Crossing this off my list..for now

 Finished this quilt top in December which was my OMG at Elm Street Quilts for December

My original post was here.

In looking at this photo, plus laying on my floor, the quilt top looks very "white". The fabric, itself, shows Santas and elves and thinks like that, but I just don't know how "Christmasy" it looks. But, no big deal, I will put it out for Christmas down the road, anyway, when I get it quilted. I received this in the Jolly Box from Fat Quarter Shop in 2018

and I hadn't done anything with it until this year. I would say that it's about time.

I guess, in hindsight, I could have added a colorful border to make it less white. Hopefully, when I get it quilted it will look more Christmasy. I do have a backing to use that has Santas on it 

I understand that people are getting away from the traditional dark red and dark green, but when you add in pinks and light blues and low volume prints, it seems to make it almost summery instead of wintery. Maybe it's just me. I wonder if anyone else has made this quilt the same way as it came in the box? I guess I need to start "thinking outside the box" and kind of making it my own way instead of the way that it came "in the box". 

Well, it is one quilt top done. Onto the next one.... and Happy New Year 2021!

Christmas items 2020

 Starting another project at the last minute so I am making this as my OMG at Elm Street Quilts.

I received these fat quarters from 2018 Fat Quarter Shop's Jolly Box. So they have been sitting untouched since then. I really would like to have a Christmas quilt so I am starting this now. I'm going to try to have the quilt top done by the end of December. That way, I can quilt and bind it sometime through the year and pull it out for Christmas in 2021. 

In reality, I had thought those fat quarters were from 2019, but when I looked again, the box from 2019 were these stockings. I did just finish these up a couple of weeks ago.

I, also, completed this Festive Star Pillow at SewLux Fabric. 

I am enjoying the Pillow Club at SewLux and already joined again for 2021. I do not have all of the pillows completed yet for 2020, but I will eventually get to them. They are nice to pull out and have a different pillow for my couch. 

My husband has decorated the house and Christmas tree because, well, that's his job. Merry Christmas!

Quilting Done on Stargazer!

Finished my November OMG at Elm Street Quilts just in time. This was my original goal for November. In reality, I didn't start it until a week or so ago, but I had a few days off from work and I just kept working at it. The quilt top is 90"X90" so it's a fairly large size for me to quilt on my domestic machine. 

I quilted this with my walking foot because, well, that's what I do. I did a 2-inch grid across, and up and down so it did take me a little while. I just went slowly and listened to some music or tv. 

I just used this wide backing of Hand drawn lines purchased from Connecting Threads

Having this wide backing on hand helped me get it organized. I was glad that I didn't have to piece a backing this time.

Now I am on the downside so I just have to trim it up, zig zag the edges and bind it. Yeah!

Stargazer Goal for November

 I really need to get a few of my old completed quilt tops quilted. So, as a result, I plan to quilt this quilt top that I completed back in November 2019. I would like to have this quilt completed to give to my son for Christmas.

This is my Stargazer quilt top by Rebecca Bryan.

This is a paper-pieced design and I really did like it back when I was working on it. Well, it is time for it to be moved to the top of the pile and see the light of day. I am posting this goal for November at Elm Street Quilts OMG for November. 

I believe that I am going to quilt straight lines in a cross hatch which really is my easiest way to quilt using my walking foot. Since this quilt top is dark, I do not want to be drawing lines on it. Hopefully, the seam guide will help. This is the large size - 80" X 80" and that is big for me to quilt on my domestic machine. But I've done it before so I need to get on with it. There are a lot of seams on the back and I don't want to get jammed up sewing through some of the seams. 

Not sure if I will have it bound by the end of November, though. I don't want to rush through the binding. After quilting a larger quilt, I kind of want to take my time on the binding.

Stardust Blocks - Month 1 finished

 I had 2 goals for October: 1.) to complete my 1st blocks for the Sew In Love Block of the month, plus, complete a pouch from Sew Lux Fabric.

I'm happy to say that I did get these done early. This is the Rainbow pouch. 

This pouch was fun to make. Although, I wish someone would have told me to NOT spray water when adding the interfacing. Immediately, when I sprayed water, the Essex shrunk. I kept trying to press the block out to the end and then it distorted the block. I ended up adjusting the front and back by taking 1/4" off each side. Then I reduced the zipper length by 1/2", also. It worked out ok. 

