Sunday Sewing with Friends

Saturday night, in a really good attempt at procrastination, I packed up my sewing stuff to go sew with my friends on Sunday. I had just woke up from a nap, so I needed to wake up a bit. I didn't really know what I wanted to sew, since I didn't want to work on samples, yet that was what I needed to get done. I settled on some random blocks. I had a Valentine block laid on my ironing board, so decided to sew it before supper. That worked well, I got it all done! It was so cute that I cut out the rest of my scraps and had enough to make one more as well as have backing and binding for 2 mini quilts. Yeah! The fabric will all be used up!  I figured after supper I'd work on my paper for my class. Well, then hubby, MIL, and DD were down in my area after supper, so I cleaned up a bit and reorganized. We put Mikaela to bed at 9 and that was just too late to start writing a research paper right??? SO I cut out and pieced this Waffle Time table runner by Atkinson Designs. It came together so nicely! I worked on some scallops and finished about midnight or a little after! Boy I really procrastinated.

Sunday morning I got up early and worked on the paper for a couple hours before going to my friend Jenn's to sew with a few other friends. We had an awesome time sewing and I finished another Friendship Block. I love how it turned out! It's the 3rd and I believe final one in this colorway, since I'm just about out of pink/brown HST's.

I also pieced this Valentine's table topper/ wall hanging. It's just like the one I made Sat. night. It's from some of my mom's fabric stash, so I'm really excited to get it all used up. I'm actually going to quilt it on my machine with a red metallic. I think it will look awesome. It's about 16" square.

While I was at Jenn's I took a picture of the quilt I made her for Christmas. This is the one I made 4 of for my friends Jenn, Shonna, Emilee, and Gaila.

I just love the embroidery on them and hope to do the other 3 as well before I quilt them.

I also worked on the Crown Royal quilt blocks for my brothers quilt. I'm hoping to have the blocks done, so I can assemble the quilt while at retreat. So far I just have 2 seems in 12 blocks left, which is totally doable in a months time!
Retreat is turning out to be awesome! I'm so excited that I have 10 already signed up with a few more possible. I'm really looking forward to it, since things have changed and I am no longer part of the group I wanted to retreat with.
Looks like it's going to be a good Monday! Mikaela and I are going fabric shopping tonight after work. I can't wait. I'm making gasp..... a scrappy quilt!

Friday Finishes!

This week was really productive for me. I finished the hand sewn binding on this quilt at lunch and we had the baby shower last night for our co-worker Kristen and her daughter Emmaline.

This is really busy, but I just love these fabrics. It makes up so quickly. I had it cut out and pieced in less then 3 hours.

Isn't this the cutest baby cake. I just love the little bloomers and feet!

At the shower, showing the new mom the quilt. She love it, since she has nothing pink. She has a little boy.


Monday I stayed home with a sick little Mikaela, so while she slept I worked on this little wall hanging growth chart for her. I've had it for a while, but just hadn't done anything with it. I love how it turned out.

Last night after putting Mikaela to bed, I set to work to make a couple of these cute blocks. I just love how they turned out and I think I would like them more if they were even scrappier. Ohhh that's a big thing for me to say. I just don't do scrappy, but I do love this block. I had enough to make 2 like this. What should I do with them. I think they are to small for wall hangings, but does 2 look wrong for a tablerunner? They are 16" squares.

After finishing those I set to work to put together another friendship square. I made the one on the right last night and had the other one done. I'm kind of torn which I like better. I have enough fabric/HST's pulled to make one more. Then I'm to the end of my Pink/Brown Buggy Barn fabric. I just love trying these modern blocks and have been really inspired by the HST's. I cut out a Valentine HST table topper last night and hope to work on it this weekend.

I have another paper due for my graduate class this week, so if I get it mostly written, the main part for sure, I'm going to my friend Jenn's to sew on Sunday. Sewing with friends is really better motivation then a midnight deadline, so you know what I'll be doing Sat. night! Hope everyone had a good week. I'd love to know what you think of the HST blocks.

Winding Ways Schlep Bag ~ Quilt Retreat Info

The Winding Ways schlep bag is completed and I can't believe it took me so long to do, seeings as I had it cut out and just had to sew it! It's been lingering since oh, maybe before Christmas some time. I have just a bit of the Jennifer Chiaverini Winding Ways fabric left for a special project, but I wanted to get this made before I made the other project. This literally took me less then 3 hours start to finish, not including cutting time. I didn't use a pattern, just went from memory, so the handles are minus batting, but they still seem to hold up well. I used scraps of 80/20 and I really like the puffiness, without the bulk of this batting.


