Two down... Three Left...

Got the table runner finished!  I love it when things just fall into place like perfectly connecting puzzle pieces.  Pulled out my left-over stash batting~ first piece I grabbed was all that I needed for the runner & same with the backing fabric.  All that was necessary was to put it all together... which was rather quick, truth be told!  

Trying a different method of binding... Hopefully it works better. 

Pinning isn't normally a favorite, but in this case, it's a necessary evil for this to come out decently.  

Artsy shot of my pinning... 

TA-DA!! All finished...  :o)

And with that~ it's all boxed up, labeled, & ready to ship out; with a little note card inside as well!  Big question remains... who's getting it?! Time will tell.  But for now, it's back to the stash to work on the 3 that remain.  Good times.  I hope that the people who get their goodies like them... :o) 

Happy Quilting!!!

ps: If I see that meme on Facebook again this year... I think I'll pass on posting... 

Tidying up the table...

So, I never put away the fabric from the snowman table runner I finished right before vacation... I know, right?!  Who in their right mind leaves their sewing/quilting table a mess?!  There was plenty of material left for another runner~ and since Winter Break was 48 hours away from when the snowman runner was completed.... on the table it remained waiting for me to tend to it.  

Along with that Pay It Forward 2011 list that's seriously haunting me.

So, in the interest of "tidying" up a smidgen... I decided to make the second runner that I had fabric for.  It's going to go to one of the four peeps left on my list.  And, a quick glance at today's date reveals that I'm sorely lacking in the time department.  (Better late than never, right?! Maybe... Yeah, I know..."10 minute early is on-time, being on-time is late..." ...and we won't even talk about what it is to be truly late...)

So, here's the color scheme I left for myself... distinctly NOT anything Christmas-y in the least.  Blues, teals, yellows, browns... Easter-ish, perhaps?!

So these are the randomly placed squares... I still struggle with "random"... I much prefer order... 

Here's the assembled center portion... in this lighting, it's a bit "surfy" to me... 

Aaahhh... more getting rid of pre-cut left-over 2.5" strips...  

Take that, Points~ You've Been ROUNDED! 

Tomorrow's task(s) include figuring out the batting situation, finding backing fabric (hello, stash!), and... my least favorite task of all... binding.  Got creative on the rounding of the points~ I am most certainly NOT going through that pointy nightmare again.  Had to use a round lid to make a template to follow with the rotary cutter.  Hopefully, this works better.  

So, that's one more off the list complete... only 3 remain.  I have plans for 1 of those 3... and a fabric scheme for a 2nd.  If you do the math, that leaves one wild card project.  (::Insert quasi-evil Simpson's George Burns laugh here::) We'll see what comes of it. 

In the meantime... It's late & my book is calling me to read a bit before bed... I dare say I'm a Kindle convert. I've always loved books & reading (Yes, I'm a nerd like that) and this little device makes it so much easier; especially since I'm a very fast reader. Off to it!

Happy Quilting!!! 

Mystery Project: Revealed

I hope this little project has been delivered to it's intended recipient... if not, I might be ruining the surprise.  Let's hope not; was supposed to be given today.  The back story: our school guidance counselor, somewhere in the middle of moving homes, had all 3 Red & Green Christmas totes~ brim-filled with decorations & memories~ stolen from her shed. Her daughters' hand-made ornaments; gone.  Precious gifts from students; gone.  Every single item that signifies Christmas for her family's home- gone.  Thinking about it makes me ill.  We each have sentimental objects that bring the spirit of the holiday's to our homes, families, and visitors... they may not be worth a single penny, monitarily... but are indeed priceless in every other aspect. She shared with me that she went to Goodwill to pick up some decor to get through this holiday season & then they'll begin to re-built what was taken after. 

Well, our data entry heard of this-- and an email was sent to every single staff member at school, minus her!  The plea was for ornaments... And we all know I don't follow directions very well.  :o)

At first, I thought I'd whip up some pattern of my own creation... right. With not much time left until the start of our "Winter Break"...not such a smooth idea.  Plan B: search through patterns, both on the computer & in the bookcase.  Nothing jumped out at me.  Plan C: lament failure(s) of Plans A & B. Re-group.  Rummage though all Christmas/winter seasonal fabric.  Came up empty-handed.  Now, at this point, I'm thinking that an ornament doesn't sound half-bad.

Enter Plan D: look through kits that are sitting in the closet shelves waiting for attention.  Bonanza!!! Table runner pattern that I got on mad clearance (Connecting Threads~ good stuff.)  There was a choice to make either a fall-themed runner with flower applique, or.. ::cue eyebrows::  ...a snowman.  But, if you follow the directions to a perfect-T... you can make only one.  See 2nd paragraph: I don't follow directions.  There's enough fabric to get 2-- TWO-- runner tops out of it if you work it right.  So, out of the fabric kit, I pulled the red, green, & cream/browns for her snowman.  The (very) provencal yellows & blues are left for another day.

These were the fabrics that I chose... even though they're floral notes, it's still a holiday-esque grouping. 

And this would be the pattern to the kit that I half-followed... cuz that's how I roll... 

And so, with that selected & managed... I was off to the sewing!  Now mind you, I *heart* the triangle-y ends.  (cue sarcasm...)  They're great but they're seriously my least favorite thing in the world to BIND.  We'll get to that part of the story later. 

Here's the center part of the runner-- borders missing! 

With borders! The border fabric I already had cut into 2.5" strips in my stash... leftovers from another project. 

