Fresh Sewing Day

It feels like February was a month of playing catch-up, constantly racing those deadlines. But now that it's Fresh Sewing Day, it seems like I've accomplished more than I realized. Of course, that retreat was a huge help!

There were blocks galore, including my own sample blocks for February in FAITH Circle and for March in the Mid-Century Modern bee. I'm kind of excited about both of these quilts! And then February's Lucky Stars block was a treat as usual.

Plus (no pun intended) I made a dozen more x and + blocks to add to my stack. I'm now up to 39!

On retreat, I discovered Noodlehead's Open Wide Zippered Pouch {great fun!} and Sweet Heart purses by Simple Things. I also completed hubby's Christmas stocking and another Mod Angles Cushion that my mom happily claimed. AND I made a couple more Triple-Zip Pouches during the very successful and fun Triple-Zip Along! Still can hardly believe we made 204(!) pouches in less than three weeks!

And last, but certainly not least, I finished one lone but lovely quilt!

Three of these February finishes are FAL projects, which feels great! One more to go! Honestly, it feels good to face a fresh month!

Linking up with Fresh Sewing Day!

The Modern Blocks Bee

The Modern Blocks Bee was one of my first, and it is now complete. All blocks were made from Modern Blocks: 99 Quilt Blocks from Your Favorite Designers, which is a wonderful compilation of modern blocks, and I'll continue to use it as a resource.

1. Modern Blocks Bee - January block, 2. Modern Blocks Bee - February block, 3. Blue Lagoon block - Modern Blocks Bee, March(2), 4. Fussy Cut block - Modern Blocks Bee, March(1), 5. "Pathways", 6. Modern Blocks Bee - April, 7. Set Sail for Modern Blocks Bee, 8. Boxed Up-June, 9. Little Square Big Square June, 10. Binary - MY block in the Modern Blocks Bee for July, 11. Stargazing block - August, 12. Stonehenge block - September, 13. Parisian Star - October, 14. Diamond Ripples-November, 15. Piece of the Garden block

For my month last July, I chose Binary, a block by Angela Pingel. You may remember, I made a quilt with my bee blocks which I also called Binary; the reveal post was here.

So farewell to a great group of ladies. I thoroughly enjoyed our year of sewing together!

W.i.P. Wednesday

Not huge progress this last week, but still managed to get a few time-critical projects out of the way.

Completed projects
February bee blocks - whew! What a relief to have gotten these done this week! I posted them here.

Mid-Century Modern bee project - March is MY month, and I managed to post the plan. The block I've chosen is a Hugs & Kisses block using a tutorial by Little Miss Shabby. More details are in the flickr group, of course, but here's the tutorial I used - four 5" blocks are put together to make one 9 1/2" unfinished block.

Here is my sample block:

So this is a "completed for now" project, until early April, when I get blocks from my bee mates.

Ongoing projects
Emerald mini/placemats - I got all the blocks done and the 'tops' put together!

Scrappy Trip Along - I had to set this aside but hope to be back at it soon.

x and + blocks {#xplusalong} and Woodland cross-stitch sampler - no progress.

Upcoming projects
* pin cushion custom order
* flannel pillow for grandgirl
* table topper for mom
* scrappy Metrolink - still debating
* Polaroid block projects

Linking up with W.i.P. Wednesday.

Tuesday at the Table

So Friday nights are usually pretty low-key at our house. Often just a great chance to crash after a busy work week. But last Friday, we were out on the town, so to speak, in a very casual, quirky kind of way. My mom had just gotten home from nearly three months away, visiting my brother and his family. Hubby offered to introduce us to an experience he'd had a few weeks back, when I was off on my quilting retreat. So our adventure started here. As in here and there.

Yup, hubby took us to a food truck, which come to find out, was one of the first truckers in our area. We placed our order, walked a short ways and followed the sign.

Good thing the sign was big, as the entrance wasn't the most welcoming!

But the brew was worth the visit.

And that food truck food? Awesome! The salad was very good (goat cheese dressing!), but that short rib sandwich? Oh my gosh. One of the most delicious "bites" I've had so far this year.

Casual and quirky? Doesn't matter. We'll be back.

Do you have something from the table to share? Link up here!

Just a little note . . . the Tuesday at the Table linky is going to take a hiatus starting next week. Tuesday will still be a day to share about the Table though - feel free to leave a comment or even put a link to your foodie posts right in the comments. If you have feelings about the linky one way or another, I'd like to hear about it . . .