The inside of the bag coordinates with the winding ways fabric on the outside.

Next up on the project list is a wavy table runner for our last Groovy Girls session. I just love this fabric and can't wait to get it made. I'll be adding a some scallops using the new ruler that is like the prairie points one. Wish me luck, it could get interesting.  This is a group that has met for the last two years, so since the program is ending, we're doing our own thing. It will be a Club Sew format and include lots of tips and techniques around a project idea, starting in March.

I also quilted up a growth chart for Mikaela, but it went together so fast I forgot to take pictures of it. This week has been rather busy, since I taught the Happy Hour class last night. I had 7 great ladies in the class and we had a really good time.
I know my blogging has been sporadic at best, but there just seems to be a lot going on and just not enough time to be on the computer at home. I'm really trying to do WIP Wednesday posts every week so at least I have a chance to catch everyone up on all that is going on in my world. I'm also going to be cutting out the weekly dump of photos of Mikaela. I'll try to do a monthly post of her cutest pictures. She's moving a lot now, so it's hard to get pictures of her.  Thanks to the 80 followers I have and thanks for following along with my crazy life! I hope you enjoy and find inspiration in my various projects, however random they may be. Thanks for all your comments. They inspire me to continue reading blogs and commenting as well. I always enjoy connecting with my readers. I read all my blogs in Google Reader, so if I'm not "following" you, doesn't mean I don't read your blog, it just means I have it in Google reader.

The BIG news right now in my life is a QUILT RETREAT!!! I'm planning a quilting/crafting retreat the first weekend in March at a beautiful hunting lodge near my hometown. I'm super excited and think it will be a great event. I was a little leary at first, hoping friends and readers would want to attend, but so far I have enough to meet the minimum and I'm super stoked! It's going to be an awesome weekend full of fun prizes and lots of different activities, in addition to Sewing On Your Own projects. If anyone is interested in joining a fun bunch of ladies for this awesome quilt retreat, let me know. It's super cheap - the cost is just for the rooms for 2 nights, so I'm hoping the reasonable cost will attract a few more people. I'd love to fill both cabins as well as the lodge rooms. I have an email with all the 411 if you're interested in learning more, let me know.

Okay, that's 2 posts in 1 week... watch out, this could become a habit!
Have an AWESOME day!

WIP Wednesday Week 4 1/25/12

This week was a busy one! I spent a lot of time on homework and not a lot of time on sewing, but still found some time to get to the studio on the weekend. We celebrated Mikaela's 1st Birthday on Sat. night with family and friends. We tried for a nice family picture, but it just wasn't meant to be. This was just before she stuck her foot in the cake and almost lit her foot on file with the candle.

Friday night after everyone went to bed, I loaded this quilt on the frame for my friend Cindy. She is making it for an auction in less than 2 weeks time, so I offered to quilt it for her. It quilted up so nicely! I just love to quilt when they turn out so pretty.

The blocks were quick and easy for her and she's going to put chenille around the borders.

I did a loop de loop all over on it.

She even pieced the backing.

Last night I had all a bit of time to do my own sewing, so I set out to put together this bag. I turned out really cute and I think it will be just the perfect size. I used the winding ways fabric and I was motivated enough to pull out my batik stash that I want to use for a Winding Ways quilt.

Monday I put a growth chart on the frame and quilted it and got the binding on last night, but my computer was being funny, so I hope it works tonight to upload pictures on it. So all in all a productive week!

Finished this week:
Cindy's Quilt
Mikaela's Growth Chart - Pictures next week
Winding Ways Shlep Bag
Charmed Dilly Dally Baby Quilt- Pictures next week
Ongoing projects:  (and progress this week on them)
Winding Ways Schlep Bag -DONE!
Jim Shore Quilt - Quilted and binding machine sewn on -  1 1/2 sides done - about a foot more done.
Pink/Brown Friendship Quilts - 1 top made, 2 more in progress - laid out
Buggy Barn Pink/Brown Extra Blocks- laid out and ready for sewing - enough for 3 blocks
Completed tops awaiting quilting:
Blush Quilt 
Charmed Dilly Dally Baby Quilt
No progress:
Pokey Little Puppy Book
Prayers Book
3 Mug Rugs
Ed's Crown Royal Quilt - 2/3 of the way done, on the last set of blocks
Mocha Meringue Wonder Blocks

This week's stats:
Completed projects -8
New projects -1
Currently in progress -13
Finished this year - 5 , 4 Samples

I'm linking up for WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced!

