rhymes with quilt

move on over

2011-06-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

Hi, you've reached rhymeswithquilt. Sorry there aren't any new posts - we've moved in with rhymeswithsmile. Check out new stuff over there.

The Official Quilting Bee Post

2011-06-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I've decided ... time for the quilting bee raffle to happen.

Here are your details. Leave a comment if you have any questions!

(1) if you want to participate, you need to make one, two, or a bajillion quilt squares. However many you make, that's how many entries you get into the raffle ...

(2) each quilt square needs to be blue and white. Any blues, any whites. I'll say MOSTLY blue ... if you plan on using a blue that has other colors in it, that's fine - as long as a stranger would look at the fabric and say "Yes, that's blue."

(3) you can use any pattern you want.

(4) the quilt squares need to be 12.5"x12.5" - a little bigger than you've probably made before, but just roll with it.

(5) the quilt squares need to be in my possession by Friday, July 1. That's four weeks! You can mail them to me (let me know if you need my address), drop them by my house, or send them via courier pigeon. I might throw in your name twice into the raffle if your quilt square is accompanied by chocolate.

Once I have the squares, you can bet that I'll work diligently to get them into a quilt ... but it still might be a few weeks after receiving them before the raffle drawing.

Hooray!

Quilting Bee - again

2011-05-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about this quilting bee idea. What if we raffled off the quilt ... if you make a square, that's one entry into the raffle. If you make ten squares, that's ten entries ...
So someone who makes a block will end up with a cool quilt.

You like?

PS. Thanks to Caitlin for being my lone participant so far! Haha ... unless someone else joins in, Caitlin will most likely win a two-square quilt :)

Quilting Bee

2011-05-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

Would you join me if I had a quilting bee project? I've seen other bloggers do it, and I'm inspired. Or maybe I'm just needing another project to keep me ~~overwhelmed~~ on my toes.

In my mind, it seems like it'd be simple: we'd decide on fabrics, a pattern, and a block size. You could make one square or forty squares, send them to me, and I'd put them together with the others that get sent to me. Then just a little basting and sewing action later and presto - a quilt. Not sure what we'd DO with the quilt, but we could decide that in the process. Give it away? Auction it off?

Let me know.

OK. Goodnight, friends.

PS. I'm thinking that this could be a summer project with a *hopeful* finish date of August 2011. Thoughts?

Cammy's Quilt

2011-05-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

Have I told you about Friday Morning Coffee? For almost three years now, I've been getting together with a group of girls every week at someone's house for coffee, a bite of breakfast, and fellowship. What started out as six girls has blossomed into probably fifteen - and we've added new friends, dogs, and babies to the group along the way.

I am excited about the recent baby explosion that has hit the group - we've got five new babies due in August and September! This weekend we had a shower for Cammy, who's due at the end of August. She's getting ready to move soon, so our "Friday Coffee" girls decided that we needed to make her a little something to remember us by! So take a look at Cammy's quilt:

There were nine ladies who each did one block ... starting at the top left, the patterns are as follows:

1. Whirlygiggle by Valerie

2. Strips by Mary

3. Four Corners by Elissa

4. Strips by Cindi

5. Four Blocks by Katie

6. House by Andrea

7. Wonky Maverick Star by me

8. Log Cabin by Meredith

9. Strips by Amber

I am SO excited by how this quilt really came together! It was such a fun project, and I loved the puzzle of laying out the blocks and finally finding the perfect layout! Katie helped me decide on the pink border (which was TOTALLY the right call), and Cindi provided the fabric for the back (sorry, no picture of that).

We hope that Cammy's sweet little baby girl knows that she has a lot of aunts who love her so much!

Alright ... and now a little picture of my block:

True confession: this is the first block I've ever made that uses triangles. I conquered my triangulophobia, and I'm so glad I did! I'm itching to do whole quilt of these little beauties!

We love you, Cammy!

Oh My - Headbands!

2011-04-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

Alright, I would like to apologise for the (ehem) ~~short~~ 6 month hiatus I took from this blog. Unintentional. I'm embarrassed. I'll use the excuse that I was pregnant, then I gave birth, then I recovered from the birth, then I had a newborn to learn about, then I fell in love with said newborn, then my husband had the computer every day at work, then I was too tired at night to blog.

Lame-o excuses, right? There are women out there who blog way more than I do, and have way more going on that I do. I'm no rocket surgeon, people. But I do what I can.

Alright. I hope you're thinking, "Wow. It's been 6 months. She better have something great to show us since it's been so long." And, well, here it is: headbands. Using THIS tutorial. That's right - six months of hiding out, and I produce a few baby headbands. But whatevs.

Baby steps. I'll get back into this blogging thing. Now, pictures of what I do ... I think you'll be waiting another 6 months for that.

But again, I do what I can. And right now, that means headbands.

Scrapspiration

2010-10-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

I got this box of scraps from my awesome friend Chantry ... (who also just threw me the loveliest baby shower ever!). Cute, fun, bold, sweet fabrics!

I am feeling inspired. And, I found this - it WILL make its way into whatever comes out of the scraps:

Inspiration is a beautiful thing.
And now, maybe this will inspire you to do something silly:

Mom, me, Cousin Becky, and Sheri - woohoo!

Whoops

2010-09-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

Where have I been for the last three months, you ask? Well, for one, I've been growing a baby (if this part of it is so exhaustingly hard, I REALLY have a lot in store for once it comes). I also started tending to the garden a little more (errr ... well ... weeded once, watered a few times, and put up some deer fence). Along with that came produce. And more produce. We've got tomatoes out our ears and are hoping to eek out some peppers before the first frost. Then work started back in full force and I could no longer continue my blissful experience of sewing for 30 hours a week at work. My machine got serviced in North Carolina at the end of July, and then it was visiting my mom. I've got it back now, but still have yet to bust out anything incredible.

But also, I've been working on finishing up commissioned quilts. I ended up doing SIX commissions this summer - yes, six. One baby quilt, two large rectangular lap quilts, one wall hanging, one large square lap quilt, and a twin.

