February Checkin

We're to the middle of February now and it appears springtime is hanging around central Indiana... of course the southern portions are still having quilt a nasty winter...and the north is also up to it's armpits in snow and cold.. .but here the middle we're nice and cozy...............  but shhhhhhhh  don't tell mother nature!  lol

My guild challenge was number 6 on the UFO list... I had to make bindings for the first 5 quilts on my UFO list....  I managed to find suitable fabric and got all of my binding done...   they are rolled on tissue tubes and ready for the quilts to be quilted......... I made bindings for the Tokyo Subway... Giant Postage Stamp.... Neon Geese... Batik Mini Braid and Glitter Card Trick.......and my Turning 12. 

I finished my black and gold wall runner and it's now hanging on the wall in my office...........  it looks wonderful!!!   I found my state of indiana pattern and i'm contemplating doing that also.....  it's a series actually for the Big Ten teams...so there is a state for each... done in the team colors with a gold square marking the city of the team......... it's pretty cool and doens't look to daunting.... appears to be a lot of strata's....

My goal for Weekerville this month is zipper pouches.  I have 5 or 6 cut and started... need to do the zippers now... its a free pattern from Thimbleanna and I just love it!  I have one for quite awhile now that holds all I need for a day trip and it fits in my back pocket!  I've even put a tube of lip balm in it and there's a small emery board as well as drivers license... ID... debit card... credit card...and a host of those little keyring size rewards cards.........  there's a bit of cash in there too...   it also has an elasticized pocket on the back for cell phone... or receipts etc.........  i hope to complete those this weekend....  also up on the list are sock sacks... I need more of those for my stash.........as well as microwave bowl potholders... those two things just seems to fly out of the gift box rather quickly!

My swaps are all done for february and in the mail............ so I'm really all set for this month!  Perhaps I"ll work on an extra UFO or two..........I have 4 finishes so far this month... not counting the bindings.....
I'd like to sneak at least one more in there before the end of the month

I'm off friday afternoon and the hubster is gone til saturday nite... so who knows what I can get accomplished.   My february UFO for Weekerville is to finish the christmas dishcloth I started.... I think it's a candy cane... but I don't remember... I'm hoping the instructions are still with the yarn and needles!  lol...  it shouldn't take too long to finish that up... if I remember it's got about 20 rows or so done and I think there are maybe 60?  not sure....  first I have to find it!

The link to the bindings is here      http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewwunderful/8458845583/in/photostream
The link to the christmas mat is here   http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewwunderful/8420147497/in/set-72157632563012200 and you can get to the halloween mat by just clicking on the small pic of it to the left

Here's the link to the wall runner    http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewwunderful/8454520700/in/photostream

and the knitting case    http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewwunderful/8431747449/in/photostream/

Have a great Valentines day!!!

Lish

January Wrap Up

Hard to believe January is just about gone.... it's also hard to believe that two days ago the temperature was 60 and this morning.... just 48 hours later it's 16!! What's with that? .... gotta love Indiana weather lol Two more UFO's bit the dust last week.... my Halloween Table mat is now on the WOB pile and a small christmas mat that was folded up inside the halloween mat is on the WOB pile also......... so that's 4 UFO's for January!! I dug out my white scarf knitting project UFO.....it's about 1/2 way done so the plan is to get it finished in february.... I also need to make bindings for 4 quilts that are on the UFO pile.... I'm trying to make the bindings as I finish the quilt top so I have it when I need it........... that will also prevent me from using that fabric for something else! I saw a tiny little case for the interchangeable knitting needles.... 25.00?? I think not....... so with a picture and some dimensions I whipped one up last nite... it's perfect! lol Pics are on flickr......... Both of my swaps that are for february/march mailing are done!!! I'll get them boxed up and off to the post office next week. One is just two states away so that will go quickly..the other is going to the UK........so I'm guessing about a week or so for that one... but who knows these days with the postal system! Pics of both the fabric bucket and the friendship bag are on flickr.......... The hubster and I are going away for a short weekend vacay so I won't see the sewing pit much this weekend.... but since everything is pretty much under control.... it's ok!! When I get back I'll pull out two UFO's to work on for February...and cut some pieces for my office wall runner... I've finally decided on a block pattern! I think it will be really nice! There really isn't much else going on right now......... I'm sure things will pick up as the months go by and I find more things that I just have to make! lol I plan on keeping with the ** finish it up** goal this year to eliminate more ufo's being added to the pile......... so hopefully that will work out just fine....... So til next time!! Happy Sewing

