Grinch Quilt - Finished!

My other Christmas Quilt. :)

This was my niece's Christmas present, using the panel from the Grinch collection.  Which, like Rudolph, was not printed straight or easily trim-able. I managed to get the blocks to an even 11.75" tall unfinished, and did some fancy math to lay them out.

I used almost every little bit in the sashings, borders and backing. To the point that my quilt teacher would have yelled at me, had she known how close the top and backing were in size.

I love the quilting - single crosshatch diamonds, with every other line then tripled. I'm glad I had enough time to go back and add the extra lines, even though I had some trouble with the quilting.

First, the snap-in spot for my walking foot broke, so I had to tape it together.

Then, well, that problem on the left kept happening.

The binding is the same candy cane stripe as Rudolph. I wish I had more!

Finished size: 50x60"

{maybe...I'll update after I have my sister measure!}

Linked to:
Fabric Tuesday
Sew Darn Crafty
Whoop Whoop Fridays
Finish It Up Friday

WiP Wednesday/Fifteen Minute Challenge - New Year, New Plan

This year, I'm going to combine posts a little better. I felt like I was writing something almost every day and never had time to schedule finishing posts. {See: Rudolph and the Grinch. Or don't see. Because I haven't written them yet.}

So the Fifteen Minute Challenge will now be a part of my WiP list, since after all, it's a WiP. And I'm going to get back to my original plan - work on something that's been lingering on the Untouched List a bit too long for fifteen minutes every day before starting the rest of my sewing. First up will be Frolicking Pinwheels.

Finished:

Rudolph and the Grinch.

Regular Quilts:

Hunter's Star, round two - 39/90

Quilt-Alongs:

Fat Quarter Stars - five blocks behind...sigh...

LQS Saturday Sampler 2011 - 10/12 blocks done - need to do October and December

Quiltville Orca Bay {Skorca!} - final instructions are out and I am busily assembling lots of Ohio Stars. I think I'll need 36 and countless other elements. Yes, I know #3 in the second row is wrong.

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

Frolicking Pinwheels

St. Paul's Cross

Swoon A Little, Swoon A Lot

Awaiting Quilting:

Sunkissed Jewel Box

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Hunter's Star

Fall-gyle

Star Wall Hanging

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 2

In Progress: 14

Check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday and see how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces!

Sunday Stash Report - Week 51

Thanks to the Friday Night Sew-In, I got everything for Christmas just about finished up!

Finished two dresses and two nightgowns for an American Girl - like last week, one from stash, one purchased.  

I used two patterns for the A-line dresses - Simplicity 3929 for the top and Simplicity 2458 for the bottom.

The white nightgown is McCall's 3627 and the purple is Simplicity 3929 with sleeves from some other pattern. I don't recommend the second pattern with flannel - it's perfect for a cotton dress, but a little too thick for the neck with flannel.

I finished quilting the Grinch, despite a small hiccup with the walking foot.

The guide snap-in broke. Thank goodness for painter's tape!

Rudolph is also quilted, but I don't count them out until the binding is on, so...next week! Which is Christmas - but other than the binding, I just have to whip together a ballet slipper bag, so I am way ahead of schedule.

I also gave away two panels for Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day. They're all packed up and ready to go in the mail tomorrow.

Used this Week: 2.33

Used Year to Date: 126.24

Added this Week: 0.5

Added Year to Date: 165.95

Net Used for 2011: (39.71) yards

Check out how everyone else is doing on Patchwork Times!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 40

It's Christmas. I'm not in panic mode...yet. I actually keep thinking it's the week OF Christmas already - and then I worry that I'm not in panic mode!

Christmas Sewing:

 Grinch panel quilt - niece - basted & half quilted

 Rudolph panel quilt - the Dude - quilted!

Star Wall Hanging - finished top & "hanging" on my design wall 

Quilt-Alongs:

Fat Quarter Stars - three blocks behind, planning a catch-up day! Er, probably in January... 

 LQS Saturday Sampler - November's block done - I really like this one.

