Showing posts with label Migraine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Migraine. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

COUNTRY VILLAGE QAL, PART 4: Adding sashings and sewing it all together!

Hi peeps!



Did ya miss me??? 
We have been having some really up and down weather from about mid-May to last week and that factor does some real damage to me in the form of multi-day migraines…I had several...NOT FUN…

The good news is that it looks like the good weather is now here to stay! YAY!!!


Welcome to Part 4(finally!!!) of the Country Village QAL, featuring Maison De Provence by Connecting Threads. Today we will be adding the sashings and sewing the quilt top together. 

In case you've missed them, you can find Parts 1 through 3 under the Country Village QAL tab across the top of my blog, under the header.

I managed to get all 25 quilt-a-long blocks completed last week, so hurray for me!!! I was overly ambitious, thinking that I could get all of the blocks completed within two weeks, groan...

When I was laying out the blocks for the above photo, the sun was not in my favour. By the time I had arranged the blocks into the pretty fan above, the sun had moved and all I had was a small space in our front walkway that didn't have too many shadows. I guess you could say that I have used the sunlight and dark shadows to create an artistic photo…yea, I'll stick to that…hee hee!!!


So…here we go!!!

Collect your 60 x 15.5"-long sashing strips and 36 of the 1.5" squares we cut previously. You'll want to only use the darker-coloured squares, so that the cornerstones will be a 'pop' of colour amidst all the white/t-o-t sashing. 

You can use the lighter-coloured squares in a different project, or as a border around your quilt label!



Add one 1.5" square cornerstone to one end of 24 15.5" sashing strips. Add a 1.5" square to each end of 6 15.5" sashing strips. Press the seam toward the sashing strips.


This is how I mark my blocks. As you know, we have 25 blocks set 5 x 5. I mark the position of my blocks in this way-the center block number is circled and the top, bottom and sides have lines which correspond to their placement.


Now here is the fun part!!! I already knew that the dark red block (#13, at center) would be the center block, as it is the same pattern as the inner border and I didn't want them to be near each other. 

I decided that two pairs of eyes are better that one and got the Hubs to give me a hand! It took us about 15 mins. to decide which block would go where(making sure to align each block with the center fabric running downwards) and then we labelled them. I just use a straight pin to attach the marker to each block and when I'm done, I keep them pinned to the paper marker so that I don't use them for piecing etc.


Now we will do the unusual part. 

I really dislike working with long, skinny sashing strips as all sorts of things can go wrong. I attach the sashing strips to the blocks before sewing all of the blocks together! It only takes a little bit of preparation to do it this way and it has always worked out well for me.

Pin a plain sashing strip down the left side of each block, right side facing the block. Pin a plain sashing strip(right side down-you can assume that all of the directions mean to pin with the right side down) down the right side of blocks #5, 10, 15, 20 and 25. 

We will look at row #1 as it is a bit different. I do it this way to limit the amount of time spent getting up from my machine to re-pin.

Pin a one-ended(a strip with one 1.5" square stitched to it) strip across the top of blocks #1-4. Pin a one-ended strip across the bottom of blocks #1-4. You will have to stop pinning these strips about 2" before the left side of the block, as that side already has a plain strip pinned to it.

Pin a two-ended strip across the top of block #5. Pin a two-ended strip across the bottom of blocks #5, 10, 15, 20 and 25. You will have to stop pinning about 2" away from the left and right sides of these blocks as they are already pinned.


Here is block #10. You can see the plain sashing strips are pinned down the right and left sides of the block. Then the two-ended strip is pinned loosely across the bottom of the block, leaving room so that the side sashings can be stitched down first. 

Then all you have to do is flip all of the side sashings to the outside of the block and finger-press, making sure that the seam allowance falls towards the sashing. Then you can pin and sew the one-ended and two-ended sashing strips to each of the blocks.


When you are stitching the sashings to the block, it is much easier to stitch with the sashings on top so that you can ease a slightly larger block in. 

Do not pull the sashing to match the length of the block! This will make is very difficult to match up and piece all of your blocks together at the end.


Once you have sewn all of the sashings to the sides of the blocks, you can start sewing your rows together. You don't need to lay them out in a row as they are all marked! I sew the #1 block to #2, then #3 to #4. I sew #5 to the #3-4 combo. The #3-4-5 combo is then sewn to the #1-2 pair and you have a row done! Follow this procedure for the remaining 4 rows. 