Two UFO's bite the dust

January 1st I spent the day sewing.......... I completed the barn paper piecing and it's now complete and ready for hanging...... I then started working on blocks to finish my Tokyo subway quilt top.... I did several blocks over January 1st and 2nd.......and then worked on them each nite after work. It took me about an hour per block. This weekend I finished all the blocks and put it all together............ wow!! It's pretty cool if I do say so myself lol you can see it here http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewwunderful/8355172082/ and the Barn PP project is there also The Tokyo subway quilt top is 1600 pieces... 25 blocks with 64 squares per block... it took me about 27 hours not counting the time it took me to get all the various colors cut.....that was about another 3 or 4 hours if I remember right..........my quilt is 60 x 60. It doesn't matter what size you make the quilt... it's still 1600 pieces... it's just the size of the square that changes to make it larger or smaller....... So I think I'm doing pretty good so far.... 2 ufo's done and it's only the 6th of January. I'll quilt the top later this month... I have bitty block snowmen to do first...and I have a row of flying geese to make for my Row by Row quilt that I'm doing for our guild..........after those two projects I'll get the subway quilt backed and batted.... hopefully I have something here that will work for backing.......... I'm sure it's not going to matter what color I use lol since all of the colors of the rainbow are in there..... I'll do straight line quilting on it since it's pretty much straight line piecing........ Check out the pics on flickr and let me know what you think! Happy January Lish

The First of the New Year

Happy New Year to all!! My wish to everyone is a Happy Safe Productive year. May it be all that you hope for. This year again will focus on my trials and tribulations in the sewing pit..........UFO's WILL BE totally completed this year.... last year 16 were completed and this year I will empty the UFO box......... most of what is in there is about two-4 years old.........and there is NOTHING in there from last year... everything that I started... was finished! YAY ME!!! The flickr site will once again hold all of the project pics and some will be posted here........ I plan to start on a barn paperpiecing that needs to be finished. I need to do a roof... 4 fence pieces...and a silo then I can put it together.... I think the reason this one became a UFO is the fences...they are tiny.......with a lot of fabric changes...so we'll see how that goes today........ The WOB pile has a couple of placemats on it that need binding's stitched down.... should be able to wipe that out this week....... oh wait... this week is almost over... ok...so by next weekend the WOB pile will be empty!! My last project for 2012 was a LazyGirl Designs Mini Miranda...... she's the perfect size for toting my IPAD and a few odds and ends for work......... so... it's off to the pit for some paper piecing time!! later... Lish

It's a Wrap!

As of December 15th... Christmas 2012 is done... all sewn... wrapped...bagged and tagged and ready to be put on the chair ( we don't have a tree... the cats climb it) So now I have time to play........... so UFO # 15 gets completed and is now on the WOB pile......... the black and gold skinny runner is now complete!! I also had time to play with the PIeced Hexies...... wow! what fun that is! The Book is called Pieced Hexies and the author is coming to our Quilt Guild in January so I thought I'd get the book and play...... what fun!!!! You make pieced blocks and then do your EPP hexies with pieced blocks.... there are pics of the first two I did........ one is called Spike and the other is called Tumbler

I also had time to make up some of Embroidery Garden's tealight reindeer and santas... the tealight goes thru the nose so it flashes and changes color... too cute!!!

