Looking Back and Planning Ahead

     I did not mail Christmas cards in time for Christmas so instead have made a stack of snowman mug rugs and included a card with Happy New Year wishes.   I used the snowman's face from the free pattern found at Shiny Happy World  but left off the hat.

    Yesterday a new great nephew was born.  I already have an I Spy quilt top pieced and hope to quilt it soon. 

*  update-- The I Spy quilt was finished with cuddle fabric for the backing on New Years Eve for my last finish of 2020. 

      Looking back at my project list for 2020 which included many UFOs, it doesn't look like I accomplished much as many of those projects are still waiting for attention while several projects not on the list were completed. I don't know what strategy would be more helpful. Unlike some quilters that pass on projects they don't want to complete, I can not bring myself to do that. I have updated my list for 2021 and have 20 projects on the list.
      For 2021 here are some of my plans:
1.  Each week I will choose a project from my project list to work on.
2.  Each month I will use a different pallet of scraps to piece made-fabric or blocks.
3.  Each month make a plan for and work on a selection of orphan blocks.
     If you have any strategies that have helped you finish UFOs, I would love to hear. I do not want to give them away, I just want to not start so many new ones instead of finishing ones I have started.

Prayers for a healthy and safe 2021 for our world.

Another Christmas Finish

     This week I finished one last Christmas project. Several designers currently have tree quilt projects online. I wanted to make one but decided to check out which holiday projects I already had the pattern for. In the past I had downloaded the Dancing Garland wall-hanging pattern. ( You can still get the free pattern here.) It is a level above most.  After cutting all the squares and making all the HST units, I laid out all the HST units first to form the star and the garland.

Next I filled in all the squares and started piecing rows. Here it is finished.

The tree could be embellished with mini ornaments.

      Since I don't expect company for the holidays, I may have time to quilt so I sandwiched 2 comfort quilts. I need some quilt motif inspiration for this modern one.  Any suggestions?

I'm linking up for Whoop,Whoop Friday

Stay safe and healthy to enjoy the holiday season.

                                     Merry Christmas!

Holiday Finishes

      This week I stayed busy finishing up a Christmas gift. My younger GD informed me in October that she had outgrown her fleece blanket. The top was cotton and the back was fleece. She asked me to make her a longer one. I remembered Bernina's We All Sew unicorn pattern and thought it would be perfect for her. I already had a large piece of plush fleece. I searched my stash for a cotton fabric as a top. The We All Sew directions are for reverse applique. I got the pattern and fabric ready and then decided I wanted to do turned edge applique instead. I prepared a double layer template of freezer paper which I ironed to the back of the fabric. Then I trimmed leaving about ½ inch. I wet the allowance with starch, turned the edge over the freezer paper and ironed it dry. Here is the back side with the prepared edge. 

Then you can pull out the freezer paper and the edges stayed turned. I positioned the unicorn on the cotton whole cloth quilt top and appliqued it down with a machine blanket stitch. Next I layered the fleece and cotton, stitched around leaving an opening for turning, turned right side out and closed the opening. Last I pen basted the layers and free-motion quilted. I echoed the unicorn and stitched a large meander over the rest. It was not the easiest to quilt. About like working with high loft polyester batting. I am glad it is finished and I think GD Lily will love it.

The freezer paper templates could be used again so I have not thrown them away yet.
     My granddaughters have been using fabric markers each year to decorate a square. Two years ago I started creating placemats with their squares. This week I finished one more for each granddaughter.

     I'm about ready for Christmas as I only want to get one more gift so I took time to put the binding on the strings quilt. I love how easy it was to make and plan to make more similarly. I have an overflowing string bin. There are several similar patterns but I did not use one. I simply sewed string units and trimmed them to 8 1/2” by 12 1/2”. ( Various size rectangles can work.) Then sewed 2 1/2” strips to the 2 long sides which created a 12 1/2” (12” finished) block.

      It was a beautiful afternoon here so I took time to use my riding lawnmower to get up leaves from my front yard so it looks really neat. Too bad I am not expecting company. I like how the mower chops the leaves at the same time and they are now in my compost piles.

I'm linking up with Alycia for Finished or Not Friday.
Stay safe and healthy to enjoy this holiday season.

Week of This and That

      This week I have been working on many projects but little quilting. Today I finished the quilting on this string comfort quilt which still needs a binding. I don't have any more of the border fabric so see how a scrappy green binding looks. The FMQ is large swirls.

     GD Lily requested a winter dress and this week made her a flannel and homespun long sleeve dress. Here she is in her dress.

I also made Dosi a dog coat using the same pattern as the Halloween costume base. I used a layer of flannel and one of fleece.  She doesn't seem to mind it.

