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!

A Mixed Finish it Up Friday

I have a couple of finishes to share today.  Some good news, and some bad.  I'll start with the bad.  My Dad passed away early this morning.  He had been suffering with Alzheimer's Disease for many years. He had my quilt with him when he passed away.  (See my previous post here.)   It is a relief that he is no longer suffering.  It is so sad to know that he is no longer here.  Words cannot express my feelings.

The good news is that Camelot Fabrics featured my lil' monster quilt today, (yes, today) on their website.  Here is the link:  Camelot Fabrics Blog.

My finishes for this Friday:

 The one on the left is for Jessica and will hopefully help her work on her "Hex on the Beach" TP quilt. :p Mine is the one on the right.  I have already used it when sitting at the couch binding the below.  The pattern is Sit N Stitch.  I used my binder foot/tool with these and after making mine, lined Jessica's with SF 101 which adds some heft to it.  The fabric is from Timeless Treasures and I found it at here at Hawthorne Threads.

 Raffle quilt for the 2014 Fur Ball!  I used Basic Grey's "Max & Whiskers" fabric line for this quilt.  The pattern is HST's with sashing and cornerstones.   The quilting is called puppy paws.  I got the charms from #thegreatfabricdestash.  The finished size is approximately 60" x 70".

Also for raffle are these items.  A runner, two hot pads and two dish towels.  The embroidery on the dish towels are from Urban Threads.  I made these items for last year's raffle and was asked specifically to make similar ones again for this year.  So I did using a different fabric line.  Plus, I made the quilt to raffle as well.  I hope it helps to raise a lot of donations!

Linking up now to Crazy Mom Quilts - Amanda Jean for Finish it Up Friday.

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!