So I assemble the tops & then my aptitude for applique vanishes. Gone. Not in the mood to cut out applique, reverse patterns so that the snowman's face is looking in the other direction. Yada, yada, yada.  And, more to the point, it would take up fabric from the next table runner.  So now we're down to another Plan... and this time I remembered that I had some die-cuts... snowmen & Christmas trees. Thank you Keepsake Quilting! (The trees look like arrows; haven't used any yet. But very cute nonetheless.)  How to position them was my next bridge to cross. Should they face one direction... should they alternate... should I leave them plain or add accessories... Too many choices for 3 simple snowmen!!! 

So this, in the end, is what I decided.  Alternating & plain. If I got all fancy-schmancy, it would take away from the country charm that the fabric already had.  (And yes, it was less work.) I had fabric in the Holiday stash that was a perfect blend into this fabric medley... and I used up a piece of left-over batting. Great mini-stash-buster project. It was also best, IMHO, to keep the quilting to a bare minimum.  Let the fabric speak for itself.  A humble little project that~ thankfully~ stitched itself up fairly quickly! 

Ta-Da! Finished product.  Humble, but festive... :o) 

Now.  A word about binding.  I sincerely stink at this part of the project.  The pre-made bindings are all I've really ever used~ and I even stink at sewing those on.  Perhaps over break I can find some time to devote to self-binding-help uTube videos; preferably ones that avoid hand stitching. Holy time consuming!  If you look closely at the finished product picture, there were places where I had to do & re-do and re-re-do the binding. So.Annoying.  

But, the project is finished... and given away.  And, in doing something like this for a deserving person, my bucket gets filled.  This is why I do what I do & will never charge.  I hope this little runner has a place in their home & reminds them that while some Scroogey-McScrooge tried to steal their Christmas... there are so many more who work for the greater good in humanity.  It may just be in your small little corner of the world... like me... but kindness spreads.  And it's catching. 

Now that I'm on vacation... and all the papers to grade were left at school... my time needs to be devoted to my family & my poor fabric pile.  Two UFO's are gone.  Time to write the projected 2012 Project List!! Yay!!! 

With that... keep your loved ones close... and remember the Real reason for the Season; regardless of what holiday you celebrate.  

Happy Quilting!!! :o) 

Memories of Past Projects

Many years ago (when I still lived in northern Maine), I was a quilting fiend! There was little to do during the winter months except hole up with a good book or an even better quilting pattern; and always a cup of warm tea.  And that's what I did... no husband... no kiddo... just me & my cat & my girlfriends.  Those were the days when I quilted a lot.

My mother recently moved~ this being her first Christmas in the new place~ sent me a photo text message this morning of an old quilt I made & gave to her many years ago.  Not quite sure what it is with cats always needing to be in/on the project... mine does it & so does hers!!! I hadn't seen this quilt since I mailed it to her as an early Christmas present all those years ago.  Wanted to share.

Rufus & the Christmas Quilt

Like every good quilt... there's a story behind their creation.  Several of my co-workers up North got together this one holiday season at a local church & decided to all make a Christmas quilt-- it was a Log Cabin wreath quilt.  Some of us were advanced quilters and others had never picked up a rotary cutter in their lives before!  But all of us were friends & it was a hoot putting them together...much laughter & definitely language that shouldn't have been used in a church was prevalent.  Long story short, one day after our quilting "bee" started, on my desk at school, was a photocopied quilt pattern.  A Log Cabin Christmas tree (see finished product above!).  No note as to who had placed it there~ it randomly appeared!!! I must have spend days trying to figure out who put it there... it couldn't have been someone I worked with; we all had the same hours & nobody fessed up.  It wasn't a student; they didn't have access to a photocopier & this was in the days before the all-in-1-do-it-all-at-home-printers.  Our janitor had put it there~ she had heard all about the quilting "bee" (and was unable to attend due to having the night shift)... and had heard about my newfound appreciation/love of all things Log Cabin... I still have that same photocopied pattern. It's a bit yellowed these days, but still very readable. People who take the time to do good & share with others really stand out to me~ those are the types of people I like to be around & share my time with.  Thank you, Jeanie... I'm sure you have no idea of the impact that photocopy had...

Times change~ people move on... she was sent over to the Elementary school (I was Middle at the time)... and then I left the state altogether.  But there are certain bonds that will always remain~ love & friendship.  This photo brought back those memories... and they're always wonderful ones to re-visit.

On this rainy Sunday, my boys are asleep... and I'm off to decorate the Christmas tree... bake up a storm in the kitchen... and then find some time for my beloved quilting...

May your heart be full today & always!
Happy Quilting!!! :o)

Pay It Forward, 2011

Back in January, there was this viral little Facebook meme where the first five people who commented on a particular status would receive a handmade item by you.  I replied to several of my friends who did this... and then re-posted it as well.  Fair is fair, eh?! If I'm going to receive, I'm going to play. :o)

Well, I've been haunted by this list~ of my five, one has gotten her Pay It Forward handmade item.  I made a promise to give something to these five people & I'm running out of time! (Well, 4 now... 1's done.)  I know exactly what I'm doing for one of the four that remain... but that leaves 3 I'm clueless about. *sigh*  I'm thinking Christmas ornaments or a candle rug.

This little project remains right on the front burner. A promise is a promise. I guess I'm old fashioned like that; I've yet to receive anything from those I commented on but I'm still obligated to my commitment. Giving your word still means something to me. :o)

Off to work (TGIF!) & then home to stew over what to make... Will post pictures when I come up with something... In the meantime...

