Sewing Night

I'm almost finished with a Mystery quilt that Sara and I started... um... probably five years ago?...  It's about damn time!!

Sara's quilt - done these last five years...

 I was thinking of trading this one to a friend for some end tables he's making me, but decided that he'll get the next one.  This one has sentimental value - the first Mystery Quilt class that Sara and I did together - and I just love the colors.  When I get pictures of the one Nita is working on, I'll post - to show her progress, but also because that'll be the same kind I end up trading to my friend.  I think that one's next on the list - or maybe a baby quilt and then that one... But still have to finish this one.  Top is done, just have to get the layers together...  Yay!!

Making Progress

I'm making progress on the quilt I'm putting together.  It's from the first Mystery Quilt class that Sara and I did together.  Sara's has been done for years now, and I should have my finished within the next month or two...  Center of the quilt is done, and we spent a while figuring out borders.  I'll be putting on three, so we had to determine placement, width, and whether or not I have enough fabric.  Normally a pattern will give you all that information.  In this case, the pattern calls for two borders and a binding.  I'd purchased the fabrics for the quilts a long time ago and now want to use the binding fabric as a third border.  Changes dimensions slightly for the outer border and I can't remember how much fabric I bought for any of the three.  The next time I post pictures, the quilt should have its borders.  After that, it's a matter of putting the layers together.  I'm almost there...

(By the way, that picture was from the camera on my phone.  I'm pretty pleased with the quality...)

Look What Happens...

...when you've got a project with a deadline...

Nita ended up with a tight timeline to finish TWO quilts.  Need to have them both done before the 16th, since she's giving them away for Christmas and that's the date of the get-together.  While there's lots of work to do, we're fairly confident that we can get the work done in time...

Nita did lots of sewing on her own, and the times I was there I helped out by ironing to speed things along.  Sew the squares into strips, then sew the strips together; add a border or two and voila! You've got a finished quilt top.

 

Do that twice over and we're ready to put the layers together.  Pin the quilt top to the batting, then trim.  Lay the quilt face/batting layer on the right side of the backing fabric, pin, then trim.

Sew together (it's inside out right now), leaving a large-ish gap in one side.  Pull the fronts of the quilt (currently inside) out of the hole, then hand stitch the hole closed.  A little top stitching to hold the layers together, and you've got yourself two Christmas presents done before gift-giving.  Way to go, Nita!

After the holidays we'll pick up again with the other quilts.  Payton's deadline is sometime in April, and I've still got several kits to finish up (at least one of which is the pattern that Anita just finished here)...

It's About Time

A long, long time ago (say, two years and longer ago), I took several Mystery Quilt classes.  This is where you sign up for a class at the local quilting fabric shop.  You get a packet of fabrics and the first step of making the quilt.  You have absolutely no idea what the pattern is going to be in the beginning.  When you attend class, you get more and more of the instructions, and by the end you know the pattern and there's usually a finished product available to view.  The classes that I went to are generally a half day - definitely not long enough for me to put it all together.  But you get copies of the instructions to take home and you can finish the quilt at your leisure.  Thank goodness, since apparently my leisure is... *ages*... and my memory is not so hot after such a long break.

Well, I think I took at least four (maybe five) of the classes, and have only ever finished ONE of the quilts.  Time to get my ducks in a row and get some of these things done!

Went to Nita's to work some on my quilt.  While I was doing that, she was working on one of hers; and Payton started working on his (he'll be doing two, but they're the same pattern so he can work on them together).  It's... what... three weeks 'til Christmas?  Lots of work to do, but I think we can get it done.

The biggest problem I'll have with mine is figuring out what we did for the borders.  The instructions list two borders, but I have three border fabrics.  Fortunately for me, Sara was in this class with me (and she finished her quilt ages ago), so she can take pictures and measure the widths on her quilt.  Then I'll adjust for raw fabric and figure out what I need to do.  But that's a different day.

Today was ironing.  Lots and lots of ironing.  Three irons going for four different quilts.  It'll be a quilt making factory for a while, but it's always so nice to see the progress and feel that sense of accomplishment.

Stack 'n Slash

It's Baby Time!! Not for me, of course. For a friend of ours. I've made lots of baby quilts - primarily the Trip Around the World pattern (examples here). This time, I wanted to try something new, but easy - since we didn't have a whole lot of time before the shower. I'm great at procrastinating...

We picked the Stack 'n Slash quilt. Basically, you take 10" squares of a bunch of different fabrics, stack them up, cut them, rotate the top of one side to the bottom, then sew them back together.

Repeat that process two more times, then trim the squares to 8" and sew together. Next add the border. Then layer the backing, batting, and top and sew together. A little top stitching, and voila!

Nita did all the sewing, and I did the cutting and ironing. Teamwork! A nice bonus is that you can hardly tell (unless you look really hard) where I wasn't paying attention and didn't trim the squares up right (I blame it on America's Got Talent). Could have been a real problem with another pattern, but it turned out fine for this one.

The entire process took about a week of evenings. There's another baby due soon - I think I'm going to do this one again, but change some of the angles of the cuts to see how it comes out. Should go a little quicker, since we've got some experience.

