Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 25

I started doing UFOs on the 15 Minute Challenge, so I have some movement on a couple different projects this week.

The Steelers Quilt has side borders. Top and bottom are ready to go. I may actually get this before football season starts! (Which, um, is when?)

37/42 Sunkissed Jewel Box blocks done. It's currently laid out in a 6x6 pattern, which is nice and even. I have the blocks to do 6x7, but I'm not sure it'll look right. Or at least symmetrical. I can easily use the extra blocks in the back, though.

Mom's Tennessee Waltz:

50/100 four-patches

29/100 star points

8/24 snowballs

This is supposed to be a Quilt in a Day, but Eleanor Burns is a much faster sewer than I. Once the four-patches and star points are done, they still need to be sewn into blocks.

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

Frolicking Pinwheels

Awaiting Quilting:

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Hunter's Star

In Planning:

Cars Quilt (the Dude)

Hunter's Star (my sister)

New Projects: 1

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 10

Check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday!

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 1

I wanted to do the 15 Minute Challenge, but I couldn't figure out how. I have seven hours a day to myself - of course I can manage to find 15 minutes to sew!

But then I realized how long the Steelers Quilt has been languishing without borders.

I didn't make my Saturday Sampler block this month because I was at a family reunion. It still needs to be made, but without any incentive...

And Frolicking Pinwheels? That's stalled because I haven't cut any 10.5" squares. That's the only reason.

Not to mention the pile of mending that I never seem to get to. I didn't wear my favorite brown slacks at all last winter because I didn't make time to fix on hem.

So maybe I don't need 15 minutes to sew. Maybe I need 15 minutes to sew on a UFO before working on something else.

So...

And just like that, the Steelers quilt is almost done.

See how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces!

Design Wall Monday - Week 35

After finishing up all the in-progress chunky log cabin blocks - and hating them - I needed something light and easy to work on.

Thank you, Jo and Moda Bakeshop. I already had the Sunkissed charm packs, so I made HSTs out of one and 4-patches out of the other.

I wanted to lay out the log cabin in a barn raising pattern, but my awful color choices will prevent that. This one will end up being my barn raising.

I didn't have the jelly roll that the pattern calls for, so mine will only be about 48x56" without borders, but that's a good size baby quilt.

Check out more design walls on Patchwork Times!

Sunday Stash Report - Week 35

In:

1.5 yards of the yellow tone-on-tone on the right. I'm making this quilt from Moda Bakeshop, but just from the two Sunkissed charm packs I already had. It should make a nice size baby quilt, and it's super fast to put together.

Nothing out, but hopefully by the end of the week, this will be done and out.

Used this Week: 0

Used Year to Date: 90.97

Added this Week: 1.5

Added Year to Date: 136.2

Net Used for 2011: (45.23) yards

Check out how everyone else is doing on Patchwork Times!

Winner (& Some Jeans Sewing)

No, I didn't start on Grandma's lap quilt, but that is what I'm going to do. I like the suggestion of cutting it so the pockets make, well, pockets.

I cut off a pair of my own jeans, since my husband has been complaining about me wearing them with knee holes. But...I cut them to knee length and now he's complaining that they're too long. Men!

Anyway, the winner is...

Spinning Star!

Thanks for entering! :)

Charming Wildflowers - Finished!

Finished over two weeks ago, but I've been busy!

No pattern - I just used quarter square triangles to frame each charm square, with everything set on point. The charms are Moda Wildflowers VI, with Kona blush pink and delft blue. The border is more of the charms and white Bella.

I did my first applique of a hummingbird in each corner. Not perfect, but pretty good for a first try! The eye and beak are both stitches on my machine, as is the blanket stitch.

I used up every bit of the Kona and charms on the back. I had planned the front with a 6x7 layout, but lost some of my charms and had to resort to 6x6. It was too late to change it when I found the charms, so the last row went into the back and borders.

