Christmas Tree Skirt - Finished!

It's Christmas in July! And an order fulfilled long before it was due!

Of course, that does make it difficult to take pictures, as there's no Christmas trees around. Or snow.

It's made entirely from my Christmas scrap bin - lots of Rudolph and the Grinch and Kate Spain and Sandy Gervais.

I alternated Kona, solid pieces of Christmas fabric, and pieced sections. Made a good dent in the scrap bin...until I tossed the backing scraps in.

Made some ties for the cat to play with. Um, I mean, to close up the back.

Not my first time making bias binding, but my first time sewing it in a circle. It was a lot easier than I thought! And bias binding really is a dream - no fraying and manipulates so easily.

Quilting is just simple straight lines along the wedges. I don't do it often anymore, and it was nice to just follow the lines.

I used the Sew Crafty Jess tutorial, which was very well done. However, in the future, I'd just buy a wedge ruler. {And there will be a future, because this is totes adorbs and I want my own.} I spent so much time making sure the ruler was lined up on the template and not enough time making sure the rotary blade wasn't lined up with my thumb. Owie.

Quilt Details

Fabric: Christmas scraps, Kona Bone

Backing: blue snowflakes from Joann's

Binding: Christmas stripe from Joann's

Size: 60ish" round

Pattern: Sew Crafty Jess' tree skirt

Linked:
Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict

TGIFF @ Quokka Quilts

Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Link A Finish Friday @ Richard and Tanya Quilts
Sew Darn Crafty @ Sew Many Ways

Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt Story

I Quilt @ Pretty Bobbins

Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation

Let's Make Baby Quilts @ Michelle's Romantic Tangle

Feline Friday @ Sarah Did It!

Finish-Along @ The Littlest Thistle {FAL List}

WiP - Diversity

I'm still bouncing all over the place this week, but at least I have some finishes to show for it! And some new skills to boot.

I quilted and bound my sister's Christmas tree skirt, and bound Central Park Sudoku. Making bias binding wasn't a new thing, but attaching it in a circle was. And it wasn't that hard!

Then I practiced a mitered border on a little panel piece from my husband's grandmother's stash. It worked okay...

...so I went ahead and put the mitered border on my Wee Wander quilt. I'm so glad I learned the technique, because this is perfect. Straight borders wouldn't have cut it with this amazing border print.

I finally - finally - finished cutting my MIL's Ripples and Reflections, and made the first block. I'm keeping track - 1 hour to sew, 41 pieces.

And since working with Christmas, modern fabrics, 80s fabric, novelty fabric, and batiks wasn't enough for one week, I started one with homespun-style flannels.

When digging through Grandma's stash, I found two pillowcases with a design and her name and her husband's. And then I felt immense guilt because I've had the denim from her husband's jeans for three years and haven't made her a quilt yet. What kind of person puts off Grandma's quilt??

So I whipped together a plan, dug out these flannels from a kit, and got started!

And in between all this, I cut another neutral jelly roll for my vacation sewing. This is a new one to me - Plaster of Paris - that's very Grunge-like. The real jelly roll is California Girl, bought during my husband's last deployment. Fitting that I should work on it during this one!

Oh, yeah, and my Weekly Churn Dash. This is just a Joann's print, nothing special, but I love the pattern of the white dots and the random blue flowers.


And the design palette of the week! Orange, and I love the matching Kona names. {Photo courtesy of the EPA. Really!}

Linked:
BOMs Away Monday @ What A Hoot
Design Wall Monday @ Patchwork Times
Color Mondays @ Porch Swing Quilts
Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River
WiP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced
Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ SoScrappy
Scrap Basket Sunday @ Kim's Big Quilting Adventure
Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric

WiP - Flimsy Finishing

The month of doing whatever continues, with a bunch of finishes!


First, I finished off the Christmas tree skirt for my sister. Waiting on a backing decision, and I'll probably quilt this at home so I can take it east with me.


Then my aunt made a decision on her final border and I finished up the Tennessee Waltz. And it was totally the right decision. This one will be quilted on the longarm, so not for a while yet.


And lastly, I ordered Wee Wander as a deployment gift for the kids, received it on Wednesday, and whipped it into a top by Sunday. Okay, it's not a complicated top, and it still needs to be trimmed, but I really enjoyed fussy cutting the adorable kids.

