Quilt #2: Retro

Quilt #2 from Simply Retro was.... Retro. I knew from the first time I saw it, that it was destined for "some" of my Navy Penny dot stash. I was trying to think about how many yards of that particular print I have used in the last few years... and it's a lot. I'm like a dog in search of a bone, I don't give up. Anyway, just guessing, it's at least 10 yards, and I still have a few left. 

Back to the point. Retro in Navy Penny Dots. Yes. 

I made this one fairly quickly after I made Swell. I haven't had the chance to quilt it yet, and really haven't decided if I want to tackle it myself. This one comes together SO quickly. It looks great in a solid, but I'm wondering if it wouldn't look good in a scrappy version too. I'm thinking a la @mommy2lu and the wonders she did with Vintage. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go look her up on IG. It's amazing.

Isn't that the great thing about quilts/quilt patterns/quilters? You can take one pattern, and it totally takes a life of it's own, depending on it's maker.

My hiatus from the Simply Retro book will end after January. My plan is to jump into a APQ Tone-It-Down Quilt along, and then maybe in February hit Quilt #3.

 The Holidays are upon us, and while I don't have a boat load of stuff to do, it's enough to at least fill a canoe.

Happy Sewing my fellow Makers!

Pattern Testing: Constant Sunshine

I had the chance to pattern test for @simplybekah. Most of us know her, and her kindness, and unwavering support and encouragement for the quilting community. She has written her first pattern, Constant Sunshine, and it. is. gorgeous. It reminds me a little of Swoon. It has 9 big blocks, which I LOVE, and it looks great when you add in coordinating solids. 

I used Daysail for the first time, and it is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I am typically drawn to blues, and greens, and the navy in this line is spot on. I also added Essex Linen in Steel, which has also become a favorite. 

I can't wait for her to release her pattern to the public and to see what awesome combinations everyone comes up with!

Simply Retro Quilt #1 - Swell in Hello Darling

There are a lot of reasons I began this sewing journey through Camille Roskelley's Simply Retro book. Most of them fall in the "fan girl" category. Other reasons include simple things: She makes awesome patterns, that are easy to follow, even if you are new to this quilting game. Her fabric is GORGEOUS. AND there are so many quilts on my list, I need a focus; a place to start. 

The first quilt in her book is Swell. I have seen several versions of this quilt. Check out #swellquilt and you can see for yourself.  One of my favorites is this one by @windyrisepatchwork. I love April Showers, but add that green and I fall in LOVE. 

I had a plan for Swell from the get go. Hello Darling. Because, Hello? This pattern is also perfect for a jelly roll. I also went with a patterned background instead of a solid. This is Firefly from Hello Bear by Bonnie Christine. 

I may have had some "assistance" while cutting fabric.

Always. Always. Always the hardest part for me when it comes to "scrappy" quilts is the randomness of being scrappy. I think my mind wants to make it uniform, so scrappy is hard for me. I've heard of people just putting their material in a bucket and pulling it out. Maybe I should try that next time...

The quilt went together very quickly. The only way I deviated from the pattern was that I didn't add the second border. I didn't have any Hello Darling yardage to work with, and I really just liked it this way. In all honesty, one thing I'm not to keen on when it comes to quilts --- Borders. I feel like it takes away from the quilt somehow.

Now - this one has been quilted and bound and ready for it's new home. I came up with an awesome plan for these quilts. I'm going to give them away. As a surprise. This one will make it's way to it's new owner freshly washed, wrinkled, and crinkled in just a few weeks.

We all have a TON of quilts, so I just knew these quilts would get a special home for some pretty special people! I mean, I can't really keep ALL the quilts. I can make them ALL but I can't keep them all.

(Since I don't trust the Brasil postal system, I have to wait for a carrier to deliver i.e., my mom is visiting next week, so she will take it back with her and mail it.)

13 Quilts: Ode to Camille Roskelley

I was on the treadmill this morning and I guess like some people have good ideas in the shower, the treadmill was the place for me. I had brought down my Simply Retro book just in case my phone died (which was at like 10%). As I'm flipping through, thinking about each quilt and what fabric I would use - I had an epiphany. What if I quilted my way through Simply Retro, like Julie did with Julia Child's cookbook. Genius, right? 

I have a list so long of quilts I want to make, a hoard of fabric that grows with each trip back to the US, and a serious case of Quilter's ADD - that often I find myself at a loss for what to make next. Problem solved! Follow the book. 

