WIPs, WIPs, AND MORE WIPs

Actually, it's just two WIPs.  Two I've discussed before.  And to announce that only one person signed up for my giveaway, and that was my friend Nicki from work.  You've bummed me out, people!

Anyway, here's the first WIP.  It's the Vintage Ribbons Table Runner from Moda Bake Shop that I've been trying to complete for a while now.  Pretty much almost finished other than sandwiching, quilting, and binding.  I have a three-day weekend coming up, so I'm going to do a lot of sewing!

My camera still sucks right now.  I need a new one.  I'm hoping I can talk my sister into upgrading and giving me her old one!  Anyway, I tried a few "high-in-the-air-directly-overhead" shots of my WIPs.  Seemed to work okay.

The above shot is a little wonky, but I think it shows the colors really well.  The pattern called for solids, and I just don't care for them.  At least not right now.  But the binding will be solid red.  I think that will provide some nice contrast.  I added the aqua because my living room colors are red and aqua.  Works really well, I think!

And now to more baby stuff.  I got the top sewn for Eli's ribbon blankie.  It's looks so cute that I turned it into my work computer's desktop background!

How fun is that?!  I used my favorite prints and tried to be as random as I could.  I'm very visual, and therefore I have a really hard time with random patterns.  I can't do it.  I had to throw them all in a bag and pick them.  And I still rearranged quite a few!

WHOLE LOTTA CUTTIN' GOIN' ON

Nearly a month ago, I said I was going to my first craft retreat.  Due to crappy Internet service, I've been unable to share everything I got accomplished at that retreat.

One of the big things I got done was my stitch sampler.  I'm in a class to learn all about my new machine, Regina Bernina.  One of our homework assignments, as it were, was to complete a stitch sampler.  I felt pretty lucky compared to most of the ladies in the class -- I only have 85 stitches.  There's one woman who has THE fanciest machine Bernina makes.  She has over 1000 stitches she has to sample.  Whew!  Glad I'm not her!  Anyway, here's the result:

It was a lot of fun to do, and one of my friends, whom I call Crazy, watched over my shoulder the whole time.  I asked her if she was bored at all.  She said no!  Too fun to watch!

And I did a TON of cutting.  I'm 5'10" and I own a very short table on which I cut.  That means I can't cut for long periods of time without getting major back pain.  The house we had the retreat in had a huge kitchen island that was nice and tall.  I set up cutting shop on the island and cut the fabric for an entire table runner for myself.

That's all of it!  It was so nice not to be in pain when I was done with cutting!

After the stitch sampler was finished, I worked on my mom's table runner, which is going to be bargello.  I love bargello, and I've made one before.  It turned out pretty darn good.  So I had a honey bun of Blessings that I'm turning into a runner for Mom.  I already have the tubes finished and ready to cut.

There's four different tubes that I'm going to use.  It's going to be a lot of fun to put together.  I'm even thinking about trying to cut really small strips, like 3/4" to see what happens!  Wish me luck!

And here's an action shot of Regina Bernina because it's awesome!

I'll post pictures of my table runner when it's done -- just have to add the borders and do the quilting and binding!  Woo-hoo!

HAVING NICE TOOLS MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Now that I have Regina Bernina, my new 350 PE, I have been sewing like a demon!  It used to be such a fight to sew, but now it's fun to sew again!  I haven't had this much fun since I learned to sew when I was 11!  I've sewed nearly every night since I got the sewing machine.  I've made three sets of coasters, a candle mat, started a table runner, and started three shopping bags.  I'm really excited to sew each time I sit down at the machine.  What a great feeling!

TABLE RUNNER PREPARATIONS

So I have all the strips cut for Mom's table runner. It might not be totally finished by the time Harvest rolls around this weekend, but at least Mom'll have something to decorate her table. And I'll get some coasters done -- quicker than potholders. Sets of four or six, depending on how much I have left over. I'm just going to do pinwheels since they're so easy. And kinda crazy quilting since I have such an old machine! Wish me luck!

MY BARGELLO PLANS

So here's my plan for the bargello table topper for Mom's and my booth at the Harvest Festival. It'll of course be a little different than this, since I didn't take the size thing into account -- I was just trying to figure out if it would look okay when there were only six colors. Whew. Thank God it looks like it will. I'll let you know how it goes -- no worries there!

I HAVE COMMISSIONS!

Again. I didn't get any sewing done last night -- just as I predicted. And I won't tonight -- Bones is on. Sorry, but I must watch David Boreanaz. And the Dog Whisperer is guest starring -- my mom loves him.

Anyway, I thought I should blare the fact that I have been commissioned by a friend to create a table runner for her dining room and a quilt and pillow shams for her bedroom! Woo-hoo! Gotta get started on the designs. Wish me luck!

I DIDN'T JUST TRY

I really did sew today. I waited until it was later, about seven this evening, since it's been so hot. And then I finished quilting another placemat. I didn't finish them all, but I have all four of Ginna's done, and two of Mary's. I'll finish another one tomorrow, perhaps -- although the season finale of the Closer is on -- and then all I have to finish once they're quilted is the binding. I have a crappy picture of one of Ginna's. Excuse the fuzziness!

I SHALL TRY, REALLY I SHALL

To sew this weekend. Okay, wait. I think I'll live this weekend by one of Master Yoda's more famous sayings: "Do or do not. There is no try." So I will sew this weekend. By God, I will! Hee, hee.

My priority: those pesky placemats for my sisters. I can finish the quilting this weekend and start on the bindings, no problem. However, I've never done bindings before, so it might get a little ugly. Thank God for online tutorials! I figured out how I'm going to bind by reading up on Marcia Hohn's website, The Quilter's Cache. I go there all the time! She has tons of great patterns of traditional ancestry or her own, as it were. Great site. Check it out if you haven't already.

If you click the title of this blog entry above, it will take you directly to Marcia's tutorial on quilting binding.