Happy Quilting!!!

Sunday Funday link up...

I *think* I linked up properly... for the life of me, couldn't find anywhere the option to either turn off or on a "captcha" so I hope it's off; if not, send me idiot-proof directions on how to fix it! 

This has been a truly wonderful week~ school vacation all week long.  Had a Mommy day in there, cooked for my family for Thanksgiving, and spent lots of time watching Calliou with my little man. (I know~ but I've decided that there are far worse things he could have taken too... I count my blessings.) And I've got my Christmas cards just about finished. Booyah!!! That's always a time sucker... I love doing it, but goodness~ it always takes longer then I imagine it will. :o) 

Oh~ and .....I finished the longest-running UFO ever. Well, for me, at least! 

To those of you checking my blog out from Sarah's page~ welcome... I mostly blog about all of my quilty crafty creations.  There are tons of projects waiting in the wings now that the biggie is out of the way.  Hopefully I can find some time this afternoon to bind off the other UFO that's been taking up space.  And then decide *WHAT* to do next... me thinks it'll be the Grinch Who Stole Christmas wallhangings... Hoffman did a beautiful fabric series~ which, I just *had* to have back in July when it came out. Hehehehehe.... 

Stay tuned for lots of quilty creations!!!

Happy Quilting!!! :o) 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

There are many things to be truly thankful for... too many to list out... but my "Top 10 'Things' I'm Thankful For" are listed below:

10.  The ability to create... be it out of fabric, embroidery floss, thread, yarn, whatever... and for my fabric stash; which is far larger than my husby thinks it is. I'm a good hider!
9.  I have a job; a good job. And one with benefits. And so does my husby. We're very blessed.
8.  My students; even if it's like herding cats at times... they're really a great group of kids.
7.  The ladies I work with at school (on my team) on a daily basis are some terrifically devoted & caring people; they make coming to work worth it.
6.  All my family's basic needs are met & we live comfortably & safely.
5.  Social media~ it's a way for me to stay connected with those friends & family who are spread out around the country who I'm unable to see on a regular basis.
4.  Play time with my son... which includes an element of parental paparazzi... always a guaranteed fun time.
3.  My health; it's not a guarantee... it's something I protect & guard...
2.  There are those who risk their lives so that I may live peacefully; a simple "thank you" to our troops & their families for their sacrifice just barely covers my gratitude.
1.  I'm surrounded by family & friends whom I love & who love me in return for just my being me.

Wherever Thanksgiving finds you... I hope you're able to take a moment to reflect on what's most meaningful to you.  Enjoy your day with your loved ones...

Happy Quilting!!
..eerrrr... no quilting here, today... just cooking... :o)

... Now What?!

This UFO is a UFO no more... it's complete & serving it's purpose.  It's a true labor of love~ constructed on at least 3 different sewing machines in three different states.  My first block was made in the Summer of 1998 when I was home from college... and subsequent blocks were made at my Aunt's house out of her fabric stash when I had a long weekend or holiday~ and it was here that I was converted to being a Bernina fan. I finished the top in the Summer of 2002 after completing my Master of Arts in Teaching degree.  It had been folded & put in a box ever since... it's been in that box from Maine to Florida & stored in 7 different places I've called "home" in those 2 states.  History, I tell you!

Home, at last!!! 

Each of the blocks has a story... and someday (when my son isn't crawling in my lap!) I will get around to telling them. Truthfully speaking~ these blocks were what I thumb-tacked to my dorm room wall in college instead of stupid posters.  I know there's a picture of it *somewhere* and I'll have to go dig it up & scan it in. (Although, if my memory is correct, my ex is in the photo!!) 

Can't wait to sleep under this quilt tonight~ wonder if it'll help the nightmares I've been having lately go away... that would be very nice! 

Happy Quilting!!! :o)

Forced Sabbatical... *ugh*

I haven't sewn-- or done anything particularly crafty-- since early August. It's now late November & Christmas is all of 33 days away.  I have a lot of sewing to catch up on!  When life gets busy, it's amazing how quickly time flies.  It's not that I've had creative block~ because I certainly haven't.  I suffer from a common affliction: not-enough-hours-in-the-day-to-get-it-all-done! 

But... I have a week off here for Thanksgiving... yesterday was a Mommy pamper day; salon haircut & bargin shopping for some new clothes.  And now, here, on the 2nd day of my vacation... I've gotten into my burning projects.  The two quilts have been back from the long-arm quilter for quite a while & have been neglected; just sitting on top of my sewing table.  They're first up on deck~ not only because they're both *huge* projects... but because they're UFO's that are So.Close. to being finished.  All that's left to do on them is trim them up & attach the binding.  That's it~ sounds easy, eh?! Well, for one of the two, it's not too bad...

There is no way I could ever quilt anything like this w/out a long-arm machine.
Sheila did amazing work with hers... this is the back...  

This is the top corner of the quilt... the quilting blends into the design so perfectly...
You don't even know that it's there unless you look closely...

Yours truly trimming off the excess backing & batting...
getting ready to start the process of binding... 

And... with this particular quilt... the progress stops.  You see, I forgot that I used the binding I had set aside for this for this quilt on another project that I wanted to get finished. *oops*  So, I'm without binding for this one!  However, my current "to-do" list comes in pairs... so it's off to the super king sized quilt to trim and then begin the "small" undertaking that is managing it on my sewing machine.  It'll take 4-5 packages of 3yd. segments of binding to finish this one off.  My plan is to only sew one segment at a time; that way, hopefully nothing slips!!! I'm not quite talented (or neurotic!) enough to bind my quilts by hand.  Forget that~ if I did that, this quilt would *never* make it out of the UFO pile... 

