We're Becoming Minimalists!

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind!  We decided to move closer to Doug's work (Doug is my neat-o husband).  We found a house and are moving...like soon!

I've been in de-cultter-get-loan-docs-together-de-clutter-get-tax-paperwork-together-de-clutter mode.  

Did you see de-clutter in there? 

Yes.  It's true.  We are becoming minimalists.  Ok, that may be a stretch.  But, we are definitely SIMPLIFYING! 

When we moved into our current home over 5 years ago, I was so happy to be in an 1800 sq ft, 4 bedroom with a pool, single story home!  I vowed never to have more than 2 toilets or stairs to clean EVER AGAIN.  

So, when we found our new home, it was a bit tough to wrap my mind around 3 bedrooms in 1472 sq ft.  With....get this...a carport.  Yes, you read that right.  A carport.  A carport and a garage?  Nope.  Just a carport.  

OK!  I can do this.  We are no longer going to be keep-the-box people.  No sir.  Those boxes are all going into the recycle bin.  

3 bedrooms?  Yep.  The teenagers will be sharing a bedroom:  something they haven't done since they were youngsters.  One of them is less than thrilled with the upcoming arrangement (hint:  the clean one), but is staying positive.

I've been de-cluttering like a madwoman.  I am only keeping what I love or what I really need.  

As a sewist, getting rid of fabric and WIP (Works In Progress) can be tough.  But, I'm doing it.  

Here is the first sewing project to go.  

It is a chevron quilt top that I made and then didn't love.  But, luckily, I found someone who does love it! 

YAY!  I can't wait to see the finished product.

We are embarking on a new and simpler adventure.  I'll blog about it as I can.  I'm interested in how this will all turn out.  Hopefully you are, too.

Wish me luck!

xo,
Melissa

Value Added QAL {Quilt Top}

What a FUN project this has been!

I had been wanting to do a chevron quilt when I saw that Rachel at Stitched in Color was planning a quilt along (QAL) with Leila (Where the Orchids Grow), Amy (Badskirt), and Jolene (Blue Elephant Stitches).  I thought joining the QAL would be a great way to make that chevron quilt.  

I learned so much about value from these amazing quilters! 

Converting a color photo to black and white, I learned, is a great way to see value.  Isn't that cool?

 

Until making this quilt, I didn't give value a thought.  I would just choose fabrics that I loved - usually bright, bold (and relatively dark) fabrics.  The way I chose to study value in this quilt also involved a color study.   I wanted it to have a simple and clean look.

The inspiration for this quilt came when I saw a very bright and colorful Mexican serape blanket like this.   I wanted to do something similar using colors I loved and a chevron pattern.

Learning something new  in sewing (in this case making a chevron top) takes so much mental energy for me that I didn't want to have to also worry about numbers.  I just purchased the smallest cut of fabric my fabric store would cut and that determined the size of the quilt. I chose a dark in value patterned fabric then 3 solids in the same color but each differing in value for each color:  orange, green, blue, purple and pink.  

After using white in my last quilt and not really loving it (love the quilt, not the white), I knew I was going to use a natural linen to make the colors stand out.  Linen isn't soft and isn't that much fun to work with, but I absolutely adore the rustic and natural look next to the bright colors. 

I will set this quilt aside for a week or so while I work on some Christmas doll orders.  In the meantime, I'll decide how to finish the quilt.  I am trying to decide whether or not to add a linen border.  Do you think I should add a border or leave the top as is?  I'd love to hear your input.  

As always, the kids and I had fun taking quilt pics!  

Here they are throwing rocks in the desert:

 My quilt holder finding a good spot to stand:

 My totally-not-photo-shy 14 year old:

Thank you Rachel, Leila, Amy and Jolene for hosting this QAL!

The next value quilt I am going to make will focus more on value and less on color.  It is the second picture in this tutorial by Sew Katie Did.

The Zipper Won...

I started out making this cute little cosmetics pouch because my daughter wanted to make one.  I thought it would be easier for me to help her make it if I was making one also. 

(How cute is she??)

I have to confess that I am afraid of zippers.  I will almost always avoid any sewing project that involves zippers.  They freak me out.  This cosmetics pouch has a zipper...duh, duh, duh, duh......

It all started out fine.  I loved the look of the linen with the solid blues and purples.  My corners were matching up nicely.  

Surely I could conquer a 7 inch zipper, right?!?

Well, the zipper won.  

It didn't completely defeat me.  I finished the project.  I wish I felt a bit more victorious about that, but I am so bummed that zippers are STILL so difficult for me!  Grrr...

I still have to help my daughter finish her bag and I am SO not looking forward to it!  

Hmmm...maybe she'll just forget about it.  

Not likely.

Sooo...any zipper encouragement for me?  

Pretty please?  

Oh!  Here is a peek at my most recent project: