WIP Wednesday-The One Where I'm Gittin' 'er Done

Remember this list from about a month ago?

Well, check this out...

Cosmic Burst Quilt Along-DONE

Peak Hour Baby quilt for husband's boss-DONE

Prince Charming project-DONE

Neptune Wall Hanging-DONE

Hideaway Off the Rail quilt-DONE

Prince Charming baby quilt (wasn't on the list because it was secret!)-DONE

What's left of my WIP list:

Castle Peeps wedge quilt-top done, need to ponder borders and backing

Prince Charming quilt-3 blocks down, many more to go

Central Park DWR-Arcs pieced, melons attached, one block down!

Farmer's Wife-taking a breather

Totally awesome, right? I promise I'm not trying to be a show off, I was so close to done with so many of these that I just started pushing through to finish them up. And well, once I got on a roll that was it.

So do you want to see a couple of pictures?

Here's the one lone block I have done of the DWR. It is crazy wavy and I would be lying if I said I didn't get discouraged after piecing it together. I was super excited that I actually made one, but there's no way I could continue on without figuring out where I went wrong.

I got some advice from someone who has made one and I'm ready to move on and try to tackle it again! This is the only one of my current WIPs that I've made progress on, other than all of the finishes. 

I did start something new last week and I'm super excited about it! Here's a teeny little sneak peek.

That's all you get for now but I'm ready to start trucking on it so hopefully you won't have to wait too long to see more.

And let me just say how much I love my husband. I had to create my own template for the drunkard's path block because I needed not only a certain size, but I needed the top piece to be thinner than the normal drunkard's path block is. And well, who likes using paper templates? I do have template plastic, but those are a pain too.

Anyway, I had read somewhere that you can buy acrylic sheets at Lowe's so I asked him if I were to buy the sheet and draw the template, could he cut it out for me at work? He's a cabinet builder by the way. He said of course!

So now I have my own acrylic templates!

There was a teeny boo boo and he accidentally chipped the corner but I can totally live with that. The acrylic sheet was only $2 for an 8"x10" piece, and I have quite a bit leftover. I'm definitely going to be making acrylic templates in the future, I mean, I would pay that much for template plastic anyway, right?

Wicked Wet WIP Wednesday

Back again! Boy, I really appreciate these WIP wednesday posts at Freshly Pieced. I'd never get anything done without them!
As for the wet part... well, that's just hopeful dreaming. They keep telling me it's going to rain but we're getting this pitiful little spits of showers. I want a good rain STORM, folks!
Let's see... last week, I had:
In Progress: Ruffled bedcover

2 tutorials for Riley Blake
Bohemian Festival cover photo quilt

Warden's Cross Scrappy Quilt

I'm happy to say I can check BOTH of the tutorials off the list.. at least, the sewing part of them. I finished both projects and got all the photos done - now to finalize the documents! Want a sneak peek?

A festive holiday project with Santa's Workshop, instructions coming 7/2. Fabric is available now -  get yourself a Rollie Pollie or some yardage so you'll be ready when the tutorial comes out!
(I found lots of yardage at UberStitch on Etsy!)

and some cute kissy lips... wonder what it could be? Bohemian Festival pincushion coming 6/29!

I made zero progress on the ruffled bedcover, but am hoping to get some cutting done tonight.

I did, however, get completely sucked into my Warden's Cross blocks. You know, I didn't necessarily even plan on making a quilt with these? Now I can't seem to stop. Not sure where it's headed, but I'm up to 7 blocks done!

 

This one is my favorite right now:

or maybe this one...

Either way, they're a blast to make and have been sucking me in!

So now, we're up to...

In Progress: Ruffled bedcover

Bohemian Festival cover photo quilt

Warden's Cross Scrappy Quilt

Finished: 2 tutorials for Riley Blake
Linking up to Lee as usual... check out her perma-button on the sidebar!

