Saturday, July 26, 2014

Meet "Rosie"

 Wow... it's been a while since I've posted!  I'm so sorry!!!!  Things have just been total chaos here at Chez Rosie.  Work, editing photos, work, hubby starting a 3rd job, oh... did I mention work?  Lol.

Anyways....  I've been in the market for a new machine for a few weeks/months now.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Janome 525s, but she's just a bit too small to do the projects I have planned.  I have been doing A LOT of research on machines, and thought I had finally settled on one.  My first choice.. a Janome 6500P.  There is a killer deal on them on Amazon and with having glowing 5-star reviews everywhere I looked, I thought.. This is IT!  Well, that was until this past week.

I did something I NEVER do... check out our local Craig's List.  I typed in "Janome" to see what popped up and I was surprised to find a Janome 6500P for $600 (with loads of extras).  I messaged the gal selling it and she quickly responded that it had sold an hour after she listed it.. she just never took the ad down :(  Total bummer!  I went back to the one on Amazon and was ready to pull the trigger.  On Thursday I was ready to order it, but then decided to check Craig's List one last time.  This time, only searching "sewing machines."  It was then I fell in LOVE! A Viking Husqavarna Eden Rose 250C... practically brand new!  I immediately contacted the gal selling it, crossing my fingers it was still available.  She called me back within 20 minutes, and after chatting with her for a few... I was SOLD!  Now it was just to convince Hubby :-)


It didn't take too much to convince him, and he even agreed to go out there with me.  Hubby and I got up at 8 am this morning to drive about an hour and forty-five minutes to go pick her up.  Not only was she a great deal, but she's PINK and has a ROSE "tattoo" on her :D
We stopped on our way home at a Viking dealer store and picked up the Sew-Steady Table (the only place that actually had them in stock and didn't need to be ordered).  I also got the interchanable dual-feed foot and the 1/4" attachment, as well as a closed-toe FMQ foot!!  Hubby REALLY spoiled me today :D  I really wanted the regular 1/4" edging foot (I believe it's called) but none of the stores had them.  I dragged Hubby down to the JoAnn's by our house so I could get the 1/4" attachment foot and I went ahead and had her order the edging foot for me.  Oh, and to sweeten the deal even more, at the first store... the lady offered me FREE user classes at the end of August.  Even though I didn't buy the machine from them, because I had spent so much money (he he he... let's just say my credit card is hurting right now)... she let me sign up for free!


All-in-all, it was a LONG but awesome day!  The lady I bought her from was SOOOOOO nice and helpful!  She showed me how to use her, gave me some really helpful hints considering this is my first Viking, and was eager to show me [I]her[/I] sewing room... let me just say I'm SOOOO jealous!!!

I've got her all set-up and ready to go!  I'm starting the piecing on the Lattice Quilt for my aunt, and can't wait to give her a good workout :-)

Hope everyone has had a spectacular Saturday!

Linking up with SEWjo Saturday at My Go-Go Life and Show Off Saturday at SewCanShe

http://www.gogokim.blogspot.com/2014/05/sewjo-saturday.html

Sew Fresh Quilts


Also linking back to Sew Fresh Quilts' Let's Bee Social


Monday, July 21, 2014

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Happy Monday everyone!!!  It's an extra-special Monday today as it is Hubby's birthday (the big 3-8!).  We celebrated ALL weekend long!  It started off with a cookout on Saturday with all of our friends.




Instead of doing traditional cookout food on Saturday, due mainly in part to the unpredictable weather this weekend, I decided to go with Hubby's favorite for dinner.... Stuffed cabbage & mashed potatoes.  It's a lot of work, especially when cooking for 15 people, but it was totally worth it in the end! 

We held the party over at our friends' house as they have the perfect back yard for parties as well as a party-friendly basement that we could re-locate to if the weather went south.  Come 7pm, we were ready to PAR-TAY!

Fully Stocked Fridge
168 Jell-O Shots - Every single one was consumed!
The celebrating continued yesterday (Sunday) with a dinner out with my family (Mom & Dad, Sister, Brother-In-Law, and niece) the out for some ice cream.
Birthday Boy with our niece, Miss L
Today is Hubby's actual birthday and the little stinker has the day off!!  His company gives you your birthday off as a paid "holiday".... wish mine did that :-)  He's hanging out at the house today while I'm stuck at work.  Ah well.... he deserves it!

Considering I can't keep presents a surprise (I get too excited to give them!), Hubby got his presents in stages this weekend.  First one was a boxed set he's been drooling over for the past 9 months...


I let him open that one actually on Thursday last week so he could have the weekend to enjoy it.  Figured it might be kinda mean of me to give it to him when I got home from work today and he wouldn't have a chance to watch them.

Then, on Saturday he got the rest of his gifts..... Tickets to see KISS/Def Leppard next month and a "good" bottle of his favorite Irish Whiskey.  He also got a really nice bottle of Scotch, but I forgot to take a picture of that one... Whoops!

Tonight the plan is to take him out to dinner when I get home from work, and then sit and watch some Friday the 13th.  It's his day and he gets to do what he wants :-)

On the crafting front..... there is NO news!  The wedding I photographed back on the 12th managed to knock me down for about 3 days afterwards.... no crafting done. Then, planning the birthday shindig this weekend took up the rest of my week last week so... no crafting done.  I'm most likely not going to get any work done tonight, but have every intention of working a little bit each night this week to start making some serious progress on my Lattice Quilt. 

Hope everyone has had a fabulous week, a magnificent Monday, and a great week to come!

Monday, July 14, 2014

Make-A-List Monday: 7/14/14

Hello there ladies & gents!  Hope everyone had a great weekend!  I photographed a wedding on Saturday, and between the rehearsal on Friday and the big day... I am exhausted (still).



Here's a recap of last week's list:
  • Continue working on the Lattice Quilt - Hoping to at least get all the squares cut and the strips cut to size - D.O.N.E.  Got all the layer cakes cut into squares and then into triangles.  The honey bun has been cut into 7" strips.  That's about all I got done on it so far.

Here we go with this week's list:
  • Continue working on the Lattice Quilt - Wanting to get all the strips and triangles ironed in half so I can start piecing the blocks together.  Also hoping I can start sewing these blocks together and getting this show on the road :-)
  • Work a little bit on the Entrelac knitted pillow
Don't have much on the list again this week, but I'm also still recovering from the big wedding weekend last weekend.  I've got housework to do and I've also gotta get something organized for Hubby's birthday this weekend :-)  Trying not to over-extend myself this week.


That's it for me today.  Hope you have a great Monday and a fabulous week to come!

Friday, July 11, 2014

Making Progress

No finish for this week other than the table runner from Tuesday :-(. It's been a chaotic week here at Chez Rosie with this big wedding tomorrow. I'm photographing and Hubby's DJ-ing company is MCing the show. Between meetings with the bride, gathering and packing all my equipment, and everything else that goes along with prepping for it... I'm exhausted already!


I did manage to snag a few minutes last night and tonight and got the primary cutting done for the Lattice Quilt for my aunt for Christmas. It's not much, but it's progress. I'm hoping I won't be so exhausted on Sunday that I might be able to get into my craft room and start getting some of the blocks made. 

I'm going to be AWOL for a few days, but I will be back on Monday... Hopefully with news of some progress on this one :-)

Have a wonderful Friday and a great weekend to come!


Wednesday, July 9, 2014

WIP Wednesday - Another Christmas Gift


With cranking out two projects over the past week, it's now time to start another one. I was torn as to which project I should start, but then reality kicked in and I've really only got 4 months to finish Christmas gifts. I've got quite a few on my list, two of which are big ones... Much bigger than I've already done. So, the decision was made to start one of those. I've for a busy couple of weeks ahead of me and I really hope I don't fall too behind, but no time like the present to get started. 


