Monday, May 31, 2010

Happy Memorial Day


Thanks to the servicemen and women who have protected our country!

Thanks to the servicemen and women who are currently protecting our country!

Thanks to the servicemen and women who will protect our country!

~Without you, I would not be able to enjoy my many freedoms~

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Stash Report Week #22

No finishes this week and I did buy some fabric to enlarge a backing I need to piece.

Fabric added this week: +3 yards
Fabric added this year: +110.5 yards

Fabric used this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this year: - 193.5 yards

Net fabric for the year: -83 yards (used)

What I accomplished this week:

Goals for next week:

  • prep MSU T*shirt quilt and backing for quilting

That's all! a short school week here at Bell Creek Quilts so there will not be very much time spent int he sewing room. :(

Friday, May 28, 2010

*Once in a Blue Moon*

or cleaning day here at Bell Creek Quilts...arrgggghhh...

The Blue Moon. Check out this blog post to read what it means to have a *Blue Moon*. Interesting.








Some tools in the arsenal and the towel laundry.










Some gave all. RIP.





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Thursday, May 27, 2010

*Beans in a Jar*

Why do I have jars of dried beans by Valerie's table?

To keep the MSU T*shirt quilt from falling off the table, of course!

This quilt has outgrown all my available space in the sewing room and surrounding rooms. I tried to lay a portion of it on the longarm table to pin the borders on and hence the *beans in a jar* quilt weight (as opposed to paperweight :))

Here is the MSU T*shirt quilt.

87 x 108.

Not sure when I will quilt it as now I need more backing to *go with* what I currently have. Guess that means a trip to the Quilt Store...drat...I've been trying to stay away this year because the temptation is always so great in there! :)


pattern source: LindaJ's *Sorta T*Shirt Tutorial*
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Wednesday, May 26, 2010

WIP Wednesday

Sashings have been added to the T*shirt quilt. Next up: the borders!

Daisy approved...she must be a Michigan State Spartan fan~after all, her collar is green...teehee...

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

T Shirt Quilt~Shadows Added

I don't know if you can tell from this picture but I've added the shadow portion to the framed t*shirt blocks. It is quickly outgrowing the available space on the design flannel. :)

Next step is to add the sashing between the blocks to make columns.






pattern source: LindaJ's *Sorta T*Shirt Tutorial*

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Monday, May 24, 2010

Design Wall Monday

Lookie~lookie!

I can play along with JudyL as I have *something* on my design flannel.

I framed out the set of Michigan State University T-shirts. I fused most of these shirts about 3.5 years ago and I did find two more shirts that needed to be fused today to add to the collection. I have two duplicate shirts but it looks like I might just have enough for this quilt. :)




pattern source: LindaJ's *Sorta T-Shirt Tutorial*
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Sunday, May 23, 2010

Stash Report Week #21

Thanks to the BQ2 pattern~I was able to finish 2 quilts this week!

Fabric added this week: +1 yard
Fabric added this year: +107.5 yards

Fabric used this week: -17 yards
Fabric used this year: -193.5 yards

Net fabric for the year: -86 yards (used!)

What I accomplished this week:

Goals for next week:

  • work on Tshirt quilt
  • work on Messenger Bag

Saturday, May 22, 2010

DD's Reversed Music BQ2

Bound and ready to be loved by DD. She liked the reversed BQ2 and wanted the various music stash in her quilt.

The panto in orange thread again. There seemed to be a lot of *push* on Valerie this time so the stitching is a bit wobbly in places.

DD also loves the scrappy backs for quilts...used up some more of the music stash. :)







pattern source: BQ2 from Maple Island Quilts

panto source: Mozart from Willow Leaf Studio
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Maternity Ward


This doe was hanging out around the ponds all day yesterday. At 3:00pm, DD saw her in our backyard~very rarely do the deer venture away from the pond area.


At 5:45 pm when I was thinking about fixin' dinner, I saw the doe and her fawn! (sorry the pix is a little blurry but I zoomed then cropped to get her and her baby)

Look who was back this afternoon.

very. cool. nature.

Friday, May 21, 2010

DD's Poodle Quilt

DD has had a quilt request in here at Bell Creek Quilts for about two years now. She found a pink poodle applique that she wanted me to design a quilt/wall hanging. It finally appeared on the Spring 2010 *To Sew* List (as DD poodle).

I procrastinated making this quilt~obviously~ because there were a few quilting techniques involved that kinda *scared* me.

1. the *A* word...I'm a fuse and raggy edge type applique girl
2. I would need to make it a medallion style quilt~with borders that fit right and everything! gasp! breathe...
3. It would need free motion quilting. No way would Valerie's hopping foot go over the poodle. unless I started messin' with her settings...gasp! breathe...

I finally decided that I would put my *demons* to rest and just *suck it up* and make this quilt~how painful can it be, right? Well, as DD and I were discussing this quilt/wall hanging she casually mentioned that maybe she doesn't WANT that quilt any more! What?!
After all, I waited sooooo long that she has exited her *pink phase* and the pink poodle just isn't what she wants right now. cool.

Can you all hear me *sigh with relief*?! Two reasons for this:

1. I really didn't want to make it and
2. The pink poodle applique is lost in the sewing room!

Instead she asked for a music sampler BQ2.

Check: I can DO that!

pattern source: BQ2 from Maple Island Quilts
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Thursday, May 20, 2010

Reversed BQ2

Finished the binding on the reversed BQ2. This one is for the Piano Teacher, so far but *things* may change as DD picked out the focus fabric, backing and thread color (orange!).

