and pillow #3 - part 3

The last of the pillows for the couch corner is finished and I still have some of the fabrics left I used for the series, but I should perhaps switch it up for the next project. I chose not to use straight lines crazy all over to quilt this pillow, but went in circles all around. It is definitely time consuming and I like the result even I did not a perfect job with it. I need a lot more practice. I would love to use circle quilting patterns on one of bigger quilt tops, however I question my ability to turn it 360 degrees again and again under my machine and freehand quilting would be my only other option.

Impressions of the QuiltCon 2013 - Austin, TX

Hello Austin.

On Thursday, two days before my mom flew back to Germany just the two of us made a road trip into Austin to visit the QuiltCon 2013 organized by the Modern Quilting Guild. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there. We saw many awesome quilts, shop hopped through many quilt shop booth, received charm packs as samples, won a Welcome package from Spoonflower which will be mailed to, tried out freehand quilting on a top of the line machine - I am still in awe - and got lots of inspiration and even  more motivation to start sewing right then and there. 

the hedgehog is just plain cute - part 2

 I am hooked on the bright color scheme. I truly admit it and it's fun to have all these fabric spread around you, a sketch of an idea in front of me, but not knowing yet how the result will turn out exactly because I do not plan the colors into details and just get started. However this pillow fits perfectly to the strip pillow I finally finish a week ago and there might be one more coming soon. There is a little bot more space left on the couch stool in the corner of our living room. The next sketch is already waiting scribbled inside of a flattened flat rate box. I will see what will be finished first the new pillow idea or the two big quilts that finally are layered, basted and ready for quilting.

After an hour on hold with Adobe without getting anybody on the line and then after an one minute wait I was chatting online with Amit from Adobe, I learned not to call Adobe customer service anymore and also got my license issue solved for the Photoshop program and was finally able to use it again.

The next day I spent preparing a sheet with different labels for my mom and some new ones for myself and printed it on iron-on paper. Already set up with big rolls of cotton tape we were busy ironing on the design on the tape. - I ordered 20 yards rolls of cotton tape online two years ago already, because I had no luck finding them in the small packages in the stores around me. - It takes a little bit of time, but the labels are so easy to make in any size and type needed for any project and I am all set for now.

english vocabulary

Soren loves school. Yesterday he barely was in the house when he pulled out his take-home folder and showed us his excited his 'I can write 100 words' sheet with already 40 words on it. I started reading the words he chose and only got till #4 when I was clueless. What in the world is 'wollex'?!

 

 





Finally Soren helped me out and we were standing there laughing - it's version of yellow.

 

However yesterday was definitely one of those days with vocabulary issues. At bedtime my little stinker and me were were reading two of his books he brought from school. The first book he read almost all by himself and I only corrected two words with his pronounciation. Even he has finished speech therapy we still work this way to make sure he is improving his language skills continously and by now adding German words more and more. The second book was my turn to read and it was all about dinosaurs with vocabulary like

 

dinosaurs

brontosaurus

tyrannosaurus

triceratops 

iguandadon

 

Soren corrected my pronounciation on every single dino-word. Payback.

 

When he was off in the land of dreams I started on a new project using the same and similar fabrics from the latest couch pillow. There were enough strips leftover that I only needed add some bigger squares for trying a wonky block in the log cabin style. It's still work in progress, however it won't take several months this time to finish. :)

 

 

 

There is another project that is probably waiting not just months, but already years to be continued and moved closer to the sewing machine this morning. It is definitely time to pick up my recycle quilt for a new picnic blanket, the temperatures are never really cold here.

 



  

strip pillow - part 1

It's raining and thundering outside, the heater is turned back on and there is a pot with  hot Yukgaejang (spicy beef and vegetable soup) on the stove top. I am definitely not leaving the house today instead finished writing my paper, working on the slow computer, study more and spend time with my mom. Since she is here she is working on a quilt for each kid. Soren is following her every step she is working on his Spiderman quilt. He is all excited. 

- couch pillow -

I finally sew a little more again, too, and finished the couch pillow for the extra stool next to our window. It was only the backing left to do and filling it with fiberfill that was just waiting to be opened. The five pound box literally doubled in size in front of our eyes. Try to squeeze it all back in the box, I didn't attempt it. :)

My two little ones have lots of sillyness in their heads and now also on their heads. Last weekend we went grocery shopping at Omart, the huge asian supermarket in the next town, before heading to the airport for picking up our visitor from Germany and the kids discovered the tiger and gepard hats. These are now worn daily in the morning no matter how cold or should I better say how warm it is!

