At Last, A Finish

I surely must be one of the slowest quilters ever. I can take a seemingly easy-peasy pattern, and turn it into a month-long journey. I do believe that I find the thrill of the start to be the most fun and exciting part of the quilting process. It's staying with it to the finish that finds me slowing down.

This particular quilt was begun on February 2 of this year. Over a month on this easy quilt?? Honestly. Click here to read that first blog post about this project.

Regardless, I am pleased to be able to share a finish with you today. The kit from Bits N' Pieces made with Le Petite Ecole fabric by French General is now complete. At least, the part that the kit provided. I need to decide whether or not I will add borders, and if so, what I will use for said borders.

If you recall, I began this quilt only to discover an error in the directions. Since I'd had the kit for at least a couple of years, I was skeptical that I'd get anywhere with rectifying the situation. I was pleasantly surprised, then, when the folks at  Bits N' Pieces were absolutely helpful and gracious in solving my dilemma.

There she is! Fresh off the sewing machine and newly pressed. I tried not to be overly OCD about block placement; it is random in the fabrics used in each block and so I wanted to be random in the placement of blocks.

It nicely covers the top of our queen-sized bed. Borders would be nice, but not necessary. I have put it on a hanger in the closet while I think about it.

So, what's next? I could cut out the Kaffe quilt that Erin wants me to make. I also have that red, black and white Thimbleberries quilt to finish. That is yet another quilt that was going strong before the room switch and before the Christmas chaos. I need to get that back out and finish it.

Yes, I think that is what I will work on next.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

A Sizeable Snowfall

We here in southern Ohio usually have at least a couple of good snowfalls each winter. However, this winter I have been thinking we were going to have to be satisfied with just some light 1-2" dustings. And that is really odd, because all around the midwest and the northeast, there have been monstrous snows this winter.

We finally have gotten ours with this recent weather event that went through here last night. And it is so pretty here this morning, I just have to record it.

This is the bench on our front sidewalk where I often photograph finished quilt tops. (I'm thinking DH will be painting porch railings this summer, from the looks of this!) Isn't the snow pretty?

This is our lilac bush on the east side of our house. I will try to take a  picture in the same spot when it is in bloom in a month or so.

Our lovely abode, nestled into the snow-laden trees that surround us. We built this house in 1992.  I never want to live any other place.

This is a shot of our backyard, but it is from an unusual angle. I am standing near the western-most corner looking east toward the shed. That bush just beyond the front of the shed is the lilac bush shown above. I like this picture because of the curved angle of the trees.

Steve was loving the snow. He frolicked and raced in circles just like a pup. And Steve is not a pup anymore.

Last one. I am in the woods behind our house. Kevin and Adam have spent a lot of time clearing out the undergrowth over the last year. I love how the snow is plastered to the sides of the tree trunks. Look through the trees and note the fence in the distance with the snow piled on the wires. Way cool. And the sound out here is incredible. Very hushed, with the wind gently swaying the snow-laden branches. Occasional little avalanches occur when the wind outweighs the balance of snow on branch. It is really wonderful.

Happy quilting, Friends!

 

Other Hobbies

Do you ever think you could get sucked into another hobby? I remember when the scrapbooking craze started. I could so easily have taken the plunge and charged full speed into that hobby.

My sizeable stash prevented it, however. My brain kept screaming at me, "You  have too much money sunk into that stash, you can't afford to start another hobby!"

So I resisted.

Then, I thought I'd like to learn to knit. I have about 8 skeins of yarn, several sets of needles and so many scarf/mufflers that I can't possibly wear them all. I won't allow myself to learn more than the basic knit and pearl stitches. I could so easily fall over the knitting abyss!

Then along came crochet. I can't do this a lick, but I have 3 or 4 hooks and a couple of skeins of thread (is that the correct terminology?). I have pinned countless images on Pinterest showing some beautiful how-to's and easy projects, but, again, I don't dare let myself be sucked in.

Now, I have found a new hobby to tempt me--beading. I just love those Pandora bracelets and all the variety of beads that are offered, but my gosh, the price!! So I just browsed through the aisles of our local Hobby Lobby and JoAnn's Fabrics. I picked out a few things to make a bracelet in the Pandora style. OMG, I could get so into beading!

 

With Emma home on spring break, we "played" in the beads the other morning, and she helped me make this bracelet. It was fun! There were some beads that would not be threaded onto that elastic band, because the holes were too narrow. Turns out they weren't needed. I had leftovers of both the blue and silver beads. In the pic below, I have the leftovers making  earrings. (They are just beads placed on the table; they aren't really strung together)

I had the correct materials for making the bracelet, but not the proper materials for making earrings. With the leftover beads, I think I should go ahead and make them. So I will go looking for that stuff next time I am going that direction. I will not buy any more beading "stuff" however, as I do not, repeat, DO NOT want to be sucked into this hobby.

Besides, I really don't wear that much jewelry, you know?

No, I am happy with quilting, and I feel like it is the hobby I am meant to be doing. The fabric in my stash will outlive me, but I hope I can get quite a lot more made before that time comes!! *gracious!*

So, friends, how many of you have succumbed to hobbies other than quilting?? How do you manage it all?

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

A (Tiny) Bit of Stash Enhancement

Stash enhancement has been non-existent in the last year or two. I just came to a realization that I had so much already and the price was getting so high, I was wise to just use up the stash.

That said, I have taken tiny bites of the enhancement pie. I will occasionally buy some fat quarters, or some sale fabrics. Any bigger purchases are usually to finish something I have going from the stash or a back to use for a top I've done.

I would like to add one more category to my buying list: purchase is okay if it will work in a planned quilt on the Goals List.

On Friday, we Frankfort quilters went on a little field trip to Lebanon, OH, for a quilt show. We have gone to this one twice before, so we are old hands at finding our way around. I managed to find a few fabrics that I thought needed to come home with me.

On the list for 2013 is to make a yellow and gray quilt. I have seen this color combination showing up on Pinterest, not just in quilts, but in home decorating, as well. I found the 2 fabrics in the bottom portion of this picture in my stash.The darker grays and yellow at the top of the picture are what I bought Friday. They are all half-yard cuts.

This is what I mean about buying fabric that will enhance a planned projects. In other words, I am trying to eliminate "willy-nilly" purchases. I used to do A LOT of that, believe me!

Lest you think I am totally reformed from my "willy-nilly" days, the above Charm Packs would fall into that category. I have no intended quilt for these, and can think of no reason for having them other than I just really love this line. I have seen it used in quilts on the blogs, and I think these will be useful to me at some point, so I bought them. *sigh*

Well, peeps, I am working on another "procrastination buster" today. Pictures forthcoming!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

Emma's T-Shirt Quilt

If you recall the last couple of posts, I've referenced some projects I've had lined up that I have been procrastinating on. My typical method of work is to go full steam ahead at the beginning of a project, and then I stall out, and have a hard time finishing. That accounts for why I currently have soooo many UFOs.

Well, I got energized by a quick finish on fixing the handles on the bag for DS. This motivated me to pull out another recent UFO - Emma's t-shirt quilt. I showed progress here on the blog well before Christmas. I recall putting it aside to do some last minute Christmas sewing. Then we threw ourselves into moving the sewing room to a larger space, so all my projects were on hold during that time.

Now, it's time I got back to finishing these things! I have come so close, it is ridiculous not to get the finish, right?

I had this quilt top done with the exception of the borders. Good grief! So I got busy today, cut some 6" borders out of the pink and white polka dot flannel, and sewed it on.

Emma seems to be pleased with her quilt. She's home for spring break this week.

And since I was on a roll, I went ahead and prepared the backing. I will try to get a batting this week. I have a coupon for JoAnn Fabrics that should get me one rather inexpensively. This quilt may be in the hands of a long-arm quilter before the week is out!

Yay for finishes!!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

Roman Holiday Fabric

Yes, that is definitely a blast from the past. This wonderful fabric has been out for about 10 years, maybe more. Finding it is impossible, too. Everyone loved it, apparently, from the absolute absence of it online.

The most beautiful of all fabrics of all times, this red with white swirling leaves. Absolutely heavenly!

Roman Holiday by 3 Sister/Moda captured my fancy when I first saw it in a particular shop in Columbus. I bought a fat quarter bundle, so I had a little bit of each fabric in the line. My quilting girlfriends were soon swooning over it, and more than one of them began building their own stash of Roman Holiday. The gorgeous red in the picture above is Sharon P.'s 2-yard cut. A precious commodity!

I have Roman Holiday on my mind lately because Sharon is beginning a project using her RH fabric. She began cutting it out here at my house last week.

