Finished the tote bag for Kit...

Finally! I started it in a class a few months ago then didn't get it finished until this weekend.

I am happy to finally have finished it -- not just because I showed it to her in the process a couple of months ago and she probably thinks it fell off a cliff or something! But also it taught me a few things about tote bag making... and... now I can start on other projects that have been waiting in the wings!

Quilt Guild and relearning how to knit...

Last weekend was the River City Quilter's Guild Quilt Show and this year I remembered in time to actually go to it! It got me inspired to do some thing on my taupe quilt (like start it).
While I was there I met one of the women from the Art Quilt group who invited me to their meetings which was nice since that is really the kind of work I am more interested in doing.
Then on Tuesday I went to the Guild meeting. I was impressed by how welcoming and friendly they all were so I joined the guild. I figured if I go to meetings and am around these creative people some of that will rub off and motivate me more -- since hanging out by myself these last few months and not doing anything crafty was definitely not the way to go!
Also that Tuesday I had a knitting lesson from Anna of Anna's Yarn Shop in Elk Grove. When I went to the shop a few days ago she was very nice to me, a very beginning relearner, and when I expressed disappointment there wasn't a beginning class I could join until next year she suggested an hour's lesson. It turned out to be better actually because I like one-to-one lessons where I can get all the attention. She has me making a cute scarf that is easy but looks complicated.
Here it is at the beginning:

I will post pix as it comes along!
THIS is what it will look like.

Thanksgiving Break and the return of my muse...

She's back!
Well, slowly no doubt, but I realized the other day a lot of the stress I was having had to do with not using my creative outlet to let any of it go. I was really missing artwork and sewing so...

It has been nice to have a week off for Thanksgiving Break to have time for all this.

I am taking a few baby steps back into it all and we will see where it takes me!

Rethinking the Blog...

Autumn Equinox 2012...

Not really sure that I want to blog anymore, except maybe when I travel.
Maybe later...

Misplaced my crafting mojo...

It's just been too hot for me and my creative juices went out the window for a while... but now that school is back in session and I will have less time to sew, I will no doubt get more done (I don't know how that works either)... working on a cute tote bag for a friend then working through some of my fabrics to make some clothes. I'll be back...

A day of dyeing and having fun...

Spent the day dyeing fabrics and trying out a few new things today.

This is my favorite bleach discharge on black kona fabric. 

My friend Beverly tried a stencil as a bleach discharge and I love the result! I will have to do some of those next time too!

And we tried various sun-print type methods with Seta Dyes. Wrapped fabrics:

to make these: 

and while I was wrapping, Beverly was making leaf prints: 

I thought I was taking lots of photos but I didn't end up with all that many. I will photograph a few more results and show them another time. And next time I will attempt a better documentation process! But it was sure fun!

Figured out stretch stitch today!

I do not own a Serger.

However I wanted to be able to sew on jersey (t-shirt) type material and make a top but I had never done it, so I found out that I needed to get ballpoint needles and use a different foot (for my Baby Lock it was a G foot) and got some jersey to practice on.

It is actually pretty easy:

Now I just need to make something and test out my new skill!

Recycled Circles...

I have my Art Quilt class to go to on Thursday and I needed to have something that I was working on to bring so I thought I would try some of the Recycled Circles that artist Jane LaFazio makes.
Here is one example from her Flickr page:

So here is the one I am working on:
First just the circles pieced together (held together with Steam2Seam)...

As you can see, my "circles" need some work being rounder!

I have started the stitching, which will take a while. This is what I will bring to class on Thursday:

Then once it is all stitched I will connect the four pieces and add any other embellishments. I also have to add it to a backing. I am sure I am not making it in any method she teaches, as I am just winging it from seeing her photos. But I love the idea so I may make a few to just play with them. I think this will just be a wall decoration, although I did see one in Flickr from LaFazio's class that was made into a pillow.

Month Mystery Blocks Finished...

Finished the first month of the Mystery Saturday Sampler with 2 weeks to spare! I was so afraid I would never finish but once I started it was easy, just one step at a time and then they were done!

Here are the sawtooth stars:

And here is what they look like finished per Month 1 instructions:

Thoughts:
1. I joined this Monthly Sampler to learn new techniques. That said, I did learn a lot this month: how to make flying geese, how to make a sawtooth star, how to use the Wing Clipper tool (very handy for cutting the flying geese right), how to piece the star so the points are properly showing.

