Category: AccuQuilt Go (Page 2 of 3)

Fall is in the air!

Fall is in the air here in Edmonds.  After an unusually warm summer it’s time to get into the fall routines. I’m working on that for sure.

I have done lots of odds and ends of sewing here but really haven’t had the inclination to post much. I’m looking forward however to some updates here and continue to make a record of my finishes.  I’ve got lots of plans for the fall so we’ll see how I do.

One of my finishes this summer has been a second baby quilt. This is for the friend of daughter #2 who is expecting her daughter #2. When I started this I really only expected to test the block idea and size but after I had finished several of the blocks I decided that I really like it and it would be perfect for this new baby. I did struggle with the binding for a bit but finally settled on this green stripe. At first after it was done I thought I had made a mistake because it’s so much bolder than I had anticipated but I do think I like it and it does go with the fabrics.

Starfish Alley

 

 

 

 

 

As I was searching for this picture I also found many others.

Another project from earlier in the summer was another pillowcase. This was also for a Girl Scout friend.

Starfish Alley

In my dreams..

In my dreams I update this blog frequently with new projects and fun sewing activities.  In reality, I just dream about it because there really has not been a lot of sewing.  I did make a couple of skirts for a daughter’s birthday. I’ve also done a few zippered pouches and a bit of mending.  I’ve also made a few dish towels with some applique. I would love to do more and maybe that will happen and maybe only a dream for a while.  Part of the reason is just far more hours spent working.  You know those adult kind of work things.  I’ve also done some reading and tending to family issues.

This week is camp week however.  After 21 years of attending Girl Scout camp as an adult and many more years as a girl, camp seems to be a part of my summer.  I “retired” from camp a couple of years ago but still have lots of friends who attend and carry on this fabulous tradition.  It looks like they will have a great week this week too.  I try to send some mail but it needs to be sent at the beginning of the week or it will not arrive in time.

Although I didn’t think of this very far in advance I wanted to send mail and thought it should be a bit different. I’ve read about fabric post cards and have some leftover Girl Scout fabric so thought I would give it a try.  Although these are not very elegant or elaborate it was a fun diversion and I’m going to make some more.  Because it was a last minute thought I decided that I would use what I had on hand.  I had some Peltex and Wonder Under so I created my own double stick post card base and then experimented with ironing on the fabric and doing some simple applique.  I got some permanent fabric markers and sent them through the postal mail.  I do hope they receive them and if not I do have a picture.

Off to make a couple more.  I have several friends that were not able to go due to health reasons.  I thought they might like camping@home mail.

 

post card frontpost caard backs

Zig Zag quilt.

A new zig zag quilt has been finished!  This has been on my design wall for a while as I contemplated what I was going to do.  The new parents are Florida Gator fans and wanted this to be a nod to their Gator loyalty.  When I looked at the Florida Gator colors however I just couldn’t see making a baby quilt with just blue and orange which are the main colors.  Now I actually am fond of both blue and orange with a touch of green but for a baby this seems a bit intense  especially when the gender has not been disclosed.  Mom and Dad have chosen not to find out ahead of time.

I knew I wanted to use half square triangles but was undecided about the zig zags or make them using arrows. I also wasn’t sure about the colors.  This is version number 1.

half square triangle arrows

 

 

 

I ended up using a royal blue, a green an orange and a fabric that was mixed but included those three colors.  I had all of these in my stash.  I did end up buying a different orange because I wanted one that was brighter with all the white. Once I got the zig zags done I had the dilemma of the border.  I cut the half square triangles with my Go cutter and the finished pattern made a 12″ square so I knew that I wanted the border to be about 4″ total but I really didn’t want to use another fabric or re-use one of the fabrics.  I stared to play with some quilting software that I had received for Christmas.. EQ7 or Electric  Quilt and ended up with alternating squares and rectangle of the white and colored fabrics.  One day when I was walking through JoAnn’s in search of something else, I  found this stripped fabric that had all the same colors in it as well and knew this would be the perfect fabric binding.  The back I also ended up purchasing and that was a piece of yellow flannel with green alligators  Finally the baby quilt was ready.  Mom and Dad were pleased, I was satisfied and the baby is due in a couple of weeks.  Nice to have this one finished and nice to be pleased with the result.

Zig Zag quilt front

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

gatorflannel back

 

 

 

 

 

 

adrienne quilt1

Red, white and blue.

Red white and blue is the theme for today.  Yes, even here in Edmonds it’s a holiday.  Our little town has a children’s parade, a regular parade, a holiday run, activities in the park and even fireworks.  It’s been fun to drive around town the day before these activities and see the people preparing for this big day. This photo was taken yesterday morning.By 10 pm last night the chairs were elbow to elbow.  Too bad it was too dark to take a picture because it certainly made me chuckle.

chairs on the street_e

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has been a quiet day here at our house. I finished the binding on the red, white and blue table runner.  It was cut from a remnant that I found at JoAnn’s last summer.  It was nice to have it in my stash so when the motivation struck, I was able to pull the fabric, use the AccuQuilt Go cutter and get to work.

