Playing With Fabric

Today I barreled through the piecing of all the blocks for my 30s quilt. Next is to figure out the placement and get all the blocks sewn together. My chain-piecing epiphany--one year after starting the quilt--made an enormous difference. I now have no idea what took me so long on this very easy project. But it's now coming together.

As a diversion I made a sample block for my next quilt. I have been gradually collecting fabrics in the teal/green/brown group. I got them all pulled out the other day and tried to figure out what I wanted to make.



I think it will be the Blue Star Quilt from Kaffe Fassett's Caravan of Quilts. It gives me the perfect chance to try out this method for making flying geese. Mine won't be quite the riot of color the one in the book is. But I'm trying to be a little more daring mixing up prints.



Any suggestions for a good iron? Ours is old, slowly breaking and doesn't have an automatic shut off. Wes is convinced I will burn down the house, killing us all, if I walk away from the iron while it is still on or even plugged in.

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

Scene: Jessica is looking at knitting patterns.

Jessica: Hmm, those are kind of nice wrist warmers and--Oh my god! What the hell? What the? What the hell is that? What? Oh my god. Ew. OH. MY. GOD. EW! Ewewewewewewewewewewew. EEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

(I think this is around the time I blacked out.)

A Case for My Crap

Pattern: Based on these box bag instructions
Fabric: Peas and Carrots by American Jane
Notes: I need a zipper bag or two to go in my purse. I'm tired of carrying all my lotion and lip balm, etc. in a ratty quart-size ziploc baggie (thanks TSA!)

Again I had an initial moment of completely not understanding how to sew this together. I kind of rushed through it so the seams are a bit off and it is generally a little wonky (it looks wonkier in the photo because I could not pull one corner to a nice point without poking in its facing corner). I don't like how the inside, though lined, has lots of raw edges. I might try to get my head around how to put in the lining after boxing the corners next time. Though this is where I always mess up sewing. I am terrible at visualizing things in 3D so inevitably something gets sewn in with the wrong side facing out. If I hadn't sewn any of it together wrong, this could have been about 30 minutes to sew.

Still Another Great Seattle Headline

Teen sets record for blowing up balloons with nose

Laaaaaadies and Gentleman!

Presenting Peanut, the wee elephant!





Pattern: Peanut, the wee elephant from Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts
Fabric: Peas and Carrots by American Jane
Notes: After I got over my initial confusion this guy came together quickly and easily. I probably should have done a less busy pattern for the body because it makes it difficult to see his eyes. I wanted to glue the eyes before sewing but I only had Fray-Check and it didn't work. I would also top-stitch the ears if I make this again. The pattern is from the 4-8 hour section of the book. I think it took me maybe 4 hours to make this.

We've All Been Expecting This for the Last Sixteen Days

Weekend Update Avec Fromage

Knitting: I still love my Pi shawl. I'm knitting and knitting on it. I don't know what I will do for the border or when I will start.

Quilting: I got my sewing machine back from the shop. I got to finish a Harry Potter block that I started last Sunday.



It's the Monster Book of Monsters.

I also jumped back into my 30s star quilt and realized after working on it for almost a year that I could chain-piece even though I'm foundation-piecing. I tried it on Friday and it's very fast. Plus it save a TON of thread.

I finally went back to my Quilt-a-Long blocks. I left them languishing because I didn't know what to do for sashing or borders. I realized this weekend that I don't really care! I made the blocks for the fun of making them and I'm not at all invested in the final product. I found a fabric that goes with it that I had enough of in my stash to start slapping on some sashing. It's nearly done. Just the borders left now. Amazing how fast it goes when you finally just sit down and feed it through your machine. I think I will use this quilt to practice hand-quilting. I can do some by hand and some by machine. Then I think I'll donate it.

I decided out of nowhere to make Peanut the elephant from Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts. I was completely baffled by the first sewing step because, I believe, it leaves out a crucial bit of information about where to sew. Once I got over that hurdle the rest went together very quickly. I only have a tiny bit of stuffing so now it has to wait at least until tomorrow to get finished.



Cheese: I was at the grocery store yesterday and noticed this in the cheese case.



And so long as I was humiliating my family by photographing cheese why not take a few shots of the pretty ones with all the flowers?



News: I can only guess that today was a slow news day in Seattle.

Tipping Policy

I've got a salon etiquette question for you. My stylist moved from a large salon to a new smaller operation. At the new place there is no support staff (receptionist, shampoo girl, etc.). My stylist now answers her own calls, schedules her own appointment, washes hair and everything. Her prices have gone up $10-15. My question is, in this new set up, am I still supposed to tip? It seems to me that tipping should not be necessary since she is no longer responsible to the "house" or support staff. What do you think?

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

And she was never heard from again.

Pi Progress

I want to offer you something other than grumbling about people's driving habits.



Still love the Pi. Still haven't touched another project. I'm nearly at the end of my second of four skeins. I'm switching to a larger needle so I had a short window of opportunity to snap a photo of it semi-spread out.

Car and Motorcycle Advice

If you are driving a motorcycle and decide that instead of stopping at a stop sign you will instead pass the car in front of you (on the right) while they stop don't be alarmed when the driver does not let you pass and honks at you. Don't rev your engine and zip in front of the car then slam on your brakes while gesturing to the driver something that suggest "who's the boss now?"

Best case scenario: You live to see another day.
Worst case scenario: The car driver crushes you like a bug.

I would instead advise you to follow the rules of the road thus avoiding drama and crushed extremities.

If you are driving a car and feel that a motorcyclist should not pass you on the right at a stop sign. Let it go. Don't try to outrace an unreasonable person in a very busy pedestrian area.

Best case scenario: You don't hurt anyone.
Worst case scenario: You crush someone like a bug.

I would instead advise you to follow the rules of the road thus avoiding drama and crushed extremities.

Note: I was not the driver, nor the motorcyclist, in this scenario. I was merely the lucky person walking alongside them while they had this vehicular pissing match. And had to attempt to explain to my son why everyone was yelling and honking while reaching for my cell phone in case I needed to call 911.

Sewing Bee!

I had another sewing bee yesterday and finally added the last borders to my Four Square quilt. This sucker is huge. An 81" square. Once I moved the furniture to spread it out on the floor I couldn't get high enough to take a photo of the whole thing. Huge. I had to drop off my sewing machine to get repaired immediately after the bee. I did most of a Harry Potter block too. I'll finish it as soon as I can pick up my machine.