i think i can

Here's where we are so far.

Quilt top. Done. Spray basting in my living room. Done

Ready to start quilting. The early effects of the hurricane are arriving, and a big spider made camp on my porch, so I was not about to try basting out there. Too windy, possible flying spider. Nope. No way. I have never spray basted inside, but it was definitely the better option. I opened all the windows and rather than using a continuous spray, I just sprayed little glue polka dots all over the quilt sandwich to avoid ruining everything I own. It pretty much worked.

O, and the backing. I went to Target at 8 30 this morning after realizing upon waking up just minutes before that I never got a backing. Mind you, the wedding is a week from today, and since I am in it, I have to leave Thursday or Friday. I got a black queen size sheet (10.99) and it is perfect. Can you say most affordable backing ever?

My fine motor skills are now compromised by coffee, but nevertheless, it is back to work for me.

Everything on Hold

Somehow, it just occurred to me this week, that this wedding I am in is like 10 days away. O, and I hadn't made any more progress on the quilt past cutting my strips. Needless to say, this week, everything has been put on hold in an attempt to finish the wedding quilt. The HST tutorial will come, it just got moved to the back burner. Here are some late night pictures of my piecing mess.

I am a little delirious, but I have 45 blocks pieced, 4 to go, then I can piece the top and quilt the whole thing.....this weekend. What did I get myself into. Unfortunately, this is the first weekend in what feels like forever that I don't get to see my boyfriend. Silver lining, I'll have time to finish the quilt, presumably. 

Still not a ton of luck with my pictures. Couldn't get my hands on Bubble Jet Set in time. I guess she can just never wash this! Haha, ugh. I was able to heat set them so that they don't dust away, but I am terrified of what water will do to them. More to come!

Lets get Acquainted blog Hop

Ah, I completely forgot about this! I am so excited that it is finally my week to post in the Lets get Acquainted Blog Hop.

For anyone who has never visited me, my name is Megan and I live and work in Raleigh, North Carolina. I grew up living at the beach in South Carolina, so I spend quite a bit of time back there with my family and friends. I have been sewing all my life, but I started seriously quilting when my mom gifted me a sewing machine during my senior year of college.

I am in that stage of the game where I have more WIPs than I know what to do with! I have challenged myself to finish them all or really make a dent by the end of the year. Here are some fast facts about me!

- Favorite quilting tip(s) - your machine does not necessarily default at 1/4", took me too long to learn

- Favorite blogging tip(s) - People don't like when you over apologize for being MIA or whatever the case may be. I never realized that until I read it on someone's pet peeves list.

- Favorite fabric (or wish list fabric) - Good Folks by AMH, and I have a love affair with almost anything Denyse Schmidt makes

- Favorite craft book - 1000 Great Quilt Blocks
- Favorite book (or book you are currently reading) - I could read Harry Potter endlessly
- Favorite children's book - Goodnight Moon
- Favorite quilting tool - my stitch ripper, so necessary
- Favorite music to listen to while quilting - I have a pretty wide variety of music, I just hit shuffle
- Favorite TV show while hand stitching - Big bang theory or football (yes, I love NFL)
- Binding - by hand or by machine? - by hand, it just looks so much better
- If I'd only known: what you wish you knew about blogging before you started your blog - the time commitment! I probably would have never taken the plunge had I known, but I am so happy I did. Although sometimes stressful, it is also so fun to make friends who share my passion.

Feel free to check out my tutorials in the tab at the top of the page and the Quilt Along I co-hosted this past spring! 

Here is a quick photo recap of my first year blogging! I hope you will stick around, follow along, and enjoy!

time to retire my Iron

I need a new iron. I have been putting it off forever, but it really is time. If you can't tell from my pictures, it is essentially useless in doing its job.

I have had this shark since I went to college (6 years!). It has been used by many a roommate and in many a situation. Truthfully, I am impressed that it lives. Its heat plate is also pretty stained even though I have cleaned it, and the steam has a propensity to leave brown marks on my fabric. All in all, not a winner.

So what do I buy? There are so many irons out there. What do you all use? I am not trying to break the bank here, but at the same time, I would rather plunk down a little bit of money to get a good iron that will last me than be asking this question again in the near future. Any suggestions? Advice is welcome!

I indulged

When I saw Chicopee in my local quilt store, it was even more beautiful than all the pictures I had seen.  I didn't have the funds to do some serious damage on the line, so I indulged in a jellyroll. Jellyrolls are the easiest way to get a little piece of every fabric in a line. They consist of forty 2.5" strips and are rolled up soooo beautifully like this one. 

It took me almost two weeks to get up the guts to cut it, but half square triangles were calling my name. After all the chopping, here is the end result.

I think I will be using Kona Snow as my background....since I have an abundance of it, o and it's beautiful. Look for a HST tutorial later this week when I start piecing!

just a peak

Here is a little window into my life. This is what I look at on the weekends....it's shrimp season.

My Dad throwing the cast net (I have the privilege of driving the boat)

Everything gets to be thrown back except the shrimp, it was a good day for starfish

commercial shrimping has bigger nets

And this is what I am looking at today, and tomorrow, and the rest of the week.