We did have some folks stop in the afternoon. Soon we’ll have some barbecued hamburgers and beans. A traditional kind of 4th meal.  The sun is out and I may go and finish the baby quilt that is sitting waiting for some batting and quilting.  That needs to be finished by next Friday so I’ll have to get in gear. Second choice is to sit in the sun and read.  Hope you are having a wonderful day too.

red white and blue table runner

 

A Christmas Stocking for Raegan

A Christmas stocking for Raegan was a necessary addition for holiday sewing.  This sweet little girl ventured into the world on December 5th.  The grandparents and Mom and Dad were excited.  Of course all the family and friends were pleased to have such a sweet addition to this family.  I didn’t want Santa to overlook this new babe however so a stocking was created. I used a combination of a McCall’s  stocking pattern and some AccuQuilt dies.  The name was cut with a Slice Fabrique die.  If I do this again I will make a few changes but overall, it was a successful completion. Merry Christmas Raegan.

Raegan stocking2

 

Another finish!

Another finish! There have been several more but it’s getting closer to Christmas and the time is slipping away. This finish is a baby quilt for my daughters friend. The new mom isn’t really a pink person so I found some other fabrics that I thought would suit a little girl so it was girly but not pink. These colors I am fond of myself. I cut 5″ squares and followed the pattern on the Accuquilt guide. I guess I didn’t take a picture of the back but it was just a tiny pink and lime green polka dot fabric. I love the way this one turned out and think the new mom was surprised and pleased.

 

Holidays are approaching!

Holidays are approaching!  Hard to believe it’s coming so quickly.  I have had so little time to sew in the last couple of months that now my head is swimming with ideas.  It’s so full of things that some days it’s hard to sort out what to do or even where to start.  I think the first thing to do will be to make a list.  I’ve had some random projects on my mind, pot holders, zip pouches, pj pants, ear bud cases, dish towels, Christmas stockings and pillows all rumbling around in my head.  I do have one more baby quilt to finish.  That should be completed by the weekend.  The top is pieced so it’s just a matter now of layering it and quilting and binding.  Probably just a few hours but not too complicated and I can start and stop.  I also have a couple of birthday presents to make.  I might even have to do some shopping.  The biggest outside time commitment now however is work and my  mother.  She is back at her home in the senior community after 3 weeks in the hospital and 3 weeks in rehab.  Sure seems like longer and I guess between all the doctor visits for the 6 weeks before surgery it has been longer.  We’re hoping for a stable winter but when you’re 85 it’s hard to tell what each day will bring.

I did have fun doing one quick project in all of this madness.  I made another burp rag from a diaper.  I was going to make this before the shower for my niece but ran out of time.  I do love applique however and I had fun with this applique cute and hot pink flower fabric.

cat applique

 

A triangle quilt..

A triangle quilt was in my future.  And now the first triangle quilt is in my past as well.  It was a bit of a learning curve but I enjoyed it and am looking forward to another one. I think the next one will be a black and yellow creation.

I learned that it takes many triangles to create a small quilt.  This one ended up being 40″ square and I used 160 triangles that I cut with my AccuQuilt Go cutter.  The biggest challenge was getting them lined up when I sewed them together so that the top and bottom were even.  If they were not even, when they were joined to the next row, they didn’t always line up and match evenly.  I also wasn’t sure how to press the seams for the first couple of row, and pressed them to the side.  I did learn that it was better if I pressed them open.  There were some mistakes in this quilt but I was proud of my self when I didn’t point out all the errors at the baby shower.  I decided that probably no one else would notice, or care and the fabrics were pretty.  The mother to be was pleased so it everything was good.  I used a Winnie the Pooh print on the back so it felt a bit more babyish.

It’s a hectic month with my mother being ill. I also decided near the shower date that I wanted to finish this quilt for the shower and make another gift when the baby is born. The meant a few long nights, and maybe not as high quality work as I like to think of myself creating.  Once again, we are our own worse critics.  One of the chuckles I did get was the night I finally got the top pieced.  I spread the Winnie the Pooh backing out and anchored it down and went to add the batting when I realized that I had never purchased the batting!  Thank goodness I was able to shake my head and laugh and head to bed.  It was probably just as well because I tend to make mistakes when I’m tired.

Shower done, gifts delivered and now on to the next project.

baby shower cake

triangle quilt

quilt fron and back

 

 

A new little coaster

A new little coaster was made for a friend.  And it was good.  There is a  woman who I have worked with off and on for at least 15 years.  Our lives have changed over the course of the friendship and we are both interested in crafting.  She is very creative and has a great eye for papercrafts, decorating etc.  I love to sew.  Recently when she was in my office she saw one fo the over sized coasters that I was using and decided she really needed on and did I sell them?  This is on my list of things that I want to do but of course my head is swimming with ideas and more things that I would like to do than I realistically have time or energy for.  In the middle of the night however, all things seem possible and  I do have an Etsy store set up and have visions of filling it with all sorts of cute hand crafted items. For now however I had some tumbler shapes leftover for one of my frenzied cutting sessions with my AccuQuilt Go cutter.  Since I have cut these out I knew that’s how they were going to end up but it wasn’t at the top of the list until last weekend. I sewed them into a little coaster, took it to my friend and she squealed with glee at how perfect it was and how much she loved it. Oh, I do love those enthusiastic folks and I was filled with smiles at her pleasure.  Such a little thing but it made my day.

brown tumbler coaster

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