WIP Wednesday: Rose Star Quilt

What's wrong with me? There's a nagging voice in my head that says "Make only giant quilllts." Then there's another voice that says "Beware of longterm projecccts." Clearly these two voices can't always reconcile. Sometimes I end up with wholecloth baby quilts that can be finished in an afternoon, and other times I end up with queen-sized English paper pieced giants heading into year two. Half of my brain loves the enormity of this project and the other is terrified by how long it's taking.

I started my Rose Star quilt in January 2012 during the Superbowl. Now I've got 23 blocks done! I got a few knocked out over the holidays :-) Now's the time to make a plan and come up with some concrete numbers so I know what I'm shooting for.

The "Make only giant quilts" voice says to "make a bed quilt with generous droppps and a pillow tuccck."Fine, fine, fine.

Queen mattress measurements: 60" x 80"

Add 13" drops & 16" pillow tuck: 86" x 109"

To end up with a quilt with those measurements, I need seven columns of 7 rose star blocks and 7 half stars to square off the rows.

That layout measures: 87" x 108"

Subtract 3.5% shrinkage: 84" x 104"

Taadaa! Close enough. Now for the really depressing part. I need a total of 49 blocks and 7 half blocks for this layout. Blurg. That means I need to make 26 more whole blocks and 7 half blocks. I took a photo of my current blocks in what I thought was the final perimeter arrangement this afternoon. When I looked at the numbers again after sunset, I realized that it needed to be pushed out again. Oops.

Just imagine that the red star and the 2 directly below it are pushed out to the left another position. I'll take this picture again in a few weeks when I've knocked out some more blocks. Am I the only one with conflicting voices in my head that drawing me equally to opposite types of quilt making? I'd love to know I'm not the only crazy quilter out there ;-)

Happy Crafting!

Claire

New Year, New Goals

Somehow January is almost over, so I better review my 2012 goals and set some new ones for 2013 pronto!

Reviewing My 2012 Goals: 

1) Find a permanent .com home for this little bloggy.
     - Done! I love being Sewing Over Pins, and I'm so grateful to Mr. Pins for helping me find a home on the web.

2) Make quilts from these patterns I'm crafting up and make the patterns available to everyone!
     - With one pattern for sale in the Craftsy shop, I'm pleased to have blazed a trail.

3) Sew up a couple of baby quilts for some new humans and ones that are on the way.
     - It's hard not to laugh out loud at this. Lots of sweet kiddos had birthdays in 2012, and I'm thrilled to say that quilts I made went home with at least half a dozen of them.

4) Finish this frustrating Storm at Sea quilt at some point. At least the top. I'd be thrilled to piece the top.
    - Blurg. This was a great disappointment of 2012. I was so grateful for everyone's support while I tried to figure out what to do. Ultimately, I decided to walk away from the project rather than try to unpick all of that sewing and re-use pieces where I'd already trimmed off the tips. The next time I try a Storm at Sea, I'll probably go with a paper pieced version.

5) Try not to repeat the mistakes of 2011.
     - Haha, well, I guess I did a fair enough job of that. I've done so much sewing over the last year, and I've picked up lots of new skills thanks to participating in Block of the Month series, hours of classes at Quilt Festival, and seeking out info and tutorials online. At the end of 2011, I couldn't have envisioned how much I would learn and how much sewing I would do over the course of 2012. While I would have loved to have done twice as much, I'm definitely not disappointed, just unrealistically ambitious sometimes ;-)

Here's a recap of some of my sewing in 2012!

It started off innocently enough making baby quilts and testing out my Cascading quilt pattern. By the time summer was fading, I was finishing up two donation quilts. The end of August signaled the beginning of Renegade Holiday Market preparation.

There were lots of smaller projects that kept me busy during the year. I took my first stab at zipper pouches, made a few iPad envelopes for Renegade, and did a little hand embroidery.

I enjoyed making all kinds of bags from my little BB travel purse, to Amy Butler's Everything Bag for toting my crafts, to metal frame clutches to sell at Renegade.

2013 Goals:
1) I'm going to get more quilt patterns put together this year!
     I'm working on a pattern for the Marine Den quilt right now, and I did a lot of work on the Empire quilt pattern while I was sewing for Renegade. I'd also love to share my template and tips for making metal frame purses.

2) Strike a balance between sewing and exercise.
     I was doing great through June, then I lost my way. The summer heat in Austin just gives me an excuse to slack off. By the time I started sewing for Renegade, exercise went completely by the wayside. I've done a great job of running this month, despite being under the weather. Alas, it's going to take more than three runs a week to get me where I want to be.

3) Keep my sewing space organized.
     I came home with lots stuff after Sewing Summit, and much of it never found a home. Somehow it's become acceptable for me to have a pile of stuff on the floor outside of The Clubhouse (aka my sewing space) for months. I'm over it. I'm going to do some decluttering and reorganizing to keep everything functional and tidy.

4) Finish my Summer Sampler Series quilt.
     We're already having 80 degree days in Austin this month. I'm sure we'll get another freeze before it's officially spring, but it's already too hot for the comforter most nights. I'm using flannel instead of batting in this quilt, and it would be great to use it as a cooler alternative in the coming months.

5) Finish the Rose Star Quilt.
     I need to decide how big I'm going to make this thing. Once I know what number I'm going for, I'm going to cut a bunch of blocks so I'm ready to sew whenever. This worked pretty well during the holidays, and I think it's the key to getting this quilt done. This project is already a year old, so it's time to wrap it up!

Happy Crafting in 2013!

Claire

Greetings 2013!

Not to worry, I escaped the Mayans' predictions along with everyone else. I definitely found myself overcommitted ever since the beginning of fall, but it's time to find some balance again. I can't wait to tell you about everything. 

Between trips to Denver, Salt Lake City, Houston, Shreveport, Kona, and Park City in that last five months, I don't think I've ever travelled so much. I worked hard to prepare for the Renegade Craft Fair and played hard shopping for fabric in Salt Lake City. There's been lots of quilts, purses, napkins, and rose star blocks plus a Marine Den pattern in the works. 2013 is going to be lots of fun!

Happy Crafting!

Claire