Quick Strip Paper Piecing

I took this class from Craftsy.com and it was fabulous.  It cost about $20, and with it I think there were 5 different block patterns, each with about 3 project variations.

I had never paper pieced before, so I made a block to practice, which I posted earlier, than skipped to a trickier block and made a wall hanging.

This wall hanging is made from the block "Sailor's Delight"- a variation of Mariner's compass.

The strip piecing methods meant it went very fast, but I did make some mistakes- you have to be very careful when cutting the blocks apart from the strip to take notice to where the fabric will cover.  Most of what I did wrong was in the seam allowance though, so it was no big deal.

I love the precision of paper piecing.  Peggy Martin recommends removing the paper from the block before assembling, so some of it isn't as precise, but in the whole quilt, I think I only lost 2 points.  Pretty impressive :)

This is hanging in our entryway right now.  Even if you've paper pieced before, I highly recommend this class.  I just love Craftsy- all the quilting classes have been great.

Workout Class Review

So I have actually completed a wall hanging quilt recently, paper pieced-  but what has not happened is photographs.  I get told I use the camera wrong, so I try to let Kevin take all my photos, but then I don't get them on the blog in a timely manner.  Sorry,

In an effort to not abandon the blog, let me tell you about something else in my life.

I joined a gym.  

Well, actually, I won a 6 month membership to a gym, and they agreed to split it between me and Kevin at 3 months each, but then they were running a promo where your first month is $4, so it just seemed like a really good deal to go ahead and join.  It is month to month, so we can cancel at the end of 4 if we want to, but I don't know that we will.  This likely means I'm not rowing anymore, as the monthly fee for both of us to go to the gym is about what it costs to row.  That makes me seem selfish to pay for the rowing.

Anyhow- the gym had a Friday Dance Party as part of their open house where they promoed 3 different exercise classes: Sh'Bam, Zumba, and Body Jam.

I think everyone knows what Zumba is.  Sh'Bam and Body Jam are Les Mills fitness classes (Les Mills is the program that has taken over gyms everywhere so there are no longer step classes there are "BodyStep" classes, etc)   Here are the class descriptions from their website:

Featuring simple but seriously hot dance moves, SH'BAM™ is the perfect way to shape up and let out your inner star - even if you're dance challenged.

Set to a soundtrack of chart-topping popular hits, dance music that is heard in the hottest nightclubs around the world, familiar classics remixed and modernized Latin beats, SH'BAM™ is the ultimate fun and sociable way to exercise. Each 45-minute SH'BAM™ class is vibrant, unique and varied - and like all the LES MILLS™ programs, a new SH'BAM™ release is produced every three months with new music and choreography.

BODYJAM™ is the cardio workout where you are free to enjoy the sensation of dance. An addictive fusion of the latest dance styles and hottest new sounds puts the emphasis as much on having fun as on breaking a sweat. Funky instructors teach you to move with attitude through this 55-minute class. So grab a friend, get front and center, and get high on the feeling of dance. Like all the LES MILLS™ programs, a new BODYJAM™ class is produced every three months with new music and choreography. Each new class will be a different dance experience depending on what's current and hot.

 Based on these descriptions, I expected to want to take the BodyJam class, and since everyone loves it, I expected to want to take Zumba.  I wasn't sold on Sh'Bam- it kind of sounds ridiculous.  But this class seemed the best way to go- and there were free Margaritas afterwards (which I actually didn't have...but a neat promo).  The class was an hour long and packed.  I was told that it is normal for Zumba to be this full, but the other classes are usually lighter on attendance.  Which is good, because BodyJam apparently often requires leaps!

So what did I think?   First, I was really worried I'd be way too out of shape, but my dance instinct kicked in and I think I did a pretty awesome job.  I wasn't always exactly right, but I was never lost.  And while I was sweating like crazy, I was never that tired.  I didn't do any of the add on moves, so I can definitely up the intensity next time.  Since I can't run 10 feet, it is nice to know I have some cardio capability.

