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2019 Goals check in

2019 Goals check in

Here’s how I did in 2019!

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(Guess who’s back!) So here’s what happened in Cadiz!

I made my way up to Cadiz the Tuesday before the show and was so excited to drop off my Hamming It Up quilt, as well as my Starburst quilt and my Bad Girl quilt. I figured the more quilts, the better chances to get that ribbon!

For the quilting on this quilt I used pink thread, and I used straight lines on a diagonal for the body, “cursive lower case l” type loops in the border, and pig snouts in the corners.

Cadiz was what I expected; a cute small town with a lot of love for pigs!! However, the Ham Festival wasn’t what I was expecting at all! The first drive I took up to Cadiz I saw many life size pig statues painted differently all around town, sides of buildings had murals with a random pig thrown in, just pig stuff everywhere. So I was sure that the Ham Festival was going to be over the top, right!?

It was a let down, guys. Dax and I arrived an hour before the end of the event, thinking surely there would be plenty going on and yes, there were lots of people, but to be honest, this could have just been any town random street festival. Almost nothing pig themed, just a lot of businesses, nothing super piggy, guys. As a matter of fact, I barely have any photos because there wasn’t much really photo worthy!!

I did go into the quilt show, HOWEVER it was being taken down! A full hour before the end of the of the event! So once again, no great photos because everything was being taken down!

All that aside, I did get this sweet piggy shirt.

I don’t regret doing the Ham Festival, and I especially don’t regret making my piggy quilt.  It just goes to show you, do what you love and love what you do.

Until next time, happy sewing!!

Hamming it up: Update 3 – Final (Guess who's back!) So here's what happened in Cadiz!

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I didn’t mean to skip a whole month!

So what’s been going on?! So many things! Let me run down a list so that I don’t forget anything:

Tennessee Honey Festival – This is the last event I’ll participate in that is organized by Good Neighbors. This was another ill organized, poorly executed, over priced event. Considering the other events that I am a part of that cost much less money and are better advertised as even having vendors, it doesn’t make sense to continue to line this organization’s pockets while I barely make any sales.

Cadiz Ham Festival – I believe my prior blog posts can express how excited I was about participating in the event’s quilt show, especially with the opportunity to win a pig ribbon! Well, I’m keeping the results to myself at the moment (unless you know me in person, I’ve probably already told you 😄) but I’m planning on a final hamming it up quilt post, so stay tuned! The only spoilers, I did go, I did participate!

New job! – I’ve been working with the same company in Nashville since 2011 but last Friday was my last day. Not only that, the next day I hoped on a plane and flew to Kansas City, MO with my new job for a conference! Lucky for me I’ve volunteered at QuiltCon, and a lot of the duties I had transferred over (sadly though, no white glove-ing). I’m absolutely thrilled to start this new refreshing challenge. However, before I could start my new job, I needed to complete a 43 page manual from scratch to explain the how to’s of my job, which was even more time consuming than it sounds.

Quilting Everything – I have been working on my quilt top backlog, and I’m doing my absolute best to knock them out!! I’ve started by finishing backs of completed tops, basting, and making a pile. One at a time, they’re going to be completed. It’s coming, I just know it. Until then, I’ve only been making occasional pop up plushies as they’re requested!

CVQA Quilt Show – My guild, Music City Modern Quilters, had an exhibit at the Cumberland Valley Quilters Association in Franklin, TN and several of our members had quilts on display.

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Quilt Retreat – I went on our guild’s quilt retreat, and it was everything I was expecting, then took a turn for the worse. I don’t want to go on a rant, so I’ll just leave it at I voted no from the start on the location that was chosen for the reasons I knew would be issues, and they were issues. The company was wonderful, the environment could have been much better.

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So! Yes, it’s been a bit of a month!! I’ll get back on my blogging routine very soon, don’t worry. What have y’all been up to? Until next time, happy sewing!

Life Update! I didn't mean to skip a whole month!

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It’s coming together and it’s looking REAL silly.

Before I get into the quilt itself, I will say I’m having a struggle to get in touch with someone associated with the Ham Festival in Cadiz to get my quilt in the show!  It will happen, so don’t worry about that, but come on, Kentucky.

This week I realized I’ve made a ton of progress on my Hamming it Up quilt but I  haven’t updated the blog about it!  Or really updated the blog much recently at all!  Sorry about that!  Here I am, making up for it with a really overly goofy quilt update post.  So first, I finished up all of the corn first, because they just needed to be finished first.  Before you get a pet you have to get it’s supplies, so pigs need corn before pigs can come home.  So then I had a couple letters finished and all the corn, so I decided it was time for a pig or two.  Or three.

After I got my big pigs (pattern  by Unicorn Harts) and the first little pig and corn (Patterns by Sew Fresh Quilts) finished, I decided to lay out the blocks to see how this is going to look, and I was tickled.  I decided the next thing I had to finish up were the ribbon letters so I could then fill out the gaps.  So next up were all the ribbon letters!

Hammin, hammin, I hope you like hammin, too!

I absolutely love how this pattern has turned out!  These ribbon letters (Pattern by Patch and Dot) are so cool and I can see them being SO versatile!  I also like that I’m making this in order to get a pig ribbon, and there are already both pigs and ribbons on this quilt.  Very meta.  The next step, filling up the open spaces for the quilt!

All that’s left for the top are the small pigs and a border, and this little piggy will be ready for quilting.  I’m really tickled how this is turning out.  Hopefully this weekend I’ll have some time to get the rest of my little pigs sewn!  Until next time, happy sewing!

Hamming it Up Quilt Update 2 It's coming together and it's looking REAL silly.

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An exciting experiment!

Since I’ve been finishing quilts (because there’s a difference in making quilt tops and actually finishing them, you know, haha) I’ve been toying with the idea of entering them in quilt shows. I’ve been to several now, and I figured what would it hurt? So I decided a few years ago to enter a quilt in a show that wasn’t judged, just a show.

This was my moda love fancy star quilt. It was so much fun to make, and it’s living it’s best quilty life in Florida now. I entered it into the Robertson County quilt show in 2016.

So now that just putting quilts in shows wasn’t scary, how about entering a quilt to be judged? Well it’s only taken me 3 years later, but I’ve finally entered a different quilt into the fair. Actually, two quilts, and two fairs.

The first quilt is my Starburst quilt, named both for the pattern and for the candy because of the colors of the fabric. I loved that this quilt was finally finished, and everyone loves it so much so I decided to let it head to the county fair. Well wouldn’t you know, I was too sick to actually go to the fair, but when I went to pick it up, they let me know that I’d won first place in my division, as well as best in show!

The next quilt I entered I actually entered it before it was fully finished.

  This is my Bad Girl Quilt I wrote about earlier this year, and I’d finished the top up going along with the quilt along that was going on this spring! I quilted the Dickens out of this, and it was SO much fun! There are curls and swirls and all kinds of fun.

        I won’t pick this up until the 16th, but I’m excited to see how it fairs with the other state fair quilts!

Have you ever entered a quilt in a show? If not, I think you should just do it! I dreamt I didn’t win anything and look how that turned out! Until next time, happy sewing!

Quilts in Fairs #cutefluffinstitch #quilts An exciting experiment!

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A good way to use extra made blocks and organize your cute pins!

When I made the seahorses and sandcrabs quilt earlier this year, I made quite a few extra half square triangles.  I also have a few extra half square triangles left over from other projects, and they’ve all found each other in my stash and before they start multiplying, I thought I’d do something with them.

This isn’t even half of them.

I also have amassed quite the pin collection!  The only bad part of that is that they’re all over the place.  One of my denim jackets is covered, my badge holder has a few, my sewing machine travel bag is basically a billboard, and I had some on my backpack, so I decided I needed somewhere for them all to go together happily as one big happy family!

