Equilateral Triangle Quilt Progress

Summer break has gotten the best of me! Sleeping in too late and staying up too late with no schedule in between. This is my last week of that before I head back to work so I've decided that I need to get some sewing projects finished!

I'll be thrilled if I can complete this equilateral triangle quilt. I've been fascinated with triangles lately and after creating this mini quilt, I really wanted to do another project with this figure.

After many different arrangements on my design wall, I decided on 3 fabrics for the triangles to face up and 3 fabrics for the triangles to face down. This photo is close to the final layout. In the last few rows I changed some triangles around.

Since two equilateral triangles create a rhombus...I wanted to use that figure on the back. (This quilt is for a friend, so I have more reasoning to this design that I'll share later!) The rest of the background is blue. There was probably an easier way to piece this together, but I didn't know what that was! Better pictures of the quilt back to come.

Thank you, Annie Kitty, for lounging in the sun and not on the quilt sandwich while I was pinning.

Now I'm trying to decide on quilting. I'm thinking I want to do a free-motion design vs. straight lines. I sketched this idea out, but I'm thinking that the actual quilting will not be quite this dense. Any suggestions out there?

Hopefully I can make my mind up and get this baby finished! :)

Linking up at Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday.

One Year Blog Anniversary Reflections

July 6th marked my one year blog anniversary! Thankfully, I've been off work this month, so I've enjoyed much needed leisure time to reflect and celebrate the sewing I've completed this year.

As I reviewed my blog, a few entries brought smiles to my heart (I linked up past blog posts if you want to check out photos)...here are the numbers:

• 44 blog posts (22 the first 6 months, 22 in the second 6 months) 22 is my magic number so it was only appropriate to post this reflection on 2:22 on July 22nd, 1 month before my decade birthday on August 22nd.  

• 12 quilts
• 2 Mini Quilts (1 in memory of my dad, 1 for my kitchen)
• 3 Math Quilts (2 called the distributive duo, 1 about fractions)
• 5 Quilts for Family and Friends (Mama's Quilt, Grandma's Quilt, Earthy Log Cabin Quilt, Sweet as Honey Quilt and the Ride the Train Quilt)
• 2 Other Quilts (My first ever quilt: The Rail Fence and my second quilt: Kaleidoscopic Kites
• 10 Puppets 
• All of these were created for friends. The Smiley Face Puppet took the lead with the most viewed post on this blog. 
• 7 Blocks posted for the "Flow Zone" Block of the Month! 5 more to go and I love checking out the blocks in the Flickr group.
• 3 Recycled Projects
• Grandma Marge's Old Couch
• iPhone Case
• Scrappy Christmas Tree Skirt
• 1 Tutorial: The piano mug rug This post is the second most viewed but I have yet to see that anyone made it. 
• Other: I sewed and quilted about 20 bags, a few dresses and skirts, 5 table toppers (here is the hexagon one), 10 plushies like the Neapolitan bunnies, practiced free-motion quilting, and bunch of other things that didn't join blogland.

So wow~I sewed, quilted, created, and did a ton of math! Through these projects I learned way more about myself than I ever expected. In an interesting way, what I choose to create offers a glimpse into my life and passions, as well as where I stand in my personal learning journey. Yes, there are plenty of things I wrote about that I would do differently and I hope that will be evident in my future posts. One thing is crystal clear to me: Every single project I do, I learn something that I didn't expect to learn. Every single time.

So all in all I'm reminded to...

Be positive. "Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habit. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." -Lao Tzu

and most importantly...

Keep on keepin' on -Henry + The Invisibles

"Flow Zone" Block of the Month: July

Carol's magical choice for July's Block of the Month is...

*Card Tricks*

Click here for the link to the directions.

Don't forget to post your quilt blocks in the Flickr group!
Also, here is a link to the previous months.

Here is my version. Can't wait to see everyone else's "Card Tricks"!

Equilateral Triangle Mini Quilt, Kitchen Curtain and a Skirt!

A few months or so ago, I bought a fat quarter bundle at Remnants: Fiber culture for no reason other than it looked pretty. About 7 months ago, I moved into a new house. In turn, my walls are still incredibly naked. So, that fat quarter bundle paired with my bare house is an excellent recipe for creation! Please check out my equilateral triangle mini quilt, kitchen curtain and skirt! 