Pictures, you say? OK, fine. I guess it's the least I can do, since I've left you hanging for months now.

Here is the large square lap quilt - I think it ended up being somewhere around 50"x50". I made it for my college friend Lauren F. and was able to give it to her in person, when we had a girls' reunion at Lauren's family's lake house in Tennessee. She did all the hard work in picking out the fabrics, and I had the fun job of putting them together.

I opted for a modified "rail fence" pattern - modified because the strips in each block are different widths. The most challenging part of the whole thing was placing the blocks in such a way that the patterns in each block did not touch the same pattern in any other block.

And the back - I really love it ...

(feel free to ignore the fold/crease lines. Whoops.)

And kindly, Lauren sent me a picture of the quilt in its real, live home (which sounds awesome and tempts me to visit):

I have to confess, I am WAY more interested in this inviting rug than I am in the quilt, but that's just me.

I. Will. Post. Again. Before. The. Next. 3. Months. Have. Passed. I promise.

Wonky Log Cabin Tutorial #6 - The Last One!

2010-07-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

Last week you finished your quilting, right?
If you (still) need inspiration about what quilting pattern to use, look at Val's quilt here ... check out those groovy grid lines that form a diamond pattern. I'm so excited about how hers turned out!

Feeling a little more adventurous with quilting? Look what Andrea did:

Talk about groovy! I love the swirls!

Alright, this last binding tutorial is actually going to be a combo my-tutorial/other-blog-site-tutorial. I don't feel the need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to binding tutorials. And Amanda Jean over at Crazy Mom Quilts happens to have an excellent, step-by-step binding how-to. So, check it out by clicking here, then come back to visit me so we can talk through it again. (By the way, while you're there, look at her other quilts and be inspired!)

The binding is the very last thing you do to your quilt. It finishes and hides the edges of fabric and batting that are still exposed, so it's worthwhile to do a quality binding. If you haven't already, read through CMQ's tutorial and then read on:
Step 1: Measure the four sides of your quilt, add it up, and add 12. Cut enough 2.5" wide strips (she does 2.25" but it's your choice - either width, just be consistent for all strips) to add up to that measurement. Sew them together on the short sides so you end up with one long strip.
Step 2: Iron the long strip in half lengthwise with wrong sides together. You should have a very, very long, very, very skinny strip.
Step 3: Match unfinished edge of quilt with raw edge of binding strip, and sew on around all four sides and corners. (crazymom's tutorial is excellent for this step, especially for the corners. Haven't read it yet? You know what I'm going to tell you to do. So just go do it.)
Step 4: Trim the edges of the quilt even with the binding strip edges. Fold the binding over onto the other side of the quilt around the edge and sew it down with a needle and thread (by hand!)
Step 5: Enjoy this awesome quilt you just finished, and graciously accept compliments from your friends who can't believe how crafty and cool you are.

Alright, well that's it for this 6 part tutorial on how to make a wonky log cabin quilt! Hooray for friends and quilting classes! And thanks to the lovely women who have great taste in fabric and incredible talent - I loved working with you all!

A few more pictures:

Laura's quilt - still in progress

(she was out of town for a couple of weeks without a machine)

Caitlin's quilt (picture from last week)

Caitlin sews on her binding strip

A second wonky log cabin quilt that I'm working on finishing up

(the green border now goes all the way around the quilt)

Wonky Log Cabin Tutorial #5

2010-06-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Look at how far we've all come! This is Val's quilt top, ready for basting and quilting:

For the last tutorial, we talked through the basting process, remember? Basting is securing all three layers of the quilt together - the quilt top, the batting, and the backing - prior to quilting. You have basting options - straight pins, curved quilting safety pins, or adhesive basting spray - and your choice just depends on your personal preference and style. I started out using the basting spray, and LOVED it because it kept all the layers very secure while quilting. I started moving away from using it because I couldn't afford it for all the projects I was doing. But, whatevs. It's your preference - try all three and see which you prefer.
Check out Caitlin's quilt, all basted and ready to go (she used basting spray):

Alright. This tutorial is about quilting. You're probably thinking, "Isn't that what we've been doing all along? Doesn't quilting mean 'to make a quilt'?" Well, yes. But it also means to sew through all three layers (top, batting, back) so they stay together. A lot of traditional quilting is done by hand. If you have the patience for that, kudos to you. I do NOT have the ability to do that kind of thing by hand, so I always machine-quilt my pieces. Side note: I typically use a regular 1/4" presser foot for quilting straight lines. I have used a walking foot too, but really I don't see any difference in the quality of the quilting. There's lots of ~~debate~~ research out there about regular vs. walking foot quilting. Just do what you want. It'll be OK.
Basically, you'll take your 3-layer basted quilt, and feed it through the machine, stitching in a pattern of some sort over the entire quilt. There are a variety of pattern options out there. Caitlin chose "stitch in the ditch," which means she sewed straight lines in each of the seams. It doesn't really stand out on the front (because it's in the ditch, silly), but it shows up on the back. I think that is a fun choice for a wonky log cabin quilt, because it adds some wonkiness to the back of the quilt too. Just make sure you backstitch at the beginning and end of each seam - you don't want your masterpiece to unravel.

Others have decided on straight lines in a grid pattern - shows up more on the front and makes the quilt look "quilty" from both sides. I'm a sucker for a soft, awesome quilty-quilt. The more lines you stitch, the more quilty it'll look.
You have tons of options - sewing a line down the middle of each strip, quilting a diamond or triangle grid pattern, only quilting the middle strips or outer strips, quilting 1/4" off the seam lines ... and on and on. If you're not sure what to do, look around at what other people do, find quilts you like in magazines or on blogs, or allow the shape and pattern of the quilt to guide you. It's fun to come up with new patterns, but it's good to know that you can just do a grid too.
Another side note: if you want to branch out beyond straight lines, and if you feel comfortable with your machine, you might want to try free-motion quilting. Free-motion quilting gives you more control over the pattern, and you can do loops, circles, meandering patterns, or words. I won't give you the tutorial on that (because it overwhelms me), but there are lots of good ones on other blogs (like this one or this one). I will say, however, that you need to feel pretty comfortable with sewing and your machine before tackling a big quilt with free-motion. Maybe try it out on a few potholders first.
Quilt the entire quilt - some readjustment may be necessary in the basting as you go along, but that's to be expected.
Come back soon for Wonky Log Cabin Tutorial #6 ... the final step!

