Righty Tighty - Monkey Wrench–A Focus Through the Prism Project QUILTING Challenge, May

My reality has been crazy lately and work has been taking me away from blogging lately.

I have been sewing here and there, though.

During the month of May I accepted a challenge from Kim over at Persimon Dreams

and

Righty Tighty is the result.

The Challenge: Monkey Wrench

• Each final project should read predominantly as one color in the spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, or violet. 
• A ROYGBIV hand-dyed color bundle of fabric must be purchased from Cherrywood Fabrics  Hopefully you already have your bundle but you can join in the fun anytime … just make sure you have your quit done by the end of the month!
• You must use ONE fabric from the ROYGBIV challenge bundle in each quilt which should correspond with the color you want your quilt to ‘read’.
• Any other fabrics from your stash may be added.
• You must use the month's block
• Quilts must finish 20” square.
• Share the story behind your quilt and how the block ‘Monkey Wrench’ was the inspiration.
• Your quilt must have a name.
• Pictures of your FINISHED 20” square quilts must be LINKED UP by 11:55pm CST on Sunday, May 31st (Trisha’s actual birthday). 
• A 4" quilt rod pocket will need to be added to the back of the quilt before you send it to me January.

After the challenge was posted I went to work right away drawing up my plan in EQ7.  I wanted to go industrial and really wanted to contrast the traditional quilt block with an actual monkey wrench.  I wanted to work with dimension and add shadows to the blocks.  

This is what I started with.

Hubby pointed out that my wrench looked more like a crescent wrench than a monkey wrench.

So I redrew the wrench and now it is correct.  lol

The quilt block monkey wrenches are paper pieced and the wrench is appliqued.

Cherry Wood Fabrics Blue from my ROYGBIV bundle was used for the paper pieced monkey wrenches.

The dark blue background added a little contrast with tiny flowers in an industrial setting.  It's from Connecting Threads.

The black and white stripe worked perfectly for the screw adjuster on the wrench.

I worked with shadows again trying to make the blocks more industrial by making the monkey wrench blocks look more like nuts holding a box in place.

The quilting is block type stipple.  I just meandered in square shapes instead of curves.  

Here is a picture of the back to show the quilting.

The binding is blue measuring tape fabric from the She Who Sews series by Quilting Treasures.

Monkey Wrench–A Focus Through the Prism Project QUILTING Challenge, May

Righty Tighty

Made by Carla in Dodge City, Kansas

http://www.createinthesticks.blogspot.com/

Size: 20" x 20"

Prism color: Blue from the ROYGBIV fabric bundle by Cherrywood Fabrics

Paper piecing and machine applique

Quilting - block shaped stippling  by me on my domestic machine with Aurifil 50 wt 

The photos needed to feel industrial and I had so much fun getting out of my "pretty" comfort zone.

This quilt represents many challenges I had in my head.

Now I've put them to fabric and want to work with shadows and geometric design a little more.

You Can Can Can

Welcome to Creatin' in the Sticks

 

where

 

 

You Can Can Can.

 

You Can Can Can.  My quilt of can-can dancers.

 

This quilt is for the "Think Ruffles" Blog Hop and welcome to my day in the hop.

The creative mind of Madame Samm at Sew We Quilt came up with this hop to showcase

RUFFLES

and Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy is doing an incredible job of keeping the hop organized.

 

My inspiration.

 

In case you missed it, I live in Dodge City, Kansas and when I think of ruffles I think of dresses with lots of them.

 

Can-Can Dancers!!

 

 

It pays to have artistic friends. 

 I was chatting about what I wanted to make at work one day when the most artistic nail artist happened into the break room.

30 minutes later she handed me a drawing of a Can-Can dancer.

We are offering the template on Craftsy.

 

 

I machine stitched the hair and faces with 2 strands of thread.

Of course every hair do is a different color.

(I'm a hair stylist)  :)

 

 Every time I finished one Can-Can girl, I would tell hubby, "this is my favorite" and then I would make another and that one would be my favorite.

 

This quilt would be very large if I hadn't had a deadline.

I LOVE making ruffles and can-can girls.

*I'm dancing*

 

 

The feathers are just a bit of trim that looks like feathers.

I would have used actual feathers, but the dyed variety aren't color fast.

 

Fusible was used for the legs with Moda Basic Grey Little Black Dress floral lace fabric. I used a blanket stitch around the legs.

 

The dresses are yards and yards of ribbon.
Satin and organza ribbon.

Between 5 1/2 - 7 yards per dress depending on the size of the ribbon.
 ( I was shocked when I kept track.)

I was inspired by Madame Samm's method of making ruffles on the machine.

Some of the dresses have organza ruffles inside, but I learned the hard way that it melts.  lol

So the right side of the skirts (the part under the fused leg ) is satin ribbon. Satin ribbon doesn't melt.  *winking big*

The garters are just a wee bit of satin ribbon.

 

I felt that the quilting needed to be feathers, (a first for me) so I free motioned using my Janome.

The edges were cut in a scallop (another first for me)

and a ruffle added using Moda Basic Grey Little Black Dress 2 Timeless fabric for the

ruffle and the binding. 







 

 

The photos were taken at Dodge City's Boothill Museum in front of the Long Branch Saloon where every night of the summer you can see real live Can-Can dancers perform.

Hubby and I try to go at least once a year for dinner, the gun fight, and the variety show.

 

 

Made for Me?  Yes, to hanging in my Dodge City themed guest bed and bath.

 

If you are ever in the area, I recommend a visit to the Boothill Museum.

I made one more Can-Can dancer for Allison, my artist.

Pink hair for this one. *wink*

 



 

This drawstring bag was made using my friend, Jennifer at Glinda Quilts tutorial for a pants bag.

The same fabrics were used and a ruffle around the oval made it look a bit old fashioned.

It reminds me of those old fabric picture frames.

 

Now get the heck out of Dodge and go see the other beautiful ruffles of the day!

 

March 11^th

Needle and Hook

Marjorie's Busy Corner

Blessings From Our Nest

Little House on the Dairy

Just One More Stitch

Creatin' in the Sticks Yours truly

Just Sew Quilter

 Amy has the complete schedule, just click here.

We're having a heat wave,
A tropical heat wave,
The way that she moves
That thermometer proves
That she certainly can can-can.

Read more: Irving Berlin - Heat Wave Lyrics | MetroLyrics

 

You made it this far.  You deserve a giveaway! Update: Giveaway is over. I didn't have any fabric left from these projects, but my local quilt shop had a couple Moda Basic Grey Little Black Dress fat quarters to offer.  

 

I had a couple spools of ribbon.

Just leave a comment and if you follow leave a second comment saying you do.

That's 2 chances to win.

Just make sure I can-can e-mail you if you aren't a Google user.

Giveaway ends Sunday, March 16th.

 

The Winner is:

Maggie!

maggie said...

Carla, I am just gob-stopped over your can-can quilt. It is so clever, and original. Wow!
I am so glad to read that you are keeping this one. Well done,
cheers
maggie

 

 

 



Peace and Harmony Pattern

The pattern is ready. I've posted it on Craftsy and if you would like to have Peace and Harmony in your life, it is free for the taking. The pattern to the quilt, that is. The pattern is HERE.

A quilt cloned

Source: Peace and Harmony Quilt via Carlotta Jean on Craftsy

 

 If the link does not work, give it a few more hours.  I just put it on the website. 

I plan to have Peas and Hominy available soon, also.  (these things take time)..lol

 

It is time to announce a winner from the "Let's Twist to the 60's with Batiks" Blog hop.  Mr. Random chose Julie. 

 

Julie said...

I love your quilt... those bright colors are great !!!!!

October 1, 2013 at 3:40 AM

 

 

I just sent you an e-mail Julie.  Congratulations. 

 

This is what Julie won:

 

Everyone is a winner today.
Go get your FREE pattern,

Peace and Harmony

It's so exciting to post "Peace and Harmony."  This quilt was created for the "Let's Twist to the 60's with Batiks" blog hop. 



Peace and Harmony Quilt

 Welcome to my stop on this magical mystery tour. There have been some trippin' projects in this hop and it has been my favorite hop to participate in, so far.  Color is my THING!!  Batiks are a favorite of mine and I was born in the 60s, so this hop just seemed to click with me.    Madame Samm created this hop and Mary put the organization to it and I want to thank them.

Peace Sign Free Motion Quilting

I've always been a fan of the artwork on the Grateful Dead albums and used that as my inspiration for this quilt.  It's kind of tie dye meets pixels in batiks.  I think of it as color harmony in a twist.  I will work up the pattern and share it later. It's 72" x 90" double bed size.  Update:  THE PATTERN IS NOW AVAILABLE AT CRAFTSY.

The quilting is at least a million a lot of peace signs free motioned in a mixture of sizes on my Janome 6600.  This is the first time I used different thread on the front than the back.  The thread on front is variegated cotton and the back is white poly. 

A look at the back

Once I figured out the tension, it worked like a charm.  I never realized the difference having a pieced back would make.  The white fabric needed a little less tension than the peace sign fabric.  I had to change my tension in the middle of stitching some of the peace signs to keep the threads from showing.



Love, Peace, and Daisy Hill Forever Jayhawk in Lawrence Kansas



This quilt traveled with me to northeast Kansas (5 hours) and had it's picture taken with a Jayhawk in Lawrence, Kansas.  My son was the photographer and posed the quilt.  I'm not really a Kansas University Jayhawk fan (unless it's basketball season), but it was a perfect shot.  Thank you, Randy!

 

Thats not all, of course.  My twist on words... a batik project called "Peas and Hominy."  You can never have enough Pot Holders, right?  I'm pretty sure pot holders were used in the 60s.



