Anna Maria Horner Feather Swap

My work in progress this week is actually something I have been working on for a few months now.  It is a  Anna Maria Horner pattern called feather bed quilt, we are trading feathers at our guild meeting in June.  The attached link will take you to the free PDF pattern.  Since they were not due for months I was doing one as I finish each project with the scrap pieces.  This way they were different and I wasn't cutting into fresh fabrics.  Unfortunately I have been taking my time with the quilting on my projects so I don't have as many done as I had hoped, this being the end of April. 

I have done them a few ways and finally went with the strip method, it takes less time and I can make multiples.  At first it was taking me hours to complete just one, I decided I was being very picky with my blocks.  Since they wont be staying with me but going to fellow quilters I want them to be perfect. I wouldn't want to get a block that I wouldn't put on a quilt and I don't want anyone to get a bad block from me. 

I cant wait to see what everyone makes, I know one person used salvages and another hand dyed all her fabrics~ so fun.  I am still deciding what I will be doing with all the blocks after we trade, it will come to me it always does. 

Linking up today with WIP with Freshly Pieced, and Lets Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts check out some of the linked blogs.  I find new ones each week to follow, you will too.  


Today is also Sewing Wilde's blog-a-versary, one year ago today was my first blog post.  To this date it's still the blog post with the most views, the story of my sewing beginning.

time to sew,
Pam

Quilty insperation

I LOVE my daughters new job!  Her last job was in a lab so the Instagram pictures she shared were mostly going to and from work (NJ to Long Island)  Some were pretty colored test tubes, not very often.  Always pretty with an interesting perspective, loving the newest ones.  They are like Oz, now they are in pretty colors!

Now she travels the world literally (still as an organic chemist) for the company.   I've already claimed one to use as quilt inspiration Jacquie Gering style her blog is Tall Grass Prairie Studio. If you want to see what I'm talking about.  This one was taken in the USA at the train station.

Now to see places I will never go to - Can you say insperation

In Oxford - the boxes and medallion crest on the door, scrolls and curves on the bottom two and you know that pretty cluster of flowers is screaming appliqué quilt including the molding

Singapore - the lights acrossing the street jumping from building to building

 

And the Helix bridge I view as a twist on straight line quilting with an great curve 

She also sent me these yummy fabrics, I have to find just the right project

Next week London and Berlin, can't wait for the pictures, safe travels baby girl.  You can check out her blog she post her travels at Wilde in the City

Off to sew

Pam

WIP Wednesday with Freshly Pieced & Sew Fresh Quilts

I thought it is was a good idea to do a work in progress post once a week.  When I read the blog by Freshly Pieced I knew this was the one I wanted to participate in, there are several in the blogosphere, I like hers.

My WIP is a smaller project compared to my quilts and should be done soon.  I was looking on-line for a book I had heard about for free motion quilting when I found this 

Can I just say I decided to buy this one instead after reading about the book, finding her blog Green Fairy Quilts on line and reading about her. Judi Madsen, I LOVE her style and realized its all so simple if you think of it as drawing, not free motion.  What I have never posted before is my favorite class starting with grade school was Art class, drawing and painting specifically.

It's so simple, can I say CLICK, don't you just love when that happens!  So my WIP is a small quilted basket I will be using as a catch-all next to my sewing machine.  I picked one of her quilt blocks, made 3 and will quilt them.  

Now for some pics

 

I drew some stencils on cardboard and used a heat release pen 

I put a different one in each square, I picked items from the fabric

Added some filler

 

I even like it from the back, you won't see any of this once it's done due to the lining. 

I wanted a small project to try out some quilting, but I also wanted to make something I could use.  I don't like practicing on scrap and then not making something with it. 

Linking up with WIP at Freshly Pieced

 

and Let's Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts

 

 

time to sew,
Pam

Checking out some great blogs

Last week I told you about the small blog meet,  well all I can say is I found some great ones that I added to my weekly reads.  I follow several on Bloglovin, Google plus and Google Friend connect- I prefer it, this way it puts them all together and I don't get an over abundance of emails.    

I love this badge 

I will let you in on a secret, as a blogger we love all the visits we get from you, comments and feedback.  Last week alone Bloglovin recorded 186 visits to SewingWilde.  Thank you for visiting, come back often and leave a comment, I would love to hear from you.  If you host a blog, even if it's not sewing or quilting related please tell me about it.  I LOVE  blogs!

I took some time this holiday weekend changing up my page to help you find me easier.  I added a few follow me links, follow SewingWilde with your favorite app.  I even found a new link for myself, can't wait till Wednesday to share my works in progress by Freshly pieced.
 

