Geek Out!

So…I’m going to Geek Out for a moment. I recently discovered that my all time favorite anime is being remastered and redesigned in a no holds barred reboot. I am of course talking of Sailor Moon.

^^

Excuse me, while I have a Stewie Griffin going to Disney Land moment.

^^

For me, Sailor Moon was my first introduction into Japanese Anime. It is the reason I love shows like Cowboy Bebop, Gundam Wing, The Big O, and many more. In fact, I love the show so much it translated into a love of the Japanese culture which snowballed, culminating in studying the Japanese language in college.

I think there is a point in every young girl’s life where you wish for more. The elusive “more” that a teenager yearns for, but doesn’t quite understand. This transition takes place when you realize fairy tales aren’t real and that there is no White Knight coming to take you away. Sailor Moon kind of filled this void. The beauty of Sailor Moon was that Usagi was also trying to be more than what she really was and as a preteen in the late nineties I could relate to the want to be an adult while still gripping, if only a little, to the fairy tale aspects that resided in the story line.

Sailor Moon went off American airways more than a decade ago when Cartoon Network opted for a more modern anime approach in for their Adult Swim programming. That wasn’t the end of my Sailor Moon experience though. With the help of the expanding World Wide Web (hehe) I was able to dive head long into a new version of Sailor Moon--one never before released in American. Soon I was engulfed by the amazing art work, manga’s, and the original Japanese version of Sailor Moon. I, like many other Moonies back then, taught my self HTML and dedicated many self made websites on Geocities and Angelfire. These sites were crude compared to the new standards of web development, but they were my first taste of what my online experience and presence was going to be.

After exhausting every aspect of the Sailor Moon online experience (which included watching the subtitled version and the live action version on YouTube and Veoh) I succumbed to the inevitable and let my love of Sailor Moon drift to the past, with the rest of my childhood.

So it came as a big shock to find out that for the 20th Anniversary of Sailor Moon some particular Moonies were trying to revive the great, long since gone, show. I followed this information as best as I good, which was few and far between for a very long time. So long that I thought maybe the rumor was just that, a rumor.

Then, last week my younger brother (also an anime junkie) told me that Sailor Moon was really going to return. It wasn’t just a rumor. I immediately searched every current bit of information. Articles from every Nerdy blog, Anime Reviews, and Facebook posts exclaiming the return of the great show. I jumped for joy, as though I was thirteen again, running home from school to watch my favorite girls at 2:30 in the afternoon. Since then, I’ve been following the news and even watching the remastered originals on Hulu. My childhood returned in a blink of an eye and I could really appreciate those years where Sailor Moon was one of my few refugees from the horrors of puberty.

So, here's to all those girls who came of age in the late nineties watching Adult Swim’s anime. I hope a revival of your favorite show, which ever it may be, comes to a streaming network near you!

Moving...On to Bigger Things

Hello All, 

Recently, I finished my review of MSQC’s magazine Block it opened the flood gates for a review section that I’m hoping to devote some of my time to. I liked the idea of reviewing quilting magazines and it gives me an excuse to (of course) buy more quilting magazines.

With this acknowledgement, I realized my blog here on google is way to small to handle everything I want it to handle. So instead, I’ve created a full fledged website to my quilting hobby. It’s not overly big, but I have more space to accommodate everything I want to do.

This doesn’t meant that my blog here is completely obsolete. No, I will continue to update blog posts here. This move does have two repercussions, though. First, our move means that there will be a double post--one here on my blogger blog and one at the new website. This will remain in effect until I believe the duplication is not necessary any more. Second, I will not be updating the extra pages (Evelyn’s Quilt, Tutorials) here any more. Duplicating those pages would be too tedious and unnecessary.

I hope everyone following this blog will see this change as a change for the better. I sure do. You can find a link to my website, also called Awkward Quilting, below. But be sure to look out for the new domain, www.awkwardquilting.com, soon to come. For now, anyone can find my website from this post.

P.S. I chose Wix to host my new website. And I must say, I recommend it dearly to anyone wanting to create an easy website quickly.

http://eerunyan.wix.com/awkward-quilting

Review: Block, an MSQC Magazine

First and Second Issues of Block

Branching out from their traditional quilting shop activities, the Missouri Star Quilt Company (or MSQC) have developed their own quilting magazine. This is a big step for the small company, as they begin to push through the traditional quilt magazines, such as Fons and Porter’s Love of Quilting and Quilt Magazine, and grasp a foot hold in the wider world of quilting.

(The pictures featured here were personally taken by me, of my personal copies of Block, and are only intended for the purposes of this review.)

MSQC’s magazine, appropriately named Block, is a collection of everything that the small company embodies, while doing their part to keep this traditional art alive. Although Block is a magazine, MSQC has chosen to publish the issues as paper back books. MSQC have used the already completed projects featured on their tutorial and YouTube pages. I really enjoy this feature because if you get stumped while working a project, you always have the option to login to YouTube and view the corresponding video.

MSQC has personalized their magazine with small articles that accompany each project. These articles are first person accounts of quilting stories which explain how each project was developed. The stories come from a wide range of staff members at MSQC, helping endear each writer, and their love of quilting, to the reader.

Second page of each issue

After each story comes the actual project. Every project is dedicated to a specific technique that the MSQC hails as the simplest way to complete a particular task. For example, their signature way to make half square triangles (a technique required for most quilting blocks) is showcased in their very first quilt. Their crystal clear pictures and excellent instructions make it easy for even a novice quilter (such as myself) to complete any project.

Finally, MSQC dedicates their last few instruction pages to small projects and general instructions to complement the quilt you are creating. These techniques include items such as binding and labeling your quilts.

As my love for MSQC grows, I find that Block compounds my passion for quilting. The small magazine has everything that a amateur and expert quilt needs for their quilting projects. I recommend Block, for any quilter and especially for those who are just getting started.

Important Facts:

Price: $5.99 per issue or $35.99 a year (I did the year calculation myself, forgive me if it is incorrect.)

Subscription: Bi-monthly

Shipping: Free

Block© is a Missouri Star Quilt Company© product. All Rights Reserved.

Spring Break

So, spring break as come and gone, and while this time is usually a time to unwind and relax, I find myself playing catch up. And not just here in school work, but house work as well. But, I digress.

In the spirit of catch up, I’ve updated the tutorial page. I completed the Half Square Triangle tutorial and the first part of the Mitered Borders tutorial. I’ve also put up the introduction Evelyn’s Quilt. I linked the Half Square Triangle and Pinwheel tutorials to Evelyn’s Quilt, since those are essential to this quilt. I also finished part one of Piecing the Quilt Top for Evelyn’s Quilt.

Finally, I’m adding all the pictures that I didn’t use in the tutorial pages into the Final Quilt and Pictures page. These are mostly pictures of how I put together Evelyn’s quilt, but I’ll throw in some wild cards as well.

This whole experience of blogging Evelyn’s quilt has been so liberating that I’ve decided to complete four quilts a year. That’s a quilt every three months. I’m not sure who I’m making these quilts for, maybe just for me. But I like having the hobby and something to break my day up with, especially since next year is my last year of school (crosses fingers). 

Getting Down and Dirty...and covered in thread!

As you know, I’m making a quilt for my baby daughter (she’s four months old). If you saw my last main post, you know that I purchased and received the fabric a week or two ago. Now it’s time to get down and dirty, or covered in thread bits.

My Quilting Notebook

Before you can make a quilt, you must design a quilt. I completed the design for this quilt while my daughter was still kicking my ribs (inside the womb, not outside, like she does now). I’m not particularly good with numbers, and to make an quilt you must be. So while I was making up the design, my lovely husband (William) configured the dimensions for me. He loves numbers. Together, we came up with the Pinwheel Quilt.

I call this the Pinwheel Quilt lovingly, because I got the idea from MSQC (Missouri Star Quilt Company, you remember, ‘member). Their company blog has the best video tutorial on how to make Pinwheels. 

Pinwheel Quilt Version 1

Once you have the design you want, next is to figure out what color scheme you want. I put this step next because without a color scheme, you don’t know what kind of fabric to purchase. Our original color scheme was blue and purple, though as the months went by I landed on a different color scheme. This is what it looked like.

Version 1.1

When I was finally able to buy the fabric (the money finally available) I was lured in with a Daily Deal by MSQC and purchased a Charm Pack of solid colors for a buck. That’s how my Blue and Purple color scheme transformed into the pastel multicolor scheme you see in the supplies picture. So, now I have everything needed to complete Evelyn’s Quilt, on to the assembling.

A Wicked Diversion

For those of you who don’t know, I have a five month old daughter and the day after Valentines Day my husband William and I unceremoniously left her with the relatives (thanks mom!) and spent a much needed night out on the town. And where did we go, you might ask? To dinner of course, and then to see Wicked the Broadway play!