Quiltville Orca Bay {Skorca!} - 50/112 B&W QSTs, 9/36 red strings, 34/175 B&W HST, 32/32 blue squares to become triangles

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

Frolicking Pinwheels

St. Paul's Cross

Swoon A Little, Swoon A Lot

Hunter's Star, round two

Awaiting Quilting:

Sunkissed Jewel Box

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Hunter's Star

Fall-gyle

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 1

In Progress: 16

Don't check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday - Lee is taking the month off. :)

Check out other BoMs at What a Hoot!

{And check out my Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day giveaway here!}

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 16

I've spent way more than 15 minutes in the sewing room every day this week - it's Christmas Crunch Time!

Tuesday - basted the Grinch

Wednesday - pieced Rudolph

Thursday-Monday - quilted the Grinch, made doll clothes

Monday - borders on Rudolph

So far the Grinch has diamond cross-hatching. I haven't decided if I want to do a couple of extra lines in there. I think it'll depend on time - I need to get Rudolph basted today so I can quilt while the Dude is at school. Rudolph's quilting will be even simpler than the Grinch's, so if I get done by Friday, I can add lines to the Grinch.

 I tried drawing the extra lines, but, um, I can't draw with a mouse. I think it will look good {with thread} so I hope I have enough time.

I'm going to spend this week's 15 minutes prepping the binding for both of them, so they'll be good to go by next week. Oh, crap, I need to be ready for Christmas by next week! Okay, I need to spend 15 minutes each day ordering presents, and 15 minutes each day baking cookies, and 15 minutes wrapping presents, and...

Check out how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 39

Might as well list the Christmas sewing first, since it was the majority of the work!

Christmas Sewing:

 Grinch panel quilt - niece - basted! (no idea on how to quilt it yet...)

 Rudolph panel quilt - the Dude - top done (colors not nearly this yellow - I had to hide in the office to get a quick shot!)

Star Wall Hanging - finished attaching the borders 

 Advent Calendar - done!

 

Hunter's Star, round two - 90 light blue half-blocks, 18/90 dark blue blocks

 

Quilt-Alongs:

Fat Quarter Stars - three blocks behind, planning a catch-up day!

Argyle Quilt Along {Fall-gyle} - talked it over with my quilt teacher and I'm not seam ripping, so it's back to top done. Maybe I'll get it quilted along with the Christmas stuff over the next week.

LQS Saturday Sampler - started the HSTs for November's block

Quiltville Orca Bay {Skorca!} - 50/112 B&W QSTs, 9/36 red strings, 34/175 B&W HST

 

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

Frolicking Pinwheels

St. Paul's Cross

Swoon A Little, Swoon A Lot

Awaiting Quilting:

Sunkissed Jewel Box

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Hunter's Star

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 1

In Progress: 16

Don't check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday - Lee is taking the month off. :)

Sunday Stash Report - Week 48

I accept that I'm not going to come close to zero in the next month. Maybe, maybe, close to -25? But it gives me a goal to beat for next year. That's, um, good?

I didn't quite finish the Advent calendar. It should be done, though unquilted, tomorrow.

I did buy this little stack - my only Black Friday purchases.

A yard of Grand Finale for Swoon borders and candy cane stripe to bind Rudolph and the Grinch. The Rudolph fabric came in the mail - one yard of the white for sashing, three yards of the red for backing and borders. I adore the red. It's going to be a great little quilt.

Used this Week: 0

Used Year to Date: 118.66

Added this Week: 5.75

Added Year to Date: 162.20

Net Used for 2011: (43.54) yards

Check out how everyone else is doing on Patchwork Times!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 37

Lots of little finishes this week. Like...

...a Swoon block.

...90 light blue half-blocks for Hunter's Star, round two - halfway!

Quilt-Alongs: 

Fat Quarter Stars - two blocks behind, but I whipped this week's together quickly. I think I was supposed to use my neutral. I'm probably going to take it apart and redo it. It's really bugging me.

Argyle Quilt Along {Fall-gyle} - top done until I start seam picking

LQS Saturday Sampler - need to pick up next month's, and do last month's

Quiltville Orca Bay {Skorca!} - 26/112 QSTs - I'm doing a half-size quilt...though 37x42" might be too small. When it's over and I know the design, I might add a row or two. Also, I'm doing "draw-and-sew-and-cut-and-press-and-draw-and-sew-and-cut-and-press" method, so I'm well over halfway.

