February Goals

A short month, and a lot of projects that I want to work on, with, hopefully, a few finishes.

I still need to finish up my lazy girl quilt - since it's for me, I'm not in a hurry, but it would be nice to have it completed. I did add some scrappy flying geese to two sides and I'm trying to decide what to use as a border for the whole quilt - I wasn't intending to add a border, but it kinda needs it.

I started some x&+ blocks today, and I'm quite pleased with how they are turning out.

 

The only thing that I'm not liking is that I wish I had cut some different fabrics. I have enough for nine blocks, but it has occurred to me that I may need to exchange some fabrics for others and I probably want to have about 35 of these blocks for a quilt. Not sure yet, though. 

I'm really enjoying making flying geese and I also want to make some more bags. I just need to purchase some lobster clips. I haven't been able to get them from any of the fabric shops that I frequent or Wal-Mart. What's up with that? Oh well.

I have to finish up some bee blocks that I'm behind on and I'm not going to commit to any bees this year. I did sign up for a swap, since I've only done a couple of fabric swaps - this is a pin cushion swap, so I'm kinda excited to see what I get and what I make. I am totally up to making things for swaps and hope to do some more this year.

That's all for today. Gotta get the girl outta the bath and the pizza outta the oven. YUM!

Make something, today.

Green

January 2014 goals

I missed posting my goals on the Lovely Year of Finishes - I missed January last year, too.  I decided to hold myself to making, at least, one quilt a month. This month, I would like to complete my lazy girl quilt.

These are the circles before I sewed them together.

Trying out different layouts.

I really enjoyed making these ring segments. My problem is that the quilt isn't as large as I would like it. I want to be able to snuggle under it on the sofa. I'm going to make some flying geese blocks to be the border.

It's so great to see all the scraps of things that I've made through the years.

I hope that I can finish this quilt this month. I'm also working on starting some other quilts to help my monthly finishes. It's a lot of fun to challenge myself to finish some works.

In more personal matters, I've given up sugar this month - it has been difficult, but not impossible. It's been two weeks today and I've only had one minor cheat - I had a bite of cake. It was chocolate mousse cake so it really couldn't be avoided. Linking up to Lee at Freshly Pieced's WIP Wednesday.

Make something awesome today!

Sistah's got a brand new bag!

I'm a little behind in my X-mas sewing. I just finished my sister's present. I've decided that I'm not going to be ruled by the calendar anymore (at least that's what I'm telling everyone). She got an ipad air and I made her a cute, little, zippered, sleeping bag for it and a messenger bag for her to put that into, too.

I love this fabric, Piper by Dear Stella, I mean, these colors? C'mon. Gorgeous. My sister loves purple, orange and green - I usually buy fabric for her around Halloween time. The green on the inside is a different line and I also had to use the glasses from Geekly Chic - so geeky and awesome. I used straight line quilting to add interest and the pattern is... well, there is no pattern. I made both items from my mind. I did look at some patterns and other designs, of course, but I didn't use a pattern to construct the bags. I just need to iron the whole thing and have her come and pick it up.

As I was struggling with making an adjustable strap, I found ChrisW Designs blog and her Bag Brag Tuesday posts. Great blog about bags - I enjoyed checking out all of the tutorials and there was a lot of helpful posts there, check it out. I will be linking up to her and to Sew Much Ado's We Did It Wednesday. I'll probably link up to Crazy Mom on Friday, too - since it is a finish (Whoo-hoo!!)

Make something today!

End of 2013

I can't believe that this year is almost over. I've been having such a great time. I have definitely gotten a little slack lately in writing my blog, but that's just the holidays, man. I've actually completed quite a few projects. I have two quilts finished in the last month and two embroidery projects (I love my new sewing machine) and I've started a bag and another two quilts. I'm busy, busy, busy - apparently, too busy to blog about anything.

Also, my daughter is turning four years old on Monday. I can't believe it. She's getting so big. Where have these four years gone?

I will post again for an end of the year wrap up along with my goals for next year. I'm gonna tear it up this coming year. I can't wait. This is gonna be  my year - I just have that feeling. So, stay tuned for greatness, folks. It's gonna happen.

Green

XMas WIP

I'm frantically trying to finish up some XMas gifts to ship out. I have completed the quilting on my butterfly garden quilt. I just need to bind it and make a label and then wash and ship to my MIL in Illinois.

Each section has it's own quilting design, so it took a little while to finish this one up. Plus, I was originally making this for myself and decided to give it to my MIL a while ago, so I thought I had infinite time to finish.

I used two layers of cotton batting in this quilt and I love the trapunto effect that it gives, especially when the quilting is close together - it really stands out. I also tried to do some new fmq designs that I was not used to doing.

My new machine is great at fmq, but today I was having a problem with the bobbin thread. It would get caught and then I would have to stop and cut the threads. I looked and there wasn't anything caught in the bobbin case. I dunno. I guess I'll figure it out later, seeing as I finished quilting. I can't wait to bind it and actually finish this one, tomorrow.

I'm also working on becoming a blonde, again. It is a process, seeing as my hair is very dark brown. I'm at the yellow stage right now after bleaching twice. I might have to bleach again, I just hope not for a few days to give my hair a rest.

Linking up to Freshly Pieced.

Make some Christmas.

Green

Craftsy

What is Craftsy? Craftsy is a worldwide craft community offering online classes. It also has a patterns marketplace where independent designers can sell their patterns; a supplies shop with great deals on yarn, fabric, and class kits; and a projects section where members share pictures of their latest craft successes. With over two million members and counting, Craftsy has something for just about everyone, in categories ranging from quilting, sewing, knitting, painting, photography, cooking, and more. Behind the Scenes: The Making of a Craftsy Class Before filming even begins, hours and hours are spent determining what content will be covered in each class, and how to best teach specific techniques to the camera. Instructors work with an instructional designer to create an in-depth outline of each lesson, and decide how to best prepare props or “step-outs” that show what your project should like at different steps. Instead of a scripted class, instructors follow their outlines on camera to create an authentic and engaging teaching experience. Most Craftsy classes are filmed in one of five Craftsy studios in Denver, CO, assuring that every part of the production process goes off without a hitch. They fly in instructors from all over the world to spend several days filming, then spend several weeks turning hours of footage into a two to three hour class experience that has been watched, rewatched, and reviewed by industry experts. The final result is an HD-quality video that takes you in-depth into specific topics in any given craft category- from cooking and fine art to sewing and knitting. What IS the Craftsy experience? Craftsy classes are designed to have all the benefits of an in-person class, with none of the drawbacks. Available online and on-demand, you always have world-class instructors at the tip of your fingers. You can retake the class as many times as you want, and the 30-second repeat feature allows you to watch the same section over and over again until you get every technique just right. Watching a Craftsy class is like having a first-row seat with some of the best instructors in the world. Even better, classes have a 100% money-back guarantee. Try online learning today with a free mini-class from Craftsy! Choose from 23 Free Craftsy Classes ranging from drawing and painting to sewing and quilting, from knitting to cake decorating and more.

So wotcha workin on?

WIP Wednesday in da house!!!

finishing up (backing/quilting/binding) this plus baby quilt.

finishing putting together my frugal girl top.  I have all the ring strips finished. Just need to cut the white and sew the circles together. Here's hoping that goes well.

Linking up with Freshly Pieced.

Make things.