Hometown Squares

I can't believe it's already Wednesday! It's been so crazy busy around here, I feel scattered in so many directions. I have also been between projects -- with my long list of things I want to make, I've had a difficult time choosing which one to tackle next. I have a lot of Sweetwater's Hometown in my stash, so I thought this would be a good place to start:

So far, I only have four of these arrow blocks made. Only another 44 to go! I do like the gray on cream much better than I thought I would. This one will be for my eldest, hopefully for his birthday in June when he turns 8 (yikes). Of course, he'd rather have a Nintendo DS, but it's not a birthday, in my opinion, unless it involves something handmade!

I'm linking up to WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced!

Some FMQ Practice Feathers

I've been doodling a long time to get these just right.  This is step two, practicing on a quilt sandwich.  I think I might be ready for the real thing.  But today, I'm in love with this little piece.

I bought a spool of Aurifil thread a while back, just to see what all the hype was about. Well, it lived up to the hype.  This thread is smooooth.  It also has a very nice sheen, which doesn't come across real well in these pictures.  I might have forgotten to mention, but I also used Aurifil to quilt this quilt, which was done on a longarm.  I think I'm a convert.

Here's an overall shot of the free-form feathers.  There were a couple of curves that got me, but overall, I can live with them!  I'm linking up today with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced!

Don't forget, Elvy Crafts readers get 20% off at LiMa Sews with this coupon code: elvycrafts2012.

Did You Notice...

...the extra tab at the top of this blog and the little "LiMa Sews" button to the side? Yes, I'm so excited. Super excited, actually.  With the help of Mr. Elvy, we launched a little Etsy store this past week.  Right now it's full of lovely organic cottons, like this:

Commute by Jay-Cyn Designs for Birch Fabrics

And this:

Tilly by Daisy Janie

Our focus is on smaller fabric producers and designers.  If it's organic, that's even better.  But really, it's all about what's pretty, so of course, you'll be seeing things from Moda and Free Spirit too.  Over the next few weeks, we're expecting shipments from Art Gallery and Blend Fabrics, so I'll keep you posted.

The tab on top takes you directly to the store.  The button on the sidebar takes you to the blog for the shop, where we will be posting updates on new products and sales.  For my Elvy Crafts readers, use this coupon code for 20% off your total purchase through March 6th: elvycrafts2012.

A Quiet Week

I didn't manage to do much of anything this week -- too much Downton Abbey in the evenings.  Well, now that we've managed to blow through the first season in just under a week, I can get back to regular activities. 

I did finish up the last of my Swoon blocks -- woohoo -- but have two more cut out for pillows that I wanted to finish.

I also finished this hat last weekend, but in my excitement over my longarm quilting adventures, posting about this hat seemed anticlimactic.  The pattern is the Brier Toque by Cecily Glowik MacDonald, featured in Weekend Hats.  The entire hat was knit in a stockinette stitch.

The yarn is a variegated fingering weight wool by Koigu. I'm trying to knit only from my stash and haven't bought any yarn in ages, but it's been slow going.  Mr. Elvy has been using it as a night cap -- I think he's kinda too embarrassed to wear such an exaggerated floppy hat in public.

Crazy Fun Quilting Weekend!

I had a really crazy, fun quilting weekend. Mr. Elvy and I drove to McMinville to attend a beginners long-arm quilting class! Can you believe that?!  Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera so I don't have any pictures of the actual quilting process.  BUT, this is the result:

Between the two of us, we were able to complete quilting this top (72 x 84 inches) in about 3.5 hours.  We used a Gammill Vision 26-10.  It was SO nice.  Look at these beautiful stitches.  The process was actually much more difficult than I thought it would be.  The basic class included instruction on how to load the quilt layers onto the rollers, thread the machine and wind a bobbin.  The machine also had a computer face that controlled speed and let you choose either a regulated stitch or a constant speed (among other things).

We ended up using the constant speed function instead of the regulated stitch, because following the pantograph pattern with the regulated stitch was kinda difficult.  The pantograph pattern we picked was one of easier ones -- it had a floral motif combined with some flowing stippling-type curves.  It turns out that Mr. Elvy was actually much better than me at this, even though he has never touched a sewing machine in his life. 

Now, onto the deets of this quilt. I made it using a Bliss layer cake.  Each block used up most of one layer (10") square, so I added some scraps left over from my Bliss sampler to get a 6 x 7 setting for 42 blocks total.  The background is Kona ash.  The fabric for the binding and backing is a pin dot from Moda Essentials.

Full House in Just Wing It

OK, I'm hooked.  I've been wanting to make a Schnibbles for a long time, but the practical side of me kept thinking what would I do with an itty bitty quilt?  This one measures just 31" x 36".

Well, it's just so cute and was so fun to make, I think I understand the attraction.  The fabric is Just Wing It, by Moma for Moda Fabrics.  It's part of a layer cake that I used earlier for another project.

I did attach a little pole pocket in the back so I can eventually use it as a wall hanging. I will also join in the fun at Another Year of Schnibbles, hosted by Sherri at A Quilting Life and Sinta at Pink Pincushion.

The First Quilt Top of the Year!

I'm off to a good start! I want to keep the quilting simple, so I hope to post the deets on this quilt next week once I'm completely finished.