July Goals

Ugh! Has it really been 3 months since I’ve posted? May was so busy with end of school activities that I don’t even remember doing any sewing. As soon as school was out it was off to California to visit the in-laws, then another trip to Virginia for more family visits. Here it is already in July and we are home for 2 weeks before another camping trip. I’m really hoping it’s enough time to get some things done!

Last month I had plans to join the guild community sewing day, but kids halted that plan in it’s tracks. Alex had a fever and wasn’t going to be going to his Lego Camp so I had to stay home. So at the guild meeting I picked up a kit to make a small quilt for one of our community groups. I’d like to get this finished before our meeting next week.

I have 2 quilts that I need to do for my friend, both are signature quilts that won’t take long to put together, I’ve made at least 4 of them for her in the past, I just need to get moving on them! So this month I want to at least get them cut out and the tops put together. If I get more done great, if not that’s ok I’ve at least gotten some work done on them!

I hope to be doing more sewing, but summer is hard when the kids are here all day or we are gone camping. I’ve slowly been working on my hexie temperature quilt, but I have a LONG way to go on that one!

Linking up to Elm Street Quilts.

April Completions

I really need to start posting more, not just when I complete (or set) my goals for the month! It’s been a crazy month, getting things ready for the end of school year, teacher appreciation gifts, business items that need to be done, the list just goes on and on.

I did manage to finish Good Night Irene, put the last stitches in it last night while the kids started watching a movie. Threw it on them for a photo, then the dog got in the way. πŸ™‚ Needs a good wash and then I can write on the label. Very happy to have this one off my list of to-dos. This was started January of 2014 and was supposed to be a SAL, well little Cassie was born and quilting, heck sewing!, was just not in the cards. Finally finished the top March 28 last year. I have GOT to stop letting these tops sit so long!

The commission quilt that was supposed to be done for May has been changed to May of 2019, so there’s nothing to work on for that anymore. I will probably get it done over the summer, along with the one due in October. The fabric is here and I can work on it when ever I have some free time – HA!

I did also get the 9 designs stitched out for my blue and white quilt for the guild quilt show. Not sure when I’ll finish the blocks or the alternate blocks, but at least I’ve made a little bit of progress on them! Maybe next months goal will to be to cut out all the pieces and start making blocks? We’ll see!!

Linking up to Elm Street Quilts.

April Goals

I would absolutely LOVE to get another quilt finished this month! πŸ™‚ I actually have 2 goals this month, I want to finish my Good Night Irene quilt that I basted last month, and I would like to start working on my blue and white challenge quilt for guild. I have the quilt designed, and I need to stitch out blocks on the embroidery machine.

I also have a commission quilt that I need to have done for next month, but I don’t know an exact due date yet, as soon as the fabric I ordered gets here I’m going to get to work on that too, the top should be done by the end of the month. So many things that need to be done thisΒ  month, but I don’t think there’s a lot going on around here and I might get a lot of time to work on projects this month.

Linking up with Elm Street Quilts.

January OMG Finishes

I really didn’t think I’d finish all 3 projects, but I did! I was planning on putting the table topper in my Etsy shop, but while I was quilting it I saw a bunch of things that bothered me so much I just couldn’t sell it. So now Cassie will get a new blanket for her dolls. I did very simple quilting because it just didn’t need anything detailed.

The fun part was quilting these 2 double wedding ring runners. I quilted 1/4″ in all the sections and that was the easy part. I had to find the right color fabrics for the bindings and then figure out how to make bias binding and apply it. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be, which is good since at some point I’ll need to do it on a Dear Jane quilt with scallops! Mom might be getting one of these runners, I’ve made her things before for her living room with the same fabrics, the Christmas runner is for my living room during the holidays. I started these in July, the Xmas fabric one was made during our guild event Christmas in July and the other I cut out to use as a practice piece. Glad they are done and off my list!

Onto next month’s challenge!

Linking up to Elm Street Quilts.

Happy New Year!

Wow! What a year we’ve had! I so did not get much sewing accomplished this year! Tons of camping, fun with the kids, the oldest is now in Kindergarten, we got a puppy the beginning of December…I could go on and on!

