Baconrific

Where the idea of bacon emerged as a prompt for Bee Sewcial, I have no idea. But once I thought of it, I couldn't let it go. A food-related item seemed to 'fit' for A Quilter's Table, and well.... bacon.

In The Bacon Consideration, I gathered photos of both actual and superficial bacon, offering it up to my bee-mates as inspiration. As far as palette, I suggested solids such as Kona Brick, Brown, Mocha, Chestnut, Spice, Cinnamon, Cocoa, and Caramel. If a 'background' or more neutral element was needed, I asked for off-white or natural, not white-white. Linen, shot-cotton, leather, or any other texturally-interesting substrates were most welcome. Note that when I told the group to feel free to use a mix of 'fabrics', I didn’t expect them to embrace that so strongly. They included velvet, shot cotton, linen, raw silk, hand dyed cotton, suede, quilter’s cotton, and even fuzzy selvages! 

Here are all the blocks up on the design wall, ready for the gaps to be filled in, always the trickiest part of a quilt like this.

I really liked the mix of blocks - some quite literal with their curves and all. Some much more impressionistic, like the middle block of "bacon bits." But one thing that this circle-loving group wasn't inspired to make was circles! And it came to me that the quilt needed some pancetta blocks.

I added three to the quilt, and have heard from both fans and detractors, but for better or worse, they're in there to stay. [Watch for a tutorial for this kind of layered circle block later this week.]



For quilting, I chose four bacon-imbued thread colors, Aurifil 50wt 1103 (burgandy), 2000 (beige), 2155 (cinnamon), and 2350 (copper), stitching in wavy lines across the quilt to echo that bacon essence.

The quilt, measuring 56" x 64", was finished with a faced binding, which is my favorite method for more 'artsy' quilts like this.



And then the big question loomed - where to go for a photo shoot?

Yes, the local meat market was the obvious choice! So how many of you have stood at the meat counter to pay for your bacon and steak, and posed the question, "I made a quilt inspired by bacon, so would it be ok if I took photos of it in front of your store?" Yeah. 

Much credit goes to the hubby who snagged that empty parking spot while a car was waiting to pull in, so I could get my photos!

Even more difficult than coming up with a photoshoot location was deciding on a name for this truly bacon-inspired quilt. I kept coming back to what grandgirl told me when she saw it in progress weeks ago - "It's baconrific, grammy!" And so it shall be. [Though honestly, hubby has miscalled it "baconstein" more than once, and I'm fond of that too!] 

Lastly, many thanks to Leanne, Marci, Felicity, Karen, Kari, Stephanie, Hillary, Anne, and M-R
for embracing my quirky yet distinctive prompt and working their improv magic. I for one enjoyed it immensely!

This quilt was on my Q4 FAL2016 list! Linking up with Finish It Up Friday.

2015 Finish-A-Long: Q4 List

There's no denying it: I'm a finisher. I may have lots of quilts and sewing projects in my head, but few that are actually in progress. So my FAL lists are usually pretty short, but at least this time I didn't have to fudge and start new things to put on the list! (Pitiful, I know!)

So first up and top priority will be my Bee Sewcial quilt! I am itching to get back to it!! But with vacation, my machine going in for repair, and now some pushing-the-deadline secret sewing, it's been on hold. Believe me, though, I hope to be back at it next week!

I have 2 more borders to do on my SMQG BOM medallion quilt. 112 hsts are what's next, and I can't say I'm looking forward to those, even with my Big Batch HSTs tutorial. But once I get those done, it should be easier sailing.

Lastly, I really want to make a sewing machine cover to fit on my machine when my thread cone is on, since that's how I leave it most of the time. My search for a pattern online has been fruitless, so it looks like I'm on my own for this one. Fingers crossed it won't be too bad to figure out. I've got the front panel done - the Geometric Sewing Machine I finished over the summer - so that's definitely a good start!

It feels like a doable list, while still allowing time for all those yet-to-be-started projects in my head!