    I am still enjoying my cactus blooms. The hot pink has been the most full of blooms and the prettiest year I remember.

I'm linking up with Sarah's Whoop Whoop Friday.
Happy Friday the 13^th!
Hope you stay healthy and enjoy some sewing or quilting.

Busy Fall Week

     Here is one more Halloween photo. My granddaughters did not get to go Trick or Treating, however, GD Lily made sure her dolls got to go.

    I spent a few days this week and finished an “I Spy” quilt for a great-nephew's first birthday.

Instead of a binding, I used the pillowcase technique with a soft and minky fleece dot fabric for the backing.

     I finished 25 more Pocket Prayer Squares which my church group plans to share after Thanksgiving.  You can find more info about them from Shabby Fabrics or see my past post here. 

     I am enjoying my 4 colors of blooming cacti in my garden window. Sometimes they are called Christmas Cactus but mine don't bloom at Christmas. They set buds when they are outside for the summer.   When it turns cool and I bring them inside they fill with buds.

My African Violets are looking good along with them.

I'm linking up with Alycia's Finished (or Not Friday) so check out some of the beauties.

Hope you stay healthy and enjoy some sewing or quilting.

Week of Finishes

      GD Lily is ready for Halloween however it works out. Here she is wearing the Harry Potter robe her big sister sewed a couple of years ago. 

She helped finish Dosi's s'more costume so she is ready also.

     As I was getting in my car, this owl was just sitting on the fence. He looked at me and then just turned away. When I showed my GD, she asked if he had a paper in his claws, thinking maybe he was from Hogwarts.

     I am putting the finishing touches on the binding and rod pocket for this wall-hanging.

The pattern called “Fall Memories” and kit are from Laundry Basket Quilts. It is all fusible applique except for adding the borders. My FMQ secured the appliques and I changed the top thread several times to match the applique piece. Here is a close-up of the quilting.

I love the applique motifs, especially the berries, and plan to use them again.

I'm linking up with Sarah's Whoop Whoop Friday.

Hope you stay healthy and enjoy some sewing or quilting.

Happy Halloween  

Small Finishes

     I have a couple of small finishes to share since I did not post last week. I finished this lap quilt. 

The fabric squares were a charm pack and a matching 2 1/2” sample pack (I don't know if that size pack has a special name.) I rarely use or buy precuts but these were donated.  First I FMQ a wavy grid on the diagonal and then quilted a continuous line motif using the grid. Here is a close-up.  

    I love this cooler fall weather so I have enjoyed time in the garden. My Swamp Sunflower is blooming beautifully. They usually only bloom in October into November

    Thinking fall I pulled out 2 placemat tops and finished them. I had some leftover fall motifs with fusible web and each granddaughter designed a layout.

    I save scraps of batting and fabric to fill pet beds for the local pet shelter. This week a friend called to say she had fabric for the pet beds. She brought several bags of fabric. Most of it is not small scraps but usable for charity quilts. I sorted it by color and threw it in the wash.

Church sewing friends will help cut it into squares or strips for our scrap system and then also fill pet beds.

Hope you are enjoying some time sewing or quilting.

Check out what others are getting done at Confessions of a Fabric Addict blog for Whoop, Whoop Friday. 

Take care and stay healthy.

Finishes

      We have had beautiful cooler weather here this week so it was wonderful to spend some time in the yard. I did not spend every morning outside and made time for quilting. I finished my modern sunflower quilt.

It is lap size and for donation at church. It started with scraps of the sunflower fabric that I wanted to use and it grew improvisationally. I planned a free-motion motif to use and played with leafy vines. I am not real happy with how I chose to quilt the background when I ended the plants. The next time I quilt something similarly I will try to choose a better background motif. Here is a close up.

     I also completed more simple holiday placemats for donation. I have made a good dent in the Christmas fabric stash but there is still too much.

      After reading about requests for quilts for fire survivors out west, I went through my quilt chest and pulled 2 to donate. Members of my family have received many. We have much for which to be thankful. If you have a stash of finished quilts, I hope you will consider donating one or more. There are several groups collecting and some will finish the quilting for finished tops. Here is information about one group that was shared by Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

“I am a volunteer with Quilts for Riverside Fire Survivors from Clackamas County, Oregon. You may have seen on the news recently that our state has had terrible wildfires this month after a once-in-a-hundred years wind event. Our group is collecting quilts so we can give a quilt to every person whose home burned in Riverside Fire. 

You can learn more about us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/783966792403623

Anything you could do to help us spread the word about our need for quilts would be deeply appreciated. These families have lost everything and we are committed to wrapping them in a quilt. 