Who doesn't love triangles? I realize that triangles come in all different shapes and sizes (and students should learn about more than just the regular triangle), but there is still something about the equilateral triangle that I adore. 3 equal sides, 3 congruent 60 degree angles...wait...oh yes...the 60 degree angles is what I love! They were interesting to cut out and fairly simple to piece together! This blog, On the Windy Side, originally inspired me to go for it. I have plans to make a larger one in the near future for a gift.

Perfect for the kitchen. I can glance over at the magic triangles while I am cooking. I still may bring it down a little lower on that wall.

And along with a naked house comes naked windows! Slowly but surely, I'm making them gorgeous. I used some of the fabric for a basic curtain. It was so simple. Rectangles, ironing, and straight seams...loveliness!

Here is another view. I can adjust the curtain rod as different light comes in throughout the day. The yellows (or yellers as I like to jokingly say) in the fabrics just remind me of the kitchen! 

Lastly, using some elastic thread and squares, I pieced together this little skirt. I've worn it a few times and I love it!

Not the best photo...but you get an idea for how it looks on.

Of course, I have scraps left over, so some scrappy potholders are already in the works! :-)

Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day! 

My Interactive Fraction Strip Quilt!

Have you ever used fraction tiles before? You might recognize them if you saw a photo so here is a link. Fraction tiles can be a very useful model in understanding fractions, however, math educators...be careful! Sometimes these tiles can hide the true understanding our students have about fractions. Who needs fraction tiles when you can have this gorgeous interactive fraction quilt that starts at the top (white) with one whole, and continues with (red) halves, (pink) thirds, (black) fourths, (green) fifths, (purple) sixths, (yellow) sevenths, (teal) eighths, (orange) ninths, (gray) tenths, light pink (elevenths), and dark purple (twelfths)?!

The free-motion quilting on the back highlights the unit fractions quite nicely. The greater the denominator the smaller the piece is!

Flat Stanley Comes to Austin!

Flat Stanley has made a stop in Austin, Texas! My cousin Vinny, a second grade student from Shorewood, Illinois, sent him to me a few weeks ago. We've had a wonderful visit, so I thought I would write up a blog post of our activities for his class to read.

What do you think was the first thing we did when he arrived? I sewed him up a new outfit, of course! Since the weather has been in the 80s/90s, Flat Stanley is wearing a blue t-shirt, black pants and red flip flops. Austin is a laid-back city, so we kept the clothes casual!

Since I work a full-time job as an elementary math curriculum specialist, Flat Stanley joined me this week in our district office. He met a co-worker, Carol, and learned about all the deadlines we have to meet by the end of the school year. The last day of school here is June 7th!

The first day Flat Stanley came to work, we assembled 1,000 math toolkits for 3rd and 4th grade students to take home with them this summer. Flat Stanley assisted instructional coach, Christa with the decks of cards. Click here to read more about how we packed the toolkits and solve some math problems!

Since Austin is known as the "live music capital of the world," a trip to Austin wouldn't be complete without a chance to see Henry + The Invisibles! He is a talented 'one man phunk band' from Austin that layers live loops with guitars, keyboards, drums and vocals. This video is of Henry in the kitchen that shows how he layers instruments.

Flat Stanley even got to try some local food. First stop was Smokey Mo's for some Texas Bar-be-que. And a trip to Austin wouldn't be complete without some breakfast tacos. Flat Stanley ordered a potato, bacon, egg and cheese taco with pico de gallo and extra spicy salsa!

I soon found out that Flat Stanley has a big appetite! We went shopping for more food at our local grocery store, the H.E.B., and Flat Stanley noticed something strange when we checked out. There were no bags for our groceries! On March 1st, the City of Austin passed legislation that bans single use plastic and brown paper bags. Austin is the first major city in Texas to pass a ban like this. Good thing that Flat Stanley didn't have to worry about the items he bought...I made him a reusable souvenir 'Bettina Danger' bag to take back to Illinois!

Flat Stanley also wondered why he saw "Keep Austin Weird" in so many places. I explained to him that this slogan originated to support small businesses. You can read more about that at this link.

Lastly, we had to see the bats. Austin is home to 1.5 million bats that live underneath the Congress Street Bridge. It is the largest urban bat colony in the world and a tourist attraction to watch them all take flight at dusk. There are actually more bats than people in Austin! Learn more about how bats are good for our environment here. Don't forget to check out the video of the bats flying!

On Flat Stanley's last night here, he helped me sew an envelope to send him back to Illinois in style. He selected red thread and a super cool geometric stitch design. 