February Bee Blocks

I pushed it a little tight getting my bee blocks done for the month, but they are ready to be mailed! {whew!}

First up - the Always Bee Learning bee, where we were asked to make scrappy Trip Around the World blocks. I can almost do these in my sleep now, especially since Hettie cut the strips 3" wide! I love these blocks big and Loulouthi! (We were asked to make two blocks, but most of us were able to help Hettie out on her king-sized goal and make a couple more - that's why you see four blocks here.)

Next up was Kelli's Road to Fortune blocks for That Stash Bee. I already mentioned that these blocks really challenged me. Still not sure why. Here's the template we used - this quilt is going to be so cool!

And I think my favorite of the bunch this month was Cindy's Winged Square block for the Mid-Century Modern bee. We used the tutorial here. This was a new block to me, and I'm really liking it. You really should peek at all the bee's blocks!

And of course it's my month for FAITH Circle. Here's the original post with our plan. And here's a mosaic with all the blocks I've gotten back so far.

1. 100_5541, 2. February - Do Good Stitches, 3. {Faith} Do. good stitches February Block #1, 4. Sample January FAITH Circle blocks, 5. 100_5543, 6. Faith Circle do. Good Stitches~February Blocks, 7. Faith Circle (February) #2, 8. Sample January FAITH Circle blocks, 9. Sample January FAITH Circle blocks, 10. {Faith} do. Good Stitches Block #2, 11. Faith Circle (February) #1, 12. Sample January FAITH Circle blocks

Of course I'll be mixing them all up once I have them all. I'm really excited to put this quilt together!

Linking up with Fabric Tuesday.

QuiltCon Quilts

Photo by Christa Quilts; used by permission.

Lucky Christa of Christa Quilts! She's at QuiltCon and has taken pics of many of the award-winning quilts! You need to see them in all their awesomeness! Click over to Christa's posts here and here!

Really Random

There's been peeps on Instagram that many of our cohorts are arriving at QuiltCon. I'm anxiously awaiting news of any kind, fondly remembering the fun I had at Sewing Summit. I can't say I'm jealous really (well maybe just a teeny bit), but am very curious - can't wait to hear about the quilt show so many of the quilts we know and love are in, the classes, the experience of meeting folks only known online before. I know it's bound to be a fantastic weekend!

Meanwhile, I hope I didn't offend Cathy, who approached me before church last night and told me she follows my blog! Without thinking (oops!) I called her a lurker - someone who reads all the time but never comments. Shame on me. I totally appreciate anyone and everyone who reads A Quilter's Table, even though for obvious reasons, comments are always fun to have. Anyway, believe it or not, though she isn't on flickr to realize all that goes on there, she participated in the Triple-Zip Along, and made two triple-zip pouches! AND she happened to have a quilt she'd made in the car and brought it in to show me. Sorry I wasn't tall enough to get a pic to do it justice, but it was just beautiful! Made entirely of Kaffe Fassett prints and backed in minky, it really was stunning! Janeen noticed the quilt and came over, and the three of us (hi girls!) had an enjoyable conversation about quilts, crafting, blogging . . . just a nice unexpected treat in my day.

Lee over at Freshly Pieced mentioned a product the other day that I've just discovered, and that would be Creative Grids. My friend Sharon gave me one while we were on retreat earlier in the month, and I have to say, it works really well! From the website, "Our exclusive gripper holds the fabric while cutting when pressure is applied." And I found it to be true. I'll be replacing a couple of my worn rulers soon! I'm also interested in checking out their fussy cut rulers.

photo courtesy of Creative Grids

And even though they will make a reappearance in a few days, I've got to show off the bee blocks I just finished!

They are for Kelli of Small Town Stitcher. This is her choice for this month in That Stash Bee. And I honestly don't know why but I used my seam ripper so much in the making of these two blocks!! It must be the angles of the design, but I just kept getting the angles wrong, mis-estimating the fabric size I needed, etc. But they are lovely, and I can only imagine what a great quilt Kelli is going to make!

Speaking of bees, my turn is coming up in one, and I'm considering a low-volume quilt. I have an idea in mind, but I would sure love if you shared some of your favorite low-volume quilts. Either ones you have made, or ones you've seen around blog land - please do share and give me ideas! I need to make a decision in the next few days!

Have a great day!

Linking up with Really Random Thursday.

W.i.P. Wednesday

It's been one of those weeks - busy, busy and slowed by a nasty cold. But I finished a biggie and puttered on several projects that don't yet warrant photos. I'll abstain from linking up this week, but at least for my benefit, will list what's up in the sewing room.

