Scrappy Stash QAL Gigantic Explanation Post

I've been sewing along with Scrappy Stash QAL at Ellison Lane Quilts. And busily not blogging about it. I've been sewing for weeks. And cutting, sewing, moving bits and pieces, setting up and taking down my sewing machine, putting out my cutting mat and supplies. Over n over n over Red Rover. I haven't got a sewing room so each time I sew it's the same story and instead of photographing and blogging things I frequently re-stack fabric and pick up bits of thread and fabric strings on the floor or find that fiddley small thingamading that you fill the water in the iron with.

I'd heard about the QAL (Quilt Along) through various bloggers and once I read how it was to go I thought this's just perfect! I've been making a quilt for my niece for 20 years now, even though it's only been 12 months and she's not even two. I made up the design myself so it's been done in fits and starts while I figure out layout and problems. I kept running out of pink fabric for it or couldn't find the right backing so I kept getting more pink fabric. Then it wasn't the right pink then I had to get more. So much pink. I couldn't quite figure out what to do with it all.

Monochromatic pink blocks? Done! I had planned from the beginning to have aqua and grey blocks to go along with the pink but when I saw all the pink blocks I thought they'd make their own pretty quilt.

Why those colors? The niece's quilt features Sherbet Pips by Aneela Hoey and those are the colors I mostly used. One of my friends saw me making it and she loved the colors. Monochromatic scrappy quilt in the same colors = Christmas present!

I was doubting things for a bit when I started to lay out the blocks. I prefer to obsessively figure out just the right fabrics to be next to each other plan the sizes and fabrics and this scrappiness was out of my comfort zone. I usually have a plan or design, even if it's not down on paper. All the different dimensions and those candy colors were making my brain hurt. Finally I put them all away until the grey blocks were done as I thought they might calm things down and provide some visual rest.

That one strip on the grey block looks really dark but in real life it has silver sparkles that reflect the light so it's not so jarring. Back to the QAL... I got my quilt top put together and the backing done and the quilting planned and knew I was running out of time this week. What is with having a real job to make money?! Who planned that.

Basically the binding did not get totally done/sewn down so I missed the "complete quilt" requirement. It's a little sad but also so exciting that I already have a Christmas present done and I got out of my comfort zone. Below is the quilt top before the quilting. I'll show the whole thing when the binding's finished and I get my good photo gear out-can't do anymore phone pics or my camera will break up with me.

Improv Sewing Placemat

I heard about the Merrily We Sew Along group through ImagineGnats and it sounded like fun. I love to draw in real life so why not in sewing? The project of the moment is improv placemats. I mostly just wanted one :) not lots. When I saw the improv thread borders and drawing I knew immediately what I wanted to do: icebergs! Why?

I'm totally and completely obsessed intrigued with the combination of ice and water especially when the ice is gigantic. Anything like icebergs, Arctic or Antarctic, ice shelves, glaciers, crevasses is just the best. It's visually arresting to me especially as photographed and filmed with the incredible Frozen Planet series because then you get to see it in motion. I watched it on the Discovery Channel for the 3rd or 4th time this week. Let me tell you David Attenborough (the narrator) is one of the voices of my childhood.

The placemat is a semi-abstract simplified field of Icebergs and ocean. The foreground ice is the darkest blue, the middle ground is medium blue (like colors fade with the atmosphere/distance in real life) and what looks a bit like negative, or blank, space is filled in with light blue icebergs, ice floe and the ocean. It was difficult to get that light blue detail to show with my phone camera. You can click on the picture and get a larger view of it.

Yes, I have a real camera but I give myself leeway when crafting/sewing to not pull out my heavy duty gear. The back of the placemat is an Alexander Henry Halloween print. I love Halloween and I figured the tree limbs and varied background colors would go well with the different blues I was using and the all over threading.

The border is also medium blue. The more squiggly the lines were the more I liked it. When I finally felt done with the thread-painting I looked up and saw this much on the spool (above photo). Phew! Just enough. I used my grandmother's vintage mercerized cotton. You're "not supposed to" use vintage thread for sewing as it's integrity may be compromised by age or dust or what-have-you. I really like to use it for something and not have it just lying around and I figured it'd be better to use with this than with high stress seams on clothing or a bed quilt.

It was originally only 15 cents and seems to be colorfast even if you boil it. That's good... not planning on boiling it but at least I know that's an option. Am I the only one that cringes when I have to turn some things inside out? It feels like I'm ruining it all wadded up like that and getting tugged on. You get a peek at the batting and clipped corners as a bonus. Bam! You're welcome.

It did occur to me that my icebergs also look a bit like a seismograph chart. That's cool. I like geology too. Icesmeismographberg.

If you want to join the Merrily We Sew Along there is a flickr group and there will be various projects coming up. Come sew and be merry!

Oven Mitt Americana

I just realized I never showed the finished mitt I made. My good friend is ever so much into americana and the 4th of July one of her favorite holidays. She needed a present for it. Wouldn't it be great if we gave/got gifts for any random holiday? I figured if I were to do it, I'd have to über-americana it. (I even made her an americana apron but managed to give that to her without getting pictures.) Above is the outside. The front chicken side is quilted following the brown dots, with lines on the star/hearts and echo quilting from the inside. 

This was made to be reversible. If I were to do it again I'd adjust the thumb area as it's super tight when reversed. They are all crinckly sounding as they have the heat protective material in-between the layers of fabric. Each side is different-front to back and inside/outside. 

See how that moose is quilted around him and the little sticks as well? It makes me happy that it's so fussily quilted. The appliqued chicken on the front creates a fun quilted rooster on this side. Flip the mitt over and you've got ric rac and stars. It's quilted with lines between the white stars.

 It feels so patriotic and american and the last side a bit 50's, which I love. That blue star fabric is a preprinted oven mitt fabric from joann's. I got the general shape from it but just had to customize the whole thing. Now I just need to think about making one for me as the one's we've got are rubbish. Our favorite hot pad is the knit one my parents got for their wedding in the 70's. It's so ugly a lovely brown and orange number.