A Finish of the Neptune Variety

This is my last finish for awhile, promise :)

I know it looks like I have been super busy but the truth is, I've had a lot of almost finishes done for so long that I pushed through and finished them up so that I could focus on some fun stuff I have going on. 

So remember that wall hanging on I started on ages ago? Here it is!

I am LOVING it up against the gray wall in my bedroom. I told Bree that I was thinking about painting my living room this same shade so I could hang it out there. She about had a heart attack, she knows how much I just LOVE gray (said in the most sarcastic way possible). Don't the colors look good together though?

Here's a closeup, I quilted following the diagonal lines in the pattern.

You can see the quilting better on the back. 

I used the leftover triangles and randomly pieced them into the back. The solid is Kona Ice Frappe, it matches the lighter blue in the collection so nicely.

I used an Aurifil 28wt thread to quilt with, I love how pronounced it is. I will definitely use it more often for quilting. 

Seriously, I promise to quit showing off for now. My current WIPs are quite time consuming so it will be awhile before I have another finish to share. I'll show you what I'm working on tomorrow for WIP Wednesday!

Linking this up to the Summer Sewing Contest at Ellison Lane Quilts!

An Off The Rail Finish!

I have another finish to share!

I told you guys I was on a serious roll, just wait until you see what my list looks like on WIP Wednesday this week!

I started this project back in January and worked on it little by little until I got the top pieced. Then I put it away while I pondered the backing, as I tend to do with all of my quilts. 

The pattern is Off the Rail by Julie Herman and the fabrics are the Hideaway collection by Lauren and Jessi Jung. I knew when I bought the fabrics that I wanted some kind of scrappy looking quilt for them where I could really have fun with the colors. This pattern just seemed to fit the bill.

I fussy cut the centers from the cuckoo clock and swiss chalet prints.

One day, while sorting through my stash, I happened upon the remnants of a couple of charms packs of the same collection and the idea for the backing quickly came together. I picked solid colors that paired well with the collection and got quickly to work. 

You can also see the quilting in this picture. I quilted in a grid, roughly about 1/4" on one side of each seam, and also on the outside of each fussy cut center. 

I didn't think ahead when I decided to make a backing that had equal sizes of fabrics all the way around. Matching the top to the back to keep it that way was a chore! I'm glad it worked out in the end though.

The binding is a print I found at the new LQS, it's from the Alegria collection by Geninne Zlatkis. There are some gorgeous prints in that collection and this triangle print is a great blender. I'm thinking I'm going to have to pick some up in the other colors that they come in too.

I'm happy to cross another one off of my list! I have another finish to share once I get it hung and get some pictures. I'm trying to work my way through the list so that I can devote my time to some really fun things I have going on. I'll share more about those later!

Linking this up to the Summer Sewing Contest at Ellison Lane Quilts!

SMS Giveaway Day Winner

Hey y'all! Bet you're itching for a winner, eh?

Thanks for sharing all your jokes with us! I giggled reading each one and added a few to my corny joke arsenal!

meghann
May 21, 2012 3:22:00 PM EDT

The past, the present, and the future walked into a bar.

It was tense.

(Best I could do on short notice!) xo


Meghann, I'll be emailing you shortly for your address - Congratulations!

This Baby is Going Places

And I've got just the quilt to get him there!

The hubs came home from work one day and told me his boss and wife were expecting baby #4, so of course I asked him if he wanted me to make a quilt. We found out they were having a boy and my thoughts immediately went to the new Peak Hour collection by Kellie Wulfsohn. You know Kellie right? She's the amazing talent behind the blog Don't Look Now. If you've never seen her work then go run and check it out, I'll wait....

....Amazing stuff, right?

The hubs picked this pattern out of one of my books, Little Bits Quilting Bee to be exact. It's called Cloud Song and actually has a totally different look to it in the book, but I adapted it to the car theme of the fabrics.  We got word that the mom most likely wouldn't make it to her due date so I started feeling the pressure to get it finished. My husband really wanted to give it to them before the baby was born so I found out last Wednesday that I suddenly had a deadline of Thursday to finish it!

