Slow Stitching Sunday

Mr. Wonderful and I decided to take an impromptu trip to visit my parents. You know what that means, slow stitching in the car! I just might get my January goal for Brinton Hall done sooner rather than later! The first corner is done and I might get the second one done before the end of the day.  

 
Hexies are such a great project for the car. We stopped at a fun little shop and I picked up these FQs. I’ve already prepared some hexies with them!

 
I especially like this one with presidents on it. 

 
We are also enjoying some lovely views through the Upper Peninsula. 

  
 God sure paints a magnificent sky!
 

Linking up with Kathy’s Quilts

Posted in Brinton Hall, Hand piecing, Hexagons | 12 Comments

2015 UFO Review

Last January, I posted a list of UFOs that I found in my sewing room. It was not all inclusive, I found  a few more throughout the year. But it was a list of UFOs that I wanted to eventually finish. I did want to take time to look at this list and see how I did before creating a new list for this year.

1. My envelope blocks.

/home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/003/5689332/files/2015/01/img_1710.jpg

Done! And sold in the local Habitat for Humanity Quilt Auction.

IMG_9710

2. My Metropolitan Fair churn dash. /home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/003/5689332/files/2015/01/img_1706.jpg

Still not done! I did add the borders but the quilting has me stumped. I need to give myself a deadline for this!

3. Log Cabin blocks./home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/003/5689332/files/2015/01/img_1705.jpg

Done!

 IMG_3204

4. My Shenandoah sawtooth stars./home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/003/5689332/files/2015/01/img_1711.jpg

The blocks are now all done. Finally! But sadly, it is still a UFO.

5. This has been a UFO for longer than I can remember. I put it on one of my lists to finish last year and it didn’t happen. Sigh./home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/003/5689332/files/2015/01/img_1712.jpg

Done! I will share finish pics soon.

 6. This isn’t really my UFO. These are blocks that were signed at Daughter #2’s wedding in 2013. /home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/003/5689332/files/2015/01/img_1713.jpg

Done!  I finished this and gave it to Daughter #1 for her birthday this year.IMG_3309

7. The more I worked on these album blocks, the less I liked them. I need to make something and get them out of my life. Done! Or perhaps I should say GONE! I passed these off on a bloggy friend, Kathy. So they are off my list!/home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/003/5689332/files/2015/01/img_1714.jpg

8. This is another very long standing UFO. The prints were purchased in Amsterdam in 1998! I started piecing this not long after. I have a very limited supply of these fabrics and have never been able to figure out where to go from here. It is too long and narrow. I am loathe to take this apart but it might be the only answer. Not done. I haven’t even touched this./home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/003/5689332/files/2015/01/img_1716.jpg

9. Another hexie hand pieced project. I have worked on this in fits and spurts over the last year or so. I have been stopped by the fact that I feel it needs an infusion of new scraps. Not done, although I have made some progress on this. Now it looks like this:IMG_2839

10. A little black and white project that I set aside because it was so darn tedious! Maybe I will get back to this. Not done. Although, I have a reason for not finishing this. I hope to get back to it this year and when I do, you will understand why I was hesitant to move ahead with it. How’s that for cryptic?/home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/003/5689332/files/2015/01/img_1718.jpg

11. Hmmmm….a wee little challenge that I initiated with an online friend. Back in October….or maybe September…. Done!/home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/003/5689332/files/2015/01/img_1717.jpg

And here it is:IMG_2484

12. Calendar blocks from 2010. This too was on a UFO list to finish last year. Done!/home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/003/5689332/files/2015/01/img_1719.jpg

Here is the finish:IMG_4935

13. Pumpkin seed blocks that I appliqued while traveling last summer. The idea was that I would eventually use these in a medallion quilt. Not done. Still marinating in the cupboard./home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/003/5689332/files/2015/01/img_1720.jpg

14. Dear, dear Jane….I started these blocks in 2009 I believe……/home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/003/5689332/files/2015/01/img_1721.jpg

…..turned into Calamity Jane…. But she is done! 

