A QUILT FOR MY SISTER

One of the big goals on my 2018 list is to complete a minimum of five sewing projects this calendar year.  And it wasn't hard for me to figure out what I wanted to tackle first.

My sister is an all-star knitter and has given me countless hand knit gifts over the past decade - all beautifully made and with the extra goodness that comes when gifts are made specifically for you.  I wanted to make her a gift in return - because she is my best friend and because I knew that she would appreciate the value of a handmade item and be accepting of the flaws that come along with that.

This is the fourth quilt I've made and that is the full extent of my sewing experience.  I feel like I both know what I am doing and have no idea what I am doing.  And, right now, I'm okay with that.  I enjoy learning as I go and I have a very strong "good enough" attitude when it comes to sewing.  It all works out.

For this quilt, I used the Broken Zig Zag pattern by Sarah Ruiz.  I read Sarah's blog and was excited to see that this pattern both fit my aesthetic and fit in the "beginner friendly" skill level.  It was my first time following a pattern and it was super exciting to see everything come together.  To be honest, I am kind of amazed that it turned out as well as it did - it truly was beginner friendly.

Hooray for my first sewing project of the year.  Now, I better get my buns in gear if I want to meet my goal by December 31.

And thanks to April and her cat, Leo, for the photos!

HALF SQUARE TRIANGLE QUILT

This quilt is one hundred percent me.  It has been a few months since I finished it and it still brings me great, great joy every time I see it.  I can't quite believe that I made it.  I am so happy with the color palette, the mix and match binding, the mismatched corners, the size and - really - just everything about it.

Here's a brief rundown of how it came to be:

I found a few tutorials for making half square triangles that made them seem very doable - despite my minimal piecing experience.  I decided that I could make it happen and then searched through Pinterest board upon Pinterest board for color and layout ideas.

I spent a ton of time mocking up color combinations on various fabric websites.  Then, I scrapped the idea of buying the "perfect" palette because I was afraid of purchasing fabric online without being able to see the colors with my own eyes.

I decided to just go to one fabric store and buy the best combination I could create from their inventory.  My store of choice didn't have a ton of solid cotton options, but that yellow is like my dreamboat color and I love the way it plays with all the other colors.  I chose that first and then just mixed and matched until I came up with seven colors that all worked together - my very own version of the rainbow (very decidedly without any purple, as that is my least favorite color).

I love the beginnings of projects, so I went home and immediately started cutting.  My squares were roughly eight and a half inches.  I am not a perfectionist and measuring things causes my blood pressure to rise, so they were not exactly eight and a half inches.  But I was okay with that because I already knew this about myself.  I also knew that I would be as happy with a final product with misalignments and angles other than 90 degrees as I would with one with perfectly matched corners.

Each of my kind-of-sort-of squares was paired up with another square of a contrasting color, I folded the pair on the diagonal and then ironed that fold to give myself a line (roughly) from corner to corner.  I used that pressed line as my guide and sewed a quarter inch seam on each side of the line, then cut on the fold line to give me two, identical half square triangle blocks.  (If that paragraph was confusing, this might help.)

I made it through this phase really quickly and started sewing the blocks into long strips, each made up of nine squares.  I got through most of this step and then my sewing machine got all jammed up and (despite much trial and error) I couldn't get it going again.  It sat in the basement, unused, for several weeks and then I spent an hour fighting with it one day until it magically worked.  I don't know what the issue was, but was able to complete the rest of the quilt without it jamming again.

Once I got back to it, I finished things pretty quickly.  I bought light weight batting and light grey yardage of wide cotton fabric that was big enough to cover the back of the quilt without requiring piecing.  I pin basted the layers together and started quilting.

I quilted straight-ish (but not straight) down the rows, using the seams where the strips met as guides for keeping the quilt lines from getting too crazy.  The quilting lines are purposefully uneven - some only a couple centimeters apart and others a couple inches apart.  Besides choosing fabric, quilting is my favorite step of the process.  I love how it brings the fabric to life and makes it magically look like a "real quilt" instead of just a flat piece of fabric.

I didn't put a ton of time into making things perfect (as seems to be the theme of this story), but generally evened up the edges and squared the corners.  And it was time for binding.  I dig binding that is made up of multiple fabrics, so that's what I did.  I used a combination of dark grey fabric with white polka dots and some left over fabric from the quilt front.  I machine sewed the binding onto the quilt.

I did not pre-wash my fabric, so the whole thing crinkled up when I ran it through the wash after it was done.  This is totally a personal preference, but I love that look.  To me, it feels worn-in and well-loved.

