Simply Retro Quilt Along

Last weekend I decided to participate in Jana Machado's Simply Retro Quilt Along using patterns from Camille Roskelley's new book Simply Retro. The book is just amazing and there are so many projects I want to make, but I new I already had so much going on that I had to decide on just one..for now.



I decided to go with the pattern called "Dwell". The houses are so cute--it seemed like the perfect thing to make for my entryway. I thought it would take me weeks to finish (because I bounce around from project to project) but once I started I couldn't stop--I finished up all the houses in one evening. And then started to quilt it. And this is where things got all messy. I decided to quilt the roofs with fish scale shingles, and even though I know better, I quilted all the roofs first before quilting anything in between. And then the fabric would just not lay flat anymore and was getting bunched up in places. I almost went crazy. And then as I was quilting the swirls an even more terrible thing happened. I must've threaded my machine wrong because all of the sudden the thread was coming out black and oily and stitching into my white fabric! Ahhh!!! I was fortunate I had just purchased a new stain stick so I saturated the spot in hopes it wouldn't permanently stain. However, I knew I had a better chance of saving it if I could get it finished and get it into the wash.



 At first I decided NOT to quilt the little red house in the bottom row and after I washed it I noticed the bottom of the quilt wasn't even. I know it was even before I washed it! I'm not sure if NOT quilting the red house caused it, but I don't know what else it could be. You can tell it kinda droops down in the middle. Another frustrating thing!!! I quilted the house afterword, but haven't washed it again to see if it would help at all. Fortunately, though, the oil came out, and as long as I can find something to put on the table in front of it no one will notice the uneven middle! Even though I had so many problems I really love how it turned out. When the fabric gets all crinkly after washing it you really can't see all the mistakes!



During the week I also have been working on repainting the wine table beneath the quilt. It used to be a dark brown (like all of my furniture was) but I'm just so tired of brown I plan on repainting everything until it my house looks like a circus. My husband loves this wine table and didn't want me to touch it, but whenever he argues about the furniture I always remind him that our reclining couch with drink holders (his choice) looks like it belongs in a dorm room and he lets me have what I want out of fear that I will get rid of his beloved couch.



 I haven't finished painting the actual wine holder-thing that goes in the middle, and somehow I lost one of the knobs on the door (it's probably with my keys wherever they are), but I just wanted to show you how it was coming along. I'll post more pics when I finally finish it all up.



Fortunately, the kids are ecstatic about the quilt and the table. They each picked out the house they want to "live in" and the wine table has become a favorite new hiding place for Ryan.