Sew Sampler Box February 2023

     We are back after an epic road trip to both AQS Daytona AND Quiltcon-- 1100 miles! I'll be sharing some highlights of the week in the next post... but guess what was waiting for me when I returned!

     Truth is, I was pretty excited after my January tablerunner for the February's challenge-- I am creating a project out of just the Sew Sampler box fabric each month this year, as well as using everything in the box. January's box was fabulous. While I was away, I watched a *SPOILER*  YouTube unboxing one night while on a fourth floor oceanfront balcony. Yep, that's a geeky quilter. Then I had fun on my iPad doing color studies of the fabric while the waves lapped the shore. It sounds a bit obsessed, but that's how I enjoy myself!

    IMHO, this is a second month that Fat Quarter Shop has hit it out of the park. I already had my eye on the Corey Yoder "Sunwashed" fabric and the pattern this month is a really good one to go with it. That is one of the best parts of these boxes-- you're bound to get treated to something you might be on the fence about adding to your stash.

     There's also a box of pins-- I am always bending mine for machine embroidery purposes-- much appreciated. And there's a needle case-- that would have been helpful on my trip-- hee-hee. 

     There's a pair of thin and super grabby tweezers that will be totally useful when turning projects right side out, or trying to fix a paper jam in my printer! And some bags for quilty scraps-- I took a class at AQS that involved a lot of tiny pieces so these will help me stay organized-- I really want to finish the class project-- I'll tell more about that in the next post.

    The Sunwashed Jolly Bar also came with it's own pattern-- it's a super modern and easy one. 

     The Bliss Quilt along is in Block 11-- I'm just collecting them for resale. After one more box, a new yearly project will start. Maybe this will be the year I jump in for that, too. All in all, a very generous box-- thank you Fat Quarter Shop!

    So back to my project sketches. One of the things I love about buying collection pre-cuts is that you get a little piece of every fabric. I love sorting them into colors and considering the possibilities. "Sunwashed" has a little bit of everything-- yellow, peach, red, light blue, darker blue, and green. So I kind of analyzed the pattern block to get ideas. I do love the pattern and would have totally considered making the full kit, but I'm trying to stay true to my original idea of just using the fabric in the box. I may add fabric later on, but for now I really want to use the basic rule of sticking to the box for new design possibilities. Sometimes just setting up some arbitrary rules helps the creative process along.

     I did a super rough sketch of the block, (does it appear I had too many Pina Coladas?) studied how many pieces of each color were included, and colored the blocks accordingly. It seems like I have enough for three blocks-- PLUS, I think the border idea on the pattern provided using wide stripes is super good-looking, so I hope I have enough leftovers to work it in. There's also a ton of white in this collection I'm saving for the borders. Some of them are a bit busy.

     Here some of my favorites-- I'd love your input on which you like best-- I named them for reference and so you can understand the differences:

     As you see, I'm just blocking with the colors-- I'm not showing any of the fabric patterns. The collection includes some large ginghams-- I love them, but I know they are going to be problematic. So I will just use my sketch as a color guide and see what happens! 

     This is a really enjoyable process for me. If you start a quilt with a very comfortable feeling, knowing exactly how it will turn out, and that it will be beautiful like all your others--  maybe it's time to take a leap into the unknown. That uncomfortable, unsure position is the place you want to be creatively-- grow! One disappointment I had with the AQS show is that you have the same selection of alphabets and sheep, kids and dogs, and large photographic flowers from the same artists-- you could easily swap out the winners with any other show of the past few years. I'd be amazed to see more of a progression in design-- some truly new work. In art school, I had a design professor say-- "once an artist has achieved commercial success, it becomes impossible for them to create anything of value." I'm not saying I totally agree, but it makes for a great discussion.

    So that's my start on February Sew Sampler Challenge! I can't wait to get started, but of course there's a ton of unpacking and a March Bowl Filler set that is very, very late!

    Be sure to weigh in with your ideas on the box-- so far, I think I'm one of three who are taking the challenge to sew the samplers this year-- sew along with us! What better way to experiment and expand your color sense than with a little monthly box of fabric.

xoxo

Carol

After the thrill is gone...

      I lost a couple of sewing days last week on a family visit, so my usual Sunday post was delayed while I tried to squeeze out a little more progress. I’m also heading out for a week of Florida vacation shortly. While I’ve just about survived our first Maine winter, I can’t deny that the cold is getting very old. I really can’t wait to get out into my new garden and to see what pops up in that meadow this spring!

