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Gosh, this was close. I nearly didn't finish this Schnibble by the deadline! I have so much going on right now, my head is swimming. I got this done minutes ago, literally holding the baby on my lap.
My borders may be a little bit flabby, but I think I can live with it. Can't wait to get it quilted and on my table. Thanks Sherri and Sinta for hosting this wonderful sew along.
Last week when I posted on my new ironing board cover, Barbara left a comment saying she has a rolling ironing station that her husband made for her out of a dresser. Several people emailed me to ask if I could persuade Barbara to share a picture and she kindly agreed. Thanks Barbara! People will love seeing your ironing station, but you are going to incur some serious stash envy!!
Here it is, with its sides in the "up" position.
And with the sides down.
You could pick up a changing station or old dresser at a yard sale and paint it up and make the modifications Barbara's DH did, and have one too. Here is what Barbara said when she sent me the photos--
"I'm glad to share the pictures of the ironing cabinet but the backgrounds of the photos look ... messy! The closet shelves are full of flannels and UFOs, on the side of the built-in bookcase to the right are my porcelain Celebration! little quilts (now occasionally found on eBay), and the bookshelves are filled with fabric - of course. Please forgive the mess, but hey, creativity is messy!!
The ironing surface on top measures 20"W x 36"L and each wing adds an additional 12" in length! Obviously, the wings are up in the first photo.
Hope this makes everyone happy! It certainly makes me happy to have this stellar helper to use in my little sewing room.
Love and hugs - Barbara"
Here is my first block made from the Fig Tree pattern "Kiss Me". Isn't it sweet? I am making my quilt from various Fig Tree corally reds. The fabric above is from Patisserie, but most of the reds I will use are from last summer's Strawberry Fields collection. I found my fabrics late in the game, over the internet. Quiltshops.com and Etsy are both good sources for older fabrics that your local quilt shop may no longer have in stock. If matchy quilts aren't your thing, don't worry, this would be extremely cute done in a scrappy fashion, with each block a different fabric, or even Super Scrappy style, with individual blocks made from multiple fabrics in the same color family. How amazing would that be?
When I posted on my plan to make this quilt, several of you said that you planned to make the pattern as well. If you are in the process of making it now, as I am, let me know and I can link to your blog or post photos of your blocks as you make them. Kiss Along with me, if you will!
So, here's the thing about Fig Tree patterns. In general, I do not find that they are for the inexperienced sewer. This one is certainly not. The instructions are clear enough, but if you haven't been sewing long, you may wish for more pictures and more explanation. There are bias edges, sewing of triangles, and lots and lots of points matching. The results will be a beautiful quilt, and certainly worth the concentration it will take to construct it.
When I use a Fig Tree pattern, I don't like to mess around with it too much. Just follow the instructions and all should be ok. However, this time, I thought there might be a couple of tools that I could use that would make the cutting and construction more efficient (easier) for me. Here's an example:
For the blocks, you need to cut Isosoles triangles. Remember those from geometry class? I know. My head hurts too. Anyway, the pattern has you using your regular old rotary cutting ruler and using the 45 degree marks to find your place on the fabric strip. I could do it, but it seemed (given my penchant for error) to be an unreliable method for me. I had a couple of other ruler tools on hand that I though might be easier to use.
How many of you have one of these triangular Omnigrid rulers laying around that you have no clue what to do with? I had one too! The strips you cut for the triangles are 2 1/2 inches wide. If you position the Omnigrid ruler so the number 4 lines up with the bottom of your fabric, you can cut on either side of the equal sides of the triangle (on the right and the left) and get the perfect sized triangle you need for this block. Can anyone tell me what the numbers 1-8 on that ruler signify? I hadn't the foggiest idea, but since 4 corresponded to 2 1/2 inches, I was good. Do those numbers reflect the measurement of the long side of the triangle?
But wait, there's more.
I had another ruler called the Companion Angle by Darlene Zimmerman (who also made those wonderful Dresden Plate templates), which would do the job as well. And look! Her ruler has lines that actually say 2 1/2 inches so you can't possibly get mixed up. It also has those same numbers 1 through 8 that I didn't understand, but I ignored them.
Ta da, first triangle.
Flip the ruler and cut another. Of course you can stack your fabric so you don't end up cutting out individual triangles. I cut up to four at a time.
To test things out, I made up a block and it seems like everything measured up just right. I plan to spend the next day or two getting all my fabric cut out for this project.
Have a safe and fun Memorial Weekend everyone!
Do you know how hard it is to take a picture of your ironing board? Good grief, I never had such a struggle. It is surprisingly difficult to make those things look good. You have to get way back to get the whole thing in the photo and then all sorts of other ugly things you don't particularly want to share sneak into the picture.
I found an awesome tutorial on how to make an ironing board cover. Eva over at Sew Much Good (is that not the best blog name ever?) made one, and has featured the clearest instructions on how you can make one too. It took no time at all, and I am so pleased with how I transformed my grody looking ironing board into something much nicer. I highly recommend that you check it out. The best thing is, with two yards of fabric, you can make TWO ironing board covers, one for you and one for your best friend!
Here is one photo, not the best, but it is what it is. I was moving this darn ironing board all over the room trying to get good lighting. Excuse the mess of wires under the sewing table. I still have not figured out how to deal with them.
The cover has a simple casing with 1/4 inch elastic passed through it to make it fit nice and snug. One great feature is how simple it is going to be to get it off and on again if I want to wash it. Honestly, this was so darn easy to make, and I did not need to even leave my house to buy anything. The fabric was left over from a quilt I made years ago and the elastic was on hand in a drawer of sewing notions. That's all you need. You know you have two yards of fabric and a package of elastic somewhere, don't you? Go on, find them, check out Eva's tutorial, and make a cute new ironing board cover!
