My first attempt at using foundation paper

 Well hello!

Hope you are staying cool wherever you are!

I was able to get into my craft room and turn my sewing machine on! It's been so very busy here with our new best good gal Thelma Lou - lots of training, walks, and pool time! She's an absolute dream! But - sometimes you need to just yell "Tag! You're on puppy duty!" and run to your craft room!!

I wanted something easy - yet challenging, and since I am such a beginner in all things sewing and quilting, I figured a very easy foundation paper block would be quick (under an hour) for me, give me a bit of a challenge, but also wouldn't be too frustrating for me.

I decided to try my hand at the 6'' Economy block paper I recently purchased from Fat Quarter Shop. I went through my practice fabric stash and picked a sewing print, a polka dot, and a gingham print. EASY FABRIC MATCH! I was off to an excellent start.

This was so easy! And oh so very satisfying!

After some quick fabric cuts I was ready to start. Nothing about this seemed very intimidating, as I have watched Kimberly Jolly's videos using these papers about a dozen times! I really am pleased with how quickly this block went together, and how confident I was while using the foundation paper.

Here was my piece after I trimmed it down. This probably took me about 30-40 minutes. 

Here is the back of my piece - I feel like it looks pretty good, but definitely welcome y'all to point out any errors! My newbie eyes may not catch mistakes!

Here is my piece after I removed all the paper from the back and pressed it again. Next time I will "fussy cut" my middle piece a little better. Stay tuned for more practice with my Economy block pad - I'm not sure I'm ready to try the other pads I purchased just yet!

As always, thanks for reading, and your tips and suggestions are always welcome!

When it rains, it POURS

 

Well here I am, back on my blog. It's been a wild end of January and February for us. What started out as some beautiful and welcome snow in January turned into more than we expected snow and ice. We finally thawed from that, and had a GORGEOUS day of 70 degrees!

Then, round two of snow came. My mind truly is drawing a blank on how much we got, because not long after that days of rain followed, we got a small break, and then IT HAPPENED.

SO MUCH RAIN, WAY TOO FAST.

Everything was fine, all through the day, and into the evening. I'm sure you know where I am going with this. The last I checked our downstairs, everything was dry as a bone at 1am. I woke around 7am, and wouldn't you know it, there was 7 inches of water in our finished basement. I'd also like to point out that when I woke up to a flooded basement, I was also surprised with the fact that we had two inches of fresh snow on the ground!

Fast forward a week later, and here I am. The basement drained (VERY quickly), our utilities were checked by professionals (sump, furnace, hot water heater, electrics, etc) and all carpeting, drywall, doors, and baseboards have been removed from the house. We have completely dried out and our humidity down there is around 36%. It was a busy week, but now that all of the urgent things have been taken care of, we can take a break and a breather. Absolutely nothing down there is pressing at the moment. We can take our time remodeling. The sun is finally shining, and will be all week, so we have spent some time on the porch in our rocking chairs, and today I have spent a little time at my sewing machine, in front of an open window, and watching sewing and quilting reels on Pinterest. 

Before we flooded, I had quilted the block I sewed in January. I was so pleased with how it turned out, considering I have never done this, and I was ready for binding. Being a beginner, I decided to order a bias tape maker, and I am glad I did. I had watched some videos about cutting your fabric for binding, but with the events of the last week, I realized I needed to watch them again. That's what I've done today, and I practiced a little on some plain white fabric. I'm not ready to cut into the fabric I have picked for my binding yet, I think I am going to practice a few more times!

I have to say, this small little quilt block sure is taking ages to finish, but I guess that is how it goes with any hobby sometimes. Life truly gets in the way, and that's ok! We have these hobbies as a way to relax. It will mean so much more to me when it's finished, and I can't wait to hang it somewhere to remind me of where I started.

Here is the fabric I picked for the binding. I am hoping to finish it all this week. It's coming off darker in the photo, but I think it will look really good.

Hope to have a good quilting update for you soon, and I hope you are DRY and enjoying some nice sunny weather, wherever you are! Three weeks until Spring! 

-Bunny

Quilting is a scrap of happiness

 Quilting. 

Oh, how I’ve dreamed of quilting over the years. I’ve spent a decade plus painting quilts, too afraid to break out that sewing machine. Believe me, I’ve so enjoyed painting barn quilts, but over the past two years, the fabric and the thread and my untouched machine sitting in its box started calling to me. Once I stumbled upon Lori Holt, Kimberly Jolly and her shop Fat Quarter Shop, it was game over, and I was done dreaming and not doing. 

I’m finally answering that call. 

In December, I got on Etsy and purchased a beginner’s quilt block pattern and instructions from a shop called StaceyLeeCreative. It was for a Nine Patch Quilt Block, came with written instructions and a YouTube video. Plus, it only cost $3.50. I have nothing to lose. 

I found some quilting fabric in my craft stash, so this has to be meant to be, right? Actually, I had been slowly buying a few things over the past few years in preparation for this quilting journey. I remember purchasing this fabric bundle from Shabby Fabrics back in 2017. Then, a few years ago I bought a rotary cutter and a ruler, but last month, I caught a sale at Joann’s, and bought some more rulers and a cutting mat at 50% off. I also purchased a Lori Holt binder, and my husband sweetly gifted me some Lori Holt notions for Christmas. As I type this out, and see the year 2017, I can’t help but think “Wow, I really plan in advance, don’t I?!” It’s so silly. Look how much time I’ve wasted simply thinking about quilting. 

I was watching a YouTube video last week from Kimberly Jolly (love her!) at Fat Quarter Shop, and she showed an item they carry - it’s simply a wooden block with grooves in it to hold your rulers. I’m not sure how recent the video was, and I’m sure I couldn’t find it again if I tried. I showed it to my husband and he went right out to the garage and made me one from some scrap wood. He’s a sweetie! Once the weather warms up I’m gonna smooth the edges on it and spray paint it a pretty color!

Don’t you love my HUGE binder with only two patterns in it? 😂

I got my sewing machine unpacked while we were snowed in, and will find a YouTube video for my exact machine to make sure I’m setting everything up correctly before I start. I have a Brother CE1100PRW. Can I even (mini) quilt on this thing? Who knows. Either way, it’s happening. The thread I ordered will be here Wednesday. I can’t wait to get started! 

Here’s the pretty fabric I found in my stash. I already had the wool ironing pad, but am waiting to see if I enjoy quilting before I buy a smaller iron. I brought our big iron upstairs to use, and it’s really heavy. If I really get into this, I’ll probably be purchasing an Oliso iron. Check out the adorable Lori Holt bonnet needle minder my husband bought me! 🥰 

I hope you’ll stick around, because I plan on documenting my progress - my HONEST progress, warts and all. And if you have any tips and advice- please please leave them in the comments! 

Wish me luck! 

I hope to have an update by 1/19/25. 

-Bunny

Here are the links to the two beginners patterns I purchased:

Nine Patch Quilt Block PDF Pattern with YouTube Video

Hourglass Quilt Block PDF Pattern with YouTube Video