Remember this little vintage sewing basket I picked up a few months ago?
Well, it’s had a mini makeover.
Looking pretty cute, isn’t it?
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This type of free motion quilting may have another name, but I like to call it scribble quilting.
It looks like scribbling, doesn’t it? This is the first type of free motion I learned because it felt the most comfortable. It only requires that you move to the left, whereas stippling and pebble quilting require all over motion. I used to joke that I was like Zoolander because I’m not an ambiturner.
A big part of free motion quilting is getting to know your machine. I learned last week that my machine will absolutely not tolerate Coats and Clark cotton thread for free motion. Straight line quilting is okay (although it makes a pretty hideous bobbin) but it chokes on it for free motion. The thread sort of splits up the middle and knots around the needle eye. Helga the Pfaff only likes Aurifil. What a snob.
It’s no secret that I’m addicted to fabric. I’ve just about reached maximum capacity in my sewing room so I’m going to have to go on a diet. I’m getting some fabric muffin tops over here.
But then I find something like this and I find myself powerless to resist.
It’s Fiona by Anna Griffin. It’s O-O-P and I L-O-V-E it. [I found those two prints here and here.]
I also picked up a few more reproduction prints.
They’re fabrics I would have never even discovered a few months ago because I was just sure I hated anything reproduction (besides 1930s, which is like the Beach Boys of fabric. Everyone loves 30s prints. And the Beach Boys.)
The gray floral is especially wonderful in person and I highly recommend getting a bit.
[image from Aunt Bea's Fabric]
Now I have fabric guilt and must make something new. Maybe that’s why I have 17 quilts in progress? I’m the yo-yo diet quilter.
Tags: anna griffin, OOP
My WIPs have gotten out of control. I updated the list last night…
in pieces.
the money quilt.
snippets.
scrappy stars.
munki munki.
modern siggy swap.
red, white + aqua.
black + aqua.
completed top.
gridlock: boy palette.
modern siggy swap 2.
gridlock: summer palette.
wonderland + aqua.
fussy cut bee.
linen + love.
love panes.
red + aqua strings.
being quilted.
popsicle posies.
plume charms.
17 WIPs!!!! I think I’m going to meet my goal of 12 quilts in 2010. Sheesh.
This first quilt is one that I started late last year. I ended up getting frustrated with the quilting and I put it aside for a long time. My plan was to cut it up to use the fabric for something else…but a week ago I decided to pick out the bad straight-line quilting and giving it another go with stippling. I’m much happier with this result. The vintage sheet I used for backing it is incredibly soft and snuggly.
Dimensions: 51″ x 37″
Fabrics: Hushabye by Tula Pink, solids from Bella Solids by Moda, vintage floral for backing
Started: December 2009
Completed: August 2010
This next quilt is called Vintage Florals. I sold it as a kit in my Etsy shop and this is the sample that I finished last week…ages after the kits all sold out. Oops.
The back of this quilt is chenille so it’s a nice heavy quilt.
You can just get a peek of my new quilt label in this photo. Moose always thinks that he is supposed to be the focus of any photography that occurs in this house.
What a brat. 
Dimensions: 41″ x 41″
Fabrics: Nicey Jane and Pop Garden by Heather Bailey, Girly Girl by Art Gallery, Dolce by Tanya Whelan, Love, Lotus, and Midwest Modern by Amy Butler, Mendocino by Heather Ross, solids from Bella Solids by Moda, chenille for backing
Started: December 2009
Completed: August 2010
I’ve had aqua and black on my mind lately.
So today I’m going to work with this little bundle:
A few of the fabrics are new, but most came from my stash. I haven’t decided on a design yet and I may add in a bit of yellow. Now that I’m thinking along those lines I see a totally different quilt in my head then I originally starting planning. I may just end up with two quilts!
Tomorrow I’m going to blog two WIPs I completed (maybe 3 – I have one that I’m quilting right now) so come back soon!
Will is one of our dogs, a red stag miniature pinscher that we adopted from a rescue group. He used to be a very timid dog (he still is with strangers). Over the two years he’s lived with us, he’s grown very comfortable in our house…maybe a little bit too comfortable.
