TGIFF: Halloween Table Runner Sew Along

October 30, 2015October 30, 2015 / Katie V. / 7 Comments

There is nothing like the satisfaction of a finished product!

This week we completed our month long Sew Along project and our table runners couldn’t have come out looking more different and more adorable than they did!

We had a nice chat last night on our podcast about what we enjoyed and what we didn’t, what we would leave as is and what we would change.

Overall, we loved our runners and how they turned out. Only a few small changes would be made.

Katie’s Binding

For me, my binding technique still needs to be refined. I’m not 100% happy with the way it came out so I feel that this is a skill I still need to improve upon even though I’ve bound multiple projects.

Dori experimented with the roll over binding from the backing and even played with a different styled stitch. It really gives the finished look a nice touch!

Dori’s Binding

Dori and both agree that appliqué is the shizz!! While Dori loves her pumpkins, she learned a few other techniques that she wants to incorporate in her next appliqué project. She’s even talking about hand stitching our appliquéd pieces. I’m good with the outcome and just need to continue practicing.

Dori’s Pumpkins

Katie’s Pumpkin

As for our free motion quilting… WELL… That’s a whole different story. While I like my end result, I know for certain I can use a lot of practice. I need to learn to BREATHE through my free motion quilting as I tend to hold my breath. And Dori also felt that her free motion needs some practice.

We both had the similar thought it wouldn’t be so difficult and yet when we got going, we both realized that it was tougher than we expected. What we both took away from this project is that we want to work on our free motion quilting because it’s definitely a technique that we like but need some major work on!

Katie’s FM Webs

More FM Webs

We both used a fabric pencil to draw in the straight lines and a few of the strains between but found that it was easier to just go with it after awhile instead of spending time drawing in every single line.

Dori’s FM Web

We both had a problem with nesting threads on the back of our runners though we tried different techniques. I know we need to tack down our quilting but my machine didn’t want to corporate with me and make it neat. So I have clusters of thread knots along the edges of my backing.

Katie’s Nests

Katie’s Finished Product

In the end we have a finished product ready to be placed out for everyone to see for Halloween! It’s been a learning experience but we got a lot out of it.

Doris Finished Product

Check out our side bar for all the great sites we link up with weekly. Today this post is linked to Crazy Mom Quilts, TGIFF at Faith and Fabric, A Quilted Passion, and over at Richard and Tanya Quilts.

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TGIFF: The Music Quilt Is Done!

October 9, 2015October 9, 2015 / DoriCrafts / 18 Comments

I did it! Whoo hoo! The Music Quilt is finished and ready to be a birthday present for my youngest!

I began with a layer cake called “All Amped Up” that I got from Missouri Quilt Company. The pattern I used was from MQC’s YouTube video Double Slice Layer Cake Quilt Tutorial. This was so much fun, I’ve ordered the same layer cake to make this quilt for my hubby!

The rows almost finished and up on my design wall. Yay!

I love the backing fabric!
When it came time to actually quilt, I froze a bit. This was my first time, and I was intimidated. The hubs came to the rescue, both by inspiring me, and mapping out a simple diagonal straight stitch pattern that I could do with some confidence. He even marked the whole thing!

Fighting the bulk of the quilt was my greatest challenge, but I got it done in one day. Here’s the final result and it’s label!

I originally chose a different fabric for the binding, but found it easier to trim the backing and wrap it around to the front. Katie found a tutorial about this process to help me along called Quilt Binding Without Binding.

Check out our side bar for all the great sites we link up with weekly. Today this post is linked to Crazy Mom Quilts, TGIFF at Quilt Matters, A Quilter Passion, and over at Richard and Tanya Quilts.

Thanks for all of your support and love my friends! Have a wonderful weekend!

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Hobbies Up To Here Episode #15

September 25, 2015September 25, 2015 / Katie V. / Leave a comment

Hey Hobbyists and Crafters! It’s time for another episode of our podcast!!

We talk about our process and journey along the road to a finished product. With each step we take, we learn something new and get closer to being better crafters. Even mistakes are welcomed as we always learn something from them!

This week we have a finished quilt!

And lots of new things to share!

I’m testing out Periscope as a way to reach new audiences who are also into crafting and creating. If you want to see what I’m sharing, follow me @Kekibird

My mom is working on a new table runner for Christmas using some border fabric and a triangular ruler.

