Finished: "Seismic" Bee Quilt

It's Friday! And I'm not working this weekend! And I have a finish! It's a good day :)

This quilt was made with blocks from the ladies of the Stash Bee, Hive #3 group back in February.  I asked for modern bargello blocks, you can see the original tutorial I asked everyone to follow here.  Somewhere along the way a commenter said the blocks reminded them of waves, so I decided to name the quilt "Seismic".

This quilt had a rocky road to completion.  First I attempted to sash it with yellow, but it just wasn't right.  Then I cut apart the yellow sashing and inserted dark denim fabric, leading to the uneven yellow strips which I decided I loved.  Then I decided to try to quilt it with Amanda Jane's honey comb quilting, but ran into major distortion and wrinkling.  It sat as a UFO for a few months, but finally I picked out the mistakes and finished it!

I wasn't in love with this quilt until I quilted it and got the binding on. The quilting and that red binding made this quilt for me!  It's quilted with a grey thread in straight lines with some large overlapping circles added at the end.

This is a big quilt. Something like 80" x 87".  I am planning to keep it and add it to the rotation of quilts that go on my bed.  I went with a pieced back again. Even using IKEA fabric that measures 60" wide I had to add some to the side.  I chose the music fabric because the waves on the front kind of reminded me of sound waves, too.

The strip on the edge contains a couple of extra blocks and some soft grey polka dot fabric.  I like the back of this quilt almost as well as the front.

Thanks ladies for all your great blocks!!

Linking up to Finish it Friday.

Quilting ADD

I was anxious to sew today before going back to work tomorrow, but I couldn't seem to settle on what to do. (Matters weren't helped by the fact that every time I got near my bed and saw Wilson snoozing I'd crash for a little nap.)  I started out quilting background lines on the Lonestar quilt, but quickly decided I didn't want to spend my whole day on that.

Next, I got out the "Seismic" quilt, made with blocks contributed by the ladies of the Stash Bee Hive #3 back in February.  I had originally started to quilt this one with the honey comb quilting design from Crazy Mom Quilts but ran in to trouble. After sitting idle for several months I finally picked out the offending stitches and got busy quilting it with simple lines.

I quilted for a while.  Picked out the remaining honey comb quilting. Made lunch. Took a nap. And, finally, got back to quilting.  After finishing the straight lines I overlaid them with a few large circles and called it good. I was actually able to get this baby DONE today, so watch for it on Friday's finish post!

Once I tossed the finished quilt into the washer I started on a new WIP, cutting out Dresden fans with my new ruler for a wall hanging I have in my mind's eye.  All in all it's not a bad day's progress, despite being a bit scattered.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday, check out the other entries!

One step forward, Two steps back

So this is what I've been doing in my evenings this week.  I have a couple of partially-quilted quilts which became UFOs because I began quilting them and then realized my plans weren't going to work.  Un-sewing is not my preferred way to spend my sewing time, (hence these have been sitting idle for a while... months?) but it's the perfect way to spend an evening when you're exhausted and just want to watch TV and do something mindless with your hands.

Tomorrow I'll have the post up about finishing the sail boat quilt :) Happy Hump Day!

Hi, My name is Kat...

...and I'm a quilter. (All reply: "Hi, Kat.")

I feel like I've admitted to a new level of quilting addiction. I finally ordered a whole bolt of quilt batting.  90"x30yds of fluffy white goodness.  I mean, as long as I was only buying enough batting for a few quilts at a time I wasn't really in over my head; I could stop at any time. (Really, I could have stopped...)  But buying 30yds of batting at once, well, I'm admitting (to myself and everyone else) that I'm in for a long haul :)

A new bolt of batting. Now, to find a place to put it...

  I decided to go with Hobbs Heirloom Natural with Scrim.   I like Hobbs for its lighter weight (as compared to my other standard, Warm and Natural) and with the scrim it can be quilted 8" or 10" apart.  I like not having to worry about density when I'm quilting.  I ordered from Kingsmen Quilting Supply and they were wonderful to work with!

Since I wrapped up the do. Good Stitches quilt I was kind of at a loss for what to work on next for a few days.  I decided to try to get back to quilting my Stash Bee quilt (not least of all because I needed to reclaim the pins its basted with).  I had planned to honeycomb quilt it (seen below).  I love how this quilting looks when it's finished and I think it would have been great on this quilt, but... it just wasn't going to happen. 

I hated the long stitch length that I got no matter how I tweaked the settings, and I was having huge problems with the quilt top shifting and getting folds in the back.  I never have those sort of problems anymore!  Finally I decided to rip out the quilting that I'd done so far (thankfully, barely any) and straight line quilt horizontally and vertically instead.

I got 1/4 of the way done yesterday, so just maybe this quilt will be done sometime in the near future.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday.

Design Wall Monday

I'm trying something new, linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.  The so-far-unnamed animal quilt top is on the wall.   This is going to be a really busy week at school for me (and therefor a slow sewing week) so I will probably get to stare at it all week and contemplate quilting.  It is going to be for an drawing, which I'll tell you more about later, so I do have a deadline, but I still have some time.

