Needles and Pens

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, ...

I haven't written a blog post since January? Wow. I can't believe how time flies since I started my new job. There just aren't enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do, not to mention what I have to do. Not that there ever were enough hours, but there are a whole lot less now. Funny how my "part-time" job has become more and more "full-time" as I've gone along. Still, I have squeezed in some sewing time here and there. It's almost a necessity when you're surrounded by fabric all day, talking to people who have fun, creative projects going on at their house. It's more than a little contagious. So this is what I've been working on since... January. (Still can't believe it's been that long.) A Noah's Ark Disappearing Nine-Patch baby quilt for a friend at our church, who recently had a beautiful baby girl... With my first attempt at a pieced quilt back... And another scrappy Fun with Bricks baby quilt for my h...

Our church's Fall Fleece Festival (making fleece blankets for those in need), was a huge success this year. There were so many generous donations of fleece, that even after the Sunday school classes and youth group completed 45 blankets, there was still more fabric to spare. I had a lot of fun this afternoon, cutting and tying a few of the remaining blankets. They're so quick and easy to make, and the variety of colors and prints is awesome... Mmmm... soft and cozy... they're sure to keep someone nice and warm this winter. :o)