I decided the easiest thing would be to do is make a mini quilt that they could go onto and hang it in my sewing room!  The first thing I decided to do is get all my little half square triangles together and decide on a layout.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do a blue green blue green pattern or a random scattered pattern, but then I thought about doing a fun diamond pattern, and eventually landed on a dark center diamond with alternating blues and greens.  I also used more of the binding scraps from the same quilt these half square triangles came from to put on a border!

I used the “advanced chain piecing” method and this went together super fast!  It measures about 17″ by 26″ and I’m going to do pretty simple quilting because I want the pins to be the focal point, not so much the quilt.  The batting I used were batting scraps that I’d cut off from the sides of a quilt!

The only quilting I did was stitch in the ditch around the white parts.  Then…I added the pins!

And added, and added…and added….!

Then you know, I realized I should have bound this first, but too late, so I bound it with all the pins still on it. (lol)

I added two little hanger corners under the binding, then put it on my wall in my sewing room!

I think it just looks so precious back there!  Now all my cute pins are all on display! (also, yes I’m keeping my Hamming it Up quilt close to my mind at all times!)

I love my little mini pin quilt!  I even have a little more room for a few more pins!  I actually think I’m missing a couple from here, so I’m going to search them out and add them as well.  Anyhow, I hope you’re using your random extra blocks!  I hope you’re not making as many extra half square triangles as me (I still have more, send help!)  Until next time, happy sewing!

Mini Quilt for Pins #cutefluffinstitch A good way to use extra made blocks and organize your cute pins!

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Testing Patterns!

Testing Patterns! #cutefluffinstitch

Because it’s fun to try new things for friends!

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Probably the motivation I needed!

So here I am, working along on my Bad girl quilt, minding my own business, and wouldn’t you know I got WAY ahead of schedule!  I finished up all of my star blocks, and I thought well, no need in stopping now!

  Then before I knew it, all my 4 patch blocks were also done!  It really just zipped by SO fast!!  I did decide to take the greener fabrics I decided not to make into stars and cut them into 4 patch squares!  So then I started going into my dresden blades.  I didn’t want to have all my dresden corners to be made up of the same fabrics grouped together, or any real discernible pattern, so I divided my 15 fabrics into 5 groups of 3 and just kind of shook them up.

Now I’m just working on sewing them down, then I can just put all of my blocks together and the top will be done!  DONE!  Can you believe it?!  I’m just tickled!  All I needed was a quilt along for a pattern I love to make me get it done!  And I’ve already got my backing fabric handy, I’ll just need to whip up some binding and this bad girl will be donnnneeee!!!!!

Well, actually, wait!  This is where you can help me!  I’m thinking about how to quilt it.  Do you have any suggestions?  Let me know!  Do you think an all over meander or something a little more crazy?  Anyhow, I hope you’re having a great week!  Until next time, happy sewing!

Bad Girl Quilt Along Pt 2 #cutefluffinstitch Probably the motivation I needed!

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Bad Girl Quilt Along!

Bad Girl Quilt Along! #cutefluffinstitch

More of a look into my quilt along progress!

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Just a little reminder to keep your head up!

I wanted to stop back in and list a few things really cheering me up at the moment!

Quilt Alongs!

I’ve never actually done a quilt along that I’ve every kept up with.  I wanted to do the “I heart you” quilt along that was earlier this year, but I kind of cut my fabric out the last week and put it in a box and didn’t pick it back up.  (I’ll get to it later!)  However, the Bad Girl Quilt Along started May 17th and this is a really cool pattern that I’ve been wanting to make, and I thought this was a perfect time to do it!  You can read about this quilt here.  I’ve also decided to join the Summer Reading Quilt Along, starting in June!

Family

My family just had a bittersweet milestone remembering the passing of my brother-in-law, as well as his birthday.  We all got together and participated in a beautiful butterfly release in his memory.  This month isn’t a sad time though, because we also had Mother’s Day, and my mother-in-law’s birthday!  We event went camping over the Memorial day weekend, so it’s been an eventful month full of memories made!