He never even lays on our bed. Normally he spends his days on the sofa in the living room so that he can bark at everyone who passes by. But today, because I laid out quilt blocks on the bed, he decided to take a little snooze in our room.
At least he has the decency to look somewhat sheepish.
On Fridays I like to get in a bit of fabric and/or thrift shopping. Yesterday I came home with some awesome finds. On the thrift front, I got a super cool bamboo-esque chair (similar to this one) that I can totally picture in Betty Draper’s new living room.
It’s just screaming out for some paint and an upholstered seat, isn’t it? [$10]
I also found a vintage croquet set that needs a little TLC but is already super cute. [$7.50]
On the fabric front, I stopped in at Ruby Jane, a tiny shop that’s mostly online but does have a brick and mortar for local shoppers. She had a bolt of what is probably my favorite fabric discovery in ages – Tasty Escapes from Michael Miller. I’d never even seen this print before. It’s retro, cartoonish – very Route 66 and very adorable.
And finally…some more of the in-progress red + aqua string quilt:
This quilt is enormous – 77″ by 77″ at the moment. I’m thinking of adding a 4 inch white border before I baste it. It’s going to be muy grande.
I didn’t do much this week. It’s too hot to do anything right now. Just a bit of sewing and a bit of shopping and some fabric folding (because yummy stuff came in the mail.)
For my bit of sewing, I worked on my modern siggy swap 2 blocks.
I can’t decide if they need white sashing or if a wide white border is the ticket. Design wall, where are you when I need you?!
My bit of shopping came in the form of these cuties from Target:
And for the fabric folding…
Far Far Away 2 by Heather Ross. So cute. I’m not cutting into this bundle anytime soon. But I did buy a couple sets of fat quarters when it first came out and this little stack is sitting on my cutting table.
I made a deal with myself that I would complete 3 quilts before I cut into it. Hopefully that will happen very, very soon.
Tags: Far Far Away 2, Heater Ross, summer, Target
I don’t love the Texas heat but I do love summer food. The store is full of delicious berries, tomatoes, basil, mangoes, avocados…All of my favorite things. Summer is absolutely my favorite time of year to cook. Tonight I made grilled chicken with spinach and blueberry salad. I also made a rustic pesto to go with the chicken breast using some lovely basil from my friend’s garden (Thanks, Gina!).
Spinach + Blueberry Salad
3 cups raw spinach, washed
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup blueberries
4 or 5 slices of bacon
1/4 cup goat cheese
Cider vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy; set aside to cool. Reserve the grease. Wash and dry the spinach and blueberries. Put the spinach, blueberries, and red onion in a bowl. Toss with the cider vinaigrette. Serve with goat cheese and bacon crumbles.
Cider Vinaigrette
1/3 cup bacon grease**
2 to 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
pepper to taste
Whisk all ingredients in a bowl. Pour over salad and toss.
**You can substitute olive oil if the idea of using bacon grease gives you heart palpitations. Here in Texas, bacon grease is a great way to start any recipe. Sausage grease is also used, especially for making white gravy to top your biscuits. Mmmm.
I had such a lovely weekend, in spite of the heat. The hubs and I spent Saturday in the pool, which is pretty much the only way to spend time outside this time of year. Today, I met up with two wonderful friends from the Dallas Modern Quilt Guild to do some hand sewing. I worked on the quilting for my Pinwheel Posies quilt (before photo here).
Look at that Perle Cotton No. 8! (I buy mine here.) This quilt has a bit of a vintage feel and even though hand quilting is a lot of work, I think this lovely deserves it.
How was your weekend?
Tags: hand quilting, recipes, summer
Hello. My name is Lisa and I’m a modern quilter. I’ve been addicted to quilting for a year now. It’s been 3 hours since I last quilted.
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- in pieces.
- the money quilt.
- snippets.
- mod stars.
- munki munki.
- modern siggy swap.
- red, white + aqua.
- black + aqua.
- completed top.
- gridlock: boy palette.
- modern siggy swap 2.
- gridlock: summer palette.
- wonderland + aqua.
- fussy cut bee.
- linen + love.
- love blocks.
- red + aqua strings.
- being quilted.
- popsicle posies.
- plume charms.
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