Final Finish of 2015 - Helen’s Garden

With the weather being snowy and snuggly over the last week, it was so perfect to spend time in my studio sewing and playing with fabric. It was no surprise that this quilt was whipped out before I realized it!

Helen’s Garden finished at 68 x 84”. I used the Intersections quilt pattern (tutorial on their YouTube Channel and also published in their Block magazine) because it had large pieces that would best show off the gorgeous patterns and colors in this fabric line.  The fabric is also called Helen’s Garden and is by Tamara Kate, one of my favorite designers. She named it after her mother Helen, who loved to garden. My mother was Helen, too, so this quilt was meant to be. It is for ME, to curl up with on the couch when I read or watch TV or whatever. It is the first quilt I have made for myself (well, not counting the bed quilt, Rainbow Orbs).

As it was cold and snowy (as it has been for days - but no complaints here), after snapping the picture above, we came indoors and I just laid it out in the living room.

The back is a vintage sheet in lavender and white check, that I extended with bits of leftover fabric.  The binding was also one of the lighter prints in the line that I didn’t use in the squares because I didn’t feel it contrasted enough with the cream sashing. Quilting was a simple stipple design, and I find that my quilting is getting better. Practice really does help!!

So, all this quarter I have been linking up my finishes to my goals that I published at the beginning of the quarter here.  But it turns out I had two #6’s !!!  Anyway, I actually set 11 goals, and this finish (which was #5 on the list) makes the 8th of 11.  Not bad, since the goals were meant to be pie-in-the-sky.  Soon we will be linking our 4th quarter finishes up to Adrienne on the Windy Side’s linky party in hopes of winning prizes from great sponsors.

In 2016, the Finish Along will have several hosts, because it has grown in popularity. And no wonder - a great motivator to finish things as well as visiting new blogs and seeing great eye candy. This is NOT limited to quilting; embroiderers, crazy quilters and crafters take note.  You can go HERE to read about the 2016 Finish Along.

My next post will be a sort of recap of the year. I hope you’ll be around!

Hugs,

More Rainbows for a Snowy Day - Finished Euroshams

The weather outside is frightful......  it has been snowing virtually non-stop since before dawn. To say it’s a winter wonderland would be apt if it weren’t Monday. Sure glad it’s a day off for Bruce, and that I am happily retired.

But while it may be cold and snowy outside, it is very cheery and bright in our bedroom! OK, minds out of the gutter, please.  I mean my Rainbow Orbs quilt that I finished last week-ish. I have now also finished the two euroshams and the bedskirt.

Alfalfa (and Darla in other picture) OF COURSE had to be part of the action. Anyway, you can see the completed shams. They measure 24x24” and were each made with four 12.5 inch blocks.  The orbs in the quilt were 16” finished (four 8.5” blocks).  The shams have a slip opening in back for easy laundering.

The bedskirt is a small black dot on white (a Riley Blake fabric) that I used to make long strips which were stapled to the box spring. And I also (see picture) fashioned a pleat on each side.  The idea came from a tutorial I saw online somewhere, but after a week I’ve decided the industrial staples are not a permanent solution. I'll have to sew the skirt to a flat sheet (hello, thrift store).

The pillowshams were Goal #3 on my Finish-Along goals for the 4th quarter of the year, which you can see here.  This is the 7th finish out of my 10 goals. I may be able to squeak another one in before the end of the year.

I had to add the picture of Alfie and Darla above. I didn’t notice their expressions until I was editing and enlarging the pictures. It looks like Alfie is saying something and Darla is just rolling her eyes (“WhatEVer”)!

Continuing along....

I still consider myself a very new/green quilter. And this monster quilt (80x96” approx) was a real challenge to quilt on my Bernina home machine.  I started off doing long rows of alternating loops.  After a couple rows, a heart sneaked in and I rather liked it.

So I tried to include hearts in bright color areas where they would show up. Just because. And it’s kinda cool to search for the random hearts now and then.

The backing was a mixture of white on black and black/white fabrics and the gray thread seemed a happy medium although it looks white in the picture below. The picture proves what a novice I am at quilting. I decided to show it, warts and all because although it’s not perfect, it is certainly good enough. And I am improving.