2. I am NOT into Civil War quilt colors so even though the colors are ok, they would not be my choice. I like some of the fabrics individually but not so much in the mixed colors of the stars and side pieces. I will be interested in seeing the rest of the quilt block colors, although she said from the beginning it would be all Civil War quilt colors. Not sure what I will do with the quilt top once it is finished.

Learning Sashiko...

Sashiko is a style of Japanese embroidery using short running stitches as a decorative (or perhaps originally to reinforce old cloth) pattern. Traditionally it is done with white thread on dark blue (indigo) woven fabric. If you Google it, there are a ton of examples and some gorgeous more modern designs.

I took a class at Fabric Garden to learn the basic techniques. After a small practice piece, this is what we made:

The leaves are from batik fabric and are fused on with Misty Fuse. It was a fun class and it felt good to walk away with a finished sample. If I want to make this a wall hanging, I just need to finish the edges. The instructor was going to quilt hers in dark blue sashiko stitches around the blue areas (hers was on batting) and then bind it. I may do that as well for more practice. I like the simplicity of it.

Working on Mystery Saturday Sampler

Finally starting out on this first set of stars for the Fabric Garden Mystery Saturday Sampler.

The woman who is leading it said "this first block is an easy one"... well, it has taken me nearly 2 weeks to get started on it because I think it scared me too much! Making 3 blocks of a sawtooth star (that means 12 flying geese among other things) for this beginner was a big "stop in my tracks" thing until I finally sat down and just started it...

This was just one square and the directions...

So I just started cutting and sewing and pretty soon:

Finally I had one set of the flying geese...

So I put together the first star pieces...

And sewed together the first star pieces...

And now I have 2 more sets to make and the last side pieces to sew on and then I will have the 3 blocks for the month!

The way the monthly sampler idea works is this: If we finish the month and bring the blocks to the next class then the next month set of supplies (cut fabrics and directions) are no charge, otherwise it is $5. So there is a little incentive, aside from just wanting to learn the techniques and make the sampler.

I will post the rest as I get them made this weekend.

Finished Evie's Table Runner...

Another finished project! Made for my friend Evie:

Here is the full front:

and the full back:

It's basically reversible if she wants. I love the new (for me) batik fabrics that are out in stores and while they aren't for everything, I love them in things like this. I know the batiks have been out a long time but since it had been around 20 years since I had been in a fabric (or quilt) store, they were new to me when I first saw them last December.

Quilt Blocks #1 and #2...

Ok I admit, I am doing it backwards! I started with block #5 to catch up to the current week (which is already last week) and now am going back to do the first 4. Here are blocks 1 and 2... and now that I have done these I am rethinking my color choices...

Here were my original color choices:

Quilt Block #1: (ignore the background fabric, it was just to show contrast) 

Quilt Block #2: (ignore the background fabric, it was just to show contrast) 

and here is #5 again just to see the colors: 

What I am thinking is that even though the colors "go together" as fabrics I think the blocks are more conducive to different kinds of colors. Here are some of the photos from the group so far: Flickr Group Photos for Quilt Along.

I am going to think on it and decide this weekend. It is really good practice for me to make these blocks and since I haven't made too many yet I can always redo if I decide to change the color grouping. Meanwhile Block #6 came out yesterday, better take a look at that too!

A few projects finished...

Finished:
Zipper bag to go with my sister's tote bag:

My Embroidery Class Homework from Week 1:

Block #5 for the online Quilt Along:

Working on: Finishing up the table runner for Evie:

Refocused and getting back to the blog...

I had to take a little time off from this blog to figure out what I wanted to do with it. I decided to focus on my renewed interest in sewing and quilting here for a couple of reasons:

1. It gives me one place to log and comment on the sewing, quilting and embroidery projects I am working on.
2. It gives me a place to add buttons for other blogs and get involved in the quilting/sewing blogger community and have a place to link back to. 

I made pages (the tabs above) for the various projects I am doing so I have a place for all my "to do" and "to finish" lists. And I will post photos here and add other info as it comes to me. Since I am still climbing that steep learning curve for a lot of my projects I will also be linking to a lot of the You Tube videos and other web pages that are helping me (re)learn these arts/crafts. Basically I am using it for ME, to catalog and note things I am doing with current hobbies. As much as I do like Evernote, I think this is a better way to integrate the web, everything around me involving quilting and sewing and my own stuff. Of course, you (out there) are welcome to join me on this creative journey as well!

Which brings me to the change in title... Full Circle. I started out my creative interests in fabric arts, with embroidery, sewing, then into fiber arts like dyeing, spinning, and weaving. Then over time my interests went to the Paper Arts and Mixed Media (bookbinding, paper making, collage, rubber stamping, etc). And while I still occasionally so paper art work, these days I am drawn back into sewing and into my new interest of quilting.  

