More Economy Blocks - I heart scraps

As I try to fill up the last minutes before the Super Bowl starts, it occurred to me that I had more Economy Blocks to share.  I think I have around 20 in total.  Lots of them include some of my favorite tiny Heather Ross scraps, like the horses and tack from her West Hill line in the first one.  I tried stripes, trying to see what it would look like...maybe a bit too busy for me?

Heather Ross West Hill horses

This van and the pink on the outside are both Heather Ross too...from the tiniest bits I had saved.

I think these people are running for the ice cream truck.  I definitely like the look of the solids along with a print...three prints might be too much.

A beautiful mermaid...this one was an attempt to see about not "exactly" solids, just fabrics that had lots of solid space or a tonal pattern.

As you can see, I was all over the place, trying different combinations to see what I liked best.

What does the fox say?

A bicycle that my fussy cutting was...um.."off" on.  But I was not about to throw it out.

I will admit, I do like how scrappy they look altogether.  I'm still wondering if a whole quilt would just be too much.

Do you like the solids?  Stripes?  Or all of the craziness of 3 patterns?

Drunkard's Path - my newest obsession - thanks to SCTMQG

I've been wanting to go a Modern Quilt Guild meeting for what feels like forever.  There are two chapters that are each about an hour away from me.  Last weekend, FINALLY, I had the time on a Saturday when the SCTMQG (Southern CT Modern Quilt Guild) were holding their monthly meeting.  

I met a great group of ladies (all ladies, does your MQG have men?) and already have the February meeting time blocked off on my calendar.  I'm really looking forward to some of the programming that's scheduled for this year, but more importantly the motivation to stretch out and try new things...like this month's challenge...the Drunkard's Path.

I was so excited at the meeting that I forgot to trace the templates they had.  So I found one and tried to make my own thin plastic template.  This was my first try at ANY curved piecing.

Lizzy House Castle Peeps - wonky style

You can see that my square parts are too narrow and my circle parts are different sizes.  It's a miracle I passed kindergarten, because clearly I can't trace worth a damn, and my trimming is WAY off.  Still, I loved how fun it was.

Someone at the meeting had copies of the paper that had come with their template, so I went right online and bought a set from Baycreek Quilting Products (www.quilttemplates.com).  They arrived in exactly a week, they are nice and thick and as you can see, the proportions are right.  

Hard Plastic Templates from Baycreek Quilting - LOVE

Once I had the templates I dove right into my second attempt, with some precious Cotton + Steel fat quarters that I bought for something just so special.  TAAADAAA!

Cotton + Steel - using 5" templates - VOILA!

I'm not sure if it was the sturdiness of the templates, that I had some practice with the first set, or what else, but as you can see, this block turned out MUCH better.  And much more precisely lined up.

Heather Ross - Briar Rose - Test #2 - Officially hooked

Once I got going, I had to try a second one, and I used some of the scraps left over from my most recent finish, my Darling Quilt by Freckled Whimsy, my precious Heather Ross Briar Rose leftovers.

What I love most about the Drunkard's Path blocks is that they intimidated the hell out of me, and now I feel like I can try some of the awesome layouts on this link that was shared with me...

http://www.stitchedbycrystal.com/2012/10/tutorial-quilting-curves-drunkards-path.html

Photo from www.acraftymommy.blogspot.com, in the link above

What's the quilting technique that intimidates you most?

Economy Blocks - WIP? or UFO?

Last year, Economy Blocks were everywhere.  They were filling my Instagram feed, they were in blog posts and Twitter.  Like everyone else, I went to Rita Hodge's Red Pepper Quilts blog and used her great tutorial from August of 2013 to start making blocks.

I didn't have a ton of experience with fussy cutting so this was a learning experience for me.  I loved that I could save (and use!) the tiniest scraps of my favorite fabrics to make these quick and easy blocks.

These are four of the ones I have done.

One thing I realized after I got a bunch made was that I was all over the place with the colors.  I have no idea if these will make it into a quilt or not.  They might be too wild all together.  

Made from Heather Ross TINY scraps. Ice cream TRUCK!!

  I do have a thing for orange. Light, dark, polka dots.  I love all things orange.

Fairy Tale Friends pieces from left overs of a charm pack

More tiny scraps of Mendocino and some of my favorite old Yummy Goods swirly thingys.

Note the ORANGE seahorse

This is one of my Bari J. blocks.  It's a mixture of three of her lines I think.  Look at that bird!! I actually got him right into the center.

Orange and pink

So all together, these four look great.  But wait until you see them next to my experiments with orange and blue.  Yikes!

Have you made an Economy Block quilt?  Was it lots of mixed colors or a specific palatte?

Final Finish for 2014 - Heather Ross Briar Rose Quilt

This is my final finish for 2014.  My second "big" quilt.  It's 80" x 80".  I made it for my daughter's bed.  Up until Christmas Day, she was sleeping in a full sized bed, but it took me so long to finish this one, that she changed her mind and got twin bunk beds!

I bought a fat quarter set of Heather Ross' Briar Rose line as soon as it came out and I was looking for just the right pattern.  This is "Darling" by Freckled Whimsy.  I got everything at Fat Quarter Shop.

