February OMG Update

Well it wasn’t the easiest tasks I set for myself this month, but I did finish both of them! The first item was Alex’s winter jacket that the dog decided to snack on the zipper. I finally got the darn thing off and it took 2 afternoons to get the new zipper sewed on. It’s NOT even remotely perfect, however I am not a seamstress, I cannot stand mending, but it perfectly wearable and no one would notice that it’s not aligned properly unless I point it out. Alex is happy and it’s one more thing off my sewing table!

The other item I wanted to get done this month was a secret project, my husband’s t-shirt quilt that I don’t even remember WHEN I started! I’ve had the top done for SO very long and I know that I’ve gifted it to him at least twice already over the years – once for his birthday and then again for Christmas (I think the same year!). I knew he was going to be out of town from Sunday to Thursday and I knew if I worked hard I could get the whole thing quilted and bound before he got back and then I could gift it to him for Valentine’s Day! I’m not 100% happy with the quilting, I just meandered all over it – gray thread in the blocks and black thread in the borders. I had a lot of problems with the t-shirts and puckering, it’s been so long they aren’t sticking to the fusible anymore and moved around a lot while I was quilting. The issues in the border are because the end was in sight and I wanted to get it finished, there’s a lot of eyelashing on the back because I was going way too fast. At some point I might take it out and fix it, but for now he’s able to use it and it’s off my list. One of the reasons I was procrastinating on this quilt was because I don’t like piecing backs. It takes so long to get a piece big enough and I’d rather get to the quilting. I was walking through Pat Catan’s (local craft store) and saw the beer can fabric and knew what I could use it for! This is the brand hubby drinks, so I knew I needed it for his quilt. I even went back and got an extra yard so I could use it for the binding. The patches in the corners were chest images from t-shirts or patches from actual shirts he’s worn. He was so surprised to see it done, and that I had even included those pieces in the corners. I have a gazillion more t-shirts I’ve stashed away over the years and I’ll do more quilts at some point, but right now I’ve got too many things to get completed first!

Linking up to Elm Street Quilts, Crazy Mom Quilts and My Quilt Infatuation.

September OMG Results

It was easier than I thought to finish my projects this month! I decided I needed to practice my FMQ on the table runner and I added some walking foot quilting in other sections. Happy to finally get another item off my todo list. This one has been around since 2008 just waiting to be quilted. I think I originally was going to quilt this on the frame I bought, then I was going to hand quilt it. So, it’s just been sitting here for all these years waiting. Unfortunately I can’t use it on the dining room table right now, which is the intended place for it, due to the dog. She just doesn’t seem to understand she’s not allowed on the table!

So, Sunday I worked on piecing together a backing from a batik I bought when we went to Lolly’s in August (which I’m just now realizing I never posted about!). They had a shelving unit full of batiks already marked with the yardage – and it was on sale for $8 a yard. I bought 2 of the bolts, one of them was this pink batik and almost 6 yards which I knew would be perfect for a backing. Piecing backings is one of the things I do not like about quilting, basting is at the top! So I quickly sewed the backing, got everything taped to the floor in the living room (only place big enough!) and worked on basting while I watched the Browns lose (yet again!). Not only did I get it basted but I started the quilting that night. I’ve been working hard this week and I and hoping to get binding made and machine stitched down today. Since I never got the rugs put back in place Sunday, I need to pull another quilt out and find a backing so I can baste another one. I’m on a roll and want to continue! I’ve bought about 4-5 packages of batting during Craftsy sales so I just need to get backings out.

Linking Elm Street Quilts and NTT.

May OMG Finish

Hexie diamonds back 052517I wasn’t really sure when I set my goal for the month that I’d be able to finish it. I’m beyond thrilled to say I made it! We will be leaving this weekend for a week long trip to my father-in-laws – which is why I didn’t think I’d make this goal. Now the hard part, I think I know how I want to quilt the diamonds but I don’t know what color to use for the quilting. Gray, black, clear, smoke? Luckily it will wait for when we get back from vacation. I’m hoping I’ll have a decision made by then and I can get to work finishing the quilting – I want this quilt on my bed by the end of June!!!
Hexie diamonds front 052517

Linking up to Elm Street QuiltsNTT and Crazy Mom Quilts.

May OMG (April results)

I was cutting it close to finish my April goals, I very quickly got Cassie’s quilt taken care of and hung back up all in the same day! (I say this because the quilt that was taken down in my office for the quilt show last October STILL hasn’t been hung back on the wall – waiting for hubby to help me!)

The second goal I had for April was to make and complete the quilt for my son’s Kindergarten teacher and be able to deliver this week for Teacher Appreciation week. I went to school and had each child draw a picture for the teacher with fabric markers. Then I put it all together, quilted it and was finishing the binding the beginning of this week. I would have been done sooner, if I hadn’t spelled some kids names wrong on the label! My son caught it and so I had to totally redo the label. I’m very happy to say that she loved the quilt! I even got a special note from her today saying thank you again!

