Sunrise, Sunset

Sunrise:
Finally, I have a new project to blog about!  I really love the tomato red.  It's so vibrant and rich.

Sunset:
Finally, the Zig Zag quilt is being quilted!  I took these pictures while the sun was setting.  I'm just noticing now how the light gives the whole quilt a pleasant, warm, yellowish hue.

My first quilt

I was really looking forward to quilting today but a broken sewing machine needle put a damper on my plans. A broken needle also means a change in today's post topic.

Reluctantly, I'm going to share my first quilt with you.  I say reluctantly because I'm slightly embarrassed about my first clumsy attempt at quilting. About a year ago, my boyfriend and I were planning a trip to Sioux Falls, South Dakota in order to attend his best friend's wedding.  At that time I was already infected with the quilting bug and was itching to start a project of my own.   Less than three weeks before we were scheduled to leave, I decided that I wanted to make a quilt and give it to the newlyweds.  I ransacked my bookmarked quilting blogs and flickr quilting groups, searching for the perfect quilt pattern.  I created my own pattern that was inspired by Elizabeth Hartman's mix tape quilts.

The whole project was riddled with problems from the start.  I don't want to dredge up old memories so I won't get specific.  I was rushed and my quilting shows it.  Blah.

Anyway, my opinion about my first quilt has changed since I started writing this post.  I still see the mistakes but it doesn't matter.  I love it! Oh, and the Bride was pleased with it too.  

Quilty Two-Face

Q:  What happens when a quilter is short of safety pins for basting?

A:  The result is a quilt basted with both pins and thread.

Zig Zag Quilt progress report

The back is finally complete!  I underestimated the amount of fabric I would need for the huge panel to the right of the stars.  Can you imagine how frustrated I was, after draping it over the quilt top, to find that it was a teensy bit too small?  I sewed a couple of strips to the side and bottom in order to make it the appropriate size. 

Even though I'm elated with what I've done so far, I worry about the amount of work that's still to come. Next stop, Bastingville!

Super Mario Galaxy 2

I was playing Super Mario Galaxy 2 this weekend when I noticed a potential quilt pattern etched on the floor of a bonus room.

 This pattern really caught my eye despite its simplicity.  Maybe I'll turn this sketch into a real quilt one day.  

Oh, by the way, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is an awesome game and far exceeds the excellence of its predecessor, Super Mario Galaxy. 

Progress on Zig Zag quilt

The Zig Zag quilt should be ready for basting by tonight.  Designing the back of the quilt has given me a bit of grief.  Initially I wanted to make a series of blocks and arrange them like the ones in CB Handmade's modern four square quilt.  I scrapped that idea after I made two improvised blocks using some leftover fabric.

Even though I liked how the blocks turned out, I felt that they were too busy and I didn't want to have the front of the quilt compete with the back.  So I decided to do something simpler and create a single column of wonky stars.

I can't wait to see the end result!

I performed major surgery with a backache

Today I cut off the extra appendages that plagued my poor quilt.  While stooped at a nearly 90 degree angle, I sliced away with my rotary cutter.

I ignored the pain in my lower back and remained completely focused, mindful that a slip of the hand could result in permanent disfigurement.  The patient is now folded neatly across a chair back and is expected to make a full recovery.

Here's the quilt before:

And here's the quilt post surgery:

After it was all over I ended up with a stack of triangles.  Maybe I'll make a mini quilt out of them or something.

Something fun

Status of Zig Zag quilt: still unfinished, 51% completeIn other news, I've been having a lot of fun experimenting with this patchwork pattern maker I stumbled upon via Pickle Dish. It's really simple and fast. All you have to do is upload an image and the software will convert it into a quilt pattern. I spent 20 minutes this afternoon snapping pictures, hoping I would capture something that would make a fabulous quilt once I put it through the pattern maker.

A faded basket ball in my backyard...

...turned into an orange abstract design.

Long strands of pele's hair hanging from a fence...

...turned into this brownish, grayish design speckled with some blue.

An overhead shot of a dusty, old pin cushion...
...turned into a pretty flower.

As you can see, not all photographs are going to translate well as quilt designs. It appears that photos with bold, distinct colors yield the best results. I encourage everyone - quilters and non-quilters alike - to play around with the pattern maker and have fun with it.

Let's start, shall we?

I like quilting but I don't necessarily have a lot to say about it. That's why this blog is going to be picture intensive. I hope that makes up for my lack of writing. My current project is a zig zag quilt for my boyfriend's mother. I followed a tutorial by crazy mom quilts. I highly recommend it. The quilt is fantastic and virtually fool proof to construct. This fool hopes to have the top finished by this week.

Here we have an overhead shot of the blocks prior to sewing. I've already sewed the blocks into strips and now I'm in the process of sewing the strips together. What do you guys think about the color scheme? I tend to second guess myself a lot so my opinion changes on an hourly basis. Sometimes I like it and sometimes I want to scrap the whole thing and start over.