Seaside Swap

I participated in Rachel's Seaside Swap...and my partner finally received my parcel and I can share!

Here's what I received from Lesley (early to boot!):

A denim beach tote, journal, goldfish hand towel, sandcastle pouch (all handmade), postcard, and fat quarter
Thanks so much, Lesley! I not only *loved* it all, but I was able to take my awesome new tote and pouch with me to the beach!

And the parcel I sent to Lesley included:

A wool felt pin cushion (I wish I would have taken more pictures of this)...
...fabric-covered magnets...
...and a beach hut doll quilt...
...as well as some North Carolina seashells and beachy fat quarters!

Enjoy, Lesley, and thanks so much for swapping with me!

A tiny swap update

Charity blocks received today from:

Beth
Cecelia (and thanks for volunteering to bind!)
Courtney (and thanks for the extra scraps for charity project!)
Siwa

Thank you all so much! I've added an asterisk next to the your names in the list of participants -- so if you want to make sure I've received your block you can check there.

We have two weeks and a day until the mailing deadline so no panicking (remember your Christmas spirit!!) but do check out the Flickr group as the pictures are really rolling in now!

Sophia -- I've emailed you multiple times with no response but I saw your comment on the blog. Are you receiving my emails? I will try one of my other email addresses and see if that works. Also, try emailing me at modernjax@gmail.com

Thanks!

Block Engorgement

So I thought my plan for constructing my swap blocks was so clever....then I started sewing blocks. My first block was 13.5" instead of 12.5". "Just cut down your 2" strips as you add them," I thought, and patted myself on the back for continual cleverness. My next block had an odd–sized center, so I added a ring of 2" strips and then squared it off. "I am a piecing master," I thought. Then I added my rings, but forgot to trim down my next 2" ring. Whoops. That one ended up being 13". HMMM...."Well, the next one should be perfect," thought the piecing master.

Then I proceeded to sew two more blocks while never once trimming down my 2" strips. I have 4 blocks that are all too big. What do you think? Should I trim them down to 12.5", or leave them as is in case my teammates would like larger blocks? This week's inspiration post might yield some "bigger block" projects. HMMMM....

Well, regardless, here are the first four. I separated my strips into three color families, and this is from my aqua and pink family. I guess anal retentive-ness and truly scrappy quilting isn't an easily marriage!


I received four charity blocks yesterday: one each from Dawn and Anna, and two from Kyra. Thanks! And if you haven't been by the Flickr group lately, there are some great blocks in the group pool!

I've heard from a handful of you that you've already shipped your blocks, but only one of you has received so far. Please let me know when you have both shipped and received so I can make sure everyone gets their blocks. And if you'd like to email your group to let them know blocks are coming, all your teammates' email addresses are in the team email (look in the "to" field).

And it looks like I need to put one more group together. There was a miscommunication between me and a participant, but it looks like she wants to take part and has even started her blocks! Anyone up for 6 blocks?

Swap Inspiration

I received our first charity block yesterday! And it's a beaut!

Thanks, Leisel!

I finally started cutting my fabric for my blocks. There has been a lot of talk over at Flickr about getting the blocks to 12.5". I decided to cut my strips to 1.5" and 2.0" (instead of 1.75"). This actually made cutting very easy. I cut strips to 3.5", cut my fussy cut centers from those strips. And then cut my strips into two pieces (2" and 1.5"). Easy peasy!


And that's as far as I've gotten!

But I keep looking for inspiration. How will you be using your blocks?

Maybe a quilt, like this:

Scrappy Cabin By Melly of Melly & Me (photo used with permission)
Or a table runner like these:

Log Cabin Askew by redcleo (photo used with permission)

Mother's Day Runner by gock's frocks (photo used with permission)

Christmas Runner by Sewing Geek (photo used with permission)
More inspiration coming!

Vacation Crafts

Before we left for vacation I finished a couple of projects, and got a little something in the mail I haven't shared with you yet.

The family flew to North Carolina and met my parents and sister's family at the beach. I made Jaxon a little carry-on pillow for the airplane.

