This Week

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Scrappy Mermaid Quilt Top by jenib320
Scrappy Mermaid Quilt Top, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Hi! I'm still here! I have been trying to blog for four days now, and every day, something came up! Things are a bit busy at the moment, I can't wait to share some exciting stuff with you soon! ;)

I took a break this week to work on a work-in-progress.  I stitched up this scrappy patchwork section with leftovers from my Mendocino dreams quilt earlier in the year and I finally turned it into a proper quilt top.  I ended up going with a grape shot cotton to give it a little extra sparkle.  It's on it's way out west for a royal quilting treatment from Christina!

Laminated Cotton Tote by jenib320
Laminated Cotton Tote, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I have been following Sanna Annukka's work ever since she did the artwork for Keane's second album, Under the Iron Sea.  Her designs are so crisp and clean but always have a touch of whimsy.  I couldn't resist this laminated cotton print when I spotted it at a Scandinavian gift shop, The Century House, here in Madison.  I could only afford a half-yard, so I made the most of it and stitched up a giant tote bag.  It's huge, and came together really quickly.  Just need to get some plastic canvas to stabilize the bottom and it's good to go!

Indie by Pat Bravo by jenib320
Indie by Pat Bravo, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
A bit of happy fabric mail arrived this week in the form of Pat Bravo's newest collection, Indie for Art Gallery Fabrics.  The colors are so vibrant and perfect for Fall, I can't wait to find time to sew with them! I'm thinking they definitely need to become a quilt! Indie will be hitting stores very soon!

Garden Bounty by jenib320
Garden Bounty, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
My garden took a pretty hard hit from the drought (despite my constant watering!), but I still managed to get a decent harvest this week! The currant tomatoes are exploding, a mere fraction of them were ripe, I'm going to have to figure out how best to use them!

Sweet Treats from Anna by jenib320
Sweet Treats from Anna, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
The sweetest mailed ever arrived from Anna this week! Look at all this bunny goodness! She sure knows me, doesn't she?! Thanks so much Anna, your package really made my week!  George was very impressed by the "girl bunny" and check out the tape she sent, it even has black bunnies on it!!

White on White Prints by jenib320
White on White Prints, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I wanted to follow up about two things, first a bit about last week's fabric dyeing post! I realized after the fact that I hadn't really included a lot of information for you! Above you can see the types of prints that I'm dyeing.  They are a white pattern printed on a white background.  When it's dyed, the white background takes the dye color, but the white printed pattern stays white (or light!).  I use the methods from Malka Dubrawsky's Color Your Cloth. It's a great resource if you're interested in trying out fabric dyeing! I hope that clears a few things up! :)

Next, I have a winner for the Annex Sewing Lounge Giveaway! Random.org choose #192, Tamie! Thanks to all who entered! For everyone who asked about the Jeans needles, I have a bit more of an explanation from Mary:

When choosing my favorite sewing machine needle for sewing and quilting with vintage sheets, my favorite kind is the size 12 Jeans or Denim needle.   These needles work so well because of the way fabric is made.  Quilt fabric is generally about 75 threads per inch, so a universal sewing machine needle or a sharp works just fine.  However, vintage sheets are generally woven with a much denser thread count of up to 200 threads per inch, so they require a stronger needle, especially when joining all those points and corners.  Jeans needles are designed to be used with densely woven fabric, such as denim.   They have an extra long point and the shaft is stronger.  This way the denser fabric can be more easily pierced, and the shaft has the strength to withstand the extra pressure of piercing multiple layers.   Batik fabric is also more densely woven by necessity due to the process used to produce it.   I like to use size 12 Jeans needles because they are very pointy and strong but are still fine enough not to leave those big holes that size 16 or 18 Jeans needles leave.


George by jenib320
George, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Oh, George!

Today I love the..
Smell of: Clean apartment
Sound of: Harry Potter 5 audiobook
Taste of: Menchies froyo
Sight of: Sunshine
Feel of: Relaxing on the couch

Good Things about Today:
- Good class this morning at The Sewcial Lounge!
- MENCHIES! :)
- Going to a Laotian restaurant tonight!
- I sewed today!

13 comments :

  1. currant tomatoes! I've never heard/seen those before! VERY cool! Maybe some kind of salsa? Would be fun to eat!

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  2. Thanks for the further info on jeans needles, hopefully I remember it when I finally have enough vintage sheets to quilt something with!

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  3. I've never heard of those tomotoes, but this recipe has me wishing I grew tomatoes. Maybe yours would be tasty here too?
    http://joythebaker.com/2012/07/summer-tomato-cobbler-with-blue-cheese-biscuits/

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  4. Glam George! My boys (13 & 15) spotted little black bunnies at the county fair, and exclaimed: "George!" :) See, your blog is fun for the whole family ;)

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  5. Love your new Mendocino top! It's going to look spectacular quilted :)
    And those currant tomatoes are so tiny cute!!!

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  6. I'm so very excited! My birthday is Monday and this is great news.

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  7. Wow, I love that purple background, it's so vibrant!

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  8. I love that Mendocino top-the purple really sets it off.

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  9. George is looking very sweet on that yellow quilt!
    Really like the bag ~ great fabric.

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  10. Love your new quilt top! I can't wait to see what it looks like after Christina works her magic :) I'm really impressed with your veggie harvest this week and that awesome loot you got from Anna!! Oh, and that picture of George is my favorite of him ever!

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  11. Beautiful colors on the mermaid quilt!. All that purple will be spectacular when quilted.

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  12. Whoa, currant tomatoes? Those look like fun, they're the little red ones? I've never even heard of those! Also, do you ever go to listentoamovie.com? Because, although I love to 'read' (hear) the books red, I also LOVE to hear the movies!!!

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  13. those currant tomatoes look amazing! You are quite a gardener!!! the quilt is going to be amazing. and so glad you like the presents. :)

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