OMG August: More Selfish Sewing (Text Charm Quilt)

I haven't had much time to think about what to work on for August.  School starts in a couple weeks, so things will be crazy again real soon.  Not that the crazy ever really stops!
I would really like to have my text lap quilt sooner rather than later, so I'm hoping to continue with my project from last month.  I would at least like to have my plan figured out, any extra fabrics picked out, and the quilt top started.  I'm really leaning to something scrapy, and I did come up with one more layout in EQ7.

But I think I'd rather keep some of the charms whole, instead of cutting them in half for this design.  Most likely it will be one of these designs from last month.

Just have to wait and see!

UPDATE: I was playing around with layouts again today, and came up with this one, which was a little trickier to create in EQ7.  I have some text fabrics in my stash that I could cut into larger (8" finished) squares, make some 4 patches from the charms, and fill in as needed to come up with something like this.  If I have to, I could probably shrink it by 4" in each direction.  Hmmmm...

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal August Linkup.

OMG July :Selfish Sewing

...although there was no actual sewing.

For July, I had planned to play around in EQ7 and come up with ideas on what to do with the text fabric charm squares I received in a swap.  I knew because of some traveling I had planned (and softball tournaments and recovering from said traveling and softball tournaments), that I probably wouldn't get to actual start sewing anything.  And I was right.
But I don't mind.  I love to play around in EQ7.  That's what is so great about the software.  With a few clicks, I can completely change the look of a quilt.  I think the part that takes the most time is actually selecting "fabrics" from the software's stash.  Since I have over 100 different text fabrics, I decided to go for more the feel and color then necessarily finding enough actual text fabrics.  And for this project, I didn't feel like scanning in all of the squares.
My plan (hope) is to make myself a lap-sized quilt that will be "mine, all mine" to snuggle with on the couch.  Since I would like to actually finish the project, I figured simple is best.  Either squares or HST for the blocks.  Maybe pinwheels (QST).  Ideally it would be a pattern that allows me to show off as much of the text as possible (so nothing too small).  So, maybe not pinwheels.
I'm not afraid to add in other fabrics for contrast, either black, white, or some bright solids or batiks.

Anyway, here are the results of my playing with the software.

Some simple HST using a solid or batik for the other half of the triangles...

 Or just go scrappy!

 Simple 4-patch blocks with a different fabric for larger blocks in between...

 Or again...just go scrappy!

 Just leave the charms full size, and go traditional charm quilt...

 Or add another fabric as sashing...

 (I've always wanted to do a quilt with squares and chambray, maybe this is it?)

 Or a more modern look with a thin border around every other 4-patch block...

 Or pinwheels, using the lower volume charms to make the pinwheels and using alternating full blocks to showcase some of the text fabrics...

Eventually I'll narrow it done.  I keep changing my mind on which is my favorite.  But that's the fun of using a software program for designing--lots of chances to play around before cutting into the fabric!

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal - July Finish Link-up

OMG July: Selfish Sewing

I don't think life ever slows down, does it?  July has barely begun, and my calendar is already full with college campus visits and softball tournaments.  If I manage to squeeze any sewing in, it will have to be "selfish sewing"--working on a project just for me.  I don't do enough of that!
I participated in a Texty Charm Swap on Instagram and recently received 112 "texty" 5" charm squares (7 of them ended up being duplicate fabrics).  I really want to make a quilt just for me with them, so I'm thinking lap quilt that I can wrap myself up in while snuggling on the couch.

I have no idea whether to leave the charms "as is," or to make HST or QST or smaller squares/rectangles out of them.  I will most likely throw in a solid fabric to break up all the text.  But picking a color might be tricky since some of the fabrics have color to them.  I might go with black, and pull out the black/darker text charms.  I'll add in some of the text fabrics I already have if I need a few more blocks.
So for July, I'm hoping to play around in EQ7 until I come up with an idea that will work.  Whether any sewing happens remains to be seen!
Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal July Linkup.

OMG June: Hour Basket plus Mug Rug (finished)

Yay! Summer is here, and I met my goal for June.  I wanted to make something for a staff member at my son's high school.  She is a person that has been super helpful to my son, and has looked out for him the past two years, but she has now resigned.  She shares my son's love of hockey, and they would often discuss games and the playoffs.  I decided to pull out my Pittsburgh Penguins fabric and some hockey fabric that I've been hoarding for a couple years and to make something for her.  I also pulled out a few coordinating fabrics in black, gold, and blue (our school colors are blue and gold).  The result was an hour basket, but I changed the dimensions to make it more square (I cut my pieces at 10.5" x 12.5").  If I make a smaller basket like this again, I think I'll shorten the height a bit.  I struggled with what to fill the basket with (since I don't know her favorite candy), and in the end decided to make a mug rug/snack mat with the coordinating fabrics.  I also added a travel mug, some chocolates, and gift cards to Target and Starbucks.  She was super surprised and super delighted to receive the gifts from my son.  (Turns out, her water bottle had just died days before, so the travel mug was a perfect addition to the basket.)  I always enjoy being able to raid my stash and make personalized items for folks.  Even better when it's a surprise.

 Goodies inside the basket

 Mug Rug (front)

Mug Rug (back)

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal - June Finish Link-up

OMG June: Hour Basket

I haven't made end-of-school-year gifts since my daughter finished 5th grade.  She's now in 7th.  But this year I decided I needed to make something for one of the staff members at the high school where my son is finishing up 10th grade.  I've decided to make an hour basket, and maybe something else.  Here's my fabric pull:

The outside of the bag will be the Penguins fabric.  The inside is the hockey fabric.  And the handles will be the black and white stripe.  The other fabrics may or may not be used if I decide to make additional items (I'm thinking mug rug or fabric bookmark).
The hard part is figuring out what to put in the basket!  Gift cards? Candy?  I see a Target run in my future.

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal June Linkup.

OMG May: Medieval Day Costume (finished)

I met my goal for May.  I completed the Medieval Day costume for my daughter, and she won a prize for one of the best costumes!  One of her teachers told her she liked the costume better than her own.  So I'd say it was a success.  I'll admit, it wasn't one of my best efforts.  I got lazy with the bottom hem, and it was one of the worst (if not THE worst) hems I have ever sewn.  But it's on the inside, and nobody will see it.  My daughter said it can't be THE worst hem I've ever sewn, because I had to do worse when I started sewing.  I told her, no, I've been perfect from the beginning, lol!)
Here's the (mostly) finished costume.  This was before I got the hems on the sleeves sewn, but we were running out of daylight, and I wanted a photo before it was too late, because I knew I wouldn't be able to get one later in the week.  We also got some cheap garden/work gloves for her to wear with the costume.

And to prove that we really do reuse costumes parts around her, as well as the patterns, here are a few more pictures of her from another project this month.  Her class assignment was to create a news article/blog post about medieval events, and she needed photographs to go with her article.  My daughter needed pictures of a knight and a king.  They didn't have to be accurate; she just needed photos (and the kids come up with some really fun and creative ideas).  So I told her to go look in the closet at some old costume pieces.  She ended up also pulling out some of the dressier clothes I haven't worn in years, but for some reason still hang onto.  The green cape is from my husband's Robin Hood costume (from the same pattern as her plague doctor/grim reaper costume--see previous post for that whole explanation).  The gray top is mine, worn backwards, to sort of look like chainmaille. The pants are her softball pants.  The silver boots are from her brother's old Doctor Who Cyberman costume.  The black cowl is obviously from her plague doctor costume.  The velour green dress was mine.  The belts were mine.  And the Burger King crown is from one of my son's birthdays, that he then wrote "Best Mom" on and gave me for Mother's Day that year--the only reason I still have it.  The sword/dagger she made from cardboard and painted.  I don't have the version of the king photo were she photoshopped herself inside a castle.

Now I should be done making costumes until the fall when we find out what the Middle School is doing for their musical.  Time to think about June's project!

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal - May Finish Link-up

OMG May: Medieval Day Costume

Not surprisingly, March and April got away from me sewing-wise.  Lots of birthdays and spring activities mean I haven't done any sewing for weeks and weeks.  I also didn't complete my February goal of re-working my Paradiso quilt.  May is not going to be much different, I'm afraid.  I'm having eye muscle surgery next Friday to correct a double-vision problem that I've been putting off for over two years.  (It's really not a good idea to have to drive with one eye closed more often than not.)  My son actually had the same surgery two years ago, but as an adult, my recovery time is suppose to be a lot longer than his was.  So I'm keeping it simple once again for May.  And it's actually not a "quilt" goal, but still a sewing goal.

So not only is next Friday my eye surgery, but it's also Medieval Day for my daughter's seventh grade class.  That means a field trip to look at city architecture in the morning, and then a feast back at the school.  They're allowed to dress in costume for the feast.  My darling daughter doesn't want to be a princess (where she could just borrow mom's old Maid Marian costume).  No, she wants to be a plague doctor.  Something that looks like this.

Thankfully, Amazon had a mask/hat set available that looks like this.

The mask isn't quite what she was expecting, but at least I don't have to make it.  (Plague doctors use to put herbs in the tip of the "beak," but the costume mask is actually open underneath so that you can breath.)

So all that's left is for me to make some sort of robe.  This is were the old Maid Marian pattern comes in handy, and one more reason to NEVER throw out 20-year-old costume patterns.  If you look at the upper right, that's the costume I made for myself (although I used white brocade for the dress, and purple felt for the cape).  If you look in the lower left, you'll see the grim reaper costume.  Yep, that's going to be our plague doctor.  I have purchased a black microsuede fabric, and plan to make the gown and cowl/hood.  Before next Friday.  Good thing it's a pretty straightforward pattern with only five pieces.

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal May Linkup.

OMG February: Paradiso Quilt revisited

Sometime last year I put this quilt top together using a charm pack of Paradiso.

It started as a mini (the pieced middle part), and then when I got a good deal on the matching gray fabric to use for a backing, I decided there was enough fabric to turn it into a lapsize quilt.  I picked out the salmon colored solid, and used up the extra squares from the charm pack to give it a modern turn by floating them in the borders.  But I think I've just never been happy with the salmon color.  While I like it, I realized it's a little overpowering and just too much for me.  I recently bought a blue shade of solid, and I'm planning to rip-out the salmon and replace it with the blue.  I'm hoping it will tone things down for me.

Once I start ripping things out, I may decide to leave to leave the salmon inner border.  We'll see!

http://www.elmstreetquilts.com/2017/02/one-monthly-goal-february-goal-setting.html

OMG January: Polaroid Greeting Swap

Met my goal for the month.  Made my 20 Polaroid blocks, and finally mailed them out yesterday.  Since the blocks were so easy to make, I actually made some extra for myself.  I don't have a lot of quilt-shop quality fabrics that work for fussy cutting, but I managed to pull together enough.  Here's a picture of the blocks I made to ship.

 I found some nice notecards to include a handwritten note with each pair of blocks I sent out.

 And found a reason to use these quilty address labels I had received in the mail.

I'm still waiting to receive a few sets of blocks, but it will probably take me some time until I decide what to actually make with all of them.  Now to think up a goal for next month!

http://www.elmstreetquilts.com/2017/01/one-monthly-goal-january-goal-finish.html