WiP Wednesday and Some Context

I tend not to share too too much of my personal life; here or on Instagram (I'm seriously so active over there, and I love having more people to follow!!), but things here aren't so rosy. I feel like it's important to mention, because crafting has a huge amount of artistry to it, and I've learned through various art classes about how important the artist's point of view is to the finished product. Looking at something with no context can be alienating, or confusing, but when you know who the artist was, and what their vision was, it becomes clear and has more resonance (Duchamp's Fountain is always cited as a big example of this, if you're curious). Anyway, all this just means that I feel knowing my situation right now will put my current work into context.

Thank you block made in my "blog colors" ♥
Basically, it's been a much different summer than I thought it would be - my husband lost his job right at the beginning of June, and he's starting his first day at a new job today. We had planned to visit his family in Nebraska, at least, as well as a trip to San Diego & Disneyland, maybe even visiting my family up in northern CA...well, instead we've been staying at home, going to the library, lots of Netflix, and I've been crafting, crafting, crafting.

Currently binding this!! I love carrying it around the house with me.
It's by no means a bad thing; in fact, it's exactly how we spent last summer, so at this point it's old hat. The stress never really goes away with financial difficulty hanging over you, though, and that wears on me. It's been a year of bad luck! I'm so grateful that I was inspired to pick up sewing again, I don't know how I would've gotten by for the past few months without it to distract me.

Some of my fabric choices/buys recently
I like looking somewhat critically at my creative process, because I like seeing my usual tendencies and then being surprised by some of the choices that I make. It's nice to surprise yourself sometimes! Anyway, I've thought often over the past few months that I love pink, but I don't use it as much as I would've expected myself to. I partially blamed my fabric stash for not being diverse enough, but that's definitely not an excuse anymore!! I've bought a lot of pink recently, which seems natural considering how stressed and worried and unstable things have been here; it's a color that gives me so much peace. Do you have a color that does that? I think how cute the color pink is to me makes it feel like everything's going to be okay. There's still cute things! It's all right! Haha ♥

Pink Lone Star!
I've recently started acting pretty impulsively off of inspirations (which feels great, btw!) and this is the project that started it - a lone star!! It's been, quite honestly, hellish to put together so far; I've hated every part of the process, but I love all the fabrics and I love how pink and cheery it is. I haven't decided on a bg fabric for it yet, but once I do, this thing is going straight up on my wall! I used this Better Off Thread tutorial to make it, and Aneela Hoey's lone star was my direct (and unignorable!) inspiration for putting it together. Once it's done, I'll make a post about it...I had to change so many measurements from the tutorial to make it work!

Marcelle Medallion!!
I've been wanting to start this Marcelle Medallion business ever since I first saw a glimpse of it...how can you not?? I haven't seen any other border quilts I've been quite as taken by ♥ I paper pieced the center medallion, and am currently having a battle with cornerstone borders. Does anyone have any tricks for getting them super precise?? I was considering sewing them almost like binding, so I can make the second corner align perfectly (does that make sense?). I'm currently putting off cutting out 70+ 2.5" triangles...haha...ha... Tedious work aside, I adore how this looks so far. It's just what I wanted it to look like, when I didn't even know which fabrics I'd be using. I just knew I wanted to feature pink in the center heavily; I've noticed on the finished quilts that the center dictates the tone of the rest of the quilt. I definitely want a pink theme throughout!!

Just realized how many WIP's I have in this post...better link up to WiP Wednesday!

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

Thanks for sticking around for my rambling - I know it's a bit self-indulgent, but I think having a blog in the first place is a bit self-indulgent, so it's all okay in the end ♥ I hope providing some context helped you to view my current projects in a slightly different way c: Have a great Wednesday!!

2013 New Blogger Blog Hop ♥ Week 8



Week 8?? The end of July?? How quickly time flies! I feel like I've done so much since the beginning of June, but it also seems like just a couple weeks ago that I first signed up for the hop. I hope everyone's had the same great experience that I have! I'm so glad for everyone that's stopped by from the hop, it's really overwhelming how supportive everyone's been ♥ Just the encouragement a beginner needs to gain a bit of confidence!


Vicki @ A Quilter's Mission
RobinSue @ RobinSue Quilts
Elizabeth @ In The Boondocks
Lorna @ Sew Fresh Quilts
Sonia @ Fabric & Flowers
Em @ Sewing by Moonlight 
Elise @ Lovelea Designs
Jenny @ A Note To Follow Sew
Emily @ Sew E.T.

I'm impressed at how patient this group is - I don't know if I could've waited the full two months for my post :) There's some really lovely work in this group, I'm so impressed!! Definitely worth the wait ♥♥

Thank you to everyone who participated!! I loved getting to know everyone and found some really amazing blogs that I never would've found otherwise - I love those unexpected treasures. I'm definitely a bit sad that it's over, but thank goodness the lovely bloggers at Little and Lots and Wasn't Quilt in a Day put together a Scrappy Bee for us! I'm soo happy to be participating in quilting "events"...doing swaps, going to guild meetings, now a bee?! I've been really lucky to get involved with such a great group of people so early on! I can't wait until that Flickr pool starts filling ♥

Hey, have a good rest of the week out there! Our a/c was broken overnight, give us strength...it should be back to 100% tomorrow morning, but whew let me tell you, midday in Tucson is not when you want your a/c to go out!!

2013 New Blogger Blog Hop ♥ Week 7


Week 7! Getting so close to the end now; I'll miss all the new weekly inspiration ♥ Let's be honest though, it's too hot for preamble - pictures, pictures!


Karen @ Little Birdie Quilting Studio
Kathy @ Kwilty Pleasures
Katie @ Snuggle Up With A Dish From Karma 
Alison @ Making Happyness
Ella and Nesta @ Ella & Nesta's Little Room
Adrienne @ Chezzetcook Modern Quilts
Nicole @ Modern Handcraft
Aylin @ AyliN-Nilya
Kelsey and Amanda @ Everyday Fray

Nine lovely blogs to visit this week! I love all the personality I saw ♥

How's the summer treating you out there? I'm wilting here in the desert...too delicate for all this sunshine, apparently! I've been dreaming of moving somewhere more green and rainy for a while, it sounds so tempting in this weather. Keep cool while you're quilting out there!!

A Finish! ♥ First Mug Rug

This is a post full of firsts!


I've never finished a quilting project before, so this single project includes the first time I: made a dresden plate, sewed a circle, appliqued, quilted, and bound. Considering all of this, I am incredibly, incredibly proud of it! I made it for a swap with the Tucson Modern Quilt Guild and the Bakersfield Modern Quilt Guild, and let me tell you...it was somewhat emotional to have to send this away! 


I had so much fun making it, too. I've had my eye on dresden plates for a while now, and especially after picking up a vintage cushion with the cutest dresden plate...well, it was just sitting around my sewing room haunting me! I decided to just jump into it and try it for the mug rug ♥


Lots of fabrics used here! I only used my scrap bag for the front of the mug rug. Since the dresden plate is so tiny (each blade was about 2" long, and the finished plate is approx 6" in diameter), I could afford to use some really good ones! A lot of scraps from Sew Me a Song, some Flea Market Fancy, a touch of Tula Pink. I didn't have much of a color scheme, just went with something balanced but eclectic and scrappy!


Top-stitching isn't particularly a skill of mine, I've learned...but to be fair, I don't have any feet for my machine but basic ones. Which one is it that helps with top-stitching? I could really use it, haha! I hope whoever receives it is okay with some, ah, handmade imperfections...They lend it charm, right? :D



I forgot to take a picture of the backing after it was finished, apparently, so here is pre-binding (and a little bit of my shirt in there too, whoops). Fabrics - I used a pink sketch, a Robert Kaufman chevron (not sure which one!), some PKM and Aneela Hoey Sew Sketchy.


The patchwork half is made of 1" squares, using the fabrics as the dresden. The border is more Aneela Hoey, and for the binding, I used a leftover jelly roll strip I had from my Posy project ♥ I thought it was such a sweet way to frame it up!


I posted my original sketch on Instagram, so you can see how my vision changed a bit - originally, I thought the dresden plate would finish smaller, so it would make sense to have a little bit more going on. As it was, it ended up bigger, so I simplified it to this! 

I hope you've enjoyed looking at it as much as I did making it, I consider this a project that has been such a formative experience and I love it! ♥♥ In fact, I loved it so much that I had to make one of my own...

 I'd love to see any of your projects that felt like they were a big accomplishment or a turning point of some kind in your journey! Those projects are always so special ♥

Better Off Thread

2013 New Blogger Blog Hop ♥ Week 6


Week Six, can you believe it?? I can't believe there's only two more weeks! I can't believe I'm caught up! Disbelief all around, I guess :) Here are this week's hoppers!


