documenting the process

I keep seeing this "I took the process pledge" on the side of blogs.  It is a great way to share and learn from each other. 

I have always documented my progress and ideas for quilts in two graph notebooks.  Sometimes it is a plan for the future.  Sometimes it is working through ideas for a current project.  Sometimes it is documenting the pattern after I have made it, especially if I used another pattern as a guide but significantly altered it for my own purposes.  So I thought I would share some of the plans I was reviewing in one of my notebooks.

This is Scrap Happy that I made a few weeks ago.  I drew it out-size to scale though not the scrappy strips. 

An anniversary wall hanging of a scrappy appliqued vine and leaves around an embroidered sentiment for my mom and dad dated 1998.

  

This was a small wall hanging from a class.  We had created fabric with irregularly cut strips then cut out the blocks for it.  Me being me had to change it up.  The kite shape pieces were supposed to have the fabric going horizontally but I thought it looked more interesting vertically.  Even my teacher was impressed-she had never made it that way. 

I hang it on point and call it 'Crosses'.  I have always wanted to experiment more with this.  Make a larger quilt.  Use different kinds of sashing and borders. 

 Interesting factoid about this project.  We selected our fabric.  I was always looking for bold and graphic color choiceschartreuse greevarigated, obnoxious orange, black and white eyebender (this is the 90s remember).  The purple, black, and brown fabric if you look close enough is ghosts-see their eyes?

 This is # 3 in the All American Dad Series.  If you notice I cut out a different star field and glued it in place.  I think I tried many different combination.  I can actually remember sitting outside on a beautiful spring day in the park planning this quilt.  This was the first one I drew out so completely.  Most of the time I draw during or after.  I'm a 'fly by the seat of my pants' kind of gal when it comes to quilting.

I also did a LOT of planning on the computer using drawing programs.  Of course that was when I still had a mac...ahhh my plus/SE/performa how I miss them so.  

I hope everyone documents their process whether on a blog or in a notebook.  It is a great way for those in the future to learn from those of us in the past.  I need to take the process pledge now, good night!

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

And the Fall into Fall winners are...

OK it is almost midnight when my blog turns back into a pumpkin, no wait I'm falling asleep.  OK I ll try it again... I will use a random number generator to pick the two winners. but I will post them on the giveaway blog here.  At midnight.  Or a little past as I'm not a computer and have to count.

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

Fall into Fall and Accuquilt giveaways

We are down to the last chance to enter the Fall into Fall giveaways. I know it took me until a few days ago to go through all of the blogs.  There are some really great giveaways! 

I will be choosing my winners and posting about it on Saturday. 

I also wanted to share about this great Accuquilt giveaway at Alderwood Quilts. 

 See the cute pincushion above, I made it with some scraps of wool, pearl beads, and a 25 cent sugar bowl.  I thought it looked sweet with the yellow butterfly pins.  I love flat head pins I  find I can never have too many.  I have butterflies, flowers, buttons, suns, moons, and stars. 

Last but not least I made this giant pincushion to hold them all.  It is great for throwing on the floor when I need to pin something. It sits on top of my ribbon rack above my tool pegboard.  Notice how empty it is-I have a lot of things pinned at the moment.

Well I can't wait until Saturday!  Good luck!

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

Tallying up the projects

Oct 23 karen grey design is sponsoring Flaunt!  Handmade Arts and Crafts to benefit Brenner's Children's Hospital.  I will be a vendor as opus designs including my beaded things, funky forks, wood-by-hand, and of course quilted things.  So tonight I wanted to share the projects in various states of sewing completion for the craft shows.  Shows I say because I have Unity Moravian's Bazaar the next weekend.

I have three baby quilts pin basted and ready to sew and quilt.

They will be sewn and turned and then quilted. 

It is a cool super 9 patch pattern that creates three baby quilts.

I also have a red, white and blue pin wheel table runner to machine quilt, as well as another Charming Pumpkin quilt.



Both were made with charm squares from my stash, they are addictive to use.

Ebay is the best place to buy by the color!

Well I am yawning, time for bed.

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

Scrap Happy

Scrap Happy is an original quilt pattern I made this past week. 

Last Saturday I discovered through a friend's recommendation karen gray design fabric store. 

You should check out her wonderful handmade items also!

Karen has links to her blog and online etsy fabric store.  She carries Westminster fabrics, Amy Butler, Kafe Fasset, and more! 

Karen had some great fabrics on sale and while I was perusing them I discovered her scrap bags! 

Why are other people's scraps so appealing?


 Of course I bought a couple-I feel creative inspiration coming on!

So once home I spread out and sorted these 'scraps'-many were 20" by 4" to 10".  Some even longer!  I played with them, arranging them by color and pattern.

Then I sewed the longer strips together to create a piece of fabric.  I forgot to take a picture :o(  Now I know some people must even up all the edges and make the scraps square, but well I'm not some people.  I just sew. 

 I then cut out four 5" wide strips from the fabric. 

I love the variety of the prints, the large scale florals, and the detail of the more graphic modern prints.

I picked a very graphic and colorful Keepsake Calico floral that coordinates with the colors of the scrappy fabrics for the outer border. 

I love the vintage feel that the off white muslin gives the quilt.  I used it for the sashing, first border, and binding. 

The backing is a wonderful bright coral print that keeps with the character of the front. 

I used leftover border fabric to add detail to the back.

I outline and echo quilted the long pieced strips, sashing and borders.

I'm keeping this quilt for me!  I love it! 

Most quilts I have made I have either given away or sold, except for a few small wall hangings.

 I have decided to create this pattern and hopefully you will see it in my Etsy store soon.

I'm recreating Scrap Happy using different fabrics from my stash and here are the strips laid out and ready to sew!

One hint if you have enough fabric cut out two so you can create one to sell and giveaway and one to keep! 

It's my new plan!

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'