Survey and Give-Away at Piecemeal Quilts, and Then Some

Sandi over at Piecemeal Quilts is hosting a survey and a give-away that are a result of her post on 'the dumbing down of quilting'.  Pop on over to read the post, then do the survey and get in on the give-away!

You all have seen my rants about simple patterns, so I'm sure it's no surprise to any of you that I agree with Sandi's post.  The online quilting community is inundated with modern bloggers, no few of whom have gotten to be quite well known for their adherence to the aesthetic that currently defines modern quilting.

Unfortunately, I feel that this adherence does a disservice to newer/less experienced quilters whose primary influences come from the modern movement.  There are so few modern (aesthetic, not contemporary) examples of piecing beyond squares and rectangles, and even those few extend to flying geese and pinwheels.  There is no reason that a quilt can't be something more complicated to piece and still retain a modern aesthetic.

In fact, I would argue that even a Dear Jane quilt, the original quilt completed in 1863, done in the right color scheme could be considered to have a modern aesthetic.  Check out Modify Tradition for some excellent examples of bringing modern to traditional blocks.

Modern quilters the world over!  Let's move beyond basic squares and wonky - test your limits and challenge your own creativity.  Make a quilt that speaks to *you*, one of your own design or take a traditional pattern and try a non-traditional color scheme, and get a taste of creative freedom.  Don't box yourself in because someone famous hasn't blazed that trail for you.

FNSI & National Quilting Day

I actually managed to get sewing on Friday night -  I got the quilting done on Laffy Taffy Basket!  Well, at least I got what quilting I wanted to get done, done.  I'm debating doing more quilting to the center.  I'm at that edge where there could be *too much* quilting, and I don't want to regret my choice and pick out a bunch of stitching.

I got the binding done today while I was at the meeting/sewing day for the Rock River Modern Quilt Guild.  There were only two of us today - Sandi and myself - but that's okay.  It was still dedicated sewing time, which I desperately needed. EDIT:  I stand corrected - Lisa did join us for a couple of hours.  My memory being the sieve that it is... LOL

Now, I just need to make a label, attach a sleeve, and this baby can get in the mail.

Friday Night Sew-in

I'm finally child-free for the first time in a couple of weeks!  My Laffy Taffy Basket is pin-basted and ready for quilting.  That's the goal, you know.... Finish my DQS 10 mini so that I can get it in the mail next week.  Deadlines are such great motivation for me.

Who's Ready for a Quilt Along?

Things are finally quieting down on my end - Super Bowl Mania is over (I'm deep in Packer Country), so work is a lot less hectic.  My mother-in-law is back from her vacation in California, so Zeb is thrilled to be spending time with Grandma again.

Plus, I got the Double Wedding die set for my GO!  I'm excited to play with that tonight.  And for those of you with GO! cutters - check out amazon.com for dies.  I got my DWR for 41% off the retail price of $89.99.  I also got my Hexagon die for about the same savings.  Interestingly enough, I only ordered them two days ago - I'm close enough to the warehouse that those come out of to have gotten them in 48 hours, and to have not paid for shipping at all.

But anyway!  The point!

The point is...

I'm going to start, in April, a Double Wedding Ring Quilt Along!  Check back here as April 2 comes closer.  I'm starting to do fabric requirements and measurements now.  I'll be doing a few sets of requirements:  one for those who are going to use GO! cutters, the Omnigrid DWR templates, as well as a set for some templates from EQ7.

My end goal is to have a queen-sized DWR top by the end of this quilt along.  Now I just have to decide on a time frame.  I know most blog quilt alongs don't drag on, but DWRs involve a lot of curves, and that's an area a lot of folks just aren't comfy in.  Don't worry!  I'll post lots of photos, and tips and tricks.  I've made two DWRs before.

What do you all think?  As far as timeline goes?  Two months? Three? Four?  Longer?  Let me know in comments!  (I tried doing a fancy schmancy poll, but it didn't load correctly)

More Laffy Taffy Basket

I haven't been able to work on my DQS 10 quilt as much as I've wanted to...  My mother-in-law is visiting friends in California, so I haven't had any nights off of watching the kiddo.  He's super thrilled - I'm feeling super behind ;)

Isn't that thread just delicious looking?  I made a midnight run to Walmart a couple of weeks ago and got this Coats & Clark thread thinking I could 'quick' sew the applique onto the flimsy.  No such luck (I got struck down by that sinus infection), but at least I'm prepared!

Speaking of yummy, I think this is coming along nicely!  The flowers are currently glue basted down, so that I can hopefully crawl over the last hump and get this flimsy quilted this week.  I already have a quilting plan in mind, so once I get time, it should be fairly quick.  Then, once this is done and en route to my partner, I can move onto other projects.

I'm Back!

I'm finally over being sick!  I'd do some handstands and cartwheels, but I'd just fall and break something important.

I told ya'll that I'd update you with the things that I'd purchased to fulfill my annual tax-rebate wish list.  I got everything I wanted, because we did really well and took care of everything that we needed to take care of.  Having play money was a lot of fun this year:

I broke down and bought EQ7.  I *love* this program.  I still have to work my way through the lessons and re-familiarize myself with how it works, but I'm already having fun.

I gave into temptation and bought an Accuquilt GO!  I still want to buy the hexagon die and the double wedding ring, but I think those will wait until next month.  I did treat myself to an applique flower die set and the 1.5" strip maker.

I also bought all the fabric I'll need for my Dear Jane quilt:

The bottom of the stack? 20 yards of Sandstone solid from Connecting Threads.  Yeah, that's a lot of fabric.  I bought 3.5 yards of the eight solids that I'll be using.  It's way overkill for some of the colors, but stashing solids is *not* a bad thing.

The rest of the loot?

I bought a twelve pack of bright threads from Connecting Thread (I love their thread - I get so little lint from it), two packages of flat head pins (they were on sale), some applique needles (cause there's a beautiful applique BOM I'd love to do this year, plus some Dear Jane blocks), and the large size flip-mat that's a cutting mat and ironing mat.

I spoiled myself this year, and I'm totally burned out on buying stuff.  I keep looking, but nothing is calling my name.  It's almost sad, but it's better this way.  This way I work out of my stash.

Oh! Oh! The Dear Jane fabric...  If you look at the original quilt, it's done in a Trip Around the World setting. It's actually kind of hard to spot - the colors are muted and there's so many blocks it's easy to miss.  I'll be doing the same, but in different shades of orange/yellow and purples.  For an idea of the color progression (and I swear, there's more variance in the lighter shades than it looks in the photo - my bad for taking the photos indoors and late at night):

Sick...

of being sick...  Disease is the gift that keeps on giving in my household.

I've been down for a week now.  I managed to go to work on Wednesday and Thursday, but was freezing through both shifts.  Why?  I was running a fever both days.

I went into Urgent Care this morning, and got put on Mucinex D.  I also have a prescription for Augmentin, which I should take should the Mucinex not do its job.  I have to work Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.  I'm really hoping I'm mostly over this junk - I hate to miss more work than I have to, and I'm tired of feeling like something I stepped in.

I do have a lot of news, but it'll have to wait until I can stand long enough to take pictures of everything.  Suffice to say, I fulfilled a couple of wish list items with our tax refunds, in addition to being able to replace some things in the house that desperately needed replacing.