Wonky Log Cabin Tutorial #4

2010-06-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

Two of five class members were away this week, so it was somewhat of a catchup/mishmash week as those of us who were left were at very different stages of quiltedness. So, what I'm going to post is what we were scheduled to do this week, which two of the three got to.

Review from last week: finish adding fabric strips to each of the four squares and trim them to exactly 20"x20". Sew them together - 2x2 - and iron seams. This is your quilt top, and it is now complete!

This week: Press your batting. The supply list calls for 1/2 yard of 90"-wide batting - a long, narrow strip. Our trick is to cut the batting in half lengthwise and place the two halves next to each other to form a large 45"x45" square. If the edges you line up are not straight, trim them so they are.

Using a zig-zag stitch set to the widest stitch width you can, stitch the batting together along the middle. Do not overlap the batting, as it will create extra bulk in the finished quilt - just slide the batting pieces up next to each other and feed them through the machine. Also, take care to evenly feed it through the machine - uneven feeding can cause gaps or bubbles. If it does bubble, try steam-ironing the seam after sewing to see if it will press out. And ... tada! You're done with batting.

The next step is basting the quilt, which does NOT mean marinating it in its own juices during the course of cooking. It DOES mean putting the back, batting, and top of the quilt together and securing it with pins or adhesive spray. I've heard this called a "quilt sandwich" ... think of the basting as the toothpick in the sandwich. (wait, can you tell that I'm getting hungry? A giant BLT sandwich on toasted sourdough sounds incredible right now. Toothpick required).

Press the fabric you're going to use for your backing. Depending on the size of your quilt, you may have to sew together some pieces to use for the backing. For this tutorial, you want a square of fabric approximately 45"x45" - bigger than your quilt top by at least 2" on each side. Most fabric on the bolt is 44 or 45" wide, so you should be just fine and not have to piece anything. (As you'll see in the pictures below, I am making my demo quilt bigger than 2x2, so don't be thrown off and think you were supposed to be doing twelve squares when really it's just four.) Because of the size of mine, I had to piece together some green and white fabric for the backing.

Lay this backing fabric right side DOWN on a flat surface (floor or large tables work great). Line your batting up about 1" in from the top right corner of the backing, and spread it out evenly over the backing fabric. Use your hands to spread out any creases or folds or bubbles in the backing or batting.

You may have some extra batting hanging over the edge of your backing - not a big deal. It's good to have extra in case things shift. And you'll always go back at the end and trim things up. So, just leave it.

One more step to make your quilt sandwich - lay your quilt top, right side UP, on top of your batting about 1" in from the batting. Smooth it out with your hands, working from the top right corner. Make sure there are no creases, bubbles, folds, or other funny things going on.

Now to baste the quilt (which I did not get any pictures of, sorry.) You can use straight pins, curved quilting safety pins, or adhesive basting spray (all of which are sold at some Wal-marts and all sewing supply stores). If you're using pins, secure a pin about every 10" in a grid on the quilt. Make sure you're pinning through all three layers. Also, you will probably have to adjust both the backing and the top a couple of times during the process, as you want both to be tight and without any slack (this is why it's good to have a little extra wiggle room with the batting and backing fabric). If you are using the basting spray, follow the manufacturer's directions.

Alright ... see you next week for quilting!

Busy little bee

2010-06-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

I have been sewing and quilting like mad, trying to make it through a bunch of projects that I had put off until summer. There are three different projects below. The first one - Red and White Whirlygiggle - was the very first quilt I saw on crazymomquilts in early 2009, and I've been wanting to make one ever since! I quilted it in a window pane pattern - just about 1/4" from either side of each seam - and I am absolutely in love with it. It measures about 40"x50", so it's not too big but would make a nice picnic blanket for two! I thought about putting it up for sale in the shop, but I can't part with it. I love it too much.

Front

Detail of front with window pane quilting

Back

The second quilt is one that my friend Dixie asked me to make for her. She requested "purples" and "masculine" (she's so kind to her husband!) so I hope it delivers! I really like the gray and the dark indigo. The yellow on the back lightens the quilt up a little bit, but isn't too bright or feminine in my opinion. It measures about 45"x45".

Front

Back

Quilt number three is another commissioned one - a baby boy quilt in blues and greens! I was inspired by, of all things, a diaper bag (don't be weirded out, Allison!). From the front, you can't see the quilting but I followed the lines of the center panel. It shows up better on the back, and I am in love with this little softie! Final size is approximately 42"x42".

Front

Back

I'm a busy little bee! I've got three more commissions I'm working on ... one top is completely pieced. The other two are in varying stages of planning. I'll keep you posted!

Wonky Log Cabin Tutorial #3

2010-06-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

You are reading a blog post by what may be the world's worst blogger. I forgot the camera at class AGAIN. I don't have it with me today either, to take staged "class" photos. I read so many blogs that are just incredible, with all the guest postings, and professional-looking photos, and fancy schmancy things like frequent posts, that it makes me feel inadequate. But really, I don't care too much. Alright, I'm over it now.

For class #3, we continued sewing the fabric strips around the wonky square. Depending on the width of the fabric strips you're working with, you may end up with between four and seven "layers" around the middle square. For this particular project, I worked all the measurements out to (hopefully) end up with a 40" square quilt, which means each block needs to be at least 20"x20". So, for each of the blocks, add a strip to the top, then the right, then the bottom, then the left of the middle square, ironing each piece down before sewing the next one on. When you've completed a full round (four strips around the block), "square off" the block by trimming the uneven edges with a straight ruler and rotary cutter. You can continue to make it very wonky by tilting the ruler when cutting, or not. It's up to you. Play around with the angles you cut and how much you cut off - it's fun to see the block shape up and get more interesting with each layer.