One of the things I love about the pattern is that is shows off the prints.  The blocks are big, so you can really see all of the cute detail. (Some close ups below)  My daughter chose some multi-colored Michael Miller Candy Dots for the binding.

My Aunt Tala did the quilting on this one too, as usual, it's spectacular.  It looks like there's hearts all over the quilt.

Close up the adorable strawberries and Aunt Tala's perfect quilting

 This yellow is one of the bolts I got for backings when our local Joann closed.  I got a bunch of DS Quilts bolts for $4/yard.

I just love the honeycomb print and the Candy Dot polka dot binding.

One of my goals for 2015 is to learn to take better pictures.  The prints are so adorable, and these pictures don't do them justice.

Four left clovers

I also finished a T-shirt quilt for my husband, and a lap quilt for my mother-in-law.  Do you think I have good pictures of either of those?

For 2015, my goals are a quilt a month, to use at least 75% of the fabric for every quilt from my stash (which is VERY doable) and to finish at least 2 more long standing UFOs.  Oh, and of course to blog about them all, with really good pictures.

Wish me luck!

First Finish for 2014 - 2 year old Tula Pink Field Study Quilt (Heather Ross Mendocino Included)

So I finished this quilt top on January 2, 2012.  That's over 2 years ago.  Is it just me or is it frightening how quickly the time passes?

This was the first quilt that I used some of my very precious stash of Heather Ross Mendocino fabric for.  Orange is my favorite color, so it was a big deal for me to cut into it.  I am thrilled to finally be able to use this to keep me warm on the couch and see those seahorses every day!  You can barely see them in the lighter orange arrows at the bottom and top.

I am also on a striped binding kick.  So what better choice than some Heather Ross stripes to finish this off?

Close up of the AWESOME striped binding

Now I'm back to the quilt that I'm making for our guest room.  I started it last spring, and got sidetracked.  What else is new?  The big deal about this quilt is that it's full/queen size, which is the biggest top I've made to date.

Pony Saddle Pad For My Little Equestrian

Ever since my daughter started taking riding lessons a year ago, I've been wanting to make her a pony saddle pad. I clarify "pony" because she is so little (maybe 45 lbs soaking wet) that she rides ponies only so far. But lots of the girls at the barn bring their own saddle pads with them, and I thought "I can MAKE that". Of course, I've been hoarding Heather Ross' West Hill fabric for just such an occasion.

I will admit, I did use a pattern. The pattern overall, I was NOT happy with, so I will be making my own pattern for the next version. The shape is too boxy and the directions were awful. And once my daughter sees this, I'm sure I'll be making MANY more. For the back I used Sis Boom (Jennifer Paganelli) Poodle.

It's a simple shape, with simple quilting. The most challenging part is using webbed binding. It's a tiny bit slippery, and I was using vintage stuff I had on hand. You really need to use webbed because of the crazy wear and tear it takes. Overall, though, really, it looks fantastic I think.

Here she is last winter winning her first ever blue ribbon. Now wouldn't this picture be cuter with her Heather Ross Saddle Pad?

My Amazing Weekend with Heather Ross and friends

I want to get this out as quickly as possible. I don’t want to lose the intensity of the emotion before I have a chance to get it written down. Do you know how some days, or weeks burn themselves into your brain, either in the moment, or afterwards, as having been really critical in some way? Maybe you learned something that you’ve been trying to learn for a long time. Maybe you finally became aware of something that has been nibbling at your subconscious. This past weekend was one of those times for me, and here’s why.

I signed up for this Heather Ross “Sewing Weekend” this spring. It was something to look forward to, and it was purely “me” time. It wasn’t cheap, but when I saw the slate of guest teachers, I knew I had to go. There was Gretchen Hirsch of Gertie’s New Blog for Better Sewing, Liesl Gibson, Moda fabric designer, Oliver & S and Lisette pattern author, and Jay McCarroll, winner of season 1 of Project Runway. These folks were IN ADDITION to Heather herself. An aspiring designer’s dream team. So I took my hard earned cube farm bonus and paid up.

(view from my hotel room...LOVE the water towers)


(blurry picture, but love this note on my bathroom mirror)


As is usually the case, as the weekend neared, I had doubts. Did I really want to be away, for a whole weekend, without my kids and husband? Was it really going to be worth all the money I had spent? Would I just be wasting one of precious fall weekends and come home exhausted needing another vacation? But I forged ahead, packed my bags, and headed to NYC on Friday evening.

We started out with a private shopping event at Purl Soho. The store closed at 7 and we got to shop from 7-8 with the guest teachers offering guidance. I was so star struck at first, I really found it hard to approach anyone, even the other students. As is often the case with me, I waffled between insecurity and that “oh, will they LIKE me” mess, and wanting to rip all the bolts off the shelves and run out the door to hoard the amazing fabric. I bought 2 ½ yards of a Liberty of London fabric to make a blouse pattern I had brought along (purchased 2 years earlier when I had a SERIOUSLY inaccurate handle on my sewing skills). I also bought fabric to make an Amy Butler bag, and this amazing ombre fabric that I have no idea what I do with, but just HAD to have.

