learning curve and evolving

basic grey collection (left) with coordinates from stash (right)

curse me and my impulse buying in my early quilting days.

there was so much i didn't know about fabrics and quilting and myself yet.

i didn't know what kind of fabric i liked to use in quilts vs. what just generally appealed to me.

i didn't know what kind of quilts i liked yet, even.

i didn't know that fabric makers were going to make an endless number of new and exciting fabrics every few months, that i'd never be able to keep up.

i didn't know how slowly i would quilt and use up the fabrics i was buying, or that i'd get tired of some of them before i ever got around to using them.

i didn't know what blenders or feature fabrics were, what boring looking fabrics actutally could be the making of a quilt.

i didn't know i would eventually not prefer to make my quilts from one fabric collection only.

i didn't know fabric on sale didn't make it more attractive than when it wasn't on sale.

i didn't know i was the type of quilter who couldn't overlook a fabric i didn't like in a project no matter how i worked it in, that i see the fabric as much as the color effect it has and that if i don't like it, i will continue to see it there years later and it will bug me.

i didn't know that i wouldn't like working with precuts very much, even though they do look really cute stacked on a shelf. or that a layer cake is the only size of precut that you can actually make a full size project out of.

i didn't know that although there are unlimited numbers of wonderful patterns out there, i would mostly prefer to make up my own quilt patterns.

i didn't know how much of what fabrics to buy.

i didn't know that there was such a thing as too much fabric.
(yes, i just said that.)

coordinating solids from stash

i was just really excited about the whole new world that had opened up to me and i wanted to make everything and buy it all.

i wanted a stash and i wanted scraps, for scrap quilts, of course.

i made A LOT of rash and bad choices.
a lot.
enough to fill shelves and boxes.

for example, in the first few months of my quilt hysteria adventure, when i saw this basic grey range for moda fabrics, it didn't really appeal to me. but then i saw another quilter make a simple bricks-style quilt out of it and thought it looked so homey and earthy, better than i expected. and i was looking for more fabric to add to my stash. sure, i could make that! why not? and i would need enough of each fabric, so i'd better get half a yard each. quarters, fat or skinny, would have been more than sufficient, but half yards were more economical (per sq inch) and who buys skinny quarters? there's not enough width to do anything with them (so i once thought). so i got half yards.

eight years later i'm digging this stack of fabrics out of a box and wondering if i should cut my loses, or if the coordinating prints and solids i pulled from stash can redeem these fabrics to create a quilt i'll actually like today. (and this is just one stack out of one box of several.)

because my style is changing.
my tastes are evolving.
(these weren't even me in the first place.)

part of this is because in the process of making 30+ quilts over the last 8 years i've learned a lot more about what i like and don't like. and part of it is just the nature of style progression in the quilt and design world.

these are the kinds of things that excite me, that i'd like to make these days:

1.  2.  3. 

4.  5.  6. 

7.  8.  9.

here's what i'm discovering i like:

• simple geometric shapes, repeating or scattered
• improv
• handquilting, or at least touches of it added
• low-volume
• a very specific type of liberty print, especially mixed with chambray and handquilting

1.  2.  3.

4.  5.  6.

7.  8.  9.

• soft, pretty pastels (low volume)
• diamonds and triangles
• log cabins (a low volume would be awesome)

1.  2.  3.

4.  5.  6.

7.  8.  9.

• still hsts forever!
• i want to make flying geese
• white space for the eye to rest, whether literally white or not

1.  2.  3.

4.  5.  6.

7.  8.  9.

• bold, funky color combinations or those that are unusual or have an unexpected punch/twist added
• large spaces of color
• more solids, less prints (although i will always splurge on those on a backing)
• more solids mixed in with prints
• i reeeaaally want to make the purl soho tiny tiles quilt with handquilting

i'd say i'm leaning towards a certain type of modern style, even though i enjoy certain vintage looks, too.

if you look back at the makes i've produced lately, they don't reflect these concepts much. the "stella grande" quilts were a move in the right direction, but i'm not there yet.

see, this year has been me playing catch up with lots of really old wips, so there's very little of the new inspiration being used. but maybe i can incorporate it into the projects that aren't that far along or established yet.

i'm ready for change, but i'm going to finish some things first.

hopefully i can unload a lot of my stash along the way!

it's official - i'm stocked

it's definitely official - i can call meadowdot in robin's egg/mint/whatever not only my all-time favorite, but also my signature fabric because i am now stocked beyond my wildest dreams. thanks to all the lovely ladies, starting with lucy on down, i was able to acquire several yards earlier this year. and now, thanks to natalie christensen, the craftin' mechanic, via rebecca's favorite fabric swap link up, i found another whopping 10 3/4 yards   of meadowdot at a small online shop!

merry Christmas, to me. i am now free to use it in abandon in any project i please without fear of not having enough left over. my first plans for it are to make a quilt, probably a plus quilt, out of my very first fabric purchase (the wheel of fabrics in my banner) and use meadowdot as the backing.

i was inspired by this plus quilt from blue elephant stitches. when i saw it, those first fabrics immediately came to mind. i think it might be a good pattern for them. with a meadowdot backing!

beyond that, all i know is that this new bit won't fit in the basket. i lost track, but i think maybe i have around 20 yards now. oh, glorious problem!