I'm going to miter the fabulous border, which I've never done. Debbie {A Quilter's Table} suggested Amy's Creative Side's tutorial - I've read it and I think I'm going to try on something smaller first. I don't want to mess up my lovelies!

And then there's my Weekly Churn Dash. The Dude and I bought this fabric during an Oklahoma Quilt Shop Hop a few years ago. He has pretty good taste.

Jennie {Porch Swing Quilts} is starting a palette linky. As it is Rainier Cherry season out here, I have one red thing on my brain. {Photo courtesy of Rainier Fruit Company.}

And finally, I cut 2.5" strips for a jelly roll quilt while I'm on the East Coast. Jelly rolls are easy travelers! This one is Hello Luscious by Basic Grey, with the cream Grunge from the same line, and it will become Avignon Picnic.

Of course, all these finishes leave me wondering what to do next...

Linked:
BOMs Away Monday @ What A Hoot
Design Wall Monday @ Patchwork Times
Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River
WiP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced
Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ SoScrappy
Scrap Basket Sunday @ Kim's Big Quilting Adventure
Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric
Color Mondays @ Porch Swing Quilts

WiP - Doing Whatever I Want

So... I deliberately didn't take on much work this summer because it's my first one with two kids. Turns out, that was a really good plan, because now I'm also solo parenting for the summer.

So I have officially declared that I'm doing whatever I want in July. If I want to add things to my UFO list and not check anything off - fine. If I want to do Christmas in July - go for it. (As is Sew Lux, Fort Worth Fabrics, Quilt Story...) If I want to slice off part of my thumb...oops.

Case in point. Inspired by Winding Bobbins and using Sew Crafty Jess' measurements, I ran a rotary blade right over my thumb. Okay, that might not be their fault.

But anyway - my start on my sister's Christmas tree skirt. Which is adorable and doesn't have any blood on it...thank goodness.

And since there was a little too much desert khaki in my life last week, I pulled out some fabrics I got out of the Cozy Quilt's sale section. They were leftover from a applique quilt, and random sizes, so I ran a couple quick calculations and made an Ohio Star/Nine Patch/Irish Chain baby quilt.

I don't have any reason for it, and I'm not going to be quilting it any time soon, but I hung it up on the railing and the bright colors make me happy. And CC loves to hide behind it for sneak attacks.

And of course, my red scraps always make me happy. The real challenge this month is to not use all Sandy Gervais Valentine's fabrics.

Linked:
BOMs Away Monday @ What A Hoot
Design Wall Monday @ Patchwork Times
Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River
WiP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced
Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ SoScrappy
Scrap Basket Sunday @ Kim's Big Quilting Adventure
Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric

Christmas in July - Week 5

I'm having one of THOSE weeks.

The AC broke - twice. 

{It's only been over 100º every day for over a month. No biggie.}

At the hotel on Sunday, I couldn't connect to the internet, but something sure managed to infect the laptop anyway. So now I'm erasing the hard drive. And poor Nettie the Netbook is STILL at the repair shop. 

{Three people + 1 PC = arguments over whose turn it is to play Plants vs. Zombies.}

The DVR broke twice, the Keurig has been short-cupping me...

So, basically, not much sewing this week.

Christmas Kaleidoscope is done because I cut the borders wrong. I pieced the backing and mopped the kitchen floor in preparation for basting. I even have a plan for the quilting!

The center of Christmas Stars is pieced. I finally ordered fabric for the borders, too.

Er, I'm going to have to find a picture to trace onto this, because I forgot that I can NOT draw.

So since this is the last Friday in July, the summary is...
1 quilt pieced/basted
1.75 wall hangings pieced
1 table runner pieced

And now it's almost time for Quilting August!

Design Wall Monday - Week 30

I was going to make a joke about how this is my design wall...

But then this happened...

And now I'm too hot to be funny.

The actual design wall is Christmas Stars.

I was going to do a second block like this one, but now I'm thinking about just putting them together as they are. I like the middle star that I won't get by breaking up the blocks.
 I can still use the strips of 2.5" blocks I've already made in a border. I'm going to get something else for the first border, though. The white up there has roses and isn't very Christmas-y.

However, there will be no sewing, of the dress or the stars, until the AC gets fixed!

The cats have the smartest plan - get as flat as you can on the tile floor.