     I was supposed to prep two of my Lori Holt appliqué blocks to take with me to Florida. I’m so looking forward to sitting by the pool on balcony (looking over the ocean) with my hand stitching. But the Prairie Meadow project is starting to get old with the winter-- the thrill is definitely gone! Prepping the pieces has gotten fussy and fiddly. I’m reaching for my iPad at night, not my needle. 

     Working on a quilt is like the five stages of a relationship-- euphoria, bonding, disillusionment, crisis, stagnation. I’m in the crisis phase. I feel like kicking it to the curb, with eight blocks to go. Trying to save this project by remembering what I loved about it in the first place!

     OK, I admit there’s a new flame! It’s the Barn Star sampler. I did a fun color sketch in Procreate (everyone should have this program on their iPad) and I finally started assembling it. Sew fun to sort through my Cider and Nutmeg fabrics-- they are just beautiful! So my sketch looks like it is all solids, but I do want to use some of the softer prints. I think it is coming out remarkably like what I envisioned so far! This is a huge block-- 24”-- you can tell by the letter size piece of paper in the corner.

     I had a little chuckle to myself on Instagram. People had posted a picture of their first “block” saying what a doozy it was and how glad they were the “block” was done. LOL. You need two of them! I for sure was not going to be the one to enlighten them on this fact. Nope, not me. I am sure they will figure it out! 

     Fat Quarter Shop came up with a schedule to make the Barn Star Sampler this year. I think both blocks were supposed to be done by the end of the month, but I’ll be lucky to finish one. The later blocks are easier, so I can catch up. Yes! It’s the euphoria stage of this project!

     I made my first project bag with a zipper! I went from first not thinking project bags were really necessary, to buying one, to buying more, and finally now to making my own. I used to sew my clothing in high school and well remember the dreaded zipper. You had to close it, baste it, open it, sew down one side, zip it, sew the other side, unpick basting, open and add a hook at the top. So I was terrified. I finally watched a YouTube video on it, and it is really a cinch. I love keeping my projects organized, especially my cross stitch. They sell printed panels to make these-- but machine embroidering one is a complete home run! Such a great way to personalize a very usable gift, too.

     It’s time for your weekly ARRTI update! I got one more border seam sewn! This is just ridiculous. It’s like the fear of success. What held me up was having a large space to lay it out and measure it... I finally figured out I could kind of fold it up to do two edges. Thank goodness I have a nice flat, hard, cold concrete floor to get down and scramble around on my knees! 

     I also washed the fabric for the border this past week. I’ve become a fan of pre-washing so you minimize the crinkly look when your quilt is washed,. This one will probably only get soaked in the tub when needed-- I can’t imagine throwing it in the washer-- it’s too big anyway! I am going to take the bull by the horns and just spend a day on it when I get back. I refuse to tolerate this project creeping in to March.

     I finished my Sew Sampler project-- You probably saw it already online. It really came out very nice-- so much better than having another teal box stacked in a corner. Now that I have a nice finish, I’m more excited than ever to see what next month’s box is. I hope it’s waiting for me when I get back. 

     I do have the Cupid box to work on, and I already have a project in mind with smaller hearts. The fabric is kind of a strange mix-- there are three dark red patterns, a couple of soft teals, and then a ton of mostly whites that are busy enough you wouldn’t really use them for a background. I guess the designer loves pickup trucks-- they’re in there, too. It should be interesting. I had fun sketching a little heart throw in Procreate-- Procreate is the amusement that has taken the place of handstitching for now. It is really fun to sketch with it. So far my quilt looks like a massive Y-seam practice piece.

     So that’s about my last ten sewing days. Light progress for me-- shortly I’m off. Yes, sewing is my business, my hobby, and now my vacation, too! I’m heading for the AQS Daytona show and even squeezing QuiltCon on the way back. I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures and I’m so hoping someone's machine embroidery makes it to the Winner’s Circle.

    Will she be bringing two Prairie Meadow blocks to Florida? Will ARRTI end up in a drawer? Will she fit in her bathing suit? Keep on sewing and come back in a couple of weeks to find out! 

xoxo

Carol

January 2023 Sew Sampler Wrap Up

      Ta-da!

     I did it-- I completely used up my box! This box would have been a win for me even if I hadn’t already made up my mind to make it. I love Lori Holt and got a sample of her new Calico fabric line. I used every scrap of the two charm packs with the Vintage Kite foundation paper. I also used up about a yard of stash fabric for a thin border, backing fabric, and binding. 

