Layer Cake Quilt Along - Block Ten

Okay, I'm almost caught up now. I spent the last week making Block Ten, repairing Block Eight, and finishing Block Five.

I had 1.5 cake slices left of the blue, so I was able to do the background easily with only one little spot pieced (and even got the stripes in the right direction!) However, since we're so close to the end, I didn't have a strong green left, and I'm not terribly happy with the way it looks. It's not bad, but it could be better.

Also, I still have way too much black left, since black does not equal flower!

In no particular order, the nine blocks I have finished.

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 5

In the military, there's a game called Crud, which basically involves hitting two pool balls together. If you hit the ball and it doesn't move six inches, your opposition can yell "no six!" and then you're dead. If the opposition is wrong, they're dead.

I'm not allowed to call "no six" because I can't judge the distance.

I also have no idea how big a 15x21" purse is until I make it.

So, um, yeah, I think I need to trim this down a bit. I was going for a purse, not a beach bag.

Steelers Quilt: one and a half more blocks pieced as leaders/enders. 

Layer Cake Quilt Along: pieced Block 10 (and picked apart and re-pieced), fixed Block 8, added a middle piece to Block 5, started piecing Block 6... Almost caught up! 

Planes, Stripes and Automo-dots: (new) pieced, basted and halfway quilted.

I'm stitching in the ditch because I think it looks cool on the back. 

Come Sail Away Quilt: picked out the little free motion quilting I did and took it to my long-arm quilter.

Completed Projects: Alpha Phi T-shirt Quilt

Untouched This Week:

iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt Along
LQS Saturday Sampler 

Awaiting Quilting: Bad Romance 

In Planning: 

Hunter's Star Quilt (sister) - my ruler should arrive today! I think I'm going to test it out on my Mon Sheri FQs. Or maybe Sweet Divinity. I'll see what the pattern calls for.

Rudolph Quilt (the Dude)

Frolic Jelly Roll Sampler (me!)

Non-quilting:

Second Snow White commissioned.

(new) Knitting bag and pattern holder for my sister. 

This Week's Stats:

New Projects: 2
Completed Projects: 1
In Progress: 13

Check out more at Freshly Pieced!

Design Wall Monday - Week 13

I'm calling it "Planes, Stripes and Automo-dots." You may groan like my husband.

 It's for a baby shower for one of his co-workers, and every bit is from my stash! Disappearing nine-patch, started with 7.5" blocks, should finish around 42" square.

On the top, the Steelers leaders/enders are moving along.

Three down, um, probably around 39 to go?

Check out more walls at Patchwork Times!

Sunday Stash Report - Week 13

Everything that went in, also went out, so this week was a wash. I purchased the backing and binding fabrics for this.

1.75 yards of the gray with NO piecing - thank you, scraps from the shirts! And 5/8ths of a yard for the burgundy sashing and binding.

Used this Week: 2.38

Used Year to Date: 41.77

Added this Week: 2.38

Added Year to Date: 53.45

Net Used for 2011: (11.68) yards

I think my goal for the second quarter of the year will be to get/keep the net used under 10 yards. Which means I'll have to get the net down low before June and the Oklahoma shop hop. 

See how everyone else did at Patchwork Times!

Alpha Phi T-Shirt Quilt - Finished!

Just in time to be shipped off with my friend. :( The joys of military life.

 I can see why quilters don't like t-shirt quilts. This thing was darn near impossible to quilt, and ended up with a lot more puckers than I'd like. But in the end, it looks pretty nice and it's big and cuddly - about 66x66.

I was able to put together the back exactly how I wanted it, with no piecing of the gray. The biggest piece was 37x43 - cutting it really close - but it worked!

It's not as wobbly as it looks in the pictures. It's just very heavy for my usual photo set up!

Fabrics are a gray tone-on-tone from Hobby Lobby, burgundy Kona, and a bunch of t-shirts. :)

This was my One Thing, One Week Challenge.

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 4

I'm buckling down and quilting the t-shirt quilt. Unfortunately, it's because my friend leaves this week. :( 

 I pieced the back yesterday and started quilting straight lines 1/4" off the seam. I might add a third line in the middle of the sashing.

Steelers Quilt: two more blocks pieced as leaders/enders. Almost time to cut some more - probably when I get to work cutting the LCQA.

Untouched This Week:

Layer Cake Quilt Along

iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt Along

Come Sail Away Quilt

Awaiting Quilting: Bad Romance

In Planning: 

Hunter's Star Quilt (sister)

Rudolph Quilt (the Dude)

Frolic Jelly Roll Sampler (me!)

 

Non-quilting:
Second Snow White commissioned.
Cow purse - still just a pattern.
 

