Padded Mat

Minnie has finally started spending time out in the living room, lounging around as we go about our daily lives. To encourage her I put together this little mat. 

After the initial quality control inspection she finally settled in.

A little about the mat. I up-cycled it from some lovely natural linen curtains that my friend's mom was throwing away. They had an amazing detailed border that I highlighted by skipping the binding. The straight line quilting further emphasizes the borders. Here is a close up of the border detail and the natural grain in the fabric.

Disclaimer: I am no expert in cat psychology. There is no proven evidence that the cat is amused by my sewing shenanigans. I make these items more to amuse myself.

On another note this is the last week of the New Bloggers Blog Hop over at Plum and June. A big thank you to Beth for hosting this, it was a lot of fun. Last but not the least the list of bloggers for this week.

Vicki @ A Quilter's Mission

RobinSue @ RobinSue Quilts

Elisa Lea @ Lovelea Designs

Elizabeth @ In The Boon Docks

Jenny @ A Note To Follow Sew

Lorna @ Sew Fresh Quilts

Sonia @ Fabric & Flowers

Emily @ Sew E.T.

Em @ Sewing by Moonlight

Linking up to: Let's Get Acquainted, Fabric Tuesday

Iron Caddy

A few weeks back we had much fun at our quilt guild sewcial. After a whole day of sewing and ironing when came time to pack up I was faced with the task of driving home with a relatively hot iron. I did not unplug it in time for it to cool down. I was unprepared for this. All the way home I was one distracted driver trying to ensure the iron does not trip over onto the rubber floor mats in the car. I definitely needed a solution to this problem.

Jessica our guild president mentioned that she had seen a pattern for an iron caddy that doubled up as a ironing pad too. As soon as I got home I Google'd it and viola, found this. 

The iron fits in it perfectly. I made it a little larger than the suggested size in case I get a new iron in the near future which may be bigger in size. No harm being forward thinking. :)

It's got sturdy handles for easy carrying. The pattern called for a 1/4th inch wide elastic for the closure, I used a matching hair elastic instead.

The inside of the caddy is made with a heat resistant ironing board fabric and has a layer of Insul-Brite insulated padding and two layers of Warm & Natural cotton batting. So its plenty insulated and can double up as an ironing pad.

For the outer cover I used a lovely home dec fabric I had laying around. The yellow polka dot piping frames it nicely.

Now I am all set for the next sewing retreat. Bring it on!

Also this week for the Let's Get Acquainted blog hop over at Plum and June be sure to check out these amazing bloggers:

Karen @ Little Birdie Quilting Studio

Kathy @ Kwilty Pleasures

Katie @ Snuggle Up With A Dish From Karma 

Alison @ Making Happyness

Ella and Nesta @ Ella & Nesta's Little Room

Adrienne @ Chezzetcook Modern Quilts

Nicole @ Modern Handcraft

Aylin @ AyliN-Nilya

Kelsey and Amanda @ Everyday Fray

Linking upto: Finish it Friday, Plum & June

Of Y-Seams and Precise Piecing

At our last guild meeting, Liza-Prior Lucy taught us how to create the perfect Y-Seam. She was kind enough to cut up a bunch of very precise diamond pieces for us to practice with. I was so thrilled to have learnt something new that I could not wait to try it for myself. 

And viola - my tumbling blocks!

Tumbling block - front

Tumbling block - back

Not bad for a first timer. This is what is possible when you have a good teacher.

2013 Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop

Welcome to my blog for the 2013 Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop hosted over at Plum and June. Good to know all of you and hope you enjoy my blog as much as I have yours. A big thank you to Beth for hosting this blog hop. I have enjoyed it thoroughly.

A few things about me:

1)  When did you start quilting/who taught you?

I am a self taught quilter. I bought a sewing machine in 2011 because I thought it would be fun to sew small crafty items. Once I got the machine I started looking for DIY projects on the web and came across modern quilts. This was the very first quilt made with a jelly roll. It is based on the wedding quilt pattern available on the Purl Bee blog. I also took a beginner quilting class at my LQS which was a big help.

My very first quilt

These are a few of my favorite projects over a the last two years:

From L to R: 1. Kitchen Window Quilt 2. Hand Quilting 3. Needle Case 4. Flying Geese Quilt     5. Wonky Cross Quilt 6. Quilted Tote 7. Hot Pads 8. Small Dress 9. Sewing Machine Cover    10. EPP Cushion Cover

2)  Why did you start your blog?

Soon after I started quilting/sewing I realized I did not know anyone in person who sews or quilts but was aware that there was a huge online community out there. So not too feel too isolated in my hobby I started blogging and became a part of that community. 

