Needles and Pens

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.

... 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 ju...

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)

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 i...

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 co...

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 ...

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....

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, di...

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 motiv...