Quilt Tops Are Stacking Up

     Monday my church quilt group met to do the craft sewing project of making an airplane carry-on duffle.  We came with our pieces already cut out and worked all day to construct.  I shared how to change the pattern a little by adding accent pieces.  Here 3 of us are with our finished bags.  I love them.  At least one thing is finished.

     Recently I have been using scraps to make fabric mostly of blue and green.  I decided to use the pieces to make a large star quilt.  This top is sandwiched and ready for quilting.

     Wednesday my church quilt group met.  We are working on a second quilt to be donated to a family in Willington, NC affected by the hurricane. You can find out more about the project at

From My Carolina Home .  

  

Many of us worked last month to make blocks, as a group we chose a layout and a couple started sewing rows together. The center is pieced. I love the layout. 

I will add a simple border and quilt it.  

     In recent days I added borders to my Rainbow Stars and Bricks so it is a top.  I need to piece a backing and it will be ready to sandwich, but that will wait until the others are quilted.

These cooler days will be a great time to sew.  Enjoy some time sewing or quilting.

First Quilt Finish for 2019

     This quilt finish will go for my church quilt ministry and was made using the “Have Faith” design by Jamie Elfert, who blogs at L’Fair Quilts . 

I added borders, quilting and binding this week.

I love this scrappy pattern and some other ladies in my group plan to try it also.  The block is a little more challenging than simple.  You need to pay attention to the piecing order to get seams to twist on the back to lay flat.  It is great for using 2 ½” strips and 4 ½” strips.

      This rainy Friday I plan to tackle the first UFO on my list (Rainbow stars and bricks) and add a plain border.  I hope to get it sandwiched this weekend and start the quilting.

I'm linking up with My Quilt Infatuation party.  Check out what others are working on.  

Stay dry and enjoy some time sewing or quilting.

Goals for 2019

       I hope your new year is off to a fabulous start.  

       It is here whether we are ready or not.  In the past few years, fabric and projects have TAKEN OVER my home.  My major goal for this year is to get it all under control and clear out “stuff” from a career of teaching and life.

Here are some of my sewing/quilting goals for 2019...

1 – Organize my quilting scraps and use them. ( I love crumb piecing and made-fabric.  I just need to organize better.)

2 – Finish many on my UFO Focus List. (Five are left over from 2018 list but I made good progress on 2 of those.)

3 – Finish 2 wall-hanging quilt kits I have. (These will probably be donated after finishing.)

4 - Make quilts for my church quilt ministry and local children’s hospital. (This is the easiest to spend time on. I will try not to let this overtake other goals.)

5 – Use a significant amount of my clothing stash fabric to make outfits for granddaughters, great nieces or for donation.

     

2019 UFO Focus List

1.  Rainbow star and brick quilt - started 2017, center together, needs border 

2.  Four Patch Swirl ( stack ‘n whack blocks) - started 2007, 60 blocks made, sashing and layout planned

3.  Blue and white Day Bee Mystery - started 2012, top together

4.  Made-fabric hexagon improv quilt- started 2014, add borders

5.  Gypsy Wife type quilt from orphan blocks – started 2015

6.  Bright Strings top – 2018

7.  Wickedly Easy quilt for day bed- 2018, blocks

8.  Make more Christmas placemats using children’s drawings – 2010-2018

 Wishing all a great day and a healthy Happy New Year with lots of fun sewing time!

Review of 2018 Quilting

     As I look back at projects I worked on and finished this year, I am satisfied.  I believe making my focus list for the year helped me finish more UFOs even though all on the list were not finished.  Seven of 12 were finished and good progress was made on 2 more UFOs.  Along with those on the list, I made and gave 3 baby quilt gifts and a long quilted buffet runner.  Following Angela Walters’ first FM Quilt Along I finished a lap quilt which I have yet to give away.  She is starting a new quilt along with a new technique you can check out on YouTube.

   More quilting was accomplished to finish and donate 3 quilts for the local children’s hospital and 9 to my church quilt group plus 4 quilted duffle bags, placemats, numerous mug rugs and even 5 costume squirrel tails. I had the perfect amount of brown long fake fur in my stash and it was great to use it. Sorry I did not get a photo from the show with children in costume. 

    

More sewing this year included dresses for granddaughters and doll outfits.

     Today I plan to sandwich my “Have Faith” top. Sarah shared Jamie’s pattern on her blog here.     

 Later in the day I plan to consider my many remaining UFOs and make my focus list for 2019.

Wishing all a blessed Happy New Year with some fun time to sew and quilt.

