The Ranch Hand Quilt - WIP 1

The Ranch Hand Quilt - 2 borders on, 2 more to go

This quilt started out when I fell in love with a fabric that reminded me of old western saddles.  It's a black and brown color that looks like embossed leather, "Desiree" by Blank Quilting.

Beginning Quilting Class Update & Fabric Pottery Class

This post originally appeared at The Dropped Thread on 12/22/12.  It is being archived on this blog.

Dear Reader,

So sorry I'm behind in my December postings, but I'm sure you're all just as busy with your Christmas shopping and crafting.  Also after the recent events in Newtown, Connecticut, my heart has been grieving, as the rest of the world has been, and I just wanted to concentrate on spending time with my family for a little while.  I'm sure you've all been doing the same, giving extra hugs, and "I love you's".  I've been spending time praying for my own family and friends, and for the grieving families and community of Newtown.

As I've mentioned in a past post, I've been taking classes at Quilters Emporium in Stafford, TX.  First I want to give a shout out to Rose Ann Cook and the ladies in the shop who are all so nice and helpful.  They really take the time to help me when I say I'm a beginner and guide me to patterns at my level.  They helped me understand why a particular fabric wouldn't work in a pattern they way I was thinking it would and guided me another fabric (the ombre effect I was look at would have been lost when the fabric was cut up to make the border long enough to fit my piece).

My first quilt top!

Beginning Quilting Class at Quilter's Emporium

This post originally appeared at The Dropped Thread on 11/19/12.  It has been move to this blog by the owner.

Have you ever started something that you think is going to be soooo easy, only to find out it just kicks your butt?  Well, that's the humbling lesson I've just learned, once again.  I'm taking Beginning Quilting Classes at Quilter's Emporium in Stafford, Texas.  I thought, "I've been sewing (fashion) most of my life.  How hard can this be, it's just a straight seam right?"  Wrong!!!!  This is geometry - and I'm an English major.  My brain doesn't function that way.  Thank goodness there are patterns, and flying geese rulers, and internet resources; not like in my grandmother's day when she figured out the math for the triangles and how much material she needed to make binding for a quilt that was so big.

On the first day of class Rose Ann Cook (the teacher and store owner) gave us so much information my brain felt overloaded, but I left feeling like this is a REAL art class, not just some hobby.  The quilts that are being designed today are true works of ART!  

Block #1 - "Album 2" (learning Flying Geese)

We learned how to pick out fabric (which was eye-opening) and how to cut it out.  For our learning quilt we needed a focus fabric with at least three colors, a dark fabric, a light fabric, and a "bling" fabric pulling a color from the focus fabric.  

Brief update on Completed Projects...While I still have my sanity

This post was originally posted on The Dropped Thread on 1/10/13.  It has been moved to this blog by the owner.

Dear Reader,

I've been so busy the last few weeks cleaning out my house, particularly my fabric, pattern, and notion stash.  I don't know what has gotten into me.  I'm not making much progress on anything because I keep discovering fabric and notions I don't remember buying!  I'm making two piles to give away to YOU, my lovely Readers, one with sewing supplies I know I will never get around to using and another for those who are only interested in needlework items.  I have 3 unopened rolls of Stitch-Witchery -- WHY?  And WHY do I have so many patterns that are not even close to my size -- I KNOW I couldn't have read the sizing that wrong, or er...gained that much weight? Hmm... never-mind.

Meanwhile, I have to make room so I can get organized to complete my task of 52 carriers.  I had planned on starting the year off by finishing two purses that are UFO (unfinished objects) promised to friends.  I found the outside fabric that had already been cut out, but I've managed to loose the lining fabric for BOTH projects.  I know I've cut it out already, but where did it crawl off to?  And yes, in all the cleaning chaos I misplaced my scissors TWICE!

In the meantime, I've given those projects up until I come across the lining fabrics.  I've started my first carrier piece from a new pattern which I will go back to working on as soon as I finishing writing this post.

A New Hobby Deserves Its Own Blog

The title of this post may be misleading.  I've been sewing most of my life.  In fact, I've often told the story that in my childhood my mother told my sister and I that if we didn't sew our own clothes that summer we would have to go naked.  I don't remember if this is true or one of my Tall Texas Tales, but I wouldn't put it past my mother. She was a determined woman, and hell-bent on her daughters learning how to sew and cook.  Now that we've grown up, I love to sew and despise cooking, and my sister loves to cook and despises sewing.  You can't win them all mother!

The new hobby I've taken up is quilting!  I started in December 2012 and I'm just loving it.  It involves everything I love about sewing; selecting the pattern, looking all the pretty fabric, matching them up, and cutting it out to the finished product.  But, there is none of the negative aspects you when sewing clothing, like finding out the pattern doesn't fit you because because you've gained a few inches between buying the pattern and getting around to sewing it, or because the crotch looks weird and you're too embarrassed to wear it out in front of people.  Been there done that!

When I got into quilting I told my husband that it would be a great way to get rid of all the fabric I have in my house.  Ha, ha, ha!  How many of you are laughing as you read that.  I know the ladies at my local quilt shop are.  They know me by my first name, and if I'm skip a week coming in they ask me if I was out of town.  Yep, the new hobby has just enabled me further, and I'm officially a fabric hoarder.