Karen @ Karen, {Novice} Quilter
Anne @ PlayCrafts
Rachel @ Let's Begin Sewing...
Jan @ Sew And Sow Farm
Anna @ Quilting Along The Grain
Cath @ Wombat Quilts
Sarah @ {No} Hats In The House
Christen @ Love by Hand
Julie @ 627handworks


Nine this week! They all have some beautiful things to look at, go leave some comments and have fun meeting some new bloggers! ♥

I know there hasn't been a ton of new content here in the last week or so - I actually have a lot to show! Just need to get around to getting pictures, isn't that always the struggle?? I'll have a photography day soon and then I'll be able to show a couple finishes~~ hooray! Happy Thursday, by the way - are you awaiting anything good in the mail? A couple books and my basting spray I've been waiting for should be coming today! Stalking mailbox will commence in 3...2...

2013 New Blogger Blog Hop ♥ Week 5



Hello hello again, another catch up post! Week 5 was the first of July's bloggers, whoo, second month of blog hop! I must say, my bloglovin has swelled to epic proportions. I'm fairly sure I've been falling behind on this aspect because I've been reading so much and getting so inspired! I must thank everybody for participating, if only for how much spark it's given me ♥ I hope I've returned the favor a little bit!

Let's look at the pretty pictures for this week, shall we~


Friday, July 5
Christa @ Christa Quilts!
Alyce @ Wonderland By Alyce
Anna @ The Crooked Banana
Rachel @ Sew Happily Ever After 
Stephanie @ Quarter Incher
Shayla @ Sassafras Lane Designs
Caroline @ Carolines Craftiness
Lisa @ Hilltop House Creative Works

Another week, another round of lovely introductions! I'm glad I'll be caught up soon, all of these wonderful bloggers deserve some love ♥♥♥

2013 New Blogger Blog Hop ♥ Week 4



It may seem like you're traveling to the past, but fear not! It's merely me trying to catch up c: Week 4 was the week that I posted in, June 28, so I'm obviously a little behind. I've been so focused on using up my creative energy over here that I've neglected the slightly more tedious business - it happens to everybody a little bit, right? Summertime always feels like a time for self-reflection and a little bit of selfishness, but we do have duties to our fellow bloggers ♥

So! Here are the other lovely posters from week 4!


Friday, June 28
Green @ So Sew Green
Jessica @ Stitched In Thyme
Amira @ Little Mushroom Cap
Kathy @ Kayak Quilting
Michelle @ Factotum Of Arts
Paula @ The Sassy Quilter
Kris @ Sew Sunshine
Camilla @ Faffling

I very much enjoyed this week's posters, and think they make a very lovely mosaic, don't you? If you haven't been over to their blogs, what are you waiting for? You're just as behind as I am!!

2013 Finish-a-Long



Like many other crafters, I've got a project list that seems like it'll take years to finish - and I only started in January! It's just too tempting not to try something new when I see it :) Anyway, also like many other crafters, I've decided to take part in the upcoming third quarter of the Finish a Long! I do have some projects I'd love a little extra motivation to finish...let's see what they are:

First up, and most obviously, Posy!

I've only just now gotten to order some basting spray, and it should be here next Thursday. I hope to finish the backing by then, and have a quilting plan roughly drawn up, so once I receive it I can go to town! Anyone have any suggestions on how to quilt a basketweave pattern, by the way? I was thinking maybe just 1/4 lines away from each seam, but that might make it too busy? I'd welcome any ideas ♥


I really want to finish this as well; my summer sampler desserts. Just need to fix up that last block, then sash it & sew it! I want a summer wall hanging before the end of summer!


I probably won't be able to front the cash for batting & backing for this monster for a while, so I'm not entirely sure I can finish it completely...I'd love to have a finished top, though, and at least a start on the backing. I'll be working my hardest for a finish, though!! Especially by September.

Dug up a couple more old projects that I would adore to see completed:


Quilted handbag (this thing has some really cool construction, I want it finished so I can use it and show it off!!)

And I have two versions of the same wallet pattern, want to finish these up as well! I have tons of handbag and wallet patterns that I bought in December, but I haven't finished (or even started, really), any of them! Embarrassing, haha. Again, these should be doable by September ♥



And not a quilting finish, but a cross stitching one - I remember thinking this would be done within the week I started it! Two months later...you know how it goes, right? I don't have much left at all, but it's just on such tiny aida, and I have so many tiny gray stitches to undo at the bottom. Ugh!!

