Wednesday, February 2, 2011

iPod Touch Case

I was up late last night, (surprise surprise) and decided to clean the house. Our sink had been stopped up for the last two days due to the neighbors moving out and tossing who knows what down their drain. Since ours connects to theirs and the catch is on their side.... well, lets just say it was unpleasant :/ Dishes were piled everywhere... ugh... Anyway, all that is really unrelated to my reason for posting! Anyway, yesterday sink was finished, I was tired of the mess. I cleaned the whole house spotless last night. I was on a roll. Then I found my roommate's iPod Touch on the floor. Again. She also just tosses it in her purse constantly. I keep telling her it is going to get scratched or broken but she doesn't listen!

So... after I was done cleaning, I decided I wanted to make her an ipod case. I searched google for an ipod touch case tutorial but wasn't finding anything I really wanted to make. I thought about it for a second and then realized I really could figure it out on my own, so I just winged it. A mere 30 minutes or so later I had this:The "A" is because her name is Alicia. She had seen this fabric in my bin one day last week and mentioned she liked it, so I picked it out.

I quilted tiny pebbles around the A... Not bad, but I thought quilting something small like this would be easy, but boy was I wrong. I felt like I had less control! Also, at 2am I am sure my quilting skills weren't at their sharpest, but I still like how it looks!

By the time I got to the back I decided I was pebbled out, though, and decided to do a quick stipple!

The lining wasn't quilted in, I added that after the quilting, and finished it off with a snap closure. I then put her ipod in it and set it on the dining room table for when she got home. She loves it :)

And I am not sure why the color is a bit funky in the first and last picture... I still need to get a nice camera. This iPhone camera can only do so much :/

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

A (partial) FINISH!

A few nights ago, I finally finished sewing my strips into blocks for the Postage Stamp QAL....

It was 1230 am (ish).

Then before I went to bed I REALLY wanted to lay the all out and see what my finished top would look like:

Then I realized that I hadn't pressed the blocks yet... 48 blocks, that took awhile. It was almost 3am by then (I took a few breaks for various reasons).

I was so in love with my progress that I just couldn't stop then! So I kept going. I didn't feel like I was up that late, but before I knew it, it was past 5am and my quilt top was done (and pressed!)

Totally worth it!

I really want to quilt it myself, but it's pretty darn big for my little machine (There's a 6'5" 300+lb man holding that quilt top up for me!). I wanted to do pebbles inside all the solid squares, and I think I could do it since I wouldn't have to move the whole quilt much at a time. What do you think? Suggestions? Ideas? I don't want to send it off if I don't have to, but I have a Brother CS6000i, and the throat on it isn't that big. I had trouble stippling a 55x75 quilt, and this one is a good 5-6" bigger length and width-wise!

Help!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

LCQA Block 7

Wow, I can't believe we are already on block 7 of the Layer Cake Quilt Along! More than halfway done :) Here is my block:

And here they are all laid out together!

I am starting to think I may have bitten off more than I was ready for! Hopefully tomorrow I will get some more time at my machine to show of some other stuff I have been working on. It feels so good to be using my machine again! :)

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Scrap-Bee

Well, I *finally* finished Victoria's block for 15 Minutes Play's Scrap-Bee. Just in the nick of time, I believe. I have one more block to make for another Bee/Swap, and a few other miscellaneous things and I am all caught up.

Here is the block I made for Victoria:
It was really fun to make, but made me totally step out of my element! (That's a good thing!) I think I am really going to enjoy this bee!

I also finished a quilt I was making on commission. It looks amazing, and has taken me soooo long to finish, but unfortunately I had to give it to her today and didn't take a good picture beforehand... Hopefully she snaps a few for me, since this is the best I have:

The pic was taken before the quilting (meandering loops and occasional "hidden" hearts using a brown-green variegated thread), and before the binding. I am quite proud of the finish, even if I got down to the wire with completing it!

Side note- I really need to get a new camera now. This iphone is great for many things, but detailed pictures with good lighting is not one of them. *sigh*

Saturday, January 15, 2011

A few blocks and an Update

I finished Block 6 of the Layer Cake Quilt Along a few days ago.

I like how it turned out!! I think I should have thought ahead more when picking the squares for the blocks, because now alot of the squares left are the same prints in different colors. I'm not sure how the rest of the blocks will look, but I can't wait!

I also *mostly* finished my Birdie Stitches BOM for the month of January. All except for two spirals at the top

I probably won't finish that until later this month though, so I am sharing it now.

Ever feel like you took too much on? Well, I'm there! Haha at least it is keeping me busy and my mind off other things. I ALSO am participating in the PS I Quilt Postage Stamp Quilt Along, and I am almost done with my strip sets and should have a picture to show you all tomorrow!

The new place is almost all settled and coming together, but I have to run to the store and go get some other little stuff, and get ready for work. Longer post later :)

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

A few more things...

I finished block 5 of the Layer Cake Quilt Along this afternoon during naptime:
I really love this block! I made a mistake sewing the wrong strips together, and basically wasting a nice chunk of fabric (although I will find something to use it for later, I won't be able to repurpose them into this quilt), but I cut a little more and did it the right way, haha.

I also finished this month's block for "Let's Bee Together," a bee started by Linda, of Stray Stitches. It just so happens that she also took the first month, so my block is for her! Here is a sneak peek, but I will show the finished block when she gets it! :)

I have a few things I am trying to cross off my to-do list before I pack everything up to be moved, so hopefully I can get them all done tonight and tomorrow!

Block 4

I'm still around, but not getting much done in the sewing side of my life. I'll stop keeping everyone in the dark, and long story short, Shaine and I are separating. It's not exactly my decision, and not what I want, but we both have things to work on and he thinks it will be better if we aren't living together for that time. I am renting a townhouse a few miles up the interstate, and slowly moving my stuff over. That, combined with working and recovering from the holidays has really put a cramp on my time!

However, a few days ago I got block 4 of the LCQA done. I had cut all the pieces for block 5, but made some irreparable mistakes while sewing them together, so I am redoing the whole thing. Here is block 4 though:

Hopefully I will have some more to share soon! I have another project I am working on, but it isn't picture-ready yet :)