I picked up these goodies over at Missouri Star a month or so ago to make a Lattice Quilt for my aunt. Teal & Brown are the colors of her living room, and I think these fit the bill. 

First step was ironing the layer cake. Let me just say that as cute as this one was packaged, all rolled up nicely, the stinking creases in the middle of each piece were a bear to get out. Got rid of them on quite a few pieces, but a majority of them were so stubborn I gave up. Thinking this will be the first and last time I order one like this!  Thankfully I'm cutting them into 5" charms, so it won't be noticeable... But still. If this was a quilt where they remained intact... I'd be screwed. 


So far I've only managed to get part of the layer cake cut into 5" charms and that's where I'm going to have to leave off for a few days as I've got a busy couple days ahead of me.  I'm photographing a wedding on Saturday, so between the prep work I have to do, the rehearsal on Friday night, and then the big day on Saturday.... I'm not going to get into my sewing room at least until Sunday. Depending on how I feel come the weekend will determine whether or not I get a chance to finish cutting and start piecing on Sunday. Usually weddings wear me out and I'm a zombie the next day. 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday!

Sew Fresh Quilts


Linking back to Freshly Pieced's WIP Wednesday and Sew Fresh Quilts' Let's Bee Social

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Two Finishes!

I already posted last Friday with my finish on the Pink & Chocolate quilt, but I didn't get a chance on Saturday to post with my second finish for the week.


Between Friday and Saturday, I managed to whip up this awesome table runner for my living room coffee table.  We got this table a few months ago when we got our new furniture and boy is it MUCH bigger than we anticipated!  It's flippin huge!!!  Plus, it's made of that really soft wood (can't think of what kind it is) and scratches really easily.  I've been babying it for the past few months, making sure coasters were used and avoiding things that could scratch it.  It was about time I made a table runner to protect it.


When I first started this runner, I made the mistake of not looking at the finished dimensions.  Minor detail, right?  Well once it was all pieced together.... I started panicking!  It was HUGE!  Honestly, I thought it was going to completely cover the coffee table like a tablecloth.  But.... I kept on working on it.  Figured I had come this far, I might as well finish it. 



Got it all pieced and had the top done by early Friday afternoon.  Managed to get it based and the binding made before I had to head off to a 4th of July cookout.  After some chores on Saturday, I got to work quilting it.  I don't know how I did it, but when I went to square it up after quilting... it really was pretty much straight already!  All I really did was cut off the extra batting and backing.  That was a total first for me.... that my seams were all straight and the top was square when I started!



Then came the fun part... the binding.  Now, I double-checked the pattern twice before cutting the binding strips.  2 1/4" each.  Not the 2 1/2" I was used to.  OK, no biggie.  Got it all sewn on with no problem.  Then it came time to use the awesome Binding Tool that I love ever so much.  I don't know what I was thinking, but I assumed that the tool would work for any size binding.  WRONG!  Totally doesn't work with binding that is any size different than 2 1/2".  I ended up having to monkey with it a bit to get it right, but eventually it all worked out.

Spent practically my entire Saturday night hand-binding it to the back.  Got it all done and couldn't wait to try it on the table.  Ran downstairs, held my breath, and spread it out on the table.  Well wouldn't ya know..... PERFECT FIT!



Like, seriously... there are little lines that run the perimeter of the table a couple of inches in from the edge that make a rectangle.  This runner is the EXACT size of that inner rectangle!!  I couldn't believe it!  I about did cartwheels in my front yard, but at the risk of looking like a nut job to my neighbors... I restrained myself.  Lol.

Here are the project details:
I've got fabric to make a Halloween runner as well as a Christmas one.  I don't want to use the same pattern, but I'm going to shoot for the same dimensions. This size is perfect!  Time to check another project off the "To-Do" list!

Hope everyone is having a terrific Tuesday!

Linking up to Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River and Fabric Tuesday at A Quilt Story.



