Needles and Pens

Needles and What?

2012-01-28T14:45:00.000-06:00

Every so often, someone will ask me, “Why Needles and Pens?” Since my blog appears to be all about sewing, shouldn’t it be “pins?” It makes sense, right? But the play on words was intentional. When I started this blog, I was at a crossroads, trying to decide if I should keep plugging away at freelance writing or delve headlong into my newfound love of quilting. I thought, perhaps, that I could do both... Needles AND Pens.

It seems that the quilting won out. For the past ten years, I’ve been learning and playing and experimenting and creating art in a whole new medium – and loving it. I do so little writing these days, I can’t honestly call myself a writer anymore.

Still, the urge to write – really write – resurfaces now and then, in the never-ending quest to discover God’s purpose for me in this life. (Yes, I’m 45 years old and still trying to figure out what I’ll be when I grow up!) I wonder if I’m making a mistake, virtually ignoring that writing gift. I wrestle with those thoughts on a regular basis.

At the same time, I’m considering a whole new endeavor. Could I actually make an income selling the things I love to create? Should I open an Etsy shop? Are people willing to pay what I feel my time is worth? Will I still have time to sew for charity? For gifts? Just for fun?

And if I do this, will I ever get back to writing? Should I get back to writing? Is it even possible to do both? (Aren't you glad you don't live in my head? LoL)

With all of these thoughts rattling my brain this morning, I decided on a whim to look up Sunday Scribblings, one of my old favorite sources for writing prompts. I’m definitely rusty, but it couldn’t hurt to get back in practice. The topic for the week was:

“Possible: Think big! What is possible?”

I don’t believe in coincidence. It’s been over a year since I’ve looked at Sunday Scribblings, so what prompted me to go there today? I’ll be honest, it took some time for me to get the big picture. (I’m not always the sharpest crayon in the box.)

I could go into a long list of all my hopes and dreams, past, present and future, but the answer is the same for all of them. With willingness, determination and faith, anything is possible.

“… with God, all things are possible.” ~ Matthew 19:26

And the answer to all those questions rambling around in my head? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. It’s all possible.

Needles AND Pens is possible.

Little Finishes

2012-01-27T12:34:00.000-06:00

So this week I've been trying to play catch-up in the aftermath of my big January home project... but mostly I've been floundering. Once I get my teeth into a big project, I will work like a fiend to get it finished, but when it's done I tend to stall out -- for days on end, it seems -- and go, "Now what?" Does that happen to you? Or are you able to just move smoothly on to the next thing?

At any rate, I'm pretty well caught up on the household basics and had to give myself permission to slack off a bit, recharge, and wait for the next wave of motivation. And despite my slacking, I have a couple of small finishes for the week.

In last year's "Get 'er Done" challenge, I was lucky enough to win one of the monthly prize drawings, a set of beautiful block-of-the-month kits from Jo-Ann fabrics, called "Floral Breeze." It was donated by my friend, Jude, who also has a set of her own. Hopefully we can keep each other encouraged to finish them up this year.

I've been working on January's "Flowering Vine" off and on throughout the month, but I did the last of the embroidery this week -- done!

The blocks finish at 12-1/2" x 18-1/2" -- large enough for a full, queen or king quilt, with sashings and borders. I'm thinking my bedroom may get a makeover...

My other little finish came as a result of being drawn for Marcia's quilting giveaway this week. I've got my scrappy top all wrapped up and ready to send to her for quilting, but I wanted to send a little extra thank you gift along. I had just enough scraps left over from my top to make this little mug rug for Marcia.

(Wish I'd used that teal in my quilt top instead of the green!)

While my body has been mostly idle this week, my mind has been conjuring up lots of plans for quilts I want to finish this year. A spontaneous fabric shopping spree yesterday has me set for supplies (if not a tiny bit remorseful). I feel the stir of creative energy building, even on the verge of bursting forth...

...any day now. :o)

Linking up today at...

And a new linky party, "Link a Finish Friday" at Richard Quilts!

Oh, Happy Day!

2012-01-24T14:10:00.000-06:00

I just checked my email and got some fantastic news...

I won the scrappy challenge drawing at Marcia's Crafty Sewing & Quilting blog!! Which means Marcia will be doing some of her fabulous quilting...

...on my scrappy quilt top!! Woohoo!

I'm SO excited!! I've never had one of my tops professionally quilted, so I just can't wait to see how it turns out. Thanks so much, Marcia!! You made my day!! :o)

Better Home Challenge: January Reveal!

2012-01-23T14:15:00.000-06:00

Previous Posts on January's Project:
Week One Progress Report
Grandpa's Cradle
Week Two Progress Report
Pillows!

My January Better Home Challenge project is done! I'm so excited to have this room, formerly a dumping ground, transformed into a useful and cozy guest room. I have some pictures to share, though the colors may seem a bit different from my "in progress" shots. My daughter is taking a digital photography class and her instructor discourages the use of flash -- so I gave it a try. It does produce a much softer look, though it took a lot more tries to get a sharp image. At any rate, all of my "after" pics are flash-free. What do you think?

Here's the view as you walk into the room:

And around the corner, the bookshelf holds (almost) all the children's books my kids have outgrown. My mother painted the butterfly painting years ago. The colors are perfect for this room!

The closet corner:

That yellow wall unit is part of my childhood bedroom furniture. You may have noticed the top part in the "before" pictures. I had to steal the base back from my daughter so I could put it to good use. (We installed shelves in her closet where she had this stashed, so she didn't lose her storage space.) I was excited to finally have a place to display my husband's grandma's bell collection behind glass. They've been stored in a box for years...

Finally, here's the view of the bed wall. The nightstand is an antique sewing cabinet. The bottom "drawer" is actually a lazy suzan that swings out and holds spools of thread. (It also fits perfectly behind the door in this tiny room, which is how it ended up as a nightstand.) The picture above the bed was one of my first purchases after my husband and I were married. I couldn't wait to have a whole house full of kids -- and dogs -- and horses! LoL

And because I love "before" and "after" pictures, I just have to include these. You can see the difference the flash makes, too. The "befores" are all with flash:

What a difference!

I've been saving all of my notes, samples and receipts in a notebook and just tallied the cost of this project. Yikes! It's amazing how much you can spend, just a few dollars at a time.

Project cost:

Paint - $15.00
Purchased bedding - $51.00
Materials purchased for quilt - $34.00
Materials purchased for cradle bedding - $17.00
Curtain rod and lining - $4.00
Pillow forms - $9.00
Light fixture - $4.00
Clock radio - $10.00
Wastebasket (used for storage in closet) $4.00
Total spent - $148.00

This doesn't show the cost of all the fabric I had already on hand, most of which was given to me and saved me a ton (thank you, thank you!). And the bed itself was a "freebie." As you can see, I scrimped on everything as much as possible, and I still spent more on this room than I thought I would. I had hoped to keep it under $100. All I can do is think what I would have spent if I'd bought everything new!

Almost forgot, the easiest and cheapest improvement of all -- a light fixture. (I have no idea what happened to the original!)

Now I'm anxious to see what next month's project will be. I'll be drawing a new number on February 1st, so until then, I'll be trying to make up for ignoring the rest of the house these past few weeks. bleh.

Sew & Tell Friday: Pillows, Pillows, Pillows...

2012-01-20T13:54:00.000-06:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks around here (and I have a camera now!) so there's lots to share on this Sew & Tell Friday. Late last Friday, I finished binding the quilt for the guest bed. (I blogged more about this on Monday, if you'd like to see all the details and pics.)

And if you remember the cradle from last week's Sew & Tell, you know there had to be a matching cradle quilt, too:

But the majority of this week has been all about pillows, pillows, pillows. First, the quilted pillow shams for the bed. I was down to the tail end of my green Fairy Frost, so I had to make it stretch for two shams -- thus the (maybe a little TOO busy) checkerboard pattern:

Yeah, I definitely would have preferred solid green for the shams. Something was needed to break up all those squares...

So I went on a throw pillow kick. I can't say enough great things about this zippered pillow tutorial from The House on Hill Road. It's super quick and easy, and the pillows turn out so professional looking! Seriously, if you hate the idea of sewing zippers, try this tutorial. It has me itching to make more, and more, and more pillows...

The best part is, it works equally well with different types of fabric. The dark fuscia pillows here are wide-wale corduroy and the floral is a heavy woven. It's a great way to use up some of the non-quilty stash.

So that was my sewing for the week. I'm nearly done with this guest room now. Just a few more furnishing/decor decisions to make, and I'll be ready to move on to the next ~~disaster area~~ home challenge. :o)

Be sure to visit Amylouwho today for more Sew & Tell!

I'm also linking up for the first time at Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday (TGIFF!), hosted today by KristyLou's Creations. Thanks for hosting, KristyLou!

Better Home Challenge: Week Two

2012-01-16T11:44:00.000-06:00

Time for another progress report on my January "guest room" challenge, and I think I've set an all-time personal speed record on this one. The bed quilt is finished! I started on Monday with this:

And here is the end result, finished on Friday. (Just out of curiosity, I kept track of my time. From cutting to piecing to pinning to quilting to binding -- 26 hours, 15 minutes.)

I was lucky again fabric-wise. Halfway into making the blocks, I realized I was short of the cream print. (sigh) When I went back to the store for more -- the bolt was gone. (groan) BUT when I checked the remnant bin, I found the end of the bolt. (yes!) It was just over a half yard, and turned out to be exactly enough to finish the top. (whew!) Best $1.39 I ever spent.

My only regret on this quilt, I wish it were just a bit wider, so it had a little more drop on the sides. Of course if it were, I wouldn't have had enough of that cream print, so... all for the best, I suppose.

I really scrimped on this quilt, only purchasing the cream fabric ($14.67 on sale, plus the $1.39 remnant) and extra-wide flannel for the back ($18.19 with a 40% off coupon). The batting is an old acrylic blanket we received as a wedding gift 25+ years ago. It was a super warm blanket, but just didn't look very good anymore. It made fantastic batting! It was a heavy beast to quilt, but it's so thick and cushy and WARM. I love it! Kind of makes me wish I had more old blankets around.

On Friday, I blogged about the antique cradle I've moved into this room, and the first steps of the cradle makeover.

Over the weekend, I polished the cradle up with some paste wax (I don't think it shows in the pictures, but the waxing really did brighten up the wood) and made a little cradle quilt from some of my leftover quilt fabric.

The border fabric on the cradle quilt is the very last bits leftover from this applique quilt I made a year ago for the UFO Challenge. It would have been a perfect fit for this room, but it's not large enough for the bed and too large for the wall space. (Come to think of it, the sashing on this quilt is the same fabric I used for the guest room curtain... I may have to find a way to use it in there yet.)

So that's where things stand right now. I still want to make some pillow shams, possibly a couple of throw pillows, and I'm debating on bumper pads for the cradle. It also needs some wall decor, but that should be about it and I think I'll be able to call this room finished.

Good thing, too. I'll need the rest of the month to get my house back together. Much as I try to avoid it, when I dig into one big project, everything else goes to heck. LoL Small price to pay, though, for one honest-to-goodness FINISHED room. :o)

Sew & Tell Friday: Grandpa's Cradle

2012-01-13T14:04:00.000-06:00

Well, here it is Friday again, and though I've been sewing my poor fingers to the bone this week, I haven't quite finished the quilt for the guest room bed (and since my daughter took off for the weekend with the only working camera in the house, I couldn't share a picture if I had), BUT I do have one other little project in the works, and a tiny sewing finish was involved this week.

When I had my first child in 1987, I was fortunate to inherit the cradle my grandpa slept in when was he born in 1890. He had many younger siblings, who most likely slept in it, too, but at some point it was stashed away someplace and forgotten. Thankfully someone had the foresight to hold onto it, and though it skipped a generation of use, it did stay in the family.

The original stand was missing (probably why it was never passed down), but when I brought the cradle home, my husband's grandpa (who has since passed) was kind enough to build a stand so I could use it. I'm sure that missing the original stand decreases its monetary value as an antique, but the combined memory of two grandpas in one piece makes it priceless in sentimental value. Not to mention the fact that all four of my babies slept in it.

For the past few years, the cradle has been living in my walk-in bedroom closet, unceremoniously piled with blankets and stray clothes, but with the creation of the new guest room, I was inspired to give it a little makeover and nicer home. I forgot to take a "before" picture of the whole piece, but here is the stand before I re-painted it:

And after, with a new coat of paint (hunter green Rust-oleum Painter's Touch latex) and the cradle replaced:

I've been doing a little research on antique furniture finishes and I think I'll be buying some paste wax in the near future. The wood looks so dry, but from what I've read, oiling is a definite no-no... I'm excited to see if waxing it will bring it back to life.

I did get the new mattress finished this week (plywood base, two-inch foam, covered with flannel-backed vinyl and stapled to the bottom of the plywood):

And I've been SO lucky in finding fabrics for this room in my stash. I dug into my flannels for a cradle sheet, thinking I'd probably have to make do with something less than perfect, when I discovered two remnants of this pretty M'Liss flannel I bought while working at Hancock Fabrics.

The larger piece was just a bit short, but by cutting the smaller piece in two and sewing it to the ends, it was just exactly the right size for a fitted sheet! And the seams are all hidden in the gathers underneath. (See? There's the sewing part. LoL)

Now I just need to get that bed quilt done (I'm hand stitching the binding on today)... and then I think a coordinating quilt for the cradle is definitely in order. :o)

Design Wall Monday 1/9/12

2012-01-09T13:44:00.000-06:00

Well, the Better Home Challenge wasn't meant to be a quilting challenge, but wouldn't you know I'd find a way to turn it into one? LoL My January home project is the spare room in our basement (which I guess has improved to the point where I can officially call it "The Guest Room" now). It's actually very nearly done, but still needs the decorative touches to finish it off. So this week's design wall project is a quilt for the guest room bed.

Here are the fabrics and pattern I'll be using. I wanted something that will go together relatively quickly, and decided on this 9-patch variation.

