A Productive Week.

A Productive Week!

I feel I have had a very productive week so far.  I finished piecing the Milky Way Medallion Quilt and then I finished quilting the Mega Bits Quilt.  

This quilt came from the Mega Bits pattern by Swirly Girl.  It's a great pattern because its a good size 80 x 90 and it's very easy to do.  

I used a purple minky on the back since this quilt is bigger than 60 inches wide I had to piece the back and that was not very fun. 

The other thing I didn't think about when piecing the back was the nape of the fabric.  You can not see it in the picture but there is a noticeable difference in color.  It also is very heavy so keep that in mind when using minky on such a large quilt.

I am far from an expert at free motion quilting so this quilt I used as practice for doing flowers.  I knew this one was staying in house so it gave me more freedom to play.  You can see I did two different kinds of flowers.  I like the flowers with the circle in the center and the pedals around it.  I would also limit the meander in between the flowers,  It looks too messy.  Halfway through I had to change thread because the thread kept breaking. Free motion quilting is always a learning experience for me.   

The Milky Way Medallion Quilt was designed by Elise Lea and I had the pleasure of testing the pattern for her. The other part of the quilt that I loved was that I used almost all scraps from my stash.  I am usually not very good at using my stash but Elise's pattern makes it so easy to do.   It was so much fun and It's finally finished.   Check out Elise's blog and etsy page for more of her lovely patterns and quilts.  

loveleadesigns.blogspot.com and www.etsy.com/shop/LoveleaDesigns   

I will end my week spending a whole day sewing with a friend.  I see at least one more competed project by the end of the week. 

Have a great week and Thanks for reading!

Jody 

  

  

Senior Prom

 I haven't been doing much sewing this past week but I managed to finish up a graduation quilt.  It's always good to have a project done and ready for it's new home.  I used the pattern is Senior Prom from Villa Rosa Designs.  I love the Villa Rosa Patterns they are usual really good patterns for getting a quilt done quickly.

I used black, red, and white fabrics and black minky for the backing. I have never used these colors in a quilt before and I was a little weary but it turned out good.  

I had some slight issues when quilting it.  I used red thread and as I was quilting I could see the black minky being pulled through to the front of the quilt.  The result is that you can't really tell the thread is red it looks more black.  I should of stopped and used black thread but at the time I wasn't thinking.   I never really put allot of thought into the thread color and how it affects the final look of your quilt until this quilt.  I can see why people put some thought into the thread and backing.  

 I also wasn't thinking when I picked the fabric out because  I used black and red fabrics with white and now I am worried it will bleed when it is washed.  I will have to give some specific washing instructions for when it is washed the first time.  

I learn something new every time I make a quilt sometimes it takes me making mistakes to figure it out. I am hoping by writing it down I can help someone else not make the same mistakes.   

Happy Quilting!

Jody

Turning 16

                                                                   TURNING 16

This isn't about sewing but since it is a pretty big deal in our house I decided to share.  My oldest son Jory turned 16 last week.  He made an appointment to take his test on his birthday and didn't pass.  He said he was upset for about 20 minutes and then he was over it.  That changed when we went to make him another appointment and we couldn't get in until September. 

We tempted fate and decided to go sit in line at the Eagan testing site where they take walk ins.  We arrived there today at 6 am and we were the 26th car in line.  I had been told that people line up early but I didn't realize how many.  At about 7 am they opened the gates and started getting people lined up and registered.  Since we are a walk in the instructors fit you in between scheduled appointments.  Considering how many of us there were it seemed to go really fast until they took a break around 9:45-10:00.  It seemed to take forever from that point on.  Keep in mind you are sitting and waiting in your car so we had to take a few bathroom and stretching breaks. 

Once the instructors got back from break and started testing again it went really fast.  They took care of the 6 appointments they had waiting and then moved on to the walk in appointments.  Jory
was finally taking his test around 11:00.  I was so nervous for him.  Once I saw the car park I stood outside waiting for a sign that he passed.  He finally got out and gestured he passed.  I almost started to cry but I kept it together instead I gave him a big hug.    It made all the waiting worth it.   


















I just can not believe how the years have flown by. I am blessed to have such a great kid.  Here's to many more monumental moments.  I love being a mom.         


That is all for now.
Jody

Another Quilt Shop

On Thursday I spent the day with my beautiful new niece and sister in law.  We went to  Calico Hutch a quilt Shop in Hayward, MN.  I had been there once before with a friend and really liked it.  I was on a mission to find the perfect fabric to make a quilt for my niece Kenzie.  I did find a few pieces among other things.

Calico Hutch employees are very helpful and the shop is clean and organized.  They have allot of fabric and plenty of samples to look at it.  It's worth the drive if you are in MN.  They are also participating in the Row by Row experience.   If you haven't heard of the Row by Row experience check out the website it's really interesting.  I will give you a quick synapse of it.

It's a shop hop where you do not have to keep track of passports and where you have been.  You visit any participating quilt shop and ask them for their FREE row by row pattern.  The key is to complete a quilt using at least 8 rows and be the first to bring it to a participating shop and you will win a bundle of 25 fat quarters.  Over 34 states and thousands of quilt shops are participating.  The Row by Row experience starts July 1st and goes till October 31st.  Happy Rowing.

Here is Calico Hutch's Row.

On our little venture to the Calico Hutch I found a few fabrics for my niece's new quilt.  My Sister in law, Melisa really likes the bright colors and she really wants it to be as girly as possible.  We have allot of boys in our family so we are in need girly colors.  I think it's a good start and now to find a pattern.  Any suggestions are welcome?

I am also collecting batiks and brights for two quilts I am working on.  One is a Mystery Quilt block of the month. I am doing that one in Batiks.  The other one is a Flying Geese which I am doing in all brights with a white background.  I added to both of those stashes while shopping today.

We had a great day even with being stranded on HWY 35 for an hour and half because of an accident.  Any time I get to spend with my family is always good even if it's on the side of the road.


Jody

First Time Blogger and long time Sewer.

This is my first time writing a bog and it is very intimidating.  I have been reading allot of blogs lately and it looks like the individuals writing them are having so much fun sharing what they love to do.  I really love to sew, spend time with my family, read and be outside.  I thought why can't I share my experiences.  So here I go...

At the beginning of the year I said I would do allot more sewing for myself and try different things.  I would say I am doing that and then some.  I have several projects going right now that don't have a designated owner attached to them which is unusual for me.

I am doing something I have never done before which is pattern testing.  A co-worker of mine is writing a pattern and wanted a few people to test it to make sure all measurements and instructions are accurate.  I am having a blast.  I am working on blocks I have never done before and it is challenging which is always good.

I also said I was going to explore more quilt shops.  This year I have made a effort to go to the quilt shops in the areas I visit.  In February I was in Arizona and I went to Arizona Quilts, and Quilter's Bee.  Picked up some great Batiks there.  In March I was in Florida and I went to a great quilt shop on Sanibel Island, Three Crafty Ladies. I picked up some awesome island fabric.  In May I went to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina and visited Island Quilters. I was able to purchase some batiks and some more beach fabric.  

So far this year I have been having allot of fun stepping outside my comfort zone. We will see what the rest of the year brings and I can't wait to share it with you.

Jody