It's quilted with double lines just off the ditch of the charms. I debated that or lines off-ditch on the Kona - the former looks better on the border, but the latter would have made the charms look more within the squares. In a perfect world, I would have had enough time to do both - but I had an 80th birthday party to get it to!

It measures 46x46" and is bound in a dark blue floral, with which my mother made matching dresses for my sisters and me when I was in middle school. I love raiding my mother's stash.

 Since I'm finally finished...on a Friday... Can I get a Whoop Whoop?

If you've read this far, then check out my little giveaway. :) It ends tomorrow!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 24

Summer is no longer a WIP.

The Dude started first grade today.
*sniffle*
Actually, we're not big criers over this. He likes school; I like sewing without the sound of Plants vs. Zombies in the background. But I'm waiting for him to get home to go grocery shopping (because he wants three points for the old school VW Bug by the store.)

So now I'm casting about, looking for things to do. (Finish the Steelers borders? Don't be silly.) I pulled this pile off the shelf, for a Tennessee Waltz for my mom.

Problem is, I don't remember why I bought the fabrics. I mean, I know the blue is for the four-patch, and the red is for the star points. But what about the other fabric? Is the neutral background for the snowballs? Was I planning on doing the centers of the stars in red or the red/blue dot fabric? Or were the star centers blue and the dots for the snowballs?

So now I have some math to do to see if I can remember what I had planned.

I made 13 blocks of the chunky log cabin, and I'm putting them away for now. I really don't like them. The colors and patterns are all wrong.

Untouched This Week:

Steelers Quilt

Frolicking Pinwheels

Awaiting Quilting:

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Hunter's Star

In Planning:

Cars Quilt (the Dude)

Hunter's Star (my sister)

New Projects: 1

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 9

Check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday!

Oh, and since you're here, check out my little giveaway.

iSpy Sliced Coins - Finished!

I've got two finished quilts to write about, but the iSpy goes first since I've been working on it since January.

The pattern is Don't Call Me Betsy's Sliced Coins Quilt Along. I used novelty fabrics and cut two coins from each, so my nephew can play a matching game instead of going to bed at night.

I really like the strip of solid between each coin - this quilt would be far too busy without it. The solid is Delft Blue Kona. The fabrics range from Moda Love U turtles to John Deere from Hobby Lobby.

 The back is green flannel, and it shows the quilting nicely. I used the Big Diamond, Little Diamond design by FITF.

One tip on this quilting pattern - do all your lines in one direction, quilt, then draw the second set. I got confused at points as to which direction I was going. If you can, mark the dividing lines in a different color than the actual quilting lines.

Another tip: if you're using a washable marking pen, don't flick water at the cat when he tries to play "catch the ruler."

I love the littlest diamonds formed in the middle.

iSpy Sliced Coins measures about 50x60" and is bound in a blue stripe that has been in my stash for ten years, and will continue to be in my stash for the next twenty. I think it replicates every time I use some.

See what other people have made at Fabric Tuesday!

Oh, and since you're here, check out my little giveaway. :)

Design Wall Monday - Week 34

I've been doing a little more work on the chunky log cabin.

I'm not sure I like it. The last log of blue is very light compared to the other two. I suppose it'll work, depending on the final layout.

I did stop strip piecing it - cutting each log seems to work better, and the rest of the blocks are going together faster and more orderly.

Check out more design walls at Patchwork Times!

 

Oh, and since you're here, check out my little giveaway.

Sunday Stash Report - Week 34

Ahhh, finally a good report.

I bought a half yard of Kate Spain's new Christmas line, which matches well enough with her old Christmas line to border the Christmas Stars.

I bought it at Quilt Beginnings in Columbus, Ohio, while waiting for my husband's flight. Cute shop - good selection. And a toy box to entertain the Dude.

I finished Charming Wildflowers and iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt before I left for Ohio, so they could be gifted to my husband's grandmother and nephew, respectively. So the backings and bindings checked off a couple yards each.