I’ll be back later in the week with a couple Farm Girl blocks to show you. I just need to photograph them first. And this afternoon I am quilting the I Spy quilt I threw together, so that will be something, too.

Until next time,

Rainbow Orbs Finally Finished!!

It is with great personal fanfare (LOL) that I announce the finish of my Rainbow Orbs quilt!  It’s been a year in the making, and I am so thrilled to have finished it.  This is my finish for the 2015 Rainbow Scrap Challenge. It was a blast, and I can hardly wait to start some projects for 2016.

Please excuse the pictures; I just threw it on the bed and did not stage anything.  I am planning to take some formal pictures with closeups of some of the quilting, etc.

There are 30 18” blocks, and the quilt finishes at 80x96”  The batting is Hobbs 80/20, and I quilted it with loopy lines, with occasional hearts interspersed. Again, I will show that, plus the backing, etc. in a future post when we take the formal pix. Oh, and the binding is a black and white strip (Michael Miller Clown Stripe), which was, to me, the perfect choice.

Come and see what others are doing and/or have finished with their scraps this year; join us at So Scrappy for Scrap Happy Saturday!

This finish completes Goal #2 of my 2015 4th Quarter Finish Along goals.

I will be finishing up the Rainbow Orbs shams this week; just need to sew the backs on. They are another of my Finish Along goals for this quarter. As well, I will get the polka dot dust ruffle on and get some final pictures of the ensemble on the bed.

Until next time,

Another Finish and November “Quilt Diet” Results

The last half of November has been crazy for me. You too?  So much preparation for the Holidays (referring to Thanksgiving and Christmas)!   At least my gift sewing is done and I have moved on to other projects. I loved doing the zippy pouches, but the pillowcases were so b.o.r.i.n.g.

Anyway, how about some pictures???

Above are some of the pillowcases I made for stocking stuffers (actually, I guess I could stuff the stockings in THEM). Anyway, I made a total of 17 pillowcases and 20 zip pouches of varying sizes. I have shown some of the pouches before, but the newer ones were cuter. I just didn’t get pictures of them all. In addition, I sewed the two playmats (critters with clothing) for granddaughters and a lingerie case for my DDIL. They have already been shown and counted for my 2015 Finish Along.

But I have another quilty finish from my 4th Quarter Goals for the Finish Along. This is the light-up Christmas wall hanging called Starry Night. It was #10 on my list, but the fifth of my finishes for this quarter.

Yes, I know it looks wonky, but it is even, I promise. It’s just that all the Christmas lights (string of LED lights and battery box on the back side) do not make for an evenly-hanging quilt.

Here is the backside with pocket (bottom) for battery box

It turned out really cute, especially when lit. I do have to add two more holes to accommodate all 20 lights instead of the 18 I did; it will serve to take up some of the light string slack. And next year I will add a rod pocket at the top so we can hang it on a proper rod to move it an inch or two out from the wall.  

I even did some swirly quilting.  With the size of this finishing at 24 x 35” or so, it was a great piece to practice free-motion quilting on.

This final picture shows how you’re advised to stitch around the areas you plan to cut open for light holes. Nothing glamorous, just a small pit stop while you’re FMQ’ing. It doesn’t even show, really.

So that leaves me with 5 more projects to finish by the end of the year, which of course is not going to happen.  However, I will finish Rainbow Orbs. The quilting is 2/3 done, and although I didn’t work on it last week due to Thanksgiving, etc., I will finish it this week. And then the large matching pillow shams are ready to be assembled, so I will be able to check those off for sure. That will bring my total to 7 of the 10 project goals, which is likely where I will end up. But I am thrilled with that.

My farm girl quilt is coming along, but Lori has added several new block patterns this month, so I want to get them in - either into the quilt or on the shams. I have purchased the patterns and pulled the fabrics, so I may get close on those.

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Now, let’s talk about my Fabric Diet, LOL.  You may remember that I have decided to make a concerted effort to reduce my stash.  I decided I would not buy any fabric until 2016, with the exception of some basic Kona solids when the end-of-year clearance sales start.

