Sew Thinky: Sewing gifts

This weeks' Sew Thinky Thursday question is:

Who do you like to sew for the most?

That's an easy, yet complicated question.  The answer is:  Anyone who will let me!  I've been really into embellishing towels or burp cloths for weddings or baby showers.

If the baby shower is for a really good friend (too bad most of my friends had their first babies before I got into quilting), I'll make a quilt.

But when it comes to full-size quilts, those so far have only been for family.  Making a full size quilt is a HUGE investment and takes a lot of time and even more money.  Only the most important people in my life get quilts from me - at this point.  I'd love to be good enough/fast enough/stashed enough to make quilts for other people someday.  :)

Of course, I'm always looking for excuses to make something for my kids.  And I'm always on the lookout for cute boy fabric.

Looking back, it seems like the most gifted person so far has been my sister.  She's graduated from college and lives in a little place of her own, so naturally she needs lots of stuff to put in it.  And when she gets married, I'll just have to make another quilt for her. ;)

Of course, I DID recently make this donation quilt for our local Veteran's Home.  It has been my first experience making something big (twin size) to give to someone I'll probably never meet.

 I have loved working on it, and I'm sad to give it away.  But when you really come down to the cold, honest truth you find out that I really sew for one person.  Myself.  I do it because I love to do it.  Those people who are recipients of my crazy hobby are just lucky.

Linking up!

p.s. In case you haven't heard already - my Quilt of Valor is part of the Something New Sampler over at The Cute Life.  There is still ONE DAY left to hop over and vote for your favorite finish.  Voting ends at midnight on Friday, March 22nd.

Sew Thinky Thursday: Bad Habits

I've missed a few weeks worth of Sew Thinky posts.  Oops.  A few weeks ago, the topics were about sewing friends and guilds.  Although I have lots of friends, and some of them even sew, I felt like I couldn't really call them my "sewing friends."  Although some of them have voiced their opinions that they would like that to change.  We really need to get together soon and teach each other our crafty skills!  (wink, wink)

Last week the question was about our favorite Kona Solid colors.  I meant to write a quick post claiming Lagoon and Leprechaun as my favorite colors, with some form of white as my go-to color.  To be completely honest, I usually have a sizeable stash of bleached muslin on hand.  It's cheap, but so far it has been serving me well.   However, I've been using purely Kona Solids in my Storm at Sea quilt and I can definitely tell a difference.  Kona is amazing.

And now for this week's question:

Bad sewing habits. Do you have them? Share with us, what are your worst habits when it comes to sewing?

I've been thinking about this.   And then last night I had a little... discussion with my husband about my habit of leaving the iron on.  I thought for sure I was getting better at not leaving it on all the time, but it turns out I still have lots of room to improve.  I never leave my iron or its cord within reach of the kids, but I have a bad habit of forgetting to turn it off.  Sometimes it will stay on all day long (cringe).  What about you?  What are your bad habits?

Also, if you haven't already - there is still time to go and vote for your favorite finish in the Something New Sampler!

Here's my quilt:

Sew Thinky Thursday: My Style

Here is this week's question for Sew Thinky Thursday:

Describe your quilting style. Who or what influences you? How do you see your style changing over time?

I usually just describe my quilting style as "modern."  I know that is such a loose term, but I have never been a big fan of "traditional" quilts.  If it weren't for this modern quilting movement going on, I never would have found such a fun hobby.  I generally like my quilts bright and colorful, with lots of negative space and I love squares.  I also prefer the look of machine quilting over hand quilting.

As far as my style changing - I see a lot more paper piecing and applique in my future.  I used to be a strictly straight lines/regular piecing only kinda girl, but I am branching out and learning that paper piecing and applique (although they sometimes feel like cheating) are super easy and super fun. :)

I am mostly inspired by blogs.  I am almost entirely self-taught, so quilting blogs are pretty much THE reason I even own a sewing machine. ;)  I read a lot of blogs, but there are a few out there that stand out to me as having a quilting style that matches my own.  Some of my favorites right now are From the Blue Chair, Freshly Pieced, and The Elven Garden.

Of course, there is also Pinterest.  Here are a few of my favorite pins (at the moment).  I think these help define my personal quilting style:

SOURCE:  Sweet Jane Etsy Shop

SOURCE:  Film in the Fridge

SOURCE:  Elizabeth Hartman via Sew Mama Sew

SOURCE:  Nero's Post and Patch

SOURCE:  Kate Conklin Designs

SOURCE:  Kelby Sews Etsy Shop

SOURCE:  Geta's Quilting Studio

SOURCE:  Flourishing Palms

What about you?  What is your quilting style?  Write about it and link up HERE. 

