Finished My First ATC

Yesterday I worked all evening and only got two little Crazy Quilt ATC cards finished for trade. I hope that they will be acceptable.

This is my first efforts at this type of project. I think they turned out okay for a beginner. My little camera for some reason will not take good close up shots. Am pretty sure there is some setting I might could change, but have no clue what it would be. Now that the other computer is set up with a printer/scanner, I may try to scan them and see if I can get the little stitch detailing to show up any better.

Now, I guess I can see if anyone wants to trade with me. May need to work on my embroidery stitching a little more. I know I tried the bullion stitch on the bottom one. Do not like that stitch at all. But, there are a ton of them I can try on future projects. Speaking of which, learning stitches that is, ordered some new books and am looking forward to their arrival.

On another thread of thought, so to speak, one of my crazy quilt groups had a fairy tale round robin exchange. I had initially signed up for the swap, made my beginning blocks, created my story to pass around with it and all. Remember, I said that when I dive in, I really dive in. At any rate, had planned on being in 4 groups. Had it all planned how the four blocks would go together to make one wall hanging. Wrote up a story that the blocks represented and then divided that story so that only the part of the story that involved that block would be sent with it. Alas, that was the same time I was hired and started back to school so I ended up seeing really quick there would be no time for such things so asked to be dropped from the round robins. I was going through my box of projects and found two of my beginning blocks.


I see where I started to do a little embellishment on one of the blocks, even more impressive is that I actually remember what I was planning for those parts of it.
I was using a book for inspiration and stitch directions for the embellishment treatments, the book has disappeared, wrote more about that on my other blog, have ordered a replacement for it, will be able to go back to work on this project when the book arrives. These "sea" blocks will be in the UFO box for a while any way, have plenty of other things to work on until then that take priority. Who knows, maybe some type of ocean or sea theme round robin will be started. I will be ready.

One of the groups is holding a "Food Fight" where we make a completed block representing our favorite dish, include the recipe and send it to the host who will then swap them out. This sounds like so much fun. Now to decide on a favorite dish. I have all these scraps of fabric with chili peppers and my mouth is watering at some of my favorite Tex Mex recipes. Must be the Texan in me. It really bites though that due to being sick nothing, I mean nothing, has any taste to it. Except that god awful cough medicine. Oh well, will be sure and post photos as that project develops.

Home Sick Again - More Sewing

I hate being sick for several reasons, but two really major ones. One, I hate feeling bad. So bad that I just can't do much of anything. The second reason is that being home and doing some crafting makes me really not want to be working. But, on payday, that is really nice to have my own check coming in.

So, with that being said, I got some more basic sewing done. These are hearts that I plan to embellish for trades.

I belong to a couple of different groups that trade these hearts, so am hoping to get back in to that. It is a lot of fun and you just trade one on one when ever you have some made up. Great thing about that is that you don't have to worry about time deadlines. Make them up as you have time, then post them as available. They have been great for me to learn new stitches or techniques on. There is an online magazine for crazy quilting, I can't find the link just now, but was looking at it this morning and it has the most awesome pineapple motif in it.

I have also finished a couple of more ATC projects. Will be working on embellishing them as well so can start trading them.

These are also the perfect size for practicing on. I am still very new at all of this, especially with the ATC projects, so will have to do a little more looking around to get more ideas on them, but it is a start.

Green Garden Round Robin

My first block in the Green Garden Round Robin arrived today. I am in the avocado group. If nothing else I will have learned to spell avocado correctly with out the use of spell check. As I said, Karen's beautiful block arrived today and tempting me to start adding all kinds of dressing to her. OH HOW I WANT TO START ALREADY. But, I am taking a few days to really think this out, before just jumping in there. We have a month to add our touches and send it to the next person, so have time to plan. I have an idea of what I want to do, but want to practice it on a bit on something to see how it will actually look. I will post before and after photos of course of each block I work on.

I am new to crazy quilting, having barely started my interest in it before starting a new job. I am going to use these swaps (especially the ATC and post cards) as a way of learning new techniques and stitches. I am so thrilled to be a member of group that is for newbies and with members that understand that some of us are just learning this beautiful craft. I have always been intrigued with the Victorian and pioneer eras in history. I am especially held captive by anything to do with the old west, pioneers that lived in a time where everything you had was produced at home, families lived close together, and God and family were first. I realize I have a romantic view of the past, in reality it was dirty, hungry, hard physical labor, type of life. But, I really think I should have lived back then. I would have made a great soiled dove.

I know, I am wondering off in a strange direction. I am tired and still sick, need to finish reading my emails, and then find something to get my mind off of what I want to work on. Just wanted to check in with a quick posting.

ATC - New For Me

Last night I was a little bored, so I pulled out some scraps and played around a bit. I felt like I hadn't sewn in years and some things were a bit rusty it seems. I have gotten the bug to make some ATC's for trading. If you are new like me, this stands for Artistic Trading Cards. I did a search on the internet, found millions of sites that were for rubber stamps or hand drawn art work. Not a lot working in fabric. These little cards are the same size as a business card. I did find some interesting sites for fabric post cards, which may be the next project, but will see how these go first. I want to do some crazy quilt ATC swaps, have already signed up for one group.

Okay, I know I will never be able to even come close to the beauties I found photos of, but I really had a lot of fun with what I started.
These are the very first attempts at making some ATC crazy quilt style cards. Just four of them for now, and just the basic card. I am thinking over what I am going to embroidery on them to embellish them. Not the greatest photos I know, but here are a couple of closer views.

Am anxious to dress them up, see what develops out of my strange little mind on to the fabric. And it can at times be a little, shall we say over the edge?

At any rate, the only down side to these little cards is the size. Makes it a challenge just sew up the base block. Prints that are not so large as to dwarf the entire block, small enough pieces that will actually show enough color to notice but not not take away from any focus fabric. I can see the same challenge with the embellishing. The balance and proportion will be key, don't want a chain stitch that takes up half the card, but want the stitch large enough to show up.

The positive sides is the size. Small enough to feel like you can scrap what doesn't work with out thoughts of wasting materials. Small enough to try out new techniques or stitches and still get the full effect as a result. Definitely a way to use up those scraps of fabric that are really too small to do anything with and my tightwad nature won't let me toss them. Yes, I predict there is going to be a pile of these babies knee deep before I am through. Well okay, ankle deep at any rate. I have to be careful, don't want to get so obsessed over them that I leave some on going projects unfinished.

Yes, I know, I hear it calling to me, but the baby blanket is yelling a little louder "please finish me up already" and I have a dress whose voice is even louder "IT'S BEEN ALMOST A YEAR, MAKE THE DARN BUTTONHOLES ALREADY SO YOU CAN WEAR US" right along with the shirt that is cut out "THESE PINS ARE GOING TO RUST INTO ME" and of course there are the combined voices of my blocks from various swaps that are constantly forming a choir to sing the songs of "Finish us too, we have waited so long".

No wonder I am going insane with all those voices constantly in my head.

That is all for now. The bath and bed are the voices being heard the clearest at the moment. Seems to be that a bath is the only way I can get warm since this blasted fog hit. I normally enjoy the fog, like I am being hidden away from the world. But that was when I didn't have to drive in it every morning to get to work. Now, it is cold, damp, and makes my bones weary and depressed. SO...off to warm in the bath tub, then to sleep, then to brighten my day with bright colors of everything I find made in to ATC and hearts for trading. Hope some one will want to trade when they are completed. Maybe even some post cards as well. Of course that will be after I finish the quilt, the dress, well that is the plan anyway.