Well, I  didn’t even make it one month!  There were some great Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, so I did buy about 14 yards of solids. However, in my defense, they were PLANNED purchases, just moved up a month. I bought 4 yards of medium gray (future quilt background), 3 maize (to add to the 1 yard already in my stash to be a background for a future 30’s-style quilt); 3 yards of black and 1 yd dark berry to go into a quilt for DS Shane that we are planning for the second half of 2016, and some red and teal.  Plus I had bought 2 FQs of specialty fabrics for the zip pouches. That is a total of 14.5 yards IN for November.

But the OUT (sewn/sold) story is better.  Here is my tally:

17 Pillowcases = 17 yards
20 zip pouches @ .25 yd each = 5 yards
2 Playmats, backing, fabric clothes = 1.5 yards
Pieced backing for Rainbow Orbs = 6 yards
Fabric gift to DGD (to sew Xmas gift for my cousin) = 2.5 yds
Sold on Etsy (I decided to count these after all) = 10.75
Sewn: Lined Lingerie Case = 1 yd
Christmas Wallhanging (incl binding, pockets) = 1.75 yds
Donation to thrift store (flawed embroidered batiste): 2 yds
Total OUT:  47.5 yds

So, with 47.5 yards out and 14.5 yards in, I had a net stash reduction of 33 yards!!  I did not count any scraps used in the making of Farm Girl blocks (which I will show next post) or the Rainbow Orbs shams. Those are scraps, and scraps generated by my sewing or used in my sewing are not counted.

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So, if you are still awake and with me, LOL, I won’t give such a detailed accounting of fabric ins and outs every month, but it was enlightening for me to do it this month. But I will report my month-end tallies so I can see the progress I am making!!

And one final thing. I have started an I SPY quilt of 5” charm squares from a fabric swap way back in 2012 at the Sewing Summit in Salt Lake City that I attended.  Here it is pinned up on my design wall:

I would like to finish it in December to gift to my DDIL Stacy for her kids (and those she babysits). Maybe a good winter pastime to encourage new words. And naps.  :-)

Until next time!

Finished Zippy Pouches - Do they Multiply in the Dark?

I have been sewing merrily away on Christmas gifts over the last couple weeks. After completing lots of pouches (I lost count because some have already been gifted or used for other things) I thought I should probably snap a picture or two and declare this goal for my 4th Quarter Finish-Along Challenge completed. Item number 6 on that list was to finish six zip pouches (in addition to the three pictured in that list).

So here (above) are a dozen pouches that have been constructed so far. This does not include the ones I used for gifts already or those that are in progress (another six or so).

My son Shane is an artist who likes to paint cityscapes. I thought this fabric was plenty masculine and so constructed a long pouch for him to carry supplies in. Most of the pouches  will be stocking stuffers and will likely have other small gifts tucked inside.

Two of my daughters are getting these sweet pieced pouches of Lori Holt fabrics (Modern Minis). I love the sentiments on them!!

We have baseball fans and hunters and all sorts of other interests within the men and boys of the family, so all interests were covered. If nothing else, I’ll tell them these make great storage cases for cords and rechargers for tech gear when traveling. In addition to the pouches, I have sewn six individual pillowcases for grandkids. Next up I will start on the pairs of pillowcases for the couples. I started these on a whim to use up fabric (I’ll talk about that in a minute) and they are not on my goal list.

So, the zippy pouches become the 4th finish (of 10 goals) for this quarter. My Rainbow Orbs quilt has been backed and basted and I hope to begin quilting it this week.  It is looking as though that will become finish #5 when it happens.

I have decided to go on a “Fabric Diet” for a few months (with the exception of end-of-year sales where I plan to pick up on some solids for backgrounds).  So far in November, I bought two quarter yards of special interest fabrics to finish four pouches. (+1/2 yard), but have already used 9.5 yards in fabric for the gifts and 6 yards to back Rainbow Orbs. I will do a full accounting of my fabric ins and outs at month-end.