Preferably near a fan.

Check out more design walls at Patchwork Times!

Christmas in July - Week 4

Several finishes or nearly finished this week!

The Kaleidoscope Quilt-Along is nearly finished. I have one border cut, and I'm going to add a second border of the red holly berries.

 I made the blocks for this in my quilting basics class two years ago, and just needed to fix the borders and iron the poor thing. Not that hard to do as leaders/enders for a day.

Haven't made any progress on Christmas Stars - my LQS's fat quarter sale is tomorrow, so I will either find something there or order the sashing tomorrow.

And I haven't had a chance to sketch out any embroidery on the table runner I made last week, but I did get a book on embroidery techniques from the library. I'm not in a hurry - I have a long car ride in August to stitch.

One more week to clear off my Christmas project shelf!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 19

I have a finish, woo!

Well, a piecing finish. I'm adding applique hummingbirds to the corners.

Christmas Kaleidoscope is mostly pieced and on the floor. Which means...

Time for a cat inspection!

I just need to piece the fourth row, then the rows, then the borders.

I have a couple other Christmas in July projects finished/in the works.

I pulled out Frolicking Pinwheels out for leaders/enders. 

I've also been doing some organizing.

 All my scraps are sorted and labeled. The other stuff is vintage sheets and pillowcases, or my horribly disorganized clothing fabric. That's my next task now that my quilting stash is in order!

The boxing and labeling extended to the playroom. Why do we need a 16-quart bin of Play-doh supplies??

Untouched This Week:

Steelers Quilt 

 

Awaiting Quilting:

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Hunter's Star

iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt

I think my goal for August will be to quilt this pile. Less fun than Christmas in July, but necessary!

In Planning:

Cars Quilt (the Dude)

Hunter's Star (my sister)

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 11

Check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday!

Design Wall Monday - Week 29

Finishing up the Christmas Kaleidoscope.

There's another row below and another to go on the side, but I ran out of room.

Everything needs to be squared to 12.5" unfinished before getting sewn together.

Hmm, I need to move one of those red/whites in the fourth row - three in a row isn't very scrappy.

I already have one of the borders cut, so this should finish up quickly. Which is good, since my sister is coming at the end of the week to help entertain the tonsillectomy patient, and she won't let me use the sewing machine while she's here. (Except to make her a dress.)

See more design walls at Patchwork Times!

Sunday Stash Report - Week 29

I finished this:

and this:

Well... They're finished to the point of applique or embroidery.

I had to buy 1/4 yard of Kona bone to finish the table runner, but that's it. The table runner kit has been in my possession since we lived in Washington...and we moved in late 2008. 

Used this Week: 2.75

Used Year to Date: 77.93

Added this Week: 0.25

Added Year to Date: 108.46

Net Used for 2011: (30.53) yards

 

Check out how everyone else is doing on Patchwork Times!

Christmas in July - Week 3

Finished the table runner. Well, finished it to the point of embroidery. I'm thinking, since I made it longer than the original, about sketching a tree branch from which they can be "hanging." Just to fill in the white space a bit.

Christmas Kaleidoscope - not quite full blocks yet - but close!

No progress with Christmas Stars - I have fabric to finish it in an online shopping cart, but I'm thinking about waiting for my LQS's fat quarter sale next week.

And the next project?

This is my basic quilt class table topper from two years ago. All I need to do is continue to rip out the center seam, line it up properly and resew it, then add the borders. And press it. Geez, it looks like it's been crumpled in a bag for two years.

Christmas in July - Week 2

I finished the five stars for my Christmas Stars, and decided that instead of the setting of the original quilt, I was going to set them with the second block from this quilt. So I sewed the strip-sets and four-patches for that...just need to pick a solid.

I still have a ton of charms leftover, including all the skaters. I can't bear to cut them. I'm thinking about cutting the remaining charms into strips and doing a piano key border. Or maybe piecing them together for the back.

The kaleidoscope is coming along nicely. I'm piecing the wedges together - by next week it'll be finished blocks.

My next project is a little table runner from Pieces From My Heart. Yeah, it's been in my stash for a while. I bought it when we lived in Washington, saw that it had (gasp!) embroidery and shoved it on a shelf for a while. I need to count charms to see if I can make it at least one ornament longer.