We need quilts of all sizes. Quilts can be sent to:

Attn: LLF

Easy E-Office, LLC

24361 S Upper Highland Rd

Colton, OR  97017

We appreciate it if people include their name and a way to contact them so we know who to thank for their generous, loving donation.”

 Like others I am having some trouble with Blogger which changes the font size settings and will not let me. 

Hope you are staying safe and healthy while enjoying some sewing or quilting. 

I am linking up with Alycia's Finished (or Not) Friday. 

More Placemats Finished

       With a large stash of Christmas fabric, my church group and I have been making placemats. This week I finished 6 more to add to the pile. Large prints make it very easy.  So far I expect we have finished 50 which we plan for distributed to some local Meals on Wheels recipients. 

      When I recently saw Sarah's (of Confessions of a Fabric Addict) Plaidish quilt top I was motivated to start one. I already had the free pattern from KitchenTableQuilting.  I had been collecting scraps with black background and bright colors.  This was a perfect quilt to use them. I made fewer blocks for a smaller lap quilt. I have all my blocks made. Hopefully soon I will play with layout and get the top pieced. 

That is about it for this week. I'm linking up with Alycia's Finished (or Not) Friday.

Hope you are staying safe and healthy while enjoying some sewing or quilting.

String Quilt Finish and More

      The first part of the week was spent with GDs. The youngest sewed a kit and made a unicorn pillow. She was excited to make it. She needed help sewing the tail and other parts on to the body with 4 layers but she did a great job.

     The last half of the week I got busy sewing. I cut strips from the church group holiday fabric stash and made 4 holiday placemats using the Courthouse steps free pattern from Jordan Fabrics. You can also watch the tutorial on YouTube. ( I would skip the first few minutes where Matt picks out fabric.) I plan to make a few more. The quilting is stitch in the ditch.  Easy, no binding since turned pillowcase style.  The goal is to have enough to be delivered with Meals on Wheels in December.

     Next I quilted the string half log cabin quilt.

I quilted a loopy meander. 

 I thought about using a scrappy binding but found a long binding piece of the green stripe. I had just enough of the fabric to add some strips to get all the way.

Hope you are staying safe and healthy while enjoying some sewing or quilting in a cool space.

I'm linking up with Whoop, Whoop Friday.  Check out the projects and get inspired.  

Bricks On-Point Finish

     Since it has been either stiflingly hot or wet from the most recent storm, I have spent more time in the house quilting. I finished this Bricks On-Point adult throw size quilt. 

I quilted a loopy meander in the center with dark gray thread. In the triangles I quilted an triangle motif inspired by an Angela Walters design and loopy wishbones (aka crazy eights) in the outer border.

Shopping only from my stash I chose a strip for the binding. This quilt will be a gift for someone.  While my craft table was clear I took the time to sandwich two smaller lap quilts that have been waiting.

       For the past week I have been watching a chrysalis after I discovered it on a daylily leaf near some parsley. Saturday morning I was lucky to see it soon after it had hatched. It was hanging for its wings to dry. 

 After checking on it for about half an hour, it moved and then about 10 minutes later I was excited to see it fly away. I believe it was a male Black Swallowtail.

Hope you are staying safe and healthy while enjoying some sewing or quilting in a cool space.

Linking up with Alycia's Finished (or Not) Friday.  Hope you find it inspiring. 

Excited for a UFO Finish

     If you have visited my blog before, you may know about my blue and white day bee mystery UFO. The quilt top was pieced by September of 2012. I wanted to improve my free-motion quilting skill before quilting it. This year I decided my FMQ was as good as it was going to be. I quilted the center. You can see details of that quilting here.   Then the quilt sandwich sat while I decided how I wanted to quilt around the applique in the border.  This week I finally quilted the last part. I used “Iced Blue” Signature quilting thread.  The background fabric is a very pale blue mottled print. 

I must say I stretched my skill for quilting the motif Patsy Thompson calls “plumify it” and the plum based “revolving swirl design” from her Bluprint class “Ultimate Free-motion Feathers”. Here are some close-ups.  

I am not totally happy with my quilting but overall am pleased. I'm very happy to say it is finished and off my UFO list.

     I have been sewing a lot during this pandemic; however, I am not making much progress with my UFOs. I have started more new projects than I have finished from my UFO list. My finished tops are collecting, but at least they are organized.

     A friend shared pears so I made 28 cups of pear honey.

I still have plenty of pears in the fridge to use for something else.

The vegetable garden is struggling with the heat and so are we.

With Covid-19 cases on the rise around the country, please stay safe and healthy while enjoying some sewing or quilting in a cool space.

I'm linking up with Whoop, Whoop Friday and Finished (or Not) Friday.  Check them out for inspiration.