The Sewing Bee - Final Prep

Heather & Anita found a small flaw in one of the squares - probably from some of the unpicking we all did. So before we finish the quilt, we need to patch the flaw so it doesn't fray or tear. (I took the pictures using the "macro" feature that I just learned how to use - wahoo!)

Little Tear

Heather & Anita picked out some cute designs from one of the fabrics and cut them out. Then, Anita & I went shopping on Monday (yeah - holiday!) for fabric glue. We found a liquid kind and an iron on - so got them both to test.

Cute Patches

The first one down was done with the iron on stuff - since we didn't think it'd be good to iron on the glued down stuff.

Iron-on Flower Patch>

The second piece was done using a fabric glue - it needs to set or dry for 24 hours, but should be good as gold after that.

Glue-on Heart Patch

Now we're going to do a little bit of stitching around the patches, just to make sure they're secure. Then all that's left is the stitching in the ditch - for the 3rd & final quilt. I'm still amazed that in six sittings we will have completed 3 quilts. Way to go team!!

The Sewing Bee - Fifth Night

After a brief haitus, we're back at it and we're coming to the finish. One more night and all three baby quilts will be done. Absolutely amazing!! It's incredible to see the progress, and know that in only 5 sittings we have two quilts complete and we'll have the 3rd one done tomorrow (yeah holidays!). And Heather's quilt is coming right along too - all the borders are on, now it's time to figure out batting & backing. My girls worked hard again today. Anita was stitching in the ditch and finished two of the quilts (including washing & drying so we could see the final product), and Heather added three borders to her twin quilt.

Hard at Work

Heather finished all her borders just in time for dinner, and Anita finished the stitching for one of the baby quilts and almost half of a second one. After a lovely dinner of Chinese New Year's Chicken (thanks Todd!), Anita finished the last of the second quilt. One more to go. We have a tiny flaw in one of the squares, so tomorrow we're going to do some creative patching and then finish the quilt. Almost there!!

Done Before Dinner!

Anita & Kelly worked together on the first baby quilt - a present from auntie & grandma to a new family addition. Congrats!! And Kelly did most of the work piecing together the second quilt. All in all, I did very little sewing (maybe 10 minutes max), but made up for it by cutting, ironing, and directing.Way to go team!!

Lovely Presentations

The Sewing Bee - Fourth Night Continued

I was able to get a picture of Heather's work from our 4th night of sewing before she did more, so here 'tis! Such *fabulous* colors! And there's more to come, as she joined us again on the 5th night of sewing...

A Twin "Trip Around the World"

The Sewing Bee - Fourth Night

It's exciting to see all the progress we've made - wahoo!! Anita put together the last baby quilt top today - then sewed the borders on all three. Then we put the top, batting, & back fabric together, trimmed it & she sewed them together. What's left? We need to hand-stitch a small section, then stitch in the ditch (to sew the three layers together). Then they're done. Only four get-togethers and three baby quilts are almost done. Fabuloso!!

Side note:I had a malfunction when I downloaded the pix from my camera. The software said it downloaded 10, but there were only 9 - and everything's been deleted from the card. I'm bummed that I lost the picture of Heather's quilt. She put the whole top of her quilt together (excluding the borders). The colors are fantastic, and it's fun to see the pattern on a larger scale. I'll have to get a new shot to post...

Quilt-tops with Borders

Putting the layers together was relatively easy. We laid the batting out, then pinned the top to it. Trimmed everything to match. Then laid the backing face down to the top, pinned & trimmed again. (Basically, the quilt was inside out.) Then Anita sewed the three layers together, leaving a 8-10" opening, which we used to reverse the quilts so they are now right sides out - just need to hand sew closed the little opening. No need for binding, and the sewing took much less time...

Putting Layers Together

...And the (mostly) Finished Product...

More Fun from 3rd Night of Sewing

More pix from 3rd night - sewing bliss! Look at all the hard worker-bees... They're doing such a *fantastic* job!! I even sewed a stitch or two... =) Thanks to Todd for providing fresh images of our fun!

Hard at Work - or Hardly Workin'?

The Sewing Bee - Late Class

After we cleaned up and took pictures (and Heather went home), Anita & Kelly decided they were game for more sewing. So we did. Had a minor bump in the road - 'Nita's machine needed some TLC, so Todd helped out by fixing and doing some test sewing. Now two of the baby quilt tops are done, except for the borders. If they get antsy before I show up tomorrow, the third top might be done as well. Got to stop by the fabric store tomorrow to get batting. Wow. We should finish putting them together tomorrow - that would leave just stitching in the ditch. Wonder if we'll have a complete one? Update tomorrow!!

Repairing the Tired Machine & Testing

Quilt-tops at the Ready - Wahoo!!

The Sewing Bee - Third Night

Things are cruising right along!! Anita & Kelly sewed the remaining strips together, so by the time I got there it was time to cut strips of squares. We had a new joiner to the club. Heather has already been working on a "Trip Around the World" - a twinner, 'stead of the baby size. She had a bunch done already, so by the time we quit we're all at the same spot - quarters are done. Now it's time to put the quarters together to make a whole piece. Then the border. Then putting together the front, back, & batting. Last piece is to secure the layers - I use the "stitch in the ditch" method...

Heather Joins the Bee

Anita Cuts Strips of Squares

The Rows Beyond A&B

Sewing Buddies

4 Quarters - Ready to Go