Used this Week: 5.73

Used Year to Date: 90.97

Added this Week: 0.5

Added Year to Date: 134.7

Net Used for 2011: (43.73) yards

Check out how everyone else is doing on Patchwork Times!

And while you're here, check out my little giveaway and the reason I drove to Ohio.

My New (Old) Sewing Machine & a Giveaway

A few months ago, I had the following conversation with my husband's cousin.

Cousin: Do you want Grandma's sewing machine? She asked all the girls and no one wanted it.

Me: Sure, what is it?

Cousin: I don't know. Not a Singer. It starts with an N.

Me: OH MY GOD IS IT A NECCHI?
Cousin: I guess you want it?

Be still, my heart - it's a pink Necchi Supernova Ultra Mark Two. With the original cams and everything.

So, in honor of Grandma's generosity (she also gave me a box of fabric), her 80th birthday (today), and my 32nd birthday (yesterday), I'm giving away four fat quarters picked to match the Necchi.

{pink: Winsome by Nancy Halvorsen; yellow, green & blue don't have the right selvage side}

Want to know how to win? Grandma also gave me these:

They're the jeans that were cut off her husband the day he went to the hospital. I never got to meet my husband's grandfather - he died just before we started dating.

I'd like to do something special with his jeans - I just don't know what. So, for a chance to win, just comment with a suggestion of what to make with them.

{As usual, if you're a no-reply blogger, make sure you leave an email.}

Mr. Random Generator will pick a winner next Saturday.

Thanks for entering (and vote for Tycho, #89, here!)

Pets on Quilts Show: Tycho

Oh, this cat.

 That's him in my profile picture. He loves fabric. He helps on every quilt, no matter how many times I tell him to go away. He doesn't even have a favorite part of the process to nap on - he'll manage to get in the way every step of the way.

His name is Tycho Celchu. Yes, I'm that big of a Star Wars fan. (His brother is Wedge.) He was a stray, adopted from the shelter as a "young adult," so we have no idea of his true age. Best guess is early 2001, making him 10 years old now.

Can you see the difference in him between these the picture sets? He had bladder surgery in late 2009 - I like to tell him he cost me a serger. Afterward, he packed on two pounds (20 percent of his weight!) Now he spends a little more time napping, though he can still manage the jump onto the cutting table.

He LOVES the Dude. We were worried because he's a rough cat with adults - his favorite game is lick-lick-chomp-your-hand - but he doesn't use claws on kids. Which means the two of them often conspire to stay underfoot in the sewing room.

Of course, if I'm not sewing, he completely ignores me. Oddly, when a quilt is done, he won't sleep on it.

There's plenty more cats and dogs on quilts at SewCalGal's quilt show! (But you should vote for Tycho, #89. "Oh, Mom, this is the fabric I won for you. OF COURSE I can sleep on it.")

Also, I'm having a giveaway here. :)

Doll Quilts - Finished!

Three pink doll quilts made from pink scraps of Bad Romance!

These were gifted to my friend's daughters - the oldest has been one of the Dude's friends since birth. They were both born in Washington and went to baby swim classes together, and then they moved to Oklahoma. We followed 18 months later. Now they're off to a Guard unit and we'll stay active duty, so we probably won't follow them this time. :(

After cutting all the strips for Bad Romance, I had teeny scraps of stuff leftover, so I sewed them together. There wasn't enough left for anything, really, but I decided to throw wide borders on them and make them doll quilts for the girls. So they're the same, but different.

I quilted them in three different diamond patterns and backed them with dotted pink fat quarters.

Each is about 16x22."

I hope the girls remember the Dude when they wrap their "babies" in these!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 23

I can't believe WiP Wednesday was my last post! We went to a family reunion in Ohio last weekend, surprising my husband's almost-80-year-old grandmother.

I had full intentions of posting on the trip, but my Netbook refused to connect to any internet. So I have a bunch of finishes that haven't been blogged about yet.
I also need to put together a post for SewCalGal's Pets on Quilts Show and a giveaway post this weekend in honor of Grandma's birthday...and mine, too! So you might want to check back for that.