I only made one Christmas present this year, with the help of my sister and kids (just a little) we made our mother a memory quilt. Unfortunately I didn’t take a picture of the finished quilt, I’ll have to try to remember next time I’m at their house. I was working on the binding on Christmas Eve, washed it and wrapped it as soon as it was out of the dryer. So taking a picture totally slipped my mind!

My etsy business is doing ok, I’ve had lots of views of the shop and items, just not many purchases. Only a total of 7 for 2016. I’ve recently created a Facebook page for the business, not sure if that’s helping yet or not. I have 4 commission quilts that need to be done in 2017, the first 2 tops are already done and ready for basting which I hope to be doing tomorrow or Monday.

Our quilt guild is doing a UFO Challenge for 2017 – I’m running it! I have 27 items on my list. I know I don’t have a chance of finishing them all, but I’ll do anything to get that push to finish them. Most of them just need quilted and bound, I just don’t know what I’m waiting for!

I don’t have any other pictures to show in this post, so I’ll just add 2, my little munchkins with Santa and a picture of our new baby, Raven Skye.

Have a wonderful New Year and be safe!!

Update Time!

pattern-hexies-090816Ok, I know it’s been awhile. We’ve been busy around here! Lots of camping in various states, and just this week my baby, Alex, started Kindergarten! I still can’t believe he’s old enough to get on the bus and go to school. Tonight was guild night and I managed to finish the blue diamond and get almost all of the pink one completed. Just need a little bit of white and another one goes into the done bin. We had a speaker tonight who does fusible applique and I just had to buy this pattern. She showed table runners, varying sizes of quilts and even mug rugs using the pattern. Not sure what I’ll make, or when, but I had to have it!

I’m busy trying to get the Mario quilt done, I’m working on the borders and now have 3 of them pieced. Hopefully I can get the last one pieced tomorrow and get them layered and quilted this weekend. I entered it into the quilt show, but that’s only if I can get it completed in time – I have 4 weeks until they have to be turned in and I just might be able to do it!

Hopefully be back soon with another update.

Another Finish!!

Red and White challenge front 121815
Red/White Challenge – Front

We had a red/white quilt challenge at guild and I managed to design, create, quilt, and finish it with a few days to spare!I loved creating this in EQ7 and couldn’t wait to start piecing it. That was the easy part! I knew when I was piecing it that I wanted to do “cross-hatching” through the checkerboard border and 1/4″ inside the seam lines on the center, but I had NO idea what I wanted to do with the quilting on the inner border with the hexies. It sat on my sewing table for a couple of weeks before I realized that my deadline was fast approaching. So I very slowly and carefully stitched in the background around each hexie diamond and flower, and in the center of each one. I added a quilted hexie in between the flowers too. It turned out so much better than I imagined! I haven’t finished very many quilts this year, but this one is definitely one that I am proud of, not only did I design the whole thing, but it the top was made entirely out of fabrics I had in the cupboard. I had to buy the backing which I also used on the binding and I think it sets it off. As I was sitting at my desk today I realized I have the perfect place to hang it – right above my desk! Will have to get something to use for hanging and get it up on the wall soon! The challenge is on-going and I might do another one for our next deadline in July, I have some more ideas floating around my head. Maybe a red work one that I can do on the embroidery machine. We will have all of these challenge quilts hanging in our quilt show next October and I will be entering it into the county fair as well.

Linked to Freemotion by the River.

Red and White challenge detail 121815
Red/White Challenge – Detail
Red and White challenge back 121815
Red/White Challenge – Back

Major Update!

first place 2015 Fairthird place 2015 FairOMG have I been busy lately! I entered some items into our County Fair and of the 3 items I entered I received 2 ribbons! Both were cross stitch pieces that I did a few years ago and was really proud of how well they turned out so decided they need to be entered along with a memory quilt that was made for my grandmother’s 80th birthday. Next year I hope to enter another of the seasonal quilts cross stitch and hopefully one of my hexagon quilts – if I ever finish one!

