Three 2nd Quarter Finishes - Finally!

Yes, I finally finished up my Craftsy 2013 BOM quilt.  It is done!  Whooooohoooo!  It only took me a year and a half to get this one done, but it is done!  Two months of that were because I couldn't decide how to quilt it.  I bit the bullet and practiced my longarm free motion skills on this quilt.  It was perfect for doing just that.  It is impossible to get better without practicing, for me anyway.

I took this picture yesterday with the help of my dear husband and doggies as the sun was just beginning to set.   The orange that you see shining through is the backing.  I used a brand of batting I don't usually use anymore and am regretting that decision.  My favorite batting is Quilter's Dream.

A couple of close ups of the quilting.  Yes, I did a lot of quilting!  It has been washed and dried to a nice crinkle.  It has already been cat tested and approved.

My next 2nd Quarter finish is my Hop Skip and Jump BOM quilt.  The fabrics I went with are Bonnie and Camille Happy Go Lucky.  I had to get this one done as the Spinning in the Rain BOM with Sew Lux Fabric has started.

This picture just does not do this quilt justice!  All washed and dried as well as cat approved.  In the interest of time, both quilts had the binding machine stitched on. 

The third quilt is number two of two baby girl quilts.  Mom of the baby girl is a US Marine and Dad loves to sail.  So what better fabrics than these?

The binding still needs to be hand sewn down - no machine stitching for this one.  I LOVE the nautical quilting designs!  (Thanks Jessica for sending me here Designs by Deb.)

Here is a close up of the lighthouse and captain's wheel quilting.

And finally, a picture of the back of the quilt.  This back is pieced because I used every last bit of fabric to make it!

Linking up now with Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it Up Friday.

Full Moon Finished Friday

Having a full moon on Friday the 13th is pretty rare!  The next one won't be until 2049.  Lately, I feel like finishes are getting a little on the rare side around here.  I have several quilts that need to be quilted, several in various stages of being pieced, pillow tops that need backs sewn together, and so on.  Sound familiar?

But I DO have a finish!  It is a small one - as in mini quilt.  I used a charm square pack of Tula Pink's Nest, some solids and a white background.

I used the coordinating Tula Pink Aurifil Thread to quilt it in a grid.  I used my regular sewing machine and walking foot.  It is about 24" x 24".  The pattern is my own.  I am calling the block pattern Star Shine.  I made the HST's out of the trimmings.

And I completely spaced taking a picture of it with the binding hand stitched down before I gave it away to Jessica.  She said she didn't have a mini!  Whaaaaa?!?  Every quilter needs a mini!

I finished Block #1 of the Sew Lux Fabric Spinning in the Rain BOM.

That's it for this Friday.  Linking up now with Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it Up Friday.

Sunday #17 Heather Bailey

I am a big Heather Bailey fan.  I have a lot of her fabrics from different lines in my stash.  Sew Lux Fabrics received some FQ bundles of her latest release, Up Parasol last week.  You know I got some happy mail!  Yay! Here are some pics:

I love the colors!  The bird prints are fabulous!  I love the flower prints, too.  

Some more happy mail brought me these:

 Nest fabric by Tula Pink.

And...

Some Freshcut by Heather Bailey!

Tomorrow, a sale at the Heather Bailey store starts with her classics being marked down anywhere from 15-40%.  Oh, you know this girl will be doing some shopping!

Linking up now with Quilts from the Attic.  What's in your stash?

More 2nd Q Finishes!

I am excited to share some finishes!  Today is such a gorgeous day here, that I took some photos outside.  I am so loving this weather!  It has been a long, dark, dreary, cold winter here in Eastern NC. (Pretty much everywhere else, too.  Except maybe, Arizona where my daughter, SIL and grandkids live.)

Remember those Glimma blocks from my Glimma obsession days?  Here is where they ended up:

 Yes, in a hammock.  Seriously, in a table runner that will go on the coffee table in our family room.

