Market Basket October 25, 2009

 

Maybe it was a mistake in naming this blog Adventures in Quilting because lately it seems that I’ve been posting less about quilting and more about other crafts and hobbies….and here I go again.

 

Recently I made my second First Basket. I say it was the second one because a few years ago I had participated in making a Longaberger basket, but really I just helped the Longaberger basket maker…or mostly got in his way. This time I did more of the making of the basket with a little bit of help from my mom and the teacher.

 

 

The basket I made is called a Market Basket, and Donna Christian was the teacher. Donna has become a friend of the family in the past year, and offers several other classes in other hobbies like quilting, crocheting, sewing and pretty much anything else if you ask nicely and enough other people are interested in making it a class. Yes, that’s a shameless plug for her! She doesn’t have her own website, but if you live in the Nashville area and interested in her contact information, let me know.

 

 

One thing that I discovered early on in making my basket is that there is probably an amnesia involved in the process. The first part of making the basket was.not.fun.at.all. It was complicated, and I can best compare it to trying to dress a siamese twin octopus (because this basket had 15 reed pieces). I can honestly say that if it wasn’t for my mom and Donna’s help, I probably would have given up.

 

 

But once a few rows are weaved in, and the basket starts taking shape, the process does become easier and more fun. I just need to get better at remembering to push down the rows and pull the reeds tighter so that it fits together better.

 

 

When I was done, we dipped the basket in tea mixed with ammonia (oooh, stinky!) to tea dye the basket instead of brushing on a stain. The next day, we dipped it one more time to make it slightly darker. I really like the darker, more subdued color than the bright unstained color. It’s definitely more warm!

 

 

While the first part was.not.fun.at.all, I’m going to make 2 more baskets before I decide if I like making them or not. I didn’t really like sewing the first few times, but I did grow to like it a little more each time. And thus, I tried out another hobby!

 

I included just a few pictures from the basket making process in this post. To see all the pictures taken, go to My Flickr link for the complete set.

 

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Professor Sprout Costume September 11, 2009

Another non-quilting sewing project that I have put together is a Professor Sprout costume from the Harry Potter movies. Professor Sprout is the Herbology professor and Head of House for Huffle Puff. I made the costume for the Dragon*Con convention that I attended Labor Day weekend. This is the first time I have attended the convention, but I was so excited to go, and I wanted to be one of the many participating in wearing a costume.

 

I had lots of help from my mom and friend, Linda. Since I am new to sewing and never sewn a costume or clothing, I couldn’t have done it without them.

 

I didn’t make the hat, but I added the ivy to it, and I’m wearing a curly, gray wig, but everything else was sewn. I got very lucky on the fabric by  finding it on Clearance at JoAnn for $2 a yard on the dark and $5 a yard on the light. If you look closely on the light fabric, there’s vines and leaves embroidered onto the fabric, which fits with the character so well! The dark fabric is thick, but it lays just perfect and doesn’t want to wrinkle easily. Oh, and credit goes to my dad for the boots!

 

My boyfriend, David, took pictures before Dragon*Con at Centennial Park in Nashville.  These were my favorites from the ones he took that day.

 

 

I met up with some other people at in Harry Potter costumes through Cosplay.com and attended a photo session with them at Dragon*Con. Here are just a few favorites of the pictures David took there.

 

 

At Dragon*Con, I met an awesomely dressed Dumbledore that I wish I had gotten my picture taken with. I also should have gotten the names and contact information of some of the other costumers, but it was my first Con experience, and I guess I was just overwhelmed with everything going on….and the 35,000+ people there. One thing is for sure, I have been bitten by the costume bug.

Simply Southern Quilts August 30, 2009

I had the opportunity to visit Simply Southern Quilts earlier this month. This charming shop is nestled behind the trees in downtown Sparta, Tennessee. I admit it was a little difficult to find for someone new to the area, because of the way Sparta has their downtown area setup, and with all the trees on the sidewalks, but once you find the location, it’s well worth the visit.

