Saturday, April 8, 2017

Finish Along Q2

Woah.  March was crazy busy and most of it has spilled into April.
I closed my Etsy shop in January to recover from the Christmas rush and had SOOOO much fun just sewing whatever I wanted (mostly quilt tops - I wanted to make a bunch of simple quilt tops to practice quilting with my new-to-me quilting machine and frame).  It was a super productive and fulfilling month.  February was nice too.  Until I ran out of money and had to re-open my shop.  ;)
Then, BAM!  I had a record-breaking amount of orders in March and I'm still scrambling to catch up.  Which means most of my personal goals got pushed aside.  But the good news is that I can now buy fabric again (and don't worry. I have...).
SO.  Last quarter didn't go so well on the Finish-Along end.  Even though I made tons of progress at the beginning of the quarter, I didn't actually finish anything.  Remember that quilting machine I mentioned earlier?  Yeah, it sucked up a lot of my time and in the end I've decided it's not for me.  :(  So no finishes yet.  But it's nice to be back to my regular method of quilting and getting things done.  Domestic machine quilting just works for me. 
What I'm trying to say here is that this quarter's goal list looks a lot like last quarter's list.  Ah well.  I'm listing everything here because I don't want anything to feel left out, you know?  Here goes:

Blog/Photograph:

1. WHW RS Sampler Quilt Class quilt.
Guys.  I actually photographed this (baby steps).  Just need to edit the photos and POST IT!!!!  Then it will be truly finished. 


2.  Lisa's Baby Triangle Quilt. 
Just needs to be edited and posted.  :P


Bind:


3.  Sweet Life Kaleidoscope
It's quilted!  I can't wait to show you what I did with it! 


4. Jelly Roll Race in Joel Dewberry True Colors
Okay - I will have something to show from the quilting machine once this is finished.  But it will be donated to Charity.  I couldn't bear to give this to someone I know.  It turned out cute, just with mediocre quilting.  Still needs binding.




Quilt:
Nothing at the moment.

Baste

5.  Moda Row Quilt

6. Do.Good Stitches December Quilt
This one turned out kind of cool.  I think I'll keep the quilting simple.  I just need to finish it!  I REALLY wanted to try this one on my new machine, but it never would have ended well.



7. Do.Good Stitches March Quilt.
We made Pinwheel Churn Dash blocks in Green and LV.  I'm going to make a giant churn dash for the back.  :)

8.  Chunky Windmills in LMS.
This one turned out super cute.  Can't wait to show you pics!  It'll probably get an all-over flower swirl design.

9.  Bargello for NMQG
This one also turned out awesome.  Pics coming soon.  I think I'll quilt it was some graffiti quilting.

10.  Aviator in Up and Away.
An airplane quilt made with airplane fabrics.  Top is done, backing is ready.  It's in the queue.

Assemble:


11.  Churn Dash Swap Quilt
I'm participating in a Churn Dash block swap with some friends.  We are each making 4 churn dash blocks for each member in the group, in their chosen color scheme.  I'm going against my normal bright, rainbow colors (well, mostly) and requested dusty/muted/burnt rainbow/fall colors.  I'm SO EXCITED!  Here is a photo of all the blocks I have made for my friends (mine are the ones along the top row).  We're swapping in February.


Piece:
12. Summerfest Hexies
I started this one on a long road trip and now it is my long term slow-stitching project.  But I really love it, so maybe it won't be so slow...

13. Swoon in Blushing.
Just in time for the #swoonalong on IG!  I'm about halfway through making these blocks.  :)

14. Be My Neighbor in B&C Basics.
I really wanted to participate in a quilt-along this year, but none of the current quilt-alongs appealed to me enough, so I picked one from 2016 that I never had time to join.  I'm using a bundle of B&C basics I won from Happy Quilting on Giveaway Day.  I'm shooting for two blocks a month.

15.  Criss Cross in Summerfest.
I've got half a jelly roll left over from my hexie project and I'm going to see how many of April's Criss Cross blocks I can get out of it.  :) It's all cut out and waiting! 