3) What is the meaning of your blog's name?

Pretty much what it says. Stop wasting time and start sewing !!!!! :)

4)  What is your favorite type of project?

A quilting project is my favorite kind, especially improv piecing where I don't have to measure or worry about seams or points lining up correctly. Just sew as you please. My first improv quilt.

5)  Do you belong to or would you like to belong to bees, QALs, etc.?

Yes I am doing  a paper piecing QAL with Elizabeth Dackson of Don't Call Me Betsy and have also joined a quilting bee with my local quilt guild.

6) Have you attended or are you planning on attending any sewing get togethers like Sewing Summit, Quiltcon, etc. ?

I normally attend workshops and sewcials organized by my local quilt guild which are a lot of fun. It's a lot nicer interacting with people you can meet face to face on a regular basis.

7)  Do you belong to a local guild?

Yes I am an active member of Central New Jersey MQG. It is made up of some amazing quilters who are far beyond my own skill level. I find them a huge source of inspiration and have learnt a great deal from them.

 
8)  What are you working on now?

A few WIPs and UFOs in my pile:

9)  What type of sewing machine do you use?

I use a Bernina 440 QE home sewing machine and absolutely love it. More here if you're interested.

10) What is your favorite/least favorite part of sewing/quilting?

Favorite would be picking out fabric and designing, least favorite would definitely be ironing.

11)  What is your favorite/least favorite part of blogging?

Favorite part is meeting new friends and like minded people, least favorite would be editing my photos.

12)  What other hobbies do you have?

Reading, hiking and traveling.

A few pictures from my recent travels:

Pingvellir, Iceland

Lake Tekapo, NZ

Kyiv, Ukraine

Bali, Indonesia

13)  What are your favorite quilting notions?

My favorite notion is the rotary cutter.

14)  Do you have any blogging or blog photography tips/tricks to share?

Staging an item for a photograph has a big visual impact. My very first staged photograph got me more hits than anything else I had posted before that.

17)  What other social media do you actively use?

I have an Instagram account but hardly use it. Blogging is what I actively do. I absolutely love Pinterest and can be occasionally found on Flickr and Craftsy.

Other fun blogs featured this week are:

Karen @ Karen, {Novice} Quilter

Anne @ PlayCrafts

Rachel @ Let's Begin Sewing... <<<<<<< You are here

Jan @ Sew And Sow Farm

Anna @ Quilting Along The Grain

Cath @ Wombat Quilts

Sarah @ {no} hats in the house
Christen @ Love by Hand
Julie @ 627handworks

Cat Bed

Never having owned a cat before, Minnie (that's what I named her) and I are getting accustomed to each other a little by little every day. She has gotten a lot more comfortable in her new surroundings than the day she arrived. She now hangs out in the open a lot more than before.

She loves to lounge on our bed and I thought it would be great to make her, her own bed. Any opportunity to do some sewing ;)

I picked up a square wicker basket and a foam pad that surprisingly fit perfectly in it. Made a zippered cover for the pad and within no time she had made it home.

I bought the canvas cotton fabric along with the basket and the foam pad from Hobby Lobby. Well I was going to use fabric from my stash and then noticed this lovely canvas at the store.

Zippered opening, which will be handy when the cover needs a wash.

As usual I bound all the exposed seams on the inside. I have gotten a lot of use out of the bias  binding maker.

I am planning to put another basket like this in the living room to encourage her to spend more time outside than hide under the bed all day. Oh cats..dogs are so much easier :)

Linking up to: Needle and Thread Thursday 

Fruitful week

I got a lot of sewing done last week thanks to the four day weekend and the guild sewing retreat. I made eight more blocks for my sawtooth star quilt. I am more than half way through, cannot wait to get it done.

I also need to make a few baby quilts so cut up a stack of 5" charms from the bundle of 100% organic cotton fat quarter bundle of Mod Basics from Jay-Cyn I had bought eons ago.

Plan to make a bunch of HST's from these and generate different patterns from them.

Also the featured blogs for this week at 2013 New Bloggers Blog Hop hosted over at Plum & June are:

Christa @ Christa Quilts!

Alyce @ Wonderland By Alyce

Anna @ The Crooked Banana

Rachel @ Sew Happily Ever After 

Stephanie @ Quarter Incher

Shayla @ Sassafras Lane Designs

Caroline @ Carolines Craftiness

Lisa @ Hilltop House Creative Works

Be sure to visit them and check out their lovely blogs.

Linking upto: Let's Get Acquainted Monday Link Up