Finally, I am listing some older fabrics in my Etsy shop. No, I will not be counting those listings/sales in my Fabric Diet. They were selected for listing weeks (if not months) ago, and I am finally just getting around to doing it.

I will be back later in the week with a post about my bright green blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge November color of the month, and a progress report on the Rainbow Orbs quilt itself.

Enjoy the lovely autumn!

Another One Bites the Dust

LOL..... I always liked that song, especially when driving.  And, dear Kerry, if you are reading this, it always reminds me of you......

Anyway, the title of this post refers to another project from my 4th Quarter Finish-Along List for Adrienne’s 2015 Finish Along.   This finish is #8 on the list, and my third (of ten hopeful) finishes for this quarter.

What is it?  It is a quilted play mat (about the size of a fat quarter). The fabric is called Dress Me Up! and it is from Dear Stella. The link leads to a tutorial. There was the companion fabric that had little clothes printed on it, and that is what I used for both of the sets I made. The first set, shown rolled up in an organza drawstring bag near the top) was completed last quarter and will be a Christmas present for my granddaughter Remington. This second set was my goal for this quarter and will be a Christmas present for my granddaughter London.

In the tutorial, they used scraps of fabrics to make their own clothes for the bunnies, bears, cats, raccoons, etc), but I stuck with the companion fabric. The hardest part of this whole thing was cutting out all those pieces!! And you can see that there are outfits (and shoes and accessories) for both boy and girl characters.

I know I would have loved something like this (out of FABRIC, not paper) when I was a young girl, back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. It would make a great quiet-time activity.

Because this second set is for London, I chose London fabric by Dena Designs for the mat back and binding, as well as the zippy pouch that holds the clothes and the rolled-up mat.  The pouch is lined with Squared Elements from Art Gallery Fabrics.

Yes, I sewed the zippy pouch, but it is part of this set, not part of my goals for my zippy pouches for this quarter.

Both Dress Me Up! play mat sets

I will have another finish to show later this week (or next) of some of the zippy pouches I have made for another Finish-Along goal. I think my goal was to make six, and I am already at 14 and counting..... so I don’t know if I will wait until they are ALL done or if I will show what I have done to date. Still thinking on that.

Until next time,

Black Needlepoint CQ Finished

Another week, another finish! This is a BIG finish for me, because this piece has been on my 2015 Finish-Along list all year. I am so happy that it is done, and am also pleased with how it turned out.

First, for crazy quilters out there, I would ask that you not pin, re-post, or otherwise share pictures of this project, as it will be in a publication early next year.  I am only including one picture to verify (for our FAL peeps) that this item is, indeed, finished.  After the publication next February, I will share more pictures and details. Or maybe just point you to the magazine, LOL.

It looks a bit wonky in this picture, sorry. 

This was the #1 item on my 4th Quarter FAL list, which you can see HERE.  And now I am done with 2 out of 10 for this quarter!  I hope to have another finish later this week.

It was inspired by the vintage needlepoint in the center. The purpose of the colors of the block fabrics and stitching were to harmonize and accentuate the center, not to compete with it. That’s not to say you aren’t supposed to look at it, LOL, but the eye goes to the center first as it should!  It finished at 30” across by 31.5” down.

It is intended as a throw or wall hanging, but I will add a hanging sleeve if/when I sell it in my Etsy shop, depending upon the purchaser’s preferences.

Thanks to Adrianne and all her minions (hehe) for putting together the 2015 Finish-Along, and to the sponsors who provide incentives and prizes!

Pincushions Done; Scratch one off that list!

In my last post, I outlined my ten goals for the 4th quarter of this year. I am participating in Andrea’s 2015 Finish Along and decided there was no time to waste in getting to that list.

Here are my four scrappy pincushions, which were #4 on that list.

Fronts. Can you tell I was trying to use up that black gingham??

Backs: I was also using scraps here.....

So, they are not the cutest pincushions ever created, LOL, but some have vintage buttons (they are going to family for Christmas) and the best thing - THEY ARE DONE!!   One down, nine more items on my list to go........

