Snow. Ice. What else is new?

Last night was the Holiday Swap at the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild. We had our first bad weather event so I bailed out. I made this pillow for the swap, but a tiny part of me is happy that it stayed with me. I LOVE this pillow. I used a pattern I found on Etsy. I liked this pattern so much I bought another one of a pig. I used regular 14 count white aida, but I have since discovered hand dyed fabrics and opalescent fabric. I used Essex Linen for the border and it looks fantastic. It reminds me of denim but works like regular cotton. I picked it up at Stitch, the new fabric/yarn store in the East Village. They have the Essex in Flax and Indigo. The bolts are pretty slim right now though. It has moved fast. I totally understand why. If you go down there, look for a Flax napkin with a red reindeer cross stitched on it. I made that! I am pretty proud of myself. The store really is great. I enjoy just going down there, hanging out and stitching. There is an infinite supply of coffee and a very comfy couch. Tami, Jessica and Madie are very welcoming and if they are willing to let me hang out there, they will welcome anybody. 

I mitered the corners of the border and I am getting better doing that. There was one slight awkward tuck, but it is barely noticeable. The pillow is just very much my style. So Merry Christmas to me! 

Lots to tell

I have several different things to share, so I am going to break them up into different posts.
First story- I went to Indiana for a few days. I took my guild challenge project with me, but I cut my pieces ahead of time so I could take less stuff. I went with the plus blocks and was feeling pretty proud of myself for doing the math correctly. Wanted to use all the pieces, but I couldn't get a complete final row because I didn't have one last square. I used fusible fleece for the backing, quilted it, cutting the back and it looked good. I even showed it at the guild meeting, but something seemed off. It wasn't square. How that slipped by me I have no idea. so even though I had shown it, I ripped it apart, sewed on an extra row by salvaging a scrap and made it square. I did some franken-fleecing to make it work, but it did. If you look closely you can kind of tell that the bottom row is off.

Since I had already cutting the back, I had to do a pieced back. Again I salvaged the scraps to make it work. It totally did and I am feeling pretty pleased with myself. I need to stuff it and use it!

Kind of a bad picture, but here is the final result.

Yeah, I've been busy

I went on a trip. That story may make a reappearance if I work on something I brought back. I have been doing some crafting, but not a whole lot.

I worked on the Woodland Sampler. I think February turned out well. March is cute, but I left out the 'March' text because it was bright yellow and I didn't care for that. I am waiting to see what colour 'April' is before I decided. I also signed up for the Springtime Sampler. There are 25 frames with a number in each. The control freak in me has shown up with this though. March 21st is the start of spring- the equinox is technically on the 20th, but 21st is the 'traditional date'. The sneak peeks I've seen are more Easter/April themed. Even if I consider them April dates, April 25th is nothing. I guess it is a sampler not a countdown, but I don't get the numbers then. I think I may leave out the numbers. I can always stitch them back in.

I've decided to the Virtual Quilting Bee with Amy Smart (Diary of a Quilter). It just seemed like fun. Her posts are very well written and I think that is what sucked me in. A fat eighth solid bundle from Pink Castle Fabrics went along with it, so I went that route. I don't have any super bright/rainbow type quilts so I figured I should try that. The stack is very pretty. The first block is out, but I haven't done it yet.

I am also working on another toddler height chart. This one has progressed much better than the first attempt. That was so awful. I'm using Riley Blake this time. I am starting to like Riley Blake. I used to be strictly Moda before. Oh and I LOVE Art Gallery. The feel of the fabric is fantastic.

What I REALLY need to be working on is my Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild Madrona Road challenge. I want to do a pillow of interlocking plus blocks. I just can't get motivated.

I think that is it. Wait, one more thing. Fiber Flux is having a crochet along. It is a beginner/refresher one. My plan is to participate. I haven't crocheted in years, so I figured this would be a good way to get back in. I don't have yarn yet, but I am in luck! Fiberpalooza is March 23rd in Winterset. I have missed the first two years, but Emily went last year and thoroughly enjoyed herself. Heartland Fiber Co does a great job with their in store events so I am sure this will be just as good.

Two steps forward, two steps back

This Saturday was an all day sewing day with the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild. It was a lot of fun. This was first real 'group sew' and I was a little intimidated going in. I had a great time and quilters make excellent bakers. I didn't get there super early and I left a bit before 8 o'clock so it was about a 9 hour cutting fest. I didn't take my machine; just my cutting mat and my 2011 FQS BOM. Still only done one block. I cut about 7 months worth and then quit. I was getting tired and I had sorted the blocks by number of fabrics and cutting difficulty. Instead of sorting with decreasing difficulty, I sorted with increasing difficulty so as I increased in tiredness I was cutting more difficult blocks. Yes, I am a science nerd and PROUD of it.

On Sunday we got snow which I was not expecting so I spent the day in after church and did some cross stitch. This deer couple has been a thorn in my side! It is suggested that if you don't have a colour to go ahead and use a lighter shade or darker shade than listed. So not me, but decided to give it a try. Stitched all of the word 'January' with 827 (on hand), realized that it wasn't frosty enough so went out and bought 828 (listed) and restitched the whole thing. The white snowflakes aren't showing up well, but I am just going to leave it as is. I have two more to do before this month is done.

Mug Rug Madness

I LOVE my mug rug! Janora pegged me perfectly.

This side is technically the 'reverse', but it coordinates with my coffee mug.

This the correct side. A pinwheel, stacked rectangles. It is perfect. The blue looks like denim and the stitching is in the goldy type of thread that you see on jeans. It really is very me.

Janora and I ended up swapping. This is what I made for her. Just to be clear- It is supposed to be wonky. It isn't bad stitching. She was very gracious in her acceptance. I hope she gets to use it.

Here are more pictures from the swap. This has been a great experience for my first time swap and I think I may do another one. If anybody is in the central Iowa area, please come to the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild. It is very fun and the group is super creative.