Instagram is THE social media outlet; it's quick and easy and voila! You snap a picture of your quilt and done! I think for this journey, I'm going to blog and IG. Is this adventure going to teach me anything? Who knows? Lessons to be learned, fabric to be used, etc. I don't know what, if anything, I will get out of it (other than some fabulous quilts) but, I'm excited. If you want to join me, great! I'm not going to do an official QAL - just a girl and her machine - making 13 quilts. #thelinenfox13quiltsandsimplyretro

The first quilt in the book, is Swell. LOVED this one from the beginning. But I'm unsure what to make it out of, so I'm skipping #1 and going to #2. 

Retro: Honestly. Didn't like this one at first. But when I decided what fabric to use - well, let's just say, I love me some Navy Pin Dots!

The rest of the quilts will be made strictly from my hoard of Bonnie and Camille fabrics. I love them, they are gorgeous, but they need to be used and loved. And really, it's only right to use them for this adventure.

***Disclaimer: This is not my entire fabric stash. Just a sample, no need to cause a riot or anything! And who knows what is being stored at my mom's house to take back in July!***

Quilting Quirks

Sewing and quilting gives me a lot of time to think. Most of the time it's about all the other stuff on my  "To-Do" list, or duties around the house that are being neglected because I would rather sew, but anyway... I was thinking the other night about all the little nuances that quilters have. 

Here is my list...Because quilter's have lists. 

1. Scraps. I save them. They are kind of, sort of, sometimes when I clean out the jars, organized. Not by color. I have a bag for selvedges, a bag for white, a bag for discarded triangles from Half Square Triangles (you know what I'm talking about) and then a bag of "others." Quilters save scraps. You never know when a project will come around that you need that piece for, and you can always go to the bin to create something. 

Now the saving of scraps isn't necessarily odd, but the crazy part of this habit lies in the size of the scraps. How small is too small? Where do you draw your line in the sand when it comes to discarding scraps? For me, it's hard. Really hard. I'm a fabric hoarder by nature, so it's in my blood to save. it. all. Pack rats for life, right? The stripe material is the smallest one I have right now. It measures 1" by 2.5" - And I always save the selvedges. There is a Pinterest idea that involves Toms and selvedges. A match made in heaven...Yes!

2. Cutters gonna Cut. Sort of. I started using a new Olfa rotary cutter in August. It's cut at least 5 quilt tops, and 7 zipper bags, and various other projects. The blade needed to be replaced. Reluctantly, I busted out my new aqua cutter with the new blade. Why was I reluctant to change the stupid blade? And I'm not the only one. Seriously. What is it about a dull blade that we hang on to for dear life? Are we desperately trying to get every last ounce of cutting ability out of the blade before we deem it worthy of being thrown away? I have no clue. But let me tell you, that brand new blade cuts like. butter. What was I thinking?

3. Quilter's ADD. True Story. We all suffer. We can be in the middle of a project going strong, when all of a sudden a fabric, a pattern, a quilt along, an idea, a swap....something zaps our attention from one project and throws us head first into another. Don't believe me? Ask any sewing or quilter how many projects they are working on? How many "Works In Progress" they have? I have three four major ones right now, some have 10 or 20. It's the creative mind at it's best. We live to create, we create to live, and our minds are never without an idea or something we want to do or try. Which leads me to #4.

4. The Quilt List. THE list. The one that holds all the quilts we want to make. There was a picture that floated around Instagram a few months ago, "Must Make All the Quilts." It's true. My phone is filled with screen shots of quilts I. MUST. MAKE. I can probably add 10 more to my list, if I just go through my picture log. It's the constant need to create that drives the list. The sense of accomplishment, and the fact that in the end you get something really beautiful out of it.

5. Fabric. Yes, we must have it. And no, there will never be a moment when I will think I have "enough." Refer to the list in #4. There will always be quilts to make, and fabric to be bought. Don't ask my husband about this. He thinks I need a Fabric Hoarders Anonymous group.

6. The Gift of Giving. I have made myself...Zero quilts. Seriously. I don't really count the one for my son as one for myself. Every quilt I have made goes to someone else. But I LOVE that. I love giving. I love choosing the fabric and pattern I think fits that person, giving my time and energy and love to each quilt, and then gifting it away. I've only ever sold one quilt. All the others were gifts. I think it's a blessing to use a talent like this to give to others. My goal for the next year is to gift some blankets to the NICU units in some children's hospitals. Or to some nursing homes. What a great lesson to teach our kids, using our gifts and talents to help serve others.

Where the Sewing Happens

I had just started sewing not too long before we moved to Brasil. I had a craft table in the office of our house and it wasn't really mine. The room anyway. It was mostly bookshelves piled with books, a desk, and then my corner.  When we moved into this apartment, I knew the exact place that would become mine. My area. For the most part. 

I always love seeing where people sew. And it's different for each person. Some have peculiar habits and ways, some sew in the kitchen...but the common denominator is that we sew wherever we can, because we HAVE to, you know? I've quilted on a dining room table, cut fabric on the floor, ironed in my bedroom...the where often doesn't matter so much as long as we are sewing. 

Anyway - when we do get a space that is ours, we are proud of it. And again, no one quite appreciates a designated sewing space like another quilter. 

Here is mine. 

This place is considered a den or small living room, off of our family room. It has a fireplace that I'm not sure functions, but is great for holding stuff. I haven't put any pictures up, and I probably won't, because I like putting up my WIP. They become my art, and I love that it changes. Side Note: It's not usually this clean. The cushions are always off the couch, the little one colored on it the other day)

This room comes equipped with a baby gate prison. I try to keep them out, but darn it, if they don't figure out a way to weasel in. I love my table. I stand up to sew. I think for some that wouldn't work, but for me it does. Especially when I have to leap over the fence to corral kids every few minutes. Most of the time I don't sew until they are asleep! It's safer that way!

I get the craft bug a lot. When I was pregnant with my first son, I saw a picture like this and decided I needed to paint one. I'm not sure why since it doesn't match our style at all. But when you're pregnant, sometimes things you do don't make sense. Now, I love it. It reminds me of Abby Latimer (@alatimer IG) she's a long arm quilter that I follow and she does some awesome work. She started doing an orange peel pattern on her quilts a while ago, and ever since then when I look at this...I think of her. We don't actually know one another.

For the most part, the table is always messy. My stash is somewhat rumpled, but there is always something going on. I've been back in Brasil for a month, and I'm three and a half quilts, and two bags in. I've been way more productive than I thought I would be.

There is a flaw with the current layout, however. Right now, I literally crawl under the table to get to the other side to sew. I want to be able to see the kids, and referee them, but it's hell on my knees. I can show you the bruises. When my husband gets a free moment, I need to have him move it..again.

So that's my space. I love it. I love it because it's mine...All mine.



I'll leave you with a few of my current inspirations, or things that I must make -- just add them to the super long, always growing, will never be done... List.

I made some quilted ABC's for a friend, and they turned out so cute. So when I saw these fish, I thought that they would make an excellent Christmas Gift.

I'm really into scrappy quilts. These next three photos are also on my "To Make" List. In fact, I've been in the process of hoarding Scrumptious and all my Bonnie and Camille scraps, just so I have enough to make at least a Scrappy Trip and the AQ - Tone it Down Quilt. (I think that's what it's called).

My Christmas List

Or "Ways to Increase My Stash" or "Guess Where My Money is Going?" There really are a lot of different titles I could give to this post. It's really all to say that there are some really awesome lines of fabric coming out soon. That are going to make it impossible for me to say no to them. I guess I'll take one for the team...  :o)


You may not realize this, but I'm a HUGE Bonnie and Camille fan. I pretty much love all the lines that they have come out with, as well as their patterns. This February they will launch their next line Daysail. I Love. It. For a lot of reasons. One: While it still has floral, there are some serious graphic prints and "boy" prints that I can use. Let's face it...Quilting for boys is hard. Two: Love the Blues, specifically the navy. Three: It's different. I know, they are all different. But this one seems really different. The colors are bright and fresh. And who can't see this sitting on a shelf just waiting to be made into a fantastic quilt for the beach, or for picnics!

Either way. It's at the top of Santa's List.

Running a really close second for Christmas List status is the Limited Edition Line from Art Gallery Fabrics, designed by Katy Jones.

Love. Love. Love. Everything about this line. (Photo credits go to LiveArtGalleryFabrics.com)

These two prints just scream to be made into a backing for a quilt.  I can't say that I love them enough.

This line comes with Knits and Voile. I don't even know what Voile is, but darn it, if I'm not going to look it up and find out. I'll need at least a HY or Full Yard bundle. 

Patchworkthreads.com -- Have you seen their shirts? Do you own one? or five? Seriously, so comfortable and modern/graphic enough that you can flaunt your quilting style without wearing a quilted appliqué vest. (Unless you are into that sort of thing.)

I have the Hexie Shirt, Make It, I Quilt So I Don't Kill People (Ain't that the truth!), and the Gold Flying Geese. Trust me. Eventually I can wear one each day, which also saves time in the morning. Not that I dress up. Ever. But these make me feel cute, and a little more dressed up than the 15 year old yearbook camp t-shirt I usually wear.