Have Projects, Will Travel

Hello!

 As I mentioned in my last post, I am on the road traveling with my husband while he trains for his new job in the civilian world.   Did I mention that we are driving with three Yorkies in the car?   Well, we are and I can tell you that it's a lot of time in the car when you have three Yorkies insisting on potty breaks every few hours!  

Of course, as all avid quilters do, I brought along a project to work on while my husband drives.  In part, this is so that I make some headway on some of the many "hand-work" projects that I brought along with me.  But another reason is that I find I am much better off in thoughtful prayer with my eyes down and my needle moving while my husband re-lives his air-refueling days as a pilot in the US Air Force.  I tell you, sometimes he rides so close to the cars around him I can read the labels on the other driver's t-shirt.
Scary!

Anyway, I brought a couple of projects in the car and am happy to report progress...

My Antique Rose Quilt is from a McCalls Quilt pattern that I started ages ago and have yet to complete.  I mentioned this quilt in a previous post and it's on my Piecing List so I'm glad I am making progress on it.  This is where it was when I started working on it again:

And here it is now... Color difference is from using a new camera to take the pictures

Can you tell that now all the red flowers and yellow centers and one of the blue "bear paws" are done?  I use a template-free applique technique so it makes it hard to tell what is basted-on versus sewn-on.  Not as much done as I would like but it's a start...

Now, my mom started this same quilt about 6 months after I did and hers is done!  I have it loaded on Gammill Bea (my longarm) and am almost done quilting it.  This is an early-on shot taken just as I started the quilting.

 

Once we arrived in Phoenix, AZ. we settled into Dave's folks house. We are very fortunate that it's only a short distance to the training site and that his parents, who have fled from the nuclear hot Phoenix summer, were so kind as to allow us to stay in their home...with three Yorkies...while they are away.
God Bless you, Dave and Carnell!

  If you look back at my previous posts, you'll see that I have spent some time at the Arizona quilt shops.  From Tuscon to Prescott and most places in between there are some really great shops here but on this trip I didn't go to any of them!  Now, for me, that's a hard thing... I hate knowing I'm passing by a quilt shop and can't go in.  But I had my reasons... First off, we were down to one car so I only had a couple of days when I could shop. The main reason though, is that I have soooo many projects already and I really, really, REALLY want to get some of them done!  So, I decided to stay home and get a few of my projects off the list.

 

I brought about 15 projects along with me all in various stages of completion.  I decided to just dive in and I am happy to report that I got two projects D-O-N-E!

 

The first project is this cute tote bag from the book

Everyday Living, Make It & Sell It. 

 

 

This pattern uses French Seams which is not only a very

cool technique but makes a wonderful neat seam.

 

This is the seam.  I know it's a little hard to see but that's what makes it great :)

 

 

 

The next project is a new spin on an older technique...

Remember the watercolor quilts that used the grid-interfacing? 

 

 Well, Quiltsmart has put together the Mondo Bag using a

grid-interfacing and - to make things really easy -

you can use mini-charms!

 

As you can see I used "Ticklish" to make my Mondo Bag.

 

I thought I'd share a few things I learned while putting this bag

together so that if you decide to give it a whirl you'll avoid

some of the pitalls I encountered.

 

I purchased 5 mini-charms as I was told that's what was needed to make the bag, which is true if you don't consider the handle part of the bag.  So, buy six if you want to make the handle out of the charms as well.  I ended up using my lining fabric for the handles and was happy with the results so that is always an option.

 

There are four grid-interfacing panels that make up the bag.  When using the mini-charms, layout all four panels at one time.  I did mine individually and found that I had used my favorite fabrics from each mini-charm pack all up before I got through the third panel. You will use all but maybe 2 or 3 of the squares from the five packages so you may want to buy a few extra mini-charms if there are fabrics included that you don't want to use in your bag.

 

Here is a layout in progress

  

 

Once your've completed your layout you iron everything in place and then using a 1/4 inch seam allowance start sewing just like you did for those watercolor quilts. 