I worked on my Doc Schnibbles this weekend as well, and can't wait to finish it up and get it on my table. You may notice that I have made a smaller version than the pattern, using only four squares.
What I found out after getting the four blocks and lattices together is that the plan to use four inch half square triangles for the outer border, as shown in the nine block pattern version, won't work. The measurements are off when I try to use the larger half square triangles with my four block topper.
No matter. The four blocks plus lattice measured 24 1/2", so I made 2 1/2 inch half square triangles. When I sewed 12 of them together, the strip measured 24 1/2", which was "just right" as Goldilocks said. I kinda like the look of the smaller hsts anyway.
Back on track this week with the BOM Rehab, I am happy to say! I finished Block Eleven of the Peace on Earth Designer Mystery BOM over the weekend. That project is definitely coming together and all that will remain will be the lattice, which involves a star pattern and is awfully pretty.
I've been seeing some seriously cute Strawberry Fields blocks in the BOM Rehab group, which is making me think I should do several of those blocks each week and get caught up on that BOM, which I have not even cracked open. Since I am so deeply into my Fig Tree fabrics lately, it probably would be fun for me. I need to order the finishing kit as well, before it is too late!
Thanks so much to all of you who left comments on how to make smoothies last week. I sure did get some great ideas! The one that I am incorporating immediately is to add some flax seed to my smoothies. What I didn't ask is should I grind it up first, or does it get ground up in the blender with everything else?
This could be a wordless post, but of course I can't resist the opportunity to use words when I have the occasion.
I just do not know what happened to me over the past two months. My asthma was acting up this winter, and I lost about 10 pounds. Bad about the asthma, hallelujah about losing weight. So, I got back on my meds early this spring, and feel a hundred times better.
Guess I have been celebrating that fact by eating lots of the wrong kinds of food. It is quite amazing how quickly one can gain 10 pounds....
The good thing is, we are going into summer, and the best sorts of foods for losing weight are all around me. You know what I would love? A good smoothie recipe. I want one that is Weight Watcher friendly, and not one that equat es to 8 points or something. A nice smoothie I can whip up for breakfast that starts my day with four or five points max.
Anyone have a smoothie recipe they would like to share?
I have a new pattern I am hoping to use someday soon. It is called "Kiss Me" by Fig Tree and Co. I love the use of scrappy reds at any time, and this quilt fits the bill. It is made with fabrics from the Fig Tree Strawberry Fields collection, which I have been on the hunt for this week. I scored what I need mostly on Etsy, but used the quiltshops.com resource for the remainder. The reds I ordered have not arrived as I write this post, but the grey floral that will be featured in the flying geese border is in the photo above. Sometimes searching for fabric is half the fun of making the project.
My Moda Bella Snow will be excellent as the background, but I think I need to order more already! Who knew how much of that fabric I would be going through?
My conscience panged me for a minute, as I am totally copying the quilt shown on the pattern. I know many people think doing that is the epitome of uncreativity. However, sometimes you see something that is pure perfection, and if you want an exact duplicate, I say go for it! If it makes you happy it must be good. That is a sweet little quilt, all in Fig Tree reds, and I want one!
A big hug and kiss to Cheryl at Fig Tree Studio for her excellent advice as to what Moda Solid would be best as a coordinate for Fig Tree fabrics. The cream Fig Tree uses is quite distinctive, as it is almost a pale yellow. You can see how great it goes with the Fig Tree fabrics I placed with it in the photo above.
I ordered four yards of Moda Solid "Snow" online and it arrived this week. It is dead on perfect! It will definitely become a staple in my studio too.
So, I can't help but wonder why Moda would call their yellowish white "Snow". That just seems wrong somehow. Sorry. Couldn't help it. The name will certainly stick in my mind though! Oddly enough, I have another favorite white which is also called "Snow", and is made by Kona. This Kona white is just ever so slightly "off white", and is my choice whenever I need to use a white in a quilt. Not a smidgen of yellow in Kona Snow. So, if you need a yellowish cream, or the perfect white, the name to look for is "Snow".
This week is just getting away from me already and it barely started! Hope you all had a lovely Mother's Day. I did! I missed the BOM Rehab Monday post yesterday. So sorry!! Maybe I can get two blocks made this week for next time.
My son in law opened up his new wine tasting shop and wanted a few boutique items to offer for sale along with his wines. So, I have been occupied making sets of "mug rugs" or drinks coasters.
My goal was not to purchase any new materials if I could help it, so I began shopping at home in my studio. I discovered a project I had started sometime back, using a jelly roll of the cutest Deb Strain fabric called "Bistro". I had lots of jelly roll strips left over, and they are perfect for making the six inch blocks I like for mug rugs. Imagine my surprise to discover I had purchased about five yards of this cute back ground fabric with little coffee beans dancing all over it. You cannot get Bistro anymore, but Deb Strain has another collection called "Java" which is quite similar. Adorable fabric.
The quilt blocks I had already made, I sewed together in sets of four blocks to make little table toppers to go with the mug rugs. As you can see, I am using my tried and true machine quilting method of following along a strip of blue painter's tape. I finished one with quilting and black binding, but can't show you a photo since I took it to the shop already. The black binding really finishes the look off nicely.
I have doctor's appointments down in the Bay Area this week, so I may just stop at Marshall's and see if I can pick up a couple of polka dot coffee mugs and maybe a tea pot that would coordinate with these little mats. Wouldn't it make a cute display? The tea pot, mugs and my little table topper and mug rugs?
Evidently people like the mug rugs. The sets I made last week nearly sold out over the weekend! Maybe I am charging too little? What do you think? I was asking $20 for a set of four little patchwork coasters.