Made with one of my favorite JoAnn flannels -- retro campers and cars -- and blue sky flannel for the pocket
He loved carrying it (kept calling it his purse) but he didn't lay on it. When he did sleep he used my lap as a pillow instead.

And I made this pleated purse for me. The photos don't do it justice, I just threw it on the table and snapped away. Not a good plan.

Made with gray faux suede and Wildwood by Erin McMorris...
...and includes two patch pockets, a small zipper pocket, and a large zipper section in the center.
And the purse fairy has been smiling on me! I won a giveaway at Michelle's blog and this found its way to me:

Again, threw it on the table and snapped away. Probably should have ironed out the mailing wrinkles, but I was too excited. On my to do list: work on photo styling!!
Thanks, Michelle, I really *love* it. The hobo silhouette is great! This is going into my fall rotation, it will be great for school days!

And finally, a quick shot of one of our vacation activities: riding the ferry to Fort Fisher. Jaxon loved the ferry, and the aquarium, but, wow, was it a hot day. I enjoyed the fort, they have a really knowledgeable group of docents, and we had an excellent meal at the Old Pier House Restaurant at Kure Beach.

Final Swap Update of the Day (I hope)

*SHEW* All of the emails have been sent (with one exception of the "new" group) and so far I have only heard from one group with an address mistake (actually two mistakes) so I'm feeling pretty good right now.

I've also heard from a participant that she has already mailed her blocks. Leisel wins a gold star! Also, this means if you *have* noticed a mistake in your group email (or haven't read it closely yet), please let me know! I would hate for your blocks to get sent to the wrong place!!

Take some time to look through the list of participants on the right sidebar and click through some blogs. There is some amazing work going on out there, and I have a bunch of new links in my blog reader!

Speaking of amazing, thanks for all the volunteers to fill the final group. It's full (we've got a couple of new participants!!) but I want to say what a great group of people we're swapping with. Thanks so much for your patience with me and your "Christmas" spirit.

I have a couple of "regular" blog post in the pipeline, but I think I will take a little blog break tonight and read a bit.

Thanks again!

Quick Swap Update take 3

Last swap update for the day (I hope)!

All groups have been sent *except*:

I need ONE MORE person to make 6 blocks (thats to Becca and Beth for volunteering -- I've sent you both emails). So if you've like to join, or you're already participating and want to make 6 more blocks let me know.

Please let me know if you haven't received an email with your teammates!

Thanks!

P.S. Saw this on The Fabric Shopper today and nearly squealed out loud (instead of in my head as I usually do).

Be Merry by My Minds Eye for Riley Blake

Quick Swap Update take 2

Thanks to the volunteers to participate. We have it under control, and emails are flying.

I have begun sending out the team emails with mailing addresses. I am just over halfway done -- that's a lot of emails! If you signed up for 12 blocks you will be assigned to two groups, so watch for two emails.

I will have all emails send by this afternoon. If you haven't received one by this evening please email me.

Thanks!

EDITED TO ADD: In my sent mail it seems that some of the emails I've sent out have been cut off at the bottom. I'm hoping this is just the way it is displaying for me, but if you have incomplete addresses, etc, please let me know! Each email should have 4 addresses at the bottom.

Quick Swap Update

I have everyone organized into groups, and you will be receiving an email from me tomorrow with your teammates' information. Those of you who signed up to make and receive 12 blocks will receive two emails, as you are in two groups!

I have given up hope of hearing from our last few participants. I've had a few volunteers since the call for participants closed, but I still need two more swappers. So if you thought you missed out, or you are already participating and want to make 6 more blocks, comment on this post. I will need these participants to be able to ship internationally, and I'll need you to respond to my email back to you with your information ASAP. I will take the first two to comment.

Thanks!

Perhaps I have a problem....and swap update

I shipped a swap package that was a bit belated earlier this week and finished a work project today that has been monopolizing my time, so I thought it was time to check out my Christmas fabric stash and see what I might need to pick up to complete my blocks.


