Good Neighbors

Thank you for the kind comments and words of encouragement on my MMSC post yesterday.  I completely agree, bloggers who write honestly and authentically have a certain quality that makes them very readable.  I love ones who share so much of themselves and their lives, blogs that come to mind of being of that style are here, here and here.  Love, truth, struggle, honesty.  And so beautifully written.  I fear that this style works best when the writers are "normal" or dealing with socially acceptable problems.. and I can't say that all of my challenges right now fall into those categories.  I am making tough choices, choosing to do what I feel is right over what society, my family and my loved ones may expect.  And it's hard, but it's so worth it.

You have all been good neighbors to me, and I am so thankful.  So here, let me show you a quilt I made..

When AmandaJean announced she had new fabric coming out with Connecting Threads, I jumped at the chance to help her promote it.  I chose the cooler colors from Good Neighbors, teal, patriot blue, grey, green and joined them with Patriot blue and Indigo solids.  (This still needs another border in the Indigo, but I wanted to take pics today when I had time).
I chose two blocks from Get Started Quilting, the Starry Night improv stars, and the Improv Housetops, which I modified a bit.  This quilt is very similar to one of the design wall samples (p. 116, I think) but I wanted to see how it would look in cool colors and with the circle of stars in the center.  Here's a bit of my process:

Start by making the double star wonky star blocks:

I use the chain piecing method described in the book to keep the star point units together as I assemble the block (leave thread chains between the patches as you machine piece and then they don't accidentally get out of order).

Make 4 star blocks, and rotate them so that they alternate Big-Small-Big-Small and form a ring.  (I love how this happens)

Then start in on the housetop blocks-- making rings of medium, light, and then dark around center squares (completely improv, nothing needs to be measured, slice in angles for visual interest, trim down at the end).

The Improv Housetop pattern in the book has you make one big ringed block, cut it in quarters, trim up to 6.5" and reassemble so all the centers are going the same direction.  For a large portion of these blocks, I just cut the ringed blocks in half, trimmed to 6.5" x 12.5" and stacked them.

Assembly is a little tricky-- I added panels of housetops to the top and bottom of the star section, then built up the two side panels carefully pressing seams for optimal ease at the final joining of columns.  I could have planned it out before I started sewing, but that's just not how I work.

I added 3" borders in Patriot blue and I want to put on one more border of Indigo before quilting it.  I have.. limited ideas for how that will go so far, so I think I'll let it sit as I think on it for a few days.  Suggestions welcome.

I loved making this quilt.  The Connecting Threads solids have such a nice weight to them and Amanda Jean's Good Neighbors prints are really just that-- I can see these prints working so well with others in my stash already.  Plus the whole line is just cheery and candy coated and reminds me of all of her other quilts.  I really enjoyed playing with it.

So, this is how I quilt.  From idea to partially finished top, it took about 4 months.  I'm surprised I did it so quickly.  Most of the piecing and assembling was done in about 4-5 days.  I do not like to rush.  I want to remember the process (I forgot that that's why I started blogging in the first place, waaaaay back in 2006) and to work out my thoughts as the quilt takes shape.  There is bigger meaning here, much bigger, and I think the social media wave often knocks people off balance.  It's part of life though, one more thing to manage.  Thanks for rallying around me this week, friends.  You guys are the best neighbors <3 p="">

Gotham Quilts' Yuma Blog Hop!

I did it!  I am so proud of having this quilt top done.

Forgive the ugly indoor classroom photo!  I brought it to school today because our campus is gorgeous, but couldn't find anyone to help with a photo shoot during lunch!  Here, this is one from my backyard yesterday..

You know, the more I look at this, the more I like it.
I love these fabrics, and the pattern is really striking, but, if you've been following my quilt journey for any length of time, you'll know that this was a big step outside my comfort zone.   Choose only 16 fabrics.  Cut all the pieces first.  Cut triangles on the bias before sewing..  Ah.  well, when I saw Ivete and Andrea with their sample quilt at the NYC Metro Mod meeting in June, I was bitten? kissed? by this quilt.  I really wanted to give it a try.  I'll admit, it was the thrill of the Quilt Along that lured me in initially, and the promise that I could use up large amounts of stash fabric quickly..
Plus I wanted to see if I could handle the challenge.  And, so long as you don't call the quilt police, I did pretty well.

 Look look, I even got a large amount of my points to match (enough for me).

So, about the pattern..
If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it.  If you are not experienced with triangles, you will learn so much.  Go here, download it for free now.

Now, I am not a pattern follower.  While complaining about that earlier this week, a good friend said, "But you write them so well!"  and I love her for the compliment, but the truth is, I feel much more comfortable with wiggle room, with space for error and growth, happy accidents.  I'm an improv quilter through and through.  That said, we all need to push our boundaries sometimes.  And one of the reasons I felt confident to take that risk here was that Andrea Deal is an amazing technical quilter.  I trusted that if anyone could guide me through untread forest, it would be her.  I was not disappointed.

This pattern is so well written, great for a visual learner.  Everything is color coded with fabric swatches so you can get your fabrics to end up where you want them.  There are even images of what will go wrong if you don't piece your triangles correctly.  I was SO impressed to see that step!  Saving us all the trouble of making the mistake on our own (you know you were going to.. it just happens).  The blank pattern is available on the Gotham Quilts blog so you can play around and color out your ideas before cutting any fabric.  And the shop owners are so kind and attentive.  I didn't ask questions along the way, but I'm sure you could.

I should note that I lengthened the original pattern by adding rows to the top and bottom.   I like the size, but have no idea how to quilt it.  I think I'll let it sit a while and then brows the #yumaqal hashtag on instagram to see what other quilters are doing with theirs.  Suggestions welcome, of course.

Yellow Bears Paw

We are back from Chicago now, and I can say it was a nice visit.  My kids were good during 4 days of driving and everyone was happy to see us when we arrived and sad to see us leave.  We were lucky to have beautiful weather while we were there and we got to spend a lot of time outdoors, smelling the suburban spring air that immediately brings me back to my childhood.  I'm glad my boys could experience that too.

The main purpose of the trip was to see my family, especially my mother, whose long-term illness took a bad turn earlier this month after a lengthy plateau.  Many of you contributed both quilts and funds to the benefit held for her in 2012 (past posts are here and here), and I wanted to give a sort of update, as well as show off the quilt I made for her.

Earlier this month my mother went into the hospital for several days.  I was told that low sodium was causing her to become confused and disoriented.  Several times she would wake up in the morning and not know why she was in a wheelchair.  She began having problems with memory and though she has good days and bad, it was a shock to have her ask me what my children's names were, or where we lived.  I was happy I could see her, but now that I'm home again, I'm silently aching for the loss of the mother I knew.  I'm not writing this for anyone's sympathy, just to tell the story of the quilt I made, that I clung to, pouring my love, regret, and grief into each stitch.  That binding took forever!  And I was sad to leave the quilt, knowing that it gave me comfort these past few weeks.  I hope it also brightens her days, helps her remember me, and at the very least keeps her warm in the too-cold air-conditioned house.

 The top of the quilt is made from a yellow woven fabric that I got at my LQS.  The centers of each bear paw came from the 11 women in the 15 Minutes Play Scrap bee from 2011.  I pieced them into bears paw blocks, starting in 2011 and finishing the last 3 earlier this month.  I used wide sashing of the yellow and put the extra Scrap bee blocks as corner stones.  I thought I'd leave it there and back the quilt in the black/off-white dot, but it made a really nice border instead.  The backing is an organic cotton from Jo-Anns.  It's bound in light turquoise, one of the same fabrics I used in samples for Quilting on the Go.  Final size-- I didn't measure, but it's a bit less than twin.  Fits on mom's hospital bed just fine though.