Sew Thinky Thursday: Something Meaningful

This week's question for Sew Thinky Thursday is:

What is the most meaningful thing you've ever made?

I should probably tell you that the most meaningful thing I've made was something for one of my kids (wait a minute - do kids count as "something meaningful I've made"?), but I really haven't made anything specifically for them, other than a few bibs and their growth charts.  I made a few baby quilts before they were born, but it's not quite the same when you don't even know what your baby's gender is yet. ;)

So far, the quilt that has meant the most to me is the Fandango quilt I made for my in-laws (My apologies to all those who have already seen this about a hundred times).

I worked on this quilt for a really long time (not having a deadline helps), so it was a big part of my life for awhile.  

I deliberated for a long time on fabric choices and then placement.  I really wanted this quilt to match the in-laws bedroom, as well as their personalities.  I think the deliberation payed off, because it fits in perfectly on their bed (despite the fact that it's a tad short - sigh).

I even ventured outside of my norm and tried some fancy quilting, which turned out great! 

The in-laws love it, which makes me super happy.  I am lucky to have amazing in-laws.  They have been so great to embrace me as an extra daughter and immerse me in their family.  They have taught me a lot about how to be a better person and how to have fun.  I really felt like they deserved something special, so this quilt was made with lots of love.

I still feel bad that it never got a proper photo shoot, these pictures don't do it justice.  Either way, it is one of my most favorite quilts ever. 

Sew Thinky Thursday: My Sewing Beginnings

I caught wind this morning of a new linky party going on at Mommy's Nap Time and was intrigued.  I've been thinking about what I would say and decided to go ahead and join in!  Emily is asking a quilting/sewing related question each week and asking people to link up their answers.  It will be a great opportunity for us to talk quilty talk without boring our husbands to death!  :)

Here is this week's question:

When did you start sewing? Tell us a bit about your sewing history. When did you realize you were really hooked?

My mom sewed a bit when I was  little, but I never took much interest in it myself.  She made lots of clothes for us as babies, which we later used for our dolls.  Both of my grandmas (now passed on) were very much into traditional quilting.  There was always a quilt on the frames upstairs at Grandma J's house and one year Grandma R made quillows for every single one of her grandkids - which we all cherish because they were the last things she made for us before she died of cancer.  I also have a quilt on my bed that Grandma J made when I graduated from High school.  I wish they were still around to see me learn and become engrossed in this new quilting movement. 

My Quillow from Grandma

When I was around 8, I went with two of my cousins to spend a week with my Aunt.  She taught us how to crosstitch and transferred some simple designs onto dishtowels to keep us busy during the week.  When I got home, I begged my mom to buy me more crosstitching supplies.  Crosstitching has been a major hobby of mine ever since.  My family watches a lot of movies and I loved having something to do with my hands.

 

It wasn't until after I got married that I started getting the itch to make a quilt.  The Hubby hates watching movies with the lights on, so my crosstitching hobby was slowing down (plus I was leaning towards learning new skills that actually produced useful things).  I have always wanted to make a jean quilt, so we saved our jeans for a year or two and then I spent practically a whole summer (in between school years - since I was teaching at the time) working on a quilt.  Since I really didn't know what I was doing, I spent most of my summer at my mom's house, using her old all metal Bernina since my cheap Kenmore couldn't handle all of that denim.  That quilt is probably still my husband's favorite.  

I tied it, because at the time I had no idea you could quilt a quilt with a sewing machine.  I thought you had to use frames every time, like my grandmothers did.  But then I started doing some research and learned about denim rag quilts.  

About a year later, my husband went on a trip to Peru (with BYU) for a week or so and I needed something to keep me busy.  So I bought a fat quarter bundle of flannels from Joann and made my first rag quilt in 2010.  I think I started to become hooked when the Hubby came home and I showed him my new rag quilt.  Then I asked him if I could make another one and he agreed!  He even agreed to let me look for a new sewing machine.  

Then the real clincher came when I discovered the world of quilt blogs and from there learned how to make and quilt a quilt completely by machine.  

First machine quilted quilt made in 2010

Some of the very first blogs I found are Oh Fransson, i Have to Say, A Few Scraps, Jaybird Quilts, PS I Quilt, Tallgrass Prairie Studio, and Amy's Creative Side.  Now I have almost 100 blogs (eek!) in my reading list and I don't plan to quit being inspired OR making beautiful quilts anytime soon! 

 Now go check out the linky party!