Linking up my 2015 Finish-A-Long Q4 list!

2014 Finish-A-Long: Q4 List

Goodness. I'm kind of struggling with what to even put on this quarter's list. I've got a few new quilts brewing in my mind, but nothing firm, and for sure no fabric picked out for them yet. So sad to say, I have just a couple of things actually started.

To be finished sooner rather than later is my first item of clothing in a very long time. It's a Julia Cardigan that I started on a recent sew day with daughter dear. She's finished and wearing hers, but mine is still in pieces.

Another project is a quilt made with bee blocks from the Always Bee Learning Bee. I have 50 some half rectangle triangle blocks as well as fabric to make a few more. So of the several stacks of bee blocks I have stashed, this is the one I'd like to finish next.

And only because a stack of half-finished blocks has been sitting on my ironing board for months, I'm going to step out and add my Cross Stitch blocks. I had an idea in mind for this project, and these scrappy blocks may become "it", though maybe not. But I'm going to try to at least make something with them. I like them, I just don't really like making them . . . yeah.

So that's that. Wish me luck.

Linking up with Finish Along Quarter 4!

2013 Finish-A-Long: Q4 Finishes

Was I ever surprised when I sorted through the Finish-A-Long flickr group last week and realized that I have finished 28(!) projects with the FAL since it started 2 years ago! See what a good encouragement it is!? So here's my finishes for 2013 Quarter 4:

This little block was a recreation of that made for my Mango quilt back in 2011. Yeah, I meant to create a tutorial long before now, but you know how it goes . . . 

{click for pdf tutorial & templates}

Anyway, I made a few more blocks and came up with a fun mini just to show another way the block could be used. I had so much fun quilting this up, and now it's hanging on my mini wall!

(Beware: you'll be seeing the Mango block again in one of next quarter's projects too.)

Next up was the "For Pleat's Sake!" Tote Bag by U-handbag. I had my fabric all cut . . .

And before I knew it, I had a cool bag that I've used every day since!

When I put this piece of crazy-piecing on my FAL list, Crazy Rainbow was just a vision in my mind as my project for the Mini Quilt Swap sponsored by schnitzel & boo.

I was a little obsessive with the crazy-piecing, and pretty much covered my entire design board with it. But I was indeed able to create exactly what I had in mind. Seriously, this mini was just SO much fun to create!

And lastly was a carryover from last quarter - the Polaroid blocks that I got in the *Picture-Perfect* Polaroid Block Swap last year and then had the Always Bee Learning Bee put together for me into blocks. Gee whiz, I usually don't need that much help!

But a bit of time between Christmas and New Year's and I was finally able to finish "Snapshots" just before year's end.

Whew. List complete.

Linking up with Leanne/shecanquilt and the Finish-A-Long 2013 Q4 linkup.

2013 Finish-A-Long: Q4 List

Please don't laugh. But yesterday when I was mulling over this list, there was only one thing that could truthfully go on it, and that would be the Polaroid Blocks that the Always Bee Learning Bee had put together for me.


The Star Bright quilt, the other project that I had in mind to complete in Q4, got finished before I got around to writing my list!

This isn't to say I didn't have oodles of projects in my head for this next quarter; in fact a few even have deadlines! BUT they weren't started yet.

SO, in an effort to have a respectable list, I quickly started a few of those projects . . .

• At this point, this project shall remain nameless, but I have a tutorial in the works, as well as a mini quilt, and it all starts with this little block.

• Another project I've been wanting to tackle is the "For Pleat's Sake!" Tote Bag by U-handbag. So I've cut my fabrics (more on them later), and the leather handles are headed my way.

• And finally, I'm been wanting to do some scrappy piecing as well as make some Churn Dash blocks. AND I've entered the Mini Quilt Swap. So I'm going to combine these three. Here's my start:

So there, I feel better now. There's plenty more on my mind, and I expect the unplanned as always, but for now, it's a good start.

Linking up with the 2013 FAL Q4.