Christmas Sewing:

 Grinch panel quilt - niece - top done! And the back is pieced, so all I have to do is figure out how to quilt it.

Rudolph panel quilt - the Dude - the fabric arrived yesterday!

Star Wall Hanging - finished piecing the borders

Advent Calendar - made the flying geese units and started machine embroidering them

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

Frolicking Pinwheels

St. Paul's Cross

Awaiting Quilting:

Sunkissed Jewel Box

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Hunter's Star

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 17

Check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday!

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 13

15 minutes a day and I have a Grinch quilt top!

{I know, it's really wrinkled.}

Tuesday - measured & cut red border

Wednesday - sewed red border

Thursday - measured and cut white border

Friday - sewed top/bottom borders

Saturday - cut flying geese squares for Advent Calendar

Sunday - sewed charms for Advent Calendar

Monday - sewed side borders

I realized this weekend that the first holiday deadline I had was Nov. 27 for Advent...and I hadn't started the Advent Calendar yet. I'm doing this one from Moda Bake Shop, and boy they're not kidding when they say it's easy.

Whipped this pile up in no time. I'm going to let the embroidery machine add the numbers, and this sucker should be on the wall in no time.

I'm also combining linky parties again. Over at the Quilter's Table, she hosts a recipe link up on Tuesdays. I'm not a great cook and all my recipes are from Alton Brown or All Recipes. However, I do have my favorite sweet potatoes recipe from my mother. Copied directly from her email to me.

peel and cut up the sweet potatoes

put in your pan with a little bit of water, half cup maybe
then put in some brown sugar - a cup maybe, a cup and a half? whatever looks good. I usually pinch off about 2 inches in the bag and just dump that in
about 2 tablespoons of margarine
sprinkle a little tiny bit of salt
cook until the potatoes are soft, maybe 25 minutes?
you have to turn the light down after they boil
then thicken the liquid with cornstarch mixed with water - maybe a tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water?

Don't you love the exacting details of a family recipe? It's still usually the only thing I get right.

Check out how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces and other holiday recipes at A Quilter's Table!

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 12

My fifteen minutes of Christmas sewing were the only non-craft-show sewing I got to do this week, so I'm very grateful for the forced opportunity to do some piecing.

Tuesday - pieced Rows 1 & 2

Wednesday - pieced Rows 3 & 4

Thursday - pieced sashing, Rows 1 & 2

Friday - pieced sashing, Rows 3 & 4

Saturday - nothing :(

Sunday - pieced all rows together

Monday - pieced backing, started plan for borders

It definitely needs a skinny red border to tie it all together. Then I have green and white Grinch-y fabric for the back, of which I can cut 3" borders. I think. I need to double check my math before cutting!

As leaders and enders, I pieced 2.5" squares for the Christmas Stars.

So now I have a box full of those to press and add as a border. Which needs to be done before I can start the Advent Calendar, which will be made of the leftover charms.

Check out how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces!

Design Wall Monday - Week 46

Still the Grinch, just a little more seamed together than this picture.

All the rows are together and I'm working on the sashing.

But not until after I do something about this...

{I think my cutting mat is on that table somewhere...}


My sewing table went to the craft show and I'm not putting it back until things are a little more organized. My husband really wants to turn on his space heater and I really don't want him to burn down my fabric the house.

Check out more design walls at Patchwork Times!

Fifteen Minute Challenge - Week 11

This is the week that I finally started Christmas sewing! Or at least planning it...

Tuesday - measured Grinch motifs and created a plan

Wednesday - measured Rudolph motifs, created a plan, ordered fabric

Thursday - cut Grinch motifs to size

Friday - added border to Christmas Stars, decided on second border

Saturday - ironed, started cutting Grinch sashing

Sunday - cut Grinch sashing

Monday - laid out Grinch

And here's what the Grinch will look like! Minus borders, of course.

Check out how others are managing their time at Life in Pieces!