     Using only the fabric provided in the box forced me out of my usual color picks. I have a beautifully finished table runner ready for gifting in a colorway I would never have tried if left to my own devices!

    I loved the pattern this month. "Wheelbarrow." I was somewhat puzzled by the name, but if you look closely, the kites form a wheel between them. The plusses looked a bit involved for me, so I neatly stowed the pattern with the leftover foundation papers-- there are plenty left, and I am eyeing other charm packs I own for the "Wheelbarrow" project. Charm packs are my favorite precut, so I already have plenty of options to use up even more stash fabric.

     The pincushion was my next favorite item. I have been enamored of magnetic pin dishes for a couple of years. Then, my pin dish leaped out of my hands and crashed to the garage floor one day-- I’m not sure why I was carrying it out there, but oh, well! The pins went everywhere-- into all the filthy corners, and I didn’t even pick most of them up. So I’m switching back to the old fashioned pin cushion-- this item comes at just the right time. It does have a strap to attach it to your wrist. As addicted as I am to this sport, I draw the line at attaching quilting tools to my body, so I’m going to just cut the piece of elastic off and use it normally.

     I’m not sure I need a letter opener, but I’m keeping it by my desk. Heck, it’s shaped like a sewing machine.

    The readers-- this item caused the most agita to box subscribers this month. A personal item in a mass produced mystery box that not everyone loves and can use-- HOW DARE YOU??? Maybe if some of these people just tried them on-- they'd realize they needed them. I already have my +250.00 pair, so I'll just donate these.

    The Bliss Quilt Along-- I usually don’t partake of these-- a block pattern for a yearly quilt each month. I’m saving up all of mine to sell. The “Sew Sampler Swap” Facebook page is a great place to sell unwanted items, or pick up a box you liked if you're not subscribed.

     I did use my coupon-- it was $5 off yet another charm pack.

    Is it saving $5 if you spend $7? Rhetorical questions like this don't interest me, people!

   I tried to think up a fun way to show the empty boxes each month-- throw them in the fireplace, crush them up, stomp on them-- but the boxes are very sturdy-- you can even turn them inside out to get a cuter box. I’m going to keep mine and use it to store the extra fabrics and half square triangles from my Barn Star Sampler quilt. There’s a lot of wasted fabric in this stitch along-- I have a feeling I could end up with a nice throw at the end of the year.

   February’s box has not yet arrived, but my attitude has totally changed. I usually watch a YouTube Spoiler video to see what’s coming. When the box comes, I open it, do a quick look through for a couple of minutes and stack it with the others. This time, I can’t WAIT to get my box and think up a new project for it!

    One final tip for those of you who stick around till the end of my blog posts <3. If you are a Sew Sampler member, just post a picture of something from the box on Instagram or Facebook. 

"Share with the hashtag #JanuarySewSampler and tag @SewSamplerBox for a chance to win."

    You will be entered into a drawing for $50 gift certificate. I’m following this hashtag, and it seems like no one is entering. I’d say we all have a good chance of winning!

One down, eleven to go! Thanks for joining me.

xox

Carol

Fighting a cold!

      I had a really bad cold all last week-- my first one in about four years! I'm one of just a couple of people I know who never came down with Covid-- I attribute this to my strong Scottish Highlander genes. So I don't get sick often and when I do, I don't tend to lie down to it-- lying down never makes me feel better anyway. I was able to pretty much plough ahead, with just a few nights of not feeling like doing my hand stitching. My family did complain that I was a grouch all week-- so if this post is saltier than usual, forgive me!

    I'm sure you've seen this all over the place, but I managed to get the borders done and finish up the Winter Twist free stitch-a-long. Many of us have had sub-zero temps in the northeast-- so I will tell you I went out and took ONE picture and came right back in... yes, that's REAL SNOW.

      I've loved seeing your finished tops in the private Facebook group and you've inspired me to go ahead and do something unusual with mine this time-- actually finish it! I will admit on my blog but no where else that my other three seasons have never been taken beyond this point.

     I just launched myself right into free motion quilting without even practicing first-- swirls, of course! When digitizing swirls, there is every opportunity to go back and "fix" them-- that's why free motion frustrates me-- so again, this year, I let go of perfection and just did it! (I guess my word of the year would be: FAIL. heehee) Since I let go of expectations, I'm really having fun. I currently have the animals done with just the borders to go.