Fat Quarter Win 092215I enter a lot of giveaways and never win, well I can’t say that anymore! I had entered this one at My Quilt Infatuation and figured I wouldn’t win anything, lo and behold I received an email asking for my address! I love the colors and can’t wait to figure out what to make with the 10 fat quarters. Perhaps a Xmas gift?

I don’t have any pictures because it’s a guild challenge due in December, but I’ve been spending time working on a red/white quilt. The center and first border are done, the blocks for the second border are done and I am working on the applique pieces that go on the first border. Hope to have the top completed soon!

I also finally finished my second commission quilt, from what I hear the family loved it, I took a few pictures of it before I mailed it to my friend but I can’t find them right now. I might need to take them off the DSLR. When I find them I’ll make sure to post again!

Talk soon!

I’m back!

March 21UGH! I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve posted! SO much has been going on around here and I really haven’t had time to work on projects. Cassie turned one in March and yes, mommy made her onesie! I found the design on etsy and stitched it out twice – because the first one I cut the applique wrong and the satin stitch didn’t cover the edges. It was a wonderful party and she looked beautiful!

I started working on the end of school year gifts for Alex’s teachers, both teachers are getting alphabet/number magnets out of felt that are done in the hoop on my embroidery machine. These are pretty quick to do, just need time to work on them! I’ll take pictures when they are done.

In the last 2 months I also created a shop on etsy. I used to have my own website with a shopping cart and never got any hits/business. So I did some thinking and decided that since anything I make on the embroidery machine is custom, and there’s no shortage of items that are decorative that I can do in bulk that I’d create a shop and start filling in items. The listing fee is pretty cheap and are good for like 4 months. Please visit my shop! πŸ™‚ I need to come up with a logo, but I’ve needed that for a long time!

Mondo bag finishedEarlier in the month at guild we had a speaker from a semi-local quilt shop and I bought a pattern for a Mondo Bag by QuiltSmart. I had previously made some Lone Star quilts using their interfacing panels and I really wanted something different for a diaper bag. I wish I had realized how BIG this bag would turn out! It wasn’t too hard once I figured out the instructions, and I do like how it looks. I’m planning on using it as a diaper bag until I can see what size the Midi bags turn out to be. I’m going to get some of those panels once hubby gets paid.

I’m still slowing working on my knitting and my hexies, I’ll have to do some update posts of those soon!

Alex’s Quilt

Alex Quilt 010815So I FINALLY started a quilt for Alex – who is now 4 years old! I have been collecting some fabrics for awhile and at our guild quilt show I let him pick out a fat quarter pack for his quilt. Last week I cut out the 80 pieces out of the prints and now I just need to cut out all the side strips for each print. I cut out a few and sewed them together this afternoon just so I could see some progress! The pattern is one that was a class at our guild that I put into EQ in all the different sizes. I think this will go together quickly, as long as I can get everything cut out and ready to sew when I have time. Alex has now stated that he’s not going to nap in the afternoon anymore, but I’ve told him he has to play quietly in his room if he’s not going to nap. Cassie naps, but not very well, I usually have to nurse her back to sleep. But I think I can do this, I miss it!!

Hexie Insanity 010815In the last week or so I managed to get a few more diamonds completed for my Hexie Insanity quilt. Β I’m now 3.2% completed! πŸ™‚ My numbers changed a little bit because I added in more borders after seeing some finished quilts. Once this is finished it will have over 10,000 hexagons in it!

Guild meeting tonight, and a board meeting, that I now need to attend since I am the “media person” – I took over the newsletter last fall and I do the blog and FaceBook. *sigh* One of these days I’ll learn to say no! πŸ™‚ Oh and did I mention that I’m doing a BOM this year for the guild? LOL, I have some ideas but need to spend some time working on it! First 2 blocks need to be ready for next month!

Hopefully I’ll be back soon with more blocks finished on Alex’s quilt – or a finished top! I need to put borders on my Hexagon Diamonds quilt so I can get it basted and quilted too – it needs to be on the bed in the trailer this year!