Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Wedding Wednesday: A work in progress

I have so many things that are a work in progress that I'm actually going to make a list right here, right now, on this blog.

1) 5 Wine totes and 3 quilts for my shop
  •   I have two of the five totes complete and the squares cut for the quilts, but not pieced.
2) "Pinwheels and Elephants; a table runner"
  • I have the entire table runner cut and ready to piece. I will probably be done piecing this evening and finished quilting by the weekend.
This photo doesn't do the colors justice, they're so vibrant and beautiful!


3) My wedding, a total work in progress! I feel like I have so much to do, but I've already gotten so much done!
  • We've already: booked the venue, booked the photographer, created the website, spoken to a few DJ's, and picked our caterer but did not book her yet. I've compiled the final guest list, and addresses to match! I bought the dress and head piece. I found my shoes. I've decided on how I want to decorate, as well as what we're doing for favors. 
  • What needs to be done: make the linens for the tables. Make the coral and orange table runners. Design the save the dates and invitations. Come upon a ton of free mason jars (this is basically done, Suravi is awesome!). Learn to fold origami cranes and make 1,000 of them. Decide on the food we want. Decide on our signature cocktail.  Decide what hair style. Purchase gifts for parents, grandparents, and the wedding party. 
My significant otter ;)


While I'm sure there will be more that needs to be done than that, it's a good start. I feel fairly accomplished being that the wedding is still 9 months away!
I want to touch on the origami cranes a bit. Some of you may know that I studied abroad in Japan while in college, and D and I are going to Japan for our honeymoon! (for those of you who are new D which stands for Derrick, is the love of my life, my best friend, and my future husband!) It's Japanese legend that anyone who folds 1,000 cranes will be granted one wish by a crane, as well as good luck. Derrick and I will be folding the cranes as a way to learn something new together, spend quality quiet time together, and hopefully get some of that good luck! The cranes will be used as decoration for the wedding!

4) Our bed quilt. I don't even like thinking about finishing it!
  • The top is pieced, the back is pieced.
  • It needs to be sandwiched and quilted. Luckily I got this awesome deal on batting yesterday. Once the batting comes, if I have time, I will attempt to start quilting this bad boy! I don't even know where to start, suggestions? 


Whew, that was a long list! My future Wedding Wednesday posts will probably be more wedding focused, I just haven't done much physical stuff that I can show you yet! Today I'm linking up with WIP Wednesday, please see the button on my side bar! I hope you all have a productive Wednesady!

Quilt on,
Hoppi

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Tutorial Tuesday: Pinwheel Blocks

So I had this awesome surprise for you guys, as one of the changes to my blog I reaaallllyyy wanted to do video tutorials. Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to get the video on to my computer. I will work on this and hopefully figure it out, but I can't promise anything!

I needed to get this post in today because it's Tutorial Tuesday, so unfortunately we're just going to be missing the very end in photos, but I will explain it as thoroughly as I can. Please don't hesitate to comment/email with questions!




When we're through, you'll end up with a block looking somewhat like this (but pieced)!













To start, cut two 5 1/2 inch blocks. Preferably with one dark fabric and one light fabric with starkly contrasting patterns. Or one fabric with a pattern and one solid.












After you've cut the squares, line them up on your cutting board like a diamond. With the top and bottom point directly on a line. Cut from corner to corner on the diagonal.




















Turn the block on it's side and cut from the diagonal again. You will wind up with four equal triangular pieces.


















Follow these steps on the other 5 1/2 inch square.















Now you want to line up the triangles on their longest side. One dark and one light fabric together.






Place them together right sides facing and sew with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.















Get ready to iron!            ... But first, let's just take a moment to pause, collect ourselves and admire my beautiful vintage 1913 treadle machine!


























Okay... that's enough! I know, it is beautiful! Now that your iron is hot and ready press the seams of the triangles open.




Here is where the photos stop and the videos don't upload... boo!

From here you're going to clip the excess at the tip of the squares, this is so they lay flat when you sew the squares together.

Lay out the quarter squares so they form a pinwheel and sew the rows of two and two quarter squares. I know this is a little confusing to understand without photos, again please email/ comment with questions!

You'll wind up with two rectangles. Lay them out again to form the pinwheel and close the pieces together like a sandwich, right sides facing in. From here sew along the side, don't forget your 1/4 inch seam allowance!

Press the seam out again and voila! You just made a pinwheel block!

So this is the way in which I've been doing it since I began quilting way back in 2012. (hehe)  If you're interested in a different method, check out this tutorial from Missouri Star. If you're not subscribed to them on youtube, get on that.



Well, that looks easy, now doesn't it? I haven't tried this method yet, but it looks fool proof!


So there you have it, pinwheel blocks. They're fast and so fun and look beautiful on any quilt! And, hey, at least you got to watch some sort of video, right?

In the coming months I'm hoping to get going with this video tutorial thing, it's a bit more difficult than I originally thought!


Now I'm going to relax with a glass of red wine and watch Full Metal Alchemist until I fall asleep. ;)

If you make a pinwheel block from my tutorial please link up a photo in the comments section, I'd love to see them!

Until next time quilt on,
Hoppi

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Selfish sewing plus changes for Hoppi Quilts

So you may have noticed my new button on the right side of the blog. Selfish Sewing Week is coming September 2013 and I am super excited.


 During this week I will most likely be finishing up decorations and our guest book quilt for our wedding, which we've decided to move up a whole year! That's right folks, May 10, 2014 I will be Mrs. Hatton! I can't wait, can you tell???