**in case you read my "hoard" post about limiting my purchases, and are wondering about this post, it was written and scheduled before my pledge with fabricholics anonymous.

making christmas

stack for s2's quilt

 i've had this crazy idea brewing in my head for about a month. i was considering my wips, which include a quilt in various stages for 4 of my 5 girls (2 that just need binding, one flimsy, one nearly finished top) and how my boys both really want me to get their quilts made. i have all the supplies for the boys' quilts and the patterns picked out. d4 already has her quilt and starting a 3rd new one would be too much, but i have all the flowers from her quilt that i could make into a pillow sham for her bed. that could count.

my idea is this: why not have a quilt finished for each of the kids by christmas?! it's a completely ambitious goal, admittedly probably not feasible. but if i'm ever going to have a christmas where i do give each of the kids quilts, this would be it. i love that idea! imagining them all cuddled up with their own mama-made on christmas just warms my heart. it'd be gift of a dream come true to myself, really.

pull for s1's quilt

there is a making christmas blog hop going on to get us sewers motivated. maybe, just maybe i can do this. the only way to find out is to start, i guess. i just don't want to almost finish and then have to gift a partial quilt to one of them. my mom was famous for giving fabric and a pattern or a half finished project as a christmas gift. it's a standing family joke. one of my siblings even claims to have received the same fabric and pattern for pj bottoms 2 or 3 years in a row! i have always said, "that will NOT be me!" this is holding me back from attempting it. my other hurdle is that i would like this to be a surprise and how do i manage that with all the kidlets around the house watching me sew all the time?

i'm going to give it a go! here is my list, then:

d1, "plus a diamond" quilt - needs binding

s1, wonky log cabin quilt - not started

d2, "taite" - needs binding

s2, "bandwidth" quilt - not started

d3, "twirly" quilt - top 75% complete

d4, pillow sham with "at last" flower appliques to match her quilt

d5, "paris daydreams" - a flimsy

at the very least, i need to get the kids thinking and moving on their gifts if they are going to do any. we've scaled christmas gift giving way back around here. it's just not where i want the focus of the holiday to be anymore. but they do so enjoy giving to each other and since i made them do a handmade christmas for each other 2 years ago, they have bought into the idea. last year they did their own making without any prompting from me at all. i just need to give them a nudge so they have time.

also, we do a cousin handmade ornament exchange on my husband's side of the family. that needs to be considered, too.

christmas, here we come!

next "to do's"

with me nearing completion on my chevron quilt, it's time to start a new project. yay! a fresh beginning is always so exciting. i have two in mind that i'm burning to do. after working with a kit, i am sooo ready to pick my own fabrics and do my own quilt design again.

my newest idea: an offset diamond out of hst's made in spring house  collection by stephanie ryan for moda. with the makings for a few dozen quilts in my stash already, i absolutely didn't need another new project, but the fresh, jazzy colors of this line seduced me. i don't think i have anything like them. just a charm pack, i thought? well, i sat down to consider what i could do with a charm pack and my new hst skills. a new design was born and i gave myself permission to get the charm pack. or packs, as it turned out.

it uses 3 charm packs each of the porcelain solid squares and the printed fabric to make the hst's. the yellow and green floral is the backing. the hot pink floral print is the binding.

i love that with a charm pack i get just a tiny bit from each fabric. it's a relatively inexpensive way to get just enough of lots of different fabrics.

 

i know most quilters use graph paper to design, but i just sorta sketch it out myself. i'm not decided on how i will place the hst's exactly, but i have the general idea and am looking forward to playing with placement. i better get my design wall done before then.

 

as much as these colors have me swooning, i really should get my sons' quilts done. so i probably should tackle this design i made for s2 next.

 my sketch is almost too light to see, but it's just basically some rows of jelly strips with large panels in between. it'll be quick and simple (i hope) and please my son.

i didn't record my idea really well, so there will be some improv because i'm not exactly sure what i got all the fabrics for now. silly, me. i do know that the large dot is for the backing, the 3 smaller dots are for the panels on the front, and where the jelly strips are to go. it's just the quarter yard bits i'm not sure about. they are either for piecing the back or for a pieced binding. maybe both? i guess i'll find out when i get started.



easter projects?

this morning i got to thinking about easter this weekend. it's been creeping toward me all month. i've been watching it approach out of the corner of my eye while i madly scramble to complete so many other projects. now it's almost here and our annual extended family egg hunt on saturday, as well. i'm hosting my entire family (parents, seven siblings and their spouses, 25 or so grandkids) for a brunch and the hunt in less than a week. yet this morning, i couldn't help but wish i had made some cute spring skirts for my girls for this weekend. really, could it be that hard? maybe some aprons for their baskets? everything else on my sewing block can wait until next week. except maybe the four square blanket i need to make for a baby shower on thursday. while i was thinking of possible easter projects, i remembered some bright and spring-y prints i recently picked up. they'd do for aprons for sure:

so should i forget everything i need to do, dig up a pattern or maybe run to the store? sure wouldn't be responsible, but golly, easter is this weekend! when else do you sew for your chickies if not for easter?