Give each row a light press, making sure that the seam allowances are pressed towards the sashings(away from the blocks).


Once your rows are all sewn you can sew them together to make your quilt top.   Remember to sew with the sashing strips on top. See how the first two rows look together? I really like the little 'pop' of colour that the cornerstones bring! Four blocks set 2 x 2 would look really nice on a table.

I don't pair up the rows at this step(ie: sew row #1 to #2 and #3 to #4 etc.). Instead, I sew each row subsequent to the next to make the quilt top. This allows you to continue easing in your blocks, if needed.

Here is the end of Part 4 of the Country Village QAL. I hope to have Part 5: Cutting and adding the borders, ready for next Wednesday, June 24.

Sharing is caring!!! 
Don't forget that I am happy to share with your friends…feel free to pin to Pinterest, post on Google+ and Facebook, and Tweet away! Just please play fair and make sure your posts link back to this blog. 
*If you mouse/hover over the top right corner of my photos, a red "Pin-it" button will show up and all you have to do is click it to be taken to Pinterest. There is also another red button right beside it for posting to Facebook and Twitter. Or, you could always use the little square grey buttons at the end of this post. 

Thanks for reading and have a great day! 

Quilty Huggs, 

Jacqueline 

PLEASE NOTE: This blog accepts forms of compensation such as, but not limited to; fabric/notions/patterns/books in exchange for a posted review and/or tutorial. All comments/critiques/opinions are completely my own and are not those of the provider. This blog may also contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of my links. Thanks so much!

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Super Sunday: Happy Mail and Giveaway Reminder!!!

Hi peeps! 



We are having amazingly beautiful weather this weekend…but I can't go out and enjoy it as I have a migraine starting to build…groan…so today's post will be shorter than normal.

I received the above fat quarters in the Canada-only swap on Facebook I have mentioned before. April's theme was "April showers" and as you can see, there was a wide interpretation of the theme! 

I'm especially fond of the bright green fattie, as there are cute little umbrellas all over and words to a verse on spring rain.


I belong to another Facebook swap with a Canadian pen pal from Newfoundland, which is a province at the other side of the country(a large island off the eastern coast of Canada). 

In the past couple of months she sent me these three mottled fatties! They are really great blenders and I am so happy to have them! She also sent the cute fridge magnet. It is already on my fridge!


These items are also from the pal in Newfoundland-a crocheted hot pad/table protector, some embroidery floss(great for sewing buttons on quilts-though not for babies!). 
There is a big bag of assorted lime green buttons(cool!), and the cute pack of Canadian symbols buttons, bottom right. I will have to make up a Canada-themed wall-hanging so that I can use those buttons! There is a maple leaf, RCMP hat, snowflake and others inside.


I got these two charm packs from a Canadian seller's group on Facebook. I like buying 2 of the same charm packs as I rarely make really small quilts(except for baby quilts, table toppers and zippy pouches). I would need a larger amount of charms to make a lap or bigger sized quilt.

Giveaway is now closed and the prize has been awarded.

GIVEAWAY REMINDER!!!

These are the prizes I will be sending to one lucky individual!

There is still time to enter my Sew Mama Sew Giveaway(YAY!)! Giveaway closes today at midnight, pst. The Hubs will pick a lucky winning number tomorrow!


*Comments for the giveaway must be on the "Giveaway" post(link above) to be eligible to win.




In case you missed it, Part 2 of my Country Village Quilt-A-Long, featuring a block I designed(shown above) was published this past Wednesday. You can head over to that post using this link and it is also located in the Country Village QAL tab just below my blog header!

*Stay tuned for Part 3, this Wednesday, May 13th.



Last, but not least, I want to wish all of the moms out there a very Happy Mother's Day! I hope everyone has great weather and are able to spend time with their families.
The Kid had to start work at 11 am, so I won't be able to spend any time with him till after supper. He did give me a kiss on the cheek as he was leaving…a huge surprise! Believe me when I say that teenage boys DO NOT give kisses to their moms anymore…sniff..!
The Hubs gave me a much-needed gift certificate for a pedicure! Yay! 

