August 12, 2013

Summer Break

Hi!  Ariel and I are going to soak up the last days of summer by taking a hiatus from this blog for a month or so.  You can still follow us at Queen City Stitcher and Chronicles of a Reluctant Housewife, if we decide posting isn't unbearable in the heat.

See you in the fall!

August 8, 2013

Packed away

This time last year I wrote about the B*tch Block. The first block of my first quilt.

How excited and inspired and motivated was I back then?  In two weeks I would find out that my life would forever change.

Today I packed away the squares I cut two weeks ago. They sat untouched for too long, mocking me. I have no idea when, or if, I will get back to them. It is one of the many parts of me that are being packed away for awhile. I think that is the hardest part (after the sleep deprivation), temporarily losing the things that made me, me.

I no longer have time to write, or run, or quilt, or practice yoga, or even dry my hair.

I will try to keep writing here, but it will not be about my own quilting adventure for awhile yet.  I may have been too ambitious to think I could return so soon.

August 5, 2013

Finished: Meow Quilt

Another finish!  I know, things are getting pretty crazy around here.


I made this quilt for my friend Kelby, who had worked on some graphics for me.  She asked for some embroidered projects in return, which I gave her, but I wanted her to know how much I appreciated her work and her friendship!

This is the Meow pattern from Aneela Hoey.  It's so fun and easy!


I used 16 different prints, mostly black because Kelby's cat is black with green eyes.  With a block this large, it was great to showcase prints without having to fussy-cut or compromise larger repeats.


I backed the quilt with a print from Anna Maria Horner's re-released Hand-Drawn Garden.  I hate the skinny stack in the middle, but you have to have a seam somewhere, right?  It adds character.

I quilted in straight lines around the cats and on either side of the seams.  I started quilting in free-motion loops but the white thread interfered with the black prints too much.  It's amazing how 10 minutes of quilting can lead to two hours of un-quilting!


Kelby got this on Wednesday and loved it!  She said it's her favorite gift ever and that she'd never use it, for fear of getting it dirty.  I assured her it can be washed over and over and I can fix it, so she should love it instead of just looking at it!

What'd you finish this weekend?