Where did June go?

Here it is the last day of June...  I didn't even get my to-do list done for this month...  Where did the month go?  Do the spring and summer seasons go faster than the fall and winter seasons?  What can I do to get them to slow down?  Do more?  Do less?

I did get some things done this month sewing-wise.

I made this Hanky Quilt:

I made a bunch of tea wallets from my quilting scraps:

 

 

I made this little dress  for my grandbaby using a pattern from this fabulous blog.

 I also made pillows for my drab front room:

Before

After

 Now even the dog likes to be out there.

I made more pillows:

For my classroom and for a friend

Before

After

 And I started making Recycl-a-bags again for my other etsy shop that I do with my cousin/best friend, Marci.

I made this:

 and these:

 

Oh... that's where the month went...

2013 Quilters Run - Area 1

Yesterday I participated in my first Quilters Run and I must say it was pretty cool.  I started out at my local quilt shop Cotton and Chocolate to get my Quilters Run passport and my first free Moda Marble fat quarter.  I love getting free fabric!!!
 

At the next shop The Quilters Studio, I picked up another free Moda marble fabric.

With that fabric and another fat quarter I could resist I made this:

 

Today we hit the road for more quilt shops on the Quilters Run.  We were only working on one area of the run.  My husband generously drove me to each of the stores on the run even though fabric stores might be his least favorite place to visit. 

 Our next stop was Quilt Emporium in Woodland Hills.  It's a tiny quilt store packed with goodies.  Oh if only I had unlimited funds...  I got my free Moda and browsed around the store looking for inspiration along with a big group of "runners".

The next shop on the run was way way out in Pasadena.  I wasn't sure my husband would go for it but he did!  We got to see this on the freeway going out there:

You don't see that everyday!

The next  shop, New Moon Textiles was definitely on the beaten path.  They gave me my fat Moda quarter and a bottle of water, a band-aid dispenser and advice on where to get a slice of the best pizza around (two doors down).  I allowed myself to pick out one fat quarter here as in all the other shops. Then husband and I ate one slice of yummy pizza here. 

It was getting late and we didn't want to get into the rush hour traffic but there was still two more shops on the area 1 run.  I thought husband would want to start heading back but he surprised me by asking where the next shop was.  It was in Montrose, a town we had never been before.  We didn't know what to expect but we were intriqued by all the Hawaiian names of the stores and streets there. Montrose turned out to be a delightful little town with a lovely walking Main Street.  We went to Quilt N' Things on Honolulu Ave., where the ladies were so helpful and nice.  My husband stayed outside and had a nice chat with another  husband.  The day was perfect so when I had finished, we decided to walk along the main street and window shop and enjoy the day.

When we left  we hit massive traffic jams (Of course we did!) but it gave me time to think about all the shops we had visited.   For me going into all 5 quilt shops I felt like a kid going into toy shops.  I wanted everything.  All the fabric was eye candy to me. And even though I couldn't buy but 1 fat quarter each,  I was just so happy looking at it all. I am so looking forward to the next leg of the Quilt Run - Area 2 and making some little things from all my fat quarter souvenirs.

My haul from Area 1

Scrabble Rag Quilt

         Last December I was perusing Pinterest as I do almost everyday and I saw a quilt that I simply fell in love with at first sight.  It was this pin from O Sew Rags.

         I love Scrabble! I used to be a little bit obsessed with Scrabble until I started sewing and now I'm obsessed with sewing but I still love Scrabble.  So when I saw Ashley's Scrabble Quilt I knew I wanted to try my own.  I wrote to Ashley and asked her if she would mind if I made my own quilt based on her inspiration.  She asked me not to sell it in my etsy shop because she was going to open her own shop to sell her scrabble quilts.  I respected her wishes waited until she had her shop open.  I checked in with her shop the other day and I found that she was already backlogged with so many requests she had to put a hold on orders until June 15th.  I knew she would be since her quilts are incredible!!!

         I did start making my own Scrabble Quilt in January with the intention of not selling it on etsy - I just wanted one.  I found the fabrics: double word score pink, double letter score light blue, triple letter score dark blue, triple word score reddish orange and no score beigey tan.  I chose a similar beigey tan flannel for the middle and the backing.  I made my squares 5" and I struggled with whether or not to sew the traditional X through the center.  I decided to sew the X and I think it would have worked just fine without it.

         It was a lot of cutting and a lot of X's,  225 squares worth but finally I was ready to start sewing the squares together.  I didn't look back at the original inspiration quilt because all I wanted to do was to make the Scrabble board pattern. I pulled out my Deluxe Scrabble board to use as my guide and started in.  I thought I might write all the important words on the appropriate squares and even bought a fabric pen, but I decided against that.  I thought I would try to applique a black star on the center square, but again I nixed that idea.  I wanted my quilt to be simple, familiar, and recognizable.

        Everything was going along so well until I realized I didn't have enough of the beigey tan flannel to finish!  (I can't believe how often that happens to me and I'm a math specialist!) It had been awhile since I had bought the fabric back at the beginning a January.  I went back to the fabric store and they were out of that fabric and I was only halfway finished with the quilt.  I was heartbroken and I put the quilt away.  I thought maybe I wasn't supposed to finish this quilt.

        A few months went by and I went back to the fabric store and there was another color of beigey tan that was so close to the dye lot of the first I knew it just might work.  I didn't have the exact measurements of how much I needed but I didn't want to lose out on the fabric so I bought a "big bunch."  I thought it would be plenty and if I had any left over I could always use it for other projects.  I went back to sewing and was just  two rows away from being done I saw that I was 5 beigey tan squares short!!!!  Do you know that feeling??? 

      I did finally finish my Scrabble Board Pattern Rag Quilt this month, 5 months after I first started it. 

This Scrabble Quilt will be my one and only.  I will leave all the other orders for Scrabble Quilts to Ashley at OSewManyRags.  Good Luck Ashley and thanks for the inspiration!

Oh June!

 Oh June!!!  I'm so happy to see you!  Hoping your days saunter by slowly and are filled with all things summery!

 Here was my May to-do list:

     1.  Finish the Glenwood Gators Elementary School T-shirt quilt.

     2.  Make a 30 square black bordered T-shirt Quilt for Kim.

     3.  Finish (finally) the Scrabble Rag Quilt.  (I found the right fabric to finish yay!!!).

     4.  Make the red rag quilt that I have been inspired to make (I hope it works).

     5.  Make at least 5 tea wallets for my shop.






And here are my results:

 I made this quilt for my elementary school 

 

I made this quilt for a beautiful, young SoCal graduate

 I was inspired to make this picnic blanket/rag quilt after I saw something similar on Pinterest. Read about it here

I did not make the 5 tea wallets but I got 2 done and a cute raggy bib for the shop.


#3  - the Scrabble Rag Quilt is still plaguing me.  While I did find more fabric, I didn't have the exact number of squares so once again I underestimated the yardage.  I am short 3 squares!!!  AArrgghh!  Someday, hopefully some June day, I will finish that quilt.