Thursday, March 15, 2012

Two More UFO's Bite the Dust

The Amish BOM quilt is quilted and the binding is halfway done........ just one short side and half of a long side to go......... it looks a bit better with the quilting...but it's still gonna become my car quilt!

The other UFO is a sewing machine mat with pockets... I got the kit for it almost 3 years ago in Illinois.... took about 90 minutes to make including the quilting... hmmmmm why do I do this? The mat is totally complete... binding is all done too!

The Purdue Quilt is now bound and off the pile........ one table runner is halfway bound......so that leaves 2 more table runners... a snowman wallhanging....a red/white/blue wall hanging... a wallet.......and ummmmmmm hmmmmmmmmmm that might be all! wow

I guess I'd better get going and get that WOB pile up again!

There are pics out on flickr of some of the projects I recently completed.... I have a birthday coming up in april and it's all done already! wow! I have to find some yellow or green for binding for the frog face quilt... its a limey green with yellow and has flying geese in bright orange and fuschia..so I could probably go with a bright orange also....... need to do some stash diggin!

I hope to work on aprils bitty blocks this weekend between basketball games..... NCAA weekend!

I'm doing an Alice in Wonderland Swap.... I have a cool idea for the cheshire cat and i'm doing a black/white plus 1 block... my plus one is a lime green......

if I get those done soon.... I plan on adding 12 birdhouse blocks.... but only after I get the other two sets complete........ I'm trying hard not to take on too much at one time.... I need to work on more UFO"s! However I did join a table top swap.... the first round is a set of 4 napkins...... I can do that pretty easily... I love making napkins!!

also on the to do list for the next 2 weeks is back and bat the feedsack and kitchen window quilts...... and back and bat a set of UFO placemats.... 2 UFO table toppers and a UFO baby quilt............ I have lots of batting.... the backing is a problem sometimes..........

The weather in Indiana has been very spring like........ bordering on summer! It was 68 this morning at 5 am.......... we had temps in the very high 70's almost every day this week too! Can it last?? Is mother nature just messin' with us?? Farmers almanac says snow storms the end of march...... we'll see.........

don't forget to check out the pics. www.flickr.com/sewwunderful

Ok... I guess that's it for now....... til next time......

Lish

Thursday, March 8, 2012

March update

I got quite a bit accomplished over the last few weeks....... I have 2 new quilt tops done and on the ready to be backed and batted pile.......these are the Kitchen Window quilt and the feed sack quilt.... the feed sack quilt is made all from scraps....... no yardage was harmed in the making of that quilt!

On the to be quilted pile are two UFO's.... one is a frog throw.... big happy frog faces and the other is a UFO from eons' ago.......... near as I can figure... it has to be circa 2004ish......... it was an amish block of the month...... and I added two sunbonnet sues in the middle........ when I look at the construction it makes me itch! lol puckers... pleats... wonkiness.... I considered trashing it.... but then decided to do it up anyway.... it shows how far I've come in the world of quilting....

The binding pile is reducing nicely.... The Island Chain is done... The 30's BOM UFO is done...the Trip Around the World is done....the itty bitty Twister is done.......that leaves table runners and the Purdue Baby Quilt...and a small wall hanging left to do!! Guess I need to get busy and build it back up!!

All of my mug mats are bound and ready to be packed up for mailing... my FLQS swap is done and just needs a label...then it also is ready for mailing and so are my March Landscape Bitty blocks........ that should keep the post office going for another month or two! lol

There are a few new pics out on flickr of the more recent goodies........and there are few things on deck that I hope to complete this week.

Have a wonderful week.....
Til Next time....
Quilt On!!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Still Moving Along........

The hand mitts are done and pics are on flickr. The 30's BOM from 2010 is now quilted and bound and on the WOB pile. A Purdue Quilt from 2 summers ago is finally bound and on the pile also...........

I've really been concentrating on completing what I've started and also finishing up the vast assortment of UFO's that I have. I have to get the Feed Sack Quilt backed and batted....and decide on my next stash quilt...... I've been contemplating do the Kitchen Window Quilt by Elizabeth Hartman or one by Terri Atkinson... Urban Cabin.... both of these lend themselves well to using up stash and large scraps.......I'm also thinking about doing a throw size Feng Shui by Blue Underground.......

I want to do another one or two UFO's before I cut the next current quilt though.

