Tuesday 3 June 2014

Two Things at Once

I multi-task...a LOT.  In fact, I think being successful at my job even requires it.  However, no matter what I do lately, I can't seem to sew AND blog at the same time.  Jeez.  You get one or the other.  Better yet, you get one....and then a gajillion years later, you get the other.

So I have been sewing.  I haven't gone on some epically long hiatus like I did this winter.  I just haven't taken the time to write about it.  I'm changing that today.  Oodles of catching-up pictures will follow.  I hope you like pictures.  They say a picture tells a thousand words -- if so, this is a novel.

So first up, I was in progress making a birthday present for my new niece who turned 5 a couple weekends ago.

I moved down to the living/dining room so I could use my table to support the weight while I quilted.
 I had the whole top made at the end of April and then...? I let it sit.  So I finally bucked down and basted and quilted all in a single weekend.

My mom and niece tried to hold it up so I could get a picture before I wrangled it into my car for the drive up north.
And here is the happy birthday girl on the day of the celebration -- with her Uncle Punching-Bag.  Weird nick-name - I know.
So cute.  She has apparently been wrapping herself up in it since it was gifted.
The same weekend that I was finishing off Maddie's Birthday Tweet, I FINALLY convinced my friend Camille that she could sew herself a pillow!  Hehe.  Did I mention that I'm trying to create my own quilt army?  I'm taking enlistments!  Anyhoo, she decided to make an alternating cool and warm HST pillow.   First, she waded through my ri-DONK-ulously huge stash of scraps to find 25 warms and 25 cools.  Then, I taught her to use a rotary cutter and ruler to make 3-inch sqaures.  She fastidiously cut out 50 sqaures without getting pissed off and throwing in the towel -- I call that VICTORY #1.   Then, she had to mark her squares.
So patient and precise - a quilter after my own heart!!!!
She then chained pieced them together to make a lovely pile of almost-HSTs.
Chain piecing on the evening 1 of the pillow project -- I had SUCH joy watching her work!  Excuse the picture darkness though.  It was kinda getting late.  
She finished the evening by slicing and pressing her chain pieced units.  And VICTORY #2 -- She hadn't quit yet!  In fact, she was having FUN!!!!  By the next morning, she had this lovely stack of HSTs awaiting her arrival:
These are her 100 HSTs - all stacked and pretty.
Next it was time for her to trim and square them up - she patiently trimmed all those HSTs.  However, that;s not the most epic part -- the most epic part is that she saw fit to go buy her own rotary cutter to facilitate the trimming!  VICTORY #3!!!  Once you have a cutter - that's it - you are hooked!  There's no going back!!!
There's not much better than a satisfying pile of fabric trimmings!
She pieced her HSTs together that day in rows of 10 and then learned to pin and match seams to make her pillow.  By the end of the second day, with an envelope backing hastily pieced by me, she had this GLORIOUS finish!
Its SO AMAZING!!!  I want it -- or she could MAKE me one!  
I'm jealous!  But, the best part?!?!  She wants to make Sew Demented's Sew Together Bag next!  Hook.  Line.  Sinker.  Welcome to the quilt army, C!

Oh ya....and I guess I should add, I have also sewn together super boring curtains for my friend Brent's new place.  I HATE this red fabric.  Don't tell him - he's in love.
       

And (as per usual) I have been amassing and hoarding collecting fabrics like its my job.  My very fun and very beautiful and calming and satisfying dream job.
The result of a delicious Pink Castle sale.  They were such a good deal, they were practically free....ish.  :)
And thanks to my quilty friend L, who split a Tula Pink Fox Field half-yard bundle with me, I was able to introduce my  Tula Pink Acacia's to their new room mate.
So...see?  All is right in the quiltaverse with me.  Now I have to go and cut out some fat quarters for my aviatrix medallion challenge (I'm onto you L!)

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