I'm hoping to get another UFO done yet this year........... and then finish them ALL up in 2013. I did really well this year at not creating new ones... at least not in the sewing pit.... the knitting basket, however, is another story! Perhaps I'll work on that pile next year. The WOB pile has quite a bit on it.... some placemats......the skinny runner..... and the Pocket Wall Hanging that will be going to work soon as the binding is sewn...... All in all it's been a good year............ Whatever your reason for the season.... may it be safe and healthy and happy

Sometimes Goals make me crazy!

Ok...so one of the goals for 2012 was to NOT create anymore UFO's.... let me tell you a story............ Yesterday I got the black/gold runner done…. What a flippin’ chore…. I tried doing this at retreat a couple weeks ago…. Couldn't figure out the strips……….. so I stopped…………. I finally got the strips together at home the following week… trying to keep the goal of no UFO’s for this year…………so it was a Quilt as you go deal…. Put down the strip… sew… flip… next strip…sew… flip etc…. well after three tries at that and ripping out all three tries I put it aside………..so yesterday I was determined to meet the goal and do this runner….. this time I decided to just put the top together as normal and then back and bat it…. Ok…. So the directions sucked but by using the pictures I managed…. It’s all done on the diagonal…. So there is a small block that sticks out on one side going one way and the other side going the other way…. Well I got it done………….. yay me!! So now since I have the backing and batting all ready to go….. I put it on …. Get it ironed and pinned! Woooo hooooo………. So I’m looking at how pretty the black… gold… black… gold… black …gold … white…. Gol…utoh………….. shouldn’t be white………. Dang it!!! So three rows up from the bottom…. There is a boo boo………. Now what…. Continue along and pretend I didn’t notice??? Too late… I noticed………. Put it aside for another time??? we know what will happen if I do that………..so I’m looking at this and determine that the strip itself is sewn incorrectly… the last three blocks are reversed! Ok….. so I grab the ripper…. Remove only what I have to so I can get at those three blocks…. Yes... I can hear you gasping.... Unpin only what I need to……again... I hear those gasps... lol...…take the three blocks off…. Reverse them and resew…. Resew the strips together… repin to the batting… voila!!! Done!! And beautimous!!! It’s quilted now and trimmed and ready for the binding… The binding is done .... as is the binding for the 6 placemats I'm quilting.... I have 4 more to do then I can switch feet and sew the binding on the placemats and runner and once again the WOB pile is piled high! lol I've added 4 mug rugs to the pile as well as two christmas placemats..........and 2 christmas skinny runners.. I'm leaving for PA next week so these will go in the truck with me along with the half finished ruffle scarf that go put on hold while I finished up stuff to take back east with me............ hopefully the trip will be productive!

Pics of the placemats and mugrugs are on flickr if you would like to see those too Have a safe and Happy Turkey day... Gobble til you Wobble Lish

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd CUT!!!!

Thanksgiving Christmas goodies are done! Bagged...tagged and boxed!! Woooohooo!!! Next weekend I'll be baking cookies and breads......then when I get back from PA I can finish up what I need for Christmas here in Indiana...... The weather here is soooooooooo strange.... yesterday is was 70 and gorgeous...this morning it was 33 and snow flurbies........ right now it's 37 and it's expected to be back in the fifties by the weekend......... I'm just gonna leave all my clothes out all year long... cuz it seems I need something from each season every week! lol Other than my fantastic finish... I don't have much else to report....... there are pics up on flickr and a few more to be posted....... the binding pile has a bit more on it now.... 4 placemats........2 long skinny table runners and I found a wallet that needed binding done on the bottom of the WOB container........ I will probably take that along in the truck and work on it on the way back east........... I started a ruffled scarf with the net *net* yarn.... so far it's pretty nice... slow going for sure but it will be really nice when it's finished.......... I think it may become a christmas pressie....... Well I really think that's it for now.......... Normal is almost back again soon it will be a new year......... new goals... new challenges...... Have a wonderful Holiday Season..........