I still need to finish up the white lacey scarf in the knitting UFO box......which is actually the ONLY knitting UFO at the moment....... I found a nice cowl pattern that I want to try and maybe use for xmas presents for some of the family... it doesn't look like it will take long.......but do I start before or after that darn scarf ... lol I'm betting before!

The weather is getting nice......warming up with bits of sunshine... I'm loving it!! maybe soon I can sit on the deck and sew and watch the silly squirrels run around playing.........

I guess that's it for this update........

be sure to check www.flickr.com/sewwunderful for pictures

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Moving Right Along

NOw that my infection is gone and my bout of flu is done I've got my energy back and I'm feeling great! I didn't realize how bad I felt until I got better! lol I started another quilt throw this past weekend... it's the Feed Sack Quilt from the Scrapbasket Surprises book. I used up scraps of my 30's fabric. I didn't have to cut into even one fat quarter... I had plenty of leftover pieces to make the 20 blocks required for the top. The center squares are an off white with a small small small print... 4 in pale yellow and 16 in pale green...yellow will be the corners at this time all 20 blocks have been made and are awaiting layout. Each block has twelve fabrics plus the center and non of the blocks have duplicate fabrics in the same block! wooo hoooo! Had to do some shuffeling down towards the end but it all worked out!

The skinny table runner and the yellow table mat are now complete and off the binding pile... still on the WOB pile are two placemats... one wallhanging...the tiny twister mat.. the Island Chain Quilt... a wallet... and the Trip Around the World Quilt....

The fingerless mitts are coming along.... both hands are done and all that's left are the thumbs........ i'm hoping to complete them this weekend.

The weather has been varying greatly.... 60 one day.... 22 the next... rain.. snow... major fog... you name it we've had it within the last week... geeeze I love Indiana! lol

The table runners are up next to be quilted... have to find some bindings for them... after the Feed Sack Quilt is done I plan to finish up two UFO quilts... one will be the Purdue throw from 2011 and the other the 30's BOM ...from 2010

The next knitting UFO will be the white lacy scarf from 2010... it's about 1/2 way done ... I'll work on that after the mitts are complete.........

So that's about it for now....... next update I hope will bring more completions and maybe even an empty WOB pile ( but I doubt that) lol

Til then
Stitch Happy!

Friday, February 3, 2012

Happy February!

The groundhogs saw their shadows so it's 6 more weeks of winter... but if the next 6 weeks are going to be like the last 6 weeks.... i'll take it!! temps in the 50's and 60s' cold in the morning... sunny and crisp in the afternoon... oh yes!!!

I finished quilting the Island Chain Quilt... it's not ready for trimming and binding along with the trip around the world quilt........

Three more UFO's have advanced.... 3 table runners that were cut last summer have been pieced... backed and batted and are up for quilting....... one thing about trying to piece stuff that was cut a long time ago.... apparently I did some adjusting... but didn't note it... and one has some extra pieces so I don't know what I was thinking when I cut it out... unless they were just extras incase I screwed up... dunno.... but I'll have three new table runners soon.......

So far I'm staying on track.... totally completing what I start new....... and filling in with UFO's....... I've been using up stash and had batting pieces in the batting bag that worked fine for the runners.......

I got a new sewing machine which is wonderful! A Janome 6600.... what a dream! The accufeed foot is incredible! I did some of the quilting on the Island Chain with it and it just rocks!!! I also did freemotion on two more fat quarter sandwiches and that is really nice also! It has a big table that comes with it but I haven't used that yet.......maybe on the smaller stuff......

I've got 4 pennie pockets ( from Moda Bake Shop and Happie Zombie) cut and ready to sew up.......and I'll make a few more humbug bags and tissue covers from the now quilted fat quarter sandwiches.... they aren't really UFO's.... they just needed to be quilted so I can proceed with some other projects.

I think I'm finally healthy again too! It took 4 rounds of increasingly stronger antibiotics over 3 months to knock out a UTI.... then I got a case of intestinal flu...what a joy that was.......but now I think I'm finally over it all! Energy is coming back and I'm feeling fine!

On the knitting front I'm working on a pair of fingerless mitts.... I have one mitt almost completed.. just need to finish the top ribbing and pickup and knit the thumb... I'm using leftover yarn from the first pair of socks I did last year... the next set of mitts will use some pretty yarn from my stash... if I can find my angora I'd like to add a bit of that in with it also..... I have one UFO scarf on the needles that needs to be done... perhaps after this pair of mitts is completed... we'll see......