As for each class component, well:

Zumba: Didn't like it.  In fact, I felt ridiculous, and I really didn't like how it was run.  The instructors don't cue verbally (there were two, and one occasionally would say something, but I think the other was silent the entire workout.)  That was really weird.  The silent one would point with her fingers, and a lot of time she would face away from the class which made it hard to tell what she was doing- she wasn't in front of a mirror.  I also felt the dance moves were too repetitive.  It reminded me of learning to salsa in Ms. Lamine's Multicultural Literature class in 10th grade.  This was the part of the program that had me watching the clock, and hoping the song was over.  I was bored.  Sadly, it is clearly the most popular class and all over the gym's schedule.  If I want a regular workout schedule, I'm going to have to Zumba.  Which is kind of sad, because then they will think "oh, Zumba is so popular, lets put more on the schedule".  I will definitely have to figure out which instructor teaches which class, because I really enjoyed one instructor over the other.  I think we did 6 tracks of zumba, each one stand alone.

BodyJam:  This felt like a dance class to me.  A relatively difficult one too.  The instructor was very good at cueing, but occasionally there was a "march while I explain" and I always feel like that isn't ideal in a workout class.  The 20 minute section was just learning moves that would be put together as one combo in the end.  Some of them were somewhat complicated, so this is the class I had to think about the most, but it was a progression and really fun to do. I think the instructor said that in class you learn a few combos, but that it is additive, where the moves get put together.  I will defiantly plan to attend BodyJam again.  I think it could be very challenging as I up my intensity level and don't 'mark' the really tough moves.

and then the surprise.
I freaking loved Sh'Bam!  There were a few moments I felt ridiculous- like dancing to 'Born this Way' and strutting down the room like we were in a music video, but it was so much fun.  The moves were super easy to pick up, so there was no frustration in this class.  It was just dancing, and great exercise.  In this class there are 12 different tracks (We did 4) and each one is different and stand alone.  Two different instructors demoed Sh'Bam and I thought both were fabulous.  Their cueing was perfect (don't you hate instructors who cue right as the move starts, instead of preparing you for the move?)  I cannot wait to go to another Sh'Bam class.

The gym has a bunch of other classes I want to try (like spinning- but I feel like spinning is something you need to be in shape for).  But the one that is on their schedule more than anything else is BodyPump.  My sister told me it is an awesome class and I should try it- but it looks HARD.  Like too hard for me to attempt.  Maybe a few months of dance classes will get me in shape for the other classes?

Paper Piecing

I took a Craftsy class called "Quick Strip Paper Piecing" and really liked it.  I am slowly working my way through the various projects.

I did my first paper piecing last night.  This pinwheel block is made up of 4 paper pieced block.  I wasn't exact- I still have issues with sewing directly on the line... but the paper piecing made my work way more accurate than I normally am.  I am really impressed with this method.

The strip paper piecing is also very cool- much quicker than the normal way of cutting each shape on a template.  It does waste some fabric, but I think I need to just start saving scraps.

I ordered the white fabric to put together my snowflake quilt (which still has a few blocks to go), but other than that I am sadly on a fabric fast.  I have so many ideas and no money to do them.  :(   This block was done from the scraps from my Mom's bed quilt, but I don't have enough scraps to make more, so it will only be a block, not a project.

The one thing I forgot to do was cut away the bulk, so there are some places that are 3 layers thick... oops.  Next time I will remember that step!

Roughrider's hockey game

My company holds recognition events after 5 years of service (well, after 6- you get invited to the event the year after your 5 years).  As part of the event we were given an outing- there was a choice between a Mississippi River Dinner Cruise for two or tickets to a hockey game for 4.  I chose the hockey game. We got tickets plus a food ticket (hot dog, popcorn, drink) and a drink ticket.

I am SO glad I did.  We went to the Roughrider's game on Saturday and had just a fabulous time.  The game was exciting, the crowd was wild, we had dinner (hot dog was good, popcorn was like eating salt with a spoon).  The whole evening was great.  Especially the part where they interviewed season ticket holder's and the woman said her favorite part of the Roughrider experience was hearing the national anthem.   That's the best thing about the game? Um, okay...totally worth buying tickets for!

The only sad part is the friends I had invited were unable to come- she came down with the flu :(  So we gave their food tickets away, and just collected their drinks- after the game we came home with 4 bottles of soda :)

So once again, driving to the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena, we got lost.  In fairness this time it was because a train distracted us, so we missed the turn right after the train tracks, but Kevin and I have a terrible track record with this place.  We get lost EVERY time we go there or next door to the Kernel's baseball stadium.  I have been up there so many times for skating, and on my own not gotten lost maybe 2 or 3.  It is ridiculous.  Usually we miss the highway exit, so this was a new mistake.  We thought we were going to be late, but we got there as the national anthem started.

It took us awhile to find our seats.  The sections are marked on the wall, but the first section marking we saw was on like a press box or something, so we were looking at them at that level.  Once we noticed the wall markings, it was easy to find our seats and we had pretty good ones. Third row (I wouldn't want to be any closer) and just slightly off centered.

The game itself was fabulous.  Very fast paced.  From what I can tell, there are very few rules to hockey, so it was easy to follow.  The only rule I picked up was off sides which had something to do with the position of the players to the puck as they go over the blue line.  Kevin mentioned something to me about 'icing', but I don't think it happened, because I never noticed anything in play about it.  I think the defenders are also only allowed to go a certain distance down the ice.  But overall it wasn't like baseball or football where there are a thousand rules so the game is confusing.  This game is simple- get the puck into the goal.

The thing that I enjoyed the most about the game was watching the skating.  These guys skate hard and fast.  The puck handling also looks incredibly difficult- like trying to dribble a really slippery soccer ball! There really wasn't a dull moment.  It was a high scoring game, and ended up going into OT and then to penalty shots.  Unfortunately the Roughrider's lost.

The only negative was the fighting.  While we were at the game we noticed how young the guys look, and when I came home we found out it was a junior league (amateur, not paid).  So the players are from 16-20 years old, and in some cases could be as young as 15!  I don't want to see teenagers fighting.  It certainly riles up the crowd, and I'm apparently the only one there with that opinion, but while I personally still wouldn't like it at an NHL game, at least those are adults making a lot of money.  For the most part, it seemed the fights were harmless, quick little tussles were punches were thrown mostly into padded shoulders, but at one point a guy left the game with blood pouring from his face (I later read he had a tooth cracked).  Not only is that sickening, thinking this is a kid getting pummeled for adult entertainment, but it also took forever to clean up the blood from the ice- maybe that is why most of the fights are minor, they are probably discouraged from delay of game!   From what I have read online fighting isn't that common, but in the game last night there were probably at least 5 fights, and two that involved almost every single player.  (At one point there were two guys, one from each team, standing center ice talking to each other, while all the other players fought in pairs...)  The linesman stand by and watch.  I'm not sure what the criteria is for starting to break them up, but it appears to not happen until someone falls to the ice.

So, now I'll be honest about the other thing that was entertaining.  This will be in stark contrast to not liking to see fights. While I admired their skating, I also cracked up every time someone tripped in the hockey version of 'toepick'.  It happened about ten times.  Skating along, no one around, and then just bam- face plant.   Because the skating was so amazing, I think it amused me because I SUCK at skating in hockey skates and fall over the front of them all the time.  To see that it happens to guys who are super competent in hockey skates was pretty amusing.



I'll definitely be going back to a Roughriders game.  Maybe a graduation celebration? Anniversary? Birthday?  Tickets weren't super cheap if you have to buy them ($18), but not too bad for an exciting night out.

Coming soon...

Sorry for the lack of posts.  Kevin and I moved to a new house so I lost internet for a few weeks and lost my sewing room.  I have internet again and the sewing room is back together.

I hope to start blogging again soon.

I will try to blog about the new house (it is fabulous) and our great neighborhood, and of course crafty stuff.  Stay tuned!

Snowflake #9

UFO Sunday

OMG!  This is a UFO I am SO happy to be done with.  Now, it isn't a long standing UFO- it is just another piece of the snowflake quilt I've been steadily making progress on... I started this three weeks ago, took it off the machine and set it aside to do the charity quilts, and have been steady working on it ever since.  A three week snowflake!  (To be fair, I spent a few hours with it on the weekends, then about 15 minutes a day the other days, if at all)  Yesterday I finally sat down and really tackled it.

Pebbling is a design I hoped not to use.  Not because I don't like it- I actually think it looks great, but because it takes FOREVER.  There is just nothing that can be done to pebble quickly, and because, unlike some designs it doesn't create really interesting designs that make you want to keep going- I get bored and stop quilting and leave, and that just makes it take even longer...

But snowflake #9 is finished and I have 3 more left to go.