Keep doing that until a block measures a little bigger than 20"x20". Iron well. Repeat for each block.

Trim each block to exactly 20"x20" square, or, if you're wanting to make smaller blocks, whatever size you want. A good rule of thumb is that a baby blanket should be at least 36"x36". This is the time when the phrase "square off the block" actually does mean make it square. I promise I'm not trying to confuse you.

OK, you're done for this week!

Wonky Log Cabin Tutorial #2

2010-06-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Class #2 with the 5 ~~guinea pigs~~ friends who are letting me teach this wonky log cabin quilting class. So fun!
Last week we cut wonky center blocks (approx. 2.5"ish by 2.5"ish) and fabric strips (from 1.5" to 3.5" wide). We also discussed the basics of making a Log Cabin block, which means adding strips of fabric around a center square in the order of Top, Right, Bottom, Left.

(the "Top" I'm referring to is actually on the right in this image, so in this picture the order of adding is Right Bottom Left Top. But don't tell my class that it can be any other way than TRBL, because I say it at least every ten minutes that a log cabin quilt should be pieced Top Right Bottom Left.)

This week's agenda: piece log cabin squares and then add some wonkiness!

Start with a center block (the large white one). Lay a strip of fabric on one side of the block and trim it to equal length. Sew right sides together (you don't have to backstitch!). Iron seams to one side (away from the middle block, towards the outer fabric). This is your "Top:"

Choose another strip of fabric, either the same width as your Top strip, or a different width. Lay it on the Right side of the block, and trim to length. With right sides together, sew the fabric strip to the block. Iron seams away from the middle block. This is your "Right:"

Continue to do the same process two more times, on the "Bottom" and "Left" sides of the block, ironing after each seam.

This is the part of the blog where I apologize for my picture quality. Oh well, I'm inside under fluorescent lights. What can I say? If you want stellar photography, look somewhere else.

Alright, back to the block - now one whole round of block-making is completed! The next step is to "square off" the block, which doesn't actually mean making it a square at all. It means hacking off the uneven ends, and making the block a little more wonky - but with straight edges. So, line up your ruler along one side (doesn't matter, as you'll be doing this on all four sides) and tilt it a little, so that it's not running parallel to the middle block. If you look closely, you can see that mine is off by about 1/2 inch. It's a WONKY log cabin square, people. This is how you make it wonky - don't give into your urge to make things match up and be straight. Just tilt and cut with a rotary cutter to make a straight edge!

Trim all four sides.

In class yesterday, we made four of these blocks. Then time ran out ...

Hint/preview of next week: make the blocks bigger by (do you want to guess?) adding more fabric strips to the TOP RIGHT BOTTOM LEFT and then square off!

This versus that

2010-05-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

Yellow diamonds?

or blue ones?

Time for Class: A Wonky Log Cabin Tutorial in 6 weeks

2010-05-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of my Wonky Log Cabin class - I am teaching some friends the improvisational techniques used for piecing wonky log cabin squares, and then we're going to go through the process of finishing and binding the quilt! It felt OFFICIAL, in a really cool way ... I even drew illustrations on the chart paper in the room. We all agreed that the Women's Center on campus that is letting us use their conference room is awesome. The room is ideal and the space is perfect! Woohoo, Women's Center!

For just in case you're interested in doing the project with us, I am going to post after each class what we do and hopefully include some pictures.
Here's the supply list:
-2 yards of coordinating fabric (in ¼ yd. or more sections – so, 4-6 different fabrics to make a total of 2 yards.)

-1 ½ yards fabric for backing
-1/3 yard fabric for binding (backing and binding fabric can be the same, in which case you could get 1 yd 28 inches fabric to make the backing and binding. Or, you can piece together fabric for the binding. Depends on if you want a “scrappy” look or a whole, seamless look)
-¾ yd. of the 90” wide Warm & Natural batting (or Warm & White), off the big bolt, or batting scraps that you can piece together.
-coordinating thread (I’d say go for at least 250 yards. I usually get “coats and clark all purpose thread” but you can get whatever you want.)
-sewing machine, bobbin, spare needles, pins, good scissors, rotary cutter, mat, and ruler. Oh, and a good seam ripper.

Today's steps:
-Talk about the basics of making a log cabin block. It's actually really simple, and you do the same step over and over until the block is as big as you want it. You start with a middle square, and then add strips around it in the following order: Top, Right, Bottom, Left. More on this later.

-Iron all fabrics.

-Re-fold fabrics so that they look like they did on the bolt. This means that the selvedge (already finished) ends match up. You may want to fold it again (matching the first fold with the selvedge ends), depending on how big your mat and ruler are.

-Now you want to "square off" the fabric. This means cut off the frayed, uneven edges at a 90-degree angle to the fold, so that your fabric is square.

-Cut the fabric into strips of varying widths - I suggest anywhere from 1.5" to 3.5". Cut straight strips (we'll make them wonky later).

-Repeat for each fabric.

-Come back next week!

Tuesday Giggle

2010-05-11T13:21:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make one of these ever since I started quilting. I love the name. I love the pattern.

And I love red and white.

Oh, goodness. What a start to summer quilting, huh? I'm in love.

I'm using the tutorial that CrazyMomQuilts posted , only I'm not going with her templates (I think templates are a waste of time when rotary cutting is an option). One of her readers left this comment in response to her tutorial, and I've found that to be most helpful:

"Amy said ... The way I did it, which is SUPER super quick was to cut it all with the rotary cutter... I cut slight rectangles, ie 6" by 6 1/2"... this is from both the coloured fabric and the white fabric... then lay the rectangles down on my cutting mat. I then lined it up to cut my diagonals (which will be cut across the long side)... i just lay my cutting ruler across the block 2 1/2" inches in from either alternative side and sliced across the block (this makes the diagonal shape)... i was able to cut several blocks at a time like this without using a template at all... and because you have added the 1/2" the both blocks they end up a square with no trimming... i think i cut a whole quilt in under an hour! Hope this helps others (I don't have a blog to show you) but hopefully you can understand from my instructions! Cheers, Amy 5:15 PM "

I'll be posting more SOON!