Peas and Hominy

Another twist - not the dance - I tried my hand at dyeing my own batik fabric and made a little coin purse from a 1960's pattern.  I adorned it with a button and a charm I found at Hobby Lobby.

I will try making a batik again, but with a little more planning on the designs for the fabric and colors.  It was fun to give it a go, though.  I'll keep you posted on all the trials and errors...

Here are the other far out blogs participating today:

October 1

Gracie Oliver Arts

How ART You?

Creatin in the Sticks That's me.

Sew Peace to Peace

Meadowbrook

 

Please spread the love and visit them.

I'm so sad to see my days of listening to 60's music and watching 60's inspired movies come to an end.  I loved researching for inspiration and working with the beautiful fabrics.  In fact, I want you to have some 60's fun too.  How about a giveaway...

Just leave a comment and you have a chance to win these fat quarters of batik fabric and your very own peace charms.  If you are a follower you can leave me another comment saying you are.  That will give you 2 chances.  The winner will be announced by Monday October 7th.  Anyone can win, just make sure I can e-mail you...



Wishing you Peace, Harmony, and Love,

Linking up with:  Amada Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts 

 

 Leah at The Free Motion Quilting Project

Hexipop Swirl, My day in the "Be a Hexie Queen Blog Hop"

Today is my day to participate in "Be a Hexie Queen Blog Hop."  There has been great anticipation for this day.  Not only to show what I've completed, but to complete it.  It  has been a non-stop hexifest here at the cabin.

Welcome to my blog and thank you to Madame Samm and Debby for making this blog hop happen. You are both incredible cheerleaders.  Thank you to our sponsor Connecting Threads.

With out further ado, I present Hexipop Swirl.  

Hexipop Swirl hanging out at the castle.

This 70 inches of wonderful hexiness is made of 331 English Paper Pieces.  I hand pieced every one and have the scars to prove it.  (See previous post)  lol.

 

I foundation paper pieced the center and worked out from there.

This is how the pattern came about - colored pencils and hexie graph paper from Printable Paper.  I decided to make the quilt hexigon shaped for some fun, but I was thinking of those great big lollipops when I was creating the pattern.

We have a little park here in Dodge City with fairy tale play things which include Cinderella's coach and a castle.  Since we are princesses and queens  in the hop I thought I'd do a photo shoot there.

I pieced the back to make it as colorful as the front.  Those 60 degree triangles almost threw me for a loop, but with help from hubby and his calculator, it worked out perfectly.  My binding is pieced to match each side.

I quilted using one of the decorative stitches from my machine.  It really worked well with the walking foot.  I swirled from the center to the outer edges.  (That's not real clear, is it?) If you click on the pictures, you will see a larger picture which shows the details.

Wait, that's not all, believe it or not.  I managed one more hexie project, but this one is ALL by machine.  giggle, giggle.  This picture shows the vibrancy of the colors on the quilt.

This quilt is a gift to my niece, Maylie, so I made her a 12 x 22 inch pillow to match.    The flower petals are two sided and made to flap around. 

 

Maylie had her very first day of school this week and I bet she'll be ready to snuggle with her new quilt for a nap.  She will love the bright colors and she is so stylish that a Hexie quilt is perfect for her. (Yep, I'm a proud aunt)

Thank you for stopping by.  Please visit the other Hexie Princesses that are posting today.


Day 6: Tuesday, August 27

We Shall Sew

Life@RuffHaven

Pieced Brain

Den Syende Himmel

Creatin’ in the Sticks (you are here)

Meadowbrook

Sandra Kaye Designs

Let’s Patch it Up

Sew Many Yarns

Around the Homestead

Sew Mollie Sue, Quilt Much? 

 

 

 

 

I love Hexies and plan on making many more hexilicious projects soon. 

Linking up with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Norma Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts.

 

 

Happy Birthday to my sweet daughter.  I love you! 

 

 

Cardinal Inspiration and a Great Picture at My Backdoor

It's been 16 days since his arrival.  I haven't needed an alarm clock.  Mr. Cardinal has been tapping at my sliding glass door at first light until the sun goes down.  He sees his reflection and is fighting with that bird in the window. 



Cardinal in my window

I was thinking about covering the door with a sheet to hide his reflection, but I have grown a little attached.  He is quite entertaining, except for the poop.  This morning it occurred to me that I had a little cardinal fabric in my stash and I should create something in my cardinal's honor.

I made a pillow using Postcard Garden fabrics from Red Rooster Fabrics that I picked up on the 520 mile quilt shop hop I went on back in April.

 

It's a 14" cushion with the cardinal postcard and a 4 patch appliqued onto the brown fabric with blanket stitching.  The quilting is straight line and I made my own piping for the edge.

 

I spent the rest of today trying to get the perfect picture of my pillow and the Cardinal.  He actually came over to it....

 

 

And then...

 

 

 

I think I'll see how long he stays.  I'm becoming quite the bird watcher. 

 

Have a great weekend,