Sunday, February 24, 2019

Benefiting from non-joy sparking donations

Having found the upholstery fabric turned cubicle wall tapestry (highlighted here), I have been on the lookout for heavier weight fabric. Adding these textiles to my "What I Hunt For" list was a no brainer. This modernist print came home with me for $1.50 from SPCA thrift.  

I squared up the fabric and added a binding, I made one major change by including a seam binding to the back of the wall hanging. The woven acted as the stand-in "batting." The binding went on a lot smoother than my last tapestry project. 

This cubicle cover will be for my new work station so the completed project will be revealed in an upcoming post. While I know I will still be a state employee, I still don't know where I will land at the end of March. Long story short - I took a two-year limited term position that did not become permanent. I rolled the dice and it came up snake eyes. Kidding aside, not all bad because I have gained job experience. I had three interviews last week, so waiting word on a permanent offer.  

The second delightful find was this camper/road trip print from the same thrift shop. I knew immediately that it was vintage. Thankfully, the selvage was intact revealing it is a 2000 fabric. This yardage will be cherished stash for the right project. 
Weekend thrifting was one day of nothing and the next day a bounty. I limit myself to three shops a day as I have been known  to lose track of time when I am having so much fun. 
There were other ceramics of this series but she was the only one that came home with me, a hand-sewer with a Princess Leia hairdo.
My favorite find of the day, this Classics Hardware horse head necklace, retail $25, second-hand $5.
One of Xena's best photo bombs, she was particularly attracted to these objects, Creative Curtainmaking Made Easy by Heather Luke, Paul Revere & the Raiders record, and some yardage. 
Not pictured are some other records, a bit of batting, and some remnants of feedsack fabric. I am thrilled that others are getting rid of their non-joy sparking possessions! The thrift shops have been bursting at the seams, my last stop, a Goodwill all of the shelves were full, sometimes overflowing. 

With my interest in needlepoint rekindled, I made a little girl gasp when I found this project, began and then sent to the Great Thrift Shop Beyond. 
A 2007 Dimensions kit scored for $3.49. I will finish and frame it as it fits in perfectly with my decor. 

Monday, February 18, 2019

3 Projects in Progress

Since I began participating in challenges, one a blog linkup, the other on FB, I have made fantastic progress with three projects going at once. This is the first time I have done that. Usually, I have one large project with smaller projects interspersed. 

I really enjoy hand sewing. I debated on whether to take a magnolia needlepoint to an out of state trip and was glad I did as I was snowed in. Now that the kit thread is organized, the background is almost done and I can move into the detail work of the flower petals.

I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with quilting the Composition quilt. It was my Art with Fabric blog hop flimsy from 2018. 

Plaid hexagon quilt is pin basted. That took true quilter dedication as I use a garage work bench and it is cold down there. At least, my technique is improving as I can pin baste in about an hour. 

I have surprised myself by making such progress and by having three major projects in progress. 

On my wish list this year is an Americana quilt. I found this image in a Quilt World magazine from 1988. The pattern was offered then but I doubt it is available now so I will have to wing it. Those are some large blocks, I am thinking of scaling them down for my quilt. 

How many major projects do you work on at the same time? 

Are you participating in any creative challenges this year?

Saturday, February 16, 2019

March Madness and February blog hops

No, not in the basketball kind of way but in the qwazy quilting way. 

Listed at the end of this post are bloggers who "dusted off their quilt books" and chose a project. I had the good fortune to buy these specialty quilt eye-candy publications for $1 each along with some fabrics thrifting. The only problem with discovering new projects and new ideas is that it takes me off on a tangent with pending projects begging to be finished. 

March is National Quilting Month and to celebrate it there is an #IGQuiltFest on Instagram. It is a daily photo challenge (March 1-31) hosted by Amy's Creative Side. I participated last year and it was hecka fun. There are A LOT of upscale quilters, the ones who get all their points right and everything matches up, but I still get in a post or two. 

March also means crazy quilting for me. The Quilt Qwazy Queens blog hop theme is "Choose Your Own Qwazy." My day to post is March 15th, featuring another crazy quilt incorporating satin fabric.

Two hops coming up are one featuring "wings" in quilts.
Participating bloggers listed below:
February 18

February 19

February 20

February 21

The other encourages its participants to "Dust Off a Quilt Book"
Participants in that hop are listed below:
Monday Feb 18th
Turid at densyendehimmel
Pamela at Pamelaquilts
Selina at Selinaquilts
Kathleen at Kathleenmcmusing

Tuesday Feb 19th
Jennifer at curlicuecreations
Stephanie at stephjacobsondesigns
Kathy at Kathysquilts
Shasta at high road quilter
Theresa at bumbleberrystitches


Wednesday Feb 20th
Sharon at Vrooman’s quilts
Suzy at Websterquilt
Nancy at patchworkbreeze
Brenda at songbirddesigns
Karrin at karrinscrazyworld
Denise at craftraditions

Thursday Feb 21st
Leanne at Devoted Quilter
Jennifer at Dizzyquilter
Lee Anne at Podunk Pretties
Lyndsey at Sew Many Yarns

Friday Feb 22nd
Bea at Beaquilter
Barbara at Bejweledquilts
Marian at seams to be sew

Spring looks to be roaring in with lots of creative activity. We are still in for stormy weather in Northern California. I am not complaining and hope I don't hear the word "drought" at all during the year. 

Monday, February 4, 2019

Fabric solves everything and presenting other projects

Project #1 is a cubicle cover tapestry. I am sensitive to light and now that the weather has warmed a bit in Northern California, window blinds are more likely to be open. 
Shades are semi-closed here
When I stumbled onto this $4 roll of upholstery fabric, I knew it would solve my problem. It matches my workspace color scheme incorporating mint green and cream-colored cubicle walls. The tapestry blocks light where I view my monitors and makes it feel cozy. 

It took very little squaring up on the textile. One problem presented was how do I sew on this dense fabric? I couldn't double it over as it would be too bulky and would break my needle. The lightbulb went off when I decided to just bind off the ends. I used the packet of pastels that came from my thrifting excursion to whip up a 2-1/2" binding. 

The upholstery fabric was the perfect size for my purposes. It really was uncanny that the fabric was the exact size I needed it to be. I had not measured the space prior to the project. I have never worked with that type of fabric before. I did French binding on it using a thread noted specifically for upholstery fabric. 

Project #2 are potted daffodils for my co-worker friends. One just got a promotion and others just to pay it forward for the sweet things they have done for me. I will update the post after I have planted them in the containers shown above. 

In the second image above, you can see my other thrift shop finds displayed. I needed the hoop for my needlework project (I had given all of mine away for some reason). There were fabric finds, of course, and two sun dresses with clothing all being $1 each. The spring pots averaged 75 cents a piece. 

Finally, Google and Blogger don't seem to be playing nice with each other. I have always had problems will my audience being able to comment, now, when they did those comments are lost. *sighs*

Here is a message from G & B.