WIP Wednesday Week 3 1/18/12

January is flying by very quickly! I've had a lot to get done and I feel good about what I've accomplished so far. I've put in 55 hours so far this month, most of which was on quilts for samples for the store. This week I worked on the Sweet Treats sample. I finished up all the pink blocks on Wed. night of last week.

Thurs. night I got a slow start on the red blocks and finished them up on Sat. night.

Thanks to a football game on TV, hubby, MIL, and friend watched Mikaela and I got to sew. I finished putting the top together just as the game was over.

Never fear though... in an attempt to put off going to bed and waking up Sun. I spent half the night putting borders on. I stumbled to bed around 2AM, but it was finished!!

I actually finished it a bit earlier than that, but I wasn't tired, thanks to a nap, so I pulled out my pink/brown scraps and made another Friendship block. I hope to have enough left to do one or maybe even two more of these. They'll be a bit different than the first 4, but the friends they are going to are definitely worth the work! I want to have them ready to take to dad's the next time we go, which will probably be in Feb.

Sunday was spent writing about the colonial history of American higher education, real thrilling as you can tell. I put the paper off forever and did not know what to write about. I finally got it done though and turned it in early, about 3 hours before it was due!
Monday night was our live session, in which we have to listen on our computers while the instructor lectures. I moved my laptop to the sewing studio and cut out two quilts while I listened! I had her last quarter so the first hour of rules/regs. for the course was the same as last quarter.
I cut out this cute baby quilt from the scraps of Dilly Dally and with the 3 yards I bought on clearance on 1/2/12, I had enough for borders and backing. I'll even have enough for binding. I made this one about 41"x46", so a nice baby size. I have a co-worker who just had a baby girl and she wanted pink, so I think this will go to her if I can get it quilted before next weeks baby shower. It's really more pink than it reads in the picture. I loosely use a pattern I've used before with charms and half charms, but I just used 5" scraps and cut them up as I went and mixed and matched. I made it bigger then the other one as it was more like 36"x40". I sewed this top in about 3-4 hours last night.


I also cut out a bag, but need to find some batting scraps so I can make it. I reorganized my thread last night and put a lot away that had been floating around. It's really accumulated! I looked and have as many as 4 regular spools and one cone of at least 4 different Masterpiece threads, several in unopened or brand new spools! I have at least 2 of every Aurifil thread I use for piecing and several unopened quilting colored threads. I have a hard time keeping my Aurifil bobbins separate, so I'm really hoping for the pink Janome bobbins in the case for my birthday, that way I can use those only for Aurifil thread. A girl can only hope that hubby listens to my hints! Otherwise I'll get them as a little gift to myself. I'd been looking at the pink ones since they came into the store just before Christmas and I was telling Paul about them, but I just couldn't justify spending the money when I have a lot of bobbins. Then I realized they were the answer to my constant issue with keeping the Aurifil bobbins separate. I have about 15-20 spools of Aurifil thread and keeping them on pink bobbins would make it easy to distinguish between the "GOOD" thread and the other piecing threads I use.  Right now they are in a small pink ribbon case and the spools are in a bigger pink ribbon case.
We don't even want to count the King Tut or Bottomline threads as I think I have pretty close to all of them! The serger thread is mostly put away, since I so rarely use it and the cones are huge. Let's say I LOVE thread and what it can do for a quilt. Anyone else love thread as much as I do? I'm thinking I need to take pictures of my thread containers, just so I know what I have.

Finished this week:
Sweet Treats- Sample
Ongoing projects:  (and progress this week on them)
Winding Ways Schlep Bag - Cut Out
Jim Shore Quilt - Quilted and binding machine sewn on -  1 1/2 sides done - No Progress
Pink/Brown Friendship Quilts - 1 top made, 2 more in progress
Buggy Barn Pink/Brown Extra Blocks- laid out and ready for sewing
Completed tops awaiting quilting:
Blush Quilt 
Charmed Dilly Dally Baby Quilt
No progress:
Pokey Little Puppy Book
Prayers Book
3 Mug Rugs
Ed's Crown Royal Quilt - 2/3 of the way done, on the last set of blocks
Mocha Meringue Wonder Blocks

This week's stats:
Completed projects -8
New projects -1
Currently in progress -13
Finished this year - 5 , 4 Samples

I'm linking up for WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced!

