The New Project - that I can't start yet

I've got a new project on my brain and I'm so excited to get to work on it! But I can't start yet. I don't have enough fabric.  Let me rephrase that. I don't have enough different fabrics.  And since I'm on a strict fabric budget, I can't just run out and get what I need. Here's why......

I saw this Fandango fabric by Kate Spain months ago online and fell in love with it. I've been wanting to make a new quilt for our bedroom that included the green of my walls (because I'm lazy and didn't want to repaint),  aqua, blue, lime green, and then a splash of red or orange.  Fandango has ALL these colors and it isn't too froo froo, so the Gardener Guy agreed on it.  I hopped online and bought myself a layer cake of  Fandango with a plan of making a queen sized quilt using the Disappearing Nine Patch pattern. I knew that I wanted to incorporate some other fabrics I'd already started accumulating for this quilt and I figured I was on my way to making my FIRST queen size quilt.  That is, until I realized I didn't have nearly enough 10" squares.  I should also explain here that I want each square to be different, I don't want any repeating fabrics. Crap. Now I have to sit down and figure out how many 10" squares I'm going to need for this pattern. That's going to involve some math. Double crap.

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate math?  Just the mention of number crunching causes an instant glazing over of my eyes, and I start to pay attention to things in the room like how many holes are in the ceiling tiles. It probably makes you wonder why I love quilting so much.  I'm wondering the same thing. I mean seriously, not only is there some major math involved, but it's FRACTIONS, which is even worse. Ugh.

Well, I manned up and did a few equations, and got a impossible really big number. Like a 3 digit number. In order to make this quilt the size I want, I am going to need 108 squares. In case you didn't get that, let me repeat. I'M GOING TO NEED 108 TEN INCH SQUARES. Seems like way too many. Certainly that can't be right.  Well it is.
I did math 4 times just to make sure.

The layer cake came with 50 squares, and I went through my fabric stash multiple times to add to the end number, and so far I'm at 86.

Holy cow, this may take a while.

Singer Featherweight 221 Egyptian Scroll Faceplate - SOLD

 

Holycrap people. LOOK WHAT I FOUND AT GOODWILL!! Isn't she beautiful??

Best thrifted item. EVER.

I really need to give The Gardener Guy credit for finding this ol' gal. I was checking out another old sewing machine when he opened this non-descript case next to me.
AND I HEARD THE ANGELS SING.

She came with so many attachments, I don't even know what they do.  Except for the buttonholer. And ruffler. Those are pretty obvious.

I did find a small problem. The bobbin case needs to be replaced. So I got on eBay. A new bobbin case will cost more than what I bought the whole machine for. Grrrrr. I was able to borrow one from my friend, so I know she sews, and does a bangin' job, but really, she's an old gal and could probably use a tune up.

But honestly, I didn't buy her to use her. I knew when I bought her that she would be an investment.

And so I offer her to you. Email me if you're interested, we can discuss details then.

For now, just try looking at this beauty without drooling. I dare you.

The finished product

I finished up my DQS7 quilt this morning.
I'm so pleased with it.

My partner loves rainbows, and I thought that would be a fun pallet to work with. I chose this design to show off the colors and not complicate the quilt too much with lots of squares or triangles.



The label was made by tracing the DQS7 logo onto white on white fabric with some colored Sharpies. I love using Sharpies for my labels just because they come in such an array of colors, and they don't bleed too much.

For the backing, I used a cute sheet I found at the thrift store a few months ago. It's not vintage, but it sure is fun, and it went perfectly with this quilt.



When I started the quilting, I noticed that my walking foot was not working so well. It was pushing the fabric, making the middle bar of black and white move in the direction I was quilting. So I ripped out a few lines of quilting and went to the store to get a new walking foot. I was ready to put down some money for a new foot, that is until I realized HOW EXPENSIVE THEY ARE!!! The Viking store wanted $90 for a new one! I'm sorry, but I don't even think my machine is worth that any more, so NO, I was not going to spend that on a foot.



Since I wanted to get the quilt done, I used my free-motion foot to make straight-ish lines. I actually like it better than if I had used the walking foot to get nice uniform straight stitching. This quilting just seemed more......organic.
I. love. it.