The pink is left over from my mom's birthday quilt, the cream, I bought yesterday (but didn't quite buy enough!) and someone gave me three yards of the green Fairy Frost. It's just been waiting for the perfect project, and I think I found it!

This was my attempt to show how well the colors work with the walls and the curtain I made for the room last week:

I almost had all the cutting done this morning, but ran a yard short of the cream for the 2-1/2" strips. Dang! That's what I get for buying the fabric before deciding on the pattern.

Guess I'll have to make one more trip to the fabric store... poor me. :o)

(Check out more design walls at Judy's Design Wall Monday!)

Better Home Challenge: Week One

2012-01-08T13:19:00.000-06:00

Could it be that we're only one week into 2012? I've been going great guns on my January Better Home project all week, and having a blast with it! I thought it might be a good time to post a recap of what I've accomplished so far.

I started off just dealing with the piles of odds and ends. Fortunately, there wasn't much clutter in this room, so that was a pretty easy task. One of the first items on my list was to designate the closet space in this room for one specific use. Everything that was in there belonged somewhere else. It was such a waste of storage space! Here's the closet, before:

Now it's been designated the "Christmas closet," for storage of Christmas decorations, wrapping paper, all those gift boxes that were piled on the bed... The timing on this was perfect. I spent a couple of hours one day packing up Christmas things and it was so nice to have a specific place to store it all! There will probably be a couple more bins yet, but I don't think I'll have any problem fitting it all in. Here's the closet, after:

Once all the clutter was cleared, I knew I wanted to paint, but was clueless as to the color. What I needed was fabric inspiration! A stash-dive produced this piece of Jinny Beyer "Monticello," just the right size to make a curtain for the room -- and it worked with the pink carpet, too. After that, the wall color was a no-brainer (Wellington Khaki from Walmart).

The painting was done in one (very) late night. (I have a really hard time stopping, once I'm on a roll.) Before:

And after:

One more "perfect timing" incident has me convinced that this project was truly "meant to be." I had written on my list, "If money were no object: buy double bed." The twin bed was better than nothing, but really limited use as a guest room. A queen-size would be too large for the space. Well, the very next day my daughter mentioned that she had a double bed in her basement that she didn't have a use for... no way. I'll take it! LoL

Here's the headboard and footboard, slightly banged up laminate, definitely dated and, well, kind of ugly.

I love paint! (Krylon Gloss Latex in Almond)

With the addition of a bigger bed, I got to daydreaming and window shopping for bedding. Found lots of things I like, and definitely zeroed in on a "look" (again, if money were no object).

But since money is an object, and since I am a quilter who has been blessed with a lot of gifted stash, it would make a lot more sense to make my own. I've already come up with a few ideas... we shall see.

Last night I finished up and hung the Monticello curtain. Here's the (blah) before:

And after. You can't see it in the close up shot, but that simple curtain just softened the look of the whole room. What a difference fabric makes!

So my first week has been a productive one, but there's still plenty to do before I can call this room "finished." I just hope this wave of motivation will last. At first, I was a bit disappointed that the "spare room in the basement" was my first project for the year. It was probably the area of my home that least needed my attention. And yet, it's turned out to be such a fun challenge so far, and a huge motivational boost. It may have been the best possible place to start after all. ;o)

Marcia's Scrappy Quilt Challenge

2012-01-03T16:11:00.000-06:00

I thought with all the sewing I did in December, it might be awhile before I was up for any more... but then I remembered the Scrappy Quilt Challenge at Marcia's Crafty Sewing and Quilting blog. I have SO many scraps and small pieces of fabric that need to be used up, so this was the perfect project to get me back in gear for the new year. And the winner gets to have their quilt (up to baby quilt size) professionally quilted by Marcia for FREE! How cool would that be??

I decided to start with this little piece of fairy babies print, which I just love, and some other small pieces that I thought would work with it. (I later came to regret that darker green, but I'm getting ahead of myself. More on that later.)

First step was to cut some scrappy strips and my twelve fairy pieces in random squares/rectangles (all rather small because I had so little to use, but I'm glad I was able to put every last bit of those sweet fairies to good use!)

Next I sewed one scrappy strip to each focus piece, then trimmed...

Then a second, log cabin style...

Etc., etc., until I had 12 wonky-looking blocks...

More strips were added here and there until finally the blocks morphed into rows (trimmed down for straight edges)...

And the rows became a scrappy top...

At this point (why didn't I see it sooner?), I decided I really didn't like that green fabric. In hindsight, I would have much preferred the softer colors alone, but there was no way I was taking it apart and starting over now! I could, however, get rid of that distracting skinny green piece toward the bottom. Two schwacks with the rotary cutter and I sewed the rows back together, sans skinny green strip...

Now there were skinny pink and yellow strips, but that didn't bother me the way the green one did! LoL

For the border, I found this aqua/white floral print in my stash -- and there's even enough left over for the backing. My first quilt of the year, all from scraps and stash. Gotta love that!

What's left of the original batch of small pieces is heading straight for the scrap bin, truly scraps now. Gotta love that, too. ;o)

And despite my regret over the green fabric, I still love those fairies. Won't they look cute quilted up all cozy-like?

Cuter yet, if Marcia ends up doing the quilting! LoL I'll be linking this post up to her blog on January 17th, then waiting with fingers crossed to see who wins the drawing... wish me luck! ;o)

Added 1/6/12: Sew & Tell is back! And since this has been my only sewing project this week, I'm linking it up today at Amylouwho's Sew & Tell Friday. Thanks, Amy!

2011 Finishes!

2012-01-01T15:26:00.000-06:00

I've been visiting some of the other UFO challenge participant's blogs today and some of them have posted compilation photos of all of their projects. I thought it was really fun to see everything they had accomplished in one place, so decided to put a few comps together myself. I honestly didn't realize how much sewing and quilting I really did last year until I saw these come together...

Sewing/Quilting UFOs completed in 2011 for the UFO Challenge

Projects completed for the 2011 Get 'er Done Challenge (all from "cheater panels")

Quilts started and finished in 2011

And then there was the Christmas Sewing Rush of 2011, of course. LoL

I have a short list of quilts-to-do for 2012, and one project I started in 2011 which still needs finishing. Other than that, I'm actually... caught up??? Amazing.

Better Home Challenge: January Project

2012-01-01T12:25:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! Ready to start the Better Home Challenge?

The first number has been drawn, and it's number 11! For me, that's the spare bedroom in the basement... yuck. At first glance, it doesn't look so bad...

Until you actually walk into the room...

And around the corner...

It actually started out empty, but has become something of a dumping ground...

Definitely need some sorting/organizing/stashing in here, plus this room is just so... blah. I'd like it to be a room in which a guest could actually sleep. A little decorating is in order, too. Time to make a list and dig in!

If you'd like to join in, show us your January project (on your blog, Flickr, etc.) and link up here. Just be sure to link directly to your project, not to your homepage:

Let's see what we can accomplish by the end of January!

Got 'er Done!

2011-12-31T11:22:00.000-06:00

My last project for the 2011 "Get 'er Done Challenge" is finished just under the wire. Lucky for me, it was an easy one. Here's the panel before:

And after, quilted and bound:

Approximate size, 34" x 43"

I'm still just amazed at how these challenges motivated me this year. Even when I fell way behind over the summer, it just made me even more determined to catch up and finish by the end of the year. I just made it, but I did it! I hope the Better Home Challenge works as well!

This is my last post for 2011, so I want to say thank you to all who have taken the time to read my blog, and to those who have left kind and encouraging comments throughout the year. I wish you all a very blessed and prosperous 2012. Happy New Year!!

Christmas Wrap-Up

2011-12-30T11:33:00.000-06:00

Now that all the Christmas gifts are (hopefully) being used and enjoyed, and there are no more surprises to spoil, I wanted to take a moment to share the last of my homemade gifts. (And then I need to get just one more challenge project finished before New Years!)

The better part of my Christmas sewing this year involved lots and lots of mug rugs, which I shared in an earlier post (Mug Rug Madness). Then came the hot pads for Grandma...

Fleece neck warmers for the guys...

And the flannel pajama pants that my kids can't seem to live without...

Oh, and one more thing, the flannel pillowcase for this:

My camera decided to kick the bucket that day, so I'm glad I got at least a few pictures on Christmas morning. lol

I think that's everything! And now it's the time of year where I swear off all this last-minute nonsense and vow to start my Christmas sewing earlier next year...

... yeah, right. ;o)

2012 Better Home Challenge List

2011-12-27T23:51:00.000-06:00

My twelve areas for the Better Home Challenge are:

1. Front Hall/Stairway
2. Downstairs Bathroom
3. Living/Dining Room
4. Family Room/Laundry Area
5. Kitchen
6. Upstairs Bathroom
7. Master Bedroom/Closet
8. Garage
9. Basement Storage Room
10. Basement Rec Room
11. Basement Spare Bedroom
12. Back Deck/Front Porch

My plan of attack is to list everything I'd like to do/have done in each room, regardless of cost. From there, I'll tackle as much of that list as possible, physically and financially, and then make detailed notes on the rest to create a plan for future improvements. I'm actually pretty excited about the possibilities...

... and apparently, I've been talking about all these big plans even more than I realize lately. This is what my hubby bought me for Christmas:

LoL I am rarin' to go!

The 2012 Better Home Challenge

2011-12-27T23:15:00.000-06:00

Background and inspiration for the Better Home Challenge

Challenge Guidelines

Drawing for January Project (Link up here!)

The Better Home Challenge for 2012

2011-12-27T23:06:00.000-06:00

A new challenge for the new year!

The 2011 UFO challenge was such a motivational success for me, I'm curious to see if the same idea might help me to finish a few home improvement projects in 2012. It's worth a try! Care to join me? Here are some guidelines...

1. Start with a list of 12 rooms, areas, or specific projects in your home that need your attention. It can be anything from cleaning, to organizing, to decorating, to remodeling. (My list will definitely include some of each!)

2. On the first of each month I'll draw a number, and that will be the project to work on for the month. In some cases, you may need to switch project numbers, i.e, an outdoor area may have to wait for a warmer month, or one area may affect another so the work needs to be done in a certain order. In other words, the number drawn will give you focus and a place to start. Where you go from there is entirely up to you!

3. On the last day of the month, there will be an update post where everyone can link up, share their progress on their blogs, and motivate each other with encouraging comments. The more who join in, the better the motivation. ;o)

So, are you up for the challenge? Just create a blog post with your twelve home improvement projects for 2012 and then link up here, directly to that post (not to your main blog link), then check back here on January 1, 2012 for the first number drawing. I can hardly believe it, but I'm actually looking forward to getting started! LoL

Mug Rug Madness...

2011-12-22T18:38:00.001-06:00

... it may actually qualify as a disease. But I know the cure. Just make a whole bunch of them, all at once, under a deadline. LoL

Ready to wrap, with hot cocoa packets and candy canes...

...and a little note inside.

Still not quite finished with my Christmas sewing... but the mug rugs, they are done. :o)

Design Wall Monday: Reality

2011-12-19T12:08:00.000-06:00

For those who thought my sewing room looked unnaturally neat and tidy the last time I posted a picture of it... here's the week-before-Christmas reality shot:

Yikes.

What I'm working on today... MUG RUGS.

Enough to go under all those Christmas mugs... (I think there were 20 total when I started.)

The only two I've actually completed have already been given away. One for my friend and neighbor, Sheila:

And one for my son's piano teacher:

And I still have pajama pants to make. I have a looong way to go...

Best of luck to all the other participants in this week's Design Wall Monday. May all of your projects be finished on time! ;o)

Friday Already?

2011-12-16T11:21:00.000-06:00

I really can't believe there's only one more week until Christmas. This month is flying by! I've been sewing my fingers to the bone trying to finish my non-Christmas things, so I'll really need to step it up this next week.

BUT my mom's birthday quilt is done! (Her birthday is the day after Christmas.) Center tied, the border quilted, and the binding on.

My sister came up on Monday and helped me tie it, after realizing there were blocks that would not survive the "crush factor" of machine quilting. (Note to self on similar projects in the future: Make sure everyone knows their siggie block needs to not only be washable, but also crushable! lol)

Another big finish this week -- in more ways than one. My niece's baby girls, Brenna Faith and Summer Grace, were born on Monday and they are SO adorable! I finished their quilts and they're in the mail. It looks like they'll be delivered today. Yay! I'm taking a chance and posting this now, assuming she's much too busy loving those babies to be looking at my blog. LoL

Some pics of the quilting, front:

And the border:

It shows up the best on the cushy flannel back:

The finished quilts:

I wanted something to be different between the two, to make them easier to tell apart at a glance, but the only difference ended up being the different pinks for the bindings (I couldn't find a matching aqua/green!). And the labels have different names, of course! lol

The twins have a big sister who celebrated her fourth birthday this week (and let's face it, becoming a big sister to twins is quite an adjustment for a four-year-old!), so I included something for her, too -- a matching quilt (16" x 18") for her dollies.

Ready to wrap up and mail!

After finishing these two big projects all at once, I ended up in a sort of dazed state, not sure what to do next. So yesterday I headed up to the sewing room and pulled out this project, which will be a gift for my mother-in-law.

No, I didn't do the appliques. My mother-in-law bought it this way and she asked me -- long ago -- if I could add four more kids to the front, so that all nine of her grandkids would be represented. I'll admit I was terrified to try it, for fear I'd end up destroying the whole thing. (I've never done applique on a t-shirt!) This is why I've had her shirt in my possession for WAY too long. By now, I imagine she's forgotten all about it, so I think it'll be a nice surprise for Christmas. LoL

I'm SO relieved with how it turned out. I attempted to embroider some of the little flowers by them, too, but that didn't go so well. Hopefully the little kids blend in well enough on their own.

So those are my big finishes this week. Next week, it's pajamas and mug rugs...

Amy is taking a Christmas break from Sew & Tell Friday, but I'm going to link up with Amanda's "Finish it Up Friday" over at Crazy Mom Quilts today, and see what other fun projects have been finished this week. Thanks for visiting!