For this quilt, because the top is so intricate, Sheila did an all-over pattern... this goes from edge to edge... 

This is a portion of the top of the super-king... otherwise known as UFO #1... 

Yours truly again doing trimming battle with the super-king... and yes, I pulled my hair up from earlier; it was hanging in my face... not a fan of that! 

And there we have it... both quilts are trimmed up... one folded for binding another day... and another ready to be finished.  Once it's done, it's going on my bed; hope it's not too flowery for the husby. (Oh well~ shucks, darn!) With any luck, my next posting will be a photo of it finished & on my bed.... but, if I'm on the computer, that won't happen!!! 

Back to attaching binding & figuring out how to grapple with the sheer magnitude of this last bit to the project!!! 

Happy Quilting!!! 

>>rewind<< ...please?!

I haven't done *any* sewing since my last post... not even a drop of knitting either.  I'd like to rewind time so I can go back & work on my sewing.  Too bad life doesn't work that way.  School (work) is just so busy that by the time I get home from the gym in the afternoon, make dinner, spend time with my family... I'm totally burnt out & haven't the energy to sit at my machine & create.  That's really sad!

However, I *did* get my quilts back from the Long-Arm quilter... they are simply amazing.  She does beautiful work.  I'll need to get off my duff & get the bindings on them so that they can be officially crossed off the UFO list.  One is going on my bed... I'm super excited that my very first quilt (UFO #1) is completed.  So cool.  Will be sure to post pictures once it goes to it's place of honor. :o)

In the meantime... interim grades are due by the early part of this week... so no sewing while the little guy is napping. (serious bummer!) I'll be back & forth between my grading stack & the computer. Maybe I'll be able to sneak in some sewing tonight.

In the meantime, Happy Quilting/Sewing to those of you with time!!! :o)

Sewer's Block?! Check...

I still have Block 5 sitting~ half sewn, mind you~ on my cutting table.  My last post was the 9th of August, when I got the pieces cut out.  I have since run out of steam!  Guess that's what happens when summer vacation ends & an entire classroom need to be set up & prepared for.  Sewing takes a back seat...

...well, and I also didn't help my cause much by starting on a knitting project right in the middle of trying to get this UFO finished.  So, it looks like I'm partially to blame.  But the yarn is *so* exquisite, I just couldn't *not* start this project... If you are ever looking for a high quality yarn (without breaking the bank)... look no further then my good friend's Etsy shop.  Go here~ and buy yarn.  She's amazing! I bought the blue yarn... it's merino & silk. Just divine.  Not being a very good knitter, I hope that the shawl I'm making comes out nice enough to showcase the yarn. I'll turn into a yarn-snob real soon after working with this stuff....

Right now, I'm torn with how to spend my evening... sewing... or knitting... choices, choices, choices!!! The yarn won out the other night; so in fairness, I should probably finish the block.

WIP shots:

Block 5... in it's half-finished glory... 

My shawl... hope I don't have to tear it out & re-start... 

Of course I realize that the more I blog about my unfinished projects~ the more they *stay* unfinished... so I should get back to work.  But, one last note: am reading a fabulous book (The Friday Night Knitting Club) & would encourage any of my girlfriends to read it; wonderful book about why we all need that close group of friends-- no matter how happy we may be with our spouses.  Many thanks to whomever left it in the teacher's lounge at the end of last school year after cleaning out their classroom... I'm loving it! 

Back to work... Happy quilting! (...or knitting...)  :o)

A UFO from a UFO?! Oh No!!!

Well... sorta... my infamous Celestial Star UFO had these paper pieced log cabin blocks to accompany it as a border.  I've since changed my mind on that approach~ but what to do with all these already-pieced blocks?!  Well... since the quilt is going bed size... why not make a coordinating sham to go with it when it's finished?!  Brilliant!!! What resulted is the sham top... which is technically (because it's sitting in partial form) another UFO.

The things multiply!!! They're like dust bunnies!!!

Co-ordinating pillow sham for the Celestial UFO quilt...

Here's another shot of it~ the colors are a bit truer here... and I think it's a bit closer, too.

View #2  :o)

Now, back to work on the blocks... I got one cut last night & (now that the child has decided to actually *sleep*), I am going to sew it up! That'll be Block 5 with 3 more waiting in the wings. 

Happy Quilting!!! :o) 

Bright & Cheery... or Cheery & Bright?!

Either way, the baby quilt is finished!!! What a perfect break from UFO-ing this little project has been. Of course, it's back to the UFO at this point... but, I have 2 other baby quilts (ironically, both for girls as well) to consider when the need for a break arises again.  We'll see but I hope to have the 8 blocks done before the end of summer vacation.  I have a week remaining.  I should get my rotary cutter in gear!!!

Here's a photo of the finished quilt top...

Top: There's a methodical arrangement to the blocks; I really tried to lay them out randomly.  It's just not for me.  

So, onto the quilt backing... I used just about all of the 2.5" strips that were in this fabric family.  I'm still not sure what's going to become to the extra strips or 10" blocks... But I'm sure they'll make their way into some other quilt at some point. :o)

Backing: Randomly placed strips of fabric; I had better luck with random placement on this side of the quilt.