And that's the story of my second completed quilt.  It's definitely my favorite so far and it's hard to imagine topping it, but I hope that I will do just that.

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If you've been intimidated by triangles, I highly recommend this method since it doesn't actually require you to cut any triangles.  And, if you're intimidated by any of the quilting steps, might I suggest YouTube?  It's my secret weapon for trying new things.

I MADE A QUILT

I made a quilt.  I made a quilt.  I made a quilt.  I'm lingering in the land of disbelief and I'm cozy-ing up under it every chance I get.  

From start to finish - from forty strips of fabric to figuring out the binding - I made a quilt!

It is 47 inches by 42 inches.  Not a conventional size, but just the size that happened.  I think you could call it a large lap quilt.  I tried looking up the standard size of a lap quilt, but it seems that there is no standard, just a range of dimensions that will comfortably cover an adult's lap while sitting.  That's exactly what I've been using it for.  It wouldn't really work for a stretched-out nap on the couch, but I tend to spend a lot of time curled up or cross-legged in the corner of the couch and my quilt works perfectly to cover my legs.  

There are flaws everywhere - little things that I imagine (hope!) will improve as my sewing skills improve.    And, thankfully, I could care less.  I love, love, love it and love the flaws that are just a part of this learning process. 

I also made a few huge mistakes - some that I took the time to correct and others that I left.  I could see how quilting could be the art of a perfectionist.  This is one of those crafts where "perfect" is easy to see and where being fussy is celebrated.  I fall far on the other side of perfectionism and my quilt shows it.  I call it character and am 100% okay with the flaws - big and small.  

The most obvious mistake (and one that I chose not to correct) was the error of quilting from both ends.  Before I started the quilting step, I did a bit of internet searching to see if I needed to start quilting in the middle.  It seemed logical that I should, but the internet told me I didn't have to.  So, I started on one of the ends.  That would have likely turned out great, except that at some point I decided to also start from the other end.  Pressure from quilting each end pushed the quilt top together and resulted in a big bubble of fabric in the middle of my quilt.  

Oops.  I could have put my trusty seam-ripper to good use and pulled out one side or the other, but instead just stitched right over the mess in the middle and called it good.  As mentioned above, I'm an imperfectionist.  It works out well in cases such as this.  I chose to view this big oops as "character" built into my quilt and called it good.  

Some of the character was intentionally added.  I used a variety of thread colors - white, navy and aqua. Sometimes, I used the same color in both the top (needle) thread and bottom (bobbin) thread and other times I used two different colors at once.  I also had fun making a patchwork binding and like that it adds extra color, contrast and unexpected pattern.

Planning for quilt number two is in the works.  I have a general color palette worked out and think I will attempt triangles.  I'm not good at letting Brian surprise me with birthday gifts, so I asked him for a gift card to the fabric store and will officially get going on my second quilt after I use it.  My birthday isn't until the end of the month, though, so I have a few weeks to wait.     

QUILTING IN 2015, PART TWO

The alternate title for this post is "Progress That Doesn't Look Like Progress."  I'm making headway into this new hobby of mine, but it might not look like it from a bystander's point of view.  

Quilt top number one has been folded up and stored away.  I had about two thirds of my desired size pieced together before I decided I should step away from it for a while.  As should be anticipated when one doesn't really know what they are doing and (gasp!) doesn't measure before cutting and piecing, things were getting a bit wonky.  

I was starting to get overwhelmed with the idea of trying to figure out how to match up all of my various pieces and make the edges straight.  I have faith that I will be able to pick it up and make something of it in the future, but that wasn't going to happen with my current skills or knowledge.  Related: I pre-ordered this book and hope that it will help with this specific quilt and also with my general wish to make "unconventional" quilts.  

So, I'm on to take two.  

This time, I am using a "jelly roll" instead of traditional yardage.  In case you're not in the know: a jelly roll is made up of forty 2½" x 44" strips of fabric.  This was a smart move for this girl that wants to quilt, but doesn't like to measure and is, therefore, afraid to cut.  Since purchasing this jelly roll, I have learned that there are more pre-cut fabric options and I can assure you that I will put them to use in the future.   

Quilt try number two is well underway.  It is made up of solids from the Kona Cotton 2013 Summer Palette.  It's a bit rainbow-y and a little heavy on the cool colors for my taste, but it is also happy and fun.  I considered buying an additional jelly roll of whites and creams to offset some of the bright colors, but decided I didn't really want to invest more money into this venture until I felt more confident that I could come up with a finished product.  