And here are some blocks that represent progress on my Farm Girl Quilt.  I have another couple to do for the quilt before beginning to piece the top together. But that is OK; I love this process of selecting and making the blocks. Still thinking I need a turkey and an apple core and/or half-cut apple.

Corn and Tomatoes II

Bumblebee. He still needs his antennae embroidered.

Woolly Sheep

And still more progress. I have sewn all 30 blocks (16” each) together on my Rainbow Orbs quilt. Right now it measures 80x96”, and as you can see from the pictures below, it already has the Feline Seal of Approval. That is very important you know.

Rainbow Orbs is resting while I finish my black needlepoint/CQ for a photo shoot. And then I will begin piecing the back for Orbs - you may remember it will be that Hoffman digital cityscape print, with color gradation around it. I am thinking I will bind the whole thing with some black and white stripe; you can never go wrong with a striped binding!  :-)

So, as you see, I have been busy. We are also finalizing our wills and trust with the attorney this week and next, so there is never a dull moment.

OH! I almost forgot! I have been so darn lucky these last couple weeks.  After the Quilt Adoption from a couple posts ago, dear Cynthia Brunz of Quilting is More Fun Than Housework notified me that I had won a pair of Gingher 9” scissors she was giving away for participating. Then, one morning last week I got an email from Angela of So Scrappy telling me that I had won the August bundle of hand-dyed fabrics from Vickie Welsh. An indigo bundle! (check out her amazing hand-dyed fabrics!!).  As if that was not enough, that very afternoon, I got a private message on my iPad from Meg Cox, Editor of Quilt Journalist Tells All and the President of the Quilt Alliance; I had won her monthly newsletter drawing. My prizes? A copy of the newly-released Spoonflower Handbook and a six-month subscription to Creative Bug.  I am just totally beside myself!!

Thanks to all the wonderful people I mentioned in the paragraph above! I linked to everyone so you could check out their wonderful services and products. The world of quilts and the people in it are just amazing.

So what I am going to do now?? QUICK!! I am going to buy a lottery ticket and enter Missouri Star’s birthday bash giveaway....  (just kidding; I will give you all a chance.......)

Hugs,

Quarter Four Goals for 2015 Finish-Along

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry over the list I have prepared for myself of Things to Finish for the fourth quarter of this year.  But Adrianne has encouraged us by reminding us that there is no punishment for not finishing them! It is just a guideline or roadmap. So, maybe if I list more I will be more productive.  Last quarter I had 5 goals and finished 3 of them.  In my own defense, however, I had several other finishes that were not on my list. PLUS one of the projects was was totally written off and given away as an orphan for someone else to love.

But, my creative juices are flowing, and I am nearing the end of completing the two major quilts that I have been working on for the majority of the year. So, without further ado, here we go.


1.  Black needlepoint and crazy patch quilt. OK, I saw you roll your eyes! Yes, it has been on my list all year. Every. Single. Quarter. But I will tell you why I am going to finish it this quarter. Because I have a deadline. And no excuses (like “it’s summer - too hot to work on black and wool!"). The stitching is done and the top is sewn together.  The batting and back are all ready to go. A couple hours and it could be done. And so it will be, before the weather turns and I lose all opportunity of taking decent pictures outdoors.


2.  Rainbow Orbs.
I love this baby. It has been an all-year project working with Angela and her Rainbow Scrap Challenge for 2015.  The top is all pieced and mostly sewn together. The picture at the left shows exactly half of the top. The bump under the dark green patch is Darla. Alfalfa is on the nightstand watching her.  The quilt is made up of 30 - 16” blocks.  If it were just a matter of adding a plain backing, quilting and binding, I could finish it next week. But, I am adding a fancy back to make it reversible, and that backing is complicated. It is a Hoffman digital cityscape print (see HERE) and there will be quite a bit of piecing around it to create a gradient of color. I have not yet decided if I should piece those colors in squares, rectangles or crazy-patch.  Regardless, it is still just a part of this one project.