Also, I completed my blocks for the first month of Sew In Love by Edyta Sitar. Here is a photo of my WIPs. These tiny sections of the blocks were so small (1 1/2") and they did take quite a while of piecing. I was glad to be done with them. I can see why these are called "Block of the Month" quilts. After 1 block, you need to take a break before the next month!

There are 5 to each block and 4 blocks are needed for the quilt. I am using a "misty grey" for the background. The silvery stars do not show up as well in this photo, but I they are pretty because it is metallic. Plus, I think they will be fine once they are in the quilt top. 

Stardust is the name of the block. I do like the end result.

Month 1 Stardust Blocks

I am linking my finish to Elm Street OMG for October

Abstract Zipper Pouch is ready for gifting

I have been receiving Zipper Pouch Kits from Sew Lux Fabric for over a year now. I really do enjoy receiving them in my mail. However, for some reason, I do not get to making them right away and some of them sit in a basket. Well, I have made up my mind to get a few of these completed within the next month or so. This is my completed Abstract Pouch. 

I do like how it came together. It's a small project, but it is done. I am putting this in my "handmade gifts tote" for down the road. It's nice to have a gift available if  an occasion comes up. Some of my friends and relatives do appreciate a handmade item.

I'm linking this small finish to From Bolt to Beauty Pageant

 

Decisions for October

I'm going to choose 2 items for my October OMG at Elm Street Quilts . I would like to think that I can complete this goal. I have larger quilts that need quilted but not sure if I will get around to them. 

Therefore, I would like to get the first month completed from the book Sew in Love by Edyta Sitar. This is a block-of-the-month book. I ordered fat quarters of this Rifle Paper Co fabric from Lady Belle Fabric which I love, so I would like to start on this quilt. The first block-of-the-month consists of 4 blocks and it has a ton of tiny (1 1/2") half-square triangles.

I would, also, like to finish this Zipper pouch that I received from Sew Lux Fabric

I'd like to have a couple pouches completed, possibly, for gifts down the road.

 

Not too large of goals for October, I guess. I'm sure I'll work on some of my other projects, too, but at least I'm hoping to get these items done. 

 

Fun and Functional Fall Finishes!

I'm not sure if I thought that these table runners would take less time than I imagined, or if I just always have too ambitious of goals for the amount of sewing time that I have. Because I barely got these 2 table runners done that were my goal for September OMG.  

The piecing for this "Driving Me Batty" table runner was a little time consuming. I received this last year, however, from Fat Quarter Shop and just now got around to working on it. I really wanted to have it done for this year.

I used this Alexander Henry purple print for the backing. I was glad to finally be able to use it. My Halloween stash is not very large, but I did have a couple of older prints.

This was #2 on my list to be completed in September. I really do like how this 2nd table runner came out. I had a layer cake of Fall/Pumpkin-type fabrics and knew I wanted to sew an Autumn table runner. This was a fairly fast and easy pattern to put together. The pattern is from Table Runner Bliss

It fits perfectly on my coffee table in my living room and is already in use.

The backing that I used for this one is a vintage sunflower print. I have had this fabric in my stash for who knows how long - probably as long as I've been quilting. I'm glad I was able to make use out of it. I love sunflowers and even though it is a vintage print, I still like it.

So these are my Fun and Functional Fall Finishes and I am happy to have them done. Linking to Elm Street Quilts OMG for September

From Bolt to Beauty

Fall Table Runner quilts

 Fall can be a fantastic time of year here in Pennsylvania. However, I still become sad because the boating season is almost over. We do leave our boat in the river until the beginning of October, but the days are shorter and the weather is cooler so we don't end up using it too much.

 But, I do have Fall quilting projects that I am enjoying working on. I am working on a table runner from Table Runner Bliss. I have sewn three table runners from this book so far. These are the table runners that I have sewn so far from this book:

Garland Table Runner

 

Joy Table Runner

Lovely Table Runner

 We purchased a new coffee table recently, and the way that the wood is, I think that my cat will scratch it. So I decided that I needed to get a move on it and sew some more table runners that are kind of seasonal.   I have had a layer cake for who knows how many years sitting in a box. So I pulled it out and sewed this runner. I'm not sure if I will piece the leftovers to use for the back, or if I will just find a larger cut of fabric stash to use for the backing. I guess that depends on my mood for the day.

