End of Month Report - November

Not quite as many finishes in November, compared to October, but there's starting to be more things piled on the "to bind" list. I usually bind right away, so this is the first time that list really exists!

Finished:

Rainbow Boats

Gobble Gobble Wall Hanging

Quilted:

Nine-Patch-Snowballs / Loopy Ewe

Loopy, started and nearly finished last week, is my NewFO.

Piecing:

Squadron T-Shirt Quilt - the center is pieced and the borders will go on tomorrow. Scheduled for quilting on Wednesday, and will hopefully be bound and in the mail by the end of the week! Take that, Christmas.

And my leftover Swoon HSTs are slowly becoming Sweet and Sassy.

Life:

CC is constantly and continually a pain in the butt.

The Dude had a glowing report at parent/teacher conferences, and thinks multiplication is the easiest thing in the world. We both let our inner nerd fly at the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special in theaters. {Okay, it's not an inner nerd.}

We got word that our paperwork was delayed in Korea, so now it looks like travel will be even later into 2014 - mid-February at best. Instead of pounding my head into a wall, I signed up for a half marathon and I'm pounding my feet on the pavement.

And if I could count all the words in this post, I would probably be done with my Nanowrimo.

Linked:

Nothing But UFOs
A Year of Finishes
Year of the Finished Project

Fresh Sewing Day @ Lily's Quilts

NewFO @ Cat Patches

Weekly Progress - Christmas Sewing

I finished my Thanksgivukkah sewing last week, so it was time to plow right on ahead with Christmas. Luckily everything for that is pretty easy and already scheduled for quilting. Deadlines! Woo!

Finished

Rainbow Boats

In Progress

Squadron T-Shirt Quilt - all cut out and ready to be pieced

If you are my older sister, stop reading here!

Holiday Sheep - border #1 on, border #2 cut, border #3 pressed

I forgot to take a picture, but I also quilted Frolicking Pinwheels and Nine-Patch Snowballs last week. The Pinwheels might go back for more, but if I have time, 9PS will be bound this week.

Linked:

Fifteen Minute Challenge @ Life In Pieces
Design Wall Monday @ Patchwork Times
BOMs Away Monday @ What A Hoot
WiP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced
Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt Story
Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ SoScrappy
Scrap Basket Sunday @ Kim's Big Quilting Adventure

Rainbow Boats - Finished!

Are you getting tired of finishes? Too bad, I've got a bunch more to come.

Rainbow Boats - 42x48"

A wall hanging for my mother's neighbor.

Applique is so not my forte - I definitely enjoyed piecing the boats more!

I had some fun with the quilting - added rays to the sun, and clouds in the sky.

And you can barely see it {maybe if you squint?} but I added little crystals to the rain lines to look like raindrops. It was a pain in the butt, but so, so worth it. The twinkles in the sunlight were perfect!

I don't remember any of the fabrics - the background is a sky print, the water is a waves fat quarter with no selvage, and everything came from stash/scraps.

I quilted TWO more tops this week, and I'm scheduled to quilt every Wednesday until Christmas, so get used to these finished posts. It's a little weird to be finishing quilts, not tops. I might even catch up to my UFO list someday!

Linked:

Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict

TGIFF @ Never Too Hot to Stitch

Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Link A Finish Friday @ Richard and Tanya Quilts

Finish-A-Long @ She Can Quilt {FAL List}

Weekly Progress - Wall Hangings

The best laid plans... I was supposed to finish off this week with a doll dress class, but the Dude decided Friday was for puking.

Instead, I just finished off two wall hangings.

Gobble Gobble is totally done.

And Rainbow Boats is bound and being blinged.

And that's about it.

I'm scheduled to quilt every Wednesday from now till Christmas, so I'm going through backings and nearly-done projects and projects-that-need-to-be-done. Trying to stay organized!

I have a really itching to start something completely new and not for anyone...probably because I've had a bunch of finishes. I deserve it! But I'm trying to hold off, because goodness knows I need the finishes more.

Linked:

Fifteen Minute Challenge @ Life In Pieces
Design Wall Monday @ Patchwork Times
BOMs Away Monday @ What A Hoot
WiP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced
Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt Story
Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ SoScrappy
Scrap Basket Sunday @ Kim's Big Quilting Adventure

Gobble Gobble Wall Hanging - Finished!

Another wall hanging for my mother finished!

She wanted the panel with offset borders. Easy to oblige!

Panel: Gobble Gobble by Sandy Gervais

Borders/Binding: Second Harvest by Andover

Quilted with a somewhat 3-E pattern I borrowed from Pinterest. I got lost a couple of times, but it wasn't too hard. For a small wall hanging.