  

15. These gorgeous blocks were gifted to me by a bloggy friend last year. I haven’t forgotten them, Jan! They will become a quilt for ME this year. They are not all the same size, not even close. So that is likely why the original maker never finished the quilt. I want to take a weeks vacation and do nothing but work on these. Sigh. Not done. /home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/003/5689332/files/2015/01/img_1722.jpg

16. I hand pieced these blocks sometime after we moved back from France, which was 15 years ago. They would make a lovely baby quilt for a little girl. Not done./home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/003/5689332/files/2015/01/img_1723.jpg

So out of 16 items on this list, I was able to cross off 8. Without this list, some of those would not have gotten done. So I would say, not bad. But I hope to do better next  year. Time to create a new list. Undoubtedly, some items will look familiar! But that is another blog post.

Thanks for sharing the journey with me. I enjoy blogging and it is gratifying to know that so many of you enjoy following my quilty adventures.

Posted in Finishes, UFOs, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Finish It Up Friday ~ Calamity Jane!

I finished her off!

  
It is with great relief that I present to you, Calamity Jane. 

 
Her piecing is humble. 

 
  
Her quilting is simple. 

   
And she did not want to cooperate for pictures. 

 
Rebellious child.

Lining up with Crazy Mom QuiltsConfessions of a Fabric AddictQuokka Quilts

Posted in Finishes, Uncategorized | 20 Comments

December/January Goals

The end of the year seems to be the time to look back and count things up! But this post is just about my monthly goals and to see how well I followed through on my lists. Here is the list of goals I had set for December.

  1. Dear Jane…. turned into Calamity Jane.IMG_1721

But the quilt got done! Hooray! I will show finished pictures tomorrow.

2. Quilt the last 4 QOV tops that I have here. Done!

3. Border and quilt a panel that I purchased last summer. Done!IMG_6347

4. Make one more baby quilt. Done! In fact, I made two!img_0671 img_0667

5. And I really do want to get that pink and green one done. img_0222I’m so close that I might get it done tonight! Stay tuned!

And what else did I finish? My quilt for the SQT challenge.IMG_6144

And those curtains that confounded me for so long!IMG_1673

I also quilted one customer quilt and did some machine embroidery work for another.

And now for January.

  1. I want to get two corners completed on my Brinton Hall quilt.IMG_5665
  2. Quilt any QOVs that come in.
  3. Revamp my UFO list and finish two items off my the list.
  4. I  want to make/gift a throw quilt to a special friend that I met through my job at the library. I actually started piecing some blocks this week that might work for this. I will share those next week.
  5. Start on a second throw quilt for another friend who is going through some tough stuff right now.
  6. Deep clean my sewing room!

Do you have any goals set for this month? In the past, I have set January aside to work on quilts for me. This year, my focus will be mostly on quilts for others.

Have a great day!

 

Posted in Finishes, Goals, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

WIP Wednesday

I finally started quilting my Morning Star UFO. I used green thread for the piano key border. I’m having a hard time keeping this straight and even. Hopefully it won’t show much!


I am also using the green for the feathered wreathes in the block centers.  As you may recall, these centers were too poofy due to some poor piecing on my part. To combat this, I decided to quilt this with two layers of batting. I have my last bit of Warm and Toasty 100% cotton on the bottom and a layer of low loft Pellon poly on the top.

 Not real happy with these either, but we will move along! I am using cream Glide thread on the rest of the quilt. Here are the feathers in the background.

  They don’t match real well in the corners!
This is how I am quilting the star points.  I think this quilting is my favorite bit so far.



I have quite a way to go, but I still hope to finish this by the end of the year.


Linking up with Sew Fresh Quilts

Posted in Free Motion Quilting, Machine quilting, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

A Crafty Christmas!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I had scheduled several posts ahead for last weekend and I am just now getting back to writing new posts. My daughters are mighty crafty girls and I wanted to show you some of their wonderful creations today. I mentioned before having craft days with my girls. On one of our craft days recently, Daughter #3 made these adorable pillows.

She used her Cricut to make a freezer paper stencil to make this pillow top and filled it in with fabric paint.

She also made this adorable garland for her fireplace with help from Daughter #1 during one of our craft days.

Daughter #2 out in Arizona is very crafty too! She made hubby and I this incredible sign and gave it to us for Christmas.

Isn’t it adorable? The grand dogs on either end are her babies.

Daughter #1 is very crafty too, but she has been a bit busy with the new baby. She gave me these beautiful fat quarter bundles for Christmas. My first Cotton and Steel, love the colors!

And this Tina Givens bundle has some very interesting prints!

Daughter #3’s boyfriend gave me this quilt puzzle for Christmas. I’m so glad he joined the family, he will do puzzles with me and Daughter #3 even helps when he is here!

