Monday, February 25, 2013

Getting Careless

So I was so excited that these quilts were coming along so well... The Kelly is quilted, I made all the binding and started sewing it on... And then I got careless. I think I am done for the day!

Sunday, February 24, 2013

A good nap's work

Sundays seem to be my best working days. The house is quiet... Everyone else is napping. The Alyssa is quilted! Just needs binding and a label, then a trip through the washer and it's done. That feels GOOD!

On to basting The Kelly.



Friday, February 22, 2013

Sweet Pouch Swap: Wrap Up

The other day, the girls and I found a package on our doorstep, opened it up and discovered this:

 It is all handsewn - can you imagine? I don't mind doing a bit of handsewing for embellishment, but the thought of tackling a whole project without my beloved sewing machine? Wouldn't happen! The girls have commandeered it, so I think I caught a glimpse of it today, but in a house with three little girls, anything with flowers and purple is gone! LOL! But Mama got the chocolate. I do share, but it's mine! Thank you Nancy in New Jersey... I don't think you have a flickr account or a blog, so I can't link to you, but I will email this post to you!  I am so happy to have it, and my girls are just loving it.  I think it was a princess-holder when I saw it this morning.  And the chocolate is delicious!

I needed a bit of chocolate today...  I came to the craft room and found my desk and sewing machine lovingly decorated in pink, purple and red sharpie.  I had left the almost-3 year old unattended while I was dealing with a situation that the 6 year old had gotten herself into...  Oh.  GOOF-OFF does wonders for cleaning, but my sewing machine is vaguely pink.  And stinky right now.   I have to wait to quilt later tonight when my room isn't so stinky.  I did take a picture, but if I look at it again, I might need some more chocolate.

Here's some pictures of the pouch I sent off - sorry if this is picture-heavy, but I couldn't resist "just one more picture" before I sent it off to Melanie Dramatic.  She's an extremely proficient sew-er / quilter / blogger, so I was distinctly intimidated, but I think that pouch was one of the nicest things I've ever made, so I'm proud of rising to the occasion!  It has a D-ring inside to clip a key fob on, so it can even be used as a purse.








It's a Noodlehead Open Wide pouch, with the Busy Bean's handle attached.  I thought it was a great size, and would love to make one for myself someday.  The handle and the key fob have lots of organic stitching on them to add stability, strength, and make them sit a bit easier in the hand.  There's a couple interior pockets.

Now I'm thinking about and planning my project for the Modern Scrappy Bits Swap.  I can't wait to see what I come up with for that!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Laura: The Top

Since Laura's not going to be at the bridal shower in *less than two weeks,* I might not finish basting, quilting and binding by the March 4th deadline...  so here's a picture of the whole top.  See in the corner?  That's the other two tops.  I finished three tops in one afternoon.  That feels SO GOOD.


Alyssa's and Kelly's will have the same back, while Laura's back will be totally different - it will fit her personality, according to her maid-of-honor, yet another cousin.   So up next?  Piecing the backs!

The Alyssa: The Top!

It feels so good to see the top done! Here's just a hint...

The Kelly: The TOP!!

I am pretty behind; just finishing this today, but the top is finished! Here's a sneak peek...

Sunday, February 10, 2013

The Alyssa - Week 4

So I think of all the blocks so far, the one on the right here is my favorite.  It's Kona Expresso, Coal and Celery.  If there's a Starburst quilt in my future, and if it's solid, it might just have these colors in it.  I do have those little HSTs that were leftover from the geese in the corner blocks, so I was planning a mini for my craft room - so even if it takes me a while to get around to a Starburst for me, I'll still have a reminder of these three quilts and these three cousins in my craft room!

Linking up to Happy Quilting!

The Laura - Week 4

Well, here it is Sunday night at bedtime yet again, and I'm racing upstairs from the craft room, with my camera-phone in hand, ready to share with you what I've been doing this evening.  Nothing like making a deadline, eh?

Here's Laura's.  I had hoped to get all twelve blocks finished this week, but a couple of days of not feeling well and a big project that my Mister and I needed to do together...  and I'm pretty darn pleased that I got eight out of the twelve finished!  All four of Kelly's, two of Alyssa's and these two of Laura's.

Linking up to Happy Quilting!

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

The Kelly - Week 4

I'm assembling the blocks one-quilt-at-a-time, so here's the Kelly!  I am completely in love with these blocks, and definitely see myself making one for me sometime!  Possibly with a dark background - I am completely captivated by the ones I see in flickr with black or navy backgrounds.

Linking up!

Monday, February 4, 2013

February 2013 - Just Three

So.  January's resolutions got sidetracked by the "oh gosh, let's make three quilts for my cousins' showers" thing.  And that's okay by me!

Let's see how I did:

1. Finish top of schoolroom quilt - Hey.  I actually did that!  Of course, there were enough HSTs to make two tops, and I only made one, but I did finish a top!  How did I not post a picture?


2. Make Sugar Block Club block - Again, I did that.  I'm so thrilled with how it turned out - this is the year for growing in my quilting abilities.  This would have scared me to death a year ago.  I can't wait to see where I am at the end of the year!  The February block has me breaking out into cold sweats, but one of these days, I'll have my Mister pick out some fabrics and then I'll tackle it.  Here's a recycled picture of January's to show you:


3. Blog five to six finished quilts - Well, I fell down on that one.  Didn't do a single one!  I think I spent my blogging time highlighting the Alyssa, the Kelly and the Laura.

How about some goals for February?

1. I only have until March 1 to get the three quilts done...  so that is my main goal for February.  I have to finish two of them (the Alyssa and the Kelly), but I would love to get the third done as well (the Laura) so I can link it up and have another chance at one of the grand prizes for the quilt-a-long.

2. Make Sugar Block Club block.  A recycled goal to be sure, but hey, I am intimidated by paper piecing!  This will be my first attempt.

3. I'm shelving the "blog finished quilts" goal for a bit - there'll be plenty of blogging going on with just the works in progress!  So for my third goal, it'll be to finish a project for the Modern Scrappy Bits Swap on flickr.  I should get my assignment this week, so I don't know what I'll be making yet (how fun is that?).  I thoroughly enjoyed the swap I did in January, and can't wait to see what I get in return.  I think doing swaps will really help push me out of my "that's good enough" rut and really help me get better.  I really dislike giving away handmade things that, well, look handmade.  (Sorry Mom and Dad! Your quilts immediately come to mind.)

Linking up to traceyjay!