Its Warm in the Sewing Room

but it is s-o-o-o very cold outside! I hope you are wrapping yourself in layers and staying warm. It is dangerously cold, so do take caution if going outside.

It has been a productive time in the sewing room this month. No complete finishes but I am making progress! 

My hexagon flowers are adding up as I continue to applique them onto their backings. They all look so cheerful as I couldn't resist laying them out to see how they will look together. You can begin your own hexagon flower project by visiting here.

And if you like English Paper Piecing (epp), check out this new project! Sign ups begin tomorrow (Friday, February 1st) through the 14th. Oh my, so many temptations to begin something new, right?

I've also been working on Edyta Sitar's block of the month, Patches in Blue. I completed 2 more blocks and cut many more triangle pieces for the border. These are all stacked by my machine for some quick mindless sewing. The sleigh block has been started and I decided upon hand applique since I have not ordered Edita's kit of snowflakes and branches.

I noticed she has birds on the branches but they are not included in her book so I will have to draft my own version. I simply cannot exclude these little creatures!




And I did get my Sweet Tea quilt done into the flimsy stage. It is all ready with its backing to go to my long arm quilter. I will be using a white Quilter's Dream batting for a nice, soft and cuddly, throw-size quilt. 


So let us keep working towards those finishes. Yes, yes, I love the process too, but it is such a great feeling to take that last stitch. What keeps you motivated? Please comment below.

A New Year for Finishes

Happy New Year! It is so encouraging and fun to share my love of quilting with you! And to set new goals and priorities for finishing projects that have been started, so let's get going!

And, to up the ante, the weatherman is reporting a big storm coming in this weekend with lots of snow predicted! Yippee! I am one of those who love it when it snows. Like the song goes,

Well the weather outside is frightful,

But my fabrics are so delightful.

I have no other place to go,

Let it snow, let it snow, Let Me Sew!!

I even made a little picture for the sewing room!

I will be linking up this list at She Can Quilt's blog-site for this year's 2019 Finish-A-Long

1. Edyta Sitar's Block of the Month, Patches in Blue

How I love this project. When finished this quilt will stay in my possession. I love blues, I love the blocks, I love Edyta Sitar's style. So why isn't it finished yet? I got behind working on Christmas projects but I am striving for a Patches in Blue finish this quarter.

I may have to rework the large star block pictured. I am not happy with the center points matching up. After making so many Lemoyne stars in my Medallion Ca'rlene, it can surely be better. Do you have a favorite trick for these challenging star blocks?

2. Sunbonnet Sue Restoration 

This is a vintage quilt made by a dear relative that has passed on. My niece has asked me to restore it so I have found various 30's prints to replace those that are worn,  shredded, and gone. It really is in poor shape, and once finished I will advise her to use it as a display piece only. The stitches are sooooo tiny! Aunt Etha was a gifted needle-worker for sure! I hope I can do it justice. I will try to get a better picture for a later posting.

3. On Ringo Lake

Really! I need to finish this! I love the colors and I am anxious to see it on the bed upstairs. I have ONE block completed. All the rest of the units are ready with only 49 blocks left to go. Then sew them into rows. Just a few days of marathon sewing is needed, which is what I like on snowy days. 

This quilt project is the reason I did not jump in on Bonnie's mystery, Good Fortune, this past year. I could not take on another with On Ringo Lake in the line up.

4. Blue Ridge Beauty 

Another blue quilt. I said I love blues. :-) All 169 blocks are completed and are ready to be sewn into rows. No thinking involved here so this will be another marathon-snowy-sew-day at the machine. Queue the audio book!

5. Country Bride Quilt

One of my oldest UFO's from 1998. That is from the last century! I will likely not get this hand quilted, which is what I originally wanted. So it is going to the long arm quilter to be finished finally. Can't wait to see it done. It is a very large quilt. Look at those 90's colors!

Some other items I will be working on but they will not likely make it to final completion...

Montmellik

I got another medallion quilt on my list! I just finished the dotted border and am presently working on the next. It involves flowers made from 3/4 inch hexagons! All appliqued so it just needs some time in the evenings for some fun sewing. Do you love hand applique too?

This was a mystery quilt project from Quiltmania last year.







Charm Square Challenge

Just a fun challenge from our Stashbusters Yahoo Group to get out some of those precuts and USE them. This was an idea I came up with using Moda's Concrete. I have two charm packs so I am not sure how big this will be. And I am short on light squares so I hope to go the LQS before it snows for some backgrounds while they are still on sale.





Hexagon Flowers

Still plugging away at this...but not in a dreadful way. I love this project and am always happy to sit down and work on it in the evenings. I am nearing the halfway mark of appliqueing these flowers to their backgrounds. Then sew the blocks in rows...then borders... No rush here, just enjoying the time spent.




Temperature Quilt

Have you jumped in on this idea? I have been logging the highs and lows in our area since March of last year but have not yet decided upon a block to use. Nor have I begun to chart the fabrics with the temperatures. But I am getting close! :-) Check out some examples at #tempquiltalong for some inspiration to begin your own.


So again, happy new year! (It is still new) Sharing this wild adventure is fun and motivating. And your comments below warm my heart. May your stitches be even, plentiful, and untangled. And may your UFO's be completed throughout 2019.

 

Pillows and Feathers

Now that Christmas is over and all gifts have been given, it is safe to show my final finishes for 2018.

This pillow idea came from Penny Haren of Creative Grids. She did a workshop/trunk show at our local quilt shop and I fell in love with the idea of stacking 3 pillows on a wooden base. 




Now when the kids want to lay on the floor for games they have a cushion, and the pillows can all go back when finished for storage until next time. My husband made the bases out of birch plywood and glued mitered maple ends to the four sides. With 4 bun feet the base was completed.

The backs were made so that they can easily be removed for washing. (not shown here) You can find a tutorial on how to make an envelope backing here. 



My other gift idea was the feather runner. I really loved working on this project. Not only because of who I was making it for but because it such a clean and modern pattern. 

I used strips and strings from batiks and tonal prints for texture all in earthy colors. Stacked 3 blocks running in opposite directions with added sashing and borders. It finished at 22" x 67" and was all hand quilted. 

I should have taken more pictures. These are all I have and would like to show more of the quilting...Maybe for the next one, because I could make another! I really, really love this pattern.

On the back I wrote the quote:
"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; 
they will run and not grow weary, 
they will walk and not be faint." 
Isaiah 40:31




I hope your Christmas and Holiday season was a happy and meaningful one. Here we are into 2019! May your days be filled with peace, and hope, and may your stitches be even, plentiful and your UFO's complete throughout this coming year!

Happy new year!