 

Here is the panel after it has been ironed and sewn- 

 

The back-

 

 

And the front- 

 

 

 

 Perfect Corners!  Which is one of the reasons I love

this grid-interfacing techinque! 

 

This is my helper, Katie Belle. 

She is a 3 month old Yorkie and makes it her business to insure that everything I make can be used at naptime.  Riley and Murphy, my other two yorkies are smart enough to stay out of my way when I'm quilting.

 

 

 

Here is my finished bag.  The interfacing gives the bag body so that it doesn't fold in on itself.  In this picture it kinda looks like the bag is hanging on the wrought-iron shelf but it's not!

 

 

 

Again, this bag is MONDO!  Great for almost anything, I used it at the grocery store and was able to fit about 15 things in here!  See how well it stands open?

 

 

Fabulous, right?  This would be great for any day trip or an overnight trip. 

You can get so much in this bag it's crazy! 

 

 

 I also mangaged to get some of my Farmer's Wife quilt blocks done too. 

Have you seen this book?

 

This quilt is based on submissions to a publication called, you guessed it, The Farmer's Wife.  There are 111 blocks in this book... each 6" finished.  I belong to a block of the month club and each month they send 8 or so blocks to complete.  They are on month 4...I am on month 1 and playing catch up. 

Thanks to the miracle that is the internet, I belong to a Yahoo! Group called...you guessed it!...The Farmer's Wife and they have provided paper-piecing patterns for all the blocks!  Hooray!

 

Now, it's my experience that most quilters either love or hate paper-piecing.  I happen to be one of those who love it for the same reason I love the grid-interfacing technique...the precision is wonderful! Here are the blocks I have finished so far...

 

3 down, 108 to go.

 

One of things I decided to do is put the date I complete each block on the corner of the page and swatches of the fabric used for each block.  You can't see the date in this photo but there are the color swatches.  I'm not sure why the picture is sideways....oh well, you get the idea.

 

 

 

 

My mom is also doing this quilt and just like with the Antique Rose, she is way ahead of me and getting her blocks done each month as she receives them.  I wanna be just like her when I grow up!

 

Well, I'm afraid I've been a bit long-winded (or written) again.  That's good news because it means I got a lot done that I could share with you! 

 

Keep Quilting!

 

Irene

Phoenix Shops

Today I write to you from Phoenix, Arizona.  My hubby, Dave, and I took the little (15 hour) road trip up to visit with Dave's dad while Dave's mom is away visiting Dave's sister...boy that's a bit convoluted :)  Of course the men immediately hit the golf links first thing in the morning so I had to find a way to entertain myself.  What better way then to go on my own personal shop hop?  Armed with a Google list of shops and my trusty GPS I headed out. Now, for those of you unfamiliar with the Phoenix area, it's a bit sprawled out and consists of a LOT of little towns.  I figured I'd start with the shops farthest away and hop my way back toward home.

First up,

Cutting Edge Quilts is in Chandler, AZ and has a great location; lots of restaurants and little shops in the historic district.  Although the fabric selection was a little limited the folks were very friendly. By the way...In case you're wondering, that's Kilo (short for Kilometer) and he travels with me wherever I go. He doesn't mind having his picture taken so you'll find him in almost all of my pictures.

From Chandler, I headed to Tempe, AZ to

This is another small shop with friendly staff. 

However, the reason I traveled the hour south to these two shops was because of the third one...

Yep, you are reading that right...3 Dudes Quilting.  Now, as you probably know, the quilting world, until the last decade or so, has been a woman's world.  Of course, times have changed and you read about a lot of different men who have not only entered the quilting world but are very successful at it. I couldn't wait to see what these 3 Dudes had to offer.  It was a nice shop with great fabric selection. You know how when you go into a quilt shop the shop has taken on the personality of the owners?  Well, this shop was no exception.  Many shops have that comfy, quilty, homey feel...you know what I'm talking about.  This shop had a decidedly "business" atmosphere.  The 2 Dudes that were working in the shop were knowledgeable and helpful and provided great customer service in a very professional manner.  Everything from the layout of the store to the advice and instructions were efficient and logical.  I really liked the shop but it definitely had a different feel to it. 

The Bernina Connection is in Phoenix and a little deceiving when you first go in.  At first glance it seems small but as you move to the back of the store you realize it's bigger than it appears.

Now one of my favorite shops on this private hop was

 This shop was so nice that I took pictures of the inside

Isn't this a great shop!  Lots of fabric and tools without over-crowding and lots of LIGHT all which makes it easy to see everything. 

Not to be out done, there is the

Also in Phoenix, I have been to this shop a few times but it was in a different location and was very overcrowded which made it hard to see everything.  Now they are in this new location and what a difference!  Here's a picture of the inside...

Now it's not the best picture (all of these hop pics were taken with my iPhone) but believe me when I say it's huge! Definitely a shop to meet all your needs...they offer the usual fare...fabric, batting, thread, notions...as well as sewing machine sales and repairs, cabinets and mid-arm machines.  Excellent!

By the time I hit the Quilter's Bee, in Peoria AZ, it was getting a little late in the day and I was getting tired so it was a quick trip in and out.  Nice shop though.  Here's a shot of the inside...

They were very helpful and welcoming in spite of the fact that they were swamped! You can't see the other 10 or so people at the back of the store or the 4 standing in line at the register!

Last but not least...

So, I hit Sun Valley Quilts, Sun City, AZ, at 3:50 pm.  The shop closes at 4 pm so I am sure that the employees were ready to go home. But, one of my pet peeves is any business that advertises a closing time and then gets irritated when customers come in a few minutes before that time.  In fact, this shop turned their sign from 'open' to 'closed' at 3:55 and was noticeably upset when a customer walked in at 3:57 (all these times were by my iPhone...maybe their clock was set differently).  In any case, why get upset at a paying customer?  It's a nice shop with a pretty good selection of fabrics and in it's defense when I've been there before (in the middle of shop hours) they are helpful though not overtly friendly.

So, that was my own personal shop hop and here's what I have to show for it....

Now, you are probably wondering what all the plaids are about... I'm adding them to my stash because it is getting really hard to find them.  I like them and I hate that they are getting so hard to find!

In case you are wondering, here are the stats of that hop.... 119 miles, 7 shops, 31 items purchased.  I won't put down the dollars spent in case my husband decides to check out my blog :-0

Okay, so that was Saturday and while this is getting a little long I want to quickly share my progress on my UFOs...

Last time we met I had started the Civil War BOM and finished the 18' block.  I now have the 12" block done as well so month 1 is complete!  I contemplated working on month 2 but decided to change it up a bit so I pulled out a halloween quilt that I started last summer (but bought about 5 years ago) while staying at my BFF Brenda's house (Brenda is a non-quilter and cannot understand my obsession with all things quilting but nobody is perfect).  This quilt is called Boo! and is a Pieces from the Heart pattern. These are the all the blocks and I got them all done during the month I was visiting with her:

  The centers are fussy cut from a panel fabric with the exception of the witches hat block which I hand-embroidered.  Lots of 1 ½ inch squares!  Next step is the sashing

I've started constructing the rows but failed to take pics :-( Oh well, you know I'll be posting the finished project.  My other project that I have been working on is my "travel" project. This is a hand project that I take with me wherever I go. 

This is a finished block. There are NINE of these and I have finished two. Sorry, I probably should have ironed it before the picture but I hate ironing :p

Here is the block in progress..

The quilt is called Antique Rose and was designed by Robert Callaham and featured in McCall's Quilting Jan/Feb 2010 issue.  It's only 2012 so it's a relatively new project for me LOL.  I'm using a template free technique that I really like.  In fact, until I learned this technique I really hated to do hand-applique.  I have been inspired to bring this quilt and get-'er-done because my mom started it in November and already is as far along as I am!  Yikes!

Well, I guess this post is a little long so I'll close for now.  Please leave your comments and/or sign up to follow my blog.  I love seeing the comments and many of you are posting them to my FB page but I'd love to see them here!

Keep on Quilting!

Irene