Wednesday, September 24, 2014

September: A Lovely Year of Finishes - Finishes Party

A Lovely Year of Finishes

Wow..what a great month...as I actually finished a goal.  :)

I got my Orange You Glad block all put into a quilt top.

An actual #ALYoF  finish of my own. Love these #beeblocks from a group from years ago.  Come link up your own 'A Lovely Year of Finishes' with @sewbittersweetdesigns and me

I searched long and hard for these perfect oranges and they are stunning!

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But, let's get down to your projects...

You have two requirements to be entered into the prizes this month.
1. Link-up {this previous post} the first 7-days of the month

and

2. Link-up below during the last 7-days of the month ~ with a 
successful finish.

Add your blog post or flickr photo (with appropriate descriptions) to the linky party below.

Please grab a button or link back to Melissa and I so other people can join in the fun! {See stage left for the grab the button stuffs}

And if you remember to make it easy for us we'll click through the winners faster..aka put number of goal link up.


**Please note, the linky party is the same here and over at Melissa , so there is no need to enter twice**






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 Here is a list of our generous sponsors for September!!

1. 2. Honey, Bunny and Doll – 2 Patterns

Honey, Bunny, and Doll

3. Sew BitterSweet Designs  one pdf pattern

http://blog.sewbittersweetdesigns.com/

4. One pdf pattern from  Sew Sweetness

Sew Sweetness

5. Green Fairy Quilts – 3 pdf patterns


6. 1 Charm pack or $10.00 gift certificate to


7. $30.00 credit towards Long Arm Quilting Services
from by Orchid Owl Quilts

250

8. Thread Prize from Aurifil

9. Thimblepie’s Quilt Supplies - Custom fabric package, 4 yards (worth $20) plus free shipping


10. 11. One pdf Pattern from Clover and Violet

cloverandviolet

12. PDF Pattern from Katy - The Littlest Thistle

The Littlest Thistle - http://www.the-littlest-thistle.com/

13. PDF Pattern from Persimon Dreams

Project QUILTING

14. One PDF Pattern from Meadow Mist Designs

 Meadow Mist Designs Button


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Happy quilting my dears!

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Lovely Miss Kate

Good golly Miss Kate!

I wanted to share one of my two latest finishes.

#misskate  finished thanks to @southernfabric for the loveliest giveaway.  I'm 100% sure this is my fastest finish ever. Claimed instantly by my stepdaughter.

Quilt Stats:

Name: Lovely Miss Kate
Size: approx. 58" x 70"
Fabrics:  2 scrap packs from my winnings from Southern Fabric + Solid 
Pattern:  Remix of Jelly Roll Jam
Quilting: Machine quilted by me large stipple on my 1008 Bernina
Started : August 2014
Completed: September 2014

The back of the #misskate  quilt. Whoop

One of the free time activities I love as a quilter is Instagram.
So much can be shared in a photo.

I was a winner of Southern Fabric giveaway of some Miss Kate scrap packs.

Oh my word! Nearly 2 lbs of Miss Kate. These are scrap packs so the salvages are still attached.  Looks like I can get 2.5" per strip.  Thanks @southernfabric for the winnings!!!

I've been in love with Bonnie and Camille lines since being able to use some in a BOM kit I bought earlier this year.  When Miss Kate was announced I jumped all over that bandwagon and was dying to get some.

The scrap packs yielded 22" strips and they ranged between 2.5 - 2" strips.  I looked for some jelly roll patterns and had way more than enough to enlarge and tweak the Fat Quarter Shop Jelly Roll Jam pattern.

Enjoying an afternoon with #misskate  from my @southernfabric winnings.

I have to say that with all the stress in my life right now...these colors and the awesome pattern just clicked with me.

Yep #misskate  is perfect in every way

It was 8 weeks ago that I won these lovely fabrics 

I haven't had a moment to sew in 17 days...it's been pure tourcher. Thank goodness for #misskate

And this from start to finish helped me get through life...oh so much life.
Crashed car.
New to me car shopping (it is actually a truck).
Too much travel.
Way too much travel.

Getting in a quick work out with spary basting a #misskate  quilt from my @southernfabric winnings

I basted and quilted.

Binding, binding, binding.  This is number 3 just this month. It's helping me get over this sudden ear ache.

Even used a tiny binding (from the 2" strips) 

I guess it's more than okay...
Cat approved quilt.  I had to stop binding as I couldn't move the quilt anymore.  Super helpful cat. #misskate
as it's cat approved.

And it was instantly claimed by my stepdaughter.
Someone is getting her first quilt...finally.  #misskate

It's the proud mama moment as it's her first of mine.  She says it's fine for her bed...it's just hers, hers, hers.

Ahhh gotta love when everything just zips together.

Thanks again to Southern Fabric.  I was so pleased by the fastest shipping.  And I'm sure to order something that I hope will go together just as fast!





Thursday, September 18, 2014

Vintage clothes a few times over

Over two years ago my fella and I were in a bind, as life goes. 

I had a great high school girlfriend that offered to employ my new crafty ways.

She sent me a box of clothing that I oh SO remember her wearing.

I had so much prep learning how to sew with non-cotton material.

Come up with ideas of how to make this into a memory quilt without it being so ...traditional.

This is what I came up with.



Sending away this beauty tomorrow.   Thanks to @orchidowlquilts for the amazing quilting.

Name: A memory of vintage 
Size: approx. 60" x 66"
Fabrics:  Vintage clothing from a high school friend and solids
Pattern:  My own design
Quilting: Longarm quilting by Orchid Owl Quilts
Started : August 2012
Completed: September 2014

Memory quilt...kinda

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The only deal that I made for myself when I got this task is that I was only going to work on this when I could pour love into it.  I didn't want to be guilty stitching or be angry with it in any way.

March #ALYoF goal - just the quilt top

Yes it took me 2 years..but it's pure love.

#ALYoF  now this is progress! Thanks @craftymamad for the help!

This is right when Melissa and I started up 'A Lovely Year of Finishes

March ALYoF finish

this was my goal for many many months.

even the back was a goal!

There you have it my May/June A Lovely Year of Finish goal is complete #ALYoF  Now I can schedule the longarm rental. No way am I taking this on with my home machine

I was a wee bit paralyzed by the quilting on this.

So I sent this away to Orchid Owl Quilts and I got back a goldmine!!


Stitches away from finishing my missed #ALYoF

I even tacked down the binding by hand...seriously a ton of love.