Starlight Angels

2011-12-12T09:58:00.001-06:00

A lot was accomplished this weekend, but part of it has to wait a bit, so as not to ruin a surprise. I did, however, finish my December "Get 'er Done" project, the Starlight Angels panel, and that I can share. ;o)

Here's the panel before:

And after borders, quilting and binding:

I also discovered I had a matching pillow panel (where was that when I took my "before" picture?) so I made those up, too.

There was an extra Santa pillow, too, which I gave to my grandson. I had to steal pillow forms from other pillows, so I'll have to watch for the next sale on those and replenish my supply.

They look so cute on the couch here in my office/family room space. It's nice to have a little touch of Christmas in this room!

Lots yet to do this week, but first priority is to finish my mom's birthday quilt. I discovered last week that I won't be able to quilt it without destroying some of the decorative blocks, so my sister and I will be tying it today, and then I'll just have the binding to add. After that, I really must get going on my Christmas gifts. I can't believe it's just around the corner!

Sew & Tell Friday: The Last UFOs...

2011-12-09T14:53:00.001-06:00

... on my challenge list, that is. Of course I've managed to create a few more this year, but with the motivation of the Patchwork Times UFO Challenge, the pile is considerably smaller now! The last three on my list were all finished this week.

My December challenge was the Perfect Pouches kit that I won in a FabShopHop several years ago:

Embarrassingly easy to finish. I don't know why these have waited around for so long! Beautiful fabrics by Peggy Toole for Robert Kaufman:

And now for the last of the catching-up. I finally got around to my April project, finishing "Seasons of the Heart," a 2009 BOM designed by Sandi Anderson of A Legacy of Stitches.

I finished all the blocks on time (fusible applique, blanket-stitched by hand), but then got hung up on the setting and never finished -- until now. Finally decided to just set them together without sashings and make another wall hanging. My first quilt done completely in homespun. For the quilting, I just outlined the appliques and then stippled the background of each block and the border. This photo was taken after washing. Check out that crinkling!

I used my leftover homespun pieces and a couple of orphan blocks to piece the backing:

Love how it turned out looking so primitive (which conveniently makes a few little mishaps here and there just fit right in). And it's so cuddly! Makes me want a bed quilt done all in homespun. :o)

Finished size, approximately 29" x 37"

Last but not least, the Sampler Baby Quilt. I made this top on a whim one evening, using a bunch of random orphan blocks leftover from swaps and earlier projects. I just never got around to quilting it, so this became my July challenge project:

I wanted to get this one done quickly, so I just did a simple meander quilting over the whole thing. I'm getting more and more accustomed to free-motion quilting. Just a few jaggedy spots here and there:

The backing is Dianna Marcum for Marcus Brothers:

Here it is finished and fresh from the dryer (finished size, 36" x 44"):

More crinkly goodness:

I found a home for this one just this week, which is what really motivated me to get it done so quickly. It will be donated to our church's compassion committee for a family in need and expecting a baby girl in January. I think sometimes UFOs happen because the need for that particular quilt has yet to arise. As always, God has perfect timing. ;o)

And that's the last of my 2011 UFO Challenge! I have a couple more panels to finish up for the "Get 'er Done" Challenge, and lots of Christmas sewing yet to do, but other than one sentimental UFO waiting for the perfect time to finish, I have no more unfinished sewing projects started before 2011. That's pretty incredible.

Thanks so much for visiting -- and for reading through this LONG post. LoL Be sure to stop by Amylouwho's for more Sew & Tell Friday!

A New Challenge for 2012

2011-12-06T10:49:00.001-06:00

As I'm madly scrambling to finish the last of my challenge quilts for this year, I keep thinking about a new challenge for 2012, one that doesn't involve sewing or quilting, but would go a long way in preserving my sanity so I can keep on sewing and quilting in peace. The challenge I'm thinking of would help me to finish all the little (and not-so-little) projects that need to be done around my house. Those nagging projects like the kitchen cabinets that sorely need painting, the upstairs bathroom remodeling project that started years ago but was never quite finished, the window screens that need replacing, etc., etc. I'm talking about a Better Home challenge for 2012.

The idea started brewing when I made the bathroom curtains for the 2011 UFO Challenge. That one small improvement in a room that needs so much work, made a huge difference! It made me want to do more, but I've been lacking the motivation and bogged down with "where do I begin?"

The UFO and "Get 'er Done" challenges have been incredibly motivating for me. They've given me a reason to focus on one specific project and just do it. I've finished things that I'm sure would have otherwise sat unfinished for many more years. Now I find myself with (almost) no unfinished sewing projects and a lot more space in my sewing room. It's amazing, the power of a challenge to inspire action.

So I'm gonna do it. I'll challenge myself with my house in the same way. I've already started a list of 12 areas that need work in my house, and starting in January, I'll pick one area and focus. Make a list of everything that area needs to be "finished." Do what is within my means, and make a detailed price list of the things that require saving to afford. Even if all I'm able to do is some cleaning, de-cluttering and organizing, it'll be an improvement. But I have a hunch I'll be able to do much more.

I just need that challenge to spur me on.

And if anyone else would like to join me, start your list and check back here on the first of January. The more the merrier!

Design Wall Monday: Just Quilting

2011-12-05T10:32:00.001-06:00

On my plate this week; quilting, quilting and more quilting. These three will be quilted by the end of the week (bound, too -- if I can pull it off!)

If I have any time left over (and if my neck and shoulders can take it), these four tops and backs are also ready to be layered and quilted:

I was on a roll Friday night and got all of these finished to the quilting stage. One needed borders added and a backing, two only needed backings cut. The last one was only at the block stage, but I got them sewn together, added borders and pieced a back. I even finished my (super easy!) "Perfect Pouches" UFO. It was quite a productive night!

If I can get these four done this month, I'll have officially finished all of my 2011 challenge projects! They're all on the small side, so it may be possible. The only downside is, I still have all of my Christmas sewing to do, too. We'll see... it's nice just having them this close, even if it doesn't happen until January.

Stop by the Patchwork Times today for more Design Wall Monday! :o)

Sew & Tell Friday

2011-12-02T10:05:00.001-06:00

Now that December is here, I'm getting seriously antsy about the number of things I need to finish in the next few weeks. Thinking about it can make a few small finishes feel like a drop in the bucket, quickly set aside in order to move on to the next thing. This is one reason Sew & Tell Friday is so great. It's nice to be able to take a moment to celebrate even the smallest finishes, especially at this time of year, before plunging back into the mountain of must-dos.

I've already blogged on two of my finishes this week, so feel free to click on the title if you'd like to see all the particulars and fun stuff. Both of these were catching-up projects for my 2011 challenges. If things keep clicking along like they have been, there may be a chance I'll get them all done by the end of the year! (Though the Christmas must-dos must come first.)

First, the "Santa's Teddy Bear" pillow, finished last weekend for the "Get 'er Done" Challenge:

And this bag for the UFO Challenge, which was finally finished on Tuesday, "For the Birthday Girl":

My other finish this week is just the first of many. I have jumped on the bandwagon and made my very first mug rug, and I hope to make several more for Christmas gifts this year. I'm challenging myself to use some of my piles and piles of trims on them as well, and I just love the little red edging on this one. I'll be using that up on my first few for sure!

I stocked up big time on Christmas mugs as well, so "several" may be a slight understatement. LoL I'm just so glad that quilting bloggers keep coming up with fun new gift ideas, year after year! :o)

November UFO Challenge

2011-12-01T15:58:00.001-06:00

My November UFO for the Patchwork Times UFO Challenge is finished. Woohoo! Here's the link: Where are Your Shoes and Socks? Thanks for visiting! :o)

For the Birthday Girl...

2011-11-30T12:48:00.001-06:00

Sneaking in one last finish for November, another catching-up effort for the UFO Challenge. My daughter, Emily, picked out this bag pattern and not one but two combinations of fabrics for the same bag over a year ago. I dove into the first one with gusto, but by the time I finished it, the second one was put waaay on the back burner.

(Rant Alert)This pattern (upper right on the envelope) is an absolute beast to sew. The gathers upon gathers upon gathers are bad enough, but really McCall's, is it too much to ask that you have someone actually test the directions, find and fix all the stupid mistakes, remissions, and generally garbled instructions? There is even one piece included in the cutting layout that isn't used in the bag, anywhere. Grrr... Pity the poor beginner who tried to follow this pattern and then probably gave up sewing for life! (End Rant)

But today is Emily's birthday, so I had major incentive to get the beast finished in time to surprise her with it today. Being forewarned by the first bag experience, this one went a bit more smoothly, but there was still a lot of cussing and griping to be heard in my sewing room over the past couple of days. It's a cute bag, but I'll never make another one!

Even though it is really cute.

I also made a little makeup bag to go along with it. Unlike the McCall's pattern, this one is a no-brainer. (My kind of sewing!) I wanted to add some kind of zipper pull, and among my boxes of random sewing and crafting stuff, I found a little bag of charms I must have bought eons ago with a $2.00 clearance sticker on it. Nice! The music charm was perfect for Emily.

And here's my birthday girl, sweet seventeen. I'm so proud of her. She's a junior in high school this year, but is taking all of her credits at community college, simultaneously earning her high school diploma and her Associates Degree. She's a singer, songwriter and guitarist who continually amazes us with her talent, drive and ambition. She has a smile and a laugh that light up the room and a heart as good as gold. And no matter what color her hair is on any given day, she's adorable. :o)

Happy birthday, Emmy. We love you!

Santa's Teddy Bear

2011-11-29T10:51:00.001-06:00

Sometime in 2006, I came across Heart to Heart Folk Art, the website of artist, Jackie Neitzke, offering quilting patterns that included her original art printed on fabric panels. I fell in love with one titled, "Watch the Lamb," which depicted a little girl looking adoringly at the nativity scene beneath the Christmas tree. It brought back childhood memories of setting up our nativity, and the many photos my mom took of similar scenes through the years. I just had to buy that art panel for my mom, and this little 12" mini was her Christmas gift that year:

At the same time, I bought this panel for myself, titled "Santa's Teddy Bear."

Mine, of course, languished in a box in my sewing room until I was finally challenged to finish it for the "Get 'er Done" Challenge this year. It should have been my August project, and I nearly let it slip by me again, but this weekend I pulled it out to work on "just for fun." Like so many other projects, once I started on it, I wondered why I had put off doing it for so long. The whole project was finished in an afternoon. Here is the 20" top, completed:

The pattern was designed for use as a wall hanging or pillow, and since I have quite a few wall hangings already (and NO Christmas pillows!), I opted for the pillow:

Finally finishing this project made me want to go back and visit Jackie at Heart to Heart Folk Art, but unfortunately, the website could not be found and a Google search of her name brought up very little information. I remember chatting with her by email back in '06, telling her how her painting had brought up those childhood memories. She wrote me the sweetest note, and even shared with me her original childhood photo that inspired "Watch the Lamb." Such a kind and talented lady! I wonder what she is doing with her artwork today...

Design Wall Monday

2011-11-28T11:01:00.001-06:00

I had to go back and look at last Monday's post just to get a handle on where I stand this week, and I'm pleased to see that I am actually on track with my sewing goals. Midweek, it wasn't looking so good, but I had the weekend to get caught up, finished my to-do list and even squeezed in one more finish of a challenge project. I'll save that one to share tomorrow. ;o)

For this week, my first goal is another catch-up project for the UFO challenge, a bag for my daughter, Emily. It just so happens that her birthday is on Wednesday, and I am bound and determined to have it finished to give to her that day. So far, I have all the pieces cut out and the interfacing basted on. I hope to get going on the sewing today. I've made this pattern once before, and it's a cute bag, but I absolutely HATED sewing it, so I'm not looking forward to the process at all. Good thing I have a great incentive (and a deadline) this time around. I WILL finish it!

I've finished piecing the second baby quilt top of the pair I'm making, so my other goal for this week is to get them layered and pinned, and possibly start on the quilting if all goes well. This morning I bought a cute pink flannel print that I think will work well for the backings. I had planned to do different backs on these, but just couldn't find two flannel prints that I liked as well, so maybe I'll have to do different bindings. I want them to match, but still differ in some way... guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

So those are my main goals for this week. If I get around to anything else, it'll likely be starting on some mug rugs for Christmas gifts. I just stocked up on cute Christmas mugs to go with them, so I'm kind of locked into that plan now. LoL Should be fun, though!

Be sure to stop by Judy's Patchwork Times for more Design Wall Monday!

A Thankful Sew & Tell

2011-11-25T14:46:00.001-06:00

I'm running a little late today for Amylouwho's Sew & Tell Friday, having slept in this morning and recuperated from all the Thanksgiving festivities yesterday. I'm SO not a Black Friday shopper, but as one friend said on Facebook this morning, I'm glad they're out there helping to boost the economy today! :o)

Here's a photo of the crowd we had at our house yesterday.

There's my mom and dad, my two sisters and their families, plus our own. Thirty-one of us in all. Missing are my two brothers and their families (which would have given us 19 more!) and one sister's daughter-in-law, who wasn't able to come. I don't think we could fit in one house anymore if we all got together at once. And this is only one side of the family! We are very thankful indeed, to be so generously blessed with loving families. :o)

Sewing-wise, it was not a super-productive week. I did have one finish, only because it was nearly done last week and all I had left to do was some hand stitching on the binding:

I blogged about "Where are Your Shoes and Socks?" on Tuesday, if you'd like to see the details, closeups, etc. I'm really happy with the way it turned out, and so glad to have it done!

That was my only finish for the week, but my son also brought home his finished project from 8th grade Family Consumer Science class (I wonder why they stopped calling it "Home Economics?"), so I thought I'd share his finish, too. I'm not sure how much he liked sewing it, but I think he did a great job!