Wicked Tickets

First, we had dinner at The Majestic Grill downtown. This place was amazing. We don’t often spend more than fifty dollars on a meal, but I must admit, if you plan to have a special night out this is the place! The Majestic Grill has a way of making you feel like you’ve stepped back in time, like you’re about to meet Humphrey Bogart on the station platform. That night, The Majestic Grill had a Wicked special. When we got there, we had a particularly gloat-full moment when a couple, dressed to the nines looking like they had more money on the planet than Donald Trump, entered in before us. They asked for a table and the hostess said, “I’m sorry we are reserved for the evening.” They turn around to leave and I had the great pleasure being able to say “Reservation for two” as the other couple left. William and I don’t have much, but every now and then it's great to be able to have something someone else doesn’t. Hey, we’re only human! But I digress. Back to Wicked.

In its’ third nationwide tour, Wicked came to our local Memphis theatre, The Orpheum. For three weeks it was here and two months earlier William and I bought the most expensive tickets we’d ever purchased. We choose box seats on the upper left side of the theatre and were able to see 90% of the stage. There was a small left side corner out of our view. That day, the day after Valentine’s day, was the second to last night that Wicked was playing in Memphis this year. And it was a full house!

It was by far the best play, musical or otherwise, that I’ve ever seen. The sets were amazing, bright and vibrant with as many colors as there are in the rainbow. The music was perfect. I’m dying for a copy of the soundtrack. Now, I’ve read the book and I know the ending well. But it was really nice to the “interracial” (and I use that term loosely) couple be together in the end. Best musical ever! 

Wicked Playbill

Now, this isn’t a review of the play. It’s just me gushing about the best date night my husband and I ever had. Nonetheless, I do recommend Wicked to anyone who loves The Wizard of Oz or theatre in general. And I can’t wait for the movie….

The Best Your Money Can Buy

Years ago, my mother instilled in me her personal philosophy on life: buy the best your money can buy. She believed this through and through and never once, that I know of, faltered from it. I think this philosophy came from her humble beginnings; she grew up on the south side of Chicago, IL. She’s seen things and been places I never want to see and be. But all of that hurt made her want more for herself and especially her children. So, when ever my mother had to purchase something (literally anything) she bought the best her money would, could afford. From household items, to clothing and food, we always had the best quality that we could afford. And as the years sped by, my mother was able to purchase better quality items (she has a lovely home in the suburbs and a very expensive Acura).

You may be asking, What does this have to do with quilting? Well I took this philosophy and applied it to my life, including my hobbies. So when I wanted to make this quilt for my daughter, I knew I wanted it to last. I want her daughters to be able to enjoy this quilt. So for the first time ever, I spent good money on the good fabric! This isn’t to diminish the fabric I’ve bought before. The Black and Blue quilt is made from the cheap stuff at the fabric store. But I wanted this quilt to be really special. So I bought Kona and Moda fabrics for this quilt. These two fabric makers are among the top of the line fabrics for quilts. They can run you $8 to $10 a yard, and sometimes more depending on the print or design. Because of this kind of quality, I know my daughters quilt should be able to withstand anything (except maybe buckets of spit-up eww…).

Finally, in a shameless plug, I purchased my fabric from the Missouri Star Quilt Company (MSQC). This company is a small (though getting larger) business in Hamilton Missouri. The offer everything a quilter could possibly need for quilting. I purchased three sets of precut fabric and two yards of quilt backing. The total was roughly fifty bucks for a crib size quilt. This is everything!

Two charm packs, a honey bun, and two yards of quilt backing (which is just a fancy way of saying fabric). Charm Pack, Honey Bun, I didn’t make up these names. This is exactly how MSQC names these products. But, I think they get the names from the fabric companies themselves. For a better look at the picture, click here.

So in short, buy the best fabric you can afford at the time of purchase and you will be able to make the best quality quilt you want to make.

Black & Blue Wall Quilt

My Current Project!

This is my current quilt top. Its called Black & Blue and as you can see, the middle is a little off center making it awkward. It still needs a final outside border of blue and then I can get the backing and quilt it together. I really like how this turned out with its dark colors. 

Awkward Quilting

Welcome to Awkward Quilting!

This little blog is dedicated to my hobby, quilting. When I have the means and the time, I create quilts for me and my family. I call my quilts awkward because I have yet to master piecing together the blocks in a manner where the points match. I almost always have something that is off center--and I'm OK with that.

Mostly, I hope this blog provides all you would be quilters the courage to quilt whether or not it turns out as perfect as the experts. In time, I hope to show you how I've put together some of my Awkward Quilts!

-E.