The backing is a butterfly print that is also backing Rainbow Boats. Faster than pinning it onto a whole new backing.

And an outtake from the "photo shoot." The Dude wasn't quite sure what "hold it up straight" meant, and as noted, my cats are jerks. But I do have nice fall decorations!

Linked:

Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict

TGIFF @ Hot Pink Quilts

Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Link A Finish Friday @ Richard and Tanya Quilts

Finish-A-Long @ She Can Quilt {FAL List}

Weekly Progress - Kitty Overload

Chugging through the to-do list around here. With so much help from the feline members of the household.

{Catch the needle. Great game, CC.}
Rainbow Boats is stitched down and ready to be quilted.

{The only cat-free picture...but I had to shoo Tycho away to take it.}

Gobble Gobble wall hanging is also ready to be quilted.

Almost didn't get my Kate Spain charm swap fabric ironed...

The only other sewing has been debating the layout of my Swoon leftover HSTs. I have the other half of the Gobble Gobble panel, but not really enough HSTs to do anything there.

This is for a pillow cover, btw. So, my top layouts:

A} Morning Joe - I have the necessary background to fill in the corners
B} Morning Joe - non-scrappy

C} Chevrons - awkward 6x8 layout, but I can toss some background in between and get elongated neutral chevrons

D} Broken Dishes - awkward 6x8 layout that can't really be saved by background fabric
E} Or itty bitty central block Dishes with a lot of border space...slightly more centered
F} Sweet and Sassy - awkward 7x8 layout, but I have enough scraps to add the last row

{Oh, is it a jerk move to sleep on your fabric? It's also a jerk move to bring home a kitten without asking me.}

And that's about it here. I'm trying to focus on my goals, so I've been hacking away at t-shirts and cutting up paper templates, both of which aren't all that photo-worthy.

Linked:

Fifteen Minute Challenge @ Life In Pieces
Design Wall Monday @ Patchwork Times
BOMs Away Monday @ What A Hoot
WiP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced
Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt Story
Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ SoScrappy
Scrap Basket Sunday @ Kim's Big Quilting Adventure

Monthly Goals - November

Okay, so we're already a little bit into November. But I haven't sewed since the Creeper because the Dude shared a long-lasting cold with me, then my sister and niece were here, and November is Nano, so I'm writing. Just not blog writing.

But luckily I don't have much I need to do for Christmas, so my November list is pretty short and sweet.

1) Rainbow Boats - a Hanukkah gift - just needs the rainbow stitched down, and scheduled for quilting early next week

2) Gobble Gobble wall hanging - I have a plan and should be able to stitch it together quickly this week, and toss it on the long arm with Rainbow Boats.

3) Squadron T-Shirt quilt - borders have arrived, so it's time to get working on this pile

4) St. Paul's Cross - really need to start cranking these out again.

There's obviously always plenty more to be done, especially once my sister mails me the wedding quilt blocks. And I'm taking a class on doll clothing construction. And I have a pretty good set of coupons for Joann's this weekend, so I'm going in with a list of quilts that need backing.


And a gratuitous kitten picture.

Linked:

Fifteen Minute Challenge @ Life In Pieces

Design Wall Monday @ Patchwork Times

         

BOMs Away Monday @ What A Hoot

         

WiP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced

Getting It Done @ Patchwork Times
A Year of Finishes

Creeper Costume - Finished!

So, the Dude decided to be a creeper {from Minecraft} for Halloween. Sweet! We have a ton of cardboard around the house because we haven't finished unpacking. Grab some green markers, kid!

"But, Mom," he says with a pouty face. "I want to be able to sit in it!"

I shouldn't have fallen for the pouty face.

This costume was a bear to make. Six yards of various greens, the heaviest interfacing I could find, and it still doesn't hold the rectangle shape. My husband had to frame/reinforce the heck out of the head and shoulders.

Plus, he could barely walk in it. He could get his arms out the slits on the sides...but not easily. The head slit is between rows 2/3 out of 5, so it's front-heavy - we had to stack some leftover fabric behind his head to keep it from tipping over.

{Ssssssssssssssssssssssss BOOM!}

He did get a TON of compliments from other kids on the street, so there's that. I guess.

But people...just make your creeper costumes out of cardboard. Learn from me and don't fall for the pouty face.

Linked:

Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict

TGIFF @ Quilt Matters

Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Link A Finish Friday @ Richard and Tanya Quilts

Finish-A-Long @ She Can Quilt {FAL List}