Great TV Shows

I have  been riding that Game of Thrones dragon all the way into the ground and I’m as melted as the Iron Throne, but it was an amazing journey.  Not only that, I’ve been catching up on a lot of streaming shows (The Handmaid’s Tale, The Act, Drunk History, Pen15, etc) not to mention all my Bravo trash ( ❤ ) and I just feel so thrilled to be alive during a time of such great TV.  As a person that was basically raised by a TV, it’s always going to hold a special place in my heart.  I know that all sounds dumb, but I love TV!

Going Outside

Lately the weather has been warming up and the days have been calling for my family to get outside!  We’ve been taking trips each week, sometimes multiple trips a week to our local park and going on the nature trail.  We’ve also done a lot of fishing, including one trip where I caught a carp as big as my leg. (I caught the biggest fish that day 😀 )  As much fun as I have being indoors, there’s a lot of great fun to be had outside as well.

Quilting like Crazy

I made a pledge to finish up my quilts that I’ve got the tops finished before the end of this year, and I’ve made a few steps in the right direction to get them done!  I’ve finished up my Starburst quilt, and I’m plotting how to quilt my Dinosaur quilt next.  I’m thinking dinosaur feet in the squares, and maybe bones or leaves around the frames.  I’m having so much fun using my large Brother machine to quilt that it’s almost more fun to quilt than piece.  Scary, I know.

  What kind of things are you happy about lately?  I know these are not the best times, but it’s best to keep your eyes looking forward.

Happy Things #cutefluffinstitch Just a little reminder to keep your head up!

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Game of Thrones: The Final Season Part 2

Game of Thrones: The Final Season Part 2

Oh boy.

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A look at the current works in progress I have going on!

This year I have decided it’s high time to finish up all my quilts that are tops that are just waiting to be finished.  And I’m not just playing around with them, I’m doing them right!

Starburst Quilt

I’m so excited about quilting this!  I started this quilt in September…of 2017!  This is WAY far overdue.  So far I’ve quilted all of the white parts and the border.  I did a dot to dot style for all the white rhombuses, and I did a fill in square all around the border.  I could call it finished now, but I’m also going to quilt in the colored rhombuses.  I also found three mistakes in this top while I was quilting it, and they’re just design choices at this point because it happens more than once!

That’s all for right now, I’ll hopefully get this wrapped up this week!  (How exciting!)  Until next time, happy sewing!

Works in Progress updates! #cutefluffinstitch A look at the current works in progress I have going on!

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A little update on the project that wiggled into my head last year!

Last year I wrote about my idea to create a quilt for the Cadiz Ham Festival.  I’ve finally gotten to a sewing break of sorts, so I have started working away on my blocks for my quilt.

So far I’ve completed all of my corn cob blocks, using the pattern by Sew Fresh Quilts and I’ve started on my letters, using the ribbon alphabet by Patch and Dot.  I’m absolutely thrilled about how this is coming together.  I love the light grey background because the colors all pop off of it so well without looking stark like I think a white background would look with these bold colors.  I don’t normally work in strictly solids but these Art Gallery solids are so buttery and wonderful feeling that I absolutely love it.

I cannot wait to have more of these blocks done and have this quilt start coming into shape!  2019 is definitely a quilty year for me, because I’m branching out and sewing different types of blocks than I normally do (hello drunkard’s path blocks, I’m looking at you) and I am having all of these moments like “oh, I CAN sew really well!  I think things like curves that normally scare quilters don’t scare me because of the curved sewing I use making plushies.  It’s kind of like when you run with weights on and you take them off and you’re a speed demon, that’s how I feel going from sewing curves using minky to now using quilting cotton.

I hope y’all are having as much fun as I am this year.  I’m just over here embracing my inner silly self and getting it out there into the world. ❤

Until next time, happy sewing!

Hamming It Up Quilt: Update 1 #cutefluffinstitch A little update on the project that wiggled into my head last year!

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Game of Thrones: The Final Season Part 1

Game of Thrones: The Final Season Part 1 #cutefluffinstitch #gameofthrones

Because I love watching things and telling others about those things!

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New Subscription Boxes! #cutefluffinstitch Available May 1, 2019!

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A little look back at my April events!

This April is a big push for my Spring events, then I’m taking off from craft fairs until the fall.  I love doing events, but I’m feeling tugged in multiple directions, and I know I don’t have to participate in events, so I can step back.  That being said, here’s a look at the events I’ve done this month, when I decided to do two in one month, and they’re back to back, and one is out of town, because I’m just crazy.

  Druid City Arts Festival

This was the first event that I’ve ever done that was in another state!  That in itself was a whole learning experience, because I had to get a business license and pay taxes before I left the event.  I hopped on the road Friday for this one and a half day event in Tuscaloosa, AL, and it was honestly a lot of fun!  DCAF was celebrating their tenth year, “A decade of DCAF” and I was happy to be a part of it!

I wasn’t set up in the greatest spot, and I had to set up facing away from everything, and you know, that never helps, but I still did way better than I anticipated.  I even sold things I wasn’t expecting to sell!  I made a few elephants and tigers (pandering!!!) and they didn’t all sell out, but I did sell a few of each.  I also had some great help from my brother-in-law and nephew doing the tasks I never have time to do like pinning pins to cards and bagging them, and setting them all up in my little book pin display.

Friday Night ❤

Saturday ❤

When did Tuscaloosa glow up? ❤

Roll Tide!

I had a great time, and I even got a custom order, and delivered my giant quilt that I’ve been working on!  This just let me know that cute is in the market everywhere.  This made me excited to tackle an event on my craft fair bucket list: the Kentuck Arts Festival in Northport, AL.

Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival

The next event I had was the next weekend in Nashville, and I had to get my butt in gear to get as much finished as possible!

I didn’t get as much made as I’d like to normally have done, but I did my best and once again the people of Nashville came out in droves and wanted all the cute stuff they could handle!  Even considering I was next to a booth with mass produced plushies, I think I did really well!  And the people that would come in were shocked that my stuff was handmade and were so impressed, so that’s always nice.  I kept the big sloth behind the table with me because it was drizzling on and off, but people still noticed him and thought he was so cool!

My next event won’t be until September, so I’ll have a decent amount of stock built up before then!  Until next time, happy sewing!

April Festivals and Events #cutefluffinstitch A little look back at my April events!

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So far this year I’ve finished up two quilts!  One that is a gift and the other that is a commission!

Front!

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The front and back

The first one I finished is a gift for a family friend!  My husband’s best friend from college’s mom, Paula, generously let us stay with her for several summers at her beach home.  I used a combination of patterns to create a cute, sea themed quilt to send her way to say thank you!  The sea horses and waves are from Summer Crafter and the crabs are from Faith and Fabric.  This was a very fun quilt, and I loved using the Boundless Botanicals and Angela Walters Drawn (out of print) fabrics to make this!

Top!

In the Tennessee State Museum

Quilting in progress!

Quilting in the diagonals

The next quilt is the largest quilt I’ve made to date!  I made this for two high school friends of mine that are married now and are moving into their new home this month!  I was excited to make a quilt #1 for friends, #2 using this pattern that has stalked me on Pinterest since 2015, and #3 making such a giant quilt!   It’s an oversized king size quilt, measuring at 112″ squared.  It’s made using the Endless Summer pattern by V and Co (with a little tweaking!) and the fabrics are Modernist by Joel Dewberry, Sandstone by Art Gallery,  and Bee Backing & Borders 108″ Aqua Plaid by Lori Holt for the back.  This quilt is HUGE.  It’s so big that the wide back fabric wasn’t big enough, so I cut it into 4 pieces and used scraps from the front to fill in the gaps!

Almost had an accidental fabric sync up, missed opportunities.

It’s been quite a way to start the year off!  Two quilts down, and now it’s back onto the plush making game!  Until next time, happy sewing!

    Quilty Finishes, Early 2019 So far this year I've finished up two quilts!  One that is a gift and the other that is a commission!