Blossom Table Runner

Also, I received the Spooky Box last year and of course, I have never sewn the table runner. It is cut out now. I would like to have both of these table runners completed by the end of September. 

Driving Me Batty Table Runner

And I will be linking this to Elm Street Quilts OMG for September

In addition, I would like complete this Pumpkin Party Pillow from SewLux Fabric.

This, however, I am not adding to my Goal to be completed for the month, but hopefully, it will be anyway. That way, if I do finish it, it's one more item crossed off my list for the Fall.

Ring Around the Rosy quilt and Divided Basket

 I got my baby quilt done early that was my OMG for August at Elm Street Quilts.

I really needed to get a move on it with this quilt and basket. When I originally decided to sew a quilt for my coworker, I did not even know that she was having a shower. Then, all of a sudden, an invitation appeared in my mail bin at work. That left me about 3-4 weeks to get the whole thing done. Plus, we have been going camping so there were days that I could not work on it. But I did achieve my goal.

This is the quilt outside on my bush. I pieced the top using the Ring Around the Rosy pattern from Charming Baby Quilts by Melissa Corry

 

 For the background, I decided to use Powder Blue Grunge

I had actually won a $50 Gift Certificate at Mountain Creek Quilters.

I purchased the Powder Blue Grunge, along with some other fantastic items from their shop. I, also, ordered the thread from the shop that I used to quilt this. I had just ordered the fabric before getting the shower invitation and they had super-fast shipping so it worked out great.

Here is a closer photo on my swing in my backyard. I used Noah's Ark fabric which I thought was very colorful. But there were a few low volume prints so I guess that made me decide to use the blue background instead of white. It was easy enough to quilt just by doing a cross-hatch from corner to corner in the blocks.

Also, for the back of the quilt, I decided to use the panel that was part of the same collection. I just loved the alphabet and animals. I was a little unsure of what color to "frame" the panel with. In the end, though, I think the gray color worked out ok. I figure that it may sometimes get dirty if it's laying on the floor so I didn't want to use white. 

 I had purchased fat quarters so that I would make this Divided basket. I think that these baskets are useful and it makes a nice gift, by putting the diapers in them.

 

The front and back of the basket was a darker color Grunge that I had in my stash. I did not have exactly enough of this blue Grunge so, if you can see, I used a piece of the light blue raindrops to piece the front of the basket (underneath the pocket). It worked out fine that way.

Here they are together on my swing. These gifts have been presented to the Soon-to-be Mom at the shower this past Sunday. I think that they will be useful gifts for any new Mom.

I am linking this finish to Let's Make Baby Quilts August 2020, also.

 Needle and Thread Thursday

 

August OMG - Baby quilt and Basket

I will be going to a baby shower in August for a coworker this month. The way this whole Coronavirus situation  has been, I did not think that a baby shower was even going to happen. Although, right before I had received the shower invitation, I had purchased this fabric to make a quilt for the baby. So, of course, I needed to get started on it right away. 

I had decided to sew the "Ring Around the Rosie" quilt from Charming Baby Quilts

Here is one of my finished blocks. This is the Noah's Ark fabric that I purchased

For my August OMG at Elm Street Quilts

I will be trying to get the quilt done. Plus, I want to make another Divided Basket

I like to put diapers in the basket because they fit so well and every new mother can use more diapers. Will be linking this to One Monthly Goal

A Virginia Tech Quilt -The Orange Effect

My nephew graduated from Virginia Tech in May; however, no commencement came about thanks to COVID-19. I had decided back in the winter to make him a quilt. I chose the Push-Pull Quilt Along by Quilting Jet Girl. And here is my finish.

It was awesome that I won a $50 gift certificate from Needle and Foot, also! Quilt-Alongs can be fun and often times, I even win something.

This quilt is very big and I quilted a wavy line up and down. It was quite the project. In looking back, I had considered sending it to a long-arm quilter. Possibly, I should have done that and it would have turned out much nicer. I guess I am hesitant to send quilts to a long-arm quilter, only because it makes me feel that I did not make the whole thing myself. Oh, well, it is definitely a usable quilt.

Here it is shown on my Queen-size bed. I am thinking that my nephew's bed does not have a foot-board so the design may show up better. The foot-board kind of takes away from the design, a little. My son said the quilt top looked cool (he has not yet seen the completed quilt), so I'll go with that. 