I did one really challenging project this past month... I have a pattern called Itty Bitty Primitive .... it's one of the twister patterns... I started with 81 2 1/2" squares... 9 x 9 then added a 2" border....... then you take this itty bitty 1 1/2" square tool... and line up the lines and cut out pieces... then resew these pieces back together....... you have to use a small rotary cutter.....and trust me... if you put in a new blade... you will bleed! 4 bandaids later I had this thing put together....it is now a 10" square........ made up of 100 1" blocks..... there wasn't near enough contrast in the blocks that I used... it looks ok... but not like I would have hoped... but I seriously doubt there will be another one! geeeze... lol but it's done...and quilted and on the WOB pile......

Pictures of everything.. except the mitts.... are out on flickr...... I hope to have more progress this weekend and more pictures up....

Have a wonderful week!

Lish

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Happy January!

January is more than half gone already! Wow! We've had a bit of snow.... a lot of warm 50's weather...and a kickass hail storm the other nite! I love Indiana! lol

So far for this year I've made the Island Chain quilt...... it's halfway quilted right now and I hope to be able to finish it and get the binding on this weekend....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewwunderful/6663114483/in/photostream

I also made a Trip Around the World Throw with some fabrics I received for christmas...that one is quilted and on the WOB pile

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewwunderful/6704755287/in/photostream

Two UFO's have been completed... a set of Pine tree placemats and a set of Criss Cross Coasters........
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewwunderful/6704694295/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewwunderful/6663114625/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewwunderful/6663114419/in/photostream


Samples made for Classes this quarter......... another Flip Pillow for a March Class... a Petite Quilters Wallet for a February class and 2 Shooting Star table mats for a class this saturday..... The wallet needs it's binding stitched down...as does the tablemats... they'll be done tonite and the wallet finished this weekend also......

I also made small friendship bag tote and teeny key chain totes for the goals for January for 25Weeks til Christmas group

All the goodies except the wallet can be seen on the flickr site....
www.flickr.com/sewwunderful

So far I've been sticking to the finish all new starts and do up the UFO's resolution I made this year....... the toughest thing is the completions... I love starting new stuff ( which is obvious by my UFO box) and I hate the finishing details ( also obvious by the UFO box) but I'm determined to stick to it as best I can!

More updates to come.... so stay tuned!!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Happy New Year ( almost)

Just a few more days and the new year will be here... bringing new goals... new ideas...and new creativity.

I've decided that my Goals for 2012 will be:

Finish up ALL the UFO's that are laying around.... this includes quilted...sewn.. knitted..crocheted and embroidered........

Organize the sewing pit........ so maybe it won't resemble a pit so much

And for the first 6 months of the year.... concentrate on ME! I have ideas for several throws I want to make for ME........a new shower curtain for MY bathroom....knit slippers for MY feet..... you get the idea.......

Dear Jane and Farmers Wife Samplers will get a few more blocks added to them.... The Hobo Quilt will get a few blocks made and I'll do a couple more Civil War blocks....

I will shop my stash before I shop the stores......and the scraps that have once again accumulated will be reduced to crumbs!

If you figure that there are 1,584 square inches to a yard of fabric.... and that fabric costs anywhere from 6 to 12 dollars a yard... one square in of fabric equals a penny....... now that doesn't sound like much.... BUT..... a 2 1/2" square equates to about 6 cents....... a 3 x 5 scrap is worth 15 cents... a fat 1/8th is about 1.89.... so using up those scraps is a definite money saver!! Lots of projects can be made from these precious little bundles.... now personally, I don't save anything under a 2 1/2" square.... small crumbs and bits go into a 12 x 12 muslin bag along with snips and trims and when full... it gets sewn shut and sent to the animal shelter to be used as a comfort pillow for the strays.......

So there you have it....... last year I completed 13 ufo's........ we'll see what's in the box to be finished up this year.........

Progress will be posted........weekly.... perhaps..... maybe every other week.... pictures will be taken and put here and on flickr....... ideas will be gathered...and creativity will blossom!!!!

All in all it will be a good year!

Be safe... be warm... be healthy... be happy.... have a wonderful 2012