When I have been thinking a lot about a specific pattern I'm working on, or what fabric I want to use for a project, the ideas and possibilities tend to weave in and out of my mind throughout the day. While I wash the dishes, fold the laundry, and brush my teeth, these quilty, crafty thoughts occupy me.
But the best inspiration seems to arrive during the middle of the night. The baby wakes me up to nurse, and my brain goes a million miles a minute, calculating and contemplating while he suckles away. Then it's back to slumber for him, and I'm left wide awake, wondering if I should go light or dark with the sashing, or add an extra border.
This morning I awoke to the answer for a pressing problem.
Batiks! I'm so excited to have a solution. Equally exciting, I already have some of the fabric I will need. I bought it for a different project, which I ended up changing my mind about.
I'm very excited to finally work with batiks. I've used a little here and there, but I've never made anything big. My only hesitation is that the sewing needle seems to leave holes in the fabric, so if I start quilting and I really muck things up, I can't rip it out and start over. Maybe these holes will ease when I wash the quilt, but I have my doubts.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
First Finish of 2011!
Figuring out how to balance sewing time and blogging time is going to take some work it seems!
Last Wednesday I completed my first quilt of 2011!
2010 was definitely a year of starting projects. I'm hoping that 2011 will be a year of completing projects.
This fabric is much more "girly" than what (I think) I am usually attracted to. I prefer dark colors, and I live in a house full of males, so there isn't a lot of pretty going on around here.
I originally bought just the charm pack at one of my favorite quilt shops, Mill House Quilts in Waunakee, WI. But they had this quilt on display, and I couldn't get it out of my head, so I went back and they were kind enough to let me return the charm pack and purchase the kit to make this quilt.
I've had the top done and stuffed away for awhile. I waited until I bought a free motion foot and used it to practice my stipple quilting. It is far from great, and I wouldn't even call it good, but I tend to be hard on myself.
The kit included a striped fabric for the binding. I have seen some quilts with striped binding that look amazing, and I have two planned for the future, but I didn't feel like that fabric brought the whole quilt together very well. The nine-patch squares are quite vibrant, but the borders are rather bland. So I purchased a pink from the same fabric line and I love the way it brought the whole quilt together.
And now...my boys are asleep...so I have a quilt top to finish. And with any luck, I'll blog about it in fewer that five days this time.
Last Wednesday I completed my first quilt of 2011!
2010 was definitely a year of starting projects. I'm hoping that 2011 will be a year of completing projects.
This fabric is much more "girly" than what (I think) I am usually attracted to. I prefer dark colors, and I live in a house full of males, so there isn't a lot of pretty going on around here.
I originally bought just the charm pack at one of my favorite quilt shops, Mill House Quilts in Waunakee, WI. But they had this quilt on display, and I couldn't get it out of my head, so I went back and they were kind enough to let me return the charm pack and purchase the kit to make this quilt.
I've had the top done and stuffed away for awhile. I waited until I bought a free motion foot and used it to practice my stipple quilting. It is far from great, and I wouldn't even call it good, but I tend to be hard on myself.
The kit included a striped fabric for the binding. I have seen some quilts with striped binding that look amazing, and I have two planned for the future, but I didn't feel like that fabric brought the whole quilt together very well. The nine-patch squares are quite vibrant, but the borders are rather bland. So I purchased a pink from the same fabric line and I love the way it brought the whole quilt together.
And now...my boys are asleep...so I have a quilt top to finish. And with any luck, I'll blog about it in fewer that five days this time.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Welcome!
I know it doesn't look like much now, but I plan for this to be my virtual creative space. I'm relatively new to sewing and quilting. I love reading the amazing quilt/sew/craft blogs out there, and I'm impressed by the amount of support crafters give each other. I'm hoping to get some supportive suggestions and assistance myself, as I stumble around my tiny studio. But in the end, I feel that the act of creating is more important than the perfection of the creation. And in that vein...some days...I'm just going to sew my own way.
Thanks for visiting - please stop by again!
I know it doesn't look like much now, but I plan for this to be my virtual creative space. I'm relatively new to sewing and quilting. I love reading the amazing quilt/sew/craft blogs out there, and I'm impressed by the amount of support crafters give each other. I'm hoping to get some supportive suggestions and assistance myself, as I stumble around my tiny studio. But in the end, I feel that the act of creating is more important than the perfection of the creation. And in that vein...some days...I'm just going to sew my own way.
Thanks for visiting - please stop by again!
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