tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80500312137122651972012-02-28T08:26:52.969-05:00Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.comBlogger331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-64064544984688400312012-02-27T14:47:00.001-05:002012-02-27T14:47:32.404-05:00

Last week, I asked you how you keep track of pieces when you sew. Thanks to everyone who shared a strategy! I summarized the responses and added a couple more based on some additional research. Here they are: 1. Post-its Post-its seem to be the most popular way to keep track. I was encouraged to see that I wasn't the only one using them. Each Post-it is numbered and attached to the appropriate

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-79411395387624209762012-02-24T08:00:00.002-05:002012-02-27T21:01:38.245-05:00

After I made that pincushion a few days ago, I was quite smitten and sad to see it go. So I made another one.  This time I made an improv log cabin with a fussy cut scooter in the center. I can't get enough of that scooter! I liked that one so much that I made another one - a traditional log cabin with one of the Sherbert Pips pups in the middle. I discovered I love working with these

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com63tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-38367575465898830982012-02-23T23:23:00.001-05:002012-02-23T23:23:31.410-05:00

I've been honored by Marjorie's Busy Corner with the Liebster Blog Award.  Thanks Marjorie! The Liebster award goes to a deserving blog that has less than 200 followers. I'm honored that Marjorie picked my little blog for this recognition. Now that I've been awarded the Liebster, it is my task to pass the award on to five other bloggers. Here's my pick: 1. Megan at Jaffa Quilts - Megan

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-31692363682896363602012-02-22T11:18:00.001-05:002012-02-22T11:18:09.919-05:00

Remember this little patient stack of squares? Well, last night I finally started piecing them together. I laid them on the design wall - sorry, I forgot to take a picture to share - and when my husband walked into the room, he burst into a big smile when he laid eyes on the layout. I take that as a good sign. Here are a couple of them pieced together. I have to focus while piecing to

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-55966993698052704442012-02-21T11:22:00.000-05:002012-02-21T11:22:26.317-05:00

Last night, I finished up the block for We Bee Modern Too.  It's the Missing Your Kiss block from the Modern Blocks book.  Since we're making siggy blocks for Kersten, I made a mini-version of the Missing Your Kiss block and signed it in the blank square. The siggy block measures 5."   That was my second try at the siggy block. On my first attempt, I made a mistake and cut the

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-22859118876610512372012-02-20T09:50:00.000-05:002012-02-24T19:30:13.466-05:00

Last time I gave you a sneak peek of the quilt I was working on. Here's the full view. I'm calling it, "Helix." The strips going straight and at angles remind me of the DNA helices I studied in biology in college. I took a minimalist approach to the design, working with strips at regular intervals and keeping the quilt fairly simple. Because the design was simple, I wanted to

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-44506129802816664802012-02-17T20:52:00.000-05:002012-02-17T20:52:11.342-05:00

Today was a good day. Both girls took 2 hours naps - at the same time! That meant lots of sewing time for me. I used the time to work on the idea that I mentioned was inspired by a skirt I saw in a catalog. Since working on the last quilt, tangerine has started to grow on me. I went a little crazy with it on this one. Here's a sneak peek of the finished top. Can you guess the design? I'm

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-43684323316690434342012-02-16T22:33:00.002-05:002012-02-16T22:33:15.405-05:00

I've been trying to recoup from the breakneck speed of "Vroom! Vroom!" and figure out what's next. While I was deliberating, this box came in the mail. I was so excited! Now I can finally start EQing! Once I get through the tutorials, that is. I'm usually not someone who reads instruction manuals, but I don't think I can cut corners with learning this program. When folks said there is a

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-25500254030439357162012-02-14T15:59:00.001-05:002012-02-14T15:59:10.028-05:00

My Valentine's Day gift to myself is this finished quilt. I'm calling it "Vroom! Vroom!" for the little scooter in the middle and the speed at which I got this one done. I started on Thursday, February 9th and finished today, 5 days later. I think this is my quickest quilt yet. It started as an answer to the Tangerine Tango challenge. I took the risk of doing an improv quilt. I never know

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-26265534444649754962012-02-11T19:30:00.001-05:002012-02-11T19:30:57.715-05:00

I've been working late into the night on piecing my latest improv quilt. Here are a couple of sneak peeks. I'm calling this one, "Vroom! Vroom!" inspired by the little orange and pink scooter that I fussy cut into one of the blocks. I'll be back soon and hopefully with a finished quilt!

