Birthday present

Last night we went to Joann Fabric and picked out my birthday present. Both my mother and mother-in-law gave me some cash and it was burning a hole in my pocket. I really wanted to go fabric shopping but decided there was no point when I am still missing some vital quilting tools.

Instead, I picked up this beautiful rotary cutting mat.

Of course, my cat decided he needed to “help” with the cutting process.

I don’t have a table large enough to cut on so I have to use the floor. Good enough for me!

This afternoon I cut out the remaining squares I need for my denim quilt. I want to add a second additional row to make it even longer, but the flannel backing I have isn’t long enough to allow for that. Now I just have to figure out how to iron without an ironing board…

One Step Closer

I am one step closer to quilting! My wonderful husband bought me an iron. Woohoo!

And of course, since it has to do with quilting, one of my cats had to come check it out.

Now I just need a new rotary cutting mat and an ironing board. I cannot wait to get back to my quilt!

Thursday’s Homemaking

Today I had some additional incentive to finish with my house cleaning early: the library! I thought I had some books due back today and knew that hubby wouldn’t be able to go with me after work. Today there is no “after work” as it’s after seven and he’s still working…

Thursday Cleaning – Stairs and Downstairs Sinks

  • Sweep and mop stairs
  • Sweep and mop downstairs hallway
  • Sweep bedroom floors
  • Scrub both bathroom sinks (one in master bedroom, one across from washer/dryer in hallway)
  • Wipe off top of washer and dryer
  • Tomorrow’s cleaning – the shower and toilet in the downstairs bath.

    I am so happy that I have a checklist now. I love lists. Next week I will have a printed list for each day and that will provide its own incentive, getting to check things off the list.

    As it turns out, I had nothing due back at the library but I was dying to go regardless. So, come 2:30 this afternoon, I finished my cleaning, took a shower, and then hopped in the car. Library, here I come!

    When I left for the library, I had 66 items checked out and took a bag of books with me to return. Now that I’m home again, I have 76 items checked out. Oops. That number is supposed to be going down, not up! I spent an hour browsing the shelves, mostly in the quilting section. I am looking for inspiration for my brother’s new baby (due in December).

    Of course, Bruno demanded that he be included in the photo. I tried to explain to him that they were just books about quilts, not actual quilts, but he insisted.

    And two of the books I checked out just for me. My husband was shocked that I dared suggest that I desecrate his precious French press with YARN but finally acquiesed and I said I could knit him a coffee cozy. 😉 Ah, true love.

    It’s a blog hop party!

    Blog Hop Party with Give-Aways

    It’s a party!! Quilting Gallery is hosting another fun blog hop and giveaway. I’ve not been able to quilt since we moved (no iron or ironing board yet) but I still wanted to participate in the giveaway.

    I’m giving away two Christmas fabrics. I’m unsure of the exact yardage, but I know they are at least half a yard each.

    The two fabrics together

    Close up 1

    Close up 2

    To enter the drawing, leave a comment below. That’s it! And I am happy to ship internationally! The drawing is open until midnight on September 3 and I will draw a winner on September 4. Make sure that I have a way to contact you if you win.

    If you feel like being extra kind and have a great pizza sauce recipe that you’re willing to share, I’m currently on the hunt for the perfect pizza.

    Visit Quilting Gallery on Sunday to see the entire list of blog participants. Happy quilting!

    D9P quilt – completed!

    I am very happy to say that my Double 9 Patch quilt is now complete!

    front

    back

    Bruno inspecting my work

    Folded and ready to go

    This quilt was a struggle but I learned a ton. Back at the beginning, I found that not all of the fabric from the church was 100% cotton. I’m not ready to mix fabrics yet and had to give up using all of the donations. Instead, I went to Joann Fabrics and purchased a lot of my own fabric to incorporate into the quilt.

    I still have a lot to learn about color and value! My quilting and piecing skills improved but I can see areas that definitely need work.

    Overall, I’m happy to be done and looking forward to the next project! I’ve already started sewing together the blocks for my denim/flannel lap quilt. While I’m excited to work on a quilt for me I should have worked on this quilt in the fall when it would have been more needed! I’ll finish it just in time for the hot Arizona weather.

    D9P quilting completed

    WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

    I am finally able to join in at WIP Wednesday. I’ve been wanting to join ever since I found the link up but didn’t have anything to show.

    Quilting complete!
    I finally finished the quilting on my Double 9 Patch quilt. This is only the third quilt that I’ve machine quilted and it’s the biggest one so far. It was definitely a learning experience. Half way through the quilt, I finally figured out how to start and end my quilting lines without leaving a big knot on the back of the quilt.