Fresh Poppy Design

Also Linking back to Finish It Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts , TGIFF with Audrey at Glory Be Quilter, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, and Link-A-Finish Friday at Richard & Tanya Quilts





Monday, July 7, 2014

Make-A-List Monday: 7/7/14

Hi there!  Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend, and for those in the States... a great Holiday!  It's that time again for Make-A-List Monday.



Here's a recap of last week's list:
  • FINISH the Pink & Chocolate quilt - D.O.N.E.!  Finished it up in the wee hours of the morning on the Fourth.  It's washed and packed away until December.
  • Start working on the table runner for my coffee table - D.O.N.E.!  Actually finished it up on Saturday.  I'll be posting pics with details hopefully tomorrow :-)
  • Start working on my next big quilt - D.O.N.E.!  I started prepping and cutting out the materials for my Lattice Quilt for my aunt for Christmas this year.

So.... here we go with this week's list:
  • Continue working on the Lattice Quilt - Hoping to at least get all the squares cut and the strips cut to size
That is honestly probably the only thing I might get done this week.  I'm photographing a wedding on Saturday, so between the meeting I have with the Bride tonight to go over final details and the rehearsal on Friday night, I'm probably not going to get into my sewing room much this week :-(  However, come Sunday.... I may.  Totally depends on how I'm feeling.  Usually, after a wedding I'm dead to the world the next day and don't move off the couch.  Lol.  They totally wear me out!

Well, that's it for me on this gloomy Monday here in NE Ohio.  Hope you have a great Monday and a fabulous week to come!

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Sunday Stash & To-Do List Update

We're coming to a close on this glorious 3-day weekend here in the States :(  I'm really dreading having to go back to work tomorrow, but I just keep telling myself... only a few more weeks until Labor Day!  :D 

I know I said I wasn't going to be buying anything for a long while, but I kinda broke my own rule and did a bit of shopping at JoAnn's on Thursday night last week.  Between the sales and the coupons... I just couldn't help myself. 

Butterflies

Super Heroes

Space Aliens


I don't feel too bad about the purchase.  All this, PLUS two crib-sized battings for $40!  The fabric is enough to make 3 child-sized quilts that are going to be for my niece and two nephews (hopefully) for Christmas. 

If you haven't noticed my ever-growing "To Do" list on the right sidebar, be sure to check it out.  I've got the links to all the patterns as well on there.  If you have been watching it closely, you'll notice that there have been TWO projects checked off this weekend, but three added to the bottom as well.  Lol. 

With the holiday weekend, I managed to not only finish the first Christmas gift for this year, but also to crank out the table runner for my coffee table (post & pics to come).  Checking two off the list felt REALLY good!  I've made myself a schedule of sorts to stay on track for the Christmas gifts this year.  Permitting no major catastrophes occur, it's looking like they should all be done by November and ready to go for Christmas. 

If the three child quilts get done prior to Christmas, great!  If not, no worries.  There are about 3-4 months of winter here after the holidays, so even if they didn't get them until January... they'd still have plenty of time to use them before the warm weather hits.

Hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend, a spectacular Sunday, and have a great week to come!

Friday, July 4, 2014

TGIFF/Finish It Friday - YUMMY!


Well, I can officially say that my second "real" quilt is done!  


I'm so happy with the way it turned out!!  I love the colors, I love the pattern... I love it all!!  I finished hand-binding it in the wee hours of the morning this morning, got it washed and dried, and it's ready to go in my "Top Secret Christmas Gift" storage until December :-). 


I haven't put a label on it yet as I think I'm going to wait until I get all the gifts done for this year and do them all at once. I bought some printable fabric I'm going to use and figured it would be easier just to print a whole sheet of them and do them all at the same time!