16.  Ombre Gems QAL. 
I'm making Emily Dennis' Ombre Gems quilt using these Pie Making Day fabrics.  I signed up for the quilt along back when I had nothing better to do (ha!) and now I've got two blocks finished.  ;)

Cut:

17.  Ombre Diamonds in the Deep.
I had so much fun making my Orange Diamonds in the Deep, I immediately went out and bought some ombre fabrics to make another one.  I have big plans.  I just need more time!

18.  Moroccan Tiles.
I'm thinking of using  one of these groupings a got in a destash from a friend.  Also - I purchased this pattern as part of the "May is for Makers" campaign (back in May).  Did anyone else participate in that?


19.  Goody Goody Binding Kit.
I NEED ONE OF THESE!  Who wants to make me one?

20. Easy Charm Quilt for the shop/quilting practice.
I keep collecting these charm packs (not pictured: Prairie) and they are begging to be used.



21.  New Quilt for the Bed.

We need another quilt that is big enough for our bed. 
I just ordered a bundle of V and Co Simply Color and I'm planning to make Emily Dennis' Triangle Hexie Quilt.  I know this will be on the back burner for awhile, but it's going to be fabulous when I get to it!

AND NOW.  Not only do I have crazy ambitious plans in my personal sewing life, I have plans for my Etsy shop.  This year I am going to focus on preparing one specific line of products roughly each quarter.  Most of these product lines will be old things remade, and some of them will be new.
For the record, here are my plans:

February:
Quiet Books (at least 8)

April:
Card Holders (12)

June:
Bibs (birthday, boy, and girl sets - about 18)

August:
Quilts (puff, charm, whatever I can get finished - hopefully 6-12)

August:
Stockings with plain cuffs for personalization (10)

September 
Rummy Mat Gift Sets (9)


OKAY!  Enough of this!  I've got some sewing to do!

Linking up:

Monday, January 30, 2017

2016 Recap :)

It's still January, so I'm going to go ahead and post a recap for last year.  OKAY then.  Without further ado, here are some numbers from 2016:

Quilts made:  12
(5 baby, 4 lap size, 1 twin, 1 queen, 1 king)
(2 were given to charity, 3 were sold, 4 were given to new babies, and the rest are still with me)
(Listed/Linked here in no particular order)
2016 Quilts
Puff Quilt in Hello Bear
Quilt Class Sampler Quilt (finished photos coming soon)
Puff Quilt in Bump to Baby
Diamond Ripple
Emily's Picture Perfect
Abecedary in Mint
ABC Improv
Carpenter Star
Diamonds in the Fire
Maggie's Charm Quilt
Do.Good:  Humility
Do.Good:  Believe Diamond Kites

A few smaller things I made last year (in no particular order):
2016 Random Stuff
Hot Pads for a wedding
Winter Table Runner for Mom (post coming soon)
Baby Quiet Books
Fabric Photo Book 
Red/Green Mini Swap
Vinyl Project Bag Swap
Microwave Bowl Cozies (custom order from a sweet and loyal Etsy customer - now I want some)
Hot Pads for a church service auction
Pin cushion thread catcher for a friend
Tons of new baby girl bibs
Cathedral Windows MINI mini swap

For those who have been to my blog once or twice, you may have noticed that 2016 (at least from the blogging side) was pretty much dominated by the Quilt Class I taught.  Here are the 12 sets of blocks.  Someday I'll show you the finished quilt!
2016 Quilt Class Blocks

And of course, here are my 12 bee blocks.  We started the year with one block in my old group before we were disbanded and dispersed into new groups.  :)
2016 Bee Blocks


2016 Sep-Dec was also a very busy time for my Etsy shop.  I introduced a new quiet book in 2016 (check it out HERE and HERE by the end of February) and it (plus several of my bigger books) really took off during the Holiday season. 
p.s. If you go and check it out, just know that it's pretty sparse right now while I work on restocking it again on my own timeline.   :)

Because I spend so much of my sewing time working on things for my shop (which is the only reason I am able to keep my hobby fully funded), I have to document some of those numbers here too.  To prove to myself that I really did accomplish a lot last year.  ;)

Also - I tried out Amazon Handmade last year.  I like it, but once my free trial expires I will probably not continue selling on Amazon. :(  The fee schedule just doesn't work for the type/amount of products I create.  Etsy is still working great for me and keeps me JUST busy enough.  :)  For the record, about 15-20% of my sales in 2016 came from Amazon.