Question of the Day:

Do you(if you are a mom) receive a Mother's Day gift from your child(ren)?…or does your Hubby give you one?


Sharing is caring!!! 
Don't forget that I am happy to share with your friends…feel free to pin to Pinterest, post on Google+ and Facebook, and Tweet away! Just please play fair and make sure your posts link back to this blog. 

*If you mouse/hover over the top right corner of my photos, a red "Pin-it" button will show up and all you have to do is click it to be taken to Pinterest. There is also another red button right beside it for posting to Facebook and Twitter. Or, you could always use the little square grey buttons at the end of this post.


Thanks for reading and have a great day! 

Quilty Huggs, 

Jacqueline 

PLEASE NOTE: This blog accepts forms of compensation such as, but not limited to; fabric/notions/patterns/books in exchange for a posted review and/or tutorial. All comments/critiques/opinions are completely my own and are not those of the provider. This blog may also contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of my links. Thanks so much!

Friday, March 13, 2015

Follow-Up-Friday: What I've Been Up To!!!

Hi peeps! 


How's everyone doing today??? We are having crazy weather…sunny and up to 55 degrees one day, then cold and rainy the next!!! It's really doing a number on my migraines and the Fibromyalgia…grrr!

As promised in this post,I had some fun playing with my citrus HST's. I came up with the above placement and sewed them all together yesterday. I have to say that this is the first time ever, that my HST's have worked out! This time I was very careful to mark my sewing lines and I actually trimmed them too! What a difference that made!


I also promised to show you what I get up to in the evenings while binge-watching Netflix(we are on season 4 of House, MD and season 3 of House of Cards). Well, I sew English Paper Pieced hexagons(1" sides)…a whole lot of them!!! 

Pictured is a pile of about 75% of the hexies I have already done for the Kid's quilt.  These ones have already been sewn together in threes…which I call "triplets".


Once I get all my "triplets" done, I sew three of them together, side by side, into "niners". Sew, sew, sew!!!


I store my "niners" in a plastic shoebox. I have them wedged in there very tight, so they actually press themselves. This also keep them nice and flat as when I sew them together they kind of curl up at the ends.



Once the "niners" are all sewn together, I stack two of them to make an "18-patch". 


This is my basic block and they are all super scrappy. This quilt, like the one I made for us, will have 216 of these 18-piece blocks and will measure 96" x 113", plus a 4" border. It makes a pretty huge quilt, but that also means you can double it over on itself and have a two-layered quilt for especially cold nights.


These are the half-hexagons I have already basted. The ones like the yellow one on the left will be for going down the right and left sides of the quilt and the ones like the red one on the right will be sewn onto the top and bottom blocks. 

Once I have my "18-patches" done, I lay out the ones I want for the top and bottom as well as the right and left sides, then I attach a numbered label(i.e.: T1-meaning the top left-side block). That way I know which blocks go where and can attach the half-hexies. It would be way too cumbersome to have to attach these small pieces once the body of the quilt is all sewn together.

Question of the Day:

Have you ever made a quilt using the English Paper Piecing technique? If not, would you be interested in a tutorial on how to baste the fabric to the paper shapes, then sew the shapes(hexies) together?

Sharing is caring!!!

Don't forget that I am happy to share…feel free to pin to Pinterest, post on Google+ and Facebook, and Tweet away*! Just please make sure your posts link back to this blog. 

*If you mouse/hover over the top right corner of my photos, a red pin-it button will show up and all you have to do is click it to be taken to your Pinterest boards. There is also another red button right beside it for posting to Facebook and Twitter. Or, you could always use the little grey square buttons at the end of this post.

Thanks for reading and have a great day! 

Quilty Huggs, 

Jacqueline 

PLEASE NOTE: The writer of this blog accepts forms of compensation such as, but not limited to; fabric/notions/patterns/books in exchange for a posted review. All comments/critiques/opinions are completely my own and are not those of the provider. This post may also contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Thanks!

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

A Charming Smile, Tuesday Tip and a Contest to Enter!

Hi peeps! 



How is everybody today? I am at the tail-end of a four(yes, four) day migraine…not fun at all! The sun is shining, it is fairly mild and I'm talking to you…so a much better day! 