    I quilted right next to each animal-- that is what gives their little bodies a "puff" like you see in the bear.  I am making little x-s in the tiny checkered sashing. The piecing was really heavy in that area, but the quilting has really nailed it down. It looks great! The back--not so much. My tension was really bad on the deer-- no way am I picking it out though. I'm taking it as one big learning experience.

     I love taking the things in the embroidery as inspiration-- you can see I quilted in some extra fiddleheads. Looks like the ermine saw his shadow in this picture! I am planning on having this completely quilted by next week, so come back for a look.

    Zela's baby quilt got a nice label in one of the Happy Mail quilt blocks and it is off to the long-armer. This sounds extremely lazy, but I'm also just paying to have the binding stitched on. I want finished projects this year and the price to do it was super reasonable. I was hoping to gift it before Valentine's Day, but they needed three weeks.

     I finished another Lori Holt Prairie Meadow quilt block. You notice how wrinkly it is-- these appliques are made by stitching the shapes to stabilizer and turning them-- they are super heavy-- that middle area has seven layers of fabric! I tried cutting some fabric out on one of the other blocks, but I really wasn't happy with that either, because some of the seams are still super heavy, and when I ironed it, they telescoped through. This is going to be one of those projects where, by the very last block, you then know the best way of doing it!

    I'm going to spend the next two weeks pinning up two blocks to take away with me to Florida. If I could get them both done, that would really push this project forward. Goal is: on my bed, by my birthday.

     Then-- the Barn Star Sampler has begun! This quilt is from a book by Shelley Cavanna-- absolutely everyone is doing this. The minute I saw it last summer, I jumped on it-- I love a star! I'm so glad I did-- Martingale Press went out of business, and all you can get right now is a PDF from the author. She is reprinting on her own, but I don't think the books will be out until March.

I'm using Fat Quarter Shop's timeline, which is a year to make it. I was pretty excited to start, but I promised I'd finish ARRTI first, so I allowed myself to photoshop up a color study.

     This probably looks weird to you, but I've been inspired by Robin Pickens color studies (visit her blog to see what she does with the various stitch-a-longs online, like Moda "Blockheads" and "Sewcialites" on Fat Quarter Shop) and just let go of the idea that each piece around the block has to be the same fabric. I really want to use the project to experiment with color. I'm using the Basic Grey Nutmeg and Cider fabrics.

     I really loved my sketch with just the grunge solids, but I want to work in some of the prints from these collections, so I'm going softly with them to start. The wilder prints might be better on some of the smaller blocks-- or I might just replace some of the smaller blocks with just a print-- the quilt has a lot going on! I'm excited for this one. It promises to be an adventure.

    So... did I finish ARRTI like I said I would before beginning the Barn Star?

NOPE!

I know you come back each week to hear me complain

and to see the same photos of no progress on this project each week-- so here it is!

   One small step for mankind... I did get that diagonal sewn. It's just the borders, baby. I would have gone outside to take a picture of the completed center, but after the Winter Twist photo shoot, I decided against it. Today is measure for the borders day-- do or die. It's 100" long-- the lack of floor space in this new house is a good excuse to stick this in a drawer for three years.

     Last, but not least-- my little cross stitches both came along! 

    The Fat Quarter Shop free pattern Love Note got some filling in... 

    It will make a good mindless pastime for the plane, where I don't have to refer to a chart and be bumping elbows for three hours.

     Then last is the Lori Holt Stitch Cards Set O-- I was able to pass by sets A-M without a problem, but those little sheepies and the cute mini sampler and house got me! I bet I could finish it this week and them I'm going to just buy a simple wood frame and call it an FFO.

     Here is the back of the project-- you can see it's much neater than the current state of my house. I was well enough to sew this week, but not near well enough to lift a finger and to make dinner or tidy up. No projects today-- it has to be a clean up day in this establishment, I'm afraid!

Have a great week!

xox

Carol

January 2023 Sew Sampler Box and Vintage Kit Foundation Paper

    This post is primarily for people who are stitching the January 2023 Sew Sampler Box-- or using the Vintage Kit Foundation Papers. If you just enjoy a bit of quilt-y blather, you can also just read on! Here are my insights, but be forewarned-- after making 14 of them, I’m still not sure what the “best” way is. Also, I am writing from the perspective of someone who wanted to get the most blocks out of the two charm squares packs included in the box, using no extra background fabric.