Thus (I have come) Full Circle. I had made a small quilt way back when (40 years ago or so) but never really got into the whole quilt thing then. Of course that was before rotary cutters, self-healing mats, and all the cool fabrics and tools that are out today! So I consider quilting a new interest since there is so much to learn! 

Getting stuff done...

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” 
- Albert Einstein


Taking a blogging break for June...

Purple Bag

Ok now that she has it, I can post a pic of it:

Gave this bag to my sister in Oregon and gave my brother-in-law an outdoorsy pencil zip bag, my nephew the monsters pillow case and my niece the pink pencil zip bag.

Now I am looking for something fun to make my sister's step-son a pillow case and Liz wants a zip bag to go with her purple bag!

And I got a ton of cool fabrics in Oregon to make the following:
1. my own Japanese taupe inspired quilt
2. Several blouses from the Marcia Derse fabrics
3. Other stuff (yet to be determined LOL)

But first I have to rearrange my sewing area again... too many fabric bins and not enough room to sew! Photos to come...

In Oregon and taking a little blogging break...

On vacation in Oregon visiting fabric (quilting) shops and now my sister in Eugene. Decided to take a little break from blogging for the week. Next week when I get back I will list the shops I liked and post a few pix, including the tote bag I finally gave my sister!

Still a secret...

Making something for my sister in Oregon... just wanted to tempt her with the colors! They really are brighter -- this photo doesn't do them justice.

Lined zipper bag...

This morning I decided to reacquaint myself with sewing in a zipper so I made this little pencil case for my niece Sarah, to match the pillow I gave her a couple of months ago.

Since I will be visiting next week and I already had the pillow case for her brother, I thought I would make her a little something too so she doesn't feel left out. And anyway I still had some of the cute pink fabric to use so why not? Now to find a couple of pink pencils and stuff to put into it! (She is such a pink-loving girly girl, so unlike myself! LOL)

I think it turned out quite nicely actually.

Summer plans...

So now that summer vacation is almost here (one more work day!), I want to work on this blog and make it more of a tracking for my quilting projects. It will get an overhaul when I get back from visiting my sister next weekend -- with a brief stop in Portland for quilt fabric shopping in the amazing shops here!

Yesterday I went to a Sacramento Modern Quilt Guild Meeting. Wanted to see what they were doing since I tend to enjoy more modern than traditional quilting.

And today I went to a quilt binding class at Quilter's Corner near Bradshaw and Highway 50. I have taken a couple of classes there. Cute shop although they didn't have the taupe colored fabric I have decided I want now that I have seen a bunch of Japanese inspired quilts with taupe colored fabrics in them.

Pillowcase for my nephew and the Million Pillowcase Challenge...

I found a couple of You Tube videos about the Million Pillowcase challenge so I decided to practice how to make it by making a pillowcase for my nephew that I will see in Oregon in a couple of weeks. I found this cute monster print at JoAnn's a few weeks ago and got some thinking I might make him something with it, so the pillowcase fit the bill. Hope it isn't going to be too scary for him (I think he is 6 now).


It starts out as a tube with all the layers sewn "burrito" style:



then turned inside out, sewn on right sides then turned again to the wrong sides making a French seam:




Here are a couple of places on You Tube that describe how to make it the best (I think): Missouri Star Quilt Company and Crafty Gemini There are others but I like those two the best. Information on the actual challenge is HERE.

Ajay's Quilt -- Finally Finished!

Finally got the binding on and hand sewn! Good thing since we are almost on summer vacation and I wanted to get the quilt to my colleague's baby before we left school!! After all he was born a few months ago and will soon be outgrowing it. I wanted to make a small quilt for him to play on so I hope this works out for that.



Hope she likes it. It was my first quilt so it is small. It was all self-taught via You Tube quilting videos and asking a lot of questions at quilt shops! Now that this one is made I feel more confident and the next one shouldn't take me so long.

Playing with Paint Shop Pro...

freesias stylized, a photo by Cali-rhoz on Flickr.

Looking for pix to make a new banner, stopped to play a bit with effects. Looking forward to summer where I will have long blocks of time to play with art and photos and all these things that take time on a weekend.

Ajay's quilt...

So this was a couple of weeks ago when I started out. I had just laid out all the squares and was trying to figure out how to configure it...




And now it is all sewn and simple machine straight line quilted and ready for binding...



I would like to get it finished this weekend so I can get it to her next week!