 So here's the deal with the changes to the blog. I need to be more motivated to quilt and blog, so I'm making some theme days to share with you, my readers! They are as follows:

Tutorial Tuesday: At least one Tuesday a month I will be posting a tutorial of some sort. Quilting,    sewing, crafts, and even cooking! This Tuesday there will be a tutorial on these awesome blocks!





Wedding Wednesday: On Wednesdays I will share with you the progress of my upcoming wedding! The entire wedding is going to be DIY so I will share my linens, center pieces, and decorations and how I made them! 



Finish/FMQ Friday: Over the next few weeks I will be finishing a lot of projects, as well as doing a lot of FMQ (free motion quilting). So I will share with you what it is I have finished. Today, even though it's Sunday, I will share the ring barer pillows I made for a friend of a friend who is getting married in August. 







Anything goes Sunday: On Sunday's I'll write whatever comes to mind! It may not have to do with quilting, but will still be a fun read!


I have also recently been experiencing technical problems with blogger, and will be switching from blogger over to my own platform. This will be quite a long process as I already began the switch two weeks ago and am no where near a quarter finished! You will be able to find my blog at hoppiquilts.com under the blog tab!

Today I linked up with Can I Get a Whoop Whoop.

I'm so excited about all these awesome changes, and I hope you are too! Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 

Quilt on,
Hoppi

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

We're goin' to the zoo!

I have been so busy I haven't had time to blog! I really thought that having time off work would free up my hours, but nope! I've found so many things to fill my time.

I wanted to pop by and share my wedding website with you!
I also wanted to announce Derrick and I are getting married at the Lehigh Valley Zoo!
We are SO excited!


I've been doing a lot of wedding planning recently, and I can't wait to share some of the projects that I'll be working on for the wedding!

While I've been doing a lot of wedding planning, I've also  been quilting, and working, and running again yay! On Saturday I ran a 5k for my friend Ben who passed away in 2009. I had a fabulous time of 35:00:00 and I won a 3 month gym membership aaannndd a 1/2 hour massage! How cool!?

Hopefully by tomorrow I can share photos of the ring barer pillows and in the next two weeks a photo of the FMQ Post Card!

I've also been working on a table runner for our plane Jane coffee table.







On Friday our power went out, but that didn't stop me from working on the table runner! It's elephant themed and is going to be adorable!












I also hung my Express Your Love quilt to hopefully become inspired by it again and finish it up! If you haven't been following my Express Your Love journey check it out here.



What have you all been up to this week?


Quilt on,
Hoppi

Sunday, July 14, 2013

I'm baaaccckk!

So, I may have not been blogging, but I have been working my butt off!

I've been quilting up some ring barer pillows for a friend of a friend that is getting married next month! Here's a little sneak peak!







 


When they're both complete and sent off to Julia, I will post the final photos! 

I've also joined an FMQ Post Card swap on Facebook. I'm working on my post card that needs to be sent to my partner in California sometime in July. Unfortunately, I can't post pictures until she tells me she's received the post card because I can't spoil the surprise! 


I've also been very busy with work... last week I worked a total of 102.5 hours, holy moly was I exhausted by Friday! Yesterday, I went to NYC with a friend to meet my guru. It was the most incredible experience of my life and definitely lifted my spirits!

This week I'm only working around 30 hours, I usually work 50 hour weeks, so that means I'll be getting a lot more quilting and blogging done this week! Yippie!

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!
Quilt on,
Hoppi


























Thursday, July 4, 2013

Back with a Vengeance

I first want to start out by apologizing. I haven't blogged in almost two weeks, my shop was supposed to open over two weeks ago, and worst of all I haven't been active in the quilting community for weeks.

Over the past few weeks I've been battling depression. This isn't a new song and dance for me. Everyone battles and suffers from depression differently, and I wanted to write this to tell you it's okay.

I'll tell you a little of my background, but you don't need or care to hear my whole sob story. I am an adult child of an alcoholic. That alcoholic is currently drinking himself to death. Over the past couple weeks I made the decision to cut the ties with him and rid my life of his toxicity. This was not an easy decision as I've done this once before and it completely backfired. That's really all you need to know, that, and that my life has not been an easy one.

I am not constantly depressed, I go through spurts of it, and this was the first time in a very long time that depression came knocking down my door. I almost forgot what it felt like, the sadness, the loneliness, the anger, the tiredness, the pain; both emotional and physical. No matter how much you explain it to those around you, if they haven't experienced it, they will never truly understand the capacity of emptiness that you feel when you're swallowed by depression.

What I want you to know is that it's okay. Feel these feelings or you will never get out of it. It's okay to be sad and cry yourself to sleep, it's okay to be lonely yet not want anyone to become involved in your life, it's okay to be angry. Most of all, it's okay to get help. I do see a therapist, and it takes a lot of courage and bravery to see one, but once you do, you begin to feel better and better, day by day.

When you are depressed the things you love don't seem to make you happy anymore. This is why I took a break from quilting. I didn't want to associate quilting with being sad, it's one of the things that makes me happiest in life.

If you, too, suffer from depression, just know that you're not alone and that it is okay to get help.

I've been feeling a bit better the past few days and even began quilting again. My shop will open soon, I will let you all know when I am ready. I'm also working on some really cool stuff for the shop that I'm really excited about and excited to share with you!


Quilt on,
Hoppi