Before I was laid low I managed to get my citrus batik HSTs for the table topper all trimmed…YAY!!! Now I get to have fun and play!! I'll get you up to date on that!!!


Did you know…Much like velvet and corduroy, thread has a nap?...I KNOW!!!
I only found this out recently…this is after almost 40 years of plying a needle…

When you hold the end of the thread that is coming directly off the spool and press your fingers while running them down the thread, it will feel smooth. Now do the reverse…you can actually feel the difference.



This is an important thing to consider, especially if you do a lot of hand sewing. So, what I do is thread my needle BEFORE I have clipped my length of thread. That way I will remember which tail of thread is which. I keep that end of the thread short and cut at the end of the longer piece. The longer piece will always be on the nap...and the shorter piece will be against the nap…but that is okay as it's the longer piece that I'm concerned with.


Once I am sure which thread-end is which, I knot the longer end. It really makes a difference! I do a lot of hand sewing at night in front of the TV(will show you in a later post) and can tell you that my thread runs through the fabric pieces smoothly and I rarely get a tangle! Awesomeness!!!


Last night I managed to get another men's shirt cut up…I really have to start removing the buttons from the placket strips…I've got several of them waiting for attention! As you can see, this one has an embroidered logo and I will try to find a use for that. The shoulder yoke and sleeve cuffs were lined in a nice chambray, which was an added bonus. 

This was one of the Kid's shirts, a men's size small, so there wasn't as much useable fabric. But, I had originally purchased it at half price from Value Village, it was worn for a year and now I have cut it up for quilting fabric…so it was a super-recycling project, and plus I really liked the pattern/colours. I might give it a bit of a starch treatment as the resulting fabric is a tad thinner than the other shirts I have slated for demolition.


Don't forget to enter Craftsy's #Secret Stash Contest! Prized include a secret stash box of goodies as well as a Craftsy class of your choice! Bonus!!!

Stay tuned as I have new sponsor news AND another giveaway coming soon!

Thanks for reading and have a great day! 

Quilty Huggs, 

Jacqueline

Monday, July 28, 2014

A FINISH, A VISIT AND A GIVEAWAY!!!

Hi peeps!


How bout this giant pile of scrappy hexies??? These are the 3,800 basted hexies, plus(not shown) the 200+ half-hexies and four quarter hexies(for the corners). They are all basted and ready to be sewn together for the kid's king- sized quilt. I got them done in record time-about three months!


My oldest son came to visit us last week from Montreal, where he is a Grad student. Mom is so, so proud of her two accomplished boys! Can you tell I had a nasty migraine in this photo??? grrr…put a damper on the visit for sure.


I would like to welcome Fat Quarter Shop as a new blog sponsor! They are a huge online quilting fabric store out of Texas, run by the lovely Kimberly Jolly. They specialize in high quality, name-brand fabric lines, books and notions especially for quilters.


Every day, they have an item(or, often items) on sale for a fraction of their retail value, for 24 hours only, starting at 10 AM, Central. Each day is a different item, so if you see something you'd like, you have to pounce on it before it is gone, gone, gone!


They have a weekly newsletter which allows you to keep up with their many awesome sales and new items. There are often a few fabric lines priced at 40% off, and even 50% off! The sale section is humungeous and I would have no trouble filling a cart there! hee hee hee

They also have a blog, called the Jolly Jabber, which offers giveaways, videos and loads of free patterns. I am following along with their Wishes BOM program and will be buying the Wishes Fat Eight pack next payday!


I am sure by now you have all heard of the Cotton & Steel fabric line. It is brand new and all over blog-land. Fat Quarter Shop has all the fabrics available individually, but I am most drawn to the above kit as I love the rainbowyness(great word, eh?) of it! The fabrics are well-dyed and have a lovely feel.

The folks at Fat Quarter Shop have generously offered a follower of this blog a $35.00 gift certificate to the shop…isn't that great? And it's international, too!

So, here's the rules:

1. You have to be a follower of this blog, either via email or Bloglovin, and comment to tell me so.

2. In the same comment, tell me which pre-cut bundle is your favorite at Fat Quarter Shop(you can just click on the FQS button, top left border of this page, and then find a bundle you like the most).

Please note, both points must be answered for a chance to win this giveaway.
One comment per person, please.