Completed projects
Modern Crosses quilt - complete! For all the details and pics, check out the reveal post here.

Ongoing projects
Scrappy Trip Along -I've managed to get this quilt basted and have started quilting!

Emerald mini/placemats - I shared the first {unquilted} placemat yesterday at Tuesday at the Table {here}.

x and + blocks {#xplusalong} - no progress.

Woodland cross-stitch sampler - I actually worked on it one evening!

Upcoming projects
* February bee blocks
* flannel pillow for grandgirl
* table topper for mom
* scrappy Metrolink
* Polaroid block projects

Linking up with W.i.P. Wednesday.

A Redraw

I have not heard from one of the Triple-Zip Along winners in the allotted time, so I have consulted the random generator again and nissa_f, you are a winner. Nissa made this fun pouch with novelty fabric and an open-wide zipper!


Please contact me by email at aquilterstable@gmail.com or by FlickrMail with your email and address by midnight 2/20/13 to claim your prize! If I have not heard from you by then, I will choose another random winner. Thanks!

Tuesday at the Table

Surprise, surprise. No recipes today. Really no food talk at all. But I do have one of my current projects to show, table-related and all . . . the first in a set of wonky cross placemats.

I'm expecting each to be just a tad different in their block arrangement, though all with the same number of 3 1/2", 6 1/2", and 9 1/2" blocks. I'm using my favorite emerald, black, and white geometric prints, along with a variety of solids, which I'll describe better farther down the line.

Quilting design is still TBD, so feel free to share your thoughts. And as I continue piecing, if you have something to link up, you can do it here!

Crosses

There's nothing quite like taking a finished quilt out for a photo-shoot.  There's an excitement that's hard to describe, but I bet alot of you know exactly what I'm talking about. So today hubby and I headed out, not quite having a plan, but with quilt and camera tossed in the back seat of the car. I had in mind maybe finding a church. Considering the finished quilt was one of modern crosses, I thought it would be nice to take photos with a more traditional cross.

We lucked out fairly quickly in a historic town near our home, though there was nowhere to hang the quilt, and it was too big for me to show it off in it's entirety. At least we got some decent pics of the front and the back.

Hubby raced up those stairs twice to try and help me hold the width of the quilt, with the camera below on automatic shoot. Unfortunately, we still weren't able to get the whole quilt or the cross up top.

We went on our merry way, and came across a sweet fence-line, but again, were only able to show off half the quilt, but still worth a few snaps.

Then around a bend, I saw a little building I had never noticed before. What caught my eye was its wire "framing" - perfect for a clothespin or six! Finally - a full view of this quilt - close to 95" square.

What may be my new go-to display spot, was in actuality a refurbished pump house from the 1930's.

Inside and out was decorated with glass tiles, mostly of sea creatures, apropos considering Puget Sound is a stone's throw away.

Here's a shot that shows off the beautiful quilting done by Girton Quilting.

 And one of the back of the quilt from inside the pump house.

Mission accomplished.

Modern Crosses was modified from a pattern by Susan Beal. The feature fabric was a jelly roll of curio by basic grey for Moda on a background of Kona Eggshell. Backing is Kona Parchment with strips of Eggshell and curio flowers on orange. Piecing was done entirely with Aurifil Mako 50 cotton thread in Natural, and the quilt was finished with a scrappy curio binding. This quilt is on my Q1 FAL list.

Linking up with Let's Get Acquainted Monday, Fabric Tuesday, and Finish it Up Friday!

Reflecting

The busy few weeks hosting the Triple-Zip Along is over. And it was enjoyable in every way. And I'm still in awe that we made over 200 little pouches together. But what I'm really reflecting on is what happened in the background. The fact that for more than a few of you, this was your first experience with a zipper(!), with flickr, with a sew-along. I've tried to comment on the blog posts I've seen about the triple-zip, and on one I was the very first commenter. Ever. Do you remember how exciting that was? There have been pouches made by folks in quite a lot of countries different from my own - many that are very, very far away! It continues to amaze me how far-reaching our quilting community is. As the days went by, there were friends who checked in to say "sorry, but I'm too busy", and I encouraged them along in what they needed to do. And one friend shared that her son had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, and my prayers have been mixed in with checking flickr pics.

So you see, once again, it's been more that a tutorial, a bit of fabric, and an ungodly amount of zippers. It's been you and me, gathering together. And that's always the best part.

Well That's a Zip!

My dear friends, you have done me a great honor. You have taken my wee pouch and made it your own. Again and again. Like 201 times!

