A Whale of a time!

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend! Being able to enjoy the hope provided through the resurrection of Christ is one of the many blessing I'm thankful for!

March is practically gone, and I have not made much progress on the 2015 BOM. Would it sound strange if I said that I sort of needed a break? I don't like leaving things unfinished, but it seemed that I was no longer enjoying the quilting process, and it was all getting too stressful, or like that homework that we never did on time because it was so horrible, and we ended up putting it off for as loooooooooong as possible...  

So, just a teeny tiny break... I caved in! I just had to start working on a wall hanging that I had been thinking of making for a while...

After staring at the bookcase and the available fabric, I went for the gorgeous blue collection I got some time ago on sale. When I saw it, I knew I wanted it; I had no idea what I was going to make with it, but I just had to get it... Yes, I have my weak moments, but after seeing the results, who wouldn't like to consider having one of these every once in a while? 

The fabric waited patiently in the little bin for over three years, and when Elizabeth Hartman came up with her Preppy pattern, dots started to connect... You can find the link to this pattern on her page. Unlike her, I sometimes get these weird ideas in my head, but I cannot make them happen. It seems that she has this fantastic ability to see something and transform it into something beautiful. I love her eye for color, use of pattern and "shredding" something visually and transforming it into a quilt block.

I also had another roll of fabrics, from Jinny Beyer, who teaches the 2015 Craftsy BOM. I never knew that I already had some of her fabric in my stash, but it all went beautifully with the other fabric!  

Ah! The joys of happy quilty coincidences!

Even an old friend came to play with the happy whales! I did not follow of all the instructions in Elizabeth's pattern - you know me, I seem to be unable to follow instructions to the T. Instead, I used paper-pieced strips using adding machine tape. You can see my tutorial on this versatile technique here.

Tada!! Happy whales in purple waters... 

Ah! The joys of the joyful creative process!

Stay blessed,

Yiya

When things fail... Go Quilt!

Finding words to start this post is proving a tad difficult. In short, today was not the best day. Unexpected and inaccurate things will hopefully become interesting obstacles that will be in the past soon.

So... When things fail... Go Quilt! Go make something! Go do something useful! Go and enjoy the blessings God has given you! Go and hug your husband! Go enjoy your family! Go and put yourself back together for you, for them and for your purpose!

You know how it goes... If life gives you lemons, make lemonade!

And in the midst of trying to find my way back to some kind of normalcy, I kept starting at the pile of scraps on my dining crafting table.

Somehow, my old friends, Scrappy Improv Blocks, Extra Half-Square Triangles and Strip-pieced Blocks all made their appearance and, after about an hour or so of finding ways to fit each piece to each other, along with prayers that sometimes seemed to get stuck inside, a beautiful Improv piece had taken the uncertainty away and reminded me that, whatever happens, God is good.

It is my wish that you can enjoy the blessings that surround you and that your life be full of joy and hope.

Stay blessed,

Yiya.

Doodles: Paisley bubbles

Another week has gone by so fast! I've kept up working a bit a time on my current quilting projects and doodles are piling up as well.  

It all started as an alternative to FMQ practicing, and it has evolved to free forms, that combine feathers, lines, flowers, stipples and traditional quilting designs to random strokes inspired by things I see every day. 

Here is a family of paisleys that dance together and celebrate creative times!

Stay blessed,

Yiya

January flew by...

... and it seems ages since I last was in blogland - actually, it's been a bit over a month, but life continues and despite not being able to make it here, there has not been a dull moment in the Hill.

Surgeries, emergency trips and hospital stays have brought their challenges, but thank God, there is nothing that will come to us that we cannot deal with. And in the midst of all the ups and downs, beautiful creations have come along and made it to some gifts. Ongoing projects are still ongoing, just at a snail pace. 

With all the adventures coming at once without warning, I found a new appreciation for a sketch pad. Doodling helped pass time, whether it is practicing FMQ designs, sketching patters that I hope to make into a quilt one day, or even paying homage to under-appreciated salads. I also learned about the connection between sketches and smiles. I delighted in finding something in common with a lovely, talented niece.