Here is a photo of the backing. I kind of miscalculated on the maroon yardage so I had to go back to the quilt shop for an additional yard. This photo is not showing the full top with the solid maroon. It is approximately the same size as the bottom. By the time I pieced the back, there was probably less than 2 inches on both top and bottom.

The sides were very good, but I had a hard time basting because of the shortness of the top and bottom. In the end there was just enough space that the binding fit on which I gave a huge sigh of relief.  I did the basting on one of our very hot 90-degree days and I literally had sweat pouring off of my forehead.

I have not mailed this quilt to my nephew yet. I may try to fill in a few more quilt lines just to kind of squish it down some. It seems quite puffy. In reality, it is quite heavy, also. I think it must be the batting that I used. My local JoAnn Fabric had only 2 types to choose from in the king size. I'm going to have to remember down the line to NOT buy this type of batting again. Problem is, I threw the packaging away already. Oh, well, par for the course.

I am linking to Elm Streets July Finish OMG. My original post was here.
I am glad that this one is finished. Thanks to Patty at Elm Street Quilts

This helps me stay on track with my goals.

Quilting plans for my Push-Pull quilt top

I have finished my Push-Pull quilt top and would now like to finish the quilting for my July One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts.

Here is a photo of the completed top:

I have been doing fairly well keeping up with my One Monthly goals. July usually is a pretty busy month for me, but I have promised my nephew that I would have this quilt completed by the beginning of August. That way I can mail it to him.

This is a rather large Queen-sized quilt. So my plans are to quilt a wavy line down the center and just quilt wavy lines to each side up and down. This way, I won't have to do much marking of the quilt top. It will be slow-moving and I'm sure I will be doing some wrangling through my machine, but hopefully, I will get it completed.

Table runner finish in time for July 4

I had chosen to complete this table runner for my June OMG at Elm Street Quilts.  As the month wore on, I did not know if I would have it completed. However, I surprised myself because we had a not-so-nice weather day on Saturday and I was able to finish it.

I am glad that I finished it and am able to use it on my coffee table in my family room.

The backing is an old fabric that I found left over from a quilt that I made for my sister years ago. I'm glad I was able to use it. I think it turned out fairly nice for the back of the table runner.

I will be posting this finish to June One Monthly Goal

I am, also, posting to Brag about your Beauties Pageant

Finished Push-Pull Quilt top

I have now completed my Push-Pull Quilt top. I have been working on this for quite a few months for the Quilt Along.

Push-Pull Quilt Top: Orange Effect

This is destined to be a gift for my nephew, Sean, once I get it completed. Sean graduated from Virginia Tech this Spring. They did not have a Commencement due to Covid-19, but he does deserve a few graduation gifts.

I purchased this Virginia Tech fabric for the backing  I bought 6 yds of the Virginia Tech fabric. It was kind of hard to come by. I had to watch on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to see if they received any in stock.  And I could not find it anywhere else. I am going to buy 4 yards of a Maroon solid at one of my local quilt shops. I wanted to add some Maroon since the top is all orange.

I am hoping to have the quilt completed sometime in July, if not, then the beginning of August. It's kind of a "monster quilt", but I'll just work at it slowly. I have to wait for my orange thread to come in, too. The mail moves quite slowly these days. I am linking my quilt top finish to Push-Pull Quilt Along Final link-up

Table Runner for 4th of July

For my OMG at Elm Street Quilts for the month of June

I chose this table runner to complete. It would be nice to have it finished for Independence Day and to enjoy it a little before. This was one of the Sew Samplers.

I liked it so much that I immediately sewed it, but, alas, it now sits in my to-be-quilted pile.

I just received this Pillow Case kit from Sew Lux Fabric

It is the same Mackinac Island fabric so it would be nice to have this done. But I am not choosing to have it completed for the month of June. I will be working on it, though, if I get the chance. 

I wanted to show you this photo of my Amaryllis plant, also. This is pre-bloom.

Then it went to one bloom.

Now it is in Full Bloom.

I just love it sitting on my porch. This bulb is about 3 years old and I thought it was dead last winter. So I put it on the porch. Lo and Behold, it survived and is now a beautiful flower to enjoy.

God's beauty and wonder is all around us!