Mr. Wonderful gave me a new iPad, a useful gift for all my crafting for sure! I’ve had a mini for a while but I love the bigger screen and that I have more storage for pictures. It is how I do most of my blogging as well.

I am blessed, not just with gifts, but with kids that I can be crafty with and family that get me! I hope your Christmas and time with family was wonderful as well.

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Design Wall Monday ~ Morning Star

I thought I would try to get one more UFO off my list for the year. These blocks have been around for years. I finally completed the top a few months ago and I have been trying to come up with a quilting plan ever since.

But it is hard to come up with a plan when you don’t work at it!  I finally pulled up this picture in my Adobe Ideas app and started to play.
 Yeah, I know my last feather episode was a total disaster. But I am going to try again. And I think this might work. The blocks themselves will be challenging since they kind of poof out in the center.

I cut a piece of paper to fit this space so I could make a template for the feather spine.  Once that is marked on the quilt top, I will freehand the feathers themselves. I think I will do a simple piano key border since the fabric there is so busy.

I found some old fabric for the backing that matches well. This stuff has aged enough. It is probably from the early 90s!

 And just to force myself to move forward with this, I even pieced the backing and loaded it on the frame. Now I can’t quilt anything else until this is done.

 Linking up with Patchwork Times, Cooking Up Quilts, Em’s Scrapbag

Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Best of 2015

Cheryl over at Meadow Mist Designs is hosting a linky party for bloggers to share their “Best of 2015” posts. “Best of” can be defined anyway you like! It can be your favorite quilts, most popular posts etc.

Here are my favorite posts from this past year:

  1. Scrap Management  was published in July as a guest post for Cyndi of  Quilting is More Fun than Housework. FullSizeRender (10)
  2. My Frankenbatting post was surprisingly popular so I wrote a follow up post to show you how I created it. IMG_2966
  3. My Fiesta quilt, made for Daughter #1, was one of my favorite quilts this year. IMG_2363
  4. Another finish I was most happy about this year was my little log cabin quilt that was so long in the making. IMG_3204
  5. The last quilt I chose was a favorite of mine because I really pushed myself into some quilting that I wasn’t at all sure I could pull off! My Little Sister Quilt had me using templates for curved crosshatch and bump back feathers. I proved to myself I could do it!IMG_3851

What are your favorite accomplishments from 2015?

Please visit Meadow Mist Designs to see other favorites from this past year.

Posted in Uncategorized | 17 Comments

Another Small Finish

This was a quick little boy quilt that I put together last week.

I purchased this panel last summer in Phoenix. Last week I added the yellow borders and quilted it. The quilting is not precision work! I started using a ruler and the extended base on my machine. However,  the backing I chose created too much drag in combination with the ruler base.  So I decided to just freehand everything. I roughly quilted around the vehicles and added some contour lines into the landscape.

For the backing, I purchased a fuzzy throw blanket at a local discount store for $7.99. It is extremely soft and probably a third of the cost had I purchased yardage. You can see it has some color variation in it. I’m good with that.

Yes, it is every bit as soft as it looks! You have to be very careful not to over stretch the backing when working with this stuff. I was not entirely successful in that but I imagine most little boys won’t care! I used a low loft poly batting and Glide thread.

I had a lot less trouble with the quilting on this than on the Spider-Man quilt I did last summer with the same type of backing. I still don’t love working with it though! I would want to do a few more practice pieces with this before I would use it with a quilt top I was in love with.

 

 

Posted in Baby Quilts, Finishes, Machine quilting, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Merry Christmas

 Hope of all hopes, dream of our dreams,
    a child is born, sweet-breathed; a son is given to us: a living gift.
And even now, with tiny features and dewy hair, He is great.
    The power of leadership, and the weight of authority, will rest on His shoulders.
His name? His name we’ll know in many ways—
    He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Dear Father everlasting, ever-present never-failing,
    Master of Wholeness, Prince of Peace.
His leadership will bring such prosperity as you’ve never seen before—
    sustainable peace for all time.
This child: God’s promise to David—a throne forever, among us,
    to restore sound leadership that cannot be perverted or shaken.
He will ensure justice without fail and absolute equity. Always.
    The intense passion of the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies,
    will carry this to completion

Isaiah 9:6-7 The Voice

 

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments