Busy busy busy

June 4, 2013 Linda Nussbaum

It looks like June will prove to be a busy month for me. I am sure that I am not alone in working better under a deadline and with specific goals, right?

Last week received an order to restock some pot holders and coasters at Storeroom Vintage. I have to admit it came kind of out of the blue, but I was glad to get the text. I had posted a little bit about this venture back in early February here, and after taking the first group over there neither of us really followed up after that. Until now. And this time I'm going into it with a little more direction, which I think is helpful. There will be more of these popping up in the next week or so!

still considering some rearranging - be warned

And though it may not seem like it, I've been working bit by bit on the strip quilt. Making a few new strip sets each week, adding the triangle units to what is already up on the wall and then spending another few days pondering. I got a really good suggestion for a way to alter this minimally, but hopefully with maximum impact. I hope to have this top pieced by the beginning of July. The quilting will be a whole other bridge to cross!

Blocks from the April round of do. good stitches Bliss circle.

And of course the quilt bees! The photo above is for the Bliss circle of do. Good Stitches, which has been undergoing some changes. I have been a member of the Bliss circle since I joined do. Good Stitches a little over 2 years ago. There have been 2 hosts for the circle in that time, the latest of whom chose to take some time away as of early May. Was it compulsion that prompted me to volunteer for the position of host, or simply a desire to see the circle continue and thrive and come back together? I think it's fair to say it was a little of both. But yes, this means I am now host and moderator for the Bliss circle, and happy to be doing it! It's been fun to really touch base and communicate with my fellow bee-mates in this, and I seem to have gotten an overwhelmingly positive and energized response from most of the group, which helps SO MUCH! Amy is getting us started out again this month with her own Flock of HSTs block and tutorial on her blog, 13spools. Amy has chosen the perfect type of block to get us running again, and I'm super appreciative! And in the mean time I'll be putting more of the HST blocks shown above together (and I've collected a few more from members of the group since that photo was taken) and hope to get that quilt top finished by mid-June.

Of course there are also still the Friends + Fabric bee and the Simply Solids bee, marching ahead beautifully to keep in mind!

And now for the non-quilting-related stuff... J and I have finally gotten started on one of the home improvement projects that's been on the list for a little while now. We marched on down to the big Depot store and placed an order for 2 pallets of bricks, sand and gravel to be delivered to the house this week. We're (okay, so far it's really been just J) rebuilding and widening a walkway from the driveway past the veggie garden area (which has yet to be planted this year) to the backyard, as well as laying a new patio in the backyard.

AND CONTINUES STILL (of course I had to include a picture of me helping out at least SOME)

There are a couple more collaborations that are only just beyond the "discussion" stage, but I don't foresee a whole lot of movement on those in the next month. You know what that means, though... Stay tuned!

And though I am sure other things will be popping into the mix over the next few weeks, I feel good about what's on the table, both literally and figuratively! So, enjoy the journey, and if I maybe don't post quite as often as I sometimes do, just imagine that I'm dutifully at work on one of these fun, gratifying projects (and if it's the outdoor one, that image should include a margarita!)

Chugging along

March 2, 2013 Linda Nussbaum

Though I have been keeping busy these last few weeks, and there are many fun projects that I am eager to update you on, for now I will stick with the quick fix.

MORE POT HOLDERS!

and there's more...

This ever-evolving improv quilt. Still on my design wall, and still making progress:

working on the top left corner the last week in February

where I left this beauty on Sunday evening

And after steady attention all of Thursday and Friday, this is where we left each other:

And just to give everyone a sense of scale, note that the layout takes up nearly my entire design wall, which is 8' x 8'. This is going to be one big quilt! Probably too big for my bed, but I'll make it work! It has just taken on a life of its own, and there is no question that the blocks and fabrics are telling me where they need to be and how I should be pulling them together. This has led to moving several things around, and in one case even slicing a block in two and piecing it together in a different arrangement in order to find the right balance.

Who knew that making an improv quilt would require so much planning and consideration?? Not I, said the fly! It really comes down to the fact that the process is good for me, though it's been dominating my design wall just a wee bit too long. Oh, and that I am just no good with large areas of solid fabrics. Just can't get the scrappy-fiend to sit tight and be quiet! Must piece!

WIP Wed. 1/23/13

January 23, 2013 Linda Nussbaum

Another week of sewing! Lots and lots of sewing. And a few other things in the wings. I feel I should mention the great positive commotion related to the upcoming Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day... it's been fun to see all the props people are giving their favorite shops. I've stayed in the wings on this one not wanting to unleash a potential conflict of interest, since I am employed by my favorite LQS, but it's great to see that Marie and her shop got lots of love on the blog hop this past week! Let's keep our fingers crossed that the love carries over into tomorrow and becomes a big shopping day!

Getting right to it, thank you Lee for continuing to host WIP Wednesday!

New

It's been a while since I've delved into my zipper bags of scraps to put one of THESE together. And doing it on my newest hand-me-down The Bernina Activa 240 - seems to be a little power house, let me tell you! And I have to admit it's kind of strange to be sewing in my basement again! I'm now spread out across half the city!