Unfortunately, one of them is this one.  (Note: This is a cell phone picture, not one Kevin took. He would be appalled if anyone thought he took it, as he usually does my quilt photos.)

 I had sketched out an awesome idea based on Bubble Path (but filling in the in between space more densely), but when I sewed it, it didn't work.  I used water soluble thread to try out some ideas that might work to fill the spaces that existed, but none of them looked good.  The only solution left is to rip.  (Normally, I'd just go buy more fabric -I'm out of pink- and make a new one, it would take a ton less time.  But because of the new house, my anything budget is $0, so it isn't possible. I do have an extra piece of organza if this one doesn't make it. But it is slightly different from the organza I used for most of the project, and I was hoping if it is just in the corners for the two squares I needed it for it won't stand out too much. Using it for 3 might ruin everything... already I'm sad this quilt has been such a success, because if I knew I'd rock at it, I would have used better materials - LOL)

Last night I ripped for 3.5 hours, and the picture is how far I've gotten- you can barely see progress.  I did get to watch a disc of Better of Ted though, and I love that show.

Today, no sewing- I have a lot of homework to do.  7 weeks until I'm done with my Master's!  And this morning we stained the deck getting the house ready to rent, and this afternoon I'm going rowing.  It is a busy day, and I have a really busy week ahead.

The craft room is getting packed up, so all I have left are snowflakes, white thread, my machine, and a ruler/cutter for the snowflakes.  No other projects this month! (If I have much time to sew.)  I still hope to do 1 snowflake a week.  The one I'm doing right now is Trippy Triangles.  After that I plan to do some McTavishing, and some Stippling (for the large one).  I need one more design- any suggestions?

Spool Stand

I don't think I ever blogged about this, but it is one of the greatest additions to my sewing room.  A spool stand!  Once I got into the snowflake quilt I realized that those 12" squares EAT thread.  Seriously, I had a mostly unused 1000 m spool and it was gone in just TWO squares.  

So I researched my options and found out that I definetly need to go with large spools. I order my Isacord from IMachineGroup.com  The shipping isn't cheap (it's the actual shipping price, so it is fair though, I'm just used to cheap shipping), so I usually get 10 at a time, and it is the best price per spool (with shipping) I've found online. (Have you found a better deal?)  Without shipping, a 1000 m spool of thread costs $3.25 (a fantastic price, btw). But a 5000 m spool- it costs $6.95! It would cost $10 more to buy that much thread if I only bought the small spools. But large spools, well, they don't fit on the machine.

Enter a solution.  The spool stand!  Again, I'm cheap.  I looked at those and they seem to range from $15 to more than $50!  The cheapest ones had lots of bad reviews about them being tipsy, the most expensive are decorative, and the one I decided I wanted is about $25.   Now, $25 buys a lot of fabric.  I didn't really want to spend that.

So I showed it to Kevin and he told me he could make it.  And he did. And it is perfect.  And the best part: free.  It was made entirely with scraps that were around his shop. And it fits the spool perfectly, and it isn't tipsy at all, and now I have PLENTY of thread to make snowflakes.  If you sew with the same color a lot, I highly recommend going this route.  It is MUCH more affordable!

Kevin was also very smart when he made this.  The hooks up the top direct the thread in two different directions.  The thread moves so slowly when I sew, that I really only need one.  But when I wind a bobbin, it flies off the spool- so it usually comes out of the bottom hook.  The top hook is oriented differently, so it stays in. So this does work for winding bobbins!  And they aren't hard to thread at all- there is a teeny opening on the side, so I just slip the thread through that (and that is how it escapes) I don't have to actually thread UP through them.

UFOs down!

So today is UFO Sunday, and I took it to heart.  First, let's talk about unfinished objects: anything in the sewing room, that is not done.  Even if I'm currently working on it, because once I go work on something else, I'll have to set it aside, making it unfinished!

http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/2012/08/ufo-sunday-1.html