- Soren and Chiara showing of their silly but warm hats -

Well ...

- Vincenzo, our tiger cat -

   Well, I haven't been updating my blog for a while. Sorry. My last post actually was exactly a year ago, but enough time passed with lots of things happening throughout the last twelve months. Now Vincenzo will keep an eye on me and most of the time I am watched very closely by him or one of his buddies in the house while I explore the new blogger changes, get my computer repaired and finally started sewing again. Yeah, even the sewing machine was covered by dust and only occasionally used.

- Project #1 in 2013 -

I need to be a little more creative again and get more motivation for everything, so here is a peek to the first new project I started in 2013 and it definitely needed to be something cheerful and colorful. I used lots of scraps again not one piece is perfectly the same as another and I am sure the result also will be one hundred percent imperfect and that's perfectly fine for this look I am going for.

My mom from Germany is visiting us right now since a couple days and she taught me how to sew, however I got her totally addicted to quilting. :) And not just her, Karin, too. This morning after the kids were all off with the school bus we slowly got ready for a road trip south to Roundrock and after a couple of stops before finally made it to Joann Fabric and Craft Store. Equipped also with Karin's shopping list - in digital form on my kindle to include her pictures - we spent almost two hours there.

- Here, Karin, the shopping list in digital form on my kindle from you, so we would be able to find exactly what you are looking for. - 

My mom just found a little bit of fabric to use here and a little bit to take home. The lady at the cutting table had lots of patience cutting it from her and also told us her story from living in Kitzingen, Germany, for a few years. The store was filled with lots of seniors due to the special discount today and quite a few were asking her what she is going to do with ALL that fabric.

- one of her favorite places in the States -

Now she is already back at the sewing machine and working on a quilt for Soren like a busy bee.

tutorial: disappearing four patch

Just a little AddOn right here.

I don't sew many traditional quilt pattern lately, but our church started a little quilting club with a few really extraordinary and sweet ladies. So one of these ladies showed us such an easy way to make a frame blocked out of a simple four patch. I believe it is called the disappearing four patch.

I found the fabric for the center block in a small quilt shop in Southhampton, MA, over five years ago. I collected a few coordinating fabrics for it and planned on using it for the girls before they would outgrow it, but until now, never got to it. The light colors somehow stopped me from using it. After we didn't actually get to try out this technique at the little club last time yet, I just got this special stash of fabric out and played tonight. And truly it's so easy.

Step 1: Cut four squares all the same size. Mine were all 6" squares.

Step 2:  Sew the top two squares together and the bottom two squares. Iron them open.

Step 3: Sew the top and the bottom row together to a four patch. Iron open.

Step 4:  I choose the yellow square as my middle square, so I measure the row above. My squares were 6", so measure 3" of the top row. You need to measure half of your orginal width.

Step 5: I cut the 3" off I measured in the previous step to sew them back on at bottom.

Step 6: This is how it looks after you add the cut off part back on and turn it 90 degrees.

Step 8:  I measure 3" from the top row again to cut off. You need to take half off your orginal width. to add on at the bottom.

That's all it is to do. Have fun with it.

Pssst. Just one hint. Watch out which fabric you do NOT want to cut because I cut once the yellow I did not plan one. Even I like my mishap now, I was not to happy at that moment.

mosaic blocks set in stone

The mosaic blocks were a little bit lonely this morning and I was still debating about what color to use as background, but I stuck with my first idea of grey and I do like it. The quilting part is a different story. One step that still needs to be tackled after I am done through working the next chapter in my college book.

sewing :: planting :: grilling

Sunday was a relatively simple day. All activities that required leaving house or yard were cancelled and we just stayed home. After a crazy week and don't repeat Saturday it was necessary.

While Soren luckily hogged the back DVD-player to watch Dora and Diego and finally started working on the substitute xmas present that got not delivered at xmas. Somehow I always forget to remind myself that mini quilts need alsmost as much prep time as big ones, just less ironing. Eventually I got to sew most of the pieces together ib the morning, changed colors in between and even handquilted it inthe evening. I think with the binding it will come together nicely.

On the other side I am unsure if we really needed to plant the first seedlings in our vegetable plot yesterday. The kids loved helping doing it and are already pampering the little plants and can't wait for the seeds in the kitchen to sprout, but Chiara and Soren definately had a blast just digging inthe dirt and hoeing away. Perhaps we should have skipped the plants?

The kids are very selective which veggies to plant, but their first request was strawberries. We had no luck last year in the pot, neither with the seeds nor with the little plants. No berries. The plants survived, so they got first in the new garden plot, but I added one new strawberry plant and picked one that has already green strawberries hanging. Just to make sure.

I never was a big fan of yo-yos, but suddenly I like them, especially with buttons. For right now their getting added to headwraps, but I am sure I find something else to use them for. One idea is already in my head, but psst. Can't tell.

Of course after all that working outside yesterday, we had to clean the BBQ and hook it up again to grill for dinner. BBQ chicken strips are just the best and the kids love them. It got just a little too chilly to eat outside by the time we were ready. Next time.

my friday night sew in project

The FNSI in this house started late yesterday. We didn't get home till eight in the evening. But for a quick fix we grab pizza already on the way home, drinks, set the sewing machines up - all three of them - and hooked Netflix up with the next episode of Merlin. We spend some evenings rather in Camelot as in Texas. lol

Actually having a whole night to sew planned ahead. IMAGINE. But what am I really going to sew?

I decided to work on the stack of WIPs on my desk. Started on the girls flannel pants. After pinning the legs together, they suddenly decided they want to sew them instead of what they planned before. Their patience didn't last too long that night, so I ended up sewing some more on the pants. But one step at a time.

Eventually I got to first couch pillow. You might recognize the pattern. I liked the little mug rug I made for the swap so much that instead of keeping it I came up with the first pillow pattern.

I wasn't sure how to make the pillow opening because I want to be able to wash the cover, but also have it all the way closed up and not to lay on a zipper, plus my zipper sewing is not perfect at all. I found this tutorial and wow it works great.

The zipper is hidden under an extra strip of fabric that keeps it covered. Have a peek.

I am lazy. I did not want to sew another pillow fill it and add it this cover. So again because you can not purchase my misfit perfect size of pillow I got 99 cent pillows from IKEA. Simple measured the needed size of two sides and sewed it fitting, cut next to the seam and took off what was too much. I

n the end I have one fitting inlay pillow for my washable cover and extra polyfiber for another project.

Now i need to come up with two more couch pillow patterns. Mmmmh.

My name is Oscar and I don't sew, but tomorrow you might get to see some more from where I live and is barely three weeks old.

two peas in a pod

or two buddies sharing the step stool while watching tv .

No, we are not forcing Antonio to sleep on Soren's bed, he is finding the bed all by himself. we also believe that kitten is more as fast enough to escape Soren's hands, still half of the time Soren is snatching him up and only once a while gets scratched from the little wild beast. They are such buddies and good for each other.

 Over a year ago I made a simple quilt top. However I always dread the quilting step. Last night I finally layered this quilttop with thin batting and quilted it during the day with Soren's support. Since he is sick he is very clingy and wants to help me in everything I do. Perhabs it was having him around or the different batting, but for once there is no wrinkle in the back. The quilting is not perfect, but with time it will get smoother.

The last bit of valentine as brownie bites in heart shape. It took two attempts. The first attempt turned out cute, too, but started as a disaster. Brownies stuck in pan, stuck on cookie cutter, stuck on knife --- ending up iin bitty pieces scrambled and decorated, just not as planned.  Simply crazy as normal.

fit for a princess - stash project

Yes, I actually finish a quilt once a while.

   The sun is peeking out even the cars are still frosted outside and it is supposingly not as cold as yesterday. But believe me, my fingers were frozen by the time I snapped a few pictures. I couldn't resist. Quilt pictures need to be taken outside.
   The very first Quilt As You Go Project is finished. The label needs to be added today, but by tomorow afternoon it should already  have its new home. I am not convince about the technique or about how I tackled it, because  even my strips in the back are all straight the stitching  is not. The quilting is supposed to be all crazy, but not on the joining strips. Chiara tried to get her hands on the this quilt and I do love the pattern and colors, too; however this one is just baby/kids size and has an adorable princess castle print  flannel backing. There is a project for Chiara waiting on the sewing table next.