I stayed up really late Wednesday night sewing on the binding with plans of taking pictures first thing before he took off with it. I got the pictures alright, at 6:00 am, in the rain. Thank goodness for the tree canopy in my backyard, the quilt and I managed to stay dry enough.

I grabbed a screenshot of some of the images from the fabric and printed it out and traced it onto freezer paper to make the appliques. I wish I was better at applique work. Kellie is so amazing at it that I feel like I didn't do her fabrics justice with my work. I'm sure the baby won't know the difference though, right?

The fire truck is my favorite!

I quilted it the same way I quilted Little Faces, the pattern has such a fun, juvenile type feel to it. You can see it best here, all wrapped up and ready to go!

My husband said his boss smiled real big when he gave the quilt to him and he couldn't believe I made a quilt for his baby. He said he kept looking at the quilting and asking if I did all that, but he didn't unwrap it, he wanted his wife to do the honors. Then you know what he did? He forgot to give it to her! I've never met her before, I really hope she likes it! 

P.S. Today is the last day to enter the giveaway!

It Always Feels Like, Somebody's Watching Meeeee......

Looking for the giveaway post? Click here!

So I finally got around to making myself a new purse. My poor Amy Butler purse I made last year was starting to look quite rough. 

I knew I wanted to make one out of Prince Charming but just couldn't settle on a pattern that I liked.

I finally happened upon the Mabel Messenger bag by Jenna Lou Designs and really loved it. It was the perfect size to fussy cut those frogs, now I feel like I'm being watched.

Maybe they're making sure I behave myself and don't spend too much money!

I changed the pattern up a teeny bit by adding the different color panel across the bottom, the original pattern calls for only one fabric for the entire bag body. 

This is the first time I've done a zipper like this. See, I don't even know what the term for it is!

I added another little pocket on the other side.

I'm not sure how much I like it yet. It's nice and roomy, I love that. I'm really happy with how I used the fabrics too. I think I made the straps too long though. It's not as sturdy feeling as the other bag either, but that one was full of interfacing and fusible fleece. Amy Butler sure does love her interfacings! So maybe if I make it again I'll put some fleece in it.

Speaking of being watched, I was sewing the other day and glanced out of the window and saw this:

Creepy, right? Why in the heck was he staring at me?

Linking this up to the Summer Sewing Contest at Ellison Lane Quilts!

Voting is Open!

Voting for viewer's choice has opened up at the Blogger's Quilt Festival!

Click HERE to go vote!


Bree's submission is number 284

Julie's submission is number 396

If you should feel so inclined to go cast a vote we would love to be considered as your favorites!

To vote, click on the vote button that is ABOVE the picture of the one you're voting for. You can only vote once, so make it count!

WIP Wednesday

Looking for the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Post? Look Here!

Hey WIP Wednesdayers! I know it's Tuesday, but if I don't post now, I'm going to forget and kick myself all day at work tomorrow.

I thought I lost my sewjo, but it's back a bit, and Lee's WIP Wednesday Posts are always a huge motivator.

My sewjo was almost killed by this crazy Crown Royal quilt that I've been working on for over two months, and I can happily say is no longer a WIP, but a completed item!

This puppy is massive, if you ask me. It measures 80x80, and uses 64 Crown Royal bags, plus 5 yards of Kona Banana and nearly 6 yards of Kona Purple! Just a tip, if you ever get a request to make one of these - keep extra rotary blades on hand. These bags tore my blades to shreds!

I've got a few pressing projects in progress. First up are two new tutorials for Riley Blake Designs' Cutting Corners College, to be posted at the end of June and early July, so keep a look out! Some sneaky peeks of what I'm getting to play with:

(A little Santa's Workshop, perhaps?)

(and some Bohemian Festival? LOVE me some Lila Tueller!)

