The Last Commission of 2017: Queen-Sized Diamonds

Hey y'all! I've got another 2017 finish to share and this one is a big one! As you guessed, this was a commission for a queen sized quilt. I know I said I wasn't making anymore big commissions, but this was a family friend and I promised her a quilt before the ban was made, so I didn't break any rules! Lol.

She loved the diamond baby quilt I had made back in the summer and requested colors to match her bedroom: rusty red, earthy greens and browns, golds, and just a smattering of turquoise. This palette was WAY out of my usual tastes, but I thought it came together to be lovely. :) The sashing is an off-white/cream. I quilted it with Aurifil in Dove color, which blended well I feel like. It has become a fast favorite of mine, I can see why everybody raves about it!

As you can see, this monster was nearly impossible to snap a picture of indoors! I wish I could have got better pictures of this one, but like the pixelated heart quilt I shared last time, time was of the essence. Also, it was frigid outside and there was no way I was venturing out and dragging quilt holders (aka - my parents) with me. The woman I made this quilt for sent me a picture of it on their bed not long after delivery, which made my heart sing! She absolutely adored it and it made me so happy!

To make up for the crummy pictures, I had to include outtakes of Elvis being...well, Elvis. Lol. He loves being nosey and checking out my projects!

Kite Flight: A Finished Quilt Top

Howdy y'all! I have excitement to share! I have my first finished quilt top of the new year! I wasn't able to get a picture of the entire thing since my camera wasn't agreeing with the lower light of the kitchen, but at least you get a sneak peek before it gets basted. :)

If you peruse Craftsy's sale section, you may recognize this quilt. A little after Thanksgiving, I was scrolling through admiring all the kits and fabric. I kept coming back to this one though! I'm not normally an all-solids kind of person, but this Kite Flight kit was calling my name! A stunning quilt and a killer price, a win-win in my book. And you know what? I bought it. With barely a second of hesitation even! :)

My very first jelly roll! Such scrumptious bits of Kona! :)

One of my New Year's goals was to treat myself and that's exactly what this was. I've worked on it for the sheer joy of working on it. No deadlines, no pressure. Just getting to play with Kona solids at my leisure. And I'll tell y'all, it has been...absolutely wonderful.

There were triangles everywhere! My Dad was quite amused that I was sewing fabric together, cutting it apart, then resewing it back together. :)

Despite this being a 'treat yo'self' purchase, I won't be keeping this quilt. You ever have those times when a quilt just whispers in your ear where it needs to go? This one did about halfway through piecing the top and, honestly, it really surprised me. It's going to go to somebody I hadn't talked to in a while - she was an RA for a summer nerd camp I went to during high school. I bumped into her at college on occasion and she was always a lovely, nice person. She's going through a tough time right now and I wanted to let her know, even though we aren't that close, I care and wish the best for her. I'm not very good with words, especially during times of distress, but I'm hoping this quilt will convey that sentiment to her. So after this one is finished up, it will be jetting across the country to Colorado! How exciting!

With 3 dogs in the house, this was what most of my outtakes looked like. I can't complain when they're just so darn cute! :)

In other news, I caved and joined Instagram! You can find me here or look up littleblackcatquilting!

New Beginnings

I've been silent in this space for a quite a while, but I assure you my life has been anything but quiet. A little more than a week before Thanksgiving, my life was completely flipped upside down. I'm not sure I could put it all into words if I tried.






My husband and I split up. Although it was my choice, I still mourn the loss of something I had so much faith in and put so much of myself into. I gave every ounce of myself in hopes of fixing things, but in the end, I was going to lose myself trying to keep a sinking ship afloat.


 I got to keep Elvis, but my husband took LBC with him when he left. I cried harder saying goodbye to that silly, wonderful cat than I did any other time. My sewing machine, The First Born, also went with him since it had belonged to his great grandmother. The two things that defined and drove my blog and creativity were gone in the span of a single night.
  

As silly as it sounds, this dog is my world. My ray of sunshine. My partner in crime. :) 

My life is in boxes right now, taking up way too much space in my parents' garage. They have been an absolute lifesaver during this entire ordeal and let Elvis and I come back home without a moment of hesitation. When it comes to parents, I really won the lottery with how good they are to me.

I've been making my way through those boxes, pulling out my sewing staples (scissors, rotary mat, pin cushion, etc.). I've managed to wrangle most things and get them in one bag together for easy access. I've been sewing more and more, finally getting used to setting up and breaking down my sewing area every night to leave the dining room table clear and uncluttered.


But this story isn't just a sad one. Despite the divorce, life gets better, things keep moving forward. Old friends that I had lost touch with are right by my side again. Family is keeping me busy and laughing more than I have in a long time. My pastor is helping me work through the things I am struggling with. And you, dear quilty friends, have been posting beautiful projects and WIP's and sharing your stash additions, all of which keep a quilty heart aflutter when times are hard. I may not comment as much as I want to at the moment, but I wholeheartedly appreciate this community I am so lucky to be a part of.  So in the wake of Thanksgiving, I am reassured that I have so much to be thankful for, even when life gets messy.