This Week's Stats:
New Projects: 1
Completed Projects: 0
In Progress: 11

Check out more at Freshly Pieced!

Design Wall Monday - Week 12

It's back!

 The AO t-shirts, that is. These are the little logos from the fronts of the shirts, and I'm going to do a basic design like this on the back. I just need to figure out the measurements so I can do as little piecing as possible. I'm going to use the grey tone-on-tone from the front to fill it, and the burgundy to extend the t-shirt strips.

The upper left is the start of my Steelers leaders/enders. The blocks are half-snowballs and can be put together as an X or an O. Which has...something to do with football. I think.

Check out everyone else's on Patchwork Times!

Sunday Stash Report - Week 12

This was a great week for keeping my stash in check. In that, I yelled, "hey, a quilt store!" and my dad sped up the rental car.

 The Lego collection grew. The Mr. Potato Head parts collection grew. The Mickey Mouse antenna topper collection grew.

But fabric? Nope, didn't buy any!

Or bust any. But my sewing machine spent the week at the spa, so we both should be refreshed and ready to go tomorrow.

Used this Week: 0

Used Year to Date: 39.39

Added this Week: 0

Added Year to Date: 51.07

Net Used for 2011: (11.68) yards

See how everyone else did at Patchwork Times!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 3

I'm sitting on a lanai, hand stitching the binding on Cinderella. In Florida.

(That's why there was no Design Wall Monday. I don't really care what my design wall looks like. Because I'm in Florida.)

It's a rough life. To be fair, I managed to catch strep, so I had two sucky days before the antibiotics kicked in. Thank goodness for grandparents!

Come Sail Away: basted! And I think it will be un-basted and taken to my long arm quilter, because I lack confidence in my free motion quilting.

Someone needs attention.

Saturday Sampler: Block 2 finished. (I'll post the picture on - duh - Saturday!)

Started This Week:

New leaders/enders project. My husband got a little whiny that I never make quilts for him. So I busted out my Steelers fabric and started on an XO quilt. Because, um, I think they use Xs and Os in football...somewhere...?

Untouched This Week:

Layer Cake Quilt Along

iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt Along

Awaiting Quilting: Bad Romance

Awaiting Backing: AO T-Shirt Quilt

In Planning: 

Hunter's Star Quilt (sister)

Rudolph Quilt (the Dude)

Frolic Jelly Roll Sampler (me!)

Done:

Charm Pack Quilt Along

Non-quilting:

Snow White is done and going to a princess breakfast on Friday!

Cow purse - still just a pattern.

This Week's Stats:
New Projects: 0
Completed Projects: 2
In Progress: 11

Check out more at Freshly Pieced!

(She's also hosting a super cool Supernova Quilt Along! Which I'm probably going to join, after I get home and check out my Mon Sheri FQs. Which I can't do now. Because I'm in Florida.)

Sunday Stash Report - Week 11

Big finish this week!

 I ended up purchasing 2.75 yards for the back, and another 2 yards of white for the first border. (But who doesn't need white laying around?) Plus binding and a quarter yard for another project.

Used this Week: 8.75

Used Year to Date: 39.39

Added this Week: 5.63

Added Year to Date: 51.07

Net Used for 2011: (11.68) yards

I was kind of hoping to bust down to ten yards before reaching 50 yards purchased - and I would have if I finished the sailboat quilt. But I didn't, so...

Charm Pack Quilt Along - Finished!

I don't have a song title name for it yet, but I'm taking suggestions.

It was started over the summer (with the actual quilt along) but obviously wasn't a priority until I made it one.

I wanted to avoid the bulky seams, so I quilted straight lines in the white. It's bound with rick rack (so fast and easy!)

 It's 70x70", made with Deb Strain's Love U and white Kona.

The wind didn't think I should take a flat picture of the back. It's lemon Kona and that random yard of Love U.

And now it's off to my niece, who instantly declared anything pink and butterflies as hers.

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 2

I've been channeling Tim Gunn - make it work!

Charm Pack Quilt Along: for the back, I had one yard of butterflies and a 23" panel. For a 70" square quilt. Obviously, math is my strong point. So the panel was scrapped and I bought yellow Kona.

And it looks awesome. (I might be biased.)

 Front and back are pieced. DONE! I've even started the basting work, with some help from Tycho to make sure the batting is properly needle-punched.

Come Sail Away: back is pieced. DONE! I hope I have enough basting pins...

Layer Cake Quilt Along: Block 8 is picked apart, Block 5 is still awaiting a center square, no Block 6, and instructions for Block 10 were posted yesterday. (So I haven't started yet.)