I lucked out a bit on the Bohemian Festival. There was a miscommunication on the fabric requirements for one of my tutorials, and they sent way more than I needed. A-okay with me! The extra is hopefully going to become the cover quilt for my first PDF pattern, which I hope to have released by July!

I'm also working on a crazy anthro-inspired ruffled bed-cover for my hairdresser. We're doing some cool stuff, but no photos quite yet. I'll post a photo of the finished bed cover, along with the fabulous new hair she's doing for me when they're both done!

And to keep me sane, a little touch of Warden's Cross. I'm pulling scraps from my stash here and there and just working on a block at a time. Not sure how big it's going to be when it's done, but I'm digging it so far:

 

So, let's see:

Recently completed: Crown Royal

In Progress: Ruffled bedcover

                    2 tutorials for Riley Blake

                    Bohemian Festival cover photo

                    Warden's Cross Scrappy Quilt

Not Started: Swoon using Dolce and Kona Azure

Linking up to WIP Wednesday! (Click the button to the right in the sidebar, it's always there so we can find Lee any day of the week!)

Cosmic Burst Quilt Along Winner!

Did you guys think I forgot to do this?

I didn't, though I did get an email from Bree at 8:45 wondering if I was going to draw. I think she was impatient to find out who won! 

Sorry guys, I shipped everyone off to school and work this morning and then decided that since the babies were still sleeping I was going to get some more sleep myself.

Enough jabbering, I know what you're here for. 

The winner of the Dainty Blossoms fat quarter bundle via Random.org is...

...#8, Nat Hessey!

Nat made this gorgeous pink version as a retirement present for her co-worker, a 6 year breast cancer survivor.

Congratulations Nat, and beautiful job! I'm sure your co-worker will love it!

But wait, what's this? Another drawing? Well, remember back in the very beginning when I realized I made a boo boo with the fabric requirements? I felt SO bad about that and you guys were all so gracious about it and left me some very kind comments. 

So I'm going to pay you guys back in the best way I know how, by doing another drawing for more fabric!

I'm going to draw from everybody who participated this time, even if they didn't link up. And it looks like Dede is the only one missing. Dede, where are you? I know you finished! 

I'll put her down as number 10 and draw again...

#7, Rebecca!!

Rebecca made this fun coffee themed version

She's been worrying since before she even started cutting that it was too busy, but I love it. 

Rebecca, leave me a comment and tell me your favorite color (or two colors, or three, whatever) and I'll send you a surprise bundle of four fat quarters. (I'll shoot you an email a bit later in case you don't see this, the kids are ready to play so I have to run!)

Thanks so much to everybody for quilting along with me, I have really enjoyed seeing everybody's creations and all of the different variations of this pattern. And seeing all of the great comments from both you and your friends all over blog land as you've been posting pictures has seriously made my day! I hope you all had as great a time as I did!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS, MEGHANN!


Welcome to Distant Pickles!

If this is your first time here then welcome, glad to meet you!

If you've been here before then hello friend, good to see you again!

Let's get right down to business, shall we? We all know why you're here... the goods!

Up for grabs today is a fat quarter bundle of Brown Bear (Eric Carle for Andover Fabrics). This bundle includes 9 fat quarters and a panel.

(Images borrowed from the fabulous Fat Quarter Shop... sorry for the stock photos, but it's dark and I forgot to take a good photo of the goods!)

So how to win?

Only required entry is a comment. We loved reading all the funny stuff last year, so let's do that again... tell us a joke, a story.. make us laugh! This counts as one entry - only one per person, please!

For a second chance, follow Distant Pickles, and let us know you do! New and old followers alike, just leave a comment letting us know you're following, and it's a second entry!

That's TWO chances at an adorable fat quarter bundle. We'll leave it open for the week and pick a winner on Friday, May 25. Mr. Random Generator will pull a winner then!

This giveaway is open to US residents only, sorry international peeps.

And don't forget... today's the last day to link up your Cosmic Burst quilt top for a chance at the Dainty Blossoms fat quarter bundle from Riley Blake Designs!