Now I need to get back in the swing of things and get going on my other to-dos. There was a baby quilt I had hoped to piece this week, and with the weekend still ahead, I might just get that done. I have another project I'd like to finish before Wednesday for my daughter's birthday, and then there are the Christmas gifts I've been brainstorming...

One thing is for certain, I never run out of things to do. And for that too, I am thankful. :o)

Where are Your Shoes and Socks?

2011-11-22T10:40:00.001-06:00

I had my doubts about finishing my UFO Challenge project for November. What with it being an applique project, with Thanksgiving and my daughter's birthday imminent, and all the while experiencing that panicky feeling of "Only XX shopping (and sewing) days until Christmas!" BUT... I did it. Whew!

The project was Pat Sloan's 2006 BOM, "Where are Your Shoes and Socks?" I had seven of my 12 blocks finished, and an assortment of shoe prints collected for borders, etc.

My first new blocks finished were the July "Sneakers" and August "Summer Wedding" blocks:

Which got me motivated enough to quickly finish September's "Saddle Shoes,"

November's "Slippers,"

and December's "Mrs. Santa's Fancy Shoes."

(I was auditioning embellishments here, but ended up going with just the lace bows.)

Once the blocks were done, I couldn't wait to get the top together. It took some digging to come up with the best sashing print, but I ended up with this green polka dot, which I just love, and a tiny green floral for the cornerstones.

And for the borders, I went with two of my shoe prints that pulled all the blue, white and green together really well!

I used the leftovers and my remaining shoe prints for the crazy-pieced back. I'm not thrilled with how this looks. I wish I'd spent a little more time arranging, maybe cut the pieces a bit smaller, and had the good sense to save a piece of shoe print for the hanging sleeve (duh). I was in a rush, and it shows. Fortunately, it's the back and it's a wall hanging, so it won't be seen much. LoL

And here it is, all ready to hang... somewhere. Finished size, approximately 36"x46"

Such a fun little quilt, I don't know why I didn't get it done sooner! I still haven't decided for sure where it will live, but I'm thrilled to have it finished after all these years!

Update 12/1/11 -- Still playing catch up on the Challenge, and just yesterday I finished my May project #9, a new bag For the Birthday Girl!

Design Wall Monday (If There's Time to Sew...)

2011-11-21T11:13:00.001-06:00

It was so helpful last week to have my to-dos in writing for Design Wall Monday, I actually finished everything on my list -- and then some!

My "Where are Your Shoes and Socks?" quilt from last week is almost finished. I have a little bit of binding and the hanging sleeve to stitch down, and it's done. Here's a sneak peek of the blocks with sashings, before I added the borders...

I will finish it today, and I'll post the finished quilt tomorrow, if you'd like to see the end result. :o)

Over the weekend, I tackled my baby quilt project, and made good progress. I decided on a snowball/nine-patch layout of 6" blocks, and cut the pieces for two matching quilts.

Started sewing the blocks on Saturday:

And had the first top finished by Saturday evening:

It's a bright one! I was a little concerned that it might be a bit too busy, but it's growing on me. I just normally tend to go with softer colors for baby quilts, so it's probably good for me to step out of my comfort zone a bit.

My main to-dos for this week are the non-quilty variety. Clean out the fridge, shop for turkeys (probably waited too long on this one and now I'll have thawing issues), give my kitchen a good cleaning. Fun, fun. We'll have about 30 people here for Thanksgiving, but they all bring a part of the meal (one more thing to be thankful for!) so I only really have to worry about turkey. I'll cook and slice one up on Wednesday for backup and then cook the bigger one on Thursday.

So my quilting to-do list for this week includes:

* Finish binding/hanging sleeve on the shoe quilt
* Piece the second baby quilt top

Doesn't sound like much for a normal week, but I think I'll be doing well if I get this far!

*****************

Update (11/22) The Shoes are Done!

A Sentimental Sew & Tell...

2011-11-18T13:44:00.001-06:00

Made lots of progress on my sewing "to-do's" for this week:~~Finish shoe blocks for UFO challenge~~ (and the top is ready to quilt!)
~~Add borders, layer and pin my mom's birthday quilt~~
~~Plan two baby quilts that I need to start on soon!~~ (hopefully cutting/sewing this weekend!)
~~Get started on my November "Get 'er Done" pillow project~~ (Started yesterday and finished today, just in time for Sew & Tell Friday at Amylouwho's!)

My November "Get 'er Done Challenge" project was four throw pillows made from this Psalm 23 panel:

I was given this panel by a friend who was clearing out some of her stash, and she also gave me some coordinating fabric for the pillow backs. I was particularly happy to see this panel among the rest, because it had special significance to me... but more on that in a bit.

On past pillow projects, I sort of muddled my way through on the zippers. This time around, I found a really nice tutorial by Erin at the House on Hill Road blog, which resulted in perfect zippers for my pillows. If you've struggled with pillow zippers like I have, be sure and check out this link: Put a Zipper in Your Pillow

Here are my finished pillows, showing the fronts and backs. There are two sets, so I have one to keep, and one to give as a gift:

And I have to keep one set, because when I first discovered this fabric collection back in fall 2005, I bought the wall hanging panel without a second thought. The horse in the picture so reminded me of my sweet Tristan, who had passed away that April. Both the resemblance and the timing were just uncanny. Here's the wall hanging I finished in 2006, in her memory.

And now I have pillows to match. :o)

I still think of Tristan and get to reminiscing whenever I see this fabric. She was a part of my life from age 11 to 39. We literally grew up together. I have pictures of myself riding her when I was just a little girl, and pictures of my kids riding her at the same age I was then. Twenty-eight years is a long time with one pet -- she truly was family.

Tristan with baby AJ, 1986

And even after all these years, I still miss her...

Design Wall Monday: Shoes, Shoes, and More Shoes

2011-11-14T13:23:00.001-06:00

Well, it's Design Wall Monday over at Patchwork Times, and here's what I have on my design wall* for this week, my November UFO challenge, "Where are Your Shoes and Socks?" (Pat Sloan 2006 BOM)

These are the blocks I had finished before the challenge:

Over the past two weeks, I've picked out fabrics, cut, basted and pinned the remaining five blocks, and yesterday I got started stitching and finished the July "Sneakers" block,

and August's "Summer Wedding."

Three more to go. And I'd really like to finish them this week. (They look nearly done, but they're only pinned. Lots of stitching yet to do...)

These were designed for fusible applique, but for some reason I chose to make mine with needle-turned hand applique. What was I thinking???

Other quilty "to-do's" for this week:
Add borders, layer and pin my mom's birthday quilt
Get started on my November "Get 'er Done" pillow project
Plan two baby quilts that I need to start on soon!

I'm really going to have to pick up the pace if I want to accomplish close to what I did last month. If I could just get rid of this rotten cold/flu/whatever I have... :oP

Wish me luck! (I'm gonna need it!)

*Design Wall = whatever is currently spread out on my sewing room floor -- wouldn't it be great to have an actual design wall???

More Minis

2011-11-11T23:38:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I blogged about the mini I made this week for my grandson, Aaron, for Amy's Mini Quilt Challenge. Well it seems that "mini-quilt fever" has taken over a lot of us quilters lately, and in that spirit, I thought I'd revisit some of my earlier minis as well. Some of these I had nearly forgotten about, so it was a fun little trip down memory lane... I'm so glad I took pictures!

October 2003, a birthday gift:

November 2003, my daughter Emily's first quilt (age nine) I just had to include this picture -- so cute! I can't believe she's almost seventeen now!

December 2003, Butterfly Mini made for my mom's birthday (I remember the finished size on this one, 8-1/2" x 11", because it was the same size as a sheet of copy paper):

December 2003, made for my friend, Sheila, for a Christmas gift:

February 2005, my entry in a "Weird and Ugly Fabric Challenge." (The border print was the "weird and ugly" one. lol)

November 2006, a gift for an online quilting friend when we met in person for the first time!

September 2008, "Grandma's Hankies," crazy quilt made for a "Hankie Challenge" at our local quilt guild:

February 2009, Aaron's first mini-quilt:

October 2009, quilt for a tiny teddy bear, made from an 8" orphan block:

September 2009, Halloween mini-quilt:

November 2009, Thanksgiving mini-quilt:

December 2009, Christmas mini-quilt for a co-worker:

December 2010, Christmas candle mat for a co-worker:

September 2011, another candle mat for a bridal shower gift:

October 2011, 1930's mini, finished for this year's UFO Challenge:

And once again, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" for Aaron, this week's Mini Challenge.

This doesn't even include all the table runners, toppers, wall hangings, etc., only the itty bitty minis. I do love those small projects!

I've been hearing more and more about a new Flickr group called, "Modern Mini Quilts," so I just joined up. Hopefully I'll find the time to share these minis there as well, and find a whole new batch of mini pics to drool over...

Definitely, Mini Quilt Fever!

Sew & Tell: Mini Quilt Challenge

2011-11-11T12:59:00.001-06:00

It has been a very busy, yet very unproductive week at my house. We've had our 3-year-old grandson, Aaron, staying with us all week, keeping this grandma in a state of total exhaustion. As if that wasn't enough to wear me out, I've also been sick with a head cold, coughing, congestion, sore throat, headaches... you name it. Once Mommy comes to pick up the little guy tonight, I may sleep straight through the weekend. LoL

So it was Wednesday afternoon, and I hadn't stepped foot into the sewing room all week, when I suddenly remembered -- the Mini Quilt Challenge at Amylouwho's! Dangit! I really wanted to join that party. Could I still finish one in two days, with all this added distraction and fatigue? Well, it couldn't hurt to try...

I started out making a simple postage stamp doll quilt of 1-1/2" scrap squares, but in the process of working on that, something bright and shiny caught my eye and I came up with a new idea. (I'll have to share the finished postage stamp quilt another time.)

The bright and shiny thing was a package of buttons.

Back when Aaron was just a baby, I bought a package of Favorite Findings "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" buttons. I had no idea how I would use them, but they were just so cute, I had to buy them. So when I came across those buttons this week, I had my plan for the mini-quilt challenge. It's nothing fancy, but it's pretty darned cute, and he really seems to love it.

The finished size is 8-1/2" square, and I added the little corner dowel pockets on the back so it can easily be hung on his wall or played with -- whatever he likes.

I think what really made this little mini special was that Aaron actually got to have a part in it. The stitching of the letters was fascinating to him. Since he's just beginning to learn to write with a pencil, writing with a needle and "string" seems almost magical. LoL It was also the first time he had heard the word "automobile" used for a car. (And explaining that they are the same thing was a surprisingly long and drawn out conversation.) He loved playing with the buttons, and even helped me decide which ones to use, and in which order to sew them. And when it was finally "pin-free" and all done, he hugged it like a teddy bear.

I tried to get a picture of him with it today before his nap, but 3-year-olds can be just as contrary as they can be cute, so no, that wasn't going to happen. I'm just so thankful that the precious moments always outnumber the, um... not-so-precious ones. ;o)

Friday Finishes (And the Giveaway Winner is...)

2011-11-04T12:16:00.000-05:00

It's time again, for Sew & Tell Friday at Amylouwho's, and with the start of a new month, this week has been more about starting for me (my mom's birthday quilt and my November UFO Challenge project) than finishing, but I do have one small finish to share:

This is the "Northwoods Noel" wall hanging that I blogged about on Monday, another of my "Get 'er Done Challenge" panel projects. It's a little early for Christmas decorating, but it looks so perfect hanging at the top of our stairs, might as well leave it there and have a head start this year. LoL

I've also finished a few blocks for a special project I just learned about this week. John'aLee from The Scrappy Appleyard is making five quilts for the loved ones of her daughter's fiance, who was killed in Afghanistan in September -- so heartbreaking. If you would like to help out, here is her original post requesting help with blocks. She has since extended her deadline to November 30th, so there is still a need.

Here are the blocks I've finished so far. I have one more cut out like the center block, but with the colors reversed. I'll be finishing that one later today and then they'll be off in the mail.

And finally, it's time for the Fall Giveaway drawing!

I did the drawing the old-fashioned way. Look at all those awesome comments! You guys are the best. :o)

I woke my daughter up from a dead sleep to reach in and pick the winner. (I did make her give them a good stir first!)And the winner is...

Michelle! (from Michelle's Romantic Tangle)

Congratulations, Michelle! I'll be in touch shortly for your mailing address. And a big, big thanks to everyone who took the time to comment. This week got a little crazy for me, so I didn't quite manage to thank you each personally for your sweet comments, but each and every one of them was so, so appreciated. I wish I had a lot more prizes to give! :o)

Weekend Sew-In

2011-11-01T11:12:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, my two sisters and I got together for a marathon quilting session in hopes of completing the top for our mom's 80th birthday this December. All of the family members had (awesomely) personalized their 6-1/2" squares, so it was time to piece the blocks... working from this plan I had drawn up as a possible layout:

After deciding our first choice of fabrics might be a bit too busy with all the decorative blocks, we ended up going with these:

(If you knew our mom, that pink rose print practically screams her name.)

We got busy right away on Saturday morning, cutting and prepping pieces for 35 blocks. My daughter, Kaitlin, helped out with the pressing (and yes, Kaitlin, if you're reading this, it was a LOT of help!)

My sisters pinned and chain-pieced the 280 points onto the sashing units, while I started to assemble the blocks...

Jan, please don't be mad at me for sharing this picture. (We're all a little camera shy. LoL)

The first block finished was this one for Dad...

Our quilting weekend was not without it's interruptions. The house was full of kids, teenagers, and dogs, and the three of us agreed that a private quilting retreat would have been much more relaxing! LoL Jan and I both had our three-year-old grandkids underfoot, but they did amazingly well under the circumstances, and really only got into tussles when they were ready for a nap. They're pretty good buddies. Here they are having a picnic in the kitchen with lentil soup and garlic bread. Yumm....

Despite the general chaos, we finished all 35 blocks by the end of day one! Here are just a few of them...

Beautiful!