Holiday Sewing

     My UFOs have been sitting while I have been inspired to work on holiday themed small projects for gifts.  Wish I could get inspired to make them earlier in the year.  I have enjoyed making a few.

     I used Julie’s Holiday Mug Rug Tutorial to make a couple using scraps. I did change mine  some.  Instead of sewing on a binding, I folded the back over to the front for a binding.

I appliqued a snowman face onto 2 kitchen towels.

I thought he was so cute I made 2 mug rugs with the same snowman face.

Next I shrank the snowman from the Imagine pattern by Art to Heart.  I love this snowman and made 2 mug rugs.

    Some years ago I made some quilted postcards with silk poinsettias.  I decided to use some flowers still in my stash and made a couple more mug rugs.  I hope they will hold up to washing.  I did test a flower in the sink.

     When my sons were young, I had them draw a Christmas picture each year on our holiday table cloth with fabric crayons.  When my granddaughters came along, each year I have had them draw a holiday picture with fabric markers on fabric squares stabilized on freezer paper.  I have been considering what to make with them.  This year I finally started making placemats.  I chose 2 drawings for each and used a variety of holiday fabrics.  This is just the start.

Hope you are enjoying the season.  Happy Holidays!

I'm linking up with Whoop, Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict blog. Hope you check out what others are doing.  I find it inspiring. 

A Modern Quilt Finish and More Progress

      I enjoyed a great Thanksgiving Day with siblings and some nieces and nephews.  I hope you enjoyed time with family or friends.

      Friday after I returned home, I sewed the binding on my modern quilt from Score 1 of The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters.  I wanted to use a new modern quilting technique so I quilted it with a continuous spiral using the walking foot. I’m glad I did but don’t know that I will use that technique again. 

      Today I pulled out another UFO from my focus list I made last January.  These are blocks from last year’s Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  My design wall is not large enough so I laid out blocks on the floor. I moved 2 after this photo but they are now pinned in row stacks and ready to be sewn together. 

      Last week I tackled another UFO from my list and have 60 blocks sewn for the Four Patch Swirl. It is a stack'n whack technique.  It is interesting how different the block can turn out depending on which corner is toward the center.  Here are some examples.  

I have not decided on sashing or alternate blocks so these are waiting for inspiration.

      With the holidays coming and the end of year fast approaching, I looked back at my focus projects for 2018.  Seven of the 12 have happily been completed and I have made progress on 2 more at least one of which may be finished before the year’s end.  Having the focus list has been a great help.

  

UFO Focus List for 2018

Finished

1.     Score 1 started 2015

2.     Rainbow Wonky Star quilt - started 2017

3.     Scrappy anvil quilt started about 2014

4.     Scrap Dance Waltz   -started 2017

5.     Cat child’s quilt - started 2013

6.     Graduation gift –due in May

7.     red, white and blue star improv – started 2012

In Progress

8.     Rainbow star and brick quilt - started 2017

9.     Four Patch Swirl ( stack ‘n whack blocks) - started 2007

Still Waiting

10.  Gypsy Wife type quilt from orphan blocks – started 2015

11.  Quilt Day Bee Mystery started 2012

12.  Scrappy anvils with string centers- started 2014

 Enjoy some time sewing or quilting.  I'm linking up with Scrap Happy Saturday.  

  

Comfort Quilt Finish and Gifts

     For Thanksgiving this year I will be gathering with my siblings and some nieces and nephews.  It will be a good time to take Christmas gifts instead of putting them in the mail. So I have spent time recently to finish a few more.   Years ago I bought batik fabrics on sale to make each sibling a duffel bag.  At that time I only made one.  Last year I made one more.  This time I made 2 more. I had enough quilted fabric left to  make matching shoe bags.

I recently found several bag classes on Craftsy and Bluprint by Annie Unrein that I want to make.  They may end up being gifts another year. 

     I finished up this scrappy split 9 patch quilt for my church quilt group.  It might benefit from a little blocking.  

We have started making squares for a bed size quilt to donate to someone affected by the hurricane that hit Wilmington, NC.

You can get the free pattern and participate by checking out FromMyCarolinaHome.com and her hurricane relief project.  

    My women’s circle was discussing what to do for our college students.  I volunteered to make each a mug rug (aka snack mat) to be put with cards to let them know we are thinking of them. Here are the ones I’ve finished. 

     I also took a little time for some applique on kitchen towels for Thanksgiving. 

 

Wishing you a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

Maybe you can find time to enjoy a little sewing and quilting time before the big day or after a big dinner. 

Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict Whoop Whoop Friday.