Browsing Tag

finish along 2014

finishes

diamonds in the deep: a finish.

Posted on December 2, 2014
Improv Pillow by Kim Soper/Leland Ave Studios

Diamonds in the Deep

I am so excited and proud to share with you my finished orange-version of the Bonjour Quilts pattern Diamonds in the Deep. This quilt has taken up the better part of 2014, and it has been a huge learning experience for me. It was my first time working on a queen-sized quilt, my first time testing a pattern, my first time experimenting with value, and my first time collaborating with a long-arm quilter. And I can say, I am a better quilter for having been through the experience!

Diamonds in the Deep

I plan to elaborate on my experience working with a long-arm quilter in the future, but for now, I just want to emphasize how amazing Shelly Pagliai of Prairie Moon Quilts is to work with, and, as the pictures clearly show, how amazingly talented she is! I feel so lucky to have *met* her and to have had the stars align so that we could work together on this quilt. Shelly custom quilted the entire quilt using hand-guided free-motion. Each block is quilted with a total of five separate patterns, to complement and highlight the piecing.

Diamonds in the Deep

The binding on the quilt is Denyse Schmidt’s Voltage Dot in black, and the design of the fabric is echoed in the outermost layer of each block.

Diamonds in the Deep

I could not be happier with the end result. As hard as it was to make a quilt of this size, I also feel a queen-sized sense of accomplishment and pride for having tackled this challenge. So many hours and so much love went into the making of this quilt (both mine and Shelly’s!) — I think it’s the perfect embodiment of our efforts!

Diamonds in the DeepDiamonds in the DeepDiamonds in the DeepThanks for hanging out with me while I bask in the glory of this finish! I hope that everyone in the states had a wonderful holiday weekend!

Linking up (later this week) with Needle and Thread Thursday, Finish it Up Friday, and, as this is one of my Q4 Finish Along goals, The Littlest Thistle.

work in progress

Finish Along Q4 Goals

Posted on October 13, 2014
Diamonds in the Deep by Kim Soper/Leland Ave Studios

How did you do? Did you participate in the third quarter of The Littlest Thistle’s Finish Along? Did you complete all of your goals? I was right on track for finishing all of mine, when the quilting on my LIMOD sampler got the best of me. I spent this past weekend picking out rows of stitches, unbasting and re-basting the quilt sandwich together. Initially, there was some slight puckering on the back. And at first I thought I could live with it. So I kept going. And then my inner critic got the best of me. Is this the kind of work you want to have represent you? No. It was not. So, LIMOD is getting pushed into the Q4 finish goals, for sure. And without further ado, here’s my list:

1) LIMOD Sampler: it needs to be quilted and bound. I hope to have it finished by next weekend!

LIMOD Sampler

2) Diamonds in the Deep: this one is in a UPS box on it’s way to get quilted up by a long-arm quilter! I’m so excited I can’t WAIT! I have my fabric picked for the binding so that it is ready to go when it comes back to me! I hope to have it finished by the end of November!Diamonds in the Deep

3) The Oversized Fashionista Bag: this bag is an amalgamation of patterns in the Bag Making Bible by Lisa Lam. I’ve added interior pockets, hardware, and a lining. It’s almost to the point where it’s ready to be sewn together. Except, there are some tabs and a handle that I’m not sure the needle on my machine can get through. And, I’m a big chicken. After all the work, I’m afraid my execution of the end result will not live up to the idea in my head. It’s the first time I’ve ever sewn with wool and a silky rayon lining, so, it’s definitely got imperfections already. Which is why it sat in my closet for close to a year. . . it’s time to face the fabric.

Oversized Fashionista Bag

Oversized Fashionista Bag

4) Birds of a Feather: I have a whole new idea for how I want to approach this quilt. It involves some curves, which I’ve never tackled before. It may be a bit too ambitious given the holidays are coming. . . but we’ll see!

Getting an idea in my head

And, then of course there’s the other stuff that I’ll be working on that doesn’t qualify for the Q4 Finish Along. There’s the Gypsy Wife BOM, do. Good Stitches bee blocks, LIMOD blocks and LOTS of handmade gifts for the holidays!

Are you ready? Let’s finish strong, 2014!