2016 Etsy/Amazon Shop Stats:

Total Orders:  81
Quilts: 4 (!) (2 puff quilts, 1 baby quilt, 1 custom order queen quilt)
Rummy Mats:  7
Patterns:  18
Baby Quiet Books:  27
My First Book of Colors:  7
Other Colors Books:  8
Other Quiet Books (Shapes, Letter Names):  9
Letters Quiet Book (all 26 letters):  1
Stockings:  2
Bibs:  9
Fabric Photo Books: 2
Microwave Bowl Cozies (custom order): 3

Most popular items based on views/faves:  Colors Button Book, My First Book of Colors, Shapes Book Pattern

One last thing - my most popular blog posts were these:
Quarter 1 Project List
Quilt Class Block 7: Flying Geese
Emily's Picture Perfect Baby Quilt
Diamonds in the Fire


You guys.  2017 is already turning out to be AWESOME.  I've created plan for keeping more on top of my shop this year during the slow months, and I've got tons of fun (and QUICK) quilt projects planned.  Plus, I'm going to teach myself a new skill this year - long arm quilting.  Wish me luck!!!

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

2017 Q1 Finish Along Time!

Hi friends!  I still need/want to write a 2016 year-in-review post (I think it was a pretty good year - very busy for my Etsy shop in the last quarter, although I still have SO many quilts still waiting to be made).   But for now I'm enjoying my new-found free sewing time (YAY no more orders!).  I would much rather be sewing than sitting here at the computer!
But since I've got all these new projects on the brain, I figured I could take a minute to write up a list and link up with the FAL.  :)  I have so many plans!

SO.  Here is my current list. I am making monthly goals on Instagram (find me at @tiffsewinsomethin), which so far is going super well.  But THIS.  This is my master list.  I have organized it according to level of progress:

Blog/Photograph:

1. WHW RS Sampler Quilt Class quilt.
It's finished!  YAY!  I finished binding this two days ago, but we can't call a quilt finished unless it's photographed and blogged, right?  (What do you think, hosts - can I still count this one?)


Bind:

Nothing in the queue at the moment.  Whew!


Quilt:

2.  Sweet Life Kaleidoscope
The SID lines are finished, I just need to figure out how to quilt it.  It's a little strange to think that this might be one of the last quilts I quilt on my domestic sewing machine!  (Oh!  Did I mention I scored a used quilting machine/frame for Christmas?  It's not as fancy as you think, and the machine is in the shop at the moment, but I'm excited to see if I can get it to work!)


Baste

3.  Moda Row Quilt

4.  Purple Runner
I don't really like the way this one turned out, but I might stick it on the aforementioned quilting frame for practice.  Do charity organizations accept table runners?

Assemble:

5. Do.Good Stitches December Quilt
All blocks have been received!  I'm planning to slice these blocks into quarters and stitch them back together into a quilt top.  I just need to decide if I want to slice vertical/horizontal or diagonal...

6.  Churn Dash Swap Quilt
I'm participating in a Churn Dash block swap with some friends.  We are each making 4 churn dash blocks for each member in the group, in their chosen color scheme.  I'm going against my normal bright, rainbow colors (well, mostly) and requested dusty/muted/burnt rainbow/fall colors.  I'm SO EXCITED!  Here is a photo of all the blocks I have made for my friends (mine are the ones along the top row).  We're swapping in February.


Piece:
7. Summerfest Hexies
I started this one on a long road trip and now it is my long term slow-stitching project.  But I really love it, so maybe it won't be so slow...

8. Swoon in Blushing.
Just in time for the #swoonalong on IG!  I'm about halfway through making these blocks.  :)

9. Be My Neighbor in B&C Basics.
I really wanted to participate in a quilt-along this year, but none of the current quilt-alongs appealed to me enough, so I picked one from 2016 that I never had time to join.  I'm using a bundle of B&C basics I won from Happy Quilting on Giveaway Day.  I'm shooting for two blocks a month.

10. Jelly Roll Race in Joel Dewberry True Colors
I've always wanted to try a Jelly Roll Race quilt and I figure this will be the perfect quilt to practice quilting with my new machine.  Fast to put together, with lots of busy prints to hide quilting, and lots of straight lines to divide the quilt into sections for practicing different designs. Here's my progress after one hour:


Cut:
11. Noah's Growth Chart.
Maybe I'll make him one for his 2nd birthday.  :D  I've got some Mixed Bag scraps set aside and the background is even already cut.

12. Apron for me.
Someday?

13.  Chunky Windmill in Little Miss Sunshine.
Again, I'm looking for a fast quilt I can practice quilting on.  I've got a layer cake of Little Miss Sunshine just begging to be made into THIS quilt.  I like that the blocks aren't set into a "background," making it easier to hide quilting mistakes.  :)

14.  Ombre Diamonds in the Deep.
I had so much fun making my Orange Diamonds in the Deep, I immediately went out and bought some ombre fabrics to make another one.  I have big plans.  I just need more time!

15.  Criss Cross in Summerfest.
I've got half a jelly roll left over from my hexie project and I'm going to see how many of April's Criss Cross blocks I can get out of it.  :)

16.  Moroccan Tiles.
I'm thinking of using my Pie Making Day bundle for this.  Or maybe one of these groupings a got in a destash from a friend.  Also - I purchased this pattern as part of the "May is for Makers" campaign (back in May).  Did anyone else participate in that?

17.  Triangle Quilt.
I've always wanted to make a random scrappy 60 degree triangle quilt.  Well, I got the ruler for Christmas, now I need to decide which of these bundles (or which of my many charm packs) to cut up.

18.  Goody Goody Binding Kit.
I NEED ONE OF THESE!  Who wants to make me one?

19. Easy Charm Quilt for the shop/quilting practice.
I keep collecting these charm packs (not pictured: Prairie) and they are begging to be used.

20. Quilt for Lisa.
A friend of mine is finally having her first baby and we are SOOOO excited for her!  As soon as I can figure out her color scheme, she's getting a quilt from me. :)


AND NOW.  Not only do I have crazy ambitious plans in my personal sewing life, I have plans for my Etsy shop.  This year I am going to focus on preparing one specific line of products roughly each quarter.  Most of these product lines will be old things remade, and some of them will be new.
For the record, here are my plans:

February:
Quiet Books (at least 8)

April:
Card Holders (12)

June:
Bibs (birthday, boy, and girl sets - about 18)

August:
Quilts (puff, charm, whatever I can get finished - hopefully 6-12)

August:
Stockings with plain cuffs for personalization (10)

September 
Rummy Mat Gift Sets (9)


OKAY!  Enough of this!  I've got some sewing to do!

Linking up:

Thursday, December 1, 2016

WHW RS Sampler Quilt Class: BINDING!

It's time to finish up our quilts!  Wahoo!  The binding is the part where you trim your quilt so that all three layers are even and square, then enclose those raw edges with more fabric.   Make sense?  ;)

First you'll need to trim your quilt so that all four edges are straight and the corners are square.  You can do this with scissors, or with a rotary cutter.  I prefer to use a rotary cutter (with an old blade - batting is rough on rotary cutter blades) and my long (6 x 24) ruler for the sides and my brand new (THANKS GUYS!) big square ruler (mine is 12 x 12) for the corners.
***If you want to fold your backing over to create your binding - DON'T trim your quilt yet!  Follow the 2nd Cluck Cluck Sew tutorial a little further down.  It's an excellent tutorial.

You'll make your binding by cutting long strips of fabric (I cut mine 2.5" wide), stitching them together end to end, then folding it in half so that you have one raw edge and one folded edge.  You'll then attach the long strip to your quilt, aligning the raw edges and connecting the two ends of your strip at the end.  Then you'll fold over the binding and either hand stitch or machine stitch the folded edge to enclose all of your layers.

Here are some of my favorite tutorials for making and attaching quilt binding:

This is an EXCELLENT and very photo-rich tutorial for creating and attaching your binding:
Crazy Mom Quilts

Here is a great tutorial for stitching your binding down by machine:
Cluck Cluck Sew

This tutorial is great for stitching your binding down by hand:
Connecting Threads
Here is the tutorial for using your quilt backing as your binding.  Probably the easiest way to bind a quilt:
Cluck Cluck Sew

And now for a few extras.


This is a very helpful tutorial for getting more precise binding (machine or hand) using Elmer's Glue:
Pile O Fabric

 Flanged binding is a fun way to add a little pop to your quilt:
Sew Fresh Quilts

 Raggy Binding is really fun for little kid quilts:
A Maiden Hair Fern

 And last but not least, don't forget to label your quilts!  This is important because it helps you remember when/why/for whom/by whom a quilt was made.  You might want to include a label if you a making a quilt as a gift for someone and you want them to remember who made it for them.  You might want to include a label if there is something interesting about the quilt you want to remember (like "this was my first quilt," or "I tried curved piecing for the first time on this quilt," or "this quilt was inspired by a quilt my grandmother made").  And it's always a good idea to include the date you finished the quilt. 

Here are my two favorite methods for making and attaching a quilt label to the back of my quilt.  

This one is great for those times you remember to label your quilt before quilting it.  :)
My Quilt Infatuation

And this method works great for those of us who always forget the label until the last minute.  
**TIP** Use fusible interfacing as your lining fabric for this tutorial.  Stitch it to your label with the bumpy side FACING the right side of your fabric. Whjen you turn it right sides out, the bumpy side will be on the outside (the bumpy side is that part that will stick to your quilt when you iron it - keeping it in place while you hand stitch it down).  Just make sure not to iron anything until you are actually fusing it to your quilt.  :)
Quilty Pleasures

And of course, here is the handout from our class:
WHW RS Sampler Quilt Class:  Binding

Happy Stitching!

Monday, October 31, 2016

WHW RS Sampler Quilt Class: Free Motion/Straight Line Quilting

Okay!  It's time to talk about quilting our quilts.  Free motion quilting is my favorite.  Once you get the hang of it, you can do so many fun things!  There are a surprising amount of cool things you can do with straight line quilting, too.

Like my last post, this one is going to be pretty much full of me linking to other awesome quilters who have already done the work of demonstrating how to quilt.  My handout has some basic instructions, but you should check out some of these tutorials for sure.

However, I do have one thing I want to say before we start.   I strongly recommend you practice with a small practice piece before you tackle your full quilt.  Make a couple of small practice sandwiches using fabric your not particularly attached to and practice practice practice.  You'll feel better if you work out all the kinks on a small, disposable piece rather than on the quilt you've spent hours and hours making.  ;)

Okay.  Let's quilt.

Start here.  This is one of the places I first learned to free motion quilt.  Her instructions are very good and they start from the VERY beginning.  YES!
A Few Scraps - She even has a few books available!
Free motion Quilting with a home machine:
Craftsy
A few blog posts with tips for succeeding at Free Motion Quilting:
Craftsy
Sew Mama Sew
Once you've gotten the hang of free motion quilting and are ready to try a few new designs, you have GOT to check out this site!  Leah has HUNDREDS of free videos demonstrating quilting designs.  She's amazing.  I hear she even has a couple classes available for beginners and non-beginners alike.  ;)
Leah Day:  Free Motion Quilting Project



Alright.  If straight line quilting is more up your alley, I have rounded up a few links that you may like as well.

Start here for some great beginner ideas for straight line quilting:
Pile O Fabric
Then go here for some more straight line quilting stuff, along with troubleshooting for when things go wrong.  Isn't Alisa great for including that information?
Pile O Fabric
And here are a few posts with some inspiration/tips for straight line quilting:
Canoe Ridge Creations
Sew4Home/Heather Jones

And here are the handouts:
WHW RS Sampler Quilt Class: Basting
WHW RS Sampler Quilt Class: Straight Line and Free Motion Quiltingn (COMING SOON)

Happy quilting!