(eye candy from Purl Soho)



(ONE of the many Liberty sections)



We went from there to a group dinner at Lucky Strike. They weren’t really ready for us, so we had to sort of stand awkwardly in the middle of the restaurant waiting for people to leave and for them to put our tables together. It was worth the discomfort though, because I got to sit across from Liesl and we had the most fantastic dinner conversation. (I have no idea if she thought the conversation was good, she was incredibly gracious). We talked about the fabric industry, her pattern making and how her Lisette patterns came to be. We talked about kids, charitable giving, and earning a living (or not) designing fabric and writing sewing and quilting patterns. If I had gone home that night, I would have been completely satisfied. I felt so fortunate to have gotten the seat across from her, and to have gotten to speak with her for so long. She was frank, honest, and forthcoming. It was wonderful. If that wasn’t enough, the dinner was fantastic.

Saturday morning we started sewing at The Sewing Studio, and in typical NY fashion, they packed a lot into a really tiny space. Each of us had a machine, and there were two large cutting tables in the centers of the sewing spaces. Not for nothing, but their cutting tables are the same Ikea ones I got this summer, so I was feeling pretty smart. Heather and Liesl convinced me to make a muslin of my pattern, which honestly terrified me at first. How crazy is that? What is that? Work the kinks out, make all your mistakes on muslin and NOT this $39/yard fabric? Liesel also helped to me to choose to make a size 12 muslin. I still get confused about pattern sizing vs retail sizing vs the fact that I am a real person and don’t fit into any one size…more on this later.




Heather also showed us this fantastic technique for copying patterns onto muslin or fabric using this cool waxed transfer paper (you can see it on the table next to her). Again, that information alone would have made my weekend complete (then we went to a store and we all bought it!). There was shopping at the FIT bookstore and Mood, then back to the studio for more sewing.
I managed to cut my muslin, sew together the front and back, including many darts, completely screw up the plackets, and get completely confused about how to make a collar stand. On Saturday night, about 8PM, I had my muslin on (embarrassing!) and got manhandled by Jay, Liesl and Heather all trying to decide if I should size up or let out darts.

Seriously.great.learning.experience.

We decided if I wanted to breathe or if I ever ate again, I should size up. Imagine if I cut that Liberty, and the damn blouse was too small??? I’d have sworn like a sailor on leave and jumped out the window. But I DIDN’T cut it first, and I got to cut the size up, and start sewing it on Sunday morning. Can I get an AMEN?

Of course all while this is going on I have extreme project envy. There are folks making children’s things, aprons, and messenger bags. And finishing them. And starting on second projects. Or thirds. I must have thought “oh I WISH I was making THAT” at least three or four times. But thankfully, as the last morning of sewing drifted away from me, and I got to see my fabric choice come to life, I decided that I was thrilled I had brought something so challenging for me. That was the whole point I told myself, right?? This was a rare opportunity to stretch, go outside of my teeny tiny comfort zone, reach to challenge myself and learn something new. Gain experience, knowledge and thought process from FOUR sewing experts. And learn I did.

What I learned, most importantly, were two things. One, that I need to “swim in my own lane” as my friend Bari calls it. I need to think for myself, make choices for myself, and be confident in my own skin. I am where I am, I need/want to learn more than I want to look like I can sew in front of total strangers. Every one of us is in a different place, and that it how it’s supposed to be. And two, maybe even more importantly, I learned that all this self doubt about how I look to others, or how quickly I’m learning, or how quickly I can make something, or how perfect my work comes out, or when I can create my own fabric line, is useless and wasteful. I’ll get there when I get there, and it will be exactly how it’s supposed to be.




Of course the caveat to all of that is that I need to actually DO it. I need to make time for myself, and for what I feel is my passion. What I was born to do. I need to go away for weekends, or spend time practicing and screwing up. I need to ask for help. I need to be willing to look like I don’t know what I’m doing (because a lot of the time, I don’t).

What I will get though, is infinitely valuable. Experience. Confidence. Comfort in my own skin. Pride in myself when I accomplish something hard. And the wonderful camaraderie with all my fellow sewists, designers, and bloggers. Well worth the bonus money spent on a weekend in New York City with total strangers.

New York Sewing Weekend Workshop with Heather Ross!

I don't have any pictures...just a teeny, tiny note from Heather that I got in...

http://heatherross.squarespace.com/journal/

On Veteran's Day weekend, I'll be off to NYC to soak up as much knowledge and inspiration as I can from...are you READY???

Heather Ross
Jay McCarroll
Liesl Gibson
Gretchen Hirsch

Yowza! The description is brief, but full of promise...

"Workshop Fees include accommodations (tentatively The Ace Hotel) Friday and Saturday nights, most meals, a sewing machine and workspace in our sewing studio, all instruction and participation in sewing labs and demonstrations, plus guest-teacher-led shopping (with a little culture thrown in) trips to New York City’s best sewing, craft, and design shops. We can also promise loads of inspiration, laughs, and some excellent pastries."

Pastries?? Does Heather Ross know me already??

I cannot wait to share.