Next week SewingWilde@blogspot.com will be one year old on April 30th, come celebrate with me.

time to sew,
Pam

Happy Easter

Every Easter a few weeks before I change my laptop screen to this picture it's 13 years old and I love it.  My daughter took it for me while I tried to get Zoe's attention.  Usually she loves posing for pictures, she just wasn't feeling it that day.  After a few minutes my baby girl (who's now 30+  ) was done.  While I gathered up all the props I thought Zoe would play but no, instead she got sick.  Unbeknownst to me she had eaten a flower, poor baby.  I hate to say it but that sourpuss is part of the charm of the picture, it's a favorite.  

So when you do a book of your next puppies first year of course you do an Easter photo shoot.  This task was about 20 pictures.  I have some of them both sitting pretty with ears on (Izzie likes them) but the best ones are the expressions when they were playing or the ears just plain fell off.

You ask where's the sewing quilting today, it's a family day.  Play with the puppies, do some baking and dinner with the family.  Back to sewing tomorrow, working on something good!

Don't eat too many peeps!

#Modern InstaBee Hive 17

Last week I shared the first block I made for April with the #ModernInstaBeeHive17 over on Instagram. I can lose hours on Pinterest, Flicker and Instagram, don't you?   I saw all the creative badges on the other groups pages and late one night created one for our group.  A little Excel, changed it to a PDF and poof new badge.  Sent it to the group via email, lots of great feedback and its been adopted.  You see I plan on donating my months quilt and will be adding it so the recipient knows it was a group effort.  I have January, cant wait. (To make a PDF into a label it just takes an ink jet printer and fabric sheets, I will use Avery Printable Fabric for Ink Jet printers) 

This group is the creation of Lindsay Conner who wrote the book Modern Bee - 13 Quilts to Make with Friends.  She is up to Hive #17, if you are looking for a Bee Group check out #ModernInstaBee2014 on Instagram and see if another is starting to fill, when it reaches 12 members they are active.  

Since then I have checked out everyone who shared that they also have a blog within the introduction email.  Like minds and all that, such a great group I feel the creativity with each post.  Shout out to Kerry at ThatsSewKerry for sharing her blog which introduced me to Lynne at Lily"s Quilts who host a Small Blog Meet.  It is a place for us quilters who write a blog to find and share what we are up to.  She ask after you add your link that you check out at least 4, yea I checked them all out.  Such talent, I am adding many them to my weekly list of blogs I read, good thing I'm retired. Have a quilt blog you want to share or just want to check some new ones out here is Lily's Quilt's Link.

If you find anything interesting please leave me a note, love to see what you think 

Time to Sew
Pam

Bing Bong

Yes I know my title is a little strange but it's the words I heard all week.  "Bing Bong, this is your captain speaking" I was on a cruise last week and this is how he announced himself each morning to give us the days news.  Now that I've been home for a few days I feel better and got caught up, you know emails, mail, restocking the kitchen and recovering from sun poising.  You can ask everyone I was with this week I started layering on SPF 50 before breakfast and reapplied every hour or so, still got it.

Something exciting happened while I was gone, I received notice that the Quilt Bee I signed up for last month is now full and will start in April, #moderninstabeehive17 so fun.  You need to buy Lindsay Conners book, Modern Bee 13 Quilts to make with your friends, I looked it up and downloaded it to my kindle.  I read the Queens wishes Katie, looked up the pattern and got started.  All stash, I had her colors and it was an easy block.  Yep, it's done and will go in tomorrow's mail.  My Modern Quilt Guild also will start a bee in May and I signed up for that one too.   

You see when I worked outside the house I was a mega multi tasker, now when it comes to quilting I try to start and finish in an effort not to have several unfinished quilts.  I joined 2 bees to push me out of my comfort zone,  I'm still very organized so I know I can do it.  Can't wait till next month when I get to do both Bees!

Sewing with a side of Quilting

For the last two weeks I have been sewing for summer and love it.  My quilt is currently on hold while I wait for thread to arrive from Superior Threads, Kimono Silk a new favorite.  I thought I wanted to go thicker and ordered Aurifil from Hawthorne Threads but decided after it arrived I wanted thinner.  

In the meantime I am getting ready for a vacation and summer time, I"ve had enough of winter thank you. 

Here are a few items I made this week, I titled this post sewing with a side of quilting because it seems that my quilting is sneaking into my clothing. 

A Top 

A new sundress 

Shirt to go over my white tank top 

and another tote, I like them for summer and I had all these fabrics.  Each time I make one I add a little something.

This one has 3 outside pockets, inside zipper pocket, and a clip.  After reading my daughters blog Wilde in the City current obsessions - travel ideas after she had to fly to Singapore for work I added a separating zipper. I will be taking it on the plane and don't want spillage.  (as she put it things tend to scatter)

I have a couple more things to make, no hurry summer doesn't seem to be coming anytime soon.