HST quilt-to-be. I have had the yardage for these guys piled up and set aside for about 2 years now. A project that I have wanted to do for my unofficial in-laws that somehow always got pushed back. You all know what I'm talking about, right?? But 2013 is the year, I tell ya!

This will be changed around, I am certain. If I even continue to pursue it. I talked a bit about this challenge in my previous post here. It's getting down to the wire and I should have been working on it when I got home from work yesterday, but the inspiration just wasn't there. What can I say?

Some Progress

Got this basted, but haven't begun quilting it. Which I need to do so that I can retrieve some of those pins in order to baste other projects!

I'm also nearly finished hand stitching the binding onto my warm/cool QAL wall hanging. I don't have any new photos of it, but I'll be sure to post a stellar one for next week's "Completed" category!

And that being said":

Completed

Two more sets of pot holders. That's all, nothing so exciting. Which leaves...

No Progress/Quilt Tops awaiting quilting

If I could count, I could tell you how many more sets of pot holders are pieced and just need to be quilted and bound. I think 6.

Grey/blue Nubees quilt

Green/brown spiderweb quilt

Pink Elephants

Yellow/magenta Encapsulated

Russet 60/30 Diamonds

So, the final tally seems to be:

New: 3

Some Progress: 3

No Progress: 11

Completed: 2

Thanks again for sticking with me here! I'm excited to keep going and share some new things in the next couple of months - Stay Tuned!

WIP Wed - 1/16/13

January 16, 2013 Linda Nussbaum

I've actually had quite a productive week in the sewing studio. Yay. The renewed energy of the online bees certainly doesn't hurt, and even though it's not generally my way, list-making IS quite effective.

That said, here's a rundown of this past week's follies:

New

a sneak peek... featuring fabrics from Kaffe Fasset, Jay McCarroll, Anna Maria Horner and newcomer Alison Glass.

Can't show much more of this just yet, but I've got a new wall-hanging under way. And it's been a long time since I've worked specifically on a wall-hanging. But I've definitely been having fun working from an original pattern again. Will share more in a few weeks!

I guess you could say that I got pulled onto the Scrappy Trip Around the World bandwagon, if briefly! And I do have to say that the Quiltville tutorial really is great! Easy to follow, straight-forward, and tremendously efficient! I don't expect to be making a whole project from this, but I can certainly see why so many people have been enamored!

Bliss do. Good Stitches January block #1

And I spoke a bit about these in my previous post. Chris put up a little "tutorial" on our group page on Flickr for the Bliss Circle of do. Good Stitches.

In Progress

And after having it *literally* hanging around for who knows how long, I finally basted and started quilting this gem. It was just a matter of taking that first step... getting over the basting hesitation! Whew.

Quilting not-yet-happening (or on hold)... i.e. No Progress

Grey/blue Nubees quilt

Green/brown spiderweb quilt

Pink Elephants

Yellow/magenta Encapsulated

Both of the 60/30 diamond quilts

Completed

Design Camp 2 [Think Outside the Block] Jan. 2013 for Shelley

We're closing in on the last couple of months for Camp 2 in the Design Camp [Think Outside the Block] Improv Bee. This is a technique I'm certainly not afraid of, and one that is GREAT for using up the itty-bitty scraps that I invariably keep around. Thank you, Shelley, for finding this gem and letting us play willy-nilly!!

Last week I mentioned the stack of many pot holders on the docket... I've shaved a few more off of the "in progress" list, and then continued progress on a few others... Leaving (I think) 5 pairs yet to be quilted, 4 more pairs quilted but yet to be bound, and 2 or 3 more pairs completed. And the cycle continues.

So, this appears to be a pretty healthy list, no? I feel like I've forgotten something, but if I can't think of it, then you all certainly won't miss it! And the final tally is:

New: 3

In Progress: 9 out of 15 pot holder sets, plus 1

Completed: 3

Quilts awaiting quilting: 6

Linking up to WIP Wed. at Freshly Pieced and gonna check in with some of the other talliers out there!

Stocking up for the new year

January 1, 2013 Linda Nussbaum

This last week of 2012 I spent a fair amount of time in my studio getting prepared for the fresh start of a new year. Part of that is finishing lingering projects (like that flannel quilt mentioned in a previous post), but I also dedicated a couple of solid days to prepping NEW projects. I am hoping to begin the year with a refreshed Etsy shop filled with new inventory, and I decided to start with pot holders.

Over a dozen pairs of pot holders ready to be pieced!

I brought them home with me to work on over the holiday and seem to have gotten a good start, so I will hopefully punch these guys out soon!

Another of my goals for making this transition to a new year is getting some of last year's (or older) quilt tops quilted and bound.

Looks like this little gal might be my first finish of 2013! What projects do you all have out on your sewing tables (or laps, as the case may be) this week? Let's all try to keep each other motivated and excited for the next thing up! I have a good feeling about 2013!