Saturday Sampler: almost finished Block 2 as leader/ender.

iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt Along: cut two more strips when I was digging through a scrap bin. At this rate, I'll be piecing in 2013!

Awaiting Quilting: Bad Romance

Awaiting Backing: AO T-Shirt Quilt

In Planning: 

Steelers XO Quilt (husband)

Hunter's Star Quilt (sister)
Rudolph Quilt (the Dude)
Frolic Jelly Roll Sampler (me!)

Completed:
Sweet Dreams Are Made of These
PJs for the Dude

Non-Quilting: 

Snow White needs a zipper and a hem

Cow purse - have a pattern, will get moo-ving in a couple of weeks

This Week's Stats:
New Projects: 4
Completed Projects: 2
In Progress: 13 (baker's dozen!)

Check out more at Freshly Pieced!

Design Wall Monday - Week 10

The wall is pretty stripped down right now - just the backing for Come Sail Away.

I should get it pieced together tonight. And the second borders on the Charm Pack Quilt Along. And then it's basting time!

Check out everyone else on Patchwork Times!

Sunday Stash Report - Week 10

Finally, the one my sister has been waiting for.

Bought this:

Made this:

Seriously over-estimated the blue - the pattern (McCalls 8895) had the bodice in different colors and ribbons on the sleeves instead of the red fabric. So I have 3/4 yards going into stash (which is why I bought basic tone-on-tone blue.)
The dress went together so well that I bought another 1.5 yards of the red to make the cape. The collar fabric/interfacing came from my stash.

I also bought and used 0.25 yards for the Sweet Dreams binding. Backing was from stash.

Used this Week: 8.5

Used Year to Date: 30.64

Added this Week: 6.0
Added Year to Date: 45.44
Net Used for 2011: (14.8) yards

See? Told you the numbers would start moving! Thirty yards busted BEFORE fifty yards purchased!

Check out the others on Patchwork Times.

Sweet Dreams Are Made of These - Finished

...just in time to go into a silent auction tonight!

For a random "hey, I wonder what happens when I slice a charm pack with my Tri-Recs" project, I think it came out well. If I were to redo it, I'd square off the center on the purple instead of using the bits of charms. Then I would have enough bits of charms for the border.

The backing is a plain vintage sheet from my stash.

I quilted in the ditch and I love the way it looks on the back.

It measures approximately 40x44.

Fabric is Dream On by Urban Chiks, Thistle Kona, and vintage sheets. Binding is a pink scrolly print from Hobby Lobby.

And an outtake. My binding clips are with the Cinderella quilt in Florida - I'll catch up with them soon! Luckily, this is how I do my hair most days. :)

Pajamas that Touch the Floor

Disclaimer:

I measured the Dude the other night for these, and discovered that he has the same waist and chest dimensions as his four-year-old cousin - but he has 6" longer legs and is 9" taller overall. No wonder his pants never touch the ground.

Not any more, kiddo!

 Based on the Simplicity 8493 pattern. By based on, I mean, I still hate the neckline. I've tried it as a V, now as an oval... Maybe I should try it with the buttons originally intended in the pattern.

Want to be really scared? I use the pattern for size 2...and just made the sleeves and legs (a lot) longer.

Disaster in Progress - Week 1

I work so well under deadlines...

Due tomorrow:

Sweet Dreams just needs the binding. That'll be finished sometime this afternoon. Hopefully.

The Dude has PJ Day on Friday, and all his are 3" too short. Fine for home, not for school. Luckily I had the flannel on hand!

Due next week:

There is a row of the Charm Pack Quilt Along draped on every surface of this room. I'm just thankful I labeled each row, otherwise I'd really be in trouble right about now.

Unpictured is the pile of stuff to be quilted, which includes Bad Romance (oops, was that for Valentine's Day?) and a heart table runner (oops, was that for...oh, nevermind.)

My LQS is having a quilting retreat on Monday, and I think I'm going to go - mostly because that will force me to clean everything up and get organized this weekend.

Because right now I can't even find the ironing board.

Everyone else at Freshly Pieced is doing much, much better.

A New Sewing Tote

Finally finished...

...even though I've been using it for two months.

Made it in December in a class at my LQS, and obviously hand-stitching the binding wasn't a priority.

It lives by the sewing machine and gets loaded with my hand stitching and/or seam ripping, so I can quickly grab it before a car ride.

Okay, it's mostly seam ripping...

Pattern is Atkinson Designs Pockets to Go. Instructions were clear and everything went together easily...except for the Timtex. Man, that was hard to work with by the time I reached the binding. My corners have, um, a lot of stitching showing.

Fabric is Lollipop by Sandy Gervais.