There you have it!!! A finished baby quilt~ all within one week.  That might be close to a new record.  I chose to not quilt it but rather tack it down with yarn; more of a comforter style finishing.  [Been years since I've done that as well... maybe this was a retro quilt?!]

Anyway... here it is all folded up & ready to be sent to a new loving home. :o) 

Pay it forward!!! 

One question remains: who gets it?! :o) 

Happy Quilting!!! :o)

Never Realized How Much I Missed Lace...

... I had a boy.  Don't get me wrong, I *love* making boy quilts; he has the coolest road play-mat quilt in his room as well as two others I've made for him thus far.  But today, in working on the bright colored baby quilt, I realized how much I missed the finer girlie things!!! Rather then doing a traditional binding~ I'm using a really pretty eyelet instead.

See~ pretty lace eyelet... girlie, but not overly girlie... 

Working to put the top together was a small nightmare.  Because I quartered the strips, and then turned them to make a smaller square, it meant that I had seams going in every which way that did not want to co-operate when being sewn together.  My machine didn't appreciate some seams facing up at the same time others were facing down... as a result, it pulled a bit. It took a little longer then I wanted for the top to get pieced, but the extra time was well worth it in the end.  Most times people never see the back of a quilt top... they normally see only the finished product.  Check out the crazy directions of all the seams!!!

This would be the back of the baby quilt.  Just about as neat looking as the front! I'm a bit particular about ironing & making everything clean & crisp.

So, I'm off to piece the back with the 2.5" strips of the same fabric as the quilt... Will post pictures of the finished product soon.  My camera's giving me grief about uploading; I think the cord is going bad; took too many tries & wiggling the connecter.  *dislike*

Hope your weekend is going marvelously... I'm back to my machine & iron... the backing awaits... and I'm sure you probably wish I had posted a picture of the finished top! Haha!!! Stay tuned... 

Happy Quilting!!! :o)

New project, anyone!?

With my two quilts off to the long-arm quilter... and a huge dent in my wallet accordingly... what better way to celebrate accomplishment of getting half the UFO stack finished then by starting a new quilt?! Seriously~ I have new fabric that simply *must* be used.

But before we get to the series of what I've been up too tonight with the new quilt... let's look at the prep work to get one of the quilts ready to go... last night (thankfully), I measured by backing fabric for my king-sized bed quilt.  Most certainly *not* the 4-6" extra on all sides necessary for quilting.  Oops!  I suppose in the last 9 years my eye for measurements has ben refined a bit more than when I started out.  So, at 8:10pm, I'm hopping into the car to run to JoAnn's to buy backing fabric. It's a long drive to town & I made it 15 minutes to close; and had a 40% off coupon.  Sweet! So, 120" muslin backing... check.  King-sized batting... check.  Quilt top... check.

One ready to roll.  This morning I worked on getting the other one ready~ the Bits 'n' Pieces Starburst quilt.  Silly me~ I didn't check to see if I had enough batting for that quilt before my emergency trip the night before.  I used the old muslin backing that was supposed to be for the king-sized quilt... cut that down just a tad~ perfect for this one.  The batting was another matter.  Nothing says "yay" like having to piece together batting & trim it down.  At least the batting I bought for the original king-sized quilt went to good use.  Thank goodness my eye has improved!!!

Mira approved of this quilt.  She's *always* getting into my quilting! 

Anyway, after the trials of getting everything ready~ it barely fit into my big bag that I made for taking "stuff" to quilting class.

My quilty-Claus bag... stuffed to the brim! 

Much relief that these two babies are off to be finished properly.  She asks for a 6-week turn around.  For me, with one of these having sat finished & patiently waiting for 9+ years, what's another 6-weeks?!  Seriously~ more than fair.  Everything will be done for Fall & the Starburst can get mailed to my dad; probably in time for his birthday.

Aaahhh... onto the new project. Some of the fabric I got from Connecting Threads in this last order goes totally against my grain.  I am *not* a bright fabric type.  However, I have pregnant friends. :o)  So in a bold move (for me!), I am making a baby quilt out of these bold fabrics.  

Start with 10" blocks... split into 3 groups of 6 fabrics. 

So I did *no* arranging of fabric on this... I pulled them out of the package & laid them out exactly as they came.  I only pulled out the 2 black fabrics; I'm not that daring quite yet. Maybe later.

Layer them all carefully & cut them into 2" strips; 5 units per original block.

So I *thought* I'd make this really cute strip pieced quilt... almost a Rail Fence pattern. Daisy-chaining them together made sewing 15 blocks a total walk in the park.  Probably the easiest sewing I've done in a while.

The blocks as sewn~ they'll be squared off later. 

Next logical thing to do is to lay them out how you're thinking of sewing them.  Except, I hated it.  It looked cheesy & not very exciting.  So now what.  I've got 15 blocks sewn up with no idea what to do.  

Guinea pig cutting.  That's what!  I took one of each pattern & cut them into quarters.  Re-arranged the blocks & this is what I've got... 

Sew much better then my original "thought"... 

They're not sewn yet & the rest of the blocks will need to be squared out & quartered. Once all the blocks are sewn, I'm going to have a tough time with the final layout.  But, so far, so good.  I've got a package of 2.5" strips in the same fabrics.  Quite possibly this quilt will be reversible.  Which is fine with me because I wouldn't have a clue what to do with the left-over fabric!!!

Seeing as though it's past Midnight... I ought to call it a day & try to catch some Zzzz's! 