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-57998385152328201282012-02-09T20:39:00.000-05:002012-02-09T20:39:57.304-05:00

Thanks to all who chimed in on my Tango vote! Here are the results: Idea #1: Wonky Stars - 3 votes Idea #2: Triangle Bonanza - 1 vote (indirectly for the quilt that would challenge me the most) Idea #3: Scrappy Improv - 5 votes Other: Whatever I want! - 1 vote It was pretty close between wonky stars and scrappy improv, but it's clear that most of you want to see another improv quilt. So, I

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-34924235631162621852012-02-08T14:18:00.000-05:002012-02-09T20:21:47.506-05:00

Just in case you were wondering about the outcome of yesterday's question, "To EQ or not to EQ?", I've decided to EQ! I'll let you know how it goes. And for all of you who said you EQ, I'm giving you a heads up that I may be asking you for some help along the way! While I wait for EQ, I'm busy deciding on how I want to Tango. My first idea for wonky stars came from this book. Here's a sneak

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-76326429227600560232012-02-07T07:08:00.000-05:002012-02-07T07:08:50.084-05:00

Something I've been contemplating is whether or not to purchase EQ 7.  I've been designing quilts the old-fashioned way, with paper and pen and doing the math in my head. Sometimes, if I want to get real fancy, I'll pull out graph paper and colored pencils! I'm wondering if it's time to step into the 21st century and start using software. I recently "met" Jenny at Jenny Makes Stuff and have been

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-67617588036921869742012-02-06T06:51:00.000-05:002012-02-06T06:51:52.154-05:00

Have you ever finished a quilt and let out a sigh of relief? I purchased the Spot panel more than a year ago.  It took me a while to decide what to do with it.  And then I spent quite a bit of time working out the design. The layout was a bit tricky because the grey block was twice the size of the other blocks. And the borders required a lot of calculation to figure out the sizing and spacing

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-31148017526412390722012-02-04T21:37:00.001-05:002012-02-04T21:37:33.433-05:00

Thanks so much for helping me to troubleshoot my quilting problems. I learned a lot from all your comments. I can't be sure what the problem was. I tried so many different things, including oiling my machine, using a quilting needle, slowing down my hands, changing the thread, and adjusting the tension. And they all worked! I'm happy to say that I've finished quilting the Peek-a-Boo quilt.

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-55581107751945459622012-02-02T11:17:00.000-05:002012-02-02T11:17:30.915-05:00

Thanks for all the encouraging comments on the quilts I made in January and the peek-a-boo quilt that I started for my daughter. The peek-a-boo quilt is proving to be a labor of love. I started quilting it last night. I decided to do a meandering stitch for durability since this quilt is going to get a lot of pulling and will probably see the inside of the washing machine quite a bit.

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-78260330289213546262012-02-01T15:23:00.000-05:002012-02-01T15:23:38.534-05:00

This puppy has been on my design wall for some time now. Just waiting for my attention. Those of you with little ones will recognize that it's Spot. As you  can see from the worn cover of Good Night, Spot, my eldest daughter loved the Spot books. When I found this panel of Spot and his favorite colors, I began thinking about how I could use the squares to teach my baby girl her colors

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-65804833319357731772012-02-01T09:44:00.000-05:002012-02-01T09:44:54.103-05:00

It's been one month since I started blogging.  And I'm loving it! Thanks to all the folks who have stopped by and checked out the newest blog on the block! A special thank you goes to all of you that have signed up as followers. Your comments and interest have encouraged me to keep going. Here's a recap of what I stitched up this past month: Improv Freedom - ahhh, these blues and greens

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-90363953042848724152012-01-31T09:22:00.000-05:002012-01-31T09:22:42.353-05:00

This weekend I went to my LQS and picked up this pile of lovelies. Did I get some looks from the ladies in the shop as I laid a tall stack of orange bolts on the cutting table?!? I told them about the Tangerine Tango challenge. I wasn't planning on entering the challenge, but Debbie from A Quilter's Table inspired me with her entry. So now that I have the tangerines, I'm ready to tango. I

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-45987750706142944692012-01-30T07:03:00.000-05:002012-01-30T20:46:01.234-05:00

My Hoot! Hoot! quilt is all done.  I think I like this one better than the one I made for my daughter. Here's my little model showing you just how exciting these fabrics are to little eyes that love contrasts. Here are a few close ups.  Usually I choose a subtle color for the binding, but this quilt was screaming for more red. So, I obliged. Here is the full quilt. It in

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-4569109135892655602012-01-26T20:05:00.001-05:002012-01-26T20:05:35.541-05:00

Have you ever ordered one of those surprise scrap bags? I love not knowing what I'm going to get. Opening the package makes me feel like it's Christmas. Sometimes I luck out with the most beautiful assortment of fabrics. And then other times, my heart sinks with disappointment. Today, I got one of those disappointing packages. When I tore away the tissue paper that the fabric was wrapped in, I

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-75745704003745704372012-01-25T09:34:00.001-05:002012-01-25T09:34:08.037-05:00

Ever since I made this quilt for my daughter, I've wanted to make another one in the teal colorway. Most of the prints are from Momo's It's a Hoot! But I've also added a few other prints from my stash. Staying true to my improv nature, I cut strips of fabric into random widths and pieced them into long rows, in an adapted coins pattern. I'm working on parallel straight lines for the

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-74099214192927077322012-01-24T19:43:00.001-05:002012-01-24T19:43:46.852-05:00

Have you ever wanted to try a new technique, but were a bit intimidated by it? That was me with paper piecing. But thanks to Carla over at Lollyquiltz, I have overcome! Carla wanted to purge a stack of her quilting books and I was one of the lucky ducks that received some of her bounty. This was one of the books. It has patterns of paper-pieced quilt labels. They are like mini blocks. I

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-64062862755080436302012-01-23T06:09:00.000-05:002012-01-23T22:36:23.646-05:00

I think this one is my favorite. I love how the colors came together - the oranges, blues, yellows, greens and one shade of red and another of pink. I framed it with asymmetrical borders and bound it in a black and white checkered print. I carried the improv log cabin theme onto the back and made one huge log cabin. I used the checkered print and added a sleeve to the back. This

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-37297471449661896162012-01-22T22:00:00.001-05:002012-01-22T22:08:05.650-05:00

In response to my last post on the hera marker, I had a reader ask me to share tips on quilting straight lines. I imagine she's not the only one with questions, so I decided to put together this list of tips to share with you. Tip #1: Mark If you want super straight lines, there is no substitute for marking. Check out my post on easy peasy marking. Tip #2: Pin baste Correctly pin basting

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-79333762081702268802012-01-18T21:08:00.000-05:002012-01-18T21:11:02.083-05:00

I finished up the quilting on my latest improv quilt. Yay! I opted for quilting straight lines on the diagonal. I alternated between double lines and single lines. I had planned to do triple lines, but when I measured the quilt, I discovered that I was losing 1/4" on both sides of the quilt with each set of lines that I put in. I still don't understand why quilts shrink with quilting. Can

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-10556246374158193172012-01-16T18:47:00.001-05:002012-01-17T21:43:30.935-05:00

I usually avoid marking my quilt top like I avoided people who sneezed or sniffled during the H1N1 breakout. I'll use my seam guide or painter's tape before I pull out my little disappearing blue ink marker. But on some occasions, it is a must. That occasion came when I sat down to work on my latest improv quilt based on this tutorial. Slowly, oh so slowly, I marked line after line, until

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-68217803458840149872012-01-13T21:38:00.000-05:002012-02-05T19:47:39.891-05:00

I've been having so much fun making improv blocks that I thought I'd share with you a tutorial on the process I use. I'll show you how I take the traditional log cabin block and make it modern with improvisational techniques.  Unlike traditional quilting where you have a pattern in mind and know what the quilt will look like before you begin, with improv, the quilt develops as you sew and

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-22348516047321162622012-01-11T21:06:00.003-05:002012-01-11T21:06:47.955-05:00

Bear with me please! But I caught a bad case of the improv bug. And I just couldn't help it, but I had to start another improv quilt. I took this stack of fabrics... cut up some strips... sewed a little and cut a little, until I discovered this little block. This block is going to join 8 more to make a wall quilt for my office. I'm so excited about doing improv blocks that I'm

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-75441566835015223832012-01-09T18:44:00.000-05:002012-01-09T20:14:48.190-05:00

Yay! I finished up the improv freedom quilt! I love how this quilt came out. I think the random intersecting lines really add to the improvisational piecing of the center and carry the improvisation into the white space. And just in time for {Sew} Modern Monday over at Canoe Ridge Creations! I've listed the quilt in my etsy shop.

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-50179136876256261532012-01-07T20:48:00.000-05:002012-01-07T20:48:41.423-05:00

Thank you to all who commented on my improv quilt! I really do appreciate the feedback on the colors and design. I've been making progress on this quilt. I continued the improv on the back of the quilt by cutting strips of random widths. I sewed them together and pieced them with orange and yellow tone-on-tone prints. I wasn't sure about this backing, but when I stepped away from it and

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-71439035983321076942012-01-03T21:31:00.001-05:002012-01-04T21:03:00.729-05:00

I felt like Edward Scissorhands working on this quilt. Wheeling the rotary cutter across pieces of fabric, I had no need for a ruler or measurements.  Big pieces. Little pieces. Crooked or straight pieces. It didn't matter. They all added together to create this mosaic of blues and greens. That is the beauty of improvisation.  I had so much fun creating this quilt. I was

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8050031213712265197.post-38839168811044749712012-01-02T21:49:00.000-05:002012-01-02T21:49:12.212-05:00

Welcome to my blog! I've been wanting to join the online crafty community and start a blog for some time. The new year seems as good a time as ever. I am a self-taught quilter who started crafting quilts more than ten years ago. I consider myself a modern quilter. I love to play with fabrics, patterns, textures, and color to design quilts that will not only delight the senses of sight and touch

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147434877224908581noreply@blogger.com0