Big deal(s)

2010-04-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

First exciting news of the day: my quiltblog idol and favorite modern quilter, Amanda Jean of Crazy Mom Quilts, is coming back to her readers after a 4-month break. I thought she was gone forever, and I seriously grieved a bit when she announced in January that she would no longer be blogging. My modern-quilting inspiration is back though, and I'm so happy!!

Second exciting news of the day: I finally finished a commissioned quilt called "Windowpanes" ... though it probably doesn't look like it, it took me a whole month to finish! There's a lot more piecing in that sucker than you think ...

I experimented with the quilting on this one - don't know if you can see it from the front or not, but the "+" in each block is left without quilting. It shows up on the back a little better ...

Here's a close-up:

I am really pleased with how this turned out. The finished quilt measures 52"x66" - a great lap quilt or picnic blanket size!

Third exciting news of the day: I have ~~forced~~ invited my friends to a quilting class this summer that I'm going to teach ... they are kind enough to let me treat them as my student guinea-pigs, as I learn how to plan and execute a 6-week course in quilt-making! I'm looking forward to spending some summer mornings with sweet friends, and I can't wait to show off their amazing handiwork!

Stitching Hope Giveaway!

2010-03-12T12:40:00.000-08:00

STITCHING HOPE GIVEAWAY!

Win this awesome cafe apron - the Blue Jolie - one size fits all, perfect for yourself or your special someone!

You just need to do one of the following:

(a) post the giveaway info on your facebook profile and tag me in the post (you can do that by typing @ Katherine Lile),

(b) tweet about it and tag @stitchinghope in the tweet,

(c) send an email to someone telling them about the giveaway and CC/BCC me (k.lile.quilts@gmail.com), or

(d) blog about it and send me a link to the blog (to the email address above).

Who knew that supporting Heifer International's relief efforts in Haiti could be so rewarding and easy?

GIVEAWAY ENDS MONDAY 3/15 AT 5:00 PM EST!

an exciting find

2010-03-10T05:25:00.000-08:00

So. It's been just about a month since I last posted ... and just about a month since I started the Stitching Hope shop! With every item that has been donated to the shop, I just can't help but think, "Man. I want that," or, "I wish that were my size," or, my favorite, "I could just go ahead and buy it to give away." I keep reminding myself that the money goes to a good cause, but it can't all be MY money. It's all exciting, nonetheless.

A few weeks ago I stumbled on this website: The Modern Quilt Guild. If you have time, read the essays posted by different prominent quilters who are known for their modern style. I'm really excited about this because these quilters are helping me to put into words how I feel about quilting.

Word.

spring break

2010-02-12T05:49:00.000-08:00

RWQ is going to take a break for the spring.

I'm going to keep things going over at Stitching Hope - I've started a blog there and will be updating shop information and projects there.

I'll be back, though! Pretend that I'm just moving to Florida for the winter and will be back with the sunshine in May.

Stitching Hope Shop

2010-02-09T08:20:00.000-08:00

The Stitching Hope shop is opening ... soon!

Right now I am looking for donations of items to sell. All the proceeds from the sales will go to Heifer International's ongoing recovery projects in Haiti.

I ... am ... so ... excited!

Check out the (soon to open) shop at http://stitchinghope.weebly.com and TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

softies

2010-02-07T16:01:00.000-08:00

I've been working on this baby boy quilt and finally finished it! It features a really cute turtle fabric that I had picked up a while ago, some stripes that I love, and fun white-on-orange polka dots. This quilt pattern I used is a SUPER easy one, and it was the first quilt pattern I ever learned. The backing is a soft blue flannel.

Sorry, but for some reason I can't get it to rotate. So stand on your head and check it out.

Close up of a happy turtle, anyone?

This is a matching burp cloth to go with the blanket. It measures about 17" x 12" and is made of the same soft blue flannel from the quilt back. This is the first time I've tried a blanket and burp cloth set and I'm really pleased with how they turned out!

Photos taken indoors at night ... I'm learning my lesson. I don't like the yellowish tint to everything!

Purples & Browns & Greens

2010-01-31T18:01:00.000-08:00

Today I've been working on this:

It's the first quilt that I'm making exclusively for the Stitching Hope shop. It's a baby-size quilt, and it will probably end up somewhere around 36"x36". I may try a new quilting pattern on it - still not sure though! And while I've not yet picked out the fabric for the back, I have this sweet little light-green polka dot deal that I found the other day, and so I may use that. So cute!

In other news, I joined Twitter. Follow me @stitchinghope! Thanks to my big brother Mahan for signing me up helping me sign up!

The Price Is Right

2010-01-30T08:40:00.000-08:00

Vicki Powell, come on down! You're the winner of a lovely handmade quilt straight from the mountains of southwest Virginia! OK, so you live just up the road from me, and we go to church together, and it's not novel at all for you to have something from the mountains of southwest Virginia, but that's beside the point - you won!

Thanks to everyone who has donated and made this project possible - I can't even begin to thank you all for giving of your resources to help our brothers and sisters in Haiti. You have moved me to tears a number of times, have blessed me and many around you by your example of generosity, and have humbled me with your kindnesses. I pray that God repays you in many ways.

I'm also pleased to announce that I will be opening an online shop in the next couple of weeks, with the sole purpose of raising money to continue sending to Haiti throughout 2010. I will be selling quilts and other handmade, stitched items. You can be involved by making something to sell in the shop, telling others about it, or buying something yourself! My goal is to have items for every budget so keep checking back for details!

Thank you all for your love, generosity, kindness, awesomeness, and caring spirits. You are amazing.

Love, Katherine

Close. and Open.

2010-01-29T04:40:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day of the Stitching Hope: Haiti raffle! I can't believe it - we are really close to $4000 and, as these last donations come in, I think we might just go over. I'll give the grand total tonight after the close of the raffle at 6:00. I'm so excited. It feels like Disney and Christmas and my birthday wrapped into one little donation envelope.