Giveaway ends on Wednesday July 30, 2014

Good luck everyone!

Giveaway has been awarded. Thanks for participating!

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Jacqueline


Monday, July 14, 2014

A WIP, a Win, and the Caribbean Festival!

Hi Peeps!



It has been a long time..I KNOW…but the excessive heat we have been getting laid me low with an awful 5-day migraine…NOT fun! I did manage to get started on the HST's for the Jumbo Prism Pillow(link on the Cute Tute page), though.

Aren't those trimmings colourful?


These are the smaller HST's, all trimmed and ready for pressing. I have to finish up trimming the large triangles. They are a bit tricky, as I only have a long ruler that is wide enough. I better check on Massdrop to see if they have any there on sale!


I won this cute Yoko Saito pattern from a giveaway at see how we sew blog. You should check them out. If you go to the pattern page and scroll down, they have some free patterns too!


The Hubs and I went to the Caribbean Festival in Maple Ridge this past Saturday. It is an annual event, and we do try to go every year. We didn't have the teenager with us(out sunning on the beach with his friends), so were able to catch some shade in the beer garden while eating our (expensive) Jamaican Jerk chicken. It was really good, a treat I look forward to every year! It was smoking' hot and by the time we headed home, we were done. 

I did buy a large Batik sheet(purple, of course, with stencilled red turtles all over it). We will use it as a top sheet during the summer months. Show-and-tell next post!


I finally figured out how to rotate and crop my pics! YAY! The Hubs took this picture of a brave couple dancing in the street on a hot summer day. The young lady looked very warm in that pretty costume.

I have some Happy Mail to show next post and I received a surprise package from one of my sponsors…I think a giveaway is coming soon!

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Jacqueline

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Crummy weather

Hi all!


So, I was planning to shoot a tutorial today, but the weather isn't cooperating…grrr…it is overcast and starting to rain. Bah…

I thought I would share a pic of my winnings, from the semi-annual Sew Mama Sew Giveaway. They arrived safe and sound and Tina, of Seaside Stitches, had included a nice little card, too! The tiny lapel pin is so sweet. I can't imagine foundation paper piecing such a small item! I think I will stick to my scrappy hexies!


I thought I would share a photo of my beloved Pffaf! She is Model# 7530-Quilt and Craft Pro. I have had her for over 14 years, can't believe how the time has flown by! She has quilted so many quilts and other crafty projects. Every once in a while, I think I will go ahead and get another machine, but she is such a good old gal, I really don't need to. 

I have never had a Bernina, but have lusted after them for sooo long…it is a Bucket List item!!!! 

Which kind of machine do you sew on?

The guy who lives behind us has been running his table saw all morning and now I've got a Migraine on deck.

See ya later,

Jacqueline



Saturday, May 17, 2014

hello?

knock, knock, knock…
is anybody out there?




So, what can I say???? This is day one and I am flying by the seat of my…well you get the picture!!!

My name is Jacqueline, pronounced Jack-lean and I am in my late 40's. I am a wife of one and mother to two boys, aged 23 and 15. I live on the West coast of Canada, near Vancouver, BC. It is beautiful here, but we, like all Lower Mainlanders, complain bitterly about the weather. It's true, though, that we get more than our fair share of rain!

I have been quilting for over 20 years, and do most of my piecing and quilting by hand. That being said, I have become recently infatuated with English Paper Piecing. I have just finished a king sized 1" hexie quilt, all scrappy, and have now started on another(would you believe it was the 15 yr old son that requested it??!). I also have a 2"(per side) 6-point star 'kit' all cut up and ready to go, if we ever manage to go on a camping trip this year!!!

I have Fibromyalgia and also suffer from Chronic Daily Migraines, so life can be a bit of a strain/drain. I do try to stay positive and quilting helps a LOT with that.

Plans for this blog are; quilty tidbits, some tutorials(if I can get that darn digital camera to work), some guest posts(hopefully), links to personal faves in the tutorial department. I would also like to share some recipes we have enjoyed, though the hubbs is the main family cook. I want to re-learn how to crochet, and possibly have a tutorial or three. In between hand-piecing, I also do embroidery on small things like flour sack towels and wall hangings.

That's all for me today,
I'll catch you on the flip side.