more "to do"

straightening the bawthroom this morning and decided to photograph the other projects waiting patiently on my shelf. too bad the light was low this morning. or that i didn't bump up my settings to allow more light. you'll get the general idea anyway. touching the fabrics and looking over their wonderful colors and designs, not to mention the darling quilt patterns, got me excited about each one of them all over again.  if only i could suspend time and freeze the rest of my life until they were done. bet that's a common hobbyist's wish. or maybe, more realistically, i could send my family away for a month? (see, i knew i was obsessed.)

the very first quilt in camille rosskelley's simplify book: square one. the pieced, raw-edge binding of this quilt is especially charming. when i saw it, i immediately ordered a honeybun (sort of junior jellyroll at 1.5" wide strips). i went honeybun hunting at the quilted castle. i was already using whimsy for another project, but it was the best honeybun they had, so i got it. the red milk dot print is for my backing.

whimsy, by fig tree quilts for moda, is already slated for a fig tree design: jelly & jam. joanna's palette and patterns are cheery and cozy, with a sun-faded, old-fashioned appeal to them. this pattern was one of the first i bought before i'd ever quilted anything. it's a bit advanced for me right now, but i'm determined to get to it. the quilt will look like the pattern image, with the sprigged flower fabric on the back.

this stack of antique french looking stuff has no designs on it yet. but it was 40% off after christmas. not passing that up! actually, i do have a design from a modern quilt book that might work with it. antique french and modern design? sure, why not.

this pile of fun was supposed to be my second quilt, done in the same pattern as my first quilt, "at last". a mix of modern meadow by joel dewberry for westminster and nest by valorie wells for freespirit    fabrics. i love this collection of fabric. it's something i would have totally hated just a few years ago when i didn't like these colors and turned my nose up at mod designs. the backing fabric, the crazy floral tan print on the bottom, is an absolute favorite of mine. i've bought yardage of it at least 3 separate times now. i'm thinking definitely a bag out of it, too. as soon as i pulled these fabrics out, my infatuation with them was reborn and i thought "why on earth am i not cutting in to this instantly?!" the only explanation i can give myself is that i couldn't resist the urge to work with a jellyroll any longer.

this darling may be my absolute favorite "to do" of all. the green floral is my backing, the green stripe is the inner border, the pink floral is border also, and the white floral is my binding. dream on by urban chicks for moda is dreamy in a very 1970's bed sheets kind of way. i actually have a vintage bed sheet accidentally adopted from my m-i-l that looks very similar to this collection, minus the pink. it's another look i would have cringed at until recently because it was too close to the roots of my childhood. and anything that was cool in my childhood was as ugly and uncool as it could get for me. i always thought the 60's and 70's were the ultimate in bad design taste. until now. suddenly, i love it. maybe it makes me feel young again or at least nostalgic. whatever, just don't sign me up for macrame.

there you have it. enough quilting to keep me busy for who knows how long. a life time at the rate i've been able to touch it lately. must find time, must find time! but i vow to not rearrange my priorities to do. maybe this will get me to organize myself and my household enough so that i can do all of these projects. i fritter time away on a regular basis. if i'd just pay more attention to not wasting moments, bet i can get some quilting done. once the essentials are accomplished, of course.

some of my "to do" list

camille's red, aqua, and green colorway is so fresh and pleasant. i'm going to change the use of fabrics a bit by removing some of the larger graphic prints and i've selected a blue as the border. i think. i'm not sure about all that applique. i might have less of the flower squares and more something else. the bottom pink floral fabric is my backing.

this one looked straightforward until i realized there was twill tape sashing. sounds challenging. wonderful pattern, why not stick with the fabrics they already chose? couldn't get the exact orange floral for the border, so i'm substituting the circular print. green dot print is my binding; grey floral the backing. i'm falling for grey lately. it was one of those colors on my "absolutely not" list for ages. now it and orange are worming their way into my heart and projects.

my 12-year old daughter has her eye on this quilt. i'd like to make one for each of them and the central park collection suits her. it even has a few animal prints as a nod to the cp zoo, i'm sure. perfect for my animal loving miss. the colorway is a stretch for me because of the purple. it's still on my "i'd rather not" list. however, i can stand it in small bits and this isn't for me. this pattern also has a lot of applique but i can't resist the pennant bunting. i haven't made any for my home yet as much as i'd like to. maybe this will hold me over. because, of course, i will have this quilt whipped up in no time flat. check back next week, right?

there are a few more projects i have in the que, but they're stored away on the shelf and i'm too tired to pull them out for a snap. another post, another day.