I learned I'm not a commission kinda gal...but that didn't stop the joy it was to work on this quilt.

~~~

I am SO sad it had to go away.
I might have already sent Vicki of Orchid Owl Quilts a quilt that will live on my bed.  No more sending away all the good stuff.







Wednesday, September 17, 2014

September - A Lovely Year of Finishes Participant Highlight ~ Kris from Sew Sunshine



Melissa of Sew Bittersweet Designs is the doll that talked to our participant highlight this month.  Thanks to her for picking me up while I'm down.

September participant highlight post to you!  We have Kris from Sew Sunshine with us today.  If you haven’t visited Kris yet, you really should, she does some amazing quilts!


Blog name: Sew Sunshine
Blog address: http://www.sewsunshine.blogspot.com
Name you’re known by throughout quilting world: Kris@SewSunshine

What’s your ALYoF goal this month? Well I think I bit off more than I can chew  this month. I wanted to make a back and quilt my Mod Olive quilt from the Mod Olive qal earlier this summer, over at Sew Kind of Wonderful. It has lots of curved seams and secondary designs made by those curves that would be great for fun quilting. However, quilting like that is a real weakness for me. I want to have some fun with it but tend to stress out of what to do and how to do it.

Mod Olives - http://sewsunshine.blogspot.com/

How do you approach your sewing goals? I don’t really like to make much of a list or goal. I found that picking one item each month for A Lovely Year of Finishes motivates me to give my attention to that one thing if nothing else. Sometimes I can do it and many more things. Sometimes I get distracted by other quilts I want to make, or projects I want to do.  Items made for gifts can throw any plan out the window as well as family events and well, just life.
Mod Olives - http://sewsunshine.blogspot.com/

How do you organize/prioritize your projects? I like to keep that one thing in mind  for  each month but I sort of go with the flow. I don’t put away the fabric for a quilt that is not finished. If I start a new project before the others are finished, I have to work around that mess. Most of the time that keeps those projects to the forefront and I get them done.  Other times I am 3 deep on the design wall, one on the floor while I walk past and stew about how to finish it, and one on the cutting table waiting to get started. Not to mention drawings/sketches  and bags of fabric stashed for upcoming ideas. So to answer the question…not so organized at my house.

What is your current favorite project that you are working on?  Currently I am working on this sort of southwest looking block. I was going through some old magazines and I found this cool way to make this block.  It is one of those blocks that you sew together one way and then cut it apart and put it back together and you end up with something so cool.  The block is cool but what I find to be the best part about it is that I am using up stash fabric. I have fabric that I purchased in my stash dating back to the 80’s so it is so exciting to just use it up.  I have been trying to do the Purge over at Stitched in Color. I have several items I completed from my stash for this project.

Mod Olives - http://sewsunshine.blogspot.com/

What is your dream project to work on? I think my dream project would be to make a super king size quilt for my bed. I would make pillows and shams and matching curtains. I used to love working on big projects.  I am not quite ready to quilt a big quilt like that on my home machine so for  right now I am just dreaming about it.

What is your favorite time of day to sew? I really do my best when the sun is just coming up.  I like really early. The rest of the house does not, so it is not often  something I get to do.

What is your favorite quilting/sewing accessory? I think this year my favorite quilting accessory is spray starch. I never liked to iron/press but when you use spray starch you see just how smooth and flat something can get. It really has helped me out so many times. I use all kinds but really I am finding that expensive is not always the best.

What is your number one quilting/sewing goal for 2014? I really want to finish a quilt that I made my first year of blogging. It is a diamond pattern using Kaffe Fassett fabrics. I have the top done the backing pieced and the batting bought. Now I am waiting for my fmqing skills to improve so I can do a great job of quilting on it. I have been gaining some skills  in this area and making bigger and bigger quilts to quilt.  To date my DIY sampler is my largest  finish at 54” x 70” you can see HERE

Mod Olives - http://sewsunshine.blogspot.com/

What is one technique you really want to learn? I had this idea of doing a new technique at the beginning of the year. This year I chose to do the portrait of my mom in pixelated format. I really want to do this again but refine the colors and pattern and maybe use prints.  I think there are lots of opportunities for this technique to really become art.  I like the cross over into mixed media by dying my own fabrics and using other textiles too.

Mod Olives - http://sewsunshine.blogspot.com/

Thanks for joining us Kris!!

Keep it up ..the month is zipping by.


Saturday, September 13, 2014

August Winners ~ A Lovely Year of Finishes

Here are this month winners...
but you realize you all are winners..right?!

A Lovely Year of Finishes

Let's celebrate our sponsors!

Thanks to Melissa for being my co-host in all this.  She's the best!

The August winners are:

1. PDF Pattern from Katy - The Littlest Thistle

The Littlest Thistle - http://www.the-littlest-thistle.com/


Katie - Katie Mae Quilts


2. PDF Pattern from Persimon Dreams

Project QUILTING

Lucy - Lucy Made

3. $15 gift certificate from Fat Quarter Shop


Heather - Peachy Pages

4. Green Fairy Quilts – 3 pdf patterns


Anita - Quilt in a Not-Shell

5. One pdf pattern from  Sew Sweetness

 Sew Sweetness

Kell - Flickr 

6. 1 Charm pack or $10.00 gift certificate to


Katie - Good Golly Ginger

7. Thread Prize from Aurifil

Allison - Allison Sews

8. 9. TWO winners each getting to choose one pdf pattern
from Sew BitterSweet Designs ($10 value)

 http://blog.sewbittersweetdesigns.com/

Pauline - Quilt-n-Queen
and
Sharon - Forget-Me-Not-Stitches

10. Thimblepie’s Quilt Supplies - Custom fabric package, 4 yards (worth $20) plus free shipping


Cathy -  Winter Wanderings

11. One PDF Pattern from Meadow Mist Designs

 Meadow Mist Designs Button

Julie - That's Sew Julie

12. 13. One pdf Pattern from Clover and Violet

 cloverandviolet

Jessica - Quilty Habit
and
Leanne - She Can Quilt

14. $30.00 credit towards Long Arm Quilting Services


250

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Thank you again to all our sponsors and for all of you being amazing.

Keep it up ... there are more prizes this month.