Also, because of the sheer NUMBER of entries (that I was not expecting at all), the winner of the quilt will be announced on SATURDAY, January 30, 2010 by noon. I repeat: the raffle closes today, Friday, at 6:00. Then I will force you into a state of anxiety and edgeofyourseatedness for approximately 18 hours, so I can put everyone in the raffle, eat dinner with some friends, play bananagrams, get some sleep, eat cinnamon rolls, play in the snow, and box up the quilt before choosing and announcing the winner.

One more thing: Stitching Hope isn't over. For the rest of 2010, I'm going to open a website to sell quilts, and the profits from the sales will go to Haiti. More on this later, but, I need your involvement to continue if this is going to work. I love community! I love quilts! And I love you!

Buena suerte ...

PS. I hope you win.

future

2010-01-27T19:59:00.000-08:00

There's a future for Stitching Hope.

What's so funny is that I didn't even know about Stitching Hope two weeks ago.

More coming soon ...

Stitching Hope: Haiti - the final product

2010-01-26T04:41:00.000-08:00

Here are some detailed pictures of the Stitching Hope: Haiti quilt.

This is the front, machine-quilted in a meandering pattern (you can see the effects of the quilting even though I didn't get a close-up picture):

And now the back of the quilt, that my sweet husband helped me design:

It has a small "wonky" log cabin square in the middle of a strip of navy blue print fabric.

Close-up of the square:

Right now, you all have donated $2775 towards Haiti relief - wowzers! This shindig ends on Friday, so if you've been meaning to get your donation in go ahead and do it! I never imagined it would get this big, and I am so excited to have such wonderful, generous friends! Thank you all!

Thankful

2010-01-23T05:19:00.000-08:00

Fact: one week has passed and Stitching Hope: Haiti is halfway done.
Fact: you all have donated over $2400.
Fact: you are awesome.
I can't wait to see where we end up.
I'm going to post some pictures of the quilt, including the back, which my husband helped me design. The whole quilt just makes me think "picnic" or "build a tent fort in the living room." If you win, and if you do either of those, you'll have to send me a picture!
I'm thankful for you all. And I'm thankful that we didn't pledge to match every donation.
Yippee!

Stitching Hope: Haiti - keep it up!

2010-01-20T04:34:00.001-08:00

$1,960!

Stitching Hope Update

2010-01-17T14:36:00.000-08:00

I thought that maybe we could raise $100 for the project.
I confess that I underestimated my AMAZING friends and family.
Turns out, we're three days into it and over $1000 (yes, you read that right) has been pledged.
I'm blown away.
Don't let that deter you from still entering the raffle. The only way you're sure you're not going to win is if you don't enter at all. And if you don't know me and don't want to send a stranger your $5, donate it to a charity of your choice for Haiti relief, and let me know! You have absolutely nothing to lose, and a really awesome quilt to gain. Plus, someone in Haiti will REALLY appreciate it!
I want to close this update with a good point that a friend of mine shared with me:
"i've spent some time talking to friends and reading news stories, and i have learned that the best thing we can do right now is donate money. haiti can only handle a certain number of people and guys like me have no skill set, but efforts ... to raise money and awareness are exactly what is needed right now."

Stitching Hope: A Haiti Relief Project

2010-01-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

You are all aware of the devastation and destruction that has happened in Haiti due to Tuesday’s massive earthquake. For some, it may instill a sense of frustration or loss, even fear, at the scope of the damage and the poverty of a country so ill-equipped to handle it. The thought that keeps running through my mind is this: What can I do that will make a difference?

Well, I know I’m just one person but I’ve come up with a plan, and it involves you if you’re willing to jump on board. Please consider this effort to honor God and our fellow human beings as you decide what to do in response to the Haitian crisis.
I would like to raffle off a quilt.
For $5, you can have your name entered into the raffle. The winner will be chosen on Friday, January 29th, 2009 – that’s two weeks from now. If you donate $10. $15, $20, or more, your name will be entered into the raffle for that multiple of 5. All the money collected by January 29th will be donated to the Samaritan’s Purse Haiti Relief fund. Jesse and I are pledging to match every donation up to $100.

Here are some logistics:
1. Please mail your $5, $10, or whatever pledge to me. I don't want to give my address out on here, but if you contact me at I will send you my address. Make sure you give me YOUR email address to be in touch with you.
2. I will NOT be able to give you any sort of tax-deduction letter/notice for this donation. HOWEVER, if you wish to have a tax deduction or desire your relief dollars to be funneled through another channel, donate to the relief agency of your choice and then let me know. I will treat it as if you entered my raffle.
3. Likewise, if you want to pledge but find that you can’t get your money to me in time, let me know and I will assume you’ve entered the raffle based on your pledge.
4. I chose Samaritan’s Purse for a couple of reasons. First, with the organization’s international reach and community involvement, they were among the first responders to the crisis. Second, I believe that through meeting the practical needs for water, shelter, and food for the people of Haiti, they are living out the Gospel in a very tangible way. Third, they are a hometown agency for me, since they are based in Boone, North Carolina. If you’d like to donate directly to Samaritan’s Purse or see what they are doing in Haiti right now, check out this link: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/Haiti_Donation/

One quilt may not change the world, but I think that if we come together then we can have an impact. I've lived in a country where the majority of people live on less than $1 a day, and many of you know as well how far our American dollars can stretch in developing nations. At the risk of sounding cheesy, I really do believe that our meager $5 may be exactly what one child, one family, one neighborhood, or one village needs to make it one more day.

The quilt measures approximately 75”x74” and is patterned in the “log cabin” style. Snuggle up on the couch in the winter or use it as a picnic blanket in the summer – it is made from new and repurposed materials and is up for lots of use. It is 100% machine washable, and will grow softer with use! I machine quilted it in a meandering pattern and hand-stitched the binding in place. Just think: this may be the only chance you ever have for getting a lovingly handmade quilt for just $5!

Encourage your friends to donate too! Pass along this link to anyone else you feel may be interested in joining the cause!

