Want to swap Polaroids?

Hosted by DukeSaysSewWhat

Deadline to mail your blocks:  Monday, August 26th for US

Wednesday, August 21 for International friends

SIGN UP by leaving a comment on this post!  
edited to add: I'm drawing weekly winners in August!  A random comment number from this post wins a package of sewing goodies from me - thanks for joining the swap!

Use #fabricpolaroids on IG to show us your progress and your blocks!
There are some great pics being posted!

Last month I joined a Polaroid swap that my IG friend, Elizabeth, was hosting.  I REALLY enjoyed making these blocks - in fact - they are addicting once you start!  They are also very simple and if you chain piece the white outer strips to the centers, rather than making the block one at a time, you can make a bunch really quickly.  Basically you need a white fabric such as Kona Snow and a variety of fun centers of novelty prints or anything else you want to use.

Would you like to join a Polaroid swap?  Several of my sewing friends and I are swapping and I am hosting.  I thought Elizabeth's guidelines were very easy to follow so I'll do the same.

* to participate, leave a comment on this blog post so that I can email you back a confirmation.  (This way we have each other's emails for any questions along the way).

* You can make as many Polaroids as you want.  However many you send to me, you will get the equal number of blocks returned to you.  No more than 35, please as I'm not sure how many total will be mailed in.

* Don't send in more than 2 of the same block to keep the variety in play.

* Follow the instructions in THIS post of how to make the Polaroid block and don't do step 5 which is to trim them up.  This will reduce fraying of the edges with the handling and mailing of the block.  Your blocks will look like this (not trimmed on the top, sides and bottom.  When you get them back you can trim them.  That is your final step.  At that point you will trim them to 1/2 inch of white on the top and sides and 1 inch of white on the bottom.  There is a link to CapitolaQuilter in this post that shows the chain piecing method for making these that I found very easy and fast.

* Email me when you are ready to mail them and I will email you back my address here in Gig Harbor, WA.

*Put your blocks in a zip lock bag and write your name and blog name/IG handle on the outside of the bag along with the number of blocks you are sending.  Example:  Kris Coulombe/Duke Says Sew What/25

*Write out an envelope with your own address on it for me to mail your new blocks back to you.  Weigh your return envelope with your zip lock bag filled with your Polaroids in it and ask the post man to give you this amount of postage to place on this envelope.  (Create your own self addressed, stamped envelope) Now don't seal this envelope! - place it in a larger envelope addressed to me and send me your blocks in your baggie with your self addressed stamp envelope inside.

*The deadline to MAIL your Polaroids is Monday, August 26.  International swappers are welcome!  If you live outside of the US please mail your blocks by Wednesday, August 21st.

*I will send you back the same number of Polaroid blocks.

It's that easy!

Elizabeth made this quilt with her Polaroids - isn't it great?!

Don't forget to leave a comment if you'd like to be in the swap.

Thanks!


Kris

Christmas in July - Stitch that Stash

Want to join a Polaroid Swap?  I'm hosting...and you still have plenty of time!  The info is here.

I really have had fun with my sewing bee this year.  This month's blocks are ready to send off to Nicole in New York.   The trees went together fairly quickly while the snowman was quite the project - took a few days to do that one.  I realized that I am better off with a pattern than I am with improv because with improv I keep thinking, oh I could do this and oh I could do that!  The snowman was going to have a white background but then I thought a nice patchwork low volume would be fun.  So here they are!

Both are done with paper piecing and machine applique.  I went with a button hole stitch.  I did iron on a stabilizer to the back of the fabric before I stitched it to the patchwork.  It's a soft stabilizer that you would use for a tshirt quilt.

I thought about eyeballs on his face, but that led to a mouth, which then started to look too busy, so I left him faceless.  I thought that was a more modern look.  Nicole seems very much more modern that traditional.

So those are my two blocks for Nicole!

Recently I stopped sewing for about a week.  Yep, took a week off.  Now I can't seem to stop with new projects - and old ones! I have too many things going, really.  Yesterday I took the day for some girl time and went with my BFF, Sheila, to Vashon Island.  Oh, why yes I did go to the quilt shop there!  Island Quilters is THE MOST AWESOME SHOP!  It was a sunny day (we always mention that in these parts since it's never a given, even in the summer), so the scenery was just stunning!

There was a family laughing and chatting on that front porch which made us wonder....is that a vacation rental?  It is located right next to the Light House.  What a fun place to stay for the weekend.  And maybe sew?

A clear view of Mount Rainier from the ferry terminal.  (To get to Vashon Island, we drive onto a ferry from Tacoma).

I spy a super cute porch and house!  Who wouldn't want to drink a glass of wine on that couch?!

My Country Store purchase - a new scarf!  I should have bought the green one, too.  $5!  Ya' can't make it for that!

With August around the corner I'm working on my bee block post for my sewing friends!  Here's the colors I've chosen for the skateboard quilt "girl style".

The center fabric is the inspiration for the colors.  It's AMH Forest Hills in Sweet.  Yellow, turqoise, purple, orange, soft pink, white.

In combination with it being my month for the bee, I'll also be hosting a polaroid swap, which will be open to anyone!  Fun, fun, fun!  My polaroid swap from last month was so much fun I decided to host one myself.  Here's what I received:

Want to join in the polaroid swap?  Stay tuned! I'm linking up with Let's Get Acquainted with Plum and June and I will be linking up to Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story and Better Off Thread's Sew Cute Tuesday.



Kris

Jack's Skateboard Quilt!

Want to join a Polaroid Block swap that I am hosting?  There's still time!  The info is here.

Jack's skateboard quilt is finished and here are the pics!

Jack helped me design the blocks for this quilt over a year ago.  I have little penciled drawings he did of the shapes of the boards and the shapes he wanted the wheels to be. (We started with circles but decided when you look down on them they are more of a square).  I wrote down all of the measurements once we had it proportionately how we wanted it, but then the project was tucked away.  So recently, when my Mom visited, she and I began cutting more pieces for the quilt.  Determined to finish it, I kept making more blocks.  I could have stopped there but I felt it needed more, so I did some "log cabin" additions around each skateboard to give it more color.  I showed Jack a couple of them and he approved, so I added the strips to all of the blocks.  We were happy with it!  Then came the back.

I ordered this larger middle piece on line - it is Ty Pennington fabric.  I thought it had a nice "boy" look to it.  Then I was going to piece in the sides with one long strip but I couldn't resist cutting all of my left over strips and sewing them together for this look.  It took awhile so as usual, I made an easy step much harder than it needed to be.  The skeleton fabric is great, isn't it?   A nice friend on IG saw what I was doing and insisted on sending me this fabric!  I love my sewing friends - so thoughtful.  Thanks to Cindy, @savinggrc, on IG!

The binding is a black and white checkered fabric that I found as I was finishing the skateboard blocks. I made a skateboard out of it also, and Jack says it is his favorite one in the quilt.

I did lots of machine quilting in the log cabin sections, some stitch in the ditch, some down the center of the logs.  I then hand quilted around each skateboard.  The skateboards were done using raw edge applique and I didn't tuck the edges under, so I look forward to seeing the scrappy look it will have after washing and fraying.

Over the next week I will be starting another one in girly colors that I though I might keep for me and take along to skateparks.  I'll be writing a post as I make the blocks - a tutorial - so that my sewing bee mates can make some of these next month.  It is the block I have chosen for my month!  It's so easy really but the measurements will help everyone to be consistent in size while the log cabin part will be a random do as you please part of the block that will be fun to see as they all come together!  I'm a big fan of being mindful of the values of the colors so I'll mention a few pointers here and there concerning that.  If you would like to make a skateboard quilt too I hope you will follow along.

Anyone who reads my blog knows I'm a great starter but a not so great finisher - so since this is a post about a finish, I think I will have to link it up to all of the blog parties I follow!  You can find the buttons in my sidebar.  They include:

Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story - Quilt Story
sew cute tuesday at Better Off Thread - Better Off Thread
wip wednesday at Freshly Pieced (cause I'm starting another one!) - Freshly Pieced
Thank goodness it's finished Friday - TGIFF
Finish it up Friday at - crazymomquilts

I did some re-vamping of my blog to reflect what I blog about.  It has evolved into a quilting blog with a dog model and lots of skateboarding in between!  Sums up my life!

I'd love to see you over on Instagram.  I am @dukesayssewwhat over there.  Follow me and I'd love to follow you back for more sewing inspiration or - of course - adorable pictures of your pets!  xxoo

Kris

Summer fun

Mitch will be heading back for his Sophomore year at Willamette soon. He has RA (now called CM) training to attend so he will go back 2 weeks earlier than his students. We are TV shopping and somehow he always talks me into buying him some wine. That boy! The younger, more innocent son, is still skateboarding his heart out. Last night we saw The Princess Bride in our downtown park across the street from where we live. What a fun night - blankets, popcorn, and friends.

I started making July blocks for Nicole.. What a great idea she came up with. My month is August. I'm getting excited to share!

I've lost 25 pounds and it feels great.

Oh and I've filled out the online application to join the local Gig Harbor quilt guild. I might be meeting some local quilters soon - yippee!

Kris

Wordless Wednesday - Duke

Brainbridge Island

We had lots of fun on Bainbridge Island. Three carloads of moms and kids headed over for the day. I just love it there. I went in Safeway for coffee and there is just a neat island vibe that I love. I imagine these people driving home to their woodsy home or cute place on the beach, writing novels. It seems like there would be lots of authors here. It's a quaint PNW island that is a quick ferry ride away from Seattle.

It has a great skatepark. One of the best parts, in my opinion, is the nice bathrooms! Hurray! No outhouse/plastic box to go in here! Duke came along and hung out with Ezra, my friend's recently adopted dog. My take along project was the circle quilt. I need to post a pic of that soon. I also tied more of the wreath so it is nice and full, and finished.

The guys are at Street League in Portland today. Jack got to meet several pro skaters, one being his favorite, Lance Mountain. Today will be a day he will never forget!

Kris