I don't think I will need to pick anything up. And the fat quarters in the upper left corner I picked up while on vacation thinking I would need more holiday fabric. *ahem*

I've heard back from most of you swappers, thanks for getting me your info. There are still about 20 of you I haven't heard from. I'm guessing I ended up in your spam folder so I sent a reminder email this evening. Please have your info to me (full name, mailing address, international shipping preference -- yes or no, and blog address if applicable) by this weekend so I can get everyone sorted into groups. **If I am in your spam folder in Gmail you will have to move the email from spam to inbox in order to be able to send and receive to/from me.**

As I get email responses I sort your information and put you in my sidebar (right over there on the right). Please make sure you see your name (and that the link to your blog is correct if you have one) and the correct number of blocks you've signed up to make.

We already have progress photos posted at Flickr, as well as some lively discussions about block sizes, colors, etc, in our Flickr forum! Please join us!

Some questions have come up in my emails with you. Many people have asked about color. No, you don't need to stick only to "traditional" Christmas colors. As you can see in the above picture I have quite a bit of holiday fabric in aquas and pinks, and I plan to use it! Think scrappy!

Also, the question of pre-washing has come up over at Flickr. I know we all have our own preferences when it comes to pre-washing fabric -- personally I like to do it, mostly because I have sensitive skin so I like to make sure all the chemicals from manufacturing and dirt from handling are washed out. I know many people prefer to work with unwashed fabric, and that is fine! I plan on sashing my quilt in white, so I will wash it with a color catcher to make sure reds don't bleed...but otherwise I am not too concerned.

Just remember that we are doing this to spread a little holiday spirit (and to get some awesome blocks!!), so don't stress over your blocks -- enjoy the process of giving and receiving!

Thanks!

Sewing Room Update

I'm still waiting on a few more emails from participants (a little less than 20) and then I will have mailing addresses to everyone! If you did not specify about international shipping, I am assuming you don't mind. Please let me know if that is not the case. From here on out I will be keeping posts about the swap and "regular" posts separate so you only have to read what's interesting to you!

This one is *not* about the swap! And some vacation posts are coming!

You might remember several months ago I mentioned the start of the sewing room reno. *AHEM*...over 7 months ago....


Well, I have made progress. The walls are painted, and Charlie installed the new bigger window. I've started pulling up the edges of the carpet and removing the staples. In the meantime, I've been dreaming of the items that might decorate my sewing room. And for some reason my dreams lead me to PBTeen. Is that weird?

Whether it is or not, I've been pretending to spend imaginary money on things like this:

Brighton Stripe Rug

And these cushions:

Cushy Lounge Semicircle Set

And this, this, and these.

*sigh* Maybe a trip to the outlet is in order?

Scrappy Christmas Block Swap Details

I've sent this to all the participants, but in case you haven't received it, here it is again. I still don't have email addresses for:

Lee Ann
Bridgid
Jo
Celeste
Jeanette
Ginny
Humming Cat

Also, emails to Huskerbabe keep being returned to me. I might have your email wrong, although it matches your blogger profile address....

Please check your spam folders -- I sent this email to over 100 people so your email client might think it's junk!

Thank you so much for joining the Scrappy Christmas Block Swap! We have 102 participants, so it’s been a bit overwhelming but I think this is going to be a great swap.

You’ll need to construct your blocks using the tutorial at Oh, Fransson! (http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2009/06/how-to-make-scrappy-hedgerow-blocks.html) The blocks do not have to be completely constructed of Christmas fabric, but should focus on Christmas. For instance, the center square and one layer of logs might be Christmas fabrics, but the rest might be your favorite dots, stripes, and patterns. After all, the goal is to make a scrappy Christmas quilt! Please make sure your blocks are 12.5” square before you mail so that everyone’s blocks finish to 12” square.

I need each of you to send me your full name, mailing address, and let me know if you absolutely cannot send internationally. Everyone will be put into a group with three other participants, and you will send 2 blocks to each of the members of your group. Those of you who requested to make and receive 12 blocks will be assigned two groups.