Hanging Appal(achian) Quilt

2010-01-09T09:27:00.000-08:00

I designed a quilt block pattern (my first ever!) and made these squares for a quilt to hang in my dad's office on the campus of Appalachian State University.

I was originally going to do a 4x4 quilt, with two extra blocks incorporated into the back of the quilt along with some scraps from the front fabrics. But when we measured the wall space we discovered that it would be better to make two smaller 3x3 quilts with sashing in between - so now, one of these quilts will hang in my dad's office, and the other will end up somewhere else.

Each of the blocks measures 11.5" x 11.5". I used 2.5" sashing in between the blocks and did a border of 4.5" (some of the border got cut out of the pictures). I have yet to do the backing and binding, but right now they both measure about 45" x 45".

I am going to make another one and post a tutorial for it, hopefully in the month of January.

large scale

2010-01-07T14:08:00.000-08:00

I got to spend a few days with Cousin Becky between Christmas and New Year's Day. This is her, rocking out the ghetto-farmer-seamstress look:

She's the one who guest-posted on rhymeswithquilt a few days ago, with her Tree Skirt tutorial. While we were together, we decided to spend a day making quilts and opted for an enormous log-cabin square.

Here's hers:

She started with a rectangle about 18 x 24, somewhat fat-quarterish but a bit bigger. She added strips around the center block, ranging in widths from 3 inches to 5 inches. I love that there's a ripped-up men's shirt and a few sheets in there ...

Here's mine:

I started with a block about 18x22, and added 6-to-8 inch strips around the sides (I added the skinnier strips on the short sides of the middle block, and the wider strips on the long ends). My final border (in red) is an even 10 inches on every side.

I love both the quilts so much! Becky has been more productive than me - the goon is already finished with hers! Mine is still draped (lovingly) over my sewing chair, waiting for the backing and a loop-de-loop free motion quilting pattern that I'm going to try out. I'll post pictures when that one's done!

The invisible coffee cozy

2010-01-02T13:59:00.000-08:00

I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, but I made one of these coffee cozies using the red fat quarter pictured below, the blue button, and an elastic hair tie. You can't tell from this picture but the red fabric has little blue flowers in it. It was really easy to make and I'm tempted to use the other three fat quarters to do the same thing!

Guest blogger: Becky Carson, perpetual townie.

2009-12-30T09:10:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been busy in the last week or so with traveling, eating, and of course Christmasing. When the electricity went out at my parents' house due to a fierce ice storm, my plans for posting this guest column got postponed. But now, I am visiting with the awesome columnist herself - my only girl cousin on this side of the family and my partner in Eurotravel. She's done a great job of showing me around Carrboro and Chapel Hill - home to UNC basketball, Carrburritos, a rocking PTA thrift store, and Cousin Becky's Easter-egg purple house.

According to Becky, she felt inspired to guest post because she wanted to take the burden off me to be creative all the time. Really, I think it's that she's so talented and awesome herself that she couldn't help but overflow her creativity into rhymeswithquilt. She is a talented seamstress (she told me to write that) who learned to sew in high school.

She's now completed a number of dresses, "pillow paintings" (as she calls them... see above), 4 or 5 quilts, and this tree skirt that she wanted to share with the rhymeswithquilt community. So, here goes ...

Here's my story:

My family has been using the same Christmas tree skirt for as long as I can remember and, given my advanced age, it has definitely joined the ranks of scrunchies, acid wash, and other thoroughly eighties memorabilia. The aforementioned Christmas tree skirt was made by our grandmother, Mimi, and is red with frilly lace around the edges and adorned with teddy bear elves, Santas, and angels. To give some background, this is the same grandmother that gave Katherine and me (the only two girls in the family) matching nightgowns with a kitty kat on them that was wearing the same nightgown we were... it happened to be Katherine's 18th birthday that day.

My mother would not dare throw away the Christmas tree skirt for fear that our 85 year-old grandmother would show up on our doorstep unannounced one day and not see her timeless skirt under the tree. I did the dirty work for her and decided that I was going to make one this year. When I told my mom that I was making it and I wasn't sure that she would like the fabric choices I had she replied, "Anything is better than teddy bear angels." Truth.

So I set to work on constructing a Christmas tree skirt with no idea where to begin. I started with a square (about a yard) of green polka dot fabric and added a 4-inch trim of a matching fabric. I repeated the same pattern with red fabric on the other side so that it could be reversible (versatility for the coming decades!) and laid a piece of quilting batting in between the two sides. To get the perfect size of our tree stand I laid out newspaper and traced the outline, cut it out and placed it on the skirt. I then outlined the perimeter of the stand with tape and cut it out. I decided to only quilt the outer border (and not the polka dots) because I didn't want it to be too busy. The skirt came to a finish with a hand sewn border and poinsettia beads that my mom picked out. The whole project, start to finish, probably took about 4 hours.

It made all the difference at the family Christmas this year and finally brought us into the new millenium. Now that we've left the teddy elves and Santas behind along with big hair and shoulder pads, we're ready to welcome 2010 in style.

Check the rhymeswithquilt blog again in twenty years for my granddaughter making fun of my super-outdated polka dots.

Happy sewing!

~becky

excuses

2009-12-29T07:19:00.000-08:00

4 days without power + holiday travel = delayed blogposting.

Updates coming soon.

I promise.

a nod to blue

2009-12-20T05:16:00.000-08:00

I got inspired to make this quilt when I found an awesome blue-and-white striped sheet at my favorite thrift store. Twin size, great shape, already soft. I couldn't help it - I KNEW that it was going to be the back of a quilt. I started thinking of what I wanted the front to look like, and this is what happened:

It became the back of this wonky log cabin quilt that I gave to some friends who are UNC-CH graduates. I went with blues and whites (for obvious reasons) but I LOVE the simplicity of a quilt with lots of white. White is so forgiving! And I think it makes the log cabin blocks pop out. The finished size of the quilt is somewhere around 75" x 90", depending on where you measure. (HA! I have yet to get the exact-measurement thing down)

I did a pieced binding with the leftovers of the sheet that were wide enough when I trimmed the quilt and some tarheel fabric that I think my mom passed along to me from one of her projects. I love it.

