Monday, January 30, 2017

Design Wall Monday

Here is my vision that is beginning on my virtual design wall! :-) HAA ......individual elements have begun to be cut out, but this is what I'm working on for a new commission from a very dear friend...she was my mentor during those formative high school years. She wasn't sure about hiring me, but she did and instilled in me a strong work ethic for sure!

Note the fussy cutting of the 'hearts' and then the lace elements in the HSTs ....yes that is not going to be easy...but for her, I want to make it happen...and it is truly my style to do that and leverage the motif of the fabric to the max.

The fabrics are from the collection "Unbridled" and the blue background is a light weight denim. It will definitely be a southwest themed design.



I'm also working on my long-arm today. These placemats are one of the 'to do' items on my list from moons ago....so today is the day!

I got my customer quilts for the month done, so I'm taking a little time for me to get some UFOs quilted.

I also want to briefly share with you a bit of my own health journey. More than 15 years ago I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and not long after with PCOS. Later another autoimmune disease was identified and within the last couple of years I was also diagnosed with Hashimoto's.

Although the conventional medicine doctors said I was doing all that I could, when you don't feel good you know there is something more.

Recently I did some research and discovered NEW research has been coming out that ties your gut with your brain and ultimately how your thyroid operates....and so perhaps there is now some insight into the root of all autoimmune diseases (not just the ones that I have, but many others too).

I took this picture on Friday because I was just soo happy to discover my neck in the mirror. I have been working through a two week 'elimination' diet process and, yes, feel much better and have lost weight which I had been trying to do for a long time with no luck. I will start a process tomorrow of reintroducing foods that are possible triggers in my gut. Once I can identify those (part of why it is not mainstream medicine--there is no exact science for everyone--it is unique to your own situation and it takes time to figure it out) then I can choose to eliminate those specific foods from my diet and should feel better on an on-going basis. It should also lower my antibodies, reduce inflammation and minimize if not completely reduce my autoimmune issues.

I'm not making any thing from this, but if I help someone who is reading become aware of this information, then it is worth it. I first read the book 'Root Cause' by Dr. Izabella Wentz --The Thyroid Pharmacist.

She recently aired a 9 part series called The Thyroid Secret.

If you're searching for better health, consider the information and take it under advisement however it might apply --to you or a loved one.

In other news... ;-)
Island Batik Blog hop is wrapping up this week...don't forget to check it out if you'd like a chance to win some fabric. Did you catch my completion of the Island Batik quilt I've been working on this month?

Later this week I'm scheduled to be a guest blogger over at Tamarinis.

Enjoy wrapping up this first month of the year! I'm hoping to get my 3 UFOs completed on time!

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Island Batik - New Beginnings Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop on the Island Batik Ambassadors New Beginnings Blog Hop, featuring all of the 2016 released at market fabric collections.

The stop today is featuring Twilight Blush -- a new winter collection.

I chose to make Wendy Sheppard's Crossings Quilt from her book --yes, the one on the cover! It needed 15 fat quarters and I had exactly that with this bundle.

Yes, I needed to substitute colors vs. what is in the original, but that was part of the creative challenge to find contrasts and coordinating elements so that it would work.

Let me give you a few tips if you decide to make this quilt.

Here are the fabrics that I started with, Twilight Blush is on the right. The top left is going to be the backing and I'm using the other two for the background and cross intersections :

Don't forget to color test your fabrics!! Better to be safe than sorry.



Although each of these subassemblies are cut to their smallest size first, I think it could be quicker to cut long lengths and sew strip sets together and cross-cut, but I followed instructions! The cutting instructions don't necessarily match the assembly instructions, but there is just a bit that needs to be trimmed down to make it work. I used my "The Angler 2" for sewing the diagonals so I didn't have to mark each one. I also chain pieced them, meaning I sewed them all, one right after the next, and then turned it around and sewed about 1/2" away from the needed seam in the part that would be trimmed off. That meant, I could cut between the two seams and get a HST from the 'cut away' section.



This is the quilt before quilting and all those leftover HSTs! With more time before needing to get this done, I might have created some sort of border with them or interesting backing, but I'm sure I'll come up with something down the road.

This type of quilt design lends itself to quilting a continuous line edge to edge pattern using the piecing grid as the 'lines'. I designed this motif and was able to load the quilt top sideways and get it done in 5 passes. I continued the same stitching into the border.

We've still got a fair amount of snow so when the quilting was done I tossed it out onto the snow in front of my quilt shop/studio.

Here is the quilt, bound with the same fabric as the backing and an image from the backside so you can see the edge to edge of the stitching. While I was trimming the quilt, the name "Medieval Times" came to me, so that is what I have named it.



Don't forget, there are plenty of other stops on this blog hop.

Friday, January 6 – Hop Introduction!
Island Batik
Monday, January 9 – Coastal Mist
Stone Cottage Quilts
Tuesday, January 10 – Dotalicious
DelLillians
Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting
PamelaQuilts
Inchworm Fabrics
Wednesday, January 11 – Drizzle
Webster Quilt
Thursday, January 12 – Fifi and Fido + Happy Hounds
Mary Mack Made Mine
Quilting Affection
Friday, January 13 – Fresh Catch
Bejeweled Quilts by Barb
Monday, January 16 – Glowing Embers
Purrfect Spots Designs

Tuesday, January 17 – Lake Life
Freemotion by the River  
NOTE: I have a free pattern on Island Batik's website too with this collection.