As I receive your information I will add you to my sidebar with the number of blocks you’ve requested. Please let me know if you’d like me to link to your blog or website by including the URL in your email back to me.

modernjax [at] gmail [dot] com

The deadline for mailing is September 1. I will continue to post inspirational projects that you might use your blocks to create. Also, feel free to use the swap badge I’ve posted here or from Flickr, and post your progress in our Flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1190183@N21/


Thanks for all the offers of charity blocks. It seems we might be able to make quite a few quilts (and tree skirts, etc). Molly has volunteered to quilt one of the quilts, and my mom has volunteered to help me assemble. If you’d be willing to quilt or bind, let me know!

Update: Scrappy Christmas Block Swap

Looking for the original post about the swap? Scroll down one!

Just a quick update on the swap before we board a plane for the beach (update added to original swap post).

And if you've been daydreaming about what you might make with your blocks, check out this gorgeous tree skirt by AudreyPawdrey:

More details here. Posted with permission of AudreyPawdrey.

Scrappy Christmas Block Swap

UPDATE (to the above posted update): Thanks so much to Elizabeth for posting about the swap! I'm a bit overwhelmed by the response, but I do like a nice even number which means we have about 5 more spots (6 blocks = 1 spot; 12 blocks = 2 spots). WE ARE FULL! I will be sending out all the details when we return home from the beach on Saturday.

Please, please remember to leave your email address. I'm without emails from the following:

Andy
Lee Ann
Bridgid
Jo
Celeste
Tracey
Jeanette
Ginny
Melissa (from SC)
Humming Cat

*UPDATE OUT, back to vacation!*

Yes, it's still July.

Yes, I'm a planner at heart, and I would like to finish a Christmas quilt *before* the actual holiday.

I would really like a scrappy Christmas quilt, but I don't want to buy a lot of miscellaneous fabric to make my quilt look scrappy.

You?

How about you join me for the 2009 Scrappy Christmas Block Swap?


It's easy! You can choose to commit to 6 blocks or 12 blocks, and get the same in return. We will be making blocks using Elizabeth's Scrappy Starling block tutorial at Oh, Fransson! (thanks, Elizabeth!). The blocks you create should feature holiday fabric, but do not have to be made solely of Christmas fabric. Feel free to include your favorite seasonal colors, polka dots, stripes, and fun patterns. When you finish your blocks you will mail two blocks to each of your team members. Deadline for mailing is September 1, which gives you plenty of time to back, quilt, and bind your quilt by the holidays.

Show your interest by commenting on this post...be sure to include your email address if you are a no-reply/anonymous commenter! I will allow signups until August 1, or until I feel overwhelmed.

*Also* if you really enjoy making these blocks you can send me an extra block and I will assemble a quilt to be auctioned with all proceeds being donated to charity. Because Christmas is about giving!

Photo courtesy of Oh, Fransson!Now imagine this quilt in holiday fabrics keeping you cuddly warm all through the holiday season (or looking lovely as decor for our friends in the southern hemisphere)!

PS Those of you who expressed interest to me before this post will get an email from me to confirm participation...or you can comment here and I will consider you committed!

Bloggy Friends Meet Up

Courtney and I have been emailing, swapping, and blog-visiting for almost a year now, and when she mentioned that her family would be visiting Ohio we jumped at the chance to get together! We had intended to meet at a local minor league baseball game but standing room only made us rethink that. Instead Charlie and I spent the morning following Jaxon around COSI and met Courtney for lunch, and then her crew of kids and cousins enjoyed the museum.

The disappointing part of missing the baseball game was the 3 or 4 hours we could have had to sit and talk. As it was we filled an hour and a half with non-stop chatting...and of course, gift exchange!

I made Courtney a wristlet to commemorate her journey from Texas to Ohio and as a thank you for knitting me mitts.



But it looks like I still owe her that thank you, as she brought me gifts as well!

This little lidded dish is the color of the paint I bought for my sewing room walls! Until the room is reassembled it is in a place of honor on the shelves.

And the artist who created the bowl also gave Courtney a free berry bowl (actually, I think one for each of us) because of a small crack in the bottom. Beautiful!


Courtney, I enjoyed meeting you so much, and can't wait to meet up again!

