Finish Along

I have just read all the rules and how the Finish Along will work over at She Can Quilt.  I think this will work nicely with the list that I have already started for 2013.  I have been following that blog for awhile and love some of the things she has made and boy has she finished lots of things in 2012!  I am not sure how one person can get that much done. This will be perfect to keep me on task to get some things done that have been lingering a little too long.

I love lists and I really love crossing things off my lists with a deadline.  I like working under a litte pressure even if it is just self induced.  There is never anything wrong with that in my book.

So it looks like I need to review my list and take some photos which I was going to do anyway.  I just need to do that today or tomorrow when I have some daylight hours.  So this should be fun and who doesn't like the chance at some prizes and being able to see what everyone else is working on!

Well, this was just a quick post now to get ready for this evening.  Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve!

It was a Very Merry Christmas

We had such a great couple of days.  Not too much running around, definitely a lot of cooking!  Here is a picture of just the four of us.  I have taken a picture of us in front of the tree with the auto shoot for years. And yes I am the one running into the photo so there were several takes to get one that looked okay. We were laughing through it.  

 

Christmas Eve morning my cousin called to say there had been a change in plans and if I wanted to see my grandma we could stop by there house in the afternoon!  Well, we had to hustle to make that happen but the boys kicked in and we were able to make that happen.  I was so happy!  I normally do not see my grandma at Christmas and this year I had made her a quilt so it was perfect to be able to deliver it in on Christmas to her.  However, my plan was to go to her house over the week break so the label still needed to be done and the wrapping! 

Here are my boys with their great-grandma! 

 

Here is the quilt I made her!  She loved it.  I quilted loopy-loops in it.  The close ups didn't really turn out.  I think better photos are needed for 2013!

 

So onto the update for Easy Street!  I have made lots of progress, not totally caught up but getting there.  I am going to sew yet tonight so I should get a little closer.  I still need to do 40 flying geese from step 2!

 

 

 There they are ready to go!

 

 

 

Here are all the pieces I have done in the project box.  I just have to do the 64 geese with the teal.  I really wanted to be totally caught up by today.  I should have some time yet tonight and then tomorrow. 

Tomorrow night is the DS #2's 16th birthday.  So a few errands and the family over for pizzas. This time we are doing carry out.  All I need to make is garlic bread. That I can handle!


Well thank you if you made it to the end of this post.  I am tired from just writing it!!  I am linking up at Easy Street at Quiltville making it just under the wire.  Can't wait till the next step revealed tomorrow! 

WIP and Easy Street

I have been able to do some sewing either I am not finding enough time or things just really seem to take longer than I think they should.  I have always been know by my quilting friends as a speedy sewer but doesn't seem to be working that way lately.  I know that when things become a little too crazy at home or at work sewing always puts me in a better mood.  So on the WIP's....

Progress 

Easy Street, I have finished step 3!  I had all of those cut so watched a sappy Hallmark Christmas movie and finished them all.  I am still working on those fly geese.  I was trying to figure out which method to use but since I had some 2 inch strips cut I am using the Easy Angle.  They are turning out pretty well I just need to sew more of them to get caught up on step 2 and step 4. 

The shaded 4 patch

Here are the pieces in one place.

Completed Projects
Since I had holiday sewing to do and I started Easy Street none of the other projects have gotten much attention but that is ok since I did get the 3 pillows done for three co-workers.  I am very pleased with how they turned out.  Not so thrilled with the pictures since it was very gray all weekend with no sun and it is dark when I leave in the morning and dark when I get home. So a few pictures snapped in the sewing room is all I got!  Here are the three all together.  I really like them.  I gave them to their new owners and each of them loved them.  I had the fabrics nailed for each of them.  A couple close ups as well:

This one was my favorite.  I love that olive green and turquoise together with a touch of red.

I had been saving these fabrics for something special but decided it was time to use it up since I am sure there will be new Christmas fabric to buy next year! 

Now I just need buy a few more gifts and wrap them all!  All the baking and chocolates are done which is a big relief.  A snow storm is headed this way tomorrow so hopefully I can stay in and get those gifts wrapped and sneak in some sewing! 

 Have a great week everyone and thanks for stopping by!

Linking up to WIP at Freshly Pieced and Plum and June, Let's Get Acquainted, and Easy Street at Quiltville!





Easy Street Step 3 Plus Christmas

So this week I am doing a little better on Easy Street I have all the pieces cut. That will make it easy to do some piecing this week. Last week I only have 10 of the fly geese done and I don't have them all cut since I can't decide which method I want to use. It was much easier when I did RRCB and all of my fabric was cut into the strips, this time I used fabric from stash so I needed to cut it all. I watched a couple of movies while I was working away. Here is everything stacked and ready to go! 

I am excited to cut into these fabrics since I just love the colors.  I have a few projects to finish for gifts and then I will be able to devote my time to Easy Street.  Just saw someone post an alternative way to make these blocks.  Really wish I would have seen this Shaded 4 Patch way before I cut everything!  Oh well hopefully it will be happy stitching with those bias edges.

After I finished cutting these I wanted to get the tops for three holiday pillows done for gifts.  I have three employees that I really like making something for each year and I thought a holiday pillow would be fun. 

These two are pieced together and ready for quilting.  The pattern came from Stitchery Dickory Dock and thought it would be fun and most importantly fast and easy!  I had a charm pack of Fruit Cake from Fig Tree.  I had a lot of this line that I keep thinking I will make a Christmas quilt. I think I might still have enough.  I just divided them into two color groups. 

I still need to sew this one together.  This one is an old Moda line I had by Sandy Gervais.  It is called Cold Winter Noses.  One of the ladies is pretty traditional so I thought this would be something she would like.  Since none of them sew at all they really do like whatever I come up with.  I like that part! 

Goals this week:

Finish the pillows

Step 3 of Easy Street

Monday. there was no sewing since my friend and I made homemade chocolates/candies all day!  We make lots of kinds and give them as gifts as well.  Then to top it off a holiday party at night.  I really need to kick this cold I have been hanging onto as well. 

Have a good week and thanks for stopping by!

Linking up to Quiltville and Plum and June

Monday Update



I know I need more hours in my day during the month of December.  I am just so happy that this month I will have every Friday off in December!  I never plan my time off during the year and have extra to take but I so happy it works out like this.  I will have to time(hopefully) to get everything off the to do list and if not it probably didn't need to happen. 

I did sew just a little on the Easy Street Flying geese.  I was getting really tired last night but wanted to at least put a few together. My only problem I cannot find my Easy Angle.  I know I had one since I used it when I did RRCB but since then - nope don't know what I did with it.  But while I was reading on the Internet someone suggested just tested out a few with different methods to see what you like.  Now I have made lots of fly geese and tried them all but thought I could give it another round of tries so my first one was the fly geese ruler.  I had bought this when I did a Feathered Star in a class so I had this on hand.  Didn't really like it then and not sure I like it now but they did turn out nice.  There just seemed to be so many steps. 

One attempt results in 4 flying geese. That part I liked.  I can try the different methods since this time I pulled from stash and nothing is cut.  So I am hoping tonight to try another method and look for the missing ruler otherwise with a coupon off I go to Joannes tonight! 

I finished my sewing machine cover that I am giving a quilty friend for Christmas.  I relly like it!  I just machine quilted in the light fabric with two zig zag rows.  I hope she likes it.  I know it is dark but my sewing is late and in the basement so no good lighting.  It is on my machine in the picture.

We are big Badger fans here so we were all very happy that they won and will be headed to the Rose Bowl on New Years Day!  I have a friend who is Badger crazy so I found this tea towel and made this up last night. She is going to love it!  I hope to get a couple more of these towels after Christmas for myself and a couple other Badger Fans that I know.



So the last small finish was this little bag from the pattern over at In Color Order.  This one is my second and I only needed to sew the lines for the drawstring and I used ribbon this time.  This will be a gift and has a necklace in it.  It is the smallest size.  It is so cute!

I also thought I would link up at the Small Blog Hop on Lily's Quilts blog.  I like seeing new and old blogs and meeting a some new people too and since I have just started this blog I definitely qualify as small.

Also linking up at Easy Street Part 2 and Plum and June!