Ok, on to May goals! I feel like the month is already over and it’s only been a week! I’m hoping that I will be able to have all of the black areas quilted on my hexie diamonds quilt. Since I took the Mario quilt off our bed and moved it to the trailer I don’t have anything for our bed right now. The picture is from March when I pinned it, it’s currently balled up on my sewing table since I needed the room for the teacher quilt. With camping and end of year school tasks, plus a vacation the last week of the month I don’t know what I will accomplish, but I’ve got to try!

Linking up to Elm Street Quilts, Crazy Mom Quilts and My Quilt Infatuation.

First Finish of 2017!

I finally finished something!! I started this a while ago, just playing with my Hunter’s Star die and didn’t know what I was going to do with it. After I finished hand sewing the binding I realized it was just about the right size for the table next to my chair in the living room. First item off my UFO challenge list!

I also managed to finish another Dear Jane EPP block last night after I got the binding finished. It’s a little off, but I think when the papers come out I think it will lie flat.

Linking up to Needle and Thread Thursday.

Time to prep another block and possibly start working on some more quilting!

New Quilt Started

Mario quilt a 033116I really didn’t need a new project, BUT I was listening to a podcast the other day, Katie’s Quilting Corner, and she was talking about finishing a Super Mario pixel quilt. I remembered that a few years ago I had bookmarked a website with the patterns and I had started creating them in EQ. So Tuesday I finished my designing, Wednesday was a trip to Joann’s for solid fabrics and last night as I got caught up on The Stitch TV Show I started sewing the first block together. Everything was cut out with my Studio and my 2″ square die (the original pattern calls for 1.5″ squares), I am going to make 9 blocks and they measure about 27″ when put together. The hubby is VERY excited about this quilt and wants it finished as soon as I can get it done. There are 324 squares in each block and they are easy to put together. I webbed the rows as I put it together and then sewed row to row. This quilt is going to end up being almost 100 x 100, and I already told the hubby that it will be going out to be quilted. There’s a few longarmers in the guild that I can see if they have time available to quilt it. I certainly don’t need anything special, an all over design will be just fine.

star block 033116I started to cut out the squares for the next block tonight, I need to cut more background squares and then I can start putting it together. I should have another update soon! Linking up to Needle and Thread Thursday over at My Quilt Infatuation.

New Start

four patch quilt 012116So I finished a quilt this week, that means I can start a new one right? LOL. I have 2 small quilts sitting here basted and ready to be quilted and another that’s been quilted and just needs binding. Do I work on either of those today? Heck no! I start a new quilt that I designed in EQ recently. These are all the 2.5″ squares I need to do the 84 small 4-patches and I need to decide what I’m going to use for the 21 4-patches made from 4.5″ squares. I’m thinking I might use a charm pack I have sitting here, I’ll think about it for a while since I need to finish putting these together first. I pulled 108 white and 108 colored 2.5″ squares from the bins to put these together and would you believe that I had very few duplicates in the colored squares? The whites I don’t have a lot of, but I don’t mind duplicates in those since it’ll be spread out and they are white on white so the texture is all the same. Hoping to get all the small 4 patches done tonight while I watch the Cavs game – after the kids go to bed of course!

I’ve had the embroidery machine going all day stitching out some new lace designs I bought. It’ll be another banner/bunting for my etsy shop that I’d like to get posted tomorrow. The last design is on the machine now – for the fourth time! I think I need the machine needs a tune up, but I’d have to pay to have someone come to the house to do it, I can’t get it out of the room anymore! I need to do some research, maybe I can do it myself.

Linking up to My Quilt Infatuation – Needle and Thread Thursday.

Another finished top!

Hexie Diamonds 123115In June 2012 I finished my first hexagon quilt and started the next one – Hexie Diamonds. It was supposed to be finished in 2013 and used as a quilt for the bed in our trailer – but I worked on it slow and didn’t finish it when I thought I would. In July 2014 I finished the center – all 2,473 hexagons! It’s taken me another 17 months to put the borders on! I’m happy to say it’s now a finished top, not the best picture but the best place to take a picture is the living room floor and the kids have toys all over the place still! With all my top finishes I’m up to 16 that need quilting – so I guess 2016 will be a year of quilting!

Hunters Star 123115My brother-in-law got my name this year and got me The Big Bang Theory Lego set (we love that show!) and the Hunter’s Star Go die. I made one block last night after we got home and I THINK I have enough of the same fabric to make another. I’ll turn it into a table runner if I can find some fabric that matches it. It’ll be cute for Valentine’s Day!

My fabric is on it’s way for Star Crazy, I’m not seeing a tracking number but it’s coming USPS Priority Mail and it’s only a few hours south, so I’m hoping it will be here Saturday. We have no plans for the weekend and I hope to spend as much time as I can in my office sewing!

I hope to be back later and do a year in review post, might not get to it today though we are heading back down to my mother-in-laws to spend time with family before they leave tomorrow.

Linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday.