Before and After

Before, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

I don't know if it's been obvious but I do get sidetracked easily. Last night I ran across this blog, Sew Fantastic, which has a great idea for storing my shelves of teetering fabric (let's be clear that it's the fabric that teeters, not the shelves which are bolted to the wall (thanks Chuck!)). Warning though, it's one of those sites that plays music so you have to scroll down to the bottom of the page to turn it off . . . every page. At any rate, the idea for using comic book boards is delightful and I happen to have a store that carries them just a few miles away (and a friend willing to move her car on Street Fair weekend) so we came home with two sizes.

And voila, my new, non tumbling, non hiding other fabric, blue shelf. Added bonus, all my blues will now fit on the same shelf.

After, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

I just need to get the smaller bits to wrap the fat quarters around. Oh and a zillion more boards but at least they are inexpensive.

After Blue, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

I also finished the quilting on both the new project and grandpa's quilt. Hands, get ready for some binding!

PS If anyone needs any of that blue dragonfly fabric, just let me know. I'm a sharer.

New project

New project, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

While waiting for the thread to finish my grandpa's quilt, I sorted a bit of stuff in the sewing room and started donating stuff. And hey, while I'm at it, why not start something new? I started loading this project before work, pieced together the batting and was ready to start quilting tonight. So wouldn't you know it, the thread showed up at my door this afternoon. Thanks FedEx but could you have put that on your website maybe?

Anyway, the backing is fantastic and perfect for the intended recipient of this little project. It's a great pantograph of New Orleans which I ran across not long after going to Jazz Fest there. I'm just hoping that you don't have to know exactly what it is before you can see the pictures.

Inspiration

Starting with this picture and a vague plan. . .

photo.JPG, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

We got to this little tiny quilt. . .

photo.JPG, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

With little tiny (1/2 inch by 1/2 inch) raw edge labels on each drawer.

photo.JPG, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

It was delivered this morning to my co-worker who has taken over the filing system with pizazz. She promptly hung it up and will now just point to the drawer that people need papers from. Ahhh, silliness pays off :)


In keeping with my new plan to record things about things, this quiltlet finished up at 11 x 17 and the binding matches the backing.

Grandpa's Crackle

Grandpa's Crackle, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

Some of my progress this weekend. And yes, I was thinking about finishing the quilting on a twin size quilt the same day I started so that I could drive it up to my mom before she left for her drive to Utah. And yes, that would have meant leaving at 5 am this morning to get it up there in time.

I would have done it too, if it weren't for those pesky kids, errr, lack of thread. Turns out that 1,200 yards is NOT enough for swirling all over this big quilt. So the order is in and I'll wait patiently for my thread order and finish this puppy.

Here's a few more pictures from the front where the quilting looks a little less random.

Grandpa's Crackle, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

Grandpa's Crackle, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

Oh, and yummmmmm, I'm back to these now -

Grandpa's Crackle, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

All the extras

All the extras, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

I've got the whole center piece together now and hope to add borders tonight so I can hopefully quilt it over the weekend. But as I was putting the blocks together, I realized that everything still on my wall was how much I added to the original kit. It's going to be big!

I also have a couple of small projects to work on/finish for gifts so hope to have that done this weekend too.

Sorry Buckminster Fuller

photo.JPG, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

I'm just not a fan of triangles these days. There's an awful lot of matching, measuring, resewing, measuring, trimming and deciding that it doesn't matter in these triangles once I got done with the laser cut pieces.

I've finished all the mega blocks though (although there will not be holes like this picture shows).

A Traveler

A Traveler, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

Not the usual thing I picture when I refer to a traveler but this will have to do for my next adventure since open containers are frowned upon at the airports in this state.

So I shall tuck my scissors in my checked luggage and stitch away on the plane while I plot how to get out of a bridal fair extravaganza that my lawyer, er, sister wants me to attend.

Bundle a Little Love

http://ibol.wordpress.com/I'll be taking advantage of some Labor Day sales this weekend to add needles, etc to a couple of bundles to send out on this project - Iraqi Bundles of Love (IBOL II). It's the second round for this project.

IBOL Website

Progress

Progress, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

I've made some progress on a quilt for my grandpa. This much is a great kit from Quilter's Paradise. I normally don't buy kits but they had me at laser cut with this one. Throw in some swirls and I was hooked.

My grandpa is a big guy though so a mere lap quilt just wasn't going to be big enough. Enter the search for 2 fabrics the store didn't have at the time. The ladies there were very helpful though and we were able to track down the fabric lines (if not exact numbers) and I was able to find one online and one that worked well enough. Those that know me though know that well enough doesn't work for me. Hooray, the store got in more of the aqua blender and the project was saved!

The pieces up here are 12 blocks with a finished size of 12 inches. I'm adding on 18 more blocks and taking it from a 52 x 64 lap quilt to a 76 x 88 twin.

So far I've got all the new pieces cut (and did not once consider getting a laser cutter) so can start sewing tomorrow morning and sighing over the fact that I have to trim corners with this batch.

More Pieces, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

Fandango Layer Cakes

Ahhhhhhhhh, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

I've started the Fandango (my new favorite Kate Spain fabric) and made up a couple of blocks. This is happy fabric and every time I pick up a new piece, I have a new favorite pattern/color. Until I pick up the next one. . . . .



I don't have the whole stack sewn together because of this little chore that needed to be done. All that fuzz was in the bottom of my poor machine.

Pile of Fuzz, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.


And for those keeping track, no I haven't figured out a project for my old new favorite, Verna, yet.