Addict

Do you find yourself trolling fabric web sites in anticipation of your next score? Do you pine for the mailman to bring you that next hit of fabric bliss? Do you hoard certain fabrics knowing that it could be your last taste of that line?

Welcome to Fabric-holics Anonymous. Only I'm not so anonymous. You might remember my after-Fourth-of-July posting of a few new fabric acquisitions...it hasn't ended there. As many of you can understand, money is a bit tight for us right now so I am now reliant on gift cards and Etsy sales. I keep a separate bank account for Etsy transactions, and everything I sell goes into this account for replenishment of sewing necessities. That account is now depleted so I guess I better get to work filling my Etsy store!

Z&S Fabrics was having a "clear out the store" sale as their orders from Market are starting to roll in. I got this order for under $15 including shipping!

From bottom up, half yard cuts of: Prints Charming's Two Young Street for Marcus Brothers, Jackii Jones's Nearsighted for Marcus Brothers, Rosemarie Lavin's Mambo for Windham, Kathy Hall's Mid-Century Modern for Andover, Anna Griffin's Mackenzie Christmas for Windham

And when I was writing the post about this Orla Kielly-like fabric I discovered the rest of the line. OH MY! I found it at Rainbow Fabrics.

Apples and Apple Trees for Timeless Treasures

And.....

Home Sewing is Easy for Alexander Henry
....for a project to be revealed later!

And lucky for this addict, I won a gift certificate from Kathy at Pink Chalk Fabrics for choosing a selected fabric combo. Now I need to decide, do I put that GC toward the fabric I need to make new curtains for the dining room, or do I buy some of my selected combo...or some Summer Soiree??

But lest you believe I sit in piles of raw fat quarters, I *did* actually make a little something for myself.


Pattern: Wide Leg Lounge Pants from Amy Butler's In Stitches

Fabric: Route 66 for Alexander Henry

Result: Not love...I might take out the drawstring and do some elastic. The pants have a low rise and tend to loosen and droop the longer they're on...I think I should have made a "lounge dress" instead!

The day after....

The party is over...the dishes washed and put away...but Jaxon's new gifts cover the living room floor and I didn't have the heart to take down the decorations. So the dining room remains in this state.

I have a lot to tell you, but I am going to dole out it all out slowly...so stay tuned for some new fabric, a couple of finished projects, a bloggy friends meet up, and info on the scrappy Christmas block swap.

I'll leave you with the birthday boy in his new shirt...already out of date as he is now 3 years old and 3 days!

The right way to celebrate independence....

....is to buy fabric!

The last of my birthday JoAnn gift cards....

All from the clearance rack...a microsuede from the home dec dept., and flowers, stripes, and fruit

And *most* of my FatQuarterShop.com gift cards from Mother's Day...

Half yards of "Apple" From Timeless Treasures (reminded me of Orla Kiely), and two prints from "Wildwood" From Free Spirit

A fat quarter pack of Jewel Tones from Michael Miller

Two charm packs and two one yard cuts of "Have a Sheri Berry Holiday" from Northcott (I had a hard time deciding between that and this)

I couldn't help myself when it came to the Christmas fabric...good thing I am going to be organizing a scrappy Christmas block swap!

And another way to celebrate independence:

With the cutest boy in the U.S.!

Then and Now

Today is our eighth anniversary...sometimes it seems it has gone so fast and sometimes it seems eight isn't a big enough number!

Here we are then....


And now....


I made my honey some lemon bars.


I made *me* a dress (from this free pattern).


Notes on pattern...the cut is very generous. If I make this one again I will cut the top to small/medium (and I am a 37 bust). The elastic thread didn't like me much at first...it worked much better when I stretched a bit when I wound the bobbin. Also, I added an inch and a half to the length, and then cut off four inches when I hemmed -- it's got plenty of length!

I'll try to get a shot of me wearing it soon...perhaps when we celebrate our anniversary this weekend. It's so nice that we get fireworks for our celebration...forget that "other" national holiday!

Thanks to those who showed interest in a Christmas block swap. I'll start organizing after Jaxon's birthday next week.