We got a slower start the second day, due to my family singing at church for two services (there are four of us in the choir, so if we're not there, it's noticeable!), but eventually we got back to the quilt. Here's Shelley, working on the layout of the blocks:

And here's me, pinning, sewing, pinning, sewing...

Finally, the finished top (except for the border):

There were a few changes from the original design (one more row of blocks was added, and pink became the main color), but we stuck to the plan for the most part. The border will likely be a dark green, which will really frame it up nicely... I think my mom will love it!

Just One More for October

2011-10-31T19:41:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween!

I managed to squeeze in one last finish for October today. I did the last few binding stitches on my July "Get 'er Done" challenge, the "Northwoods Noel" wall hanging, made from this panel:

And here's the finished product (measuring 36" x 41"), already hanging on the quilt hanger at the top of our stairway. (Wrong holiday, I realize, but I couldn't wait to see it hanging.) It'll go perfectly with the garlands I hang on the stair railing at Christmas time:

While finishing this up, I was also supervising pumpkin carving and helping with last-minute touches on Halloween costumes, so I haven't completely mixed up my holidays. It just looks that way. LoL

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Just realized, this is my 300th post! There's still time to enter the drawing for my Fall Giveaway, to be held this Friday, November 4th....

Friday Finishes -- and a Fall Giveaway!

2011-10-28T09:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday, everyone!

I'm nearing my 300th post here at Needles and Pens, so I'm thinking it's a great time for a fall giveaway! I've put together a little prize package that's all about getting cozy on a chilly afternoon and crafting the day away...

The prize package includes:

* One back-issue (July/August 2007) of Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting magazine
* One fabric panel project to make a decorative stuffed "horn of plenty"
* Two fall fat quarters
* One package of Cameron's Hand Crafted Coffee (makes 10-12 cups)
* One package of Favorite Findings "Falling Leaves" buttons

It's also "Sew & Tell Friday" at Amylouwho's and "Finish it Up Friday" at Crazy Mom Quilts, and I have had a rather productive week! So....

To enter the drawing for the giveaway, just visit any or all of the following three posts about this week's finishes and leave a comment. Each comment on these three posts will be one entry in the drawing, so you can have up to three chances to win! (A new window will open with each link.)

Here are my Friday Finishes:

Fresh Fruit (completed on Monday -- at last!)

Curtains Up! (completed on Wednesday)

1930's Mini Quilt (completed on Thursday)

Good luck in the giveaway! I'll be drawing for the prize next Friday, November 4th...

And many, many thanks for stopping by. It's so much fun to be able to share these projects with all of you. Can't wait to go and see what everyone else has done this week!

1930's Mini Quilt

2011-10-27T10:51:00.000-05:00

Just one more UFO finish before the month runs out. I'm getting there! This was my August challenge project, and I don't know why I didn't get this little bugger done on schedule. It hardly took any time at all! I guess I really did have a busy summer (and/or zero motivation to sew!)...

Quite awhile ago, a quilting friend gave me these adorable little 3-1/2"" paper-pieced blocks all done in 1930's repro fabrics. I loved them! But I wasn't sure exactly how I wanted to use them, so they were set aside like so many other little projects. When I took the UFO challenge, I knew these had to be on the list!

I had a few different ideas, but finally decided on a very simple mini-quilt that would just highlight those cute blocks. I added 1/2" sashing and a 1" border of white Kona cotton, and used a 30's repro from my stash for the back and binding. I could have used almost any color, but the red just jumped out at me. I really like the contrast.

And here it is all done, freshly crinkled from the dryer. Start to finish in a day! The size is approximately 11 inches square.

I added triangles (4" squares, folded in half diagonally) to the back corners before sewing on the binding instead of a hanging sleeve. That way it could be used flat as a table topper or a doll quilt, or slip a piece of dowel under the flaps...

And it's ready to hang on the wall.

Love it!

Curtains Up!

2011-10-26T12:08:00.000-05:00

Sorry, it's not a show. Just bathroom curtains -- and one less pile of stuff in my sewing room. :o) This was supposed to be my June UFO Challenge project, and since I finished October's, I was able to squeeze in one more and get caught up a bit. I might even try for three!

So here's how this project started. I fell for this floral fabric when I was working at Hancock Fabrics, and when it was marked down for clearance, I got very excited about making a curtain for my bathroom window. I did all the measurements, bought the fabric and white broadcloth for lining... then proceeded to procrastinate. Ultimately, it landed on my UFO Challenge list.

Here is the window "before" picture:

Kinda needs a curtain, huh? And a good cleaning. And a new screen (note the black electrical tape covering one of the holes)...

The curtains are simple, lined panels, shirred on the rod, but I did try something new this time around. I had never before done a blind hem stitch, didn't even know I had a blind hem foot for my sewing machine -- but I do! I followed the instructions in this video tutorial from Drapery Ideas. So easy!

Here's how my blind hem turned out. I know it's hard to see, but then, that's the whole point! LoL You can see the few stitches that landed on the white flowers, though, right about in the center of the picture going across. It would totally be "blind" on a single color fabric, and so much easier than hand stitching the hem. I'll definitely be doing this on future curtains.

And here they are finished. (I also scrubbed and cleaned that window, inside and out, AND replaced the screen, all of which took longer than the making of the curtains. Sheesh.)

Installed drapery hold-backs. I love these things... so much easier than dealing with tie-backs. (And look how that clean window shines!)

And here they are pulled back...

(Gotta love that toilet paper holder in the middle of all my pics...no question what room this is! )

This little project got me thinking about a new challenge for 2012, to finish projects around the house. Not sewing projects, but painting, repairs that need to be done, etc. We started remodeling this bathroom.... at least six years ago, and half of the walls are still unfinished. Things like that. The curtains are an improvement for sure, but how I would love to have that whole room finished! And challenges do motivate me...

... so the wheels are turning, and I have some ideas brewing to help me get some of these things done, once and for all. Check back in late December if you want to take the challenge with me! ;o)

"Fresh Fruit" Finished!

2011-10-24T11:35:00.000-05:00

One of the reasons I really enjoy sewing and quilting is that when I finish something, it's finished for good, unlike so many other things I do every day (i.e., laundry, cleaning, paperwork, etc., etc.) But some finishes are even more rewarding than others, and this is one of them. I never expected to actually get it done. I didn't have a place for it, or any particular use for it in mind. I enjoy a little paper-piecing now and then, but I tend to lose momentum rather quickly once I start. For the past five years, this has never been made a priority to finish... but thanks to the UFO Challenge at Patchwork Times, it's done. I'm so pumped!

So, this is what I started out with, three finished blocks, a stack of patterns, and the overwhelming feeling that I would, once again, not be finishing my challenge project for the month...

But I gave it a go anyway, and found that these little blocks really aren't all that time-consuming...

Being rather challenge motivated, I decided to go for it and finished these blocks the first week...

... these blocks the second week...

... and embroidered a few embellishments...

I forgot to take any pictures when I set the top together. It was a bit of a challenge, because back in 2006, I managed to forget the last two downloads, the final "plum" block (I subbed an extra cherry and made the lime using the lemon pattern), and the instructions for final assembly. I had to use Claudia's photo of her finished quilt and wing it, and I think I managed fairly well, the biggest difference being the border. I loved the effect of Claudia's "point" border, but without her instructions, I was clueless on how they were done, so I decided on Prairie Points instead.

The quilting is stitch-in-the-ditch around each fruit, dense stippling on the background, and then a larger meander on the border behind the Prairie Points.

I wanted the fruits to "pop," and pop they did! But the watermelon popped a bit more than I liked, so I thought it needed a bit of quilting to keep it under control. You can barely see it, but I quilted the word "Fresh" across the watermelon. I purposely used green thread, because I didn't really trust my quilting, and wanted it to be not-so-obvious in case it looked awful. LoL

For the backing, I found this apple print in my stash, almost too cute to be hidden on the back, but it was just too perfect not to use.

And the fabric had a large apple border that worked perfectly for a hanging sleeve...

And here it is, the final product...

It makes me happy when I look at it. :o)

The finished measurement is approximately 31" x 35," a bit large for my limited kitchen wall space. Just as well, though, as my daughter has already staked a claim on it. (She's good at that!) Wherever it winds up hanging, I love it. And I'm so glad I finished it!

(This pattern is available for sale at Claudia's Quilts. Just click on "All Patterns" and scroll down to "Fresh Fruit." She also has an ongoing free block-of-the-month for her newsletter subscribers. I have loads of her patterns! Maybe I'll make another one someday!)

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(Added 11-1-11, for my fellow UFO Challengees)

October was an amazingly busy and productive month around here, and I hope that energy just keeps on flowing through November! I actually made some real progress in getting caught up with this challenge, finishing two more UFO projects I had failed to finish in June and August.

I'm holding a Fall Giveaway this week, to celebrate my 300th blog post! If you'd like to enter, just leave a comment on this post. And if you'd like another chance (or two!) to win, leave a comment on either or both of my other October finishes ("Curtains Up!" and "1930's Mini Quilt"). The drawing will be held this Friday, November 4th. Good luck!

Friday Finishes...

2011-10-21T11:23:00.000-05:00

... and I only have one actual finish this week, the Quilters Sew Love wall hanging for my sewing room, which I posted about earlier this week. I also dug out my next "Get 'er Done" challenge panel, and have it bordered and ready to pin and quilt. I'm so glad these have been sewing up so fast. Maybe there's still a chance I'll make it through the list this year!

(More on this wall hanging in my last post, if you'd like to see the details...)

With all the sewing I've been doing this week, it's hard to believe I only have one actual finish to show for it. But I am on the verge of a few more...

I'm working on two sets of Bug Jar blocks for a swap. So far, the 20 ladybug blocks are done:

And I'm almost finished with the butterfly blocks (ten down, ten to go). These will probably be finished today, so I guess this swap could be considered finished -- for now. lol

And what I've spent the most time on this week is the Fresh Fruit quilt from my UFO challenge list. I got my top together this week and am almost finished with the quilting. I stitched in the ditch around each of the fruits and then densely stippled all over the background, thinking it would make the fruits "pop." I just have the border to finish quilting today and then it'll be ready for binding.

My free-motion is still far from perfect, but definitely passable. lol I love it!

(If you're sitting on the fence about trying free-motion quilting, as I have been for years, I encourage you to just go for it. I am having so much fun since I finally took the plunge just a couple weeks ago. It's amazing how quickly you catch on once you get started, and the quilting possibilities seem endless now. Give it a try!)

I'm linking up today with Amylouwho's Sew & Tell Friday and Crazy Mom Quilts' Finish it Up Friday. Check them out! ;o)

Quilters Sew Love

2011-10-17T14:21:00.001-05:00

Just finished my June Get 'er Done Challenge project, the Quilters Wallhanging. I'm catching up, little by little...

Here's the "before" picture again:

This panel was a gift from a quilting friend, and I've always wanted to make it into a wall hanging for my sewing room, but it was one of those "I'll get to it someday" kind of things. It's so nice to finally "get 'er done!"

It's a little hard to see all the cute details in the picture, so here are a few closeups of the quilter blocks.

My free-motion stippling is definitely smoothing out. These panels are a great way to practice!

Isn't it just perfect above my sewing cabinet? I love it!

Sew & Tell Friday

2011-10-14T04:41:00.000-05:00

It's Sew & Tell Friday again... another busy week, sewing up a storm, and a little more progress made in the "catching up on my challenges" challenge. The further I get on these projects, the more motivated I am to get caught up before the year ends, despite being several months behind. I'm so glad to have this burst of sewing energy hit me now. I just hope it lasts awhile...

First accomplishment this week, my April "Get 'er Done" challenge project, the Pledge of Allegiance wall hanging. Here's the panel before (after being folded up in a box for far too long):

And after, borders added, quilted and bound:

I actually had this one ready to quilt back in June, but got stuck on the "how to quilt" question, as usual. Since my attempt at free-motion last month went relatively well, I thought I should give it another shot on this one. With the help of my quilting buddies, I figured out my tension dilemma was due to a loose top thread (my thread holder thingie was cracked and not keeping the spool tight on the spool holder), and this time it went extremely well. I think I'm actually getting the hang of it! I see many more stippled quilts in my future...

With that one finished I have started on the next, which is the Quilter's Wall Hanging (my June "Get 'er Done" project). Here's the "before":

I've been having a lot of fun with this one, and look forward to seeing it hang on my sewing room wall very soon. I've separated the blocks and rearranged them into more of a square with sashings. It should fit perfectly on the wall above my sewing cabinet, and it's ready to quilt and bind -- hopefully a finish for next week...

I'm getting closer and closer on the Fresh Fruit quilt (my October UFO challenge project). Sewed the last of my paper pieced fruit blocks this week:

Watermelon, apples, oranges, cherries and a kiwi fruit (I love, love, love the watermelon block!)

A few of the blocks needed some embroidered details (watermelon and kiwi seeds, etc.), so I did that yesterday:

So now I'm ready to set these together and finish this little quilt. It's going to be a lot smaller than I realized when I started these blocks years ago -- which is a good thing. I think it'll actually fit on the limited wall space in my kitchen. :o)

I find that when I'm going through these productive phases, I prefer to have several projects going at once. Ideally, something to piece in my upstairs sewing room, handwork or quilting to do downstairs while watching TV, and something in the planning/cutting stage. That way, I can go from one project to another when I need a change of pace.

This week, I cut the pieces for 40 Bug Jar blocks for an upcoming swap, and finished embroidering this 6" block for my mom. (My sisters and I are making her a quilt for her 80th birthday in December.)

(I started this block months ago, but thankfully was inspired to finish it while embroidering those fruit blocks.) Now I just need to do something simple for my kids' and grandson's blocks... December will be here before you know it!

(I just found out about "Finish it Up Friday" at Crazy Mom Quilts, so I'm linking there, too. I can use all the motivation I can get!)

Happy Birthday!

2011-10-11T12:04:00.000-05:00

A little follow up on my last post...

We went to our grandson, Aaron's, birthday party this past weekend and he showed me the new sheets and pillowcase I made for him, on his bed. They fit!

