Some cook, I sew and write: creativity brings joy

It's finished!!!  100% pieced and quilted and bound by me!  Design input from Jim!  We make a great team, I think!

I want to show you my progress on the Minecraft quilt.  Originally I wanted to finish it today, but that didn't happen.  Next up, the binding! Machine quilting on my sewing machine.  My right wrist got very sore from holding the fabric! My husband held up the quilt after I finished quilting it. Trimming off the excess from the sides to get ready for the binding. Clipping threads from the back.  I matched thread on the front according to each block so I had lots of starts and stops.  Not the perfect way to do it, but Martha Stewart isn't coming over!!!

After I got those other projects finished, I turned my attention to sashing the Minecraft quilt.  The squares ready for sashing: I think the sword and TNT blocks are my and my husband's all-time faves!  And yes, my sewing room is a mess--that's why I'm trying to get close ups!  We chose to drop the pick axe out because getting it right inside of that size of a block is nearly impossible without working with tiny squares. Originally we planned to put the dragon Kelli created on the reverse side, but I'd already bought 120" backing fabric at $19.99 a yard) and didn't want to waste it.  I might put the dragon on a banner for Halloween though.  (I've already bought the purple fabric too.) Here's the beginning of the sashing process: And wah lah! Jim picked out the sashing fabric.  It needs to be pressed, but I think it looks cool! The backing is brown in the same texture as the grey sashing fabric. Now I'm trying to figure out...

Sidetracked should be my middle name!  I seem to be very good at it. I got back from vacation and tackled my diamond sword pattern.  And deleted it.  My measurements were off.  Kelli Fannin from Seriously. . . I think it needs stitches had already posted her pattern here so I used hers instead of figuring out how to fix mine. I am glad I tried to create a pattern though--I learned a ton and mostly I learned to appreciate what others have done before me!!! Here's the finished block:

Oh dear.  It has been over a month since I've blogged!  I'm so sorry!  We've gone on vacation, I've finished the Hunter's Star quilt top, I've done some cross stitching, but I've blogged about none of it! One of the major things that has happened is this: It's not what is outside although the weed jungle is growing like mad with all the rain we have had.  My husband is taming it now that he has more time for yardwork.  He was laid off--did I mention that?  The picture also doesn't just show that my sewing machine table is a mess, but that's a major clue. I finished the Hunter's Star and programmed my machine to write a label for it, and then forgot to change the presser foot.  The needle came down, broke in the machine, seriously messed up the timing, and the machine began shredding thread. Even though I took my machine to the dealer's the next day (two weeks ago), the repairman attended training for at least a week so I still ...

I took a lengthy break from Minecraft skins, but I finished the Witch after completing the placemats.  Here she is.  (My daughter informs me that witches are always girls and boys are called warlocks.  The Harry Potter world certainly reinforces that idea.) Back to Minecraft. The witch caused me a lot of issues because it didn't make sense to me.  My husband helped me pick colors until he asked, "Would it help if you saw the character on the game?" Immediately I responded, "Yes!" Once I saw the pixellated figure on screen, I could see what I couldn't figure out before.  Unfortunately what I saw made me realize that Kelli had really simplified this and other blocks into something a beginning quilter could handle and have that important sense of accomplishment.  These animated figures are * highly * pixelated.  There is another quilter that I've seen on Instagram that works with probably 1- or 2-inch squares in order to attain that pixelated ...

After all that sewing and all my good intentions to complete the Squid last Monday, it didn't happen. First, I realized my fabrics didn't match Kelli's so I waited for my husband to come home and choose colors. Then somewhere around Wednesday, I cut out pieces and laid them up.  And realized that those pieces that said Cut Two only had one.  Yeah, I can read. It's following directions where I seem to be hurting.  :-) I went ahead and sewed what I had together, meaning the eyes were sewn. Then my daughter had a State competition for Odyssey of the Mind in Bowling Green, Kentucky , all day Saturday.  They are actually on Central Time vs Eastern Time so the trip down was quick, what with gaining an hour.  Coming home wasn't so fast since we lost it again. For a few brief hours, we shared time zones with Missouri again.  The competition was a good experience, and our daughter had fun, but we won't be going to World in Iowa.  :(  Sad, but it ...

Yesterday's blog post was so lengthy that I didn't want to add one more thing, but that one thing was the last block before catching up to the Minecraft sew along. Enter this freaky dude : My husband plays hardcore, which means that you can be destroyed and the world you create as well in a single stroke of bad luck.  I guess the other way gives you multiple chances and maybe doesn't destroy the world you made?  My kids and my husband have enjoyed this game through the years although my husband is the only one who prefers the chanciness of the hardcore game.  My kids would interact with each others' worlds when they played although they tried not to mess each others' games up. Jim, my husband, tells me that you know when Enderman comes into play because the music (if you can call it that) sounds like nails on a blackboard.  Really pleasant, NOT!  So sinister dude, he is. Today is the day for the squid and it's already up at Seriously I think it needs ...

I have been working hard all week to get these blocks done and catch up to Kelli over at Seriously I think it needs stitches and I've wondered if I would ever get these done.  Have you ever had times that you simply felt overwhelmed and it takes everything you've got just to kick it in gear? Yeah?  That's been my week this past week.  Sometimes it was 10:00 at night before I finally got to it.  I can't say I've gotten an exceptional amount of work done--my yard work still needs to be done for example.  We've had a lot of wind this past winter, and a bunch of trees came down in our wooded area so that is a MESS!  The weather was nice so I kept thinking I should get out there, but I didn't.  New week now, right?  Our lawn mower died at the end of last summer too so we need to buy a new one, but you got it--that hasn't happened either. I've just felt overwhelmed these last few weeks.  I have twin sons, and both have left home for 2-year mi...

I'm still struggling with the scant 1/4" seam.  I think maybe I'm starting to get it, but I don't have it every time.  That makes the pieces not line up exactly, but I'm getting closer I think. Pig: Villager: He kind of reminds me of Bert of Sesame Street fame!  However, I'm out of the fat quarter for skin tone now so I'm wondering if I just need to switch to the next color closest to skin tone or what.  My villager is paler than Kelli's. Speaking of Seriously I think it needs stitches , Kelli has created this pattern : I'm thinking of my missionary son Steven in the California Fresno Mission.  Change the bike color to lime green and eliminate the basket of flowers, and I'd have his bike.  (Sorry, I couldn't find one with him riding it!) Here's a better one with him on the bike although it's still dark at night!  Dark suit, dark night--not much detail to be had!

Tonight I got two more Minecraft character skins finished.  (Aren't you impressed? Kelli at Seriously I think it needs stitches taught me that these are skins.) Skeletor: Alex:  (Who is this character anyway?) I made the modifications to Alex that Kelli noted at Seriously I think it needs stitches.  The pale pink mouth is really pale!  I'd probably step it up a shade next time.

So this was a fun (and easy) block to make: Hello, Creeper! The cow was also fun to see take shape!

After finally getting all the pieces cut and laid out for the first Minecraft block , I made the Advent calendar. Yesterday, I put Steve together! Meet Steve!

I just found some information on Free Motion Quilting (FMQ) on the Elven Garden Quilts blog.  Here is the link:   http://theelvengarden.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/free-motion-qal-choosing-colours.html .  There are more links at the bottom of the page.  I had wondered if it might be best to either tie or stitch-in-the-ditch quilt my Christmas quilt, and one of the posts reinforced that thought.  I think that might be the best strategy for me as a beginner. Also here is a cool Minecraft tutorial:   http://www.thatlookslikeitneedsstitches.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2016-02-17T12:42:00-08:00&max-results=1 Just wanted to pass those along!