Anyway, there's the list! I have lots of projects I'll be working on otherwise - I'm trying to do smaller sewing projects right now so I can have more finished items around the house! I have a few cushions in the works, probably a needlebook and pincushion, a couple of mug rugs or a table runner...plus I have an exciting finished project to show! I haven't uploaded pictures yet, so you'll see it soon ♥

Oh, oh, New Blogger Blog Hop! I've been falling behind terribly, I really have been barely touching my computer lately. Comments and mosaics for each week are still forthcoming, and I'll be sure to link to your post directly so introductions will be easy to find ♥

Have a great weekend everyone! I hope the monsoon continues over here, it's been a break from the stifling heat at least!



2013 New Blogger Blog Hop ♥ The Rainbow Revolts



Hello everyone, and welcome to The Rainbow Revolts! I'm so excited (and a little nervous!) to be able to have you all here to see what I've been doing so far ♥ I'd like to give my thanks to Plum and June for organizing this wonderful event and for including me and so many other wonderful bloggers! I've loved getting to know everyone and bulking up my bloglovin' list, I hope everyone else feels the same ♥

First, an intro, then a little Q&A! My name is Gwendellyn, I'm 23 years old, and I currently live in Tucson with my husband and our cutie cats (and a roommate! One of my bff's from high school). I learned to sew when I was around 6 or 7, tiny projects that my grandma helped me with. She used to make all of my Halloween costumes, until I was 13 and I finally made my own! I loved working with clothing, both sewing and altering, and attended FIDM for a year in 2010. Unfortunately I couldn't keep attending because of financially problems, and this led to a big period of decline for me creatively. I didn't design, I didn't sew, nothing. It was depressing! Finally, this past December, I stumbled upon mrsmcporkchop's blog and had my eyes blown wide open. What am I doing, in my poorly decorated home? There's things to make! I had always avoided "home sewing" because I thought, and I think this is hilarious now, that it was incredibly boring. I found quilts to be ugly for most of my life! I had no idea about modern quilting, and how my love for fabric could find a place within quilting. It's hard for me to continue garment sewing because of cost and availability of patterns, but now I can get some scraps from a local fabric store at $4/yard, and have so many options on things to make. It's a powerful feeling! One of the other reasons why I really took to quilting is because I've always loved learning about other cultures and their traditions, and I've always felt a lack of that in my own life. It's great to draw from other cultures, but there's something special about continuing an art to be proud of from one's own background! Learning about the history of quilts, and how it's such a traditional American thing, has made me fall more in love with it because it's something about my history to be proud of! I think I also sort of like looking like a grandma before my time ♥ 

Okay okay, now that you know me a little bit, have some questions and answers!


L: My first completed quilt top, made from a Posy jelly roll! R: Simple patchwork stripe for the backing


When did you start quilting/who taught you?
I starting my quilting journey in January with the Skill Builder BOM over at Pile o' Fabric, then went on to start Swoon in February. I'm self-taught, by which I mean I sit by myself at home and pore over tutorials and videos and tips and tricks all day, haha! I just recently joined my local quilt guild, and I'm really looking forward to having a lovely group of people around to guide me throughout my beginning stages. It's important not to fall into bad habits! I will say that I've been really honest with myself through the process, by which I mean that I haven't done much taking apart and re-doing of anything, unless there's nothing salvagable about it. I really like having a record of my learning stages, and seeing my seams slowly start aligning more and more! I hold myself to higher standards with each new project I take on, so I don't stay lazy about certain things. I think it's working out fairly well for my first few months of quilting!


Current Skill Builder BOM progress! One and a half months behind at this point, whoops...
Why did you start your blog?
I started this blog to be able to have a place to readily open myself up creatively by sharing my work, get feedback, and be able to start being a true part of the quilting community. I love being on Instagram and sharing and exploring there, but it's obviously limited compared to having a blog! By the way, if you're wondering about the name, it's really just a name I came up with one day that amused me. I needed a new aim handle and was thinking about variations on rainbows or something. I like it because it's sort of like, a sentence - The rainbow revolts! Like it's an uprising! Or it sort of sounds like a band name, yeah? Introducing, The Rainbow Revolts!! Or it could be a criticism, such as, "[That] rainbow revolts [me]". Revolting rainbows. Horrifying! I have no idea where I'm going with this now, haha.


Swoon progress! Block 7 is patiently waiting to be sewn; 8 & 9 have fabrics picked but haven't been cut yet!