Inside you’ll find bolt after bolt of beautiful fabric and many completed quilts to spark ideas and inspiration. There is also a wide variety of fat quarters available for smaller projects. The store has 3 levels for your adventure through the shop, and the owner and other staff are very friendly and helpful.

I’ve promised myself that I will not buy any more projects or kits until I finish everything that I have bought already (I still have projects from my Las Vegas Shop Hop that I haven’t even started on yet!), I didn’t purchase anything in the store on this visit, but my mom bought the Scrappy Flag Pillow, and next to it on the table was a kit that I have as an idea in my head for some baby quilts that I will make when I am out of the Funky Frog fabric. The kit is called I Spy, and it’s made from a mix of kid’s fabrics for kids to hunt and point out things that they find on the fabrics in the quilt.

 

 

Simply Southern Quilts

http://www.simplysouthernquilts.com/

12 Liberty Square

Sparta, TN 38583

931-836-3271

Retro Dish Towels August 29, 2009

This is the first post that doesn’t quite involve quilting, but because of my interest in learning to quilt, I have branched out a bit and made this adventure of mine more about sewing and not just quilting. I have a few other non-quilting posts in progress, as well.

I picked up these kits at The Christmas Goose Quilt Shop in Las Vegas when I was there in April. They were at the checkout counter and so hard to resist for just $5 with their bright and inviting colors. I found out after my purchase that they’re Mary Engelbreit prints, so that explains my attraction to them since I love the colors and designs that Mary creates.

I bought one to make for my mom and one to make for myself, but now that I have the pattern, I plan to make several more. They were fairly easy to make, but I learned from a few of my mistakes in the two that I made. I have never sewn with rickrack, and I needed to do a better job tucking in the ends so they don’t ravel.

But I suppose that’s what learning to sew is all about…learning from your mistakes and making the next one even better. By the way, this is the first sewing project that I have completed that I have kept for myself. I have a few other projects of my own that I am working on, but so far I’ve given away all of my completed projects.  I hope to find the time to make more of these as gifts.

My mom’s is the one on the right and mine is on the left:

The sample towel in The Christmas Goose Quilt Shop. I wish I had taken a picture of the kits before I put them together.

Funky Frogs Quilt As You Go Quilt August 29, 2009

This project was a Quilt-As-You-Go that I got as an idea at Fabric Boutique. The idea is to use strips from a jelly roll, along with spray adhesive (the kind that washes out and is safe on fabrics…can be found in most fabric or quilt shops), your batting and binding, then sew it all together one strip at a time.

I couldn’t buy the kit while I was in Las Vegas in April because I couldn’t bring the spray adhesive on the plane with me, and that’s just too much to carry on a plane, anyway (as it is, I came back with 53 pounds of luggage from Vegas, thanks to all the quilt shop hops I did!). So I kept the idea in my head and did it my own way. It’s not technically made from a Jelly Roll set, but I did cut the strips as in jelly roll fashion.

The concept of Quilt-As-You-Go is an awesome method for me in making these baby quilts for friends because they can be made in much less time, because I’m sewing about half as much. It’s also easier because the quilts are smaller than most. I’m still not fast enough to make a quilt in a day, but this method sure lessened the work, which made it go by much faster. While I’m trying to make each of the baby quilts slightly different, I will probably use a similar method on the next baby quilt that I make.

I made this for a friend’s baby shower for her baby due in September, Abbi Grace.

The sample picture from Fabric Boutique:

If you are interested in the kit above, Fabric Boutique sells the complete kit on their website. Just look under kits, and it’s the third one down (as of 8/29/09).

Dutch Treat August 28, 2009

I completed this charming Dutch Treat back in July to give to my boyfriend’s mother, Judy. The project was made from a kit that I purchased at Fiddlesticks in Boulder City, Nevada back in April. It was a small project but the first one that I have completed where I did the binding the “correct way,” (meaning that I didn’t fold over the backing then bind on the front), and I did it without any help, so who knows if it was really done correctly!

 

I should have recorded the dimensions, but it was a relatively small project that Judy is using as kitchen table centerpiee and just happens to match PERFECTLY with a salad bowl that my boyfriend, David, gave her awhile back.

 

The front and back pictures of the Dutch Treat. I wish I had taken pictures of the salad bowl with it!

 

The sample that the professionals had at the Fiddlesticks Quilt Shop:

 

 

I think I did a decent job for a beginner. The kit was slightly different in that the binding was done with the green fabric instead of the yellow floral. The instructions were a bit different than the sample in a couple of places, so I did a combination of picture and instructions. I’d like to make more with this pattern…someday

 

EDITED TO ADD:

Judy sent me pictures of the centerpiece and salad bowl set that David had given her. I still can’t believe how perfectly they match!

 

Lebanon Vacuum & Sewing Center June 15, 2009

The Lebanon Vacuum & Sewing Center is home of the Quilt-A-Holics Quilt Club that I joined last month. At the meetings, members share ideas and have a chance to show off their projects. Membership is for all stages of quilters, whether you’re a beginner or a pro. The club meets the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 6:30 pm.

The store offers many selections of fabrics (the website says over 6000 bolts), which means there’s something for everyone. They also offer classes during the week, but I wish more were on Fridays and Saturdays so that I could participate. The website has a link to their newsletter with all the classes and store specials.

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Jan Franklin, Owner of Lebanon Vacuum & Sewing Center:

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Photos from around the shop:

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Quilt-A-Holics Quilt Club:

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Quilts hanging in the project room:

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Lebanon Vacuum & Sewing Center

http://www.lebanonvacuumandsewing.com/

1411-D West Main Street

Lebanon, TN. 37087

(615) 443-7644

Lebanon Vacuum & Sewing Center

http://www.lebanonvacuumandsewing.com/

1411-D West Main Street

Lebanon, TN. 37087

(615) 443-7644

Funky Frogs 9 Patch Quilt May 10, 2009

This is a small quilt that I made to celebrate the adoption of a friend’s baby. It’s a basic 9 patch that I pieced together on my own with my own touch and variation.

This is the second quilt I started but the first quilt I completed….and gave away

The quilt was a gift to friends who had just finalized the adoption with their 7-month old daughter. I also made a pillow case for a travel-sized pillow to go with the quilt.

Completion Date: 3/30/09

To see pictures from the beginning of the project through completion, visit the Flickr Set for the quilt.

Country Store Quilt Shop May 3, 2009

 

 

 

The Country Store Quilt Shop is my “Home Store” where I participate in their Block of the Month program. I am currently working on the Maple Leaf Quilt and Scrappy Pinwheels Quilt from kits I purchased from The Country Store Quilt Shop, and I just added another BOTM kit today. The Country Store Quilt Shop offers several kits to choose from for both new and experienced quilters, as well as many bolts and fat quarters of fabric to choose from. I had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Margie Harris, on my most recent visit to the store.

 

 

 

 

Margie Harris, Owner of The Country Store Quilt Shop:

 

 

 

Block of the Month Kits:

 

 

 

Quilts and Projects:

  

 

 

 

Around the store:

Country Store Quilt Shop
3360 Sparta Pike
Watertown, TN 37184
(615) 444-4228‎

Fiddlesticks Quilt Shop May 3, 2009

 

 

 

 

Fiddlesticks was the final stop of my Las Vegas quilt shop visits, and the farthest from The Strip. Fiddlesticks is in quaint Boulder City near Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. The ladies in the shop are some of the nicest women you’ll ever meet in quilting and very helpful for a new person like myself. The “I Love Puppy Dogs” quilt in the front window was designed by a local artist, and for sale in the shop….as well as an addition to my collection of projects that I will be working on soon. 

 

 

 

“I Love Puppy Dogs” Quilt by Heartstring Treasures:

Heartstring Treasures
http://heartstringtreasures.com/
1400 Colorado St. #C
Boulder City, NV 89005
(702) 294-4920
 

 

Snap Sack Kits:

 

 

 

Sample Quilts:
 

 

 

 

Around the store:

 

 

Fiddlesticks Quilts
http://www.fiddlesticksquilts.com/
1229 Arizona Street
Boulder City, NV 89005
(702) 293-2979