rut roh

I had an unfortunate incident yesterday. I was quilting an enormous quilt on my new cabinet (which i love) that has the oh-so-fancy electric machine lift. Unfortunately, I didn't have my machine placed properly on the platform and when I pushed the button to raise it up to table height, I snapped the presser foot connector right off. Not smart. After expressing a few choice words, I promptly ordered a replacement. What a bummer!

I was able to finish quilting, though. Thanfully my machine has a start/stop button, so the presser foot isn't absolutely necessary. It worked for FMQ, but I wouldn't recommend using that feature for anything else.

Have you made any dumb mistakes lately?

i'm still here

Gosh, it's been a wee bit crazy the last several days. If you are a regular reader, you will remember that earlier this month, I ordered some new furniture for my sewing room. This was all very exciting, but I was not expecting delivery until August or September. Imagine my surprise when I learned on Friday that my furniture was in Nashville. YIKES!

This bit of news set off a flurry of activity. I still needed to empty the last of the guest room furniture out, patch & paint walls and trim, get the rest of the house clean so I could have all the carpets steamed, schedule an electrician to install a ceiling fan and light, order the wall shelves, and maybe a few other things I've forgotten. The only task left undone is the ceiling fan. I couldn't find anything locally, so I ordered online and will have to wait a few weeks before that part is done. This morning I assembled the new chairs and now I only have a few more hours to wait until my Koala's are delivered. Between the excitement and exhaustion, I can hardly stand it.

What have you been up to?

one step closer

So yesterday, I shared my anxiety over my current WIP. I was not planning to show any photos until it was finished, but Leah really, really wanted to see it. So I obliged with a quick iPhone photo. I figured while I was in the sharing mood, I would let you all take a peek too. My apologies for the crummy pic.

Just for a bit of reference. The floor in this part of the kitchen is about 9" wide. That's how enormous this thing is and I am freaking out about how I am going to get this quilted on my little 'ol machine. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

feeling nervous

I'm helping my sweet friend, Leah, at Burgundy Buttons with a quilting project. A few weeks ago she asked if I would test a pattern for her. She provided me with the fabric, as the quilt I make will be used as a kit sample. I finished piecing the top yesterday and I got the backing fabric sewn together this morning. Now, comes the quilting part.

Normally, this is the part of the process that I enjoy the most, but this quilt is so big that I am really nervous about it. It's about 75" square. The largest I've quilted so far was 65" square. I need to get this finished so Leah can get the kit on her site, but there's a part of me that wants to run and hide. Am I being silly?

I think I'll get it sandwiched and basted today and put off the quilting until this weekend. Afterall, I've got two weeks worth of Farmers Wife blocks to catch up on.

one fine day

Yesterday was a truly great day. A fun outing with one of my favorite people in the world, tasty lunch, seeing the new Harry Potter on a 78' screen in 3D, and adding a "few" new things to my stash.

I think this may be bordering on excessive, but my, oh my, it sure is nice to look at. Have a wonderful Saturday!

my first pattern

It's official! My first pattern is complete and for sale. You can purchase your very own PDF copy from my etsy shop. I hope to have it available for sale through some online quilt shops soon as well. Thanks to everyone for supporting and encouraging me to publish this pattern.

making room

There are lots of great new fabric collections on the way from Moda, which means, I need to clean out my stash a bit. I've recently placed quite a few things in my etsy shop and I'll be adding more later this week. Be sure to check it out. If you make a purchase, be sure to let me know you follow my blog and I'll be sure to send you an extra goodie.

week six - farmer's wife quilt-along

Block 11 - Broken Dishes

If I had not rushed through this block, it would have been right on the first try. Since I was being impatient, I didn't trim & square my half-square triangles. Since they were slightly bigger than they should have been, my first attempt at the block was too big. So I took it all apart, trimmed the HSTs and put them all back together again. So much for wanting to finish in a hurry. I am very excited about how well everything matches up on this block.

Block 12 - Broken Sugar Bowl

This block came together quickly and without any un-sewing. I love it when I don't have to pick up the seam ripper.

good things come to those who wait

I started quilting in March 2010. I had just left behind a career in Corporate America and was trying to stay within a budget. I had a new machine, loads of glorious designer fabrics and my dining room table. After a few months, my husband shamed me out of the dining room, and I invested in a sewing table... a $30 folding table from Target. It has served it's purpose, but I have been longing for a sewing space of my own. The wait is almost over, because today I had a fun conversation with a sweet gal from...

And she helped me order this...

and this...

and it will be delivered in the next 4-8 weeks. Which means, I have to get busy clearing out a guest room, repainting, etc. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I'm not usually a patient person, but I am so happy I waited for this, because it is truly more than I ever imagined I would be able to have.

week five - farmer's wife quilt-along

I've had so many fun projects going on this week, I was so thankful for these quick and simple blocks. These came together easily and I was quite proud of the result if I do say so myself. Without further ado...

Block 9 - Box

Block 10 - Bowtie

Looking ahead in the book, next week will involve lots of broken things... dishes and sugar bowls. Can we say bulky seam allowances? Yikes!