"Good job, Grandma!" (I love it when he says that.)

Looks like he won't fit in his little bed for much longer, though! I can't believe how fast he's growing up...

(Here's the tutorial I used for the crib/toddler sheet. Super easy-to-follow instructions, and purely coincidental that she also used a John Deere print. lol)

Not only do the sheets match his John Deere quilt, they also match one of his birthday gifts...

"Take you for a ride on my big, green tractor..." (Jason Aldean, one of Aaron's favorite songs.)

Cousin Sophia hangs on for dear life. :o)

Borrowed this picture from my daughter, just cause it's so cute. Happy birthday, big guy! We love you!

This, That, and the Other

2011-10-07T12:33:00.000-05:00

I've been sewing like a maniac this week, attempting to catch up on my stacks and stacks of projects. I'm happy to report, I've made a ton of progress...

My first finish was this, the October "Get 'er Done" Challenge project. (I joined this challenge back in January, hoping to use up some of the panels I've collected over the years.) The Snowman Draft Stopper is one of the few panels I actually bought for myself. Most of my collection came from other peoples' stashes.

He's cute, if not actually useful. (His legs aren't long enough to span the doorway, so not likely to stop many drafts.) I think he'll end up on the mantle or hearth this winter.

I was impressed with all the details, especially his little jacket, complete with buttonholes.

I also got a few more fruit blocks finished for my October UFO Challenge project; the pineapple, strawberries, lemon and lime. (The lime is actually a filler block, because I somehow forgot to download the last block-of-the-month pattern back when they were free to download. argh.)

I'm beginning to think the Fruit Quilt could actually be finished this month, too! So, there's that.

And the other... well, lately I've been thinking a lot about making some things to sell. I attempted this about 15 years ago, before I had internet access, so I was limited to schlepping bins of stuff around to craft sales where I had minimal success. Needless to say, that endeavor was short-lived. But every so often, someone will ask me if I have any quilts for sale, and heaven knows we could use the money. I'm thinking it might be time to give selling another try. So... I need to start building an inventory.

Earlier this year, I had made a simple baby quilt top out of fabric leftover from another project. I figured it would be as good a start as any. Just had to add a border, quilt and bind...

And I had some good-quality, bright yellow/gold flannel on hand, so used it for the backing. Maybe not exactly what I would have chosen, but I think it works. It's super cozy, and it reminds me of a giraffe. :o) Does anyone know what you would call this type of print? Tie dye? It's kind of batik-y with the floral design. Is there such a thing as batik flannel?? I don't know...

Back/front...

And these are the labels I used for my original craft business. Might as well keep the same name and use these up!

This is getting really long, but there's just one more thing. My daughter asked me a long time ago if I would make a sheet and pillowcase to go with the John Deere quilt I made for my grandson earlier this year. I bought the fabric months ago, but didn't get around to the sewing until this week, the day before his third birthday. (I can't believe how fast he's growing up!) So the sheet and pillowcase are now a birthday gift...

If you're going to drag your feet on a project, at least make it look like it was intentional! hehe

(Be sure to stop by Amy's Sew & Tell Fridays and see what everyone else has been up to this week!)

A Little Something Extra

2011-10-05T10:47:00.001-05:00

Attended a bridal shower for our cousin's daughter this past weekend, and I purchased this bath rug and shower curtain for her the day before, a gift for which she had registered at JC Penney (Woodland Circle Bath Collection).

Of course, I got inspired by the colors and the wheels started turning... could I make a little "something extra" in one afternoon? Did I have these colors in my stash?

Well, I do work well under pressure, and I love a challenge. Here's what I came up with...

This is the second of these little "quiltlets" I've made from a pattern by Marcie Patch of Patchalot Patterns. I love it! Very quick to sew together, but with the added embroidery (the most time-consuming part), a lot more meaningful than the patchwork alone.

Moment of truth... how well do they coordinate?

Not bad! She can use it anywhere in her house, of course, as a candle mat or table topper, pinned to the wall, use it as a hot pad...

...but it will definitely fit in the bathroom. ;o)

A Fall Giveaway and a Little Fruit

2011-10-02T01:15:00.000-05:00

While visiting all the awesome bloggers who commented on my UFO challenge post today, I learned about a fun fall giveaway being hosted by Trish at Notes of Sincerity. Check it out! You could win this cute owl candle holder and a candle for your fall decor. :o)

And speaking of UFOs, finishing that last one and then seeing all the other September finishes really lit a fire under me to get started on the next one. Yet, when I found out the number drawn for October was #5, I thought, "No way. Can't be done." I have at least another 9 blocks to make (some of them require two of the same block for the quilt layout), and then putting them all together, quilting, binding... I had flashbacks of January's UFO, which seriously almost did me in. But then I dug out the little baggie with my three finished blocks, looked at the next block in line, started poking through my stash for fabrics...

... and finished the block in less than 30 minutes. Sweet!

(I just noticed a slight misalignment in my units there, but ya know what? I think it'll be fine...)

This is the Pear block from Claudia Hasenbach's "Fresh Fruit" Block of the Month. I've had these patterns laying in wait since 2006, but they're still available for sale at Claudia's Quilts. So cute! If you sign up for her newsletter, you can download her latest BOM blocks for free each month. I've saved five of her BOM series', but this is the first one I've actually started making (and WILL finish!) Love her patterns!

Finished Just Under the Wire

2011-09-30T18:40:00.000-05:00

So, if you check out that little "UFO Challenge" list along the right side of the page, the one where I was supposed to finish one UFO per month this year, you might notice that I haven't finished one since, oh, March or so... but good news! I just finished my September challenge quilt, with barely a moment to spare.

This quilt started out early in 2009, as a mystery quilt with Hugs from Helen. I remember being super excited to find all the fabrics I needed right in my stash. They weren't "perfect," but they worked. They looked bright and cheery and Eastery, and since I've never made an Easter quilt, I felt totally justified in starting something new. I kept up on the mystery steps, right up to the finished top. I even found a backing in my stash got it all layered, pinned and ready to quilt...

... then I got completely hung up on the quilting.

I wanted to do some free-motion meandering in the white spaces, though I have always been most comfortable with straight line quilting, crosshatching, stitch-in-the-ditch, etc. Thus my Easter quilt became a UFO.

This week, with only a few days left in September, I thought I might as well just see what number had been drawn for the UFO Challenge at Patchwork Times. Lo and behold, it was number 11, the Easter quilt. All it needed was quilted and bound. Totally do-able, if I could make myself "just do it."

So I did it.

And now it's done. :o)

It's far from perfect. I either had some kind of tension issue, or I was moving too fast, or both. The back doesn't look quite as nice as the front, but it's usable, and it was a great learning experience. Most importantly, I think I've gotten over the fear of free-motion quilting, once I iron out a few bugs in the technique.

Bottom line, I'm SO happy to finally have it finished!

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A little update on an earlier finish this week. My nephew and niece received the quilt I made for baby Nora and sent me this picture of her loving her quilt.

How sweet is that? Oh, I wish I could just hop across the country and snuggle that little cutie -- but I guess the quilt will have to do it for me. :o)

*******************************And since I haven't done so in a VERY long time, I'm linking up to Amy's "Sew and Tell Fridays" page. Can't wait to see what everyone else has been working on!

So Pretty in Pink

2011-09-27T16:49:00.000-05:00

Slowly getting back into the sewing groove now that fall is underway, and here is a picture of my latest finish...

A cuddly heart quilt for this little cutie, my newest great-niece, Nora...

I thought it would be fun to use leftover pink bits from her cousin Amber's quilt and cousin Zoe's quilt to make all the pink hearts, so they would all tie in a little bit.

(Nora's mom is an interior designer and recently shared pics of Nora's nursery on her blog, Decorator in a Box. Check it out... do you think the new quilt will fit in?)

And just for fun (and to keep my motivation rolling), I finished this little tote bag the other day for my grandson, made from a panel I won in a "Get 'er Done" Challenge drawing...

Just perfect for overnights at Grandmas! :o)

Quilt Journal 2009

2011-09-26T12:35:00.000-05:00

That's how far behind I am on my quilt journal. But it was worse a few days ago, when I hadn't yet made it to the end of '08. I finished a few pages this weekend, so there is progress!

September 2008, a healing quilt made by our quilting group for a member with cancer:

A handkerchief mini-quilt wall hanging:

These pages were already done for September and October '08, when my grandson was expected/born. I don't know how I got them out of order, but we'll call it "new-grandma brain":

More new pages, Christmas '08 gifts:

And Aaron's First Christmas quilt:

I grouped all of my Quilts with Love quilts onto one page for 2009:

May 2009, my brother-in-law's Quilts with Love quilt:

October 2009, my friend Kelly's bridal shower and wedding:

Now just a few more pages to go, and I'll be into 2010! LoL

Thank You, Facebook, for Testing My Resolve

2011-09-23T14:31:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, my sister and I were talking about back-to-school time and a major change in my routine this year. For a long time now, I’ve been accustomed to having several quiet hours in my day to get things done while the kids were in school. Suddenly, all of that has changed. Due to fluctuating work and school schedules for my older kids, I find myself with precious little time alone these days. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, and yet I’m having a heck of a time adjusting. My resistance to it has left me positively lethargic. I’m accomplishing…. Nothing.

Change is hard.

My sister, having been through all of this already, shared these words of sisterly wisdom. “You’re just going through an adjustment period. It’ll get better.”

And I guess it really is as simple as that. Life is a series of never-ending changes. You can dig your heels in and resist, making yourself miserable in the process, or accept the change and get on with it. And so, I resolved to look for the good in this change and see if it doesn’t speed along the process of acceptance and moving forward. So far, so good.

Ironically, a few days later the Facebook community exploded in protest over major changes to Facebook. Irate status updates on privacy issues and general confusion over the new layout streamed down my home page like a wordy waterfall. Facebook jokes abounded. The next day, Facebook made national news on all the major TV networks, due to the level of discontent. (Can’t beat that kind of advertising… I wonder how many people joined Facebook that day, just to see what all the fuss was about?)

Change is hard.

We Facebookers are in for yet another adjustment period, but I’m thinking this change needn’t be so all-consuming, or even aggravating, really. Compared to the really major changes is life, this is miniscule. Give it time. If it’s like so many Facebook changes in the past, we’ll quickly adjust and either love the new format, not-so-much-love-but-tolerate the new format, or begin the oft-predicted mass exodus to "Google Plus." LoL

Either way, learning the new Facebook is easier than learning how to work around here with sidekicks. I think I can handle it.

Summer 2011...

2011-09-19T23:02:00.000-05:00

... was a busy one! And since I've lapsed on my blogging once again, here's a little recap in pictures:

My husband and I celebrated 25 years in June...

Here we are, cutting the cake...

Our daughters singing for us...

Our parents...

Our wedding party...

And our own little family...

The anniversary party was just the beginning. From there, it was a non-stop, go-go-go summer. There was Tim's piano recital...

A trip to the zoo...

A "new" car...

"New" bikes, too...

And a new puppy for Aaron...

We watched the flowers bloom...

Went tubing down the river...

Watched a parade or two (that's Tim on the unicycle)...

Took in some music (that's Emily on the stage)...

And still found time for some good, old-fashioned summertime favorites, like popsicles...

And the tire swing...

Here's the one bit of sewing I did (a project almost too easy to count), some new window blinds for Tim's room, before and after...

And before we knew it, it was back to school. First for Emily...

and then for Tim...

... and these were just the few days that I remembered to bring my camera. There was so much more!

No wonder there was no time to blog. :o)

Finally, A Progress Report

2011-05-26T00:00:00.001-05:00

So... remember all those bright pink blocks from a couple months back? Well as of today, they are officially a finished quilt! (I had a hard time getting accurate color in this picture, but the border actually blends really well with the blocks in real life. Really.) The quilt finished at approximately 60" square.

And this is the yummy tone-on-tone hot pink flannel backing I "just happened to have" in my stash (due to a few splurges while working at the fabric store -- shhhhh...)

Again, my photography leaves something to be desired. Turns out there's a seam right in the middle of the shot, thus the noticeable color variation. (It also looks better in real life. Really.)

I have in mind a special someone to receive this quilt, so I just need to make a label and it'll be on it's way to ? (Shhh... it's a secret.)

So after that big accomplishment today, I felt like I was on a roll and found out that my May "Get 'Er Done" challenge panel was a quickie. I don't think it even took an hour to finish the "Christmas ABC Book."

Before:

And after:

Sweet! So, I'm a little less behind, but I still have some catching up to do if I'm going to complete these challenges. (Remember, I lost the month of April.) But I do feel a little more on top of things... for now.

Oh! One more bit of progress to report (not really my progress, but exciting nonetheless, since I had a tiny part in it. Carin, from Margaret's Hope Chest, has finished the first of the "birthday quilts," from the blocks a group of us made awhile back in our online quilting bee. I don't know how that lady keeps turning out those quilts, but she is doing a fantastic job of it. :o)

Last but not least, this has nothing to do with quilting, but I finally figured out how to post a YouTube link on my blog. I guess that's progress, too. lol Just for kicks, here's one of my 16yo daughter's music videos, the song she sang at the X-Factor auditions in Chicago.

I've also been working in my garden, digging out weeds like there's no tomorrow... but that's probably enough "progress reporting" for now. (Plus, I forgot to take "before" pictures, so no one will ever know just how much progress I've made there. Dangit.) I'm just so glad to finally be getting a few things done!

Hopefully, I can keep on rolling for a while longer...

Hey, Where Did April Go?

2011-05-02T12:44:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's already May. Not that I'm complaining. I'm SO ready for summer. The good news is, I'm finally feeling better. I have a head cold that just won't quit (maybe if spring ever comes to Minnesota to stay, I can be done with that, too), but at least the pain in my shoulder and arm is nearly gone. I love my chiropractor!