She’s still deciding on the quilting design she wants to go with but so far it’s looking great!

We can’t seem to get enough of quilting so as we finish one project, we start another! Together we’re going to take a table runner for Halloween using our Haunted Mansion charm pack from Moda.

My mom is also going to attempt to make a maxi skirt! Plush next square in her Spring Bouquet quilt has arrived and she’s ready to get it started!

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TGIFF: Playful Colors Quilt Done!

September 25, 2015 / Katie V. / 2 Comments

I started this quilt some time ago in 2014. It was a a random sewing project I just started on a boring afternoon to keep busy.

It was bright and cheerful and was making me happy just piecing the fabrics together. All the bright pops of color against the random browns and mellow greens. I didn’t know what I would end up doing with this blanket, but went with it!

As of this week, I finished! I put the last stitch into the binding Wednesday night and I couldn’t have been happier. The whole project came together beautifully and it’s such a happy quilt.

Then I took a risk and washed it. I ran it through a delicate cold wash and dried it on low just to give it some freshness. What came out of my machine is a cozy and sweet blanket that I can see myself cuddling up under when the weather turns cooler.

I love the quilted squares, they really have a rough feeling that gives the blanket texture.

It comes out as almost a perfect square and a bit smaller than a full sized quilt. It’s not quite a lap quilt so it falls somewhere in between.

The sashing also worked as my binding and I think it ties everything together so well. I didn’t love my job on the binding, I definitely think I can improve upon my hand sewing techniques. It’s definitely on my list of things to work on!

I admitted to my mom that wrapped the blanket up and taking pictures of the binding is my FAVORITE shot to take on a finished product. I can’t say why! But there is something satisfying to see my work all wrapped up and layered in such a way!

Check out our side bar for all the great sites we link up with weekly. Today this post is linked to Crazy Mom Quilts, TGIFF at Simply Pieced, and over at Richard and Tanya Quilts.

TGIFF: The Spring Bouquet Appliqué

September 18, 2015 / Katie V. / 12 Comments

I’m pretty proud of my mom. Ever since I brought her on here at Hobbies Up To Here, she’s taken off running without looking back. She’s stepped out of her comfort zone and tried so many new crafty things. Not only is she trying new things but she’s also doing them very well. Her progress has been impressive and she’s learning new lessons daily.

This week she finished her first appliqué square. She picked up her Spring Bouquet kit from Laundry Basket Quilts and knocked it out of the park with style. My dad helped, our course. He helped her built her light table and then even went so far as to help attach the appliqué pieces.

They worked together as a team to set up the square and then my mom sewed the whole thing together using her new machine.

Using an invisible monofilament thread up top and a matching cotton thread on the bottom, she sewed down each piece creating an exquisite spring picture with birds and flowers.

Enough of my chatting, check out the picture below to see what I’m fussing about! Really, words don’t do it justice and neither do the pictures. They barely capture the beauty and precision in which she sewed this square together. I can’t wait to see the rest of her quilt come together!

A pretty birdy!

The whole square.

So much color and texture in those fabrics.

Look at those perfect stitches!

Super proud of you mom!!!

Check out our side bar to visit some of our favorite linkups. This week we are linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts, TGIFF at What A Hoot!, and Link a Finish Friday with Richard and Tanya.

TGIFF: QAYG Easy Diamonds

July 17, 2015July 20, 2015 / DoriCrafts / 11 Comments

Whew! It’s finished! I’ve enjoyed this process so much, and I’m really pleased with the final result. I began with a Fun & Done Easy Diamonds Quilt pattern in the crib size. A friend of mine was due any minute, and I wanted to present her with a gift filled with love and one that could be used until it fell apart.

I chose fabrics that were bright and comforting at the same time. I pre-washed the fabrics to make sure they wouldn’t bleed into one another, first folding each one in an accordion like fashion, then using my quilting pins to hold them together so they wouldn’t get twisted in the machine. I ironed and starched the fabrics before cutting them into strips so it would be easier and more accurate to cut and sew. I even double starched the triangles so strengthen the bias side lol!

