February's NewFO WIP'n along - and a tip for sewing arcs

OK, I cheated a little bit this month. Rule is: Gotta have at least one UFO finished to be allowed to play with Barbara's NewFO party. But I need demos for the binding mini-lesson I'm doing this Friday at our guild's retreat, so I had to save the last step on these two beauties:

And here's my February NewFO: Judy Niemeyer's "Drunkard's Wave," which I'm renaming "Coral Encounter" 

Got one entire block finished at class. I'm thrilled with the effect, which looks so much cooler in real life. Perfect for memories of brain coral underwater, which is what I saw in my mind's eye when my glance fell on this pattern:

Had all my pieces cut out the week before. They look so innocent here!

But I have to make 96 of those arc suckers!! Since this can't have top billing on the attention list, they've pushed my Baby Janes out of the after-dinner show-with-Scott slot, and I prep away on the next seam needed while we gawk at CSI or Body of Evidence or chuckle at old Bonanazas. They are slowly, but surely, emerging. 

As of this morning - 8 more soooo close, 80 ready for the 3rd sew line

Everybody else at the class was doing a different quilt, so Judy naturally used mine to show how my pattern's block layout works. :D

She's a nicely laid-back gal - no stress with her.  :)

~*~*~TIP TIME ~*~*~

Want to know how to make it easy to sew a perfect 1/4" seam on those arcs?  (Because if you just try to eyeball it or use your normal guides - such as quarter-inch foot edges or piecing fences - it won't work unless you go SLOWER THAN MOLASSES. And you'll get a headache pretty darn quick from all that super-close squinting.)  

I made sure to ask if she minded me sharing this super cool tip, and she didn't:  

Make a super-cheap guide!

 •   Take the thread out of your needle.

 •   Lay a piece of painter's tape on the front of your sewing area. Slant it a bit in the direction of the curve, and make sure you don't cover your feed dogs.

 •   Sew carefully along the 1/4" mark on the pattern until you get about 1/3 of the way around. Leave the needle and presser foot down to keep the piece perfectly in place.

 •   Carefully, so the pattern doesn't shift, trace the arc line onto the tape.

 •   And there you have the perfect guide for that size arc! And it didn't even cost you anything.

 •   Put your thread back in, and as you sew, just line the edge of the piece up against the line on your tape. It's MUCH easier to watch that line than to squint right at the needle.