    Quilt Front
    Surprisingly, the quilt does lay flatter than it shows in this photo. I was surprised to have no major bunches in the quilting and I think it’s a case of beginner’s luck! Either that or because I went overboard and used spray binding AND pinned the entire quilt.

    Quilt Back
    For the back, I made a mistake which I think is due to not enough pinning in the border. The pieced strip goes really crooked on the top of the quilt and it looks funny. You can kind of see it in this photo but it’s more obvious up close.

    Binding Selection
    For the binding, I am using this floral fabric that is used in the center of each of the 9 patch blocks. I think it’ll work fairly well. Tomorrow I’ll be sewing strips together to make the binding long enough to go around the entire quilt. I had a scare this afternoon when I went looking for the leftover purple fabric! I only found half of it and was about a foot short. Thankfully, I dumped out a bag of fabric and found another half yard folded on the bottom. Whew! If I hadn’t found the other fabric, I’m not sure which print I would have used.

    I can’t wait to be done with this quilt and move on to my next one! I don’t yet know what quilt pattern I will choose, but I will have fun looking.

    D9P quilting progress

    I am finally making some progress on my Double 9 Patch quilt! My quilting sessions aren’t as long as I would like but at least I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. This quilting is mostly stitch in the ditch with straight lines connecting the 9 patch blocks. Well, the lines are semi-straight. I definitely need more practice!

    Quilting

    In moving news, we bought a kitty harness today to start leash training both cats. Here is Bruno, looking a bit unhappy with his new accessory. The photo makes the harness look way too small for him, but it’s not. He’s just sitting really weird.

    Harnessed kitty

    I’m so glad it’s almost Sabbath! It’s great to have a weekly break with God.

    D9P backing and the beginnings of a new quilt

    Yesterday, hubby and I visited Joann’s and picked up the backing for my double 9 patch quilt. I had such a hard time deciding what to use! Should I buy a solid or a print? Should it be a subtle print or something bold? Purple? Pink? Blue? Green? I looked at the walls of fabric and felt completely overwhelmed.

    I found a simple floral print I liked, printed on a white background. However, I’ve been hesitant to use any white in my backings as I know it will get dirty very fast. I decided that since this quilt already contained fabric choices that were not… wonderful… I would just go for something simple: a light pink to offset the very bold top.


    I’m not sure I made the best choice, but I’ve found I learn better by trial and error. If this doesn’t work, then I will know better for my next quilt.

    Over the weekend, while I waited until we had an opportunity to visit the fabric store, I started another quilt. I just couldn’t help myself. Since high school, I’ve been wanting to make a denim quilt, one I saw on HGTV. I couldn’t find the exact pattern, though I had printed it years ago. Who knows where those papers disappeared to! I’m still not sure exactly what pattern I’ll use, but I decided to start prepping the fabric.
    A bucketful of jeans
    I’ve been saving jeans for years. Some of the jeans have holes in them; others I grew too fat or too skinny to wear. Now I only wear skirts so all of these jeans are going into my quilt. Who knows? Maybe I’ll have enough denim for more than one quilt.

    What I have cut so far
    What still needs to be cut

    While at Joann’s, I found the perfect flannel backing for my denim quilt! Even better, it was 70% off! I bought the rest of the bolt.
    Kitties!

    There is still a ton of prep work to be done on the denim. I haven’t cut squares out yet. I’ve only cut the useless parts of the jeans away from the usable fabric. Once I determine the size of my squares, I can actually begin cutting the blocks. First, though, I need to finish the double 9 patch quilt. I just needed something to keep myself busy while waiting to buy the backing fabric!

    Happy quilting!

    Double 9 Patch Quilt – Borders Added!

    It’s really late for me to be posting but I was so excited that I just couldn’t wait until tomorrow.

    I finished adding the borders to my quilt!!


    I’ll have to see about getting a better photo of the quilt, probably laid out on my living room floor. My photo accidentally cut off part of the blocks in the top corners! It’s hard holding anything up in the air when you’re in the middle of an intense workout program…

    At the beginning, I wasn’t sure I liked this quilt. It’s a bit too bold for me. However, I had to work with the fabric the church gave me and then supplemented with a couple trips to Joann Fabric. The quilt is growing on me now. It still won’t be my favorite, but at least I’m willing to admit now that I made it!

    On Sunday, we’re headed to Joann to buy backing for the quilt. Then I can start the sandwiching process and the quilting. I can’t wait!