Using a tool called the “batting buddy”, I then cut out all of the backing and batting squares. After I organized all of the strips and backing and batting piles, I was ready to sew! I loved how the sashing and binding were all figured into the squares. I used a feather stitch to sew down both my sashing and binding.

The backing (wrong side up), batting and the strips sewed directly onto the sandwich.

The squares sewn wrong sides together to create the beginning of the sashing. After sewing the sashing, the rows will be sewn together in the same manner.

Opening the sashing.

After the sashing is pressed open, each side is folded over to the edge of the batting, then folded again over the strips, then sewn down.

The binding is created in the same way as the sashing. You can see the sashing sewn down with a feather stitch.

This is the finished quilt…

Have an amazing, creative and FUN weekend everyone!

DoriSignature

Crazy Mom Quilts

TGIFF: 4th of July Table Runner

July 3, 2015July 3, 2015 / Katie V. / 4 Comments

Last week I started a table runner for my in-laws to celebrate their annual 4th of July BBQ. I’ve been going to these BBQ’s for five years now so I wanted to thank them for inviting and including me for so many years.

It was apart of the Southern California Quilter’s Run we participated in last week. I picked up this kit to go along with the block pattern we received for free. I really like how it turned out, all these different blues and reds and whites. Very patriotic without being overdone.
I learned a lot with this project. I hand stitched the binding and it comes out SO CLEAN and neat! I’ll be doing that again!

I also used starch to help with my fabrics. They lay so nicely and are so much easier to sew with, it’s a step worth taking from now on.
My corners need some work. They came out too loose and that because I didn’t sew down from the edge when I turned to attach the binding to the other side. I started down about a quarter of an inch and that left a gap. Not how I wanted it but I’ve learned for the next one.

This is my first free motion quilted project. I’ve never had a machine that allowed me to do this and I loved it!! And I feel in love with multicolored thread. It really ties the colors of the runner together in both the fabric and colors.

I can’t wait to make my next runner!

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TGIFF: The CIRCA 1934 Top

May 15, 2015May 14, 2015 / Katie V. / 4 Comments

First I started out with this….

Which quickly became this….

That slowly turned into eight of these….

And then ended as this…

TA-DA!

I’m super proud of my work this week. I’ve taken my time to cut, sew and press the top to my CIRCA 1934 quilt and now have this beautiful top to work with.

Now I’m thinking it’s a me thing but some of my rows didn’t line up perfectly so now to debate whether or not to trim the edges to a more uniform size and shape.

I still have border colors to choose even though I think I’m going to go with that beautiful red as my backing.

YAY!

Now to get batting and the backing/borders done so I can quilt!

This will be my first attempt at free-motion quilting now that I have my new machine.

Oooohhhh, so many possibilities.

TGIFF: Old Yeller

March 27, 2015March 28, 2015 / Katie V. / 6 Comments

12 years ago I bought a fat quarter set. It was bright, obnoxious and I had NO clue what to do with it.

12 years ago I brought home this fat quarter set and decided to make something with it. Using a book, I sewed and cut and pieced and made a few squares of mismatched colors.

It was a mess. But I loved it anyway.

Then, I put it away with all my quilting things and forgot about it.

That was 12 years ago. And last night, I officially finished it.

This little project was probably my longest lasting UFO (unfinished object) and I really didn’t know what I was doing when I started it. Most of the blocks are crooked or wrongly pieced together. Even so, it’s got a sweet spot in my heart as my first attempt to piece a quilt together.

To me it’s beautiful and bright. It signifies for me my humble beginnings and also shows me where I need to improve and also how far I’ve come. It’s small so it’s not going on a bed nor will it be used as a blanket but I hope to hang it from my wall as a simple reminder of what I can do.

Now for pictures. I realized that I wanted this one done SO BAD that I didn’t take the time to really slow down and do things right. My binding is atrocious! So look away!

My big take away from this whole process is I need to learn how to bind. I mean, I know how to do it, but I think I need to learn over again. I’m not doing a good job of it and I could definitely use some tips and improvement there. In the past I’ve been proud of my mitered corners but I won’t be flaunting them today. They are just awful and I’m not sure what I did wrong but it’s definitely something I acknowledge as a weakness in my sewing and something that needs to be improved.

Yikes! As you can see, some MAJOR improvement is needed in the binding department. It’s very inconsistent and that bugs me… A LOT!

Even with all it’s flaws I still love it. It’s been nicknamed the Old Yeller project because it’s a hot mess and should have been put down instead of completed, or at least that’s what my husband thinks! He saw this “thing” while I was finishing it up last week and after I had pointed out all my mistakes, he asked me why I was still working on it. When I explained that I just needed to finish it he said to me that not everything needs to be completed. Some things I can “old yeller” and put down. HAHA! What a ham…

Here is my little man all ready for school this morning. He did his own hair and dressed himself all nice with a collared shirt because he’s getting an award. We don’t know for what so I’m excited to see what he receives today.

He very nicely modeled my finished project before taking off.

I adore that black and rainbow polka dotted fabric. I may need to do a whole project focused around just that.

Well I’m off to take a shower and get ready for the award ceremony. Here on the west coast it’s only 9:00am and I’ve walked the monster man to school, went on a 3.5 mile run and now this post is wrapping up. Feeling pretty accomplished so far!

After the awards ceremony, I’m heading over to my mom’s house to visit, make some body butter and also to record our very first crafty podcast. We don’t have a title yet but we’re hoping to create a reoccurring podcast about hobbies and crafts that I can post here!

TGIFF: Go Star Destroyers!

September 12, 2014September 12, 2014 / Katie V. / 2 Comments

Last weekend was our opening ceremonies for my son’s soccer season. We’re lucky, he’s got the same coach as he had his first season playing so we know it’ll be a good experience. He’s really gifted with the coaching.

This year I’ve signed up to be the co-team mom. A part of my job was to help build the team banner. We had to have it all done by September 6th so that we could parade it on opening day and enter it to be judged. I got lucky and my partner in crime was my perfect match. We worked really well together and made a great little banner that we’re both proud of!

Together we picked a design then delegated out the jobs. She set to cutting all the small items like the flaming soccer balls and stars.

I worked on sewing together the banner background. It’s the same material I used on my Peaceful Planet quilt. She saw it when during a visit to my place and instantly thought that would make a GREAT background. I did a simple zig zag stitch around the edge to make the pocket where the frame would slide into.

After a week of working separately, we came together at practice one night and decided on the layout. Once we had in mind what we wanted, we set to tacky gluing down all the bits and pieces. We got lucky, the day wasn’t very windy so we didn’t have to race against the weather to get everything laid out.

After practice, I took it home to do all the writing. Using puffy paint (Yay puffy paint!!) I wrote the coaches names and all the players numbers. My only disappointment here was that the numbers don’t stand out very clearly against the soccer balls. They are done in red but my lines weren’t thick enough. Had I thought about it, I would have drawn or traced some block numbers to make them a little thicker. I also added some sparkle to the flames.

At the next practice I brought the banner with me and we worked together to position the lettering for the team name. To balance it out, we framed the name with two soccer balls. Also, because lining things up would have taken more time than we had, we decided to scatter the letter in different directions. I think this worked out perfectly! With the wonky spacing and organization of the letters, you can’t tell if one is too high or too low. Instead it looks planned and kinda cooky! We liked it!

Opening day came and we were pretty proud to parade our banner out there in front of all the other coaches, players, and parents. Our parents couldn’t say enough nice things about the outcome. I think everyone was happily impressed with the overall look and feel. It was handmade but not messy and it came together so easily for us. Working together was awesome and definitely made the whole process easier and super enjoyable.

And, if my information is correct, we may have come in second place!!! We don’t have a confirmation on that yet but I should know by tomorrow after our first game!

Go Star Destroyers!!!

And while this isn’t a crafty finish or a physically tangible finish, today is my last day of work at my job. Seven years ago I took on a position at my family business to support my son and to help out my dad. This summer I made the decision to look into teaching in my district even though I hadn’t been in a classroom these past seven years.

Low and behold, I was offered a position and I start September 22nd. I’m excited, nervous, anxious and a little sad to see the end of my job with my family. Not everyone gets the chance to see their dad, siblings, a few uncles, and some cousins everyday, Monday through Friday. The notion that I won’t get to say good morning to my dad is heartbreaking but I’m so excited to teach again.

So today I finished my time at Nowell Steel to move on to bigger dreams.

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