Thank you for sending Flat Stanley, Vinny! Please comment below and let me know he made it back to you! :)

From Scraps to iPhone Case!

I have a lime green scrap bin that holds fabric pieces. It keeps staring at me every week saying, "Sort me, sort me, SORT ME!" Despite the constant pestering, I shove it back onto the shelf and keep sewing, accumulating more and more fabric scraps.

So, I decided to sort out everything in the bin this weekend. I began by organizing it into two piles: keep and too small to keep.

Just as I was about to throw away the "too small to keep" pile, I remembered that I really wanted to make an iPhone Case to keep my new phone from scratching.

So, here it is...

And here is a photo of the back:

I love these scrappy projects because each little piece tells a story about something I've created! What a great "memory case" to hold a device I use daily!

"Flow Zone" Block of the Month: June

By request, I am posting June's block a little early. June's "Flow Zone" BOM is Shannon's Choice! She has picked...

*The Woven Block*

Thank you, Shannon, for selecting a wonderful block! Click here for the directions.

I love how my block came together and I can't wait to see your creation. Here is a link to the Flickr group to add a photo of your finished block for everyone to enjoy!

July is Carol's choice...stay tuned!

"Flow Zone" Block of the Month: May

What a beautiful day to announce May's Block of the Month! This month was Laura's choice and she has selected a block called:

*Peace and Plenty*

Doesn't the block name just sound pretty? Click here for the directions!

Thank you Laura for selecting such an enjoyable block to make! Here is my version:

Don't forget to post your finished blocks in the Flickr group! 

Stay tuned for June's BOM-Shannon's pick! (As requested by a few people doing this BOM, I'm going to post the June directions within the next couple of days.) We have some zealous ladies out there! Love it! ;) Happy sewing!

Neapolitan Bunnies

Once springtime rolled around this year, I thought I would bring back the bunny! A few years ago, I made these young rabbit plushies for some dear friends. It is always entertaining digging up old photos. Although I must say that searching through my folders on a hard drive doesn't do it for me like rummaging through an old box of printed photos!

   

 I had some of the Love My Honey fabric collection by Jenni Calo left over from this baby quilt, so I thought I would do something a little different this year. What follows are some photos of the  "Neapolitan Bunnies!"

Personally, I'm still partial to the original pink bunny, although I love them all of different reasons. Which one is your favorite?!

Pegasus Quilt Wall Hanging

This pegasus quilt wall hanging is in memory of my father, Stephen A. Chinderle, or as most people knew him by his nickname...SAC. It's hard to believe he has been gone 6 years today. I often wonder what he would ask me to sew him if he were still alive since I didn't sew back then. So, my wonderings led me to this project in his memory.

A few months before my father passed away, he asked my grandmother to make 30 of these ceramic pegasus figurines for the friends he worked with at Mobil Oil Corporation, actually now ExxonMobil. Unfortunately, he died before my grandmother could give them to him. You can imagine how heartbreaking this felt to look at all of these figurines and wonder exactly what my dad wanted to do with them.

Of course, he wanted one in his daughter's sewing room! ;-) My dad loved the pegasus image and the color red. I know he would have asked me to make something with those two elements.

So, here it is! A perfect (well maybe not totally perfect) pegasus quilt wall hanging! I had a great time reminiscing about my father while I sewed this together. I was reliving and appreciating the good times!

And I was smiling while working on my free-motion quilting!

Thank goodness for Skype! My family and friends who live back home helped design the format for the back. I'm positive that was my dad's touch. On a side note, this was the perfect application of a math standard (communicate mathematical ideas using multiple representations and language) as my family was forced to describe where and how to move the half-square triangles without touching them!

All in all, I'll probably always feel like my dad was taken from us too soon, but then again, I'll always appreciate the 23 years of life we did get to spend together.  I know he's smiling down from Heaven!

"Flow Zone" Block of the Month: April

It's time for April's Block of the Month! This month was Karen's choice, and she has selected the...

*Double Monkey Wrench*

Karen has introduced a new element to the fun...half-square triangles! Yay!

Click here for the block instructions.

I can't wait to see the photos of your magnificent blocks in the Flickr group. Don't forget that you can comment on the photos, too!

Also, the group is going to have its 1st happy hour! We will meet at JT's in Cedar Park on April 24th at 5:00. Hope you can make it!