Here's to finding more inspiration in the most unlikely places!

poss!i!bil!i!ties!

2009-12-18T13:12:00.000-08:00

Four 79 cent fat quarters and a big blue button ...

my vegetative state

2009-12-15T07:54:00.000-08:00

Over the summer I had a fortuitous encounter with Freecycle. I posted a request for fabric scraps, and was answered by a lady whose grandmother had collected BAGS of scraps from her lifetime of projects. (BAGS = 5 large black trash bags full). Some of the scraps were tiny, less than 1"x1", while there was yardage of others. There was even a kimono in there. Boo yah. Let the games begin.

My first job was to sort everything (loosely) by "color" - I wish I had taken a picture to show you my billowing piles of blues, greens, pinks/oranges, yellows, denims, flannels, polyesters (yuk), stripes, and faux furs. I sorted for hours.

Then came the fun part ... doing something with these scraps!

Our garden was bountiful at the time, so I had vegetables on the brain ...

So, here's what I did: I put a scrap on a white background. I set up my machine as if I were going to free-motion quilt (lower the feed dogs, attach my darning foot, and change the stitch length to "0"), and then I literally drew my design over the scraps. In the one above, I went for a set of green peas. Below, some carrots and a radish (whose design my friend Laura helped me come up with):

So, well, maybe I got carried away. I don't care, though. They're just so much fun ... carrots are my particular favorite, probably because they're so distinctive. (I confess: I tried to do a pear. It ended up looking somewhat like a green egg. DISCARD!)

So, a lot of them have gotten turned into pot holders.

Some became wall hangings.

Others are still waiting.

More ideas?

baby baby

2009-12-13T11:23:00.000-08:00

For the first time ever, I sewed something for a baby doll. Since I was one of those girls who was all about her dolls when I was growing up, I know how important it is for the little mommy to make sure that the dolls are properly clothed, fed, and warmed. And, since I've got a plethora of friends with babies these days, I thought I could pass along a little love in the form of a doll quilt. This little quilt (16"x24") is for a friend's daughter for Christmas. My mom, who was visiting me this weekend, helped me come up with the idea and encouraged me to try something new with the quilting pattern. I tried a little loop-de-loop deal - it did go pretty quickly though it took me a few minutes to get the feel for it. Don't look too closely ... I had a few snaffoos, but I kept them in there and just kept going. Sorry for the dark photo quality.

In other baby news (no, not me silly), congrats to my dear friends Katie and Adam R. on the birth of their first daughter, Rylie Joy, last night! Apparently, the text message announcement read "6 lb 14 oz beautiful" (I don't actually know first-hand what it said, because we may or may not have blocked text messaging from our phone ...). However, I can't wait to hold 6 lb 14 oz beautiful in my arms!

flakes

2009-12-11T07:24:00.000-08:00

I found some coarse red linen fabric on sale at Walmart for $1.50/yd and have used most of it for a Christmas project. I had these little squares leftover and some down time at work. That, paired with some white thread and an etsy.com search of "snowflakes" for inspiration led me to these:

Coasters, maybe? Ornaments? Still not sure. I'm feeling the ornaments thing, but I like them as a set. They measure about 4.5" x 4.5" ... too big for ornaments? Hmmm.

Hand stitching is actually more fun than I thought it would be.

Oh, joy!

Four corners, part dos

2009-12-10T07:03:00.000-08:00

It's done!

I am in love with this quilt ... really, I've considered buying more of the same fabrics to make another one exactly like it.

Check out the back - such an awesome green!

Some things I'm particularly excited about:
-the way the brown pops out
-the improv-ness (improvisationalism?) of each block
-the way the binding blends in with the back and shows up more on the front - a little edging effect
-the size - about 39"x39" - a little bigger than other baby quilts I've done, but perfect for a baby to lay/play/roll on

I ended up going with brown for the stitching. Bold, I know. It really contrasts with the white and pink, but (surprisingly) it works well with the backing fabric, and (unsurprisingly) it matches the brown on the front. Check it out:

Here's one more picture, just a close-up of one of the blocks ...

Yay!

More to come ... I've been a busy bee ...

Four Corners

2009-12-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

As I write today, I've got this spread out on the dining room table:

I'm a little frenzied about finishing it, though no one is pressuring me except me ... for some reason, I feel as though I must finish today or I'm going to bust. The tough thing, though, is that I don't know what color to quilt it in. I tend towards white because it's standard, but I like the boldness of the chocolate brown so much that I'm afraid a white-on-brown deal would let me down. So I've called my friend Rebecca (this is for her neice) and am waiting on her to tell me what she wants. My guess is that she's going to "trust my judgment" and "leave it up to me" and all that stuff, because she's nice and trusting like that. Haha!

Maybe light pink? Or light green? Or light brown?

early bird gets the warm

2009-12-04T15:47:00.000-08:00

Santa came just a wee bit early to our house ...

My husband was just so cold now that winter has decided to set in, and Mr. Claus must have known that my dear needed this to keep him comfy and cozy before Christmas.

The pattern is a "Wonky Log Cabin" inspired by the crazymomquilts and tallgrassprairiestudio blogs. I'll put a link up to their tutorials when I get a chance but I encourage you to check them out in the meantime!

The back is a simple pieced deal, once again inspired by crazymomquilts (I've got a lot of props to give her because, despite the fact that she doesn't know this, she's my quilting guru.)

I don't know if you can tell or not, but the binding is made from the leftover strips that I had from the backing when I trimmed it, offset around the edge, plus this awesome candy-cane-striped deal that I think my grandmother gave me a long time ago.

Here's some detail of the stippling also. I'm still not great at it and the quilting is still pretty wide apart, but I like the effect anyway.

First

2009-12-03T08:05:00.000-08:00

I've decided to add something new to my plate.

A quilting and sewing blog.

I'm new at quilting so I can't really promise much, but I want to share what I am doing. And this is the time to do it ... I've got my Christmas projects underway, lots of plans for next year, and a few completed projects laying around the house. At least I'll have the first few posts taken care of ...