The bad news... there really isn't any bad news in the grand scheme of things. Life is good. My two daughters, grandson and I just returned from a long-awaited trip to Chicago, my two sons will celebrate birthdays this week, and a beautiful, warm spring has got to be just around the corner.

However, I am behind. Remember the UFO and GED challenges from New Years?... Missed April entirely and now I have projects assigned for May. The Block-a-Palooza quilt I had hoped to finish for someone's birthday? Well, that'll be one belated birthday gift. And soon there'll be a need for one more baby quilt in the family. Guess it's time to fire up the sewing machine...

But first, a quick update on what I have finished. For the March UFO Challenge, I cheated just a bit, switching my project order around so I could get Emily's dress finished in time for Easter. My back was still pretty bad when I started, and just getting the pattern cut out was a challenge, but I think that little push was just what I needed. It felt great to actually get something finished.

Before:

And after:

So cute. :o)

My GED challenge for March was the Christmas Bear panel. I actually had it finished just before I started having health issues, just never had a chance to blog about it.

Before:

And after:

I'm happy to report, all that snow is now GONE. The grass is nearly all green, and there are definite signs of life in my garden. I guess spring has been slowly sneaking up on us after all...

Just One Star

2011-04-15T14:09:00.001-05:00

Have you heard about Moda Fabrics' Just One Star Challenge to piece, quilt and bind 100 Quilts of Valor quilts in 100 days? I had heard about the challenge before I got sick, and had started to work on a few blocks. The plan was to make "just one" for Moda, and a few more for my friend, Linda, who has made it her personal challenge to collect blocks and donate a completed quilt. Appropriately enough, my first foray back into the sewing room after being sick for a month, was to finish "just one star." If I could manage that much, I knew I was truly on my way back.

Success! It felt so good to be sewing again, even if only for a few minutes at a time. The next day, I managed two more blocks, completing a set of four for Linda:

Small steps... but things are definitely looking up! I even managed to cut out a dress for my daughter to wear for Easter, a project I had given up on for the most part. Now, I think I just might be able to get it done, little by little. I have a whole week, after all... :o)

(If you'd like to help with the "Just One Star" project, there's still time. The deadline for sending in the blocks is May 1, and one block takes about 30 minutes to complete. Check out Moda's The Cutting Table Newsletter for all the details.)

A (Rather Large) Bump in the Road

2011-04-12T10:28:00.001-05:00

Just when I felt like I was really getting things accomplished... life threw me a curve ball. I've been laid up for the past 3-4 weeks with a combination of back problems and never ending bronchitis/sinus/inner-ear crud. Suddenly I'm not only behind in all of my sewing projects, but completely bewildered by everything else that needs to be done in the coming weeks. In the midst of all my health problems, I decided to give up my job at the fabric store, which has relieved a lot of stress and may be the key to finally feeling a little better now.

I'm not fully recovered yet. Still on antibiotics, still waiting for my ears to unplug, still visiting my chiropractor almost daily and hoping for a breakthrough that will relieve the shooting pain in my shoulder and arm. But there are signs of improvement. Here I am, sitting at the computer after all. There's a light at the end of the tunnel.

One thing I have managed to get done this week was a trip to the post office. I've had some quilty things packed and ready to mail for some time. A quilt top (finished way back in November of '09)

and some cheater cloth purchased for quilt tops/backs

are finally on their way to Quilts with Love, to be used in quilts for our troops.

And the blocks I made in March for Margaret's Hope Chest's "Wrapped in Hope" project will go into quilts for some very deserving kids.

(On a side note, in conjunction with their 4-year anniversary this month, Margaret's Hope Chest has donated their 1000th quilt -- amazing! To celebrate, they're holding a fantastic giveaway. Visit here for your chance to win!)

I've missed my sewing room the past few weeks. Days have felt like weeks, and I found myself wandering in there a time or two to gaze wistfully at the works-in-progress left hanging so suddenly. But in the past few days I've had momentary thoughts of sewing just a bit, so maybe, just maybe, I'm about to turn a corner.

I'm so ready to be over this!

Block-a-Palooza: Almost There...

2011-03-09T11:54:00.000-06:00

I have so many different projects going at once right now, it's making my head spin, but I do seem to thrive on the stress of it. Having several days off work this week has given me the chance to tackle a lot of projects, both sewing and otherwise. Yesterday I got caught up once again on the Blogger's Block-a-Palooza Quilt Along.

Here's Block 11, designed by the Fat Quarterly team at Fat Quarterly:

Block 12, designed by Jennifer Davis of Sugar Stitches:

And Block 13, designed by Tia Curtis of Camp Follower Bags & Quilts:

Three quarters of the way there (plus one block), with only three more blocks to go. I'm looking forward to wrapping this one up!

John Deere is Done

2011-03-08T09:52:00.000-06:00

Finished the John Deere panel quilt for my grandson last week...

Cute, huh? And here's how the pieced back turned out...

Looks good at a distance, but I made the mistake of making the back border the same size as the printed front "border," so the edge of the border quilting on the back is all over the place. (I don't think Aaron will mind.)

I had a little chunk of the backing fabric left over, so yesterday I made a little pillow to match -- with red piping!

All done! But something is still missing...
I know what, it's this 'lil cutie.

Miss you, Aaron! See you soon! XOXOXO

Design Wall Monday: John Deere Green

2011-02-28T22:32:00.000-06:00

I have a darling little 2-year-old grandson who loves tractors, especially green tractors. In fact, to him the color green is synonymous with tractors, and if you ask him what color this is...

... he'll tell you, "tractor." (Don't worry, we're working on that. lol)

So, even though I really didn't need another project to do, when I saw this adorable John Deere panel at work the other day, I had to buy it for Aaron.

And when I saw the equally adorable coordinating print, of course I had to have that for the back.

Unfortunately, such an impulse purchase often comes without much thought, and I failed to notice that the direction of the print required extra fabric to lay the right way on the quilt back. So today I was considering buying a larger piece, when my awesome mother-in-law took one look at it and suggested I just add a border to my backing. (Duh... why didn't I think of that??) After she left, I immediately went to my sewing room to look for fabric, whipped up some borders, layered, pinned and started on the quilting.

Best news of the day, I think I've solved a problem I've been having with the sewing machine I use for quilting. A new needle and a little oil on the joints of my walking foot, and it is quilting like a dream again. No puckering, and no broken threads! Wish I'd figured that out last month, when I was struggling with my UFO challenge quilt, but I was just too busy to take the time to do it. Live and learn!

Now I can hardly wait to finish this and give it to Aaron. :o)

That's what was on my "design wall" (AKA, the kitchen floor) today. Stop by Judy's Patchwork Times to see more design wall projects!

Block-a-Palooza: Still Waiting for Spring...

2011-02-24T22:49:00.000-06:00

Two more blocks finished for the Blogger's Block-a-Palooza. Block nine is the "Lemonade Stand" block, designed by Scott Hansen of Blue Nickel Studios (Of course, my lemonade is the PINK variety):

And block ten, "Turned Geese," designed by Amy Ellis at Amy's Creative Side:

Six more blocks to go. So far, so good. Just one question... is it spring yet?

UFO Challenge: February Finish!

2011-02-23T22:25:00.000-06:00

This month's goal for the Patchwork Times UFO Challenge was one of the sewing projects I used to fill in for the (unbelieveable!) lack of unfinished quilts that I have left to work on. (It also provided a much-needed break after finishing my crazy-intense January project!)

Lucky number 10 -- Tim's Fleece Vest -- last appeared here as a pattern, a zipper and a bunch of yellow fleece in a pile in my sewing room:

All chosen by my 12-year-old son, who wanted fleece vests in his favorite color combo, yellow and black. I finished the black one right away, but then the holidays were upon us, and the yellow was put on the back burner while I focused on other projects. (Sewing clothing is not my favorite thing, so any excuse to procrastinate will do!)

He seemed very happy with Vest #1.

However, in the three months that followed, I never once saw him wear it. So I made a slight change in the plans and decided to go with a different pattern.

This pattern is adult sized, but I figured if it was way too big, he would eventually grow into it. I chose the zip-up hoodie (thinking he might actually wear that), size small, cut it out and sewed it up yesterday. Amazing how quickly something like that goes once you just get started! It's a little large, but that makes it cozy and leaves room for layering. Anyway, he seems to love it...

...but time will tell.

The real question is... will he ever cut his hair? :o)

Block-a-Palooza: Halfway There...

2011-02-22T21:23:00.000-06:00

Finished Block-a-Palooza blocks seven and eight this week, the "Orange You Glad I Chose a Nine-Patch" block, designed by Heather Bostic of House of A La Mode,

and the appliqued "Basket of Geese" block, designed by Angela Yosten of Moda Home Mom,

Having made it to the halfway point, I decided to put together a little compilation of all of my blocks so far.

I thought it might be a bit much at first, but the more blocks I finish, the more I'm liking all this pink goodness. Bring on the next block!

Block-a-Palooza: Blocks Five and Six

2011-02-16T22:37:00.000-06:00

Playing catch up today on the Blogger's Block-a-Palooza blocks, and now I have two more finished...

Block Five -- Geesey-McNinePatch, designed by Kaye Prince of Miss Print

Block Six -- You Are Here, designed by Monica Solorio-Snow of Happy Zombie

Still have block seven to finish, and block eight will be announced tomorrow. It seems I'm always one behind. But I hear there will be a midway prize drawing after block eight -- for those who have posted pictures of all eight blocks. More incentive for me to keep up!

And if I get off the computer now, I might just have enough time to finish block seven tonight...

Crafting for a Cause: Craft Hope

2011-02-11T14:11:00.004-06:00

This week I finished my February GED (Get 'er Done) Challenge project, the Papa Bear & Baby Bear panel:

That's one less fabric panel taking space up in my closet, but what to do with these little bears? It just so happened that I had the perfect place to send them...

In January, I heard about the latest Craft Hope charity project, making "safe delivery kits" for Konbit Sante Cap-Haitien Health Partnership, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the healthcare system in Haiti. (Konbit is Haitian Creole for "working together" and Sante means "health.") The safe delivery kits contain the basic necessities for a safe and sanitary childbirth (plastic sheeting, latex gloves, hand sanitizer, etc.), plus a receiving blanket and stuffed toy, all packaged up in a hand-crafted tote bag. I thought it sounded like a wonderful use for some of my excess stash.

My first real attempt at making a tote bag, I made a very simple one out of pre-quilted heart fabric, and recycled blue jeans for the handles:

Nothing fancy, but it's nice and roomy to hold lots of baby things.

The receiving blanket is flannel from my stash. I didn't have anything baby that wasn't definitely boy or girl, so I went with this red and white polka dot that coordinated nicely with the bag (solid white on the back), and did a decorative leaf stitch for the top-stitching.

I had the other supplies already purchased for the kit, and all that was needed was a stuffed toy. Along came the drawing for the GED challenge -- and the bears. They're even color-coordinated!

I packed everything up and mailed it off this morning. First stop, Konbit Sante in Maine -- and then they are Haiti bound!

The deadline for this project is March 1, so if you'd like to send a Safe Delivery Kit, or take part in the next Craft Hope project, stop over at the Craft Hope blog for all the details.

And I would love to see and hear about other charity projects folks are working on, so if you have a recent project or favorite charity you've blogged about, feel free to link up here and help spread the word about other ways we can all "Craft for a Cause."

More Block-a-Palooza

2011-02-09T22:44:00.000-06:00

Despite some really painful and annoying back/neck/shoulder issues this week, I've finished another two blocks for the Blogger's Block-a-Palooza Quilt Along. Block #3 is Shoofly Geese, designed by Amanda Sasikirana of sasikirana handmade.

Block #4 is the Gingham Pinwheel (or in my case, the PINK Pinwheel), designed by Cherri House of Cherry House Quilts

Block #6 will be announced tomorrow over at Quilt Dad's. Guess I'd better get going on number five...

Challenges for February

2011-02-06T13:41:00.000-06:00

I have now officially visited all 114 links to the finished January UFOs in the Patchwork Times UFO Challenge (and with dial-up internet, that was a challenge in itself! lol) I don't know if I'll have the stamina to do so every month, but it was nice to at least once visit all of my co-challengees. What a lot of gorgeous quilts and projects, and seeing so many things being accomplished is incredibly inspiring! (If you happened to miss my own January finish, you can find it here.)

Now it's on to February... and I'm having a bit of a slow start this month. Since finishing the baby quilt that I needed to do right off the bat, I've had a return of the insidious pinched nerve in my back that stopped me in my tracks a year and a half or so ago. I've gone to the chiropractor religiously since then, so I have no idea how I managed to aggravate it so badly, seemingly overnight. Could have something to do with the marathon stitching and quilting of January's UFO? Hard to say. But I'm feeling a little improvement day by day, so I hope I can get on with my remaining February projects very soon. Fortunately, both are relatively easy finishes!

February's pick for the UFO (UnFinished Objects) challenge is #10, Tim's Fleece Vest, not even a quilting UFO, but one of my sewing UFO's that I chose to fill in the missing numbers. (I still can't believe I had less than 12 unfinished quilts!)

While I haven't started working on this yet, I have given it some thought, and plan to go another route with it. When he picked out this pattern some time ago, he couldn't decide between black with yellow or yellow with black, so I bought fabric and zippers for both. I made the black with yellow right away...

...unfortunately, I haven't seen him wear it since I took this picture, so the yellow/black will probably not get much use either. I'm planning to combine a couple of patterns on this next one and make it a sweatshirt instead of a vest, possibly hooded? I'm hoping that'll go over a little better.

For the February GED (Get 'er Done) challenge, the pick was #3, the Papa Bear and Baby Bear panel. I did get a start on this one already and I have an idea of how I'll put at least one of these stuffed bears to use:

So... no quilting for me this month (aside from starting new projects, of course! lol) Considering the state of my back right now, I'd say I pretty much lucked out with the challenges. I'm off to the chiro again tomorrow. Maybe I'll get some relief and I can get back to work. Wish me luck!