I’m linking up with The Littlest Thistle! You should, too! Let’s do this together!

finishes

a finish. finally.

Posted on September 26, 2014
Scrappy Picnic Quilt kim soper/leland ave studios

Scrappy Picnic QuiltI can’t remember the last time I sewed a binding on a quilt. It’s been that long. I’ve been plugging away at tops, but have not had any finishes to report — until now! And this one has been a long time in the making! This quilt, the first I ever started, sat in the bottom of my linen closet for so long that it needed sunglasses when it came into the light.

Scrappy Picnic QuiltI didn’t even have much to do on it. I had to finish the quilting and put a binding on. That was it! But getting all of that fabric under the machine to finish up the chevron pattern had become such a chore as a brand new sewer, that I had given up. And I had built it up in my head for all of this time. But now that I have a few years of sewing under my belt, once I got back to it, I realized it really was not bad at all! And it feels like a tremendous burden has been lifted. . . isn’t that funny? You don’t realize that unfinished projects are causing mental stress until you finish them, and then you can let out a huge sigh of relief!

Scrappy Picnic QuiltThis quilt was made with all of my favorite fabrics at the time. There’s a good deal of AMH, some Amy Butler, Denyse Schmidt, and a couple of coordinating pieces from my mom’s stash. I had no idea how big the quilt was going to be when I started it. The chevrons are not exact. And I never would have picked the batik on the back. But I was just trying it to see if I liked quilting. Little did I know! Even without finishing it, this quilt would be the gateway to an addiction I never dreamed of! All I can say is, NO REGRETS!

Scrappy Picnic QuiltFinishing this quilt was one of my goals for the 2014 Finish Along, so I’ll be linking up with The Littlest Thistle and to TGIFF and Crazy Mom Quilts !

Have a great weekend everybody!Scrappy Picnic Quilt

work in progress

2014 finish along – the solution to my problem.

Posted on July 8, 2014
long island modern sampler by kim soper/leland ave studios

I was just lamenting yesterday about all of the unfinished works that I re-discovered languishing in closets and corners of various rooms around the house this past weekend. And then I got a heads up from Michelle (who heard from Audrey) that The Littlest Thistle was hosting a finish-along, which was just the motivation I needed to commit to finishing some of these works-in-progress. What’s funny, is that some of the projects are actually quite close to completion and for some reason never made it to the finish line. So in the words of Billy Eichner: Away. We. Go!

1) My First, But Not My Last, Quilt – A picnic quilt.

My First Quilt - still waiting for a finish

You guys! This is seriously the first quilt I ever made. Kickin’ it old skool circa 2011! I lovingly cut each of my favorite fabrics into a triangle (I had no idea about half-square triangle tricks at the time). I sewed it together and was all like, “I’m gonna quilt it in the same pattern as the chevrons.” And then I realized just how hard that was, as a novice, to do with a twin-sized quilt. So I quietly folded the quilt up and stuck it in the bottom of the linen closet. And there it stayed for three years. It’s totally time to finish this baby up!

2) It’s a Man’s World – Lap quilt.It's a Man's World lap quilt

This is another early work of mine. I was all “I’m gonna make something with quilter’s linens and put a houndstooth flannel on the back.” It was actually inspired by*  this pin. I think it was seriously, like, my third pin ever, and I was smitten. And then when I finished, I realized my squares weren’t perfectly straight. So I got discouraged and quietly folded it up and stuck it on top of the picnic quilt, in the linen closet. I recently took it out and quilted it, imperfections and all. But I still need to pick a fabric for the binding.

(*oh did I say inspired by? I mean I basically tried to replicate. I was new to sewing — forgive me!)

3) LIMOD sampler – size unknown.LIMOD Quilt Blocks

This one is up to me. But I’d like to have it completed by the time our guild reconvenes in September. There are ideas swirling in my head as to how I will tie them all together, but I’m not quite sure as of yet.

I think that’s seriously all I can handle making promises on for now. I’d like to see some more progress on my birds, but there’s another project that I’ve barely started that I’d like to get moving on, too. So the rest I’ll just leave to fate!

Check out all of the fantastic finishes from last quarter, and all the potential for finishes ahead at The Littlest Thistle!