When I bought my long arm machine (which I love!), I also purchased the computer to do perfect, digital patterns on quilts.  Love that!  Well worth the investment, especially when quilting quilts for hire.  But my own free motion quilting skills have gone downhill - not that they were that good to start with.  So I have made the commitment to only do free motion quilting on MY stuff.  I have a big case of FEAR about doing that but it is something I am going to push past.  So here is a close up of the pattern I did free hand on the runner.  Not perfect, but keeping it real.

Another close up.

 And a picture of the back.

 Here is a close up of the binding I did by machine.  Not my usual choice but that is another skill I need to work on.  Love the look of hand stitched binding but that is very time consuming.  After reading a few blogs that I follow, I tried using my dual feed feet that I have with my machine (Bernina 830LE), turning the foot pressure to a negative 10, (yes -10), and moving the needle position.  Going slow helped too.

The rest of the blocks ended up in here.  A nice sized table topper to go on our kitchen table.  (Where I used to sew before turning a guest room into my sewing room.)

A close up of how I quilted this one.  Point to point, loopy, straight (snort) line, and stitch in the ditch. Certainly not perfect!

The back.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Sew Lux Fabric Anniversary BOM kit that is finished!  This one will be hung in my sewing room that used to be a guest room!  The embroidery is from Urban Threads which is one of my most favorite places to get unique embroidery patterns.  Urban Threads even has some Tula Pink embroidery designs.

 Again, that is my own free motion quilting.  I did straight (hah!) line quilting, stitch in the ditch, swirls, and meandering on this one.  I used a 100% cotton batting and the shrinkage is higher than the other two which are a 70/30% blend.  I do like 100% cotton the best!

The backing is a fun line from Timeless Treasures and can be found at Hawthorne Threads.

Oh, and my one year blogging anniversary came and went in April.  I need to look back and count all my finishes!

Now, I am going to move my sewing machine out to the screened in patio and work on a Kate Spain Terrain (LOVE!) quilt for a very special person!  Hope you make your day a good one!

Sunday Stash #11 Poem Included

Okay, I did it.  I jumped on the bandwagon of the fabric diet.  That's right, no fabric for me in April.  I am already regretting the decision.  It's not like I don't already have so much stash that it will take me several years to do something with it ... it is just the thought of no new fabric for one. whole. month.  I mean, I panicked for a few thinking, "O.M.G.!  What will I post on Sunday Stash?!?!?"  (See below for a poem written by my Grandmother to my Mom and my Aunts.  I come by my fabric addiction honestly.)

Turns out, I am okay.  Here are some recent additions purchased in March.

True Colors by Anna Maria Horner fat quarter bundle.  These look so delicious next to AMH's Dowry fabric line.  LOVE!

These are Timeless Treasure prints that I will be using on my Sew Lux Anniversary Mini quilt for backing.  To see the top, go here quilt tops finished.

And some Melody Miller fabric to make my Noodle-Head super tote!

Love these!!  Yes, I am old enough to remember the actual viewfinder thingy for these.  Yep.

Here is the poem that my Grandmother, Clarissa Holmes Buttars, wrote to my Mom and my Aunts:

Legacy of a Cloth-aholic

When I am called up yonder

There will be no peace of mind

Not because you miss me

But on account of what I left behind.

You know, I'm a great collector

Not of art, gold or historic lore

But I collect rare bargains

Found in every fabric store.

I have cloth of every color

Plain, plaid, print and stripe

I've cloth of every texture

Pieces of every size and type.

I've ribbon, laces, trims and bias

Eyelet, ric-rac, wide and narrow braid

I've yarn and crochet cotton

And many spools of sewing thread.

There are also many patterns

For crafts of every kind

"How To" books, magazines, instruction sheets

Just look and you will find --

All this stored in every corner

And, in every drawer and chest

In boxes, bags and baskets

And the closets hide the rest.

So now I tell you, darling daughters

You just can't throw it all away.