Time Marches On

2011-02-05T18:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I attended a baby shower for one of my daughter's school friends, and as I looked around this room full of kids (who are no longer kids), I couldn't help thinking... where does the time go? I remember so many of them as giggling little girls not so long ago, and yet here they are, all grown up, working, going to college, starting families...

They say that time marches on -- but sometimes it seems more like a sprint.

Mommy-and-Daddy-to-be

Pinwheel Quilt for Baby (who is coming in March!)

Best wishes, Katie! I cannot wait to see your little boy. He will be such a blessing to you, and though there will be good days and bad days, he will bring you more joy than you could ever imagine. ;o)

UFO Challenge: January Finish!

2011-01-29T18:54:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to keep from showing a full photo of this quilt in my weekly updates, just so I could have a big "reveal" with the final post. Finally the time has come! I really didn't think I could do it, but yes, it is finished -- and with a few days to spare. Now I know what I'm capable of if I just set my mind to something!

And here it is, my no-longer-a-UFO, hand-appliqued rose quilt...

The finished size is approximately 52" x 67." Hard to tell from this picture, but it is a large wallhanging. This photo gives a better size reference:

As you can see, I had to pull the couch away from the wall to take the first picture. Some rearranging is in order if it's going to live in this room permanently. That big ball of fluff is our cat, Sarabi, who came to live with us from the shelter last summer. It hasn't taken her long to make herself at home.

Here she is, glaring at our other cat, Reesa, and staking her claim on the cushiest spot in the living room.

"Mine."

She was so meek and skittish when she first moved in, and scared to death of Reesa... but I feel the balance of power is shifting. lol

I've been blogging my progress on this quilt weekly throughout the month, so if you'd like to see closeups of the blocks, sashings, etc., here are links to my previous posts:

Week One
Week Two
Week Three

And just as a reminder, here is where this one started out, just a few short weeks ago:

Two blocks and a dream... lol

Can't wait to see what February has in store, but I'll admit, I'm hoping it'll be one of my easier-to-finish projects. I need a break!

Bloggers' Block-a-Palooza

2011-01-28T09:37:00.001-06:00

Well... since I'm getting so much accomplished in the UFO challenges, why not start another project, right? (Hopefully this one won't wind up as next year's UFO.) I couldn't resist the 2011 Block-a-Palooza Quilt Along over at Quilt Dad's place. Each block will be designed by a different blogger and revealed on Mondays and Thursdays through the end of March. I thought it would be interesting to see the different ways each quilter will use wild geese and/or nine-patches in the various blocks. So far, I haven't been disappointed!

Here is my first block, "Flying Over Fields," designed by Quilt Dad, John Adams.

Pretty wild, I know. But I do have a "vision." lol We'll see if I can make it work.

The designers of the quilt-along are all featuring fabrics from Moda's Sunkissed line, but since I have little fabric budget and ample stash, I'm going a very different route with my bright pinks. (That is hot pink, and not red. It's so hard to accurately photograph pinks.) I have a little someone in mind who might like these colors in a quilt...

Here is the second block, "Word Search," designed by Elizabeth Hartman from Oh, Fransson!

I'm thinking... Strawberry Shake. :o)

If you'd like to play along, you can get all the details and links to the blocks at John's Block-a-Palooza page.

UFO Challenge: Week Three

2011-01-22T11:31:00.000-06:00

Tired of appliqued rose blocks yet? ... I am.

But, good news! Much to the relief of my numb, tingling, aching hands, the last two blocks are done; the Triple Rose...

and the Rose of Sharon.

At this point, there was much celebration (in my mind, at least). I still had two weeks left in the month (and I thought I'd be doing well to just finish the blocks in January). I had already decided on the size and layout of the top during my many hours of applique, so I was ready to get right to work on it. I found the perfect fabrics right here in my stash (gotta love that!). No need to go shopping, so I started cutting and sewing strip sets...

...and cutting those into sashings and cornerstones...

...sewing blocks into rows, and rows into a quilt top...

...and finally adding a border. The border print is one I have kept with my two original blocks for all these years, knowing I wanted to use it in the top eventually. There is a bit of clash between it and the sashing print, but I was determined to use it anyway. I like it. :o)

After more than two weeks of hand stitching, all of this machine sewing went incredibly fast. The top was together in just a couple of days. Yesterday I pieced the backing, sandwiched and pinned the layers. It's ready to quilt!

Just over a week to go... quilting, binding, hanging sleeve...

... I think I can, I think I can...

UFO Challenge: Week Two

2011-01-15T13:28:00.007-06:00

Still plugging away on my appliqued rose blocks, and finally there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Four more blocks were completed this past week; the Radical Rose,

the Mexican Rose,

Grandmother's Rose,

and the Wild Rose.

That leaves just two more to go! My next block is in progress...

This one is the most difficult of them all, I think. Look at all those sharp inward curves -- such a headache to turn those under! But it's coming along, and will make finishing my last one seem like a breeze. If all goes well, I'll be starting on my quilt top in a few more days... wish me luck!

Homespun Holidays

2011-01-12T10:17:00.005-06:00

It’s true. I’ll admit it. I’ve hardly done anything except sew this month. But if it weren’t for these quilting challenges, I’d most likely have been hit full-on by now with the winter blahs, so it’s justifiable therapy. (That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it!)

January’s number for the CQUSA “Get ‘er Done” Challenge was number eight, the “Homespun Holidays” panel:

Since I’ve been up to my ears in appliquéd roses with the UFO challenge, this has been a nice little project to work on when I just couldn’t stand another moment of hand stitching.

Nothing fancy in the finishing, just a solid maroon border, followed by a little angel print border that seemed to be made for this panel. (Another bonus: everything used was from my stash!) Most of the quilting is simple outlining, and I bound it in the same maroon solid. Finished it off with a hanging sleeve and a few primitive wood heart buttons tacked on here and there. The finished size is 28” x 35.”

Might make a nice Christmas gift for someone next year… if I can part with it!

UFO Challenge: Week One

2011-01-08T13:32:00.012-06:00

Well, 2011 is off to a great start! My family has been healthy so far, the days are getting longer, my Christmas decorations are almost all packed away, and I have set myself up with an awesome challenge to help me steer clear of the mid-winter blues. So far, so good.

On New Year's Day, the first number was drawn for the 2011 Patchwork Times UFO Challenge...

...and I learned that my project for January is lucky number six, the Floral Applique Quilt. All I have to do is make 10 more hand-appliqued blocks, sew them into a top, quilt it and bind it. That's all. By the end of this month. No problem! LoL

Actually, my first thought was, "There is absolutely no way." Period.

But then the incredible, miraculous motivation of a challenge kicked in, and I've been working like a maniac ever since, trying to beat the clock. I've spent every spare minute this week cutting, basting, pressing, pinning and stitching, and yes, I have made progress!

So far, I've finished the New Jersey Rose,

the Victorian Rose,

the Rose Wreath,

and the Ohio Rose,

My next block has been cut, basted and pinned and is ready for stitching.

If I keep one block in progress at all times and work on it any chance I get, I can average a block every two days. Hopefully I can keep up that pace for just a little longer, and I'll have ten days at the end of the month to see how far I get on making the quilt... if I still have any feeling left in my hands.

Realistically, I'll be happy just to get all the blocks finished, but you never know!

(And I haven't forgotten about the "Get 'Er Done" Challenge, either. I've been working on that one too, and should have a "finished" picture to share very soon...)

My New Year Babies

2010-12-31T22:17:00.018-06:00

Due to my lack of time for blogging this year, there were a number of quilt projects I never got around to sharing, so I thought I'd show them off in one last post for 2010. These were some of my favorites, too, because each was a celebration of a special little one in my life:

July 2010 -- A Disappearing Four-Patch in pink and brown polka dots

Made for precious baby Shyla, the new granddaughter of a dear friend of mine.

September 2010 -- Woodland Four-Patch (with more polka dots!)

Made for adorable baby Reid, my newest great-nephew.

October 2010 -- A 1930's Patch Quilt

Made for beautiful baby Zoe, my newest great-niece.

And last but not least, October 2010 -- A Picture Play I-Spy Quilt

For my sweet, sweet grandson, Aaron, who turned two years old this year.

May we all be so richly blessed in 2011.
Happy New Year!!

CQUSA's "Get 'er Done" in 2011 Challenge

2010-12-30T21:17:00.016-06:00

Another New Year challenge! And since I already committed to finishing what's left of my UFO pile in the Patchwork Times challenge, I went in a different direction with this one.

Guess how many fabric panel projects I have? ...

... I don't know either, but it's a big box full. A few I've purchased, but most have been gifted to me in one way or another, and without some incentive such as this challenge, they would all be destined to stay in that box forever. So for the record, I have chosen the following 12 panels to make into something useful this year:

1. Starlight Angels

2. Psalm 23

3. Papa Bear & Baby Bear

4. Christmas Bear

5. Snowman Draft Stopper

6. Quilter's Wallhanging

7. Northwoods Noel

8. Homespun Holidays

9. Pledge of Allegiance

10. Christmas ABCs

11. Oh, Santa!

12. Santa's Teddy Bear

Let's get 'er done! ;o)

Patchwork Times 2011 UFO Challenge

2010-12-29T16:50:00.014-06:00

Quilting incentive for 2011: Judy Laquidara's UFO Challenge at Patchwork Times!

When I went to make a list of 12 projects to finish, I was honestly shocked to find that I don't have 12 unfinished quilts! I must be getting better about finishing what I start, as just a few years ago the count was over 20. Now it stands at seven, so I added a few unfinished (and largely unstarted) sewing projects to round out my list of 12. Hope that's not bending the rules too far...

At any rate, here's my list:

1. Easter Quilt, a 2009 mystery, partially quilted. Just needs the rest of the quilting and a binding.

2. Sampler Baby Quilt, put together on a whim earlier this year from "orphan blocks" in my closet. Needs quilting and binding.

3. "Where Are Your Shoes and Socks?" A Pat Sloan Block-of-the-Month from 2007 (I think), which I've been working on (and collecting shoe fabrics for) off-and-on ever since. I have five more blocks to applique and then to set it all together with sashings and borders, quilt and bind.

4. "Seasons of the Heart," Sandi Anderson's 2009 Block-of-the-Month. I kept right up with making the blocks for this one, but never found the time in 2010 to put them all together. Setting, borders, quilting and binding are needed.

5. "Fresh Fruit," a 2006 Block-of-the-Month. This one is a paper-pieced design by Claudia Hasenbach, which I barely started on. Many blocks left to make, setting, borders, quilting and binding. It will be a shocker to me if I get this one finished. :o)

6. Floral Applique Quilt, yet another Block-of-the-Month, this one from Country Quilters USA. I believe this one started in 2006. I finished two blocks and picked out fabric to go with them. I seem to have a little trouble completing BOM quilts! Ten blocks to go, and setting, borders, quilting, binding...

7. 1930's Mini, these nine 3-1/2" paper-pieced blocks in 1930's repro prints was a Country Quilters USA sew-in "door prize," made by my friend, Leween. I LOVE them! Just haven't decided yet how best to use them. But this will be the year. What will it be? A wall hanging? Table topper? We'll see...

8. Bathroom Curtains I bought this fabric months ago to make lined curtains for my bathroom, just never felt like actually making them. Sometime this year, it WILL be done.

9. Emily's Bag Emily and I bought this pattern last spring and I stupidly bought fabric and notions for two bags before trying the pattern. It was miserable sewing, but I did finish Bag #1 and I have to admit its a cute bag (the one pictured upper right on the pattern). Now I'm determined to make the other one and get rid of that little pile in my sewing room...

10. Tim's Fleece Vest Product of another unthinking trip to the fabric store. Tim wanted a black and yellow fleece vest, but upon cutting out the pattern as he had pictured it, we found it would probably be an eyesore. Fortunately (or not) I bought enough of each color to make a black vest AND a yellow vest, quickly finished the black one and set the yellow one on the back burner. Another little pile in the corner of my sewing room... but not for long. ;o)

11. Emily's Dress If the number "11" isn't drawn in the next couple of months, I'll have to put a rush on this one, as Emily wants to wear it for Easter this year. I have only purchased the fabric, so one more trip to the fabric store is in order for the notions.

12. Perfect Pouches I won this kit in a FabShopHop several years ago and just never got around to making them. Wouldn't they make a great gift for someone?

Think I can finish all this in 2011? Time will tell... but I'm definitely looking forward to the drawing of the first number, to see what I'll be working on in January!

So, After May...

2010-11-08T21:26:00.012-06:00

... there was lots of working, and sewing, and keeping the household afloat between bouts of summer partying, graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, the end of one school year and the beginning of another, halloween...

...and now it's November once again. Wow.

It's official. I am the world's worst blogger. Yet somehow I can't quite give it up. And as usual, I have a hard time deciding how to pick up where I left off.

Which would be... June.

Oddly enough, it was my biggest June quilting project that brought me back to my blog tonight, so I guess that's a good place to start. I recently received an email from the Wrapped in Hope project, and stopped by to add their link to my sadly neglected blog list, and here I am. :o)

So, a little about Wrapped in Hope: One of the various projects of Margaret's Hope Chest (which has, to date, donated 722 quilts to people in need), Wrapped in Hope provides birthday quilts "to bring HOPE and comfort" to children who are missing a parent in prison. When I heard about the project, I was excited about joining in, but choosing one child from a list of those in need was a real challenge. I finally chose a little girl named Emily, because she shares my youngest daughter's name.

And this is my Wrapped in Hope quilt for Emily, who turned 11 on July 9th.

I was told that Emily liked dogs and cats and the color green, and as I collected dog and cat prints, I noticed a definite "brights" theme developing. I decided on this pattern from a back issue of American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine called, "Daisy Mania" (AP&Q, April 2004).

I changed up the floral theme to "dogs and cats," using lots of cheery brights -- heavy on the green! A few closeups of the appliques:

I hope little Emily is loving her quilt, that it makes her feel happy and loved, and brings her much comfort and HOPE for the future!