Mom, I don't know if you get on your laptop much anymore, but if you do, I hope you can read this, and if not, I hope someone reads it to you.  I love you so much.  Thank you for believing in me and for letting me follow my dreams.  I hope we can come see you again soon.

The moment when..

you know that the super simple baby quilt you're making just isn't going to cut it..

I pieced these big HSTs and was just going to be done with it, but no.  Not for this baby.  She's too cute, I love her family too much (and her mom's a quilter).  So she got her name on the back too.

Of course, when you decide to piece the kid's name into a quilt, it's probably a good idea to check how the parents spell it first (I learned this the hard way)..

This quilt has been on my to-do list for over a year.. thankfully the baby is still small (though her birthday is coming up soon) and her mom is one of my most patient and laid back friends so she didn't make me feel bad for not getting it to them sooner.  If the weather is too warm for a quilt now, I really hope it can become her toddler picnic blanket this summer.

I enjoyed working on this quilt a lot.  The top is made from almost all of the colors of Timeless Treasures' Rain collection.  They are so pretty, I can't pick a favorite.  I stretched my FMQ creativity by stitching leaves over the diagonal seams and I came up with a loopy flower pattern that filled the space in between pretty well.  Taking a tip from Shannon, I stitched my miters closed on the front and back of the binding-- before now I had only been doing the back miters.   Do you do this too?  Just curious.

Linking up this week with Finish it up Friday at CrazyMomQuilts and TGIFF!  Be sure to pop over and see everyone else's finishes.

Farewell little Lime

It's the 13th already?  So much for my cute attempt at blogging via Advent stocking calendar.
I left off on the 5th, my birthday, and was planning a grand post about the guys I live with and how much I love them..

Instead of blogging about it, I spent the day with them instead, basking in their attention.  It's good to be loved.
I also worked on the binding of the Lime quilt, finishing it later that weekend.  On Monday I took it to the post office, and now I'm just waiting to hear if it has arrived.

 

It's been a while since I had a finish to share, so I'm linking up today with CrazyMomQuilts. 
This quilt is huge, the biggest I've ever completed myself, so I had a heck of a time getting a good finish shot. 

(Laugh here, please.  Then feel sorry for my husband who was stuck in this position as I tried and tried to get a better shot.  He refused to go outside, it was too cold and I was in my pjs..)
You can see most of it in this basting shot:

Or check out the beauty shots in my last post.
And now that that's finished, I can work on our Christmas quilt.. it's coming along pretty well-- I've shared peeks on instagram but hopefully I'll have a post ready here in the next few days. 
Happy Friday, Everybody.  And enjoy the 13th~

Strings with Lime

I have been making a quilt this fall for a 4 year old I have never met.  Her mom asked me to make it and I couldn't say no.  This is my first commissioned quilt.   I posted a bit about it at the beginning, but this quilt has really dominated my sewing time over the past 3 months and I'm happy to finally  have time to share some more of it.

I have loved working on this quilt.  It measures 80" x 87" and it is the first full sized bed quilt I have made and quilted myself.  I've done kings and twins, and plenty of throws, but never a full.  It's a shame I'm not keeping it, I really need a quilt on that full sized guest bed...

 

 The back is Sketch flannel in Royal and it is amazing!  I may just be a flannel back convert after this one.  I pieced Madelyn's name into the back-- the letters are about 4" high.  I hope she likes it.