1. Triple zippy bag, 2. by quiltedbygina.com, 3. Triple Zip, 4. Triple Zip Pouch 7, 5. Triple Zip Pouch 6, 6. Triple Zip Pouch 5, 7. Triple Zip Pouch 4, 8. Triple Zip Pouch 3, 9. 3ZAL finish 3

1. Triple Zip, 2. Triple Zip, 3. triple zip inset heart, 4. triple zip inset heart, 5. Triple Zip Along, 6. Triple zip pouch!, 7. Joined the #triplezipalong movement and made this bag to bring to #quiltcon, 8. Triple Zip! #2, 9. IMG_1695

1. triple zip pouch, 2. open pouch

To say that I am in awe over all the pouches we have made together in 18 short days - well it's true to be sure! What fun the Triple-Zip Along has been! Along with the three I made, we have made 204. gee whiz.

1. Triple-Zip Pouch, 2. Triple-Zip Pouch, 3. Triple-Zip 3

And of course, there were incentives! Terrific prizes offered by our generous sponsors!

Pink Chalk Fabrics - My favorite local online shop

zipit etsy shop - Source for all my zips.

Pellon - Maker of the 987F Fusible Fleece I use in my Triple-Zips

Aurifil - The default thread for all my sewing

So it's time to pick those random winners! Congratulations to the grand prize winner, who wins gift certificates from Pink Chalk Fabrics and zipit, plus product from Pellon and Aurifil:

NavyRev who made this delightful rainbow linen pouch!

And to FOUR additional winners who win a Pink Chalk Fabrics gift certificate + an Aurifil thread sampler:

SwallowDesigns, whose Michael Miller 'Cross' pouch was one of eight she made!

Hook n Needle, who made a scrappy patchwork pouch.

Amanda Fech, whose fabric choice made one very striking pouch!

and gwenbru, who made three very different pouches, each with their own personality.

So that's a zip! Thank you SO much for sewing along with A Quilter's Table! You can find me on flickr as flickrdeb50 and in the group Quilting with A Quilter's Table. Let's sew together again soon!

Winners: Please notify me by midnight Monday, February 18, PST at aquilterstable@gmail.com OR by FlickerMail with your email and mailing address! If I have not heard from you by then, I will choose another random winner. Thanks!

Nearly Zipped!

181.

I continue to be amazed. 300 members strong, the Triple-Zip Along is nearing its end, and the pouches keep on coming! Scroll through this awesome batch!

1. Triple zip pouch with DS quilt scraps, 2. triple zip, 3. Triple Zip Pouch #8-Notions, 4. Triple Zip Pouch, 5. Triple Zip-Along Pouch, 6. knitting triple zip pouch, 7. Triple Zip Pouch, 8. IMG_0883, 9. IMG_0887

1. IMG_0873b, 2. IMG_1244, 3. Hunters Planes, 4. IMG_1243, 5. Triple-Zip Pouch, 6. Triple zip-along, 7. Triple Zip, 8. Triple Zip Pouch, 9. Bella triple zip

1. #triplezipalong done right this time. Had to add an inch to every thing., 2. See almost perfect. Sigh. Oh well my mom will love it #triplezipalong, 3. Triple Zip Pouch, 4. Triple Zip Pouch, 5. Triple-Zipalong, 6. DSC00394, 7. Third triple zip, 8. Mardi Gras 3Z @aquilterstable 9. Triple-Zip Pouch

1. Triple-Zip Pouch, 2. Triple-Zip Pouch, 3. Triple zip pouch 2, 4. Triple zip pouch 1, 5. Triple Zip Pouch, 6. P1060738, 7. IMG_0891a_1, 8. Triple Zip Pouch!, 9. Triple Zip!

1. "Type" Pouch, 2. Scrappy Triple-zip pouch, 3. Triple Zip Pouch, 4. My first triple zippy, she needs some work, 5. My triple zip pouch, 6. Triple Zip!, 7. 3 Zip Pouch (Lined Up), 8. 3 Zip Pouch (Lined Up), 9. 3 Zip Pouch (Lined Up)

1. 3 Zip Pouch (Lined Up), 2. 3 Zip Pouch (Kokka Animals), 3. Triple-Zip Pouch, 4. triple zip cross body bag, 5. DSC04151, 6. Modern Scrappy Bits Swap, 7. Triple Zip Along!

Feel free to keep linking them up through midnight tonight, Friday, February 15, PST. On Saturday, I'll post the last of them and consult Mr. Random to distribute those prizes!