     If you have never done foundation paper piecing before, I would highly recommend the Fat Quarter Shop video on this block for an overview-- then I’d recommend Gina Tells video on the same block--so good natured and so true to life <3-- you’ll see all the pitfalls that can happen. You can find both by just searching Vintage Kite Block on YouTube.

     I don’t like having to buy extra fabric for the Sew Sampler boxes-- I never want to wait for it! So this year, I’m trying to just make the projects from just the contents of the box and the rest from my stash. Each kite block, needs 12 pieces and the way you are supposed to cut, you only get one piece per charm square. I did the math and with 84 charm squares in all, that would give me only seven blocks. I guess we all know that economy of material is not a feature of these boxes, but it certainly seemed like you could get more.

     One of my first recommendations no matter what method you decide to use, is just to sacrifice one of your papers and cut two of the pie shaped piece #1 to use as templates. Cut the sides of the pie on the lines-- the other two sides don't need trimming at this point. 

     Once I did that, I saw that I could easily
cut two of these from each charm square instead of just one. 

     I also discovered by cutting a charm pack squares on the diagonal, I could get twice as many background pieces and it still covered pieces 2 and 3. I did have to pick two different colors to get the 8 background pieces needed. But with those two discoveries, I just doubled the amount of blocks to 14 and I was off to the races.

    If you just place the template pieces on your charm square and cut 1/4 away from sides, you avoid trying to tediously fold the paper and use a ruler to cut the seam allowance while a pin is in it. You don’t have to trim the “crust” side of the pie shape for now-- those are the squiggly lines I drew. 

Then just hold the piece up to the light and pin in on the printed side of the paper-- the 1/4” seam allowance doesn’t have to be exact.

     Then I placed my piece #2 right side up next to piece #1-- I flipped it before stitching to make sure it covered the entire piece 2 shape.

 I found that if I just lined the right angle edge of piece #2 as shown by the red arrow, it easily covered the entire shape. It took constant flipping to make sure I had them positioned the right way! The rectangular pieces called for in the pattern are much easier to place, I have to admit.

     I sewed on piece #2 and then did piece #3 in the same way, pressed (no steam or starch), and then trimmed on the “first cutting line.” I made all four quarters as you can see in the third photo.

     At this point, you are supposed to keep the papers in, and complete the block, using the pin marks and the drawn seam lines. Unfortunately, you have two slippery paper edges to line up as well as two fabric ones-- four in all. The pin dots don’t necessarily line up that well, depending on how well you pressed. On the last seam, you have to match the blocks in five places. It was just getting a bit finicky for me!

    After doing it this way for several blocks, I realized you have all you need after cutting on the first trimming line--you have nice straight cuts and a nice corner to align the fabric pieces together. So I pulled my papers out, after I had the quarters sewn. I wish I had done this from the beginning. Nice and clean!

     Either way you do it, when stitching the quarters together, you have seams that are both pressed the same way and it’s extremely challenging to get them to match, pin or no pin, papers or no papers. It's just a function of this type of piecing that you can't choose which way to press. Finished is better than perfect was my motto at this point.

     Once my four pieces were together, I just used a 6-1/2” ruler to trim them. You need to make sure your pie points are 1/4” from the edges, and the diagonal seams are coming out in the corners. Admittedly, none of my blocks were perfect. I do think if I had been more finicky, I could have done better. But most of my recipients are non-quilters, and will never be peeking at points. 

 Here are some close up photos of some of my blocks-- judge for yourself! I am totally happy with it. :-)

     One final caution-- if you’ve read this far, you probably realize I took quite a journey trying to crack the code of the Vintage Kite Foundation Paper Pad. I think every one of my blocks was made a different way, so that didn’t help when it came time to sew all 14 together. Whatever you decide to do-- stick with it and make all the blocks the same way for the most uniform results.

  

     So here’s my project where it stands-- this is a total win for me. I completely used up the charm packs and finished my blocks just a week after getting the box. and I’m going to work from my stash for a thin border, backing and binding. Best of all, I HAD FUN!

 I’m finishing up with just straight line quilting-- straight line quilting is going to be my go to for the Sew Sampler Challenge! Maybe by the end of it, it’ll actually be straight. So now its your turn-- go open that box-- I promise you’ll have fun too!

  If you enjoyed this deep dive into the Sew Sampler box, be sure to join the Facebook and Instagram groups at the links below. SHAREwith your friends, FOLLOW, LIKE, POST, and COMMENT so we can keep the energy going! Thanks for spending time with me today.

xoxo

Carol

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