I've since bought a foot off of eBay for a really reasonable price, so any straightness that needs to be done in the future will be done correctly, and hopefully with no puckers like the last project I used it on.

I hope she loves it, because it has really grown on me during the process of making it. I've heard other swappers mention how hard it is to let their quilts go, and now I understand. I'm going to miss this beauty!

Oops, I did it again.

I've joined my second online swap! I'm now an official member of the Doll Quilt Swap 7 (DQS7).

I'm not really a "doll" kind of girl, but I do have a couple of spots on my walls that need to have some eye candy added, and these smaller quilts also make fabulous wall hangings.

We've been asked to submit some samples of our style by adding to our Flickr Favorites, and boy did I have fun looking through everyone's uploads. I heart Flickr. If you have some random general idea of something stuck in your head, check out Flickr, I'm sure there's already a pic (or 100) of what you're trying to do. I use it a lot when I need inpiration for a project, it rocks.

Here's a few examples to give my future, as yet unnamed partner some ideas.

1. 4SQS Winter Quilt by Tami, 2. let the fence hold it, 3. patterns, 4. Spa, 5. GITF progress 4-18, 6. combinação de tecidos, 7. Hannah's quilt, 8. Flights of Fancy - Back, 9. Flights of Fancy - Front, 10. In the shop, 11. Triangles and Squares Quilt, 12. peek at hexes, 13. Plain Spoken Quilt with McCoy Pottery Inspiration, 14. sailboat quilt, 15. bento box, 16. Blue Bell, 17. Blue Bell, 18. Commisioned "Little Boy Blue", 19. Baby Quilt, 20. Front, 21. Mod Sampler Quilt-along, 22. Hannah's quilt, 23. Zigging Along, 24. Wounded Warrior quilt, 25. Garden quilt, 26. quilt top wip, 27. gum ball neapolitan, 28. Flea Market Fancy Close Up, 29. Spiderweb Quilt, Front, 30. Mini Mug Quilt - Greens, Browns, Yellow & Orange, 31. Spiderweb Quilt Progress, 32. Flea Market Fancy Quilt Front, 33. Zig Zag string quilt, 34. Green/pink Turning Twenty Again Quilt, 35. Red + White III, 36. modern grace hourglass

Completed

This table runner is my first project of the year using my scraps. I really like how it turned out. It was my first project using white fabric, and I'm glad I did because it makes the colors of the other fabrics scream out loud.


I used more scraps to piece the binding. That's my new favorite trick in my quilting. I often have a hard time deciding on what color to use for binding, but this way, I don't have to.

Not enough pins

Yellow Brick Road
Originally uploaded by quayandco

I've been working on this secret project for a couple of weeks now. I've been really surprised with how well it's turning out.
Sometimes when I'm putting a quilt together, I get nervous about half way through, second guessing my fabric decisions, pattern, etc. This one looked great when I had all the fabrics piled together. Then I started cutting, and that's when I started getting worried about things. However, the more it went together, the more pleased I became.
UNTIL THIS HAPPENED!!
No matter how many pins I baste with, I always get puckers. At the intersections of stitches, the fabric moves. I try with all my might to ease it in and avoid the ugliness that I know is coming, but to no avail. I always hope that when I wash it, the puckers won't be as noticable, but I know better. They will forever be a flaw in a very special item I had hoped would turn out perfect.

Does anyone have any tricks to avoid this? Do you baste with pins?
The last quilt I did was for my son. It was lap sized and I decided to baste it with the spray stuff since the same product worked fabulous on a table runner I had done. It was a disaster. I think I didn't lay the top onto the sprayed batting the right way. Anyway, I've been afraid to use a basting spray ever since.
I'm frustrated and sad that this secret project will not be perfect.

My first swap!!

Look at the beautifulness that showed up in my mailbox the other day! (yes, i just made up a word).

I came across Ashley in blogland who was in need in of the green version of Peas and Carrots. Well, guess what has been sitting in my craftroom for the last two years?? Yep, just what she needed.

So...I just completed my first online fat quarter swap!!

She sent these fabulous fabrics after I told her I really like the color red. Perfect.

The only problem is that now I'll have to save them for a super special project. I can't cut into these for just any old thing you know. Quilters out there know what I'm taking about.