Here's my finished April block:

Fabric Bookmarks

I love a good bookmark. I also love that I had a perfect reason to make some this month! :-) 

The LISD math team was published in the ATPE (Association of Texas Professional Educators) News magazine! This quarterly magazine goes out to 110,000 educators across the state of Texas. You can imagine the grin on my face when I saw our article.  In fact, I knew this 2-page feature had to be sent to my mother and two grandmothers. 

Thank you, Carol and Doug Rogers, for making sure that I had multiple copies for my loved ones.

Of course, these magazines are now equipped with a 'Bettina Danger Bookmark' so everyone can quickly turn to page eight!

And yes, the bookmark is complete with a Bettina Danger logo affixed to the side for good luck!

Don't you think a handmade bookmark is a sweet way to feature something special?!

Next time you send or gift a book, magazine or journal...don't forget the bookmark!

Free-Motion Quilting at QuiltCon

A few weeks ago, I attended QuiltCon, presented by the Modern Quilt Guild, at the Austin Convention Center. I could only attend on Saturday but that's better than nothing, right?! On another note, I wish I had more photos to share of the QuiltCon event, but I washed my cell phone yesterday with my jeans. Opps! That's what happens when you procrastinate on getting a blog post up. 

Regardless, I attended Elizabeth Hartman's 'Free-Motion Quilting on a Home Machine' class and here are some photos of the sample swatches that I quilted as I transferred my learning:

I still can't stop reflecting on what a wonderful learning experience I had that day. Elizabeth is amazing. She gave several mini-lessons throughout the workshop, gave the students time to practice and apply new learning after the mini-lessons, walked around giving individual descriptive feedback, and recognized that everyone was at varying levels of understanding in regards to the topic. Differentiation was addressed by her simply giving permission to spend more time on designs that we felt we needed to practice on more. All of that, and she didn't even have a handout! See, who needs a worksheet! ;-) In all seriousness, learning how to sew has become an incredible model of learning in my eyes. Even at this workshop, my intrinsic motivation was high as I left the class with my performance of understanding...

Eventually, I'm going to have to do something fun with this practice piece!

Lastly, I was unable to attend the lectures at QuiltCon, but then I discovered that you can watch some of them on Craftsy for FREE! Now you can enjoy these amazing lectures snuggling next to your kitty and eating popcorn! *Purespringbreakawesomeness* Seriously, check 'em out!

Now, I am off to put one of these free-motion designs to use! Happy SXSW and Spring Break everyone! If you are downtown on Saturday, Henry (Henry + The Invisibles) is playing at the Tiniest Bar in Texas and Wuwufest on 7th and Onion. Hope to see you out and about! :)

"Flow Zone" Block of the Month: March

Super thrilled to announce the March "Flow Zone" BOM! This month was Carol's choice and I promise she did not let us down!

I don't know if this block has a name, but it was the January block last year for the Sew, Mama, Sew's Modern Block of the Month by Alissa Haight Carlton. Check out this impressive block!

Here is my finished block. I can't wait to be impressed by everyone else's interpretation!

And...Don't forget to post your photos in the Flickr Group! Ready, set...SEW!

STROBE 2.0

If you've ever been to a Henry + The Invisibles show, you probably remember a "special guest from a far away planet" who sings 'Only Human'. A few years back, Henry Roland asked me to make a puppet that was silver with an alien shaped head. That same night, STROBE was born. Since this night, our beloved STROBE has performed at hundreds of shows and over time, he gradually lost his luster. Inevitably, STROBE needed reconstruction. So without further ado, I introduce to you a new generation of STROBE...STROBE 2.0!

STROBE 2.0

Here is the original STROBE with his stuffing taken out. 

This photo shows STROBE and STROBE 2.0! Both puppets are made out of the same fabric. 

You can see that his luster is lacking and the mouth board needed repair from all of the singing!

 

Construction began!

Time to add the brains!

He's almost done. One special thing is missing...

Henry gave STROBE's old glasses a spit shine. No, I'm not joking.

As you can see, it was an emotional moment taking the glasses off! STROBE is a solid member the Phunk Fam! He's brought many laughs, joys, and heart-warming moments to the H + TI shows.

I felt much better as soon as I placed STROBE's old eyes on the new puppet. It reminded me of the saying, "The eyes are the window to the soul." 

We look forward to many new memories with STROBE 2.0!

Click here to listen to the song, 'Only Human'!