Happy New Year!

Wow, I'm sort of late to the New Year party but since I haven't written since December it still holds true. By now you're all accustomed to writing 2016 and have Christmas décor put away, right? I'm still finishing the latter, but to be fair, I'm ahead of previous years! I have to have the tree on the street for pick up tomorrow and new to this year - it has to be cut in half! If I was handy with a saw I'd cut it from tip to stump to make two perfect halves, but I don't think that's what they have in mind. Call me 'Amelia Bedelia'!

But we're here for project updates and that's what I've got in store for you. Four very fun things I whipped up in the past weeks that actually got finished and used! Whoa.

The story for the first one is that I at the cutting counter at The Cove to get a selection of fat quarters for my sisters Christmas present. Sarah had gifted me a set of FQ lollipops and I was all gun hoe to duplicate them.

These are the ones I made for Julie. Sarah gave me a set
from a wonderful line called Mon Ami.

Then in one quick instant I heard myself say 'go ahead and give me a half yard, I'm keeping the other FQ.' What???? this right after I had famously vowed to not buy fabric for myself? Well, I rationalized it by stating it's purpose and critical need to the skeptical daughter, 'this is needed for the foyer table'. Now the project was established and I got to spend the next few hours designing a new runner. Hehe.

Modern Barjella? or simply Staggered Strips.

That wave design is supposed to represent the snow we
weren't getting. But then we got snow, so hurray!

 I love doing after Christmas sewing. All the hubbub and rush of the holiday is over and usually I have some free days at home to myself. I offered to sew something for Laina's mentor and after several suggestions, we decided on a bible tote. I'd been dying to cut into my Alison Glass hand dyed batiks and it was really fun to see the colors meld together. I topstitched a few words here and there (love, joy, peace) and also used my specialty stitches - the Greek Key and a cute chain flower.

Love Alison Glass Fabrics!

Piecing the design. It's much harder to make random look
random than you think.

This inside is lined with linen and some utility twill gives it an edgy feel.

Another tote that was gifted was to my adorable niece, Alex. She's a crafty gal and book lover and this tote seemed like just the right thing. I bought some stiff interfacing for totes and learned some key lessons in adding zippers to such a stiff product.

Most of the fabrics are from a line called Let's Play -a cute
line comprised of game motifs.

The pink handles are a Wordfind print.

Inside there are two pockets and another zipper pocket.
It was surprising how much this tote could hold!

I was never more happy than when my friend Diane announced that her daughter was having a baby BOY! I'd been eyeing up the cute boy quilts on Pinterest so I lost no time ordering a green and blue FQ bundle from Bloomerie Fabrics. One of the fabrics was from the line Which Way and that inspired the overall design. Luckily we had Quilt Club that weekend so I got to sew steady on it and reap the benefits of having a room full of experienced quilters. I finished this in one week flat, doing a few hours every night. Now when I look at all my unfinished projects I know that finishing them is possible (as long as there's a deadline!).

Planning with the help of a few photographs. What did
quilters do without iPhones?

The evolution.



I quilted it with a tight meander. I wanted a crumply look.

Staged in my guest room. Scrappy binding, green Minky
Dot on the back. I call it Every Which Way.
Congratulations, Angi and Nathaniel!

A Couple of Gift Items

First up is this Fall runner I made for my sister, Julie. I bought these fat quarters at my new fave quilt shop - Twin Cities Quilting - in St. Paul. It's only 10 minutes from work so very dangerous indeed. They have a nice selection of modern fabric and good examples up everywhere. This is from the Silver Lining Collection. I love the leaves. Here it is on Julie's countertop in Virginia! Looks good in her kitchen, I'd say.

 

 

 

A design from Fabulously Fast Quilts by Amy Smart
Chair by Uncle Otto

And then this is the baby quilt I made for Jeri. I think I already shared about the construction of this adorable butterfly pattern in another post so I'll keep this short. It was so easy and fun to watch the blocks come together. The fabrics are a mix of stash and solids.

She wasn't so sure of the person peering down at her!

Has it really been 6 months?

All kinds of clichés are swimming around in my mind. 'Where'd the summer go?' 'I just blinked and it was fall!' and my new excuse 'I only blog in the winter'. So by that standard, I'm actually signing on a little early. See how I can rationalize anything?

Now let's get caught up. I've completed a few things, although not as many as one would expect. But in my defense, we've been doing just what you should do in the summer months. I turned my garage into a paint studio and chalked painted my bedroom furniture. I still have a few things on deck, but I've moved the studio back inside. Also, we traveled some, biked and hiked, entertained numerous relatives, and had a very interesting time transforming one 80s style bedroom into a Pinterest-worthy sleep haven! Oh, let's not forget that the adjoining bathroom got a make-over as well.

Now for some pics. The first thing I've very excited about is something that I started almost a year ago and ironically was featured in my last post in March (I should get a special award for the use of ironically as a pun - gotta be the first time ever!). It's my iron caddy - finally finished!

Original pattern, Notting Hill Fabric Collection by Joel Dewberry

Heat-resistant liner! No waiting for that iron to cool off!
And a zip pocket for the accessories.

Hmm, what else can I show...
Back in July, I sewed this casserole carrier for my nephew's bride to be. Ages ago - like 30 years - my sister-in-laws mother sewed me one of these for my bridal shower and I still use it today. It fits the most awkward shapes and will keep things hot or cold. So, in honor of a great lady, Leanna, I made one for the gal who is going to be the great-daughter-in-law to the same lady!
You start with two large quilted circles, then cut the middle circle out and a slit to the side. You'll want to use double-folded binding for the edges. Then sew it together and topstitch the outer edge to catch the seam inside. Easy!

 Oh, don't forget to make straps! The last step is to thread a string through the inner casing.

And maybe one more before the next post -
The silly chicken is a pot holder!

 It has heat-resistant batting inside for safety, of-course.

Get up lazy chicken and grab that pot!

Doesn't this chickie look great on that pot handle? This was gifted to my Mom for her July 4th birthday. Not telling what date the chick actually arrived.

"Cluck cluck".

Don't be fooled by the innocent look on this chick's face. These fowl are not for the meek at heart. Several times I put chick back in her cage for a much needed break. If only these adorable chicks hatched from an egg like the real deal!