3.  Pillow Shams for Rainbow Orbs Quilt.  We have two large Euro-shams that I will cover with one giant orb each. Bruce has requested red (his favorite color) and mine will be orange and pink, bright. These are separate from my quilt, and therefore I am counting them as such.  :-)

Scrappy Farmgirl Pincushions

4.  Scrappy Pincushions.  These were on my list last time, and I have sewn on them. The problem is I have to put them away for our weekly sewing circle (with my cousins) because the pincushions are for them. Then I forget to take them out..... excuses, excuses. One good hour and they would be sewn, stuffed and embellished.


5.  Helen’s Garden Quilt.  This is another carryover from my last quarter’s list. And I have changed the pattern that I am using for it. the prints are so large that I wanted a pattern that would show them off better. And I want to finish it this quarter, because the only quilt I have for me to snuggle with in the living room is a Christmas Quilt. That is fine for this quarter, but I don’t want to go another year without some variety!  I LOVE this line by Tamara Kate (called Helen`s Garden, after her mother) because my mother was a Helen, too. And that dragonfly print!!!! It will be a happy quilt.

6.  Six Zip Pouches.  I love zip pouches. They are easy, versatile and so useful. I have already made five of them since Labor Day.  Two were sent off to my daughter in Seattle (no picture) and the other three finished ones are in the right part of the picture at right.  But I have AT LEAST six more to make, so this one list item is for six pouches.  Those pincushions above? They are going to be gifted in the zip pouches along with some other goodies, so those are 4 of the six right there.  Isn’t that bird fabric cute? It was a sample from Spoonflower, and that one will be for me. The baseball ones are for guys in the family. We have found the zip pouches to be a handy way to carry along chargers and cords for phones, iPads, tablets, etc when we travel.


7.  FARM GIRL QUILT.
The Farm Girl Quiltalong by Lori Holt started in May and just recently wrapped up (although we are going to keep going on other Farm Girl stitchy pursuits).  I need 49 12” blocks to finish my quilt, and currently have 45 done. I will show my latest blocks in a separate posts.  The final blocks I will do are: bumblebee, hand mixer, another  apple or two, and ??. Anyway. These will be sashed, with cornerstones, which has me doubting my sanity. But there is a first time for everything, and the point of this quilt (besides being fun and making a bed-sized quilt) is to grow and learn.

8.  FARM GIRL PILLOW SHAMS.  Since this will also be a bed quilt, we will once again have pillow shams to consider. This time, they are long (picture king pillows), although I do not have the exact measurements handy. Bruce wants a tractor, and Lori Holt has a great tractor pattern that will fit.  My sham will consist of 2 - 12” blocks; a house and a flower.


Are you still with me??


9.  Doll Dress-up Play Pad and clothes.
There is some cute fabric out there by Dear Stella called Dress Me Up.  Check out the tutorial for a cute play mat (quilted fabric) and clothes here.  As you can see in the picture, I have made one set of these already.  I originally bought enough to make 4 sets, but two sets are going to the young sewers in the family to make as gifts, so the last one, which is my goal #8, is for my granddaughter London. And the fabric on the back will be a lovely pink floral from my stash called, oddly enough, London, by Dena Designs.


10.   Aria bed quilt.

This is a line of fabric from earlier this year called Aria by Benartex (not the blue one). I am in love with it. (PSA: another line of fabric named Aria by Kate Spain will be coming out next year). The pattern will feature big blocks of the multi-colored paisley print, and my plan is for the broken sashing (which is shown in the pattern in white) to instead be done in orange and teal. that may change if it looks bad, but we will see. This should be an easy cut and sew once I get started.


11.  Lighted Christmas Tree Wall Hanging.

This is a kit I purchased last year from Missouri Star Quilt Company and should be a fairly easy sew.  Naturally, I would like this one done by the end of November so I can hang it in December.  I have everything laid out and ready to quilt, which is the first step (unless one adds to it). But this will be hung on an interior door, so I don’t want it too wide.

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So, that’s it. Ten items on my list. Ten doesn’t seem like a very high number, but there is a lot of work involved in each one. Truthfully, I will be pleased if I get 6 or more done.  And now, I am off to get working on one of them.......

Linking up to Adrianne’s blog, On the Windy Side, where we are all setting out our goals for the 4th Quarter Finish-Along.

Until next time,