And in one of those life downs, I just have to mention our experience with hospital food, particularly when it involved my father-in-law, who had a particularly hard time digesting the never-ending parade of carrot, broccoli and cauliflower side. I decided to leave a little reminder of his favorite food items, so that he didn't miss them when the tray was not at hand's reach. He always says that carrots are good, as long as they come in a cake... Seeing him smile when he saw the drawing was priceless; he even brought it back home! Something tells me, however, that he won't have it on display on his desk... 

Some time during January, I was able to cut fabric for the 2015 Craftsy BOM sashing.  Well, it all started back in October, when it seemed that I was actually going to be able to keep up with Jinny Beyer, but the border print has been cut and patiently waiting for over two months now to get its frame. Today, this is where I'm at:

It's definitely not a huge step ahead, but at least I'm a bit ahead. At some point, I shall find time to share the other beautiful paper-pieced flowers that will live in this gorgeous quilt.

Some weeks ago, I shared about a runner on the making. This is a very special quilt project for me, because Mr. Fuzz was involved in it and stayed close whenever I was working on it. I would like to think of it as a joint project. I decided on the pattern, based on a new book I got. He chose the main fabric and I got some solids to work around it.

Well, today, that project is almost complete. I cut fabric for the binding and decided to use a scrap strip that was leftover from the blocks. I thought it would give a nice pop of color. I think it only took me about 30 minutes to cut, fold, iron and sew it. It's now draped over the ironing board. The final touch is missing; I'm debating on finishing the binding by hand or by machine.... One will let me go and work on other projects, while the other method will allow me to enjoy the process longer - such difficult decisions in a quilter's life! 

I miss blogging and sharing; I miss creating constantly. Sometimes I miss curling on the couch with a good book. Interestingly enough, I feel that I am still enjoying life.  I thank God for his blessings and the opportunity to live a new day.

I hope you have a fantastic 2016, full of blessings!

Yiya

Doodles: Feathers and FMQ

WIPs are slowly starting to get some attention here in The Hill (note I said SLOWLY...). Schedule changes have not been nice to my re-purposed dining room and projects are patiently waiting for some progress. Little by little (VERY little by little, things are advancing, and I hope to get some things ready soon.

In the meantime, I find ways to appease my crafty bone and work on portable stuff - more doodling it is! 

And yes, that's my "art" signature - it's my initials, now with my married name. It's also something that I've been practicing in free-motion quilting, and I generally quilt in one lower corner of the finished piece.

These times, I guess I'm learning about resourcefulness with all the changes; and I know that more are coming our way! In the meantime, I learned remembered a valuable lesson in sketching the hard way - whenever marking the area to work in, don't use a tool that cannot be taken away (a.k.a. use a pencil that can be erased afterwards!!!).

Well, playing along with life and thanking God for his blessings keeps Mr. Fuzz and I going.  

I hope you had a very good time during this Christmas!!

Stay blessed,

Yiya.

A runner on the making...

Oh my! Where does time go?

I feel like I have some catching up to do. But after a sort of emergency trip back in October, things have just not been the same, so I have had to get creative and exercise my crafty bone in different ways.  

Crayons, color pencils, markers and sketch books are all quite a bit easier to transport than a sewing machine, cutting mat, and all the itty bitty tools and what-nots that come with it. I do have a project that I may start taking with me, but I'm honestly missing being at the sewing machine and getting relaxed in its humming sound when little pieces of fabric come together and make something special.

Well, when we came back from that trip, Mr. Fuzz said that he would like to change something in the bedroom. And that something was including a sort of cover for the dresser... YAY!!! Quilt!!!  :D

I am always buying bundles or fabric leftovers when they are on sale, and I had Mr. Fuzz choose one of the bundles. I just felt sort of bad thinking of buying more fabric if I had neglected the 2015 Craftsy BOM already. Anyway, I got over that fast enough, and Mr. Fuzz chose the one I had in mind - it was one of those many happy coincidences that often live in our household...

Anyway, this is a modern quilt, and I am actually trying to follow instructions. However, after making nine blocks, I had this:

And you know what we make with scraps, right? Mini blocks from all those extra half-square triangles and scrappy units from itty bitty pieces of fabric. If you want to download instructions on how to make those units, you can click here to go to the link.

Adding them together to larger pieces...

... and eventually forming large enough units to form a block.

Although I'm following a pattern, this is my grain of salt in this happy, bright Fuzzy Quilt.

Well, there you go!

It's amazing how much can be done with scraps, and how much fun quilt units turn out to be!

Just imagine... All of this fabric would have ended up in the trash can! Hey, I'm all for recycling, especially when it looks this pretty... :)

I hope you have a blessed week,

Yiya.

Doodles: Blue feathers

Well, what to do when life happens, blog gets semi-abandoned and crafty time flies away with stuff to do?

Get creative! Yes! Get creative and find how to be creative with what you are given. Portability is not that easy with a big quilt, but a sketchpad and pens, colors and markers are...

And this is where The Hill will have some posts with not many words, but with lots of pictures that will hopefully be a testimony to getting creative with the time and resources we have... 

Ladies and gentlemen, doodles and sketches are back! And I give you blue feathers:

Enjoy and have a blessed weekend!

Yiya

More Quilt Show - Quilting!!

Some time ago, I posted about attending my first Quilt Show. Well, I was looking at the pictures, and I thought of sharing a bit more about it. One post is not enough to capture all the beauty and all the effect it had on me.

The feeling I had while I was there was remarkable; goose bumps, smiles, awe, excitement all rolled into one big ball that left me all gooey and fuzzy inside, hehe. 

So, here is a bit about the quilting and FMQ... I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Of course, there were several quilting patterns that did not exactly stayed withing the piecing.  The end result was gorgeous.  For some reason, my eyes found the combination of curves and points really interesting. I particularly liked this sort of piecing and quilting pattern overlap. And what about the denser quilting that makes those curves pop! The chains and the Gypsy Kisses (or Pickle dishes) look amazing together and they pull your eyes in this sort of road maze - mesmerizing! 

Wanda Jones, Osage Jewels

Unlike the previous quilt, the following one had quilting that stayed "inside the lines."  With a different quilting motif in each area, the end result is no less impressive!

Wanda Jones; Maker: Eve Murphi, Urban Pods by Sew Kind of Wonderful

And just look at this beauty!

Clarice Jones, Victorian Lace - Love Flowers, Quilted by Cindy Thompson, Pattern: Jan Douglas.

Again, I go back to how much I enjoy the combination of curves and points, but the added element of complimentary colors here is fantastic! 

A bit after, it was interesting to come across a modern, chevron quilt. I really liked the clean lines with the simple background.  I was about to go on to the next quilt, when something caught my attention. Can you see it? 

Gay Cooper, Rail Fence, Quilted by Wanda Jones

I knew it was there, but it took me a bit to see what my head saw... Does that even make sense? Anyway, the camera got it before I did - I promise!  My first glimpse at this great idea was through the lense... Well, the LCD screen... :)

It was the combination of those beautiful, more traditional quilted feathers in the negative space, combined with a more geometric quilted shapes on the pieced shapes that not only gave a different texture, but also worked as an extension of the  chevrons, all the way to the edge of the quilt. That playful, sneaky contrasting thread!!  What a neat idea!!

And how about a combination of cathedral windows, square 9-patches and gorgeous, dense feathers?

It took every ounce of self-control in me to stay away and not touch it.  I felt like running my fingers and following each thread, but I make the best effort and locked my hands behind me, so that they behaved! 

Lexi Wallace, Lexi's Dream, Quilted by Jan Dunaway.

Of course, I felt like running to my sewing machine after leaving the show, but alas! It's kind of difficult to do machine quilting on the go...

Ha! Never underestimate the power of a spare piece of paper and a writing utensil at hand! I had to go pick up Mr. Fuzz Husband, and I doodled while I was waiting for him. And the conversation went kind of like this:

Mr. Fuzz: "Oh! I see you went to the quilt show?"
Yiya: "Yes, I did!" (Big smile.)
Mr. Fuzz: "And that's what happened?" pointing at the paper in my hand.
Yiya: "Yes. I just had to start putting those ideas down on paper right away!"
Mr. Fuzz: "Good! That means you had fun. Now, what are we having for dinner?"

