink on hand. Just kidding. After the first corner I just Miterelle'd it. (If I can make up words, I can make up new methods too!)

Ultimately, I am really pleased with how it turned out. The fabric choice is great and the seams all lined up. I think the person that wrote the directions was a little loopy when it came to counting, but I have learned over the years that directions=suggestions.

And as you can see, it is all Lilly approved too!

Another NON Quilt post.

Yes, I am quilting. Sort of. As most of my family and close friends know, October is the month of insanity. Seems only fitting it should end with Halloween. I have pieced the Lone Star together and will post the finished front later.

But now, the reason for today's post.

My sweet Aerik is officially a teenager today!!! 13!!! He made it, who knew??? This is the child that came barging into the world on his own agenda, all 9.5 lbs of him! Crawled at 6 months, Jumped off his first piece of furniture at 8 months, Walked at 9 months. And the talking. OMG, the talking. I can't remember the day silence became extinct.

Aerik (or JJ as we call him) has been a force to reckon with since 12:34 pm, October 12  1998.

My muffin man, Jabber Jaws (hence the name JJ), sweet boy, OHMYGODDAMNITWHATISTHAT,  has graced my life with adventure, tears, laughter, and wonder on so many occasions.

Happy Birthday my lovely man-to-be. And if your future wife is out there reading this, I have some stories for you!

Continuation of the Lone Star

Autumn has come to Vermont, but the pollen hasn't left yet. This means I am in super sloth mode....too tired to function at any speed, and too miserable to sleep. Oh, wait...I have 3 kids. Who was I kidding about sleep?

Anyways, in the spirit of the blog and the quilt that I am focused on right now, I have several pictures to share. Here is 7 of the 8 finished sections on the original backing fabric my mom and I picked out:

The colors of the quilt are in the background, but once it's all "together", it feels busy, and a little conflicted. So, not needing any excuse or encouragement, I went off to a new store I discovered and found this:

The main distinction is that PRINT 1 is a batik with a repetitive print and a slightly varied background. 

PRINT 2 is a hand-dyed batik with all the colors in the quilt as marbled ribbons of colors.

But now, I look at them, and I cant decide. I have often heard of crafters that take pictures of their Works in Progress when they are stuck so they can see it in a "different" light. Me, well, I think my brain is just having a wishy washy time deciding on something. Any comments or thoughts? I would LOVE the feedback on this one!