Wednesday, January 18 – River’s Edge
Ark Angle Creations
Jennifer Sewing
Friday, January 20 – Blushing Blooms
Desert Bloom Quilting
Monday, January 23 – Gone Fishin’
Maria Michaels Designs
Wednesday, January 25 – Surf and Sand
The Patchwork Pearl
Beaquilter

TODAY --> Thursday, January 26 – Twilight Blush
KISSed Quilts  --you are here!!

Coming up....
Friday, January 27 – Happy Harvest
For Quilts Sake
Monday, January 30 – Jolly Holly
Kauffman Designs
Tuesday, January 31 – Frost
MooseStash Quilting
Wednesday, February 1 – Merry and Bright
Patchwork Breeze
Sally’s Quilting Corner

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be a guest blogger scheduled for February 1 (next week!)  over at Tamarini's so hope to see you there! She's organized a blog hop featuring the Coastal Mist collection.

Note: My Rondure Retreat dates have changed to March 28-30, 2017
--let me know if you're interested. I have a few spots still available.

For my giveaway bundle of Twilight Blush, please leave a comment here about your favorite pattern for using fat quarters and consider these ways to follow me....

Add your name to my newsletter--comes out about once a month.

Follow me on Instagram
Twitter
Pinterest
Facebook or
right here on my blog (see sidebar).

I'll select a random comment (as long as you left an email) on February 2, 2017 to win the bundle of fabrics.

Use this Rafflecopter to register for the Island Batik giveaway.

Monday, January 23, 2017

Design Wall Monday

The Island Batik New Beginnings blog hop continues ... and I'm making progress on my own entry for this coming Thursday. I hope you'll come back and see the finished result and participate in the giveaways!

I'm working with the Island Batik Twilight Blush collection and a design called "Crossings Quilt" from Wendy Sheppard's book. On my design wall is the finished top, I just need to quilt, bind and label it!

I've got some ideas on how to quilt it and will show some details in my Thursday post. My objective is to create a continuous line design that uses the piecing as registration marks so there is little to no marking needed to quilt it out in a 'custom' yet 'edge to edge' way.










































Leftovers include these:

Any ideas on what I should do with them?

If time wasn't of the essence this week to get this project completed, I might fashion some sort of border with them and then add more background beyond it, but I'm limited on background fabric that remains.

Monday, January 16, 2017

Design Wall Monday

Progress on my Crossings Quilt ....


A few notes re: the pattern images and specifications.
The center rectangles in the cutting instructions say 5 1/2" ...I believe they should only be 5". The assembly instructions refer to the rectangles as 5 1/2".

The images for the corner squares seem larger proportionally than they turn out, so I think that there might have been changes from the original design and creation than what the pattern was written for.

Regardless you'll have enough fabric, just a bit confusing.

Blog Hop is still going on ...refer to my last week's post for the current schedule.

My other 'secret' project got quilted and I learned that I can't show any photos...so you'll likely have to wait until next year to see it. Stay tuned!  I plan to get it 'faced' and finish the embellishments this week.

Thanks Judy for hosting!

Monday, January 9, 2017

Design Wall Monday

New Year - New Beginnings!

Yes, I'm back and hopefully on a more regular basis. I will try to make weekly posts at least linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times.

I did a 2016 year end review and I am giving away some fabric, so hope you'll check that out too. Last day for the giveaway is today over on the other post.

I've already finished one quilt but it is a top secret, Island Batik fabric design that that will be released at market in May. So, stay tuned for that reveal.

My focus today is finishing up a project that this is a very small part of, but just had to give you a sneek peek.


Today is also the first reveals of the Island Batik Ambassador New Beginnings Blog Hop. #newbeginningsbloghop

Here is the schedule:

Friday, January 6 – Hop Introduction!
Island Batik

Monday, January 9 – Coastal Mist
Stone Cottage Quilts

Tuesday, January 10 – Dotalicious
DelLillians
Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting
PamelaQuilts
Inchworm Fabrics

Wednesday, January 11 – Drizzle
Webster Quilt
Thursday, January 12 – Fifi and Fido + Happy Hounds
Mary Mack Made Mine
Quilting Affection

Friday, January 13 – Fresh Catch
Bejeweled Quilts by Barb

Monday, January 16 – Glowing Embers
Purrfect Spots Designs

Tuesday, January 17 – Lake Life
Freemotion by the River

Wednesday, January 18 – River’s Edge
Ark Angle Creations
Jennifer Sewing

Friday, January 20 – Blushing Blooms
Desert Bloom Quilting

Monday, January 23 – Gone Fishin’
Maria Michaels Designs

Wednesday, January 25 – Surf and Sand
The Patchwork Pearl
Beaquilter

Thursday, January 26 – Twilight Blush
KISSed Quilts

Friday, January 27 – Happy Harvest
For Quilts Sake

Monday, January 30 – Jolly Holly
Connie Kauffman

Tuesday, January 31 – Frost
MooseStash Quilting

Wednesday, February 1 – Merry and Bright
Patchwork Breeze
Sally’s Quilting Corner

I'll be showing mine later this month (1/26), but today you get a preview of what I'm working on. This is the Twilight Blush collection of fabric. I'm using the cover design of Wendy Sheppard's book that uses Pre-cuts and stash. We did a blog hop with all the designs last year, but I'm choosing another design from the book to use this collection.

I'll be using a FQ of each and the two creams. The bottom fabric in the photo below is for the backing (from another collection).



Book cover:


 I think it will look quite different given the fabric selection. It is going to be fun to see it evolve.


Thanks for stopping by!