Happy Quilting!!!

Half-way finished...

... with the eight blocks I need on the Celestial UFO.  My plan is to have four on the top of the quilt & four on the bottom to give it the necessary length to be bedside before I start adding borders to it.  Ultimately, it'll be a queen-sized bed quilt, when all is said & finally done.  Surprisingly, the blocks are going together much quicker the second time~ I remember my shortcuts & tricks, which helps.  And, because I'll most likely create the Starburst quilt again (which are the 8 blocks I'm using on this UFO), I'm writing in my notes.  Who knows how long my memory will hold~ and I'd rather be safe than sorry.

So, here are the first four blocks... I'm half-way finished... then, onto sashing & adding them to the Lone Star. Hopefully I don't end up with "math" issues; ie: measurements are off & algebra/geometry are required to fix the situation.  However, given that I had no pattern when I started this thing, that very scenario is highly likely.

Top Left: Block 1; Top Right: Block 2; Bottom Left: Block 3; Bottom Right: Block 4

With that note looming~ because undoubtedly I will have math angst~ I think it best to put down the rotary cutter & shut down for the night.  It'll all be there waiting for me tomorrow... or whenever I get back to it! Till then...

Happy Quilting!!! :o)

Tech Savvy?!

Jury's still out on that one.  In the last few days, I've hopelessly been redesigning, repositioning, reconfiguring just about everything on this blog!  Without much background in programming (ok~ No background!), this has not been such an easy task.  However, I did discover that there are *very* generous people out there in the internet world who make all sorts of free backgrounds & what-not for blogs.

Fabulousness!!!

My current "stuff" all came from Shabby Blogs.  They have a wealth of very beautiful backgrounds to choose from & we'll see how long the current one lasts.  If my blog is anything like my iPod, I'm constantly changing the song.  Either way, I've been having fun blowing a lot of time learning how to use this program.  In this day & age, I suppose it's not a bad skill to have acquired.  New resume skill, perhaps?!

In the meantime... I'm back to the mystery quilting of my remaining UFO... I'm two blocks out of eight finished on the *planed* next step for making this project land in the "completed" stack.  The hard part is staying focused~ my Connecting Threads order came today & I have beautiful batiks that I'd like to go create something from.  But, alas~ this is why UFO's stay UFO's.

Must. Keep. My. Focus.  :o)

Happy Quilting!!!

Extra! Extra! UFO's cut in HALF...

That's right... my two finished UFO's are going to be heading off for quilting on August 2nd.  Finally.  Time to make room for newer projects.  Once they're done being quilted, I'll only have to put on the binding & they'll be declared "finished."  That leaves me two lonely UFO's... one that's being <hand quilted> and the Celestial UFO.  Which I have (miraculously!) developed a plan for.

My plan involves the eight star blocks that come from the Starburst pattern by Bits n' Pieces.  Other then that tid-bit, I'm going to be purposefully vague until I can post a picture of my quilt top.  Or at least the blocks once I get going.  Since I'm working on it actively... and it's not sitting around being a bump on a log... I wonder if it still *technically* is considered a UFO. Hhhmmm~ food for thought.

Time to get the scissors & rotary cutter in gear~ the fabric shall be flying in mere moments!!! :o)

Happy Quilting!!!

I forgot one...

Yep. There's another UFO... it's tucked away in a different part of my sewing storage because it's "in-process"... allow me to introduce Exhibit #4.

Exhibit #4: Left-over blocks from my first quilt...
Background: These four blocks were leftovers from Exhibit #2.  I can't remember if they were either too small/big to mesh in with the others or if I wanted to keep the other one 4 blocks by 4 blocks.  Either way, I put this little wall-hanging together from extra blocks.  And then had a typical 20-sumpthin' wild-hair idea to: Hand. Quilt. The. Thing.  Obviously it's still in the hoop which qualifies it as another UFO.  It's been done for over a decade, too.  If I could just devote 30-45 minutes every night to finishing the hand quilting, it would be finished before not too long.

Exhibit #4: An almost-forgotten UFO... 

At the time I started hand quilting this piece, I felt that in order to be a "real" quilter (whatever that is...), I needed to honor tradition by at least hand quilting one piece. It's amazing what previous generations put together with a needle & thread.  No rotary cutters.  No cutting mats.  No sewing machines. So, in order to honor that heritage, I'm hand quilting at least one piece.  [I'm not one to speak to the future... so I can't rule hand quilting another piece out... but at this stage of the game, it's slim to none & slim's getting ready to leave town!] However, the binding was put on by machine.  

All this (internal) talk of UFO's really has me going... I emailed a lady today about getting the two that are finished long-arm quilted; waiting to hear back.  And I think I'm going to dig out Exhibit #1 & see what inspiration I can come up with for finishing it into a bed quilt for my son... 

Happy Quilting!!!  :o)

Current UFO's that just linger & linger...

Every quilter has them.  Some have more then others.  I am, of course, referring to the UFO~ otherwise known as an UnFinished Object that sits in our piles/stash/tables/cabinets/closets/or wherever you find a home for them.  I am guilty of having several~ some are over a decade old!!! Every summer I always say to myself that "this will be the UFO summer!" and (somehow) I'll manage to complete at least one of them by the time my summer vacation wanes away.

This summer is no exception. As far as I've gotten in the UFO pile is thinking about them.  Wondering what exactly to do with them.  Since I'm giving them thought~ I should at least pay homage to their status as UFO and share them... maybe someone out there has some insight as to what should become of them?!  Let's delve into the pile, shall we?!