Oh! The fantastic world of marriage and crafts!

Have a blessed weekend,

Yiya

MIssy's Drawstring bag

Well, I believe drawstring bags are growing on me!  It turns out that they are practically THE perfect gift wrapping that is so cute and functional that it won't be throw away! 

(Yes, I seriously and silently feel sad each time I see all that beautiful wrapping paper that ends up in the trash. My recycling bone awakens each time it happens, and some of it has even ended making up greeting cards and all sort of things of beauty and love - but that's the stuff for another blog post.)

Time came for another gift, and yours truly had everything ready BUT a gift box/bag... I still sort of refuse really taking a good look at those, unless I will remake them into something else.

So... Missy... A sweet, sweet lady that loves purple and bright colors... I took a peek at my fabric, chose the three below and went back to Crafty's Bag-Making Basics: Drawstring Bag & Bucket Bag, with Kristin Link.

I really liked the way it came together!

And here is a close-up look at my cutting mat, with Kristin Link's instructions handy, to make sure I got things right.  

Here is Missy's bag finished, right on that spot on the carpet, now more like a "spot of fame," hehe...

Well, yes... It's a tad too big for nail polish, but she can use the bag for so many more things.

(Mental note: Take time and write down the math to make smaller baggies and use in the future.)

I really like how bright that lining fabric looks next to the purple...

And when you pull the drawstrings, it almost turns into a pretty flower!

If you like making things, this baggie is also easy to make and Kristin's class in Craftsy is free and she shows each step - it couldn't get easier!

And you? Do you personalize gifts?  I would love to hear how you do it!

Have a blessed day!

Yiya.

BOM 2015 - Irises and Y seams... Check!

We only have a week left in September, and I'm still trying to catch up with blogging about my 2015 Craftsy BOM blocks! 

I'm not really sure whether to start with saying that this block is actually the July block or with sharing that all of the blocks are finished now, and I actually completed the frames today!! YAY!! I can't wait to take lots and lots of pictures!!  It's really exciting that my first traditional quilt, which is also my first BOM, is almost finished!

But now, I need to go back to July and share about the beautiful irises - it's amazing what can be turned into a quilt!  So exciting!

Beginning with some mise en place... Everything ready to go, with seams marked in chalk, pieces stacked together, the middle stem already pieced... Everything just waiting to get sewn in the right place to live happily in the Iris block!

It took me a while to mark all the seams... Hehe... you can even see some chalk on the right side of the fabric!  (I had them all stacked on top of each other, but you cannot tell in the final block, phew!)

The moment of truth came... Y seams... From corner to corner, or dot to dot or seam to seam... Stopping at the intersections... You know, intersections make the piecing!  :) 

And yes, I made a tiny design decision and changed the color of the petals.  I wanted to show the range of color in the fabulous palette. I was liking every bit of it!

So, I started making my way along the Y seams; however, I was not very sure it was supposed to look like this,...  

... but things looked better after pressing!  Yay!!  My first Y seam flower down!

I also made my mind and decided to give hand piecing a try.  Not too bad, but I didn't like the way it looked after pressing; I ended up redoing that little triangle, but left my hand stitches there, just for mere romantic reasons... hehe!

I actually enjoyed doing the Y-seams. I have heard about them, and I have seen people in blogs talking about how to avoid them and sew the Y in different ways, just to avoid it all together. 

I wouldn't mind doing some more of them; I thought the flowers ended up looking quite nicely! There are also some other Y seams in some of the other blocks, and welcoming this new skill was refreshing... A little challenge doesn't hurt much, huh?

Throughout this quilt, I have put the pieces on the mat, just to take a peek at the finished block. This one was no exception - I got more and more excited each time I got to see things coming together.

Sadly, I got so excited, that something didn't look quite right when I saw this:

I couldn't believe that I made such a silly mistake - placing the squares in the wrong order! 

I was about to undo the seams, when I thought of the easy way out, but what would also become a sort of Easter egg in the final quilt... something to look for and talk about when the quilt is done!

And here is the official picture on the carpet, with the evening light coming through... 

I had that minute of excitement, knowing that I had learned something new and that it actually worked!  :)  

Have a blessed week!

Yiya