What is your favorite/least favorite part of sewing/quilting?
I actually haven't finished a full quilting project yet - crazy, right? I can definitely say that my favorite part of sewing in general is the fabric. I love fabric! It's the best way I've found to satisfy that urge for color and design in my life. When it comes to quilting, this makes my favorite part the planning process - being able to touch the fabrics and test them out together and make something harmonious. It's so fun to play around with textures and prints and colors! The rest of it is all the actual hard work and follow through, haha. My least favorite part is ironing (during the winter it's my favorite part, oddly, but during these 100+ degree summers? Ehhh...), closely followed by attempting to take reasonable pictures with my cell phone. My husband said that after I finish my third quilt we can save up for a good camera for me - a good deal, I think! 


My Scrappy Trip Alongs. I'm not terribly good at them yet, but I'm sticking with it!

What other hobbies do you have?
Right now, my hobbies are centered around crafting - lots of cross stitch and embroidery, especially! I used to do lots of garment sewing/modifying, not so much anymore. I also do some work with coloring for lineart! I don't make much time for it anymore since I get antsy sitting on the computer too long these days, but it used to be one of my favorite creative pasttimes.  Video games are another hobby of mine, me and my husband are currently playing through Ni no Kuni - highly, highly recommended, by the way! I love movies as well, classics and new; especially anything by Sofia Coppola and Quentin Tarantino (both for very different reasons, mind you!). 

The embroidery letters are from the Daisychain ABC's; the cat is made from various designs from this book ♥

What other social media do you actively use?

I'm on Instagram pretty much all day, these days! It's so perfect for us crafty types, huh? I have a Pinterest account as well, but I don't use it all that often! 

Foundation paper pieced desserts from Ellison Lane Quilts' summer sampler series!

Do you have any quilting or blogging questions?

Yes, I do! I'd love to hear how quilting changed your life, or what it has brought into your life. This is something that I think about a lot personally, and I'm very interested to hear what others have to say about it! Besides that, if there's any tips that you've been given have that improved your quilting more than any other, what is it? I think I need a few ;)


Thank you so much for stopping by today! Here's who else is on tap (my normal mosaic post will be up this weekend, don't worry!): 

Friday, June 28
Green @ So Sew Green
Jessica @ Stitched In Thyme
Amira @ Little Mushroom Cap
Kathy @ Kayak Quilting
Michelle @ Factotum Of Arts
Paula @ The Sassy Quilter
Kris @ Sew Sunshine
Camilla @ Faffling


So go visit them, too! ♥ Have a great weekend everyone!

2013 New Blogger Blog Hop ♥ Week 3


Alrighty guys, time for week 3!! Who's up this week? Let's see...


Friday, June 21
Leigh Anne @ Ella's Cottage
Stacy @ The Tilted Quilt
Sarah @ Quilt Candy
Jackie @ NW Patchwork
Liz @ Beadqueene's Bits And Baubles
Erica @ Happy Fabric
Stephanie @ Simple Sewendipity
Lauren @ Seraphym
Amy @ Cloud CouCou Crafts

They all have lovely blogs and wonderful work to show!! Please give them some love on a Monday c: 

Anyway, it's about time to post some new pictures here, so I want to show you what I've been working on away from the sewing room! Namely, cross stitching and embroidery ♥ 


Lots of Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery stuff going on around here! I took a really long break from my Spring Sampler, so I'm working a bit on that while I wait to get some more fabric for my Summer one! By the way, if you want to find their older patterns, you can find them on their Craftsy and Kitschy Digitals stores. Not affiliated btw! I just love them, and I've gotten lots of questions on IG about where to pick them up c: I've been loving Satsuma Street on Etsy, too! I've gotten her London and Paris patterns already, planning to pick up Tokyo and the Pirate ship one soon!! They're so much fun to look at it and work on. Although, I do believe I accidentally used 22 count Aida instead of 18...I've never used anything smaller than 14!! Whoops. It's a little late to change it, but it's been somewhat frustrating to work so small, and I don't know if I want to do 3 more projects at that scale...thoughts?



My brief foraying into embroidery! I wanted to learn in high school so badly, but I was terrible at it. I had no focus to sit and learn something like it! I've definitely reached a point in my life where that is much easier for me haha. So, I've been working on this sampler, but in floss, not crewel. It's been so much fun so far, and it's helping me grow leaps and bounds in my embroidery. Those are my first real french knots right there!! The little cat design is a combination of patterns from this book, it's too adorable! It's decorating a glasses case that I finished last week...should make a post about that too...

Anyway! Happy Monday everyone!