I just love picking up helpful little tidbits!   Have a great week - gotta get cracking at my history books again. Do some sewing for me because now what I really want to do is work some more on this quilt!  ;D


~~~


Thank you very much to Lee for hosting the inspirational WIP Wednesdays and to Esther for WOW. These linkies have helped me stay focused on always progressing forward, and have led me to discover many fine fellow quilters!


2012 Progress Stats
  
UFOs Down: 1 of 30
Finished NewFOs: 1 of 6
Lurkers: You mean those unopened kits and sets? Pleading the 5th.

BOM's Away Monday - 27 Feb 2012

Welcome to my Link-Up for BOMs Away Mondays! 

(We'd love to see the BOM you're working on lately.)

For my States-side friends who asked: These "Monday" posts go up on Sunday afternoons because a lot of our blog friends in the Eastern Hemisphere hit Monday at least half a day earlier than we do.  

I'm at my outer limit of concentrating on one project. No matter how much I love it, I just can't stand to have the same colors/style on my piecing table for two straight months. Good thing these are the last pieces to construct for Amaretto Cottage!  (heh)

Month 10's work - 

4 at 10" finished

Month 11's work:

4 at 10" finished

And that leaves "just" the rest of the quilt's assembly for next week's work!!!  Woohoo!! So close to pulling this one off the BOM list. :D

I did also get a few Baby Janes finished, finally. Three of these have been bouncing around in my applique tote for quite a while:

E-2

F-2

TR-12

TR-13

~*~*~*~*~

What have you guys done on BOMs or interval projects lately? Weeklies are welcome along with regular projects that you’ve broken into monthly units, and –of course- true BOMs.   Share your eye candy and show off your progress since the last time you linked up! There are some wonderful monthly and weekly projects going on out there. :D

BOM's Away Monday - 20 Feb 2012

Welcome to my Link-Up for BOMs Away Mondays! 

(We'd love to see the BOM you're working on lately.)

Barely got two months of Amaretto Cottage in this week (and no Baby Janes), but I'm happy to have this much accomplished.  ;D

Month 8:

This sucker sure gave me trouble.
4 at 10" finished

Month 9:

And this one is actually a medley of really
gorgeous purples and lavenders,
not bluish periwinkles.
4 at 10" finished

~*~*~*~*~

What have you guys done on BOMs or interval projects lately? Weeklies are welcome along with regular projects that you’ve broken into monthly units, and –of course- true BOMs.   Share your eye candy and show off your progress since the last time you linked up! There are some wonderful monthly and weekly projects going on out there. :D

WIP Wed - 15 Feb - prepping for class

Shhh - -  Sneaking some prep time into the WIP queue - got a class with Judy Niemeyer next Tuesday! Can't wait!!

I just *love* this border fabric! This shot's a better tell of its colors. And all I have left to do before class is to cut the border sections. Can't wait!!

Don't you just love the seahorses?  Can't wait!!

2012 Progress Stats
  
UFOs Down: 1 of 30
Finished NewFOs: 1 of 3
Lurkers: You mean those unopened kits and sets? Pleading the 5th.




Now back to Marissa's Moment and Amaretto Cottage until Tuesday.  ;D     Can't wait!!!

BOM's Away Monday - 13 Feb 2012

Welcome to my Link-Up for BOMs Away Mondays! 

(We'd love to see the BOM you're working on lately.)

Yay!!  I got to take one of the BOMs off the sidebar list. :D   Patriots in Petticoats is on its way to the quilter. It's got to wait a little while for its turn so I could have sent it a little less expensively - but I'm a little gun-shy now of having a quilt in transit longer than necessary. And honestly, as heavy as this was, it came out about the same price as parcel post would have been.

Amaretto Cottage took a bit of a hit this week. Taxes kept me from doing two months' worth as usual. Still, the center is all together now! This will be on-point in the quilt. 

Month 7:

I really love how the fall of the cut for the border print makes it look like I piped it.  

And I did get a couple Baby Janes finished. Gotta love meetings that you can stitch in!

B-11

D-3

~*~*~*~*~

What have you guys done on BOMs or interval projects lately? Weeklies are welcome along with regular projects that you’ve broken into monthly units, and –of course- true BOMs.   Share your eye candy and show off your progress since the last time you linked up! There are some wonderful monthly and weekly projects going on out there. :D

Liebsters

Today I'm sharing 5 bloggers that I chose for the Liebster Award. (Thank you, Fiona at Celtic Thistle Stitches!)

I love so many that I follow, it's really difficult to pull only a handful to share! But here are 5 with smaller followings that make my breakfast time a happy moment of the day:


Ahhh. . . Quilting - Cynthia has a wonderful, fresh modern style and shares a couple of really great free patterns.

A Passion for Applique - Carrie shares helpful tips as she shows us her projects.

Crooked Stitches - Karen's work (both personal and for customers) enchants me. "Oliver" remains one of my favoritest quilts.  :)

The Nifty Stitcher - Rhianon's latest is the cutest little girl's quilt, but you can see from her banner pic that she has a range of styles that she works with.

Touch and Sew - You gotta admire Giles's gumption as he refuses to let a little thing like legal blindness keep him from quilting. Sometimes photos, sometimes not, but always inspiring.

Liebster Conventions:

*Thank your award presenter on your blog 

*Link back to the blogger who presented you with the award

*Copy and paste the award to your blog

*Present the Liebster Award to 5 blogs that have fewer than 200 followers that you think deserve to be recognized

*Let them know by leaving a comment on their blog

Award smiles

Wow - I've been getting warm fuzzies from fellow quilters this week! I do love the quilting community and am very grateful for the camaraderie. Three lovely ladies have brightened my days by choosing me for the Versatile Blogger Award and for the Liebster Blog Award. I am honored that they thought of me, and happy that the "tools" I've set up to keep myself moving forward on my projects help other people, too. 

Barbara at Cat Patches, Billie at BillieBee's Blog, Fiona at Celtic Thistle Stitches - Thank you very much for giving me timely fuzzies that lifted my spirits this week!  


Per the award's conventions, here are 7 random things about me:

• I refuse to let Depression rob me of my life. To those of you who also deal with it, keep looking to the light at the other end of the tunnel, because by this age you know that the tunnel does eventually open up! 