Both Charming Wildflowers and iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt are done, bound, and handed off to their new owners (grandma and nephew, respectively.)

The doll quilts are done and handed off to their new owners, who moved while we were gone. :(

Untouched This Week:

Steelers Quilt

Frolicking Pinwheels

Chunky Log Cabin

Awaiting Quilting:

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Hunter's Star

In Planning:

Cars Quilt (the Dude)

Hunter's Star (my sister)

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 3

In Progress: 8

Check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 22

Checking things of the list this week, big time.

Christmas Kaleidoscope? Done.

Charming Wildflowers? Quilted. Getting bound today. Maybe... I can't decide if I need to add quilting along the solid boxes. I wanted the current quilting because it adds dimension to the borders, but now I've lost the definition of the blocks - they were supposed to look like flowers within the solid boxes, not next to.

iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt? Quilted. Okay, again, mostly. I need to decide how to fill in this empty space at the top and bottom. I'm thinking just chevrons rather than continuing the lines to make diamonds. That way the biggest diamond in the center stands out.

Doll quilts? Quilted, waiting to be bound.

The chunky log cabin is in a mish-mash of stages that I need to sort out.

Untouched This Week:

Steelers Quilt

Frolicking Pinwheels 

Awaiting Quilting:

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Hunter's Star

In Planning:

Cars Quilt (the Dude)

Hunter's Star (my sister)

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 1

In Progress: 11

Check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday!

Design Wall Monday - Week 32

I've been doing more quilting than sewing, so the design wall is a mish-mash of chunky log cabin blocks.

I've been strip piecing them, which might not be working for a leader/ender project - I had to put the blocks up on the wall because I kept losing track of which step I was on. I'm going to cut the necessary pieces to finish these twelve - I'll need something easy to grab when I'm making bindings later this week.

I did decide to add another row of red and blue, so they'll finish 14" square.

Check out more design walls at Patchwork Times!

Sunday Stash Report - Week 32

This week was a wash, but next week won't be.

I bought three yards of green flannel to back my iSpy Sliced Coins quilt - and it's already pieced and ready to be basted.

I finished the Christmas Kaleidoscope quilt. The top was counted last week; there was 2.5 yards in the back and a half yard in the borders.

I also pieced the back of Charming Wildflowers, but I don't count backs out until the quilting is done. That and iSpy will be quilted by the end of this week - I have a plan for both and they shouldn't take too long.

Used this Week: 3

Used Year to Date: 84.68

Added this Week: 3

Added Year to Date: 134.2

Net Used for 2011: (49.52) yards

Check out how everyone else is doing on Patchwork Times!

Christmas Kaleidoscope - Finished!

Warning: picture heavy post.

Because I love this quilt.

The pattern is Don't Call Me Betsy's Kaleidoscope Quilt Along.

The fabrics are...well, the solid is Kona Bone. The rest is Christmas scraps - I know there's some Crazy Eights, Merry & Bright, red snowflakes from Hobby Lobby, blue snowflakes from Joann's, a lot of the greens are from a Rag Shop fat quarter pack that my mother bought 10+ years ago, some of the holly is "Country Classics Christmas by Ameritex" which I think dates to the 1990s (thrift store!)

The burgundy snowmen, I do remember. I bought that at a little store near the base in Washington when I first started sewing. I found out a couple years later that the Buggy Barn isn't just some little store.

The quilting made a huge difference with this quilt. I hated that all the points wouldn't line up, but quilting on either side of the seams made the centers not look that bad.

And oh my goodness, I love how it looks on the back. I wish I had used more red to show it off more.

Look! Little stars!

 The back uses some bigger pieces from my Christmas stash - the big chunks are the Ameritex fabrics.

It measures 60x60" and is bound in, um, two green fat quarters from the Rag Shop. Maybe.