Woot. I did it.

What was I waiting for? Why was I so afraid of free motion quilting?

I finally took the plunge.


Yes, this is the front. But those of you who preferred the sashing, don't despair....


....maybe *this* is the front! I didn't want to purchase any fabric for this project and I didn't have enough to back two quilts...so now I have a "reversible" quilt.

The FMQ wasn't bad at all *except*:
1. I kept reading how fatiguing it is...but it's hard to believe how tired my shoulders were!
2. Logically I understand why this would take so much thread. But I was still shocked that 8 bobbins weren't enough.

The key to the whole hand speed vs. machine speed ratio for me seems to be music. If I got too focused on quilting I would mess up, but if I was bopping around to upbeat music (put Michael Jackson into Pandora, you won't be sorry. MJ, Stevie, Marvin Gaye, Prince, and even Queen and the Beatles!!) I wouldn't get overly stressed about what I was doing. I think margaritas would have a similar effect. I will test this and let you know.

Speaking of messing up, I had one major faux pas.


HMMMM....Where'd that crease come from? I didn't baste well, most of my safety pins are tied up in half done quilts, and I didn't feel like hand basting. I paid for it (plus I think I should try starting in the middle instead of the edge, but I liked hiding the beginning of my quilting in the binding). I'm not pulling all the quilting out to fix this -- I'm leaving it as a badge of honor on my first FMQ quilt! More pictures coming when I finish the binding.


Also, I tried Angry Chicken's Iced Tea concentrate this week and I am in love. Super fast, super easy, and super good! This is one family bag of decaf black tea and two bags of blueberry tea. Yummy! I do a ratio of one glassful of ice, two thirds full of water and topped off with concentrate.

And lastly, I've been thinking about organizing a Christmas in August swap/modified round robin. I love Christmas fabrics, I love scrappy quilts...what could be better than putting them together?!? I thought each participant could make six (or 12?) scrappy Christmas blocks (maybe based on Oh, Fransson's scrappy starling tutorial) and send a block or two to each participant (more planning inserted here). Then we would each end up with 12 Christmas blocks in a variety of different fabrics without having to buy a ton of fabric. Then we would have plenty of time to assemble, quilt, and bind before the holidays! Would anyone be interested?

Poodles and Pop

I got a bug in my bonnet for a new skirt and dug the biggest piece of fabric I could find out of my stash. I had bought a pattern a few weeks ago that included a petticoat for a dress I have, and decided to take this costume poodle skirt and make it into work wear!


It took a lot of fabric, I had to piece the yardage I had to make it work.



I've also made a decision about my Old Red Barn Quilt-Along quilt, which you should see the results of later today or tomorrow!

I want to end with a little mourning for Michael Jackson. Michael was a big part of my childhood; "Thriller" was the first album I bought (I can still do the Vincent Price "rap" from start to finish), and I was also the proud owner of "Bad" on vinyl. When my college radio station did an 80s retrospective, they knew to come to me to borrow "HIStory."

He was a talented man, better equipped to deal with the stage than he was the rest of his life. I think of him as two people, the musician of the late 60s-early 90s, and the man who couldn't deal with celebrity, who also seemed to be trying to change himself into someone else.

This is the Michael Jackson I choose to remember, singing my favorite of all of his hits:

Help! I need somebody.....

....to love. Wait, I'm getting my Beatles and Queen mixed up. I *really* need some help deciding how to proceed with my Old Red Barn Quilt-Along blocks. Yes, I am still behind.

I attempted to lay out all the blocks today. Not easy to do with a nervous old golden retriever and an active almost-three-year-old. Forty-two 12.5" blocks make a big quilt! I think regardless of how I decide to assemble the blocks I am going to make two smaller lap quilts rather than one big quilt. But should I butt all the squares up against one another:


Or make 4 block squares and add sashings?


Thoughts?

Also, Courtney and I have been eyeing this retro baseball-themed fabric for our baseball-themed swap -- and The Fabric Shopper is doing a giveaway. Wish me luck, and let me know if you see this in any online shops!