• I am working on a Master's in history. 
• When I was in second grade, we left Phoenix, where my teacher was Mrs. Schafer and moved overseas to Tehran, Iran, where my teacher was Miss Schaefer (no relation). This was before their revolution, when most of the people loved Americans, and my favorite activity was riding camels when the merchants came through with their camel trains.
• I am a serious collector of Newbery Award and Honor books. I have read every one of the 259 that I have so far. I lack 129 and periodically surf Alibris and other sites looking for the older ones. I love the multi-faceted views they bring me of human experience.
• I just submitted four quilts to my very first quilt show!
• When we owned horses, our minis had a foal that was as small as our largest cat. Yes, it was the most adorable thing I'd ever seen!!
• Nothing brings me more joy than my daughters.  :)

And now let me share with you 15 bloggers that brighten my days, in addition to the three who sent me this award. There are many others that I also enjoy - I've tried to choose those with smaller followings that you may not have seen yet. And since my world is inundated with quilting, most of these are blogs by fellow quilters. There are a few surprises, though. ;D

1. Em! Celebrates - This lady brings smile after smile with her enthusiasm for life and her jubilant artful style
2. TGIFF - This collaborative blog is a wonderful motivation tool! M-R and Laura started it as a linky coordination for sharing quilt accomplishments on "Thank Goodness It's Finished!" Fridays. Many a UFO's final stitches have been driven by a desire to get it on TGIFF. I rate this right up there with the ever-popular WIP Wednesday linkies.
3. Alicia's Hiding Place - From quilts to stitcheries to wonderful dolls, Alicia has built a world of fun, and in two languages! I love to practice my Spanish at her blog (when she posts she writes it double in Spanish and in English), and she'll converse with you in either language. 
4. The Bunkhouse - Ann's quilting is wonderful to watch, and one of the quilters I follow as avidly as Desley and Green Fairy.
5. Quilts of Love - Margaret's work equally enchants me!
6. Kissed Quilts - I love to watch Marlene's designs emerge.
7. Tamarack Shack - Kathy's quilting and snow dyeing are fabulous.
8. Ivory Spring - Wendy's domestic machine quilting inspires me regularly.
9. Richard Quilts - This guy is new to quilting, but what spirit! It's infectious.
10. My Sweet Prairie - Monika's Canadian prairie thread art amazes me every time, from her quilted and stitched "post cards" to her dress and shoes!
11. Cosmo Quilts - Tutorials from a cat? Seriously, a cat who quilts. How can you not smile while you're eating breakfast? ;D
12. The Savvy Grandma - my cousin has the most fantastic theme parties for her grandkids!
13. Pieces of Contentment - I love the photos she shares of her world. Australia's plant life is every bit as exotic as its animal life !
14. Scratch and Peck - The place to go if you want a good chuckle via some featherly charm. You'll want to visit the archive to start at the beginning.  :)
15. The Dainty Squid - Kaylah is probably a little outside many of your tastes, but darn it if that young gal isn't the cutest thing in every crazy life-loving color she dyes her hair! She's a breath of fresh air in a world that can be too stifling at times. I must secretly wish I had her gumption!  ;D

There are so many other blogs that I love! Surf around every now and then - visit linky parties that folks host, and you'll find plenty of feasts for your eyes in all kinds of styles! You may even find some kindred spirits.  

~*~*~

Here are the rules for the Versatile Blogger Award:

1. Add the award to your blog. 
2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you.
3. Mention seven random things about yourself. (see below)
4. List the rules.
5. Award to 15 bloggers.
6. Inform each of those 15 by leaving a comment on their blog.

WIPs out on 8 Feb 2012

Thank you very much to Lee for hosting the inspirational WIP Wednesdays and to Esther for WOW. These linkies have helped me stay focused on always progressing forward, and have led me to discover many fine fellow quilters!


Take a stroll around my house to see which WIPs are up right now at my three work areas. I have a torn ligament in my shoulder, which doesn't like me fmq'ing longer than about 45 minutes a couple times a day, so I have two main projects going at any one time:


FMQ table:

Still in love with my design for the girly edge of "Marissa's Moment",
but that poof between the "lace" and the flower/heart scallops isn't floating my boat.

That's the ticket!
Just half of the fill-in left to do. . .

The center field is all quilted - left the tails in each pinwheel's center
for sewing on the buttons. I was pleasantly surprised that it was not hard at all to get into the center of this twin-sized bedspread.  Maybe a queen wouldn't be so terrible to handle, after all. . . 

Piecing area:

Central section construction!!

I really should have run "Amaretto Cottage" by Scott rather than unilaterally deciding this was what our new bed will have! Good thing he came home last night and gushed about how cool it looks so far and how much he likes the purple center. . .   ::whew::

Nightly TV Time with Scott:

some Baby Janes back-basted for applique

Maverick Throw-In:

Gotta break from the two focal points of the week to throw a back together for "Patriots in Petticoats" as it's going out to Margaret for longarming. My poor local longarmer, Patty, is probably ready to pull my hair out with the load of 6 quilts I gave her!  ;D  

Yes, that is 7 - SEVEN - flimsies out for longarming (gotta love tax returns!), which leaves 7 still hanging in my closet for me to do as my fmq table gets freed up. Those UFO's are GOING DOWN!!!  ;D

BOMs Away Monday - 5 Feb 2012

Welcome to my Link-Up for BOMs Away Mondays! 

(We'd love to see the BOM you're working on lately.)

Amaretto Cottage keeps emerging. Month 5's work:

8 of these at 10"

and 4 of these at 10"

Month 6's work:

4 of these at 10"

And, (finally!) a couple more Baby Janes:

D-2

RS-1 (it sits the other way - Blogger did its thing and spun my pic)

~*~*~*~*~

What have you guys done on BOMs or interval projects lately? Weeklies are welcome along with regular projects that you’ve broken into monthly units, and –of course- true BOMs.   Share your eye candy and show off your progress since the last time you linked up! There are some wonderful monthly and weekly projects going on out there. :D