I'm generally a very money conscious person, but somehow I got started on this quilting adventure without giving the money side of it any forethought.  As it turns out, fabric is not free and my income is limited.  I'm not really sure what that means for my future with quilting, except it maybe means that I won't be "all in."  And that's probably okay because I have plenty of other hobbies and projects to keep me entertained and using the creative part of my brain.  

I only have six strips left to finish the quilt top.  Once that's done, I'm considering cutting it into thirds and flipping the middle section length-wise.  That would break up the long strips of color and make for some fun color-blocking instead.  I haven't decided if I'm brave enough to tackle cutting into it or not. 

And then, it will be onto making my quilt sandwich and starting the actual quilting process.  I'm excited to get there and to watch these pieces of fabric become a real life quilt.    

QUILTING IN 2015, PART ONE

This is part one of what I hope will be a nice, long story.  It is about those tiny baby steps and missteps that are known as "getting started."  There is an almost overwhelming learning curve stretched out ahead of me, but the only way to take it is step by step.  And so, I am stepping.    

At this point, I feel like anyone who knows anything about sewing would laugh at what I've put together and at the way I've put it together.  I really have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm doing it and I trust that the doing will eventually lead to an understanding and knowledge of a better way or maybe even the proper way.

I learned to code and build my blog in much the same way.  I just went for it and through trial and error things improved and came together over time.  My success in blog site building gives me confidence that trial and error (and perseverance) will turn me into a decent quilter sometime in the next few years.  

My goal is for this first project to end up as a twin-sized quilt for Sam's bed.  The dimensions of a twin comforter are 65" by 87".  Currently, I'm at approximately 65" by 30" and I'm starting to wonder if I will have enough fabric to complete the quilt top.  I am crossing my fingers and adding bits of scrap fabric here and there to stretch things out.

Cutting, measuring and making things straight are not my strong suits.  I started this quilting adventure with the decision to cut and stitch without measuring or worrying particularly about straight lines.  I am really just going for it and will add or subtract at the end to make it fit the desired dimensions - assuming I have enough fabric to get there.    

So far, the "crazy quilt" route feels like a good decision.  I'm just cutting and piecing without a plan and things are coming together in a way that I like.  This method is allowing me all the fun without the frustration that I would feel if I were to spend a lot of time with the tedium of precise cuts and measurements.  

Since I am building as I go, I get to jump in and out of each "stage" of creating my quilt top.  I cut and pin.  I stitch.  I press.  I lay it out next to what's already stitched together and see where it might fit.  I rearrange things and recut and add a strip here or there, going back to stitch this, cut that and press a seam here or there.  Again, I don't really know how one is supposed to quilt.  I imagine that maybe you are supposed to spend a few hours cutting followed by a block of stitching-things-together time, followed by a good pressing session.  (Or maybe that's not how it goes.  I have no idea.)  In any case, I'm totally enjoying my own mess of a method and slowly the pieces are adding up to a quilt top.  

I'm so excited to be up and running with this new creative outlet.  I'm anxious to see what "Quilting in 2016: Part One" looks like and looking forward to all the steps between now and then. 

MY NEW THING

I want to be a quilter.  I want to make awesome, colorful, bold, geometric, all around beautiful quilts.

I've been thinking about this for months, but I've been scared to say it out loud.

I've been scared because new things equal big unknowns.  I've been scared because I've (sort of, not-really, barely) tried to sew in the past and quickly given up.  I've been scared because it would require large commitments of both time and money.  I've been scared because I am afraid of failing and wasting both time and money.  I've been scared because when you admit something to the world, you make yourself accountable.   

I've also been scared because quilting (generally) requires things like measuring and precision.  I loathe measuring things and am totally the person that just eyeballs it and calls it good enough.  

But then I listened to this podcast and I started to think that maybe I should just go for it.  (Astrid's beautiful quilts and beautiful words didn't hurt either.)  In the podcast, Elise and Astrid focused on the difficulty that is "the middle" of a project.  Astrid kept saying that she really quilts for the sake of playing with color and that she learned to not-hate the rest of the process because it was all part of getting to play with the colors.  I can get on board with that statement.  Combining colors and seeing design ideas come to life are the very reasons I do so many things.

So, we're going to see how this goes.  I want to give myself a lot of grace, but also push myself to keep at it when things don't go as easily as I think they should.  I'm going to work at it in hopes of learning to love the middle - not just the planning and the end result.  

I ordered some fabric (patterns shown above) and am anxious to start cutting it up and sewing it back together.    

As I'm sure you've guessed, I will keep you posted on my progress.