I don’t mind winter or the snow, but I do mind being cooped up in my house with a 4-year-old and 6-year-old. We’ve passed the many unexpected days off of school by making Valentine’s cards, playing board games, taking double bubble baths, going on treasure hunts, hiding and seeking, and baking cookies. And courtesy of Paw Patrol and Tickety Toc, I’ve sewed—for sanity. (Please don’t misread that last sentence. You should sew. Watching Paw Patrol and Tickety Toc will drive you bonkers. For whatever reason, my kids love those shows.)
The latest finish to emerge from these hours at home is my Oh Christmas Tree wall hanging for the Curves Class I’ve been taking. I love it!
I love this quilt’s navy sky and snowy gray hills. I love the greens in the tree, most of which are new to my stash. I love the light blue Botanics fabric that serves as background to the star. But most of all, I love that I sewed this all on my new machine, a Janome 1600P-QC, and that I actually quilted a project to completion.
My quilting confidence had been running low. My last sizable finish—back in October!—caused me woe. Recent forays into FMQ were not successful. These events did a number on my psyche, but I’m going to take this win and run with it!
I still have two more weeks of instruction for Curves and then a few weeks to wrap up Curves-related projects. In other words, prepare yourself for more talk of curvy piecing.
If all this talk of curves piques your interest, you can still sign up for the Stitched in Color class. Although formal instruction ends in two weeks, the class blog is available through March 19, and the premium version includes an ebook, so you can piece your curves at your leisure.
Another alternative is Angela Pingel’s book A Quilter’s Mixology. She recently released a companion DVD as well. I haven’t gotten my hands on either yet. If you have, I’d love to hear your take, especially if you’re familiar with the Stitched in Color class on curves.
I’ve been keeping tabs on my Curves classmates’ projects, but how about you? What is your experience with piecing curves? What would you recommend for projects after my class ends? (Keep in mind that I don’t like to hand-sew—ever!)
Oh, I mentioned this before, but the dot-laden fabrics in Oh Christmas Tree are my take on the latest theme from Le Challenge!
Linking up to Sew Cute Tuesday, Let’s Bee Social, Needle and Thread Thursday, TGIFF at Quilt Matters, and Finish It Up Friday ...
Take the win!!! I think we're measuring snow in back aches and car heights now, right? Any day I can actually leave the apt is a win -- And I don't even have children!!!
ReplyDeleteI do have Quilter's Mixology, but I haven't made anything from it (yet!). It's written really well, with lots of helpful pictures though, so I think it's pretty worth the money, but if you want to look through my copy sometime, let me know. :D And we need to set up a FMQ day to boost your confidence!!! After curves....
I am taking this class vicariously through you so keep the talk coming! That's awesome you have dominated your machine. Now, some FMQ?? I got zippers, your turn.
ReplyDeleteA Quilter's Mixology is an excellent book. Very clear instructions and lots of good pictures. You will like it a lot.
ReplyDeleteI love your little wallhanging! And my daughter lives in Maine, which is also buried, so I totally sympathize. Hang in there--spring will come someday!
I really love the way your wall hanging came out! And it makes a snowy night look so quaint and charming! I get no hint of the jarring reality that is being stuck inside having to entertain little boys in subzero temperatures. So glad to hear that you love the new machine, too! It was a shaky start, but like the curves, you conquered!
ReplyDeleteTry not to be too hard on yourself with the FMQ... sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. And all that jabber about practicing? Sadly, I think it might be true. I love the line of the tree in your quilt... whimsical but not too abstract! Great job!
ReplyDeleteLooks good! I'm also taking the class but due to yet another round of sickness/poor toddler sleep I'm woefully behind, so it's great to see finished projects!
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle! Your Christmas tree is beautiful and I love your scrap cards! x Teje
ReplyDeleteMichelle, you can definitely chalk this one up as a win - it's terrific! My kids are all grown up now and I miss the excitement of snow days. Maybe not quilte so many in a row as you've had. LOL. I survived Barney the Dinosaur.
ReplyDeleteVery cute quilt! I love the design and the quilting. I have watched many hours of Paw Patrol too, I prefer it to my kids new favorite, Slugterra :)
ReplyDeleteA new machine, super exciting! Can't wait to hear more about it, I've heard its amazing for fmq. And look, a head start on holiday sewing! When my son was little it was Barney.... So. Much. Singing.
ReplyDeleteWoo hoo! I love your quilt -- way to go with the curves. Don't give up on the FMQ. I did for many years, but wish I hadn't. It may not be you -- it may be the machine so try doing it on someone else's machine. And keep practicing on little things like mug rugs or pot holders where you won't care about the finished project so much. If I can do it, so can you!
ReplyDeleteI love the lines of quilting coming out of the star! That really makes this quilt!
ReplyDeleteHELLO,I love this quilt>Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletemsstitcher1214@gmail.com
Such a cute quilt and great use of dots fabric! Thanks for sharing on le challenge.
ReplyDeletevery nice, a really modern take on a wintery quilt. Snow is lovely to look at but really very inconvenient at times isn't it!
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