April Showers Bring May Finishes

I hope! Because I have not ONE official finish to check off my first quarter list! But I did have a finish that wasn't listed on the Finish-A-Long.

Sweet Tea finished at 67"x70", 11 yards of stash used up.

I fell in love with this pattern at first sight, and was able to use up nearly all the fabrics leftover from my Be My Neighbor .  The quilting pattern I chose is a long curly design and is "musical" to my eye. Sweet Tea is a bright and cheerful quilt for springtime. It was a fast finish too, so it's a good project for a needed gift in a hurry.  

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Now for my second quarter finish-a-long list :

I have been sewing like crazy to get my Blue Ridge Beauty completed into a flimsy. It is presently at my long-arm quilter's being quilted. This project grew to be a large quilt and I used up 19 yards of stash! I am anxious for it to arrive back to me as the binding is pressed and ready to be applied. This will definitely be checked off as a finish this spring quarter!


Finished Here!






Don't you love participating in a quilt-along? They have the same motivating drive as a mystery, but with "safer" results because you know what it looks like at the beginning. I also love quilts of many pieces so the Sew Many Strips quilt along at APQ really got my attention. So far, I have been keeping up and have all my pieces cut and small units sewn together. I am not sure if I will have it completed in the same time frame as the quilt along, but I am aiming to have it done during this quarter!  Just look at all those pieces! Each brick is 1.5"x2.5" and includes lots of "ugly" fabrics. (Bonnie Hunter quote: "if your fabric is still ugly, cut it smaller")

My youngest, darling grandson loves Minecraft and since moving up to his big boy bed, he has no quilt large enough to cover it. This project really got his approval! Seriously, I think it needs stitches (don't you love that name?) offers a series of block patterns for a Minecraft quilt. So fun! So simple! I have the Steve block completed and Judah is helping me pick the rest of the blocks...including the dragon! This is an easy project but not really a fast one because of all the various custom cutting. 

Oh, another multi-thousand pieced quilt! I started this project years ago and pulled it out a few weeks ago for some easy, mindless sewing. I've picked up momentum and now I hope to have it ready for the long arm quilter later this week. I first saw this quilt in an old Great American Quilts book (remember those?) It was made by Ruth Yarbrough and is titled, Frank Stella Quilt I. Ruth made hers using 1.5" squares, but I used 2" squares (unfinished size). I have only the final outside rows to sew on and she will graduate to a flimsy.

Finished Here!

The down side to making scrap quilts, is that they produce MORE scraps! Have you noticed that? I found a great cheat for using up old scraps along with thread trimmings and other scraps that go in my little trash bucket by my machine. I am making a Pretty Pouf Ottoman and stuffing it with those remnants!  You know the kind - sewing trimmings that would ordinarily be thrown away...and even some old scraps and batting pieces that I just don't want to see anymore. Not only am I busting some stash, but I am recycling too!  This is a free pattern at BH&G. I cut thick interfacing for each section so it does not look lumpy when stuffed. I think the pattern recommended burlap but this is what I am using. I will probably have enough "scraps" for 2 or 3 of these. A great Christmas gift idea.  
Nearly Finished Here!
 





I am in love with black buffalo plaid. I ordered some in drapery weight and am making lined curtains for the dining room. I have often found that curtains punch up on the sides if the tension is too tight on the machine so I have hand-sewn these. The header and rod pocket will be machine sewn though. I have enough leftover material to make a valance for over the kitchen window so these two rooms will have some unity. 

Finished Here!






Country Bride quilt has been trimmed and squared and the backing is pressed and ready for the quilter. This is a project that is long overdue!




I am slowly making headway on the Patches in Blue quilt along with Edyta Sitar. I've stalled because of the applique handwork. Once I get over that hump I will be assembling the blocks together and making the borders.

Its not too late to make your list and post it at The Thistle Thicket Studio's Finish Along. You might even win some great prizes!

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!

Early Summer Fun

Along with the commitments I made on the 2016 Finish Along at She Can Quilt blog, I have also been working on some extra projects...

I love the fabric I found for this dress I made for my darling grand-daughter. The colors remind me of vintage tablecloths. It features open pleats on the bodice and sleeves and I found a little flower shaped button for the back closure. I barely had enough leftover for a matching purse so I made it a bit smaller than the pattern required. 

She was delighted with her new outfit and wears it often. Isn't it fun to sew for little girls?

I will soon be leaving for a trip to Japan. Dear friends of ours work at the New Life Center in Ishinomaki where the tsunami went through. The people in this area lost their homes and families. The New Life Center was created to be a place of hope that offers counseling and other needed services. It was one of the only buildings left standing. 

This August we will be hosting a Quilting Workshop as several people have shared a desire to learn this craft. Below are a couple of the projects we have planned for this time together making new friends in Japan.

 
This is my own personal design and I will gladly offer this as a free pattern once I get back. It is a small project since we our workshop is for two days, but there are several piecing techniques to learn. 

Another small item is this Dresden Plate table topper. It measures 20" in diameter and will brighten any area it is placed in. 

The old fashioned bow tie pattern offers many ways to set the blocks. This will make a charming project. 

All squares and half-square triangles, this runner has many alternative settings. Very basic but a whole world of options using these two patches. 

We have been working on notebook covers, pincushions, and sewing kits to present to each participant. I am so anxious to teach and learn from the people in Ishinomaki.

Christmas Celebrations

Have you ever tried paper piecing? Using a pattern by Judy Niemeyer?  You will not be disappointed! Her patterns are very thorough and have little waste. (well, relatively...paper piecing tends to be that way anyway) I really enjoyed this first introduction into paper piecing! The only complaint I may have is removing the paper backings. But an evening with good light, tweezers for hard to get areas, and the sweeper nearby for clean up makes the chore doable.

This is listed as my Number 2 goal for the 4th quarter finishes. 
Once I had the pie pieces assembled and sewn together. I stretched the backing, wadding, and top on the floor for pin basting. All those pins! My fingers were so sore! They look like tiny ants, don't they?

I began machine quilting this but moved to the chair for hand quilting in the evenings. A task I love to do. My machine quilting - even with a walking foot - needs more skills built. And since I have so much work invested already, I did not want to compromise now.

Binding is on and she is ready for the tree! I'll update this with a final picture once our tree is up.

This will be linked at She Can Quilt as a completed finish. Gather your goals and join us for this motivation and a chance to win some prizes!

 
 

Finishes in November

I am late getting my finishes posted for November. And since excuses only satisfy the one giving them, I'll simply introduce Finish #1 as listed in my 4th Quarter Goals.

Modern Fans Sew Along...This was a project inspired by Suzy Quilts . I did not win anything but I did make a completed quilt that I adore. This was a really fun quilt and went together fairly easy - even though it was curved piecing. Slow and steady progress was the word to focus on. 

I had some Christmas yardage pieces that worked well with this so I did not even have to purchase anything other than the pattern. I'll surely get my money's worth as hopefully I will make another. This quilt design lends itself to many different settings and color combinations.

It is pictured above all quilted (by my long arm quilter) and binding is attached. The back was pieced with leftover fabrics I had stored away and I inserted a stray block so I have no waste. 

It is presently snowing so it will be a special treat to sleep under my new Christmas quilt. Peace and good tidings to you and yours this joyous season!!

This post will be linked at SheCanQuilt at the end of the year. Gather your own projects that you desire to finish and join in the fun!