WIP Wednesday Week 2 1/11/12

This week was a busy one! I had lots to finish and I even forgot to take pictures of some finishes. I guess I was so excited to finish them.
I made the Texas Two Step top for Groovy Girls club.

I finished the Happy Hour Snapshots quilt for a class sample for a class I'll be teaching at the end of this month/beginning of Feb. This is also Mikaela's 1st Birthday present.

A close up of the quilting. I just love the Farmyard Friends fabric from Studio e.

A Yellow Brick Road top for Groovy Girls as well. I love this pattern and have made a lot of quilts from it.

I made this taggy blanket for Emilee's daughter Rosalie. We had a shower for Emilee at Groovy Girls, so I finished it this week.

She loves Wrenly, so I know she'll love the blanket.

I also finished the 4 friendship quilts I made for my quilty friends. I guess I forgot to take a picture of the finished quilts though. I was down the wire finishing them! This is what the pieced part looked like.

This is a picture Shonna took of hers hanging up. I'll have to get a close up, but I just love how it looks there. I can't remember the saying I embroidered on them for sure, but it was something like Good Friends are like quilts, they get old, but never loose their warmth.

This week I cut out this sample for the store. I think it's going to go together quicker than I expected. I'm excited, since I LOVE Valentine's Day!

Finished this week:
Texas Two Step Top - Groovy Girls Sample
YBR - Groovy Girls Sample
Farm Friends Baby Happy Hour Quilt
Ribbon Blanket
4 Friendship Quilts
Binding on Beach Balls Quilt
Ongoing projects:  (and progress this week on them)
Winding Ways Schlep Bag - On Hold
Jim Shore Quilt - Quilted and binding machine sewn on -  1 1/2 sides done - No Progress
Valentine's Quilt - Cut Out
Completed tops awaiting quilting:
Blush Quilt
No progress:
Pokey Little Puppy Book
Prayers Book
3 Mug Rugs
Buggy Barn Pink/Brown Extra Blocks
Ed's Crown Royal Quilt - 2/3 of the way done on the last set of blocks
Mocha Meringue Wonder Blocks

This week's stats:
Completed projects -7
New projects - 1
Currently in progress - 9
Finished this year - 5 , 3 Sample


I'm linking up for WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced!

Sewing in the New Year!

I seriously have been sewing in the New Year. I had a lot to get done and really pushed myself to get it all accomplished by tonight. Luckily I've almost made my deadline. I had two samples that had to be done for Groovy Girls tonight.
Texas Two step is a pattern by Atkinson Designs. It went together relatively easy and sewed up pretty fast, though when you're timing yourself it really puts into perspective how long I spend sewing. Sometimes I just do NOT want to know how long a top takes.

I have had the fabric for this Happy Hour Snapshots quilt for a couple months, even cut out, but just not had the time to sew it up. I got it sewn last week and then Wed. night I quilted it up. I just love how it turned out and while I had no one in mind for it, it's big, so now it's Mikaela's birthday present, though it will be at the shop for a few weeks first. We're having Preview Party for classes Sat. so it needed to be done by then.

I used a pastel King Tut and pink Bottomline to quilt it, as the pink on the left is the backing. The fabric line is Farmyard Friends by Studio e. Has anyone heard of that fabric company? They must be fairly new, but I LOVE almost everything I see from them. Although with this fabric I wish the animals weren't so directional. Quilt fabric needs to be more versatile. I like it when the print isn't so directional.

A close up of the quilting.

I also made this yellow brick road by Atkinson Designs. I love the owl fabric and the fabrics do match better then in the picture. The green isn't nearly as stark as it looks.

We're having a baby shower tonight for a gal at Groovy Girls, so I made this Wrenly ribbon blanket for her little girl. I know mommy loves Wrenly, so I'm sure this will be well received.

The back is Wrenly too.


So I've had a good week and lots of sewing hours already. I'm hoping to get the binding put on the Happy Hour quilt as it's one I'm teaching this quarter. I'll be at the Preview Party Sat. morning. We'll be showing off all our samples and answering questions about our classes. I'm hoping lots of people will be interested in Happy Hour, Lazy Angle, Professional Tote, and Diaper Clutch classes.