Monday, November 17, 2008

More Jars

Hi! Sharon from Indigo Threads here. I've been too busy to be able to get much sewing done lately, but I finally got a few minutes to finish some "Witch's Pantry" jars.
I'm not really sure about the lid on that block in the middle. I think I need to take it off and re-sew it, blunting the point on the 'square on point' to keep it anchored to the jar a little more. It looks like it's floating off in space! Any thoughts on that??
I found a list of spell ingredients on a Harry Potter web site, and picked out some fabrics that I thought would "work" for some of those ingredients. That's what those pieces of paper are that are pinned to the jars. I'll be making permanent labels in a more "witch-y" font to put on the jars before I'm done. (I guess my witch is kind of organized?? More than I am!)
I'm not real sure that my jars are as wonky as I'd hoped they'd be. I seem to be having some trouble "letting go" and getting wild and wonky. I'm open to any suggestions! Thanks!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

I can't believe what I just saw in my last post...

I knew that I had 18 houses to go around my center square to make it come out even. But after I posted last and looked at it I realized...18 houses, 18 years of marriage! I didn't even plan it that way! Well that is going to make it even more special. Just goes to show you shouldn't plan ahead, just work on it as you go and see what happens. I love it even more now. How special. Can't wait to show my husband. I will surprise him tomorrow with it.

Rondi

I'm making progress...


I have several rows done around the center medallion. Right now it is about 45x49. I have a couple more rows I want to get around it. The last row will have our names. My husbands, mine, daughter and son. One on each side around it. I am going to try and post a photo of it. Kinda want to to it today, to celebrate tomorrow. It will be the 18th anniversary of the "Leslie Household".


Rondi

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

What Have I Been Missing?

I should have joined these challenges sooner. I am so loving this. I have been reading Tonyas 's blog for some time. I have made several items with her free-style letters. I have always felt I needed to follow a quilt pattern to the "T" and would mess up royally if I tried to do anything without a pattern! So scary, and what if it was wrong? It is great fun making the letters. Just recently I bought the book Collaborative Quilting by Moran/Marston. If you have not seen it you will drool over it. Now this combined with what I have picked up from Tonya has allowed me to step out of my box! On this challenge I am so happy with what I have done so far and always anxious to have time to work on it. My quilt for this challenge is going to be patterned in the medallion style. There are letters in the middle surrounded by houses then couple rows of blocks, etc. then the last border I am going to have letters again....
Of note...I have sewn since a little girl in school. I have quilted off and on for the last 20yrs. I enjoy everything about quilting, especially hand quilting. Right now I have a quilt I am quilting with Fans! I work outside of the home as a 911 operator. Most of my quilting habit has to be done on my days off, which are not enough! When I figure out how to post photos I will show you my challenge. Thanks again Tonya.
Rondi

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Slow going

Maybe counting my houses was a bad idea.... since my last post I've completed exactly .5 houses... so much for my plan to do at least one every night!! And the half a house I've done is covered in baby spit up.... dilemma... do I wash it before putting the roof on?

After some false starts, and tearing of seams, I have completed a few stars... Does anyone have any suggestions for how to do stars? I'd like a variety... 5, 6, and more points.

I think I'm going to have to do a house assembly line to catch up. Soudns like a good thing to do while watching election coverage!!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Honesty is the best policy

Some weeks ago I eagerly joined the House, Home or Pantry quilt-together. I thought it would be fun to try wonky letters, houses and homes. I have been sketching and stitching, discovering it’s not my piece of cake, being too much of a perfectionist.

I had to enforce myself and that’s not the intention of a fun project like this. To liberate myself from the stress and because of an overload of work and projects I decided that honesty is the best policy. I have given up on my wonky attempts.
I will be back though to follow your experiments and projects!
Good luck and have fun!!

Nicolette