Close up of the panto. It shows up very nicely with that orange thread...

...and the backing fabric.

A funny note (pun intended):

DD told me that she absolutely would NOT help with thread color unless I had a tiara for her to wear as she is a self-proclaimed 'Tread Queen'.

Figure I need to start saving those empty thread spools so I can make her a crown...lol


Pattern source: BQ2 from Maple Island Quilts (sorta)

Panto source: Mozart from Willow Leaf Studio
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Wednesday, May 19, 2010

WIP Wednesday...

...and I'm working on sewing back binding.
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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Two Challenges in One

I decided to join my two challenge projects~both are due in June 2010. Either I would finish both or neither one!

The Ben Franklin Challenge was to make a piece of fabric using Superior Threads Texture Magic (just one source I found when I Google Image Searched Texture Magic). One was to take this *new* fabric and create something from it. A few suggestions were a pillow, a tote bag or a purse. No directions were given or specified as *to what* the final product should be.

The Lake Country Challenge was to exchange *my* ugly fabric for *someone else's* ugly fabric. I used a little of the *new to me* ugly fabric in this quilt here. The remainder of the fabric was used in the Ben Franklin Challenge piece.

Here's what I made~I just got it back from the Fabric Gallery this afternoon. Yes~I had the grommets professionally installed as I wasn't sure that I would be able to *punch* through 4 layers of fabric, 2 layers of batting and 2 layers of Texture Magic!

It's a cinch sak...open and flat.

Cinched up and standing all on it's own.

Think I might use it as a backpack purse for awhile and *see* how I like it.



Feels good to be able to check another item (s!) off the
Spring *To Sew* List. :)

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Monday, May 17, 2010

Design Wall (Floor) Monday

Here is the Reversed BQ2~sewn into a flimsy.

Pattern source: BQ2 from Maple Island Quilts

(sorta!)
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Sunday, May 16, 2010

The Piano Teacher BQ2

I decided to make the Piano Teacher a BQ2 since it was so fast but look...something is a~miss!

I sewed the brown strip onto the *opposite* side of the bottom framing strip as directed.






What should I do?!

Frog the 11 out of 12 that are *opposite* and re-sew?

Make another 11 the *directed* way?

Make 1 the *opposite* way, use what I have made and just sew *opposite*? Sounds just a tad confusing for me! lol



MY DECISION!

Make 1 more *opposite* and sewed the blocks together *opposite* of the directions.

Guess What?!

I'm liking the pattern marching from left to right. :) do you?!
So far...so good...Thankfully. :)


Pattern source: BQ2 from Maple Island Quilts
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Stash Report Week #20

This is going to hurt the bottom line...

Fabric added this week: +18 yards
Fabric added this year: +106.5 yards

Fabric used this week: -8 yards
Fabric used this year: -176.5 yards

Net fabric for the year: -70 yards (used!)

What I accomplished this week:

Goals for next week:

  • work on Piano quilt
  • work on Music quilt
  • work on Ben Franklin Mystery/ Lake Country Ugly Fabric Challenge

Saturday, May 15, 2010

This is Gonna Hurt...

...in the stash report tomorrow. :)

The four fabrics on the left are for the Piano Teacher quilt. DD was saying that 'we JUST CAN'T give the piano teacher ANOTHER quilt that doesn't have something PIANO-EY on it!' lol

The purple dot is for the inside of the Cancer Recovery Totes. This summer will be pro bono quilting time and I will be ready. :)
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Elvis BQ2 Finished

The finished Elvis BQ2.

A close up of the quilting~which really doesn't show.

My pieced back. I found a little of the companion Elvis fabric and used it to piece a back. I then used the trimmings of the quilt to make the binding.


Now I only have scraps left of the Elvis fabric! yea!

More *dinosaur* fabric has found a home in a quilt. :)

pattern source: BQ2 from Maple Island Quilts

panto source: Mozart from Willow Leaf Studio

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Thursday, May 13, 2010

Elvis BQ2

Elvis BQ2 pieced to a flimsy!

boy, that was a one quick top...12 blocks...54 x 72!

pattern source: BQ2 by Maple Island Quilts .
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BQ2 Start

Thursday already?!

My week has flown by with various meetings, a choir concert, piano lessons and a band concert! All of which has left little time to spend in the sewing room this week.

I did sew a little yesterday and this morning~before another meeting. I assembled the parts for a BQ2 from Maple Island Quilts. I wanted a quilt to practice my new panto Mozart from Willow Leaf Studio before I made the quilt for the piano teacher. This *dinosaur* Elvis fabric I thought would work and I have a cousin who is a BIG Elvis fan so it already has a home to go to when finished!

Gotta run~I'm late! again!
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Sunday, May 9, 2010

Stash Report Week #19

A very productive week for me in the sewing room. I did buy backing for the May Flowers quilt but I also used it this week.

Fabric added this week: +3.5 yards
Fabric added this year: +88.5 yards

Fabric used this week: -23 yards
Fabric used this year: -168.5 yards

Net fabric for the year: -80 yards

What I accomplished this week:

Goals for next week:

May Flowers

I finished the May Flowers Coin quilt this morning.

The black background print is the Ugly Fabric Challenge piece.

I quilted it with Angel Wings from Willow Leaf Studio which shows more on the back. I like the look of the butterflies in the garden. :)
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