Seismic, my stash bee quilt, has now grown to the point that it has graduated to the "design floor" because that's the only way I can see the whole things at once.  I broke up the cheddar sashing with a really dark blue and it helped the top a lot.  I think this one might be done; I really don't think it needs borders.  In any case it's going to be a while before I get around to basting it, so I have lots of time to decide if it needs more.

WIP Wednesday: Seismic

Ok, so no awards for my photography tonight.  I am worn out! These are my blocks from the Stash Bee up on the design wall.  There is one more column of blocks which won't fit on the wall; it goes to the right of these.  This is going to be large quilt.  On the order of 80" square all told.  Many thanks to my bee members who sent so many great blocks!  I've decided to name it Seismic Waves.

I am conflicted about the sashing on these...  I though golden yellow was going to be the right choice for uniting all the different blocks, but it looks awfully cheddar.  I think I am going to cap the columns off and border the whole thing in a really nice dark blue to hopefully chill it out.  We'll see if that works.  Any suggestions? Any one?

Linking up to WIP Wednesday, check it out!

Quick picture post

Blocks from my month as queen of the stash bee! Now I just have to decide on a sashing :)

Stash Bee, Hive #3 February

This month is my month to be the Queen Bee of my Hive in the Stash Bee; I've been participating in this bee since about this time last year. I thought it would be fun to post my introduction and block here as well.

Hello Hive #3!  I'm so excited that it's finally February.  I have to say, I've been enjoying this Bee immensely and sewing up all the fun blocks that you guys have chosen.  I hope you like the block I've picked for this month.  So, on to the getting-to-know-you bit.

Hiking at White Sand in New Mexico

My name is Kat and I live in North-East Texas with my cat-allergic cat, Wilson.  I am currently in nursing school; I should graduate in May and become an RN.  I'm hoping to get a job in a trauma ICU, then later move on to Mercy Ships.  In between school and quilting I enjoy traveling, sailing, and working backstage on community theatre shows.

Crewing on the Hawaiian Chieftain

My day job currently is working at a t-shirt shop where I run a large embroidery machine.  It's a thread-happy job but not the same as quilting, for sure. I also work periodically as a dresser on touring Broadway shows when they come through our area, most recently West Side Story.

Wilson: Chief Quilt Inspector

The hardest quilt I have ever made would either be the Carpenter's Star I made last Christmas with it's insane number of Y-seams, or the Ocean Waves quilt this Christmas, which was a pure endurance challenge.  Both of these were more traditional designs which are not my norm.  The majority of my quilts are distinctly modern and I prefer to create my own designs rather than following a pattern.  Still, if I had it to do over I'd make these both the same way again.

The Carpenter's Star with its happy recipient

My mom originally turned me loose with a sewing machine and some general direction when I was around 8.  I think the first thing I made was a pillow.  I sewed occasionally until I was 21 when I began teaching myself to quilt on a whim.  I've learned to quilt through a combination of trial and error, consulting the internet, and observing the experts.

Action kitty Wilson pounces the krinkly ball

My favorite dessert food is dark chocolate... any kind, really.  As far as baked goods go, probably sweet potato pie.  I'm a good southerner like that.  The last time I laughed really hard was at my cat, Wilson, doing acrobatics chasing after a krinkly ball.

Finding joy in a very special little boy discovering cotton candy

My life philosophy is tricky to answer, but I think it would be: be joyful!  Find your joy in every situation, because it is there.

The Block 

The block I've chosen for this month is the modern bargello block introduced by Amy in the Something New Sampler.  Her tutorial is here.  I've had a long time to think about, and change my mind about my block, but when I saw this I knew it was the one.  

Amy's Block

The only (potential) change from her tutorial is size.  The tutorial makes a 14.5" x 7.5" block. I am asking for a block 13.5" wide by at least 7.5" tall. I noticed that I had a hard time getting mine to 14.5" inches wide so I'm giving you an inch more wiggle room in your trimming. 

You can make your block in any height you choose as long as it's at least 7.5".  To increase the height just cut your original strips longer where she cuts hers to 12".  I cut one set of mine to 20.5" and the final block was 14.5" long, the other set I cut to 24.5" and it ended up 17".  

You can also mix up the number/widths of your strips at the beginning as long as their width after they're sewn together but before you sew them into a tube measures at least/about 15".  

Amy specifies to press all the seams open but it isn't important to me whether you do or not.

My blocks

I am asking for blocks in blue, grey, and purple with pops of red and yellow. Please use a mix of solids and prints.  For the background use a solid of either blue, grey, or purple. 

I kept my bargello waves pretty tight, but feel free to make their sweeps more dramatic.  I can't wait to see all your different blocks! I am the opposite of a perfectionist so please don't sweat it if your block ends up a little small or something.  Make another if you feel like you should, but send along the wonky one, too. I'll make it work :) 

I am asking for one large or two small blocks (I'll leave it up to you to determine what sizes qualify) but of course if you want to make more I'll be thrilled.

If you'd like to send a signature block please sign a 5.5" x 3.5" solid color block.  

Thanks everyone! I hope that is all the info you need but please email me with any questions and I will do my best to answer.