Friday, October 31, 2014

Happy Halloween

I have had this little table topper done for a couple of weeks and it has been hanging out on my table. The only Halloween decoration I did manage to get out.

I found it on Pinterest one night and decided to make it then and now instead of waiting for some other time.

I had the fabric from the Moda Club I am in at my LQS so I used up some of that since I am not a big Halloween fabric lover.  This was the perfect size.

I have always wanted to make a Bargello quilt and I think I have gotten over that now.  While I still love them, I think there are other things I would like to start first.

I quilted spider webs on them.

The back is funky cute little creatures.

Hope you have a wonderful Halloween!  Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts and Whoo Whoo It's Friday, Also on my Q4 Goal list and linking up to Littlest Thistle.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

A Scrappy Batik Finish

I finished my October goal for the Lovely Month of Finishes and even prior to the deadline.  I think this might be a first in a long time!

Here is my Scrappy Batik Majestic.  The pattern is from the free pattern tab on Quiltville.  There is large selection of patterns to choose from there and this is my 5th quilt that I have made from Bonnie Hunter.  This was an easy pattern and thought it turned out well.




The last year has been about using up scraps and my old fabric.  While I am using and making lots of scrap quilts, the fabric isn't seeming to go down as much as I thought it would The goal of this quilt was to use up my batiks.  I have one stack of squares left (cut too many) that I am going to use up and then the rest are being donated.  I will pull the few I like and move them into the color grouping but otherwise I am moving on.

I FMQ'd this on my home machine and was going for the swirl and hook from Angela Walters.  While they do not look exactly as I had hoped, I still liked the effect.




I sew in the basement and my son's girlfriend saw it laid out and really liked it - she love purples, pinks so I think this will be her graduation quilt.  That is a win since I would have made her something anyway, now I am ahead of the game with it already done.  This one also knocks one off the Q4 list as well.

One last picture in the yard on the leaves.  I love this time of year!

I am linking up to NTT, Sew Fresh Quilts, Crazy Mom Quilts, and, Sew Bittersweet Designs.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Blogger's Quilt Festival

It is that time of year again that to link up a quilt with Amy's Creative Side for the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  There are always so many pretty quilts to see in all the categories.

I had decided that I would enter the quilt I made for my son's bed this year.  His room is red, white and black and we are all die hard Badger fans for the University of Wisconsin Madison.  So it made sense that his quilt have some Badger fabric in it and then all the scraps I could find in red, white and black and a little grey.  Not too much since we are not Ohio State fans!


The only fabric I bought for this quilt was the solid black and two fat quarters.  They were too fun not to add.  I had found a fabric with the three monkeys, hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil. And the other one was the dish ran away with the spoon.  My humor is not lost on my youngest either.

I quilted this black Auril thread on my domestic machine.  I recently bought a Juki and love it for FMQ.  I am still practicing but my quilting has improved with the machine.

I especially loved the back on this one as well.


Those two borders are 1.5 inch strips.  I was happy to note my sweet son liked them and noticed them right away!  I made the quilt in secret and when it was together was the first time he saw it.  My Sam always has an opinion on the quilts I made but he wanted this one to be a surprise. He loves it!

The pattern was from the quilt calendar that we are using and it was a Weeks and Ringle pattern.  This quilt finishes at 88" x 89" and I used black batting as well.  I am entering this in the large quilt category.

Here is one more picture of it.

If you are new here, thanks for visiting and for the fellow followers - thanks for reading!

Happy sewing!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Scraptastic Tuesday

I have several scrap quilts going so thought it would be fun to link up what I have been working on.


This is my light string drawer.  I have made 24 10.5 inch blocks so far and am aiming for 42 blocks total.  Thinking a 60 x 70 quilt will make a very nice lap quilt.  Yes, they are some really old stash fabrics in there!

They are easy and am trying to section them off in 6 block increments to get through them and stay on task. I love looking at all the fabric but there is some cringing going on as well. I just use tissue paper for my foundation.  I buy it in big pack at Christmas time and cut the pieces up to the size I need. I find this works well and it rips off easily.  It is a little messy but then it just goes with the thread all over the floor.

I find the more blocks I sew the more I love the quilt and once you step back and look at them from afar I do love the scrappiness of it all.



Still not sure how this one will get sewn together but here is what I have so far. Two different layouts so far.

I am hoping to get this one to completion yet this month.  Sew day this weekend so it is an easy one to do - can't really mess it up when I am busy talking.

I am linking up with She Can Quilt for Scraptastic Tuesday and Quilt Story.  First time linking in both of these places!

I am going to see what others are up to!


Monday, October 13, 2014

Q4 Finish along goals

Not sure how doable all of these items are but I am excited to work on each of them so really hoping that lots of sewing time is in my future.

Roll Overs- I started the first 2 in 2013 and really want them done in 2014 so they are at the top of the list.

1.  Tula Pink City Sampler

2.  Moda Friendship Quilt - needs to be basted and quilted 90 X 90


3.  Scrappy Batik Majestics - basted just needs to be quilted.

4.  Light String quilt - