Hexing it Up

My family and I spent the last 5 days sans air conditioner. When you live in the south, that's no fun, even this time of year when the weather is cooler. It wasn't too incredibly hot in the house, just really stuffy. Even with the windows open and ceiling fans on I just felt like I couldn't get enough air. We do have a window unit in the living room, so we weren't suffering, but the back of the house (where my sewing area is) was quite uncomfortable. 

So I did what people like me do best, I pulled out a hand project. 

The EPP bug hit me well over a year ago. I just hadn't blogged anything yet for fear that I would pressure myself to finish this long term project. I bought the fabric bundle then, the paper pieces this past summer and got straight to work.

I use the cheater method, glue. Hey, I still have to hand sew them together, so I'm not taking ALL of the fun out of EPP!

Dab a dot in the middle of the paper to help hold it in place

Then around the edges

And fold them over

I've gotten so many more done using the glue than I did when I was thread basting them. I do worry that it may be a bit harder to remove the papers using the glue, I guess I'll find out when I get to that point.

Here is my progress so far, I LOVE how this project fits so nicely in my Mouthy Stitches Swap pouch.

I realized last night, as I was putting together a backing for the Castle Peeps wedge quilt (FINALLY!) that I was neglecting my Just Three items, with 4 days left until goal. So I'm going to put this stuff down and get to work. Wish me luck that I meet my goal!

And apparently Heidi and I are on the same blogging wavelength today. She's in my head y'all! Must be why I love her so much :P

Pin it to Win it!

Randi over at Fresh Squeezed Fabrics is having this awesome challenge where if you pin any fat quarter bundle from her etsy shop, and then have one repin for every dollar it's worth, you win that fat quarter bundle!

Go here for all of the challenge details:

http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/randi/2012/09/pin-it-to-win-it.html

Bree and I have already pinned our favorite bundles, naturally. 

Mine is here:

http://pinterest.com/pin/46936021087765023/

And you can find Bree's here:

http://pinterest.com/pin/241435229994815458/ 

So let's share the love, eh? Go repin ours for us, then leave us a link with yours and we'll repin yours too! 

The challenge runs for 3 days, so get pinning!!

Gypsy Dance: It's Finally Here!

Phew! After a lot of careful planning, a ton of discussion, checking and rechecking math, changing things according to my tester's suggestions, and making sure everything was ABSOLUTELY perfect for you guys, Gypsy Dance is here!!

It is available for purchase through Craftsy, and you will get an instant download, so no waiting around for me to email you the PDF if I'm at work or wherever... you get it instantly!

Gypsy Dance is a quilt pattern designed for the intermediate quilter. It requires basic quilting knowledge and is best for someone looking to challenge themselves in a manageable way. Geometric arrangement is at the core of this quilt. Shapes are simple squares and rectangles used in unexpected ways to create a latticework grid displayed in a modern way.

This pattern includes detailed piecing instructions for both sizes of the quilt, with diagrams throughout for both piecing units and assembly of the top. Full cutting charts are included for both sizes. 

Gypsy Dance is scrap or yardage friendly. Fabric requirements are as follows:
Baby Size: 1 1/3 yard total print for front, 1.5 yards total solid for front, 1 yard backing, 1/3rd yard binding. Unfinished block is 9.5"

Twin/ Full Size: 3.5 yards total print for front, 4.5 yards total solid for front, 4 yards backing, and 5/8 yard binding. Unfinished block is 21.5"

This pattern purchase includes an electronic copy of the Gypsy Dance pattern, distributed in a pdf file. 

The pattern may not be reproduced, shared or resold.

Items from this pattern may be sold by individual crafters only, no mass reproductions allowed.

And since a few more versions have been made since we did the Tester's Parade, I thought I'd share some photos!

Jennifer tested the twin/full size top for me, and used LouLouThi for it - hers is absolutely stunning! She posted about it, and also gives some tips for what to do with those leftover triangles you get when you make some of the flying geese in the pattern. Check out her post here.

I also created a second baby size top, which can be seen on the cover of the pattern. I used a ton of scraps from different lines, and a kona pomegranate solid. I also played with some quilting techniques on it - did pebbles for the first time ever, and created flowery medallions in the center diamonds created by the latticework. 

So all the time, effort, and math and it's finally available on Craftsy now!

Don't forget, if you make your own Gypsy Dance, to add it to the Distant Pickles Flickr Group!

Blogger's Block of the Month Blog Hop

The fabulous Dhia of Peach Patch Quilts has organized the Blogger Block Of The Month Blog Hop and I get to join in the fun!

Each month one of the participants will be posting a block that you can make using fabrics from your fabric stash.

The Blog Hop begins this month.

Here are the stops on the Blog Hop:

Sept 15, 2012: Carin and Carol of Margaret's Hope Chest 

Oct 15, 2012: Jenny of Sew Kind Of Wonderful

Nov 15, 2012 : Jennifer M of Ellison Lane Quilts

Dec 15, 2012 : Natalie of Craftin Mechanic

Jan 15, 2013: Stefanie of Little Lady Patchwork

Feb 1, 2013 Jennifer I of Knotted Thread

Feb 15, 2013 : Sandra of Sharp Quilts

Mar 15, 2013 : Nicole K of  Patchwork Duck Designs

April 1, 2013: Us! Right here at Distant Pickles

April 15, 2013: Tracey of Itching 2 B Stitching

May 15, 2013: Felicity of Felicity Quilts

June 15, 2013: Erin of Billy Button Design

July 15, 2013 : Nicole N of Mama Love Quilts

Aug 15, 2013: Dhia of Peach Patch Quilts

Start digging out your stash fabrics because the Blog Hop starts tomorrow!!!!

Simplicity Bias Tape Maker-A Mini Review

Disclaimer: I was not asked to do a review, nor was a paid for one. I was looking online for information about the machine after receiving one and couldn't find what I was looking for, so I thought I'd share my experience.

Let me preface this post by saying that my mom totally rocks. I've had my eye on a bias tape maker since it first came out, but the $100 price tag was just too much. To me, it was one of those things that you wouldn't use a lot but sure would make your life easier when you did. 

Mom called me last week from Wally World, asked me if I had or wanted one. She said they were on clearance for $30 and she wanted to let me know. I told her everything I just told you and that it I thought it only made double fold bias but that if it did single fold, like I use for quilt bindings, and folded it in half instead of towards the middle that I would be on it like white on rice. She laughed and said ok then. All in all I think I was just trying to talk myself out of spending the money. 

Well, the next day I'm chatting with Bree (who owns a bias tape maker) and I tell her about the conversation and she says "But Julie, they DO have a tip that does quilt bindings!" So I get excited and call mom and ask her if they had more than one machine on the shelf. Mom sighs and says "Do you want your Christmas present now?" She totally bought it, and all of the tips they had available in the store, for me for a Christmas gift. I totally ruined it! I felt like a jerk but was so excited! 

So here she is

These are the extra tips I received, there are more than just these available. The tips that say "Quilt Binding Tip" are the ones that fold the fabric in half. The ones that say "Single Fold Tip" fold the edges of the fabric towards the middle. Bree, Heidi and I had a really long, really confusing, conversation about this the other night!

Here she is all loaded up and waiting for the ready light to light up. If you look closely, you will see that to the left of the iron part of the machine (where it says "Caution Hot Surface) there is no fabric sticking out of the end. I neglected to pull it through far enough.

Which led to this..

It's a bit hard to see but the strip is wrinkled from where it got caught in the roller and folded up accordion style.

It still produced a nice looking strip once I freed it from the roller though. This is the strip that you get with the tip that comes with the machine. If you use the alternative quilt binding method that we have posted here on the blog then this tip is perfect for that.

This is the strip from the 3/8" tip, it's tiny!

And this is from the 1 1/4" quilt binding tip, the one that I will be using the most as this is how I prepare my bindings.

I had a dickens of a time getting the strip to load into that tip. I'm sure it will be easier and faster once I get used to it but I think I spent as much time trying to load the tip as I would have spent manually ironing an entire quilt's worth of binding.

Overall I am in love so far. I made these practice strips and wanted to do more! It was really fun watching these perfect little strips coming out of the machine. It will really come in handy when I have to make the tiny double fold strips for clothing, I hate making double fold bias!

Oh, did you notice my new background in the pictures there? I've got myself a new handy ironing board!

I happened upon this table at Staples one day and it was just the perfect little size and height for pretty much everything. It can sit right next to my machine, I can take it out to the living room for handsewing, etc. It folds up for easy storage too. I thought about completely covering it to iron but decided I wanted to still have the option of the plastic table top. So I asked my husband to bring home a piece of wood the same size as the table top and I covered it in Insul-Bright and batting and then fabric. I probably spent the better part of 2 hours talking myself out of and then back into using that fabric for an ironing board. It was a leftover piece from a quilt I made and was the exact size I needed though. But it was such a large usable piece! In the end I finally just went for it, and I'm really glad I did. Ironing isn't such a chore now! 

Just Three-September

Well, I managed to accomplish 2 out of 3 goals for August.

Goal #1

Finish piecing the top of the Prince Charming quilt-DONE!

I love this quilt top, a lot. The fabric for the backing will be here on Monday so hopefully it won't take too long to get it finished.

Goal #2
Make myself a new bag-DONE!

Y'all, I am IN LOVE with this bag. It is just perfect so far. I am having some issues with the outside pockets like I thought I might so I'm most likely going to tack them down in the middle. I'll figure it out.

Goal #3

Finish writing the pattern for this quilt-FAIL

I didn't make any progress on it at all, I have a serious mental block about a certain step. Eventually I'll get some time to think and will work it out.

Now on to September's goals, because it actually really did help to do this last month!

Goal #1

Anniversary gift for the hubs

I joined The Proverbial Quilt Along with plans to make a gift for my husband. I am going to make two mini quilts to hang in the living room, they're the lyrics to our song. 

The letters are pieced into words and that's as far as I made it when I ran out of the background fabric. I picked some up the other day and should have enough to piece them together completely. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to finish it though, if I'm going to add any other design elements to it or just bind it.

Goal #2

Make some pajamas for Bug. 

I found these pillowcases while on a hunt for vintage linens a couple of years ago. With the help of this tutorial I'm going to make some super soft nightgowns. Bug is all about the pajamas these days and would spend all day in them if I let her.

Goal #3

Finish up and mail out the secret gifts I've been working on so I can actually tell you guys what they are!

^^That part is almost done. I have a couple of other small projects to go along with them and then I'll be able to ship them off.

I didn't put the quilt pattern on the list for this month because I'm afraid I'm going to stress over it and it will get bumped again, and then again next month, and it will just never get done. I just need to do some thinking on the part that I'm stuck on then I'll move it back on here.

That's it, wish me luck!

A Birthday Outfit for Bug

If you know Bree and I, or read the story of how our blog came to be, you would know that our toddlers share a birthday, it was this past Tuesday.

I make Bug an outfit for her birthday every year and this one was no exception. In true Julie fashion, I procrastinated and didn't start planning it until the night before. Fortunately, we weren't having her party until the day after, so I had some time. I took her to the LQS to pick out some fabric and showed her a couple of tutorials for shirts and asked her to pick one. 

She did a great job I think!

Now, she's 4, so her matching skills aren't that great. She picked the butterflies (from Valori Wells Cocoon) and I gave her some options in solids for the pantaloons. I'm glad she picked the green (Kona Chartreuse) because it matches some other fabric I bought specifically to make something for her to wear. 

I just love this picture of her, this was after I asked her how old she was.

"I'm FOUR!!" she said.

In shop news, the printed version of Mod Pop is finally in and shipping out.

If you ordered before today then it is on it's way out to you! 

Lots of Sewing and a Chance to Win A Quilt

I don't know about you guys, but when I get in MEGA sewing modes, where I'm just sewing like a crazy person, I tend to shut down chatting.... blogging... online groups... all of it. A few pictures make it to facebook but that's about it.

The good news is that, despite my radio silence, I've been uber productive lately!

In the past week, I've completed start-to-finish two pillowcases, two valances, a crib sized quilt, a twin sized duvet cover, and a throw sized quilt. Oh, and cut up fabric kits for a block bee I'm joining up with. And grocery shopped, and had a certain someone's FOURTH birthday party.

All that, and my list still isn't even close to done. I have OODLES of tree skirts to make now!

A few photos for your viewing pleasure:

A wet and wild birthday bash

Complete with Elmo Cupcakes from Cupcake Nerds

And the throw quilt:

Now this throw quilt.... could be yours.

What?

My husband and I are involved in a new church start up called Echo Point Church, here in the Clearwater area. By "start up", we mean "haven't got a thing!". We are trying to raise money for the kids' ministry to buy craft supplies, games, puppets, etc. For each $5 donation you make, we will email a receipt ticket good for one entry into a drawing for this quilt. Need a christmas gift AND want to help someone out? $5 donation and you could possibly have one awesome gift knocked right off the list! We'll be drawing a winner on September 30th - help spread the word! Paypal is accepted for donations - email me at distant pickles@yahoo.com for instructions if interested in donating for a chance to win this quilt!

Quilt stats? it's 64"x72", made using the Tube Quilting: The Karen Way tutorial right here at Distant Pickles. The front prints are grays and yellows with a brown solid, and the back is a steely gray. If you win, it will be shipped directly to you. 

In other news... Gypsy Dance is still coming, folks. Jennifer is my final tester for the twin sized version of the pattern and she has been utterly and completely invaluable. Seriously. I had a beyond moronic mistake with the math (as in, saved the old version of the pattern on my work computer and kept giving the poor girl the numbers from that instead of the updated version.) but we have it ALMOST completely, 100% worked out. I hope to be able to release it within a week or so. 

Mod Pop Quilt Along and a Giveaway!

Leanne is hosting a quilt along for my Mod Pop pattern!!

I am so honored and delighted that she asked to do this and hope that you can join her!

Check out her post here for the details:

http://shecanquilt.blogspot.com/2012/09/mod-pop-qal-lets-get-this-show-on-road.html

She has some great prizes lined up from some fabulous sponsors, it looks like it's going to be a lot of fun!!

Also, I am donating a printed pattern and template bundle for her to give away to kick it off. Head over there and leave a comment on her quilt along post to be entered. The giveaway is open until Friday, Sept. 7th.

The Flickr group is located here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/2050355@N20/

Now go enter that giveaway!!

Mod Pop Take 2, Some Updates on the Pattern and a Quilt Along too!

I've been really hard at work the past two weeks working on my second Mod Pop. 

This one was commissioned as a store sample for my LQS and she wanted it ASAP. I finished it up on Saturday and delivered it to a very pleased shop owner!

This one was made with Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt

What I really love about this one is that the pattern isn't as noticeable, but it's still there. And the fact that it was made with a single fabric collection and still works really excites me.

I quilted it the same way I did the original version, using a darker thread so it really shows up well. And you know I couldn't leave well enough alone when it came to backing and had to do at least a little bit of piecing.

PATTERN AND SHOP UPDATE!

I have FINALLY gotten some templates in hand and have the pattern in the process of being printed. I should have it in my hands by the beginning of next week.

I have a Big Cartel shop all set up, it includes both versions of the pattern, the templates and a bundle that includes both. You don't have to join anything or give your email address away to purchase through Big Cartel, it takes you straight to Paypal to check out. The pattern will stay on Craftsy as well.

Here's the link, it will be listed on the sidebar to the right as well:

http://juliepickles.bigcartel.com/

QUILT ALONG NEWS!!

Leanne, of She Can Quilt fame, is going to host a quilt along!! You can go here to read her post about it:

http://shecanquilt.blogspot.ca/2012/08/whitewater.html

She has a Flickr group set up here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/2050355@N20/

She's lining up sponsors and planning on having some fun, she'd love to have you join her and I would be delighted to see all of the different versions you guys come up with!