 I cut and attached the binding to the front today, and plan to spend blissful hours tomorrow hand stitching it down.  That sounds like the perfect way to spend my birthday~

The quilt has taken me longer than I expected.  Is it that the foundation string piecing was more involved than I remembered, or my free time more scarce?  Either way, I made it as fast as I could.  Like every quilt, I learned a lot with this one.  It's the largest piece I've ever quilted on my Janome, and it fit just fine (for the record, I could probably do a queen..).  I underestimated how much thread I'd need to quilt it and ended up waiting in line at JoAnn's on Black Friday.  Never want to do that again (though buy one. get one free is a hard deal to pass up).  I also underestimated how tired I'd be at the end of each day, and how short Jack's naps would be.
When George was a baby, I remember getting a lot of sewing done while he napped.  Somehow I thought things would be the same this time around, but I'll tell you, the biggest shock I had this fall was how much I wanted to be with George when Jack was asleep.  If I'd turn on the tv and sneak off to sew, I felt guilty leaving him alone.  I missed him. 
Other moms of 2 or more can probably relate.  I spent so much time this year focused on the baby, feeding, changing, pureeing, packing and repacking the diaper bag, pushing the stroller.  I miss the feeling of George's hand in mine as we walk to school.  It's like I blinked and he went from being 2 1/2 to being 5.  I can barely pick him up and he doesn't fit in my lap anymore. 
Something has changed (is changing?).  I used to be me first.  A person, a woman, a Smithie, a quilter.  But now, no.  Now I'm Mom first. 
So this quilt took me a long time, but it helped me discover this change, see who I am now.  And I'm glad I can write that here, because I'm not sure non-quilters would quite understand.  I love this quilt, and I'm happy the end is near.  I hope to have it in the mail this weekend and let it become part of someone else's story.

A bit of Thursday

We've got this quilt on the bed right now (baby spit up on the other one..):

And I find myself spending a lot of time thinking about it at 12, 3, and 5 in the morning as I pace back and forth around the room trying to get Jack to burp or fall back asleep.  It was a good quilt.  Some awesome memories in the t-shirts:

Where I studied in Kyoto, 1999-2000.

Heaven on earth (class of '01, Washburn~).

I have also been pondering the fabrics but I have a separate post brewing on that topic...

And so I decided to take one of George's old-but-loved tees

And play around a bit..

He is helping-- pulled out a big pile of fabrics for me to choose from.  Too sweet.
Have you been crafty yet today?

Taking Care

How lucky I am, to have so many friends who want to take care of me, to make me comfortable and to spoil me and my children.  In today's post I want to say THANK YOU to all of them (you) for the kind words, emails, fb messages, cards, presents and visits that have filled my recent weeks.

Jack is 6 weeks old today, and I wanted to share a few of the thoughful gifts we have received:
In my last post, I mentioned a new quilt, all the way from Hokkaido, here it is:

 Hand appliqued, embroidered, and hand quilted by the lovely Mrs. Kubota.  xoxo!

We also received a super soft and cuddly crocheted afghan from Merrill:
(need to add the photo later, he's currently sleeping with it!)

(Totally jealous of her crochet skills, I've wanted to make a ripple blanket for years)

and some wonderful stew from Bernadette!

There were also many many cute sleepers, onsies, outfits, and a new stuffed doggy.  Many friends also brought big brother presents for George which were definitely appreciated.

My sister has been here for the past couple days, and her help (round the clock) is a present far more valuable than any gift.  Thanks Lor.  Don't know what we'll do without you.

In other news, I have been quilting as much as possible.  Some by hand, some by machine.  If I can get some photos today, I might have something to show soon..

First finish of the new year: Satoru

This quilt is ancient.. well, it wasn't my oldest UFO, but it had been sitting, pin basted, in my closet for over a year, and the top was completed sometime in 2007, (the center came from a guild workshop).  The fabrics came from my hubby's trip to Japan in January 2002.  Yeah, for a newly finished quilt, it's got some history already.

You can see the quilting better on the back.

Around new years I tried to finish up a bunch of smallish quilts so I'd have hand sewing (binding) ready for after the baby came.. some mindless stitching to keep me connected to being a quilter.. but, the kid's still not here and I've had loads of time to sew.  So, whoops, finished it.  At least I can link up this week (TGIFF & Crazy Mom Quilts)
(old posts about this quilt can be found here, and here)