Sharon's Roman Holiday stash

Her project is a kit she bought ages ago using this wonderful fabric. We have talked for ages that we really need to use our Roman Holiday fabric because it's too pretty to keep in a plastic tub in the closet. So she is beginning Three Coins by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company.

Here are some of the blocks Sharon had constructed by the end of our day. Take in the sights; they are wonderful.

Because she was"playing" in her Roman Holiday, I was longing to "play" in mine. So I pulled it out. This is where you insert the image of a quilter "petting" her fabric. Yeah, that is what I was doing.

On the bottom red is Sharon's big cut; layered on top of that are some of the pieces from my stash. I have managed to find a few pieces, but never have I located any more of that wonderful red.

This is my fat quarter pack. I love it, sigh.

You know what I wish?? I wish Moda would re-release this line. In my opinion, there would be a tremendous demand, and countless appreciative quilters!

What is your all-time favorite line of fabric?

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

Another Rewarding Day of Sewing

I am a lucky girl, I know. Three days in a row this week, I was pretty much able to do whatever in the world I wanted. It isn't often that I can say that, and so when I get days like that, I really treasure them! Did I mention that DH was on a little road trip with his dad and brother to Florida? It sure is different around here when DH is away.

Recapping, Sunday, I was able to read all day. I needed to get our book club book finished, because I wanted to give it to Sharon on Monday. She and I are both in the book club, and she hadn't been able to get a copy of the book. So, a marathon day of reading - with a small interruption for the OSU-Michigan State game, which we won - and I finished the book early evening.

It was a mystery/historical fiction, and it was pretty good. I will be interested to see how our discussion goes. The book is The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Englemann, and is her debut novel. I would definitely recommend it.

 

  Well, that was Sunday. Let's move on to Monday.

Still on my own, I expected Sharon around 9:30 for a day of sewing. My last post was all about that, and I was very pleased with the blocks I finished. After Sharon left, I looked at 3 projects I have lined up in a queue - these are projects that I have been procrastinating about for long enough. I decided to tackle one of them, just for the sake of getting it out of my sewing room space!

It was a repair job. DS Adam needed to have handles replaced on a nice bag he likes to use. It's nicer than a gym bag, maybe more like a man's version of a carry-on bag.

I had some nylon rope in the sewing room supplies, dug around for a masculine brown and figured out a way to make handles and attach them! I am rather pleased with my efforts, and Adam is, too, so all good for the first job on the list. Take a look and tell me if those handles don't look just fine!!

 

The third day of doing what I want was Tuesday, and after I finished my OUC class, I drove up to Mary's Barn in Grove City for a project she was offering. Terry and Sheryll from the Frankfort group were there, as well as Monica, a friend I met the last time I sewed at the barn, and a new sewing acquaintance, Pam.

Mary has a nice little system worked out. Every month she offers to teach a class, serves lunch and snacks, and provides this wonderful little barn-turned-sewing studio to do it in! For a small fee, it is totally worth it! And I won the door prize!! *big grin* It's been awhile, but I quilted here once before and blogged about it. You can read about that adventure by clicking here, if you are so inclined.

Below is a picture of the project Mary made to show us what the finish would look like. She emailed cutting instructions ahead of time, so I had mine ready to go. The others had started at 9am, but I was about an hour or so later because of my class.

 

I got the entire thing finished, complete with appliqued handles and all! I tell you, doing that machine applique on a loaner machine is not something I'd planned on doing, that's for sure! But it looks just great, and I am eager to get it quilted and put to use.

 

 

 There were a few show and tells which I will share with you. At lunch, Mary showed us a quilt she'd just recently gotten back from the long-arm quilter. She is ready to bind this and call it done. Isn't it gorgeous?

 

Pam, shared a recent quilt she'd made for her granddaughter from a Nancy Drew panel. To make it all even more cool, she has found a copy of one of the books shown in the panel! Now that is special!!

 

While we were making our table runners, Mary, our hostess, worked on a sweet little quilt for her granddaughter. They are a family of  horse-lovers, and the panel in this fun quilt fits that theme quite well.

 

Pam had opted out of the table runner project and instead brought a hand-stitching project to work on.

 

I regret that I did not take a picture of the table runner Sheryll was working on, but I do have a picture of Terry's. I love the toille background that she used!

 

That's all for today, peeps. I am determined to stay busy on the remaining "procrastinating" jobs I must finish off, so stay tuned!

Happy Quilting, Friends!