My injection site

Needless to say, not a lot of sewing happening while I am stuck out here. However, I have a whole weekend to myself. (this is not a common thing!) I will have tons to share, as well as a Bubble Jet Set review this weekend!

challenge of the Week

I haven't had anything new to post because I have been fighting with this wedding quilt alllll week. I have never tried to make a quilt with photos in it before. I got the special PFD (prepared for dye) fabric, made it printable by cutting it into 8.5 x 11 sheets and ironing it on to freezer paper, but I can't get the ink to stay locked on. I used an inkjet printer like the internet suggested, but it keeps rubbing or dusting off, even after a heat set attempt. And if you put water to it, poof, it's gone.

Printed photos before I destroyed them with the wash test

I did read about this stuff, Bubble Jet Set. Does anyone know if it works? It, I think, is going to be my next method of attack. Other than that, any suggestions? Since it will be a quilt and a wedding present, it has to be able to be washed. I would hate for it to be gifted and then one day have no pictures on it! Advice is welcome!

Here is the quilt I am making. Alyssa at Pile O' Fabric did such a beautiful job with the quilt. It absolutely stole my breath and I knew it would be perfect for a wedding present. I got these wonderful Kona solids at my local quilt store.

Kona Snow, Kona Ash, Kona Coal, Kona Medium Gray, and Kona Black. Lucky for me, I store carries every color Kona Cotton offered!

On another note, the ColorWheel swap filled up in what to me was record time! I am very excited to get started assigning colors and organizing the fabric as it comes in. I have two people who have agreed to be alternates, should someone drop or send fabric that gets disqualified. But, if anyone else would like an alternate spot, do not hesitate to message me. Thanks again everyone for signing up!

ColorWheel Swap

Ok everyone, after some amazing feedback, I have settled on some swap details! Lets get swapping!

This swap will be a rainbow swap using fat quarters. If you have never participated in a swap, don't worry. I will do my best to explain everything, and feel free to ask any questions that come to mind! I will probably be capping the swap at 56 people, but will take a few extras as alternates in case some people drop out (which is not uncommon). Should we not reach 56, I will have to bring the cap number down in multiples of 8. Tell all your friends so we can get full and swap tons of fabric! Also, since this is the first swap I am hosting, I am going to limit it to the US. I'm so sorry to anyone international!

To participate, you just fill out the form at the bottom of this page. I will leave sign ups open until October 10th, or until we reach our limit. On Friday, October 12th, I will send out color assignments to everyone who signed up. Once you receive your color, you are responsible for sending 8 fat quarters that are predominantly that color. For instance, if you are assigned red, you don't want to send a multi colored floral, you want to pick fabric that 'reads' as a red. You are welcome to send 8 fat quarters of the same fabric or 8 different. As long as you send in 2 yards of that color, you are qualified to swap.

Participants will have 6 weeks to send in their fabric. Once I recieve them all, I will create a package to send back to you that has one fat quarter of each of the 8 colors we are using (your own rainbow!).

Feel free to grab the button on my sidebar and post it on your blog! The more the merrier!

COLORS:

The 8 colors for this swap will be:

-red
-orange
-yellow
-green
-blue
-pink
-purple
-grey

You will get your assignments once the sign ups close so please wait until then to buy fabric!

FABRIC REQUIREMENTS:

-You must submit 2 yards (8 fat quarters) of the color assigned to you. *please cut them! I'm not sure if I can cut nearly 500 fat quarters*
-This fabric must be quilt shop fabric. Please no Hancocks, Michael's, Joann, Walmart, ect
-The fabric must be modern. If you do not know what constitutes 'modern fabric' please feel free to message me or start a thread in the flickr group. Everyone will be willing to help.
-No solids, please send print fabric only.
-Please put your fabric in a ziplock bag inside your envelope with an index card that has your name and address. Should something happen to the package, that is the easiest way to ensure the post office will get it back to you.

POSTAGE:

To participate, you will also need to include in your package, a prepaid, stamped, self addressed envelope. Padded envelopes or priority mail envelopes work best for shipping fabric. If you are not sure how much postage you will need for the return trip, have your post office weigh the return envelope with the fabric you are sending. What you receive back should be the same weight. If you use the priority mail envelopes, "if it fits, it ships!" Please make sure to send an envelope that will fit 2 yards of fabric.

THE HARD STUFF:

In order for everyone to get the most out of this swap, I will have to be a little strict about the rules. So, if your fabric does not meet the quality (100% cotton quilt shop) or type (modern print) of fabric, it will come back to you. That may sound harsh, but it is the only way to make it fair to the other 95% of people who send in the appropriate requirements. There is nothing more disheartening than receiving bad fabric in a swap, I know. Lets all send in fabulous fabric so we can all get fabulous fabric back!

CONTACT:

Please please please use a working email that you check often when you fill out the sign up sheet. This is also how you will receive your color assignment and the address to send your fabric to. Should something change where I need to contact everyone, I will need to be able to get in touch with you via your email.

FLICKR:

Here is the link to the Flickr Group for the swap. Feel free to post pictures of the fabric you are sending as well as pictures of anything you make with the fabric you receive. You are also welcome to open threads on any topic or ask any questions you need answers to!

I am very excited about this swap and can't wait to get started! If you have ANY questions, do not hesitate to ask! I will gladly answer them. Thank you for participating. I hope you enjoy!