Hound dog cuddles are my absolute favorite! :)

I have several things to share and I'm hoping to get back on track with photographing and writing blog posts again! I've included a couple of pictures to show things I've made but likely won't write about.

Baby bibs! I sewed some as a commission, so those won't be shared until after they are gifted!

Memory wall hangings - the colored hearts are made from the clothes of my client's passed mother and father. I made one for each child. They're different, but at the same time, cohesive enough to be a matching set. :)

I'm planning to write a post on my new sewing machine as well, but I couldn't resist sharing a picture of the big, beautiful thing now! :)

We've been getting acquainted and I think it will be a long and happy friendship. More on her later though! :)

If you've made it this far, thank you for bearing with me! As many people say, When it rains, it pours. But I am determined to start dancing in the rain, friends, and I hope you'll join me. :)

'When Life Goes to Pieces, Make a Quilt': A Finish

I tossed it in the chair to get ready to label it and turn around to this!

Howdy y'all, I hope your weekend is treating you well. The rain stopped earlier this morning and the sun (and heat) came back with a vengeance afterwards. It didn't take long for things to dry up, letting me take some pictures of my most recent finish.

Texture x 10000000000!

You've seen these scrappy blocks before here and here. They were a part of Crazy Mom Quilts' Scrap Vortex Along (that link takes you to her quilt along page, and the scrap vortex one is at the bottom). I made some blocks in my spare time, but at the time, I didn't have enough scraps to make a full quilt of those blocks. And when I had enough scraps, I didn't actually want to take the time to make a full quilt of those blocks (yet!).

Scrappy happy blocks and rainbow thread. :)

Seeing those blocks laying on my shelf, I knew I had to do something! So I paired them with some lovely Kona Coal to make those colors really pop!

The quilting looks much better on the back than the front.

I had so much hope for the quilting, but it fell a bit flat in my eyes. I dreamed of spirals for weeks as this one slowly came together. I would sew a seam or two when I had the time, the quilt top slowly taking shape. But I could see the quilting so clearly. I think my fabric shifted some though, because things got a bit bunchy in places on the front. But I couldn't make myself rip it out, I was so far along. And, honestly, I couldn't have yet another disappointment. So I left it and just kept going, cringing as I did. I just prayed that the washer and dryer could work some magic and erase some of my quilting sins.

A lot of mistakes are hidden by those crinkles!

And it did! The worst is still there (lower left center area), but many of the little wrinkles and tucks were disguised by the lovely crinkle. Thank the Lord for Color Catchers, hot water, and high heat, am I right?

The happiest little quilt roll I've ever made. :)

I topped this one off with a scrappy binding. I actually made twice as much binding by accident (when you get on a roll cutting fabric, there's no stopping!), so some of my favorite prints didn't make it in. But oh, these little critters lined up perfectly and it might be my favorite part of the entire quilt.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS

And a label. From pretty early on, I intended to call this quilt 'Controlled Chaos' because those scrappy blocks are contained so well in the Kona. But life has a funny way of shifting ideas and perspectives. I won't bore y'all with the details, but for quite a while, it truly has felt like life has gone to pieces. And like the label says, I dig in and make quilts. Because if one thing can bring me happiness and joy, it is making a quilt, even if it is wonky! 

So for now, my heart is content and I'm going to cling to that for as long as I can. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday! I hope to be able to share another finish later this week, I'm just waiting for it to make its way to its new home first! :)

Faux Baby Cherries: A Finish!

Hello Beautiful!

Howdy y'all! I'm so very excited to share a finished quilt with you today! Thanks to a quilting angel, I was able to get some backing material to start finishing up the tops that I've made. It's amazing what a shopping trip for fabric can do for your quilting motivation! I came home ready to sew all the things! I scored a lovely gray on gray 108-inch wide print - thanks to coupons, I paid around $22 for 3 yards of it! I couldn't pass that up! Now I've got backings to hold me over for a while! :)

The sun dipped behind the trees just as I headed outside and led to the BEST light ever!

Anyway, back to the quilt! As I mentioned in a previous post, this was made from a charm pack (Marmalade by Bonnie and Camille) sent to me by a quilty friend and some leftovers from another quilt. I used the Charm Pack Cherry pattern from the Fat Quarter Shop, but I only had 1 charm pack instead of 2. These aren't normally my go-to kind of fabrics, but I absolutely loved how it turned out! :)

First time stippling = SUCCESS! :)

I ended up stippling it on the First Born since I hadn't quilted anything in ages. Also, it may be weird, but I had NEVER stippled anything before this quilt! I tried once when I first started out and it was just bad bad bad. But it seems all my doodling paid off because it was a breeze and I absolutely loved it!

Happy quilt roll!

I tracked down all the aqua bits of fabric leftover from my Miss Kate quilt and put together a scrumptious little scrappy binding. I was a bit uncertain at first about such a bright binding, but it's one of my favorite parts of the quilt!

Love that scallop fabric, but wish I had the brains to cut it the other direction! Grrr!

And of course a little label! I'm proud that (almost) everything I've made this year has had a label on it.

Hanging out on the fence, a signature quilt pose at this apartment. :)

You may think that something is different about my pictures today - and you would be right! My in-law's gave me their old camera, an upgrade from my old camera that broke and a definite upgrade from my phone! I'm hoping to improve my photography skills now that I have a dependable camera, as well as improve my editing skills. I even remembered to put a watermark thingy in the corner for once! Go me!!

Thanks for stopping by and reading! Hope y'all have a good weekend, happy sewing! :)

Look who greeted me at the door! No editing necessary on this handsome hound! :)

Little Black Cat and Elvis Check-In

Howdy guys, LBC and Elvis here! Just stopping by to check in for Mom! She's had a rough week and hasn't got to sew much, but when she did sew, lots of things kept going wrong. She's hoping to have a finish this week to share though, so we'll keep cheering her on to the finish! Have a great weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey guys, LBC here for Mom once again! Elvis and I just wanted to stop by and wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving! Mom doesn't have to work this year (YAY!), so we plan on having tons of fun today! Mom's also hoping that there are some good Black Friday sales online for fabric, she wants to get some new projects planned for the upcoming year. If you know of some fun deals, let her know in the comments so she can spend more time playing and less time searching! :)

Have a safe and happy holiday everybody!
Little Black Cat and Elvis

On the Design Wall: Orange Peels!

Howdy y'all, hope your Thursday is going well! I delivered Missed Punchline last week at my grandma and grandpa's 60th anniversary party. To my surprise, she absolutely loved it. :) She couldn't believe I was giving it to her and everybody was talking about how pretty/nice/etc. it was. She wrapped up in it when she got in the car to go home, so I say that it's a success!

After finishing Missed Punchline, I couldn't decide what to do next. I knew I should piece my backing for City Blocks, it's been sitting on the WIP pile for too long. But the onset of cold weather just made me want to curl up on the couch, not trek upstairs to the spare room where I keep my sewing machine. Passing through one day, I looked at my design wall and saw my Orange Peel blocks waiting patiently and decided to get my supplies out. I hadn't had an appointment in a while, so they've been sitting stagnant for a little while (here's the last time you saw them!).

I really need to consider a bigger design wall. Lol

So for the past week or so, I've been snuggling under my Supernova and stitching like crazy on orange peel blocks. I absolutely LOVE where these blocks are headed, it's such a fun design so far! Depending on the night, I've made anywhere from one to nine blocks in a night. I'm a slow hand stitcher, but I like to settle in nice and cozy and relax with it. I get to watch my favorite Youtubers and sew, what could be better? :)

Hope you guys have had a good week, we're almost to the weekend! A quick note: My camera broke before taking these pictures, so you may notice a change in the quality of my photos. I'm not sure when a replacement camera will make it into my hands, so please bear with me! And also, a mandatory picture of my favorite fur-boys. :)

Not quite best friends, but we can get close to each other without war breaking out. :)

Linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday!

I'm Back!!

Howdy y'all! So the sewing machine is back from the doctor today! YAY! I've been piddling with some hand sewing during my absence, but nothing worth sharing yet. Things have been exciting around here though despite a lack of quilty progress! If you've hung around this blog for a little while, you've probably gathered that our house is Mr. LBC and myself, along with LBC himself. A couple days after the sewing machine headed to the doctor, we had a new face join our family!

Hello world! My name's Elvis!

I work at a vet clinic and this fella came in as a recently adopted dog. He was nice to everybody, but he and I kicked it off right away. He spent about a week with the clinic before heading to his new home and, honestly, I was sad to see him go. But so is the life of a Vet Assistant! Imagine my surprise when I went into work a couple days later and he was there again! I thought something was wrong with him, but it turned out that the family's other dog didn't warm up to him like they wanted and they weren't willing to work on it more. So he was brought back to the clinic and put up for adoption again.

Sunning by the back door is the perfect time for a photo shoot!

Everybody assumed I would snatch him right up, but I didn't. My husband has been out of work so I was worried about being able to afford a dog, especially one of his size (50 pounds!). So I prayed about it. I just asked for a sign that he was meant to come home with us. And every financial obstacle that cropped up was taken care of somehow. So I took a leap of faith and brought him home.

LBC's face when he heard he was getting a new brother...and that his new brother was a dog!

It's been a major adjustment having Elvis with us, but Mr. LBC and I love him to death. LBC is still warming up to him, but at least he's not hissing and smacking the bejesus out of him anymore! Lol. I've been chasing him around like a toddler, trying to keep him from eating stray socks and couch cushions when we look away for a minute. In fact, I just grabbed a cotton swab out of his mouth right after I wrote that! Lol. 

I put my sewing machine through a few paces to finish quilting the quilt I was working on prior to the doctor's appointment and guys, the First Born is purring like a kitten! It's like a brand new machine and I'm in love all over again! :)

Glad to be back, I missed sewing and getting to talk with you guys! Happy Tuesday y'all! :)