here is to 2012

Where did 2011 go?
I had high hopes for this year, I thought it was the year that I would finally finish everything I ever started. Well, not so much :)
In April, all things came crushing down. I lost my relationship, the home and tons of friends we had shared. But in return, I made new friends, I got to know myself better (turns out I am pretty chaotic), and I am now happy.
I hope that 2012 will be the year that I finally finish school and I hope that it will be the year where I will have a lot of fun but other then that, there are no goals for next year. Well, other then finally getting the fabric scrap situation under control :)

So, I would like to thank you for this past year and I would like to thank my family (whoever is reading :) ) and my friends for their support.
And speaking of support, I will leave you with these pictures of the quilt that the A-Team sent to me. It was made for me (eek! just for me!) in May before I even settled into my new room and due to some postal errors it arrived just a few days before christmas! Could not think of a more perfect timing and more perfect present! Thank you!


Here is to a great new year!
Johanna

Accuquilt Drunkard's Path Tutorial

So, you have seen what you can do with the Drunkard's Path Die from Accuquilt:


Want to see what I made? Well, here you go:

To make this simple baby quilt all you need is:
a charm pack of colourful fabric (32 charms)
a charm pack of white fabric (32 charms)
fabric for the border
fabric for the backing
fabric for the binding
Lay your charms on the Drunkard's Path Die for the Go! Baby Cutter. Not at once but 6 pieces at a time :)

Roll them through and combine a white and a colorful half of the form the die just cut.

Put the edges together and under your sewing machine with the outer shape on top. Now sew along that round edge, making sure not to distort the shapes too much (a bit of pulling to get it through and make sure everything fits is normal).

When you are at half of the shape, the little notches cut by the die should perfectly overlap. If they do, go ahead and finish that block. If they don't then stop and start from the beginning.

Now iron with the seam allowances to one side and cut to your desired size.

Sew all of the other shapes together the same way and lay out your design.

Mine looks like this:

There are other examples here at the Drunkard's Path QAL hosted by Kristie. She also has wonderful instructions on how to sew the blocks together if mine weren't clear enough.


Now sew those blocks together the way you layed them out and make the border. I simply put on a white border first, then a small (2 inches) yellow border and then a white border again.

Back, quilt and bind your quilt.
You are done!
Happy sewing!
Johanna

PS: and more pictures of the finished quilt:

Accuquilt Go! Baby Cutter Review

A few months ago, the lovely people from Accuquilt sent me one of their Go! Baby Cutters so I could test it. I am happy to say that I tested it thoroughly and I have now a very very well-founded opinion of it :)

So if you want to get one of these for christmas, here are a few things you should think about:

What do you want to do with it?
I am the kind of quilter that likes trying out new things. A lot! So while technically the Go! Cutter is not made for me, it makes it easier for me to revisit certain designs that I normally wouldn't. Like the Drunkard's Path design. If I were to cut it all by hand, I wouldn't even have tried once to make one. The Go! Cutter did it for me and I am so proud of what I put together with it. But! I still won't do that Drunkard's Path design too often, even without having to cut all the fabric.
What kind of design and therefore what size should each block be?
I have to warn you: I thought the Go! Baby would produce blocks that were bigger. I know they tell you the exact size on the website but I still was amazed how tiny the Drunkard's Path design was. And yes, that design is not made for beginners (small curves!) and I knew it.

Still, if I wanted to buy one, I would probably take the normal Go! Cutter because then I would know that ALL the dies fit.


Why do you want it?
Is there one design that you are doing over and over again and you are tired of cutting? Then please, go ahead and buy the Go! Baby Cutter. You want to try out new designs and are buying it - just in case and because it is on sale? Well, that's still your choice :)

What do you expect?
Are you expecting a miracle machine and that you will never have to use your scissores again? Please don't! Sometimes some threads of the fabric on the die will not get cut and you will have to use your scissors to free them. And you can't just put down your fabric without trimming it to size or else you will have too much waste. And please iron your fabric before putting it on the die or else you will not cut correctly.


This might be my German "Don't expect too much" attitude but if you take these points into consideration you won't be disappointed and get to love your machine as much as I do because it saves you so much time and energy otherwise spend on cutting.

What dies to buy?
I based my decision on the following thoughts: Will I use it frequently? I got the circles and equilateral triangles. I used the triangles and created a bee block and then never went back because they were just too small and I got tired of that much sewing. But I might just be too lazy for it...
The circles are the best thing I ever got because I love circles and the sizes are just perfect! I use the die a lot and will be doing a tutorial on one of my christmas gifts done with them later. I should have probably gotten one of the square dies or the hexagon one, too, and started a hand sewing project :)
The Drunkard's Path design was something different. I love the design and what I can do with just that die. Just take a look at the different designs done with it here at the drunkard's path QAL group, isn't it wonderful!


I would just never cut out all those tiny parts and the Go! Cutter helps tremendously. A tutorial on that will follow, too :) If you love applique but don't want to cut out all those shapes then please get one. I imagine it saves so much time on cutting that the investment is well worth it.

Overall
If you know all those facts and still want to get one, then please get a Go! Cutter. It can save a lot of time and if you are a quilter that does the exact same design over and over again, I would say it is mandatory to get one. But I encourage you to try it out before purchasing - maybe at a friends or a local quilt shop and seeing the dies before purchasing.

Would I purchase one for myself?
Probably not, but I would want to get one for christmas. This time the Go! Cutter so I could chose among more dies :)

Hope you are not under too much stress to get ready for christmas!
Johanna

PS: a disclaimer at the end: while Accuquilt sent me the Go! Baby Cutter, I was also granted that I could write anything I wanted. This post is my honest opinion and any questions you might have will be answered truthfully.

Tricolore Quilt

I have been wanting to post about this quilt for months. That's how long it has been here. Just a few days ago I got around to put it into my shop, you can find it here.



It was made with the remnants I had left after making the diamond quilt for Spring Market using Amanda's Sugar&Spice collection. Wow, that really was a long time ago! Anyway, I simply cut out triangles and put them together. And I was surprised to see that I still love the combination of aqua and blue.


Hope you are having a lovely weekend!
Johanna