Here are the details on the quilt:
As always, still being a newbie to quilting, I have a lot to learn.  Some of the things I learned on this one are:
  • The importance of squaring up your blocks before attempting to sew them together. I don't think my strips were 4 1/2" tall, so when I cut the strips into 4 1/2" squares.... They were more rectangle than square which made sewing them together rather difficult. 
  • Need to perfect matching of seams. I pressed the seams on the strips open like the pattern states, but I continued to do so on the squares which made it difficult to match the seams since they wouldn't "nest"
  • Just how much fabric shrinks!  This one appeared to be rather large before washing.  It's supposed to be 51" x 51", but I lost 2" on the height and width on this one during washing.
  • The bigger the quilt, the longer it takes to hand-bind. Lol. This one took me three nights to hand-bind and my poor fingers are SORE!!
Now that I can check this one off my list, it's time to start a new project. I think before I tackle another big quilt, I'm going to whip up the table runner for my coffee table. It'll be a nice little break from the mega-sewing that is a big quilt. With this weekend being a 3-day weekend for us here in the states, I'm shooting for having it done by Sunday. We'll see. Lately my weekends haven't been going as planned, so I'm not getting my hopes up. 

Hope all of you who are celebrating Independence Day today have a very happy and safe holiday!!




Linking back to Finish It Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts , TGIFF with at Quokka Quilts, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, and Link-A-Finish Friday at Richard & Tanya Quilts

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

WIP Wednesday: Almost There!


It's almost there!!!  So close, I can TASTE IT!!  My Pink & Chocolate quilt has been a priority project for the past few weeks and now it's almost done :-)


I finished up the top on Friday night and about did cartwheels in my living room.  I can honestly say, at first I was totally not a fan of this one.  Loved the pattern and loved the fabric... just for whatever reason I wasn't feeling it when I put the two together.  Decided to just chug along with it and finish it, hoping I would change my mind.  BOY DID I EVER!!  The little piece of it I initially was analyzing really didn't speak to me much.  I kept going on it and finished the "inner quilt" not too long afterwards.  I still wasn't 100% sold on it, but figured I had come this far, that I might as well finish it.

Fast forward to Friday.  I finished the top in the wee hours of the morning (about 1:30 am!) and I was just in awe of it!  Once the borders were added, it just called out to me and now I LOVE it!  It's ultimately for my BFF for Christmas this year, and her fav colors are pink and brown.  Really hoping she likes this one (if not... I'm keeping it!  Lol).


I took the day off on Saturday (wasn't feeling too well), but then picked it back up on Sunday and got it basted first thing.



Hubby even helped!!  I'll tell you what, having a second pair of hands while doing that really speeds up the process!  Lol.  I got the sandwich made in record time, got some safety pins in it for some added security, and it was ready for quilting.

I wasn't sure what color to do with this one.  Pink, brown, or off-white/cream?  I originally counted out the pink seeing as though the quilt is predominantly pink, but then quickly changed my mind once I "auditioned" the other choices.  The brown was just too dark and the off-white/cream was too much.  The pink actually was the best choice.  I used the new thread I got from Connecting Threads (Sweet Pink) and I must say... I was quite impressed.  Being new to this whole quilting game, I really don't have any points of reference to compare the quality of this thread to other brands.  I really liked it, and so did my machine :-)  No breaking, not linty... sewed like a dream!

Quilting started on Sunday afternoon, but then was briefly interrupted by having to go to a birthday party for a few hours.  Got home, and got right back to it.  By the end of the night, I was at about 25% done.  Just did "echo" stitching on the main seams, and I think it came out great.  I (still) don't have a FMQ foot, and my little machine doesn't really have any decorative stitches I could use, so I went with old faithful and did what I know.



Fast forward to Monday night.  I diligently worked on finishing up the quilting and even pre-made the binding.  It is officially ready to go!  Machine binding it to the front, and then hand-binding the back.  Probably going to take FOR-EV-ER, but I really like how it turns out, and my machine binding really isn't up to par.

This baby will definitely be ready for a show-and-tell on Friday!  Finishing it up tonight, giving it a good washing tomorrow, and then a photo shoot on Friday morning.  Best thing is.... then I can say I've officially finished TWO quilts :-D  Is it too soon to start thinking about the next one???? ;-)

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday!

Sew Fresh Quilts


Linking back to Freshly Pieced's WIP Wednesday and Sew Fresh Quilts' Let's Bee Social