Here is what I can think of.
1) "First" quilt.  Finished piecing this in 2004ish.  I need to reapplique the center square. I didn't know how to applique at all then.  Then I need to see if it is quiltable (may not be, my piecing probably stunk then) and come up with a quilting plan.  Priority: Low
2) Snowflake Quilt.  Current project, making progress.  Prioirty: High
3) Dresden Plate Quilt:  This project is stalled.  I need more fabric, and have no budget.  I also need to decide if I want to make more plates or quilt blank squares.  I need to determine the finished size, I went into this without a plan.  Priority: Medium
4) Navigator's Compass:  This is just an applique piece, glue basted together.  I need to decide what it is being appliqued on.  Another project I went into without a plan.  Priority: Medium
5) Mandala Wholecloth:  After the feather/hearts wholecloth I traced this.  I wanted to use colored threads to make it like the Mandala designs I loved to color. Priority: Medium
6-8) THREE Charity Quilts: Picked up in July, these need to be turned in at the September guild meeting.  Priority: High
9) Eye Spy Quilt:  I got some of the squares sewn together.  But I've changed my mind.  I want to machine applique them all into alphabets, so this actually has to come apart so I can start again.  Priority: Low

So what did I do?

First, on Friday I attacked the Mandala.  After having a great experience painting, I decided to paint it.  Disaster.  The paint bled into the fabric so badly!  So then I took a more viscous paint and outlined and it saved it a bit, but I decided I didn't like where I was headed.  I took a deep breathe and threw it into the trash.  Project status: Finished.

Today I attacked the Charity Quilts.  Three quilts, DONE!  I think I quilted from breakfast until about 3:00, and knocked them all out.  They aren't perfect- all have some pretty bad wrinkles in the backing  fabric, but the fronts look good.  Two of the quilts are actually quite nice.  The "fall" one was this reall ugly panel, and I wasn't sure what to do with it, so I outlined the panel, but did some design quilting on the outside sashing, so at least the sashing looks nice.

UFOs left:  5

Probably won't make much more progress, as a lot of these rely on buying new supplies.  My quilting budget until about November is ZERO.  All money is being saved to replenish the bank account after our down payment is taken out.  But I have plenty of stash to quilt with (and snowflakes to work on, plenty of thread to go for awhile!), so it will all be worth it for the new big sewing room!

Snowflake #8

Seriously?  #8? I can't believe it. I'm making actual progress on this quilt.  I need to start thinking about how I am going to do the wavy binding strips.  I'd like to do the waves, but I'm not sure I'm good enough at binding to do wave edges.  Will definetly need to practice on something else.

I got a little bit of bearding on this one, not as bad as the first two squares, so I clearly need to make sure I'm changing my needle more often.

This design is Leah Day's Brain Coral, but I think it looks like oil slicks.  Maybe because I echoed more than she did.
I'm happy with this one.

I have #9 in progress- pebbling, and not sure what to do with #10- I had a great idea for it, but it didn't really work out.  I don't know if I should keep trying to adapt what I have, rip out what I have, or see if I can find the backing fabric so I can just start over from scratch on this one.  #10 is the first one I've been disappointed with...  I'm of a mind to just finish it, and then decide if it needs to be done from scratch.  It seems like ripping it out (it's about 1/3 done) is not a viable option.

Snowflake #7

This is the first snowflake I breezed through.  This design worked up SO quickly.

I like to think it is my own invention, I call it "tire tracks".  I designed this when thinking about how the C curves fill the space on McTavishing, and decided to see how they might travel along the quilt.  Originally I thought it looked like a snake, folding up upon itself, but now all finished, I think it looks like someone might have had a wild time mudding.

I know the design isn't really original though, as it looks a lot like Bananas which I've seen Diane Gaudynski (Bouncing Bananas) do, and are a design suggestiong in the pattern by Leah Day (Swirling Bananas), but I designed this idenpendently, and I think it moves along the quilt a little differently.  My tire tracks are always a continuous line.  Looking at the picture, I think Leah's Bananas sometimes start again in a new direction (maybe not).  I don't know how Diane quilts hers.  Actually, now that I look at the picture, the proportion isn't really like bananas, so maybe this is my design.

And this marks over the halfway mark for small snowflakes!  I also got organza on top of the two I ran short on, and the giant snowflake, and uh-oh, despite it looking nearly the same, the shine is totally different.  I either hope a) the huge amount of thread piled on top of it makes it indistinguishable, or b) if I place them both in corners you can't really tell it wasn't intentional. 

We looked at more houses today and found one I really like.  I dream of a larger quilt room, even though I know I am lucky to have one at all.  Kevin also got me some foamboard insulation and we upholstered it with batting so I have a tiny design wall now.  When we move, I plan to make an entire wall a design wall.