1.  Exhibit #1: Celestial UFO
Background:  This project was started over a decade ago right after I finished college & was hunting for that first job.  I had a lot of time on my hands~ I quilted. A. Lot. 90+ degree temps with no AC didn't deter me from turning on the iron & sewing.  There was a large, empty wall on the backside of my then-apartment.  This quilt was started with the intent of it occupying that space.  I am now 6 residences past this apartment wall.  The project remains a UFO... however, it is not a long-forgotten UFO... I have an entire cube in my stash devoted to this project & all the celestial fabric I've accumulated through the years to complete it.  I probably have enough fabric for 5 king-sized quilts.

UFO Exhibit #1... I love this quilt... this is a favorite... 

Yes, this quilt is in the shape of an octagon.  Perfect table-topper, right!? Except that my dining room table is & always has been the wrong shape.  I'm not sure exactly what to do~ add more borders, square it out... yeah.  The possibilities are endless.  And yes, that's a Lone Star and yes, I pieced it one parallelogram at a time; none of that strip piecing method here. Somewhere around 5-6 years ago I started paper piecing borders that I was going to add to this... but, as you can see, they aren't attached & I don't have enough of them. :o)

Border option, anyone!?  Not sure about this one... 

Any which way that you look at it... this quilt is a bonifide UFO... I love space & the stars as well as the color blue.  Perhaps I'll figure out a way to expand it to a Queen size bed quilt. Or maybe I'll make it into a wall-hanging. Or ???... your guess is as good as mine.  Time to move onto Exhibit #2! 

Exhibit #2: My very first quilt. 

Background: My second summer home from college, I decided I wanted to learn how to quilt.  Not knowing what books/patterns I would like, I went to the library to check out all sorts of "stuff." Little did I know what I was getting into!!! I was 19.  Most 19 year olds don't think of far reaching consequences of choices~ fabric acquisition, top of the line sewing machines (and all those FEET that come with them...) Like I said with Exhibit 1, I like space.  So naturally, I took to all those star patterns & specifically Alex Anderson's book "Simple Stars."  My dad was intregued with this new hobby of mine & he took me to Borders to get this book.  [So I can *sorta* pass the buck on.. no.. yeah, I didn't think so either.]  I tried out just about every single star in this book before I totally lost my mind on this star: 

So many pieces, so long to assemble; 6 hrs. to be exact. On one block. 

This pattern is called a Memory Star.  It's a 12" block & I chose to sash mine.  For many years, I just made block after block out of whatever fabric I had at the time.  My aunt (who I visited on college breaks a lot... and is a fantastic seamstress... always had a stash for raiding & a machine for using...) By the time I put the quilt together, each piece had a story behind it's creation.  In fact, unlike most college kids who hang photos & posters on their walls... I thumb-tacked my quilt blocks to the wall.  Very relaxing & comforting to me.  Anyway, the thing's massive.  It's an over-sized king.  It needs tons more applique in order to make it presentable.  But I'm not sure what approach I'll take to the applique... other then it seriously needs to get finished.  I'm in my 30's now... this quilt is spanning decades!!!

Exhibit #2: A solid labor of love... & full of stories... 

Well, one second thought... maybe not much more applique... perhaps I just need to bite the bullet & have it quilted.  It's far too large for me to be able to handle in my little sewing corner.  It needs to be long-armed... *someday*...  and we're off to Exhibit #3.

Exhibit #3:  Starburst by Bits 'n Pieces

Background: Up until last year, I'd never taken a quilting class! Ever.  I am totally a self-taught kinda gal. In searching for other places to buy fabric other then JoAnn's, I stumbled across a quilt shop.  And not only that, they sell Bernina's (yes!) & offer classes.  I took this class & made this quilt top. None of the techniques were new, but boy did I learn some nifty tricks & buy a bunch more rulers & other nifty toys. (the corner trimmer remains my favorite to this day) I had the top finished in June... which my dad admired a lot when he came to visit.  So, I figured I'd give it to him for Christmas.  It was supposed to be sent off the the long-arm quilter... guess what?!  It's still sitting folded up waiting to go. Because it came out so well, I want to have Heirloom Quilting done~ which will cost me some bigger $$$ then if it was quilted in a more simple fashion. I'm getting ready to get it sent off... two Christmas' in a row is rather ridiculous.  Here it is: 

Seeing a pattern?! Me & star quilts?! Yeah... me, too... 

So... on this rainy Sunday afternoon... husby's gone to work & the kiddo's still napping... and I'm contemplating UFO's.  I do have a second Maggie May bag to make, but I'm still opposed to starting something else new, when all of these await attention.

I shall have to keep thinking on it.... in the meantime... Happy Quilting!!!  :o)

Finished!!! :o)

Nearly midnight & I just got the Maggie May test bag all finished!!! Considering it's the first time I've sewn this pattern, I'm pretty pleased with how it came out in the end.  There were some things I changed in the pattern as I was going & there will be notations written in for next time...   :o)

Finished Maggie May bag... for my sister!!! 

Thankfully it came out good enough for gifting... it'll be shipped out on Monday to my sister as an *extremely* late birthday present; with a few goodies inside, of course. 

In the meantime... I'm off to bed...  Happy Quilting!!!

Slow Going is Better Than No Going...

... I've been working on the Maggie May bag yesterday & today.  Not really sure how it will end up coming out as I've either a) found mistake(s) in the directions or b) not followed the directions to a perfect T... or a combination of both!  The outside pieces are nowhere near the shape of the lining template that they're supposed to be & because both of my pieces are equally off, I'm sewing what I have & seeing where that takes me.  It will be an adventure, no doubt when it all comes together for construction.

I love how the colors are coming out~ it definitely isn't that funky stash look that I thought I might end up with; the fabrics all meld together.  And I suppose that the picture below dimes me out as to which one was the stash fabric assortment v. purposely selected fabrics. :o)  Oh well... here's what the outside of my Maggie May bag is going to look like when all is said & done...

This would be the raw edges of the outside of the bag... 

Right now I'm taking a break from sewing the lining pieces together... curved pieces take precision pinning & attention to detail.  Which means I needed a break!!! (There were plenty of those on the outside of the bag.)  And take a break I sure did~ put the sheets back on the bed & did the dishes in the sink.  My eyes just need something different to focus on every now & again.  

Back at it... hoping I can finish the lining tonight... which leaves the actual construction, binding, handles, etc. for tomorrow or whenever I can pick it back up again.  However, the sooner it's finished, the better since the person who it's being given too had her birthday over a month ago.  *Oops!*  One of these days I will have gifts On Time!!! 

Off to the machine & my pinning... Happy Quilting! :o)

*~* Ah Hah!!! *~*

Epiphany's are fun... especially when the come to you in the middle of Target & the next thing you know, you & your toddler are racing to the curtain section to find curtain holders.  For your quilt.  Because, not only are they reusable, but they spare you from sewing on buttons. So, the Daisy Basket quilt is now officially finished & on display at home.  :o)  Bonus: I have extra hangers left over; it was a package of 7...

The final finished product... hung by our front door... 

While the baby's still asleep... it's back to cutting fabric for my test bag... made a rookie mistake yesterday & am hoping that I can correct it today... if not, it's back to the stash! 

Happy Quilting!!! 

Maggie May color palettes

There is a lot of really nifty fabric in my stash.  Unfortunately, a lot of it does not coordinate well when you're trying to pull together a polished palette for a project.  However, I was able to pick fabrics for the bags... I have 2 of these in the wings.  One had already been put together & purchased together~ the other came from the stash.  :o)

Here they are! Think you know which one came from the stash?!

Perhaps a close up or two might help... :o) 

We'll call this Fabric for Bag #1... 

Which would make this one, Fabric for Bag #2...

Either way, while they both have a red base... they're very different. I'm looking forward to seeing how the pattern ends up looking.  No matter what I envision, or how closely my finished product resembles my hopes, there's always something I'd switch around "for next time"... and as far as my mis-matched stash goes... well, I've never done a crazy quilt... that may be next up on deck after this.  One way to be a stash buster!!! :o)  

Happy Quilting!!!

99.9% finished... I just need 4 buttons...

My daisy basket quilt is finished... almost.  I plan to hang it in a bit more casual style~ buttons sewn on the front & felt pieces making a sort of cafe curtain style.  Except for the small matter of not having 4 appropriate buttons.  I have tons of buttons~ either the wrong color, wrong size, or not enough.

I probably won't get up to JoAnn's until next week~ I tend to combine trips to town whenever possible since we live rather rurally.  Can't seem to justify over an hour of driving (round-trip) for 4 buttons. So it waits.

But, since the quilting & binding process is finished on this quilt... I am free to start another!  I loved this pattern from Abbey Lane Quilts (Maggie May bag) so much that it made my Christmas list & Santa delivered... As with all new patterns, I make a test run to see how the directions work, yada yada.  Not exactly sure what color palette I want to choose for this one... but I *am* raiding the stash fabric to do so!!! I need to start making a dent in it so that I can replace it...  secretly, of course.  My husby has asked why I need more fabric when I already have so much.  [Of course, all things considered, my stash is piddly compared to real quilters who buy by the bolt and/or don't buy in increments smaller then 1yd cuts. But I don't expect him to understand that concept. It's a work in progress...]

Anyway, I'm off to spread out my fabric & pick some to use for this project!!! I hope the pattern directions are clear & well-written...  Will post as I go...

Happy Quilting!!! :o)

Daisy Basket progress!

My boys took off this morning right after breakfast to go do "boy" errands... I ask no questions.  :o)  All I know is that it meant Mommy had some time to herself to pitter-putter around the house, take an extra-long shower, & get going on finishing this quilt... I have been procrastinating this final step in finishing for quite some time.  Either way, today  was the day to get going!!!

All sandwiched, basted & ready to go!!! 

Stippling takes practice.  Heck, machine quilting in general takes practice.  That's the goal behind this little project~ I got to practice machine applique & machine quilting.  Honestly, I prefer the creation of the quilt top to the finishing of the project... perhaps that's because I'm more practiced at the sewing end of things. (I have a *lot* of UFO's... UnFinished Objects... in my sewing corner. But that's a posting for another day.)

My stippling isn't nice & smooth... or even overly curvaceous... there are times when the curves are pretty & then, just when I think I've gotten the hang of it, there are parts where it's just jagged!  But, overall, I'm quite pleased with how it's coming out.  I'm improving & that's what it's about.  Practice makes perfect, right?!  

Stippling... the hardest part is keeping the stitches roughly the same size... 

With any luck, I don't keep going cross-eyed & attempt to stitch over a basting pin... that'll wreck even the sturdiest of needles...

Happy Quilting!!!  :o)