You must look, measure, and divide it

Even if it takes all day...

Or a week...or a month...or a year.

And when you're old like I am

And your daughters too, have grown

Then they can have this legacy

For their very own...

With love,

Mom

See?  It runs in my family!  What more can I say?  I might make it this month without falling off that bandwagon.  BUT...!

Linking up now with Molli Sparkles Sunday Stash!  Show us yours!

Quilt Tops Finished

What a whirlwind week!  The weather here has turned sunny and warm.  At work today, we enjoyed a picnic lunch outside.   My time spent sewing as been limited.  I did get some quilt tops done.  They are waiting to be quilted.

A baby girl quilt for a dear friend is pieced.  The fabric is Out to Sea by Sarah Jane.

Love the mermaids, the octopus and the sailing ships!  I am actually making another one for another friend who is expecting a girl.  Both are due at the end of April.  

Another quilt top finished and waiting to be quilted is my Sew Lux Anniversary Block quilt.  This one is going on my sewing room wall.  The embroidery is from Urban Threads.  A reminder for me as deadlines come up.

The other deadline is to get a quilt done for the raffle at the annual Fur Ball.  The fabric is Moda's Max and Whiskers that I scored on #thegreatfabricdestash on IG.  The top is not completely sewn together - the bottom three still need to be sewn together.  I plan on getting this one quilted this weekend.

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish It Up Friday!

Sewing mini blocks done!

This finish is a good one because the pieces have been waiting and waiting for me to get them sewn into blocks.  I am so happy to have these blocks done!  It will be a wall hanging when it is completely finished for my sewing room.  Urban Threads has this embroidery design that has to be put on it!  I am sure that some will recognize this pattern from Sew Lux as their anniversary BOW.

Keep calm and sew on!  Linking up with TGIFF at Quilt Matters.

Easy As ABC or KLMNO

On Thursday, I got my 5 fat quarters from Sew Lux Fabric.  Friday was my dear husband's birthday (Yay!) so I didn't sew at all.  Nope, no sewing.  Had lunch with his parents and had a great day!  So today, I broke out those fat quarters and got to work.  Well, technically, IMHO, sewing is not work.

It is a bright sunny day today and the pictures are not the best.  This is a great quilt along!  Alyce has clear, concise and easy to follow directions on her website Blossom HeartQuilts.  She is also a Kate Spain-aholic!   And buying fabric IS definitely cheaper than therapy!

Here is a picture of the alphabet so far:

I am loving this quilt and the fabrics that Sew Lux Fabric has sent!

Easy as ABC Quilt Along Month #2

Here are my finished blocks for F, G, H, I, and J.  I am really enjoying getting the fat quarter packs picked out by Sew Lux Fabric.   And I have some good sized leftovers for my stash!

 

 

Blossom Heart Quilts - Easy as ABC Quilt Along

UFO's, FAL's and what I did instead...

Okay, my list of unfinished projects (UFO's) is getting longer.  Instead of working on them, I decided to make this instead.  It is a very cute kit from Sew Lux Fabric that I received with an order from them.  It went together very quickly!  I used their tutorial for the self-binding technique as I hadn't ever done binding that way before.

The kit did make two and I had both done in less than an hour.

My UFO's, FAL's are:

Swoon Quilt (make at least 3 blocks this quarter)
July Tula Pink Modern Blocks with Tula Pink Fabric
July Craftsy BOM
Glimma Quilt (Finish this quarter!!)
Dr. Suess Grandson Quilt
My Husband's Winter Solstice Quilt (yes, from 2012)
Tumbling Blocks Quilt
FMQ the Good Fortune Quilt
Stuffed Sea Horse for Charity

Not started but need to get them done:

Owlivia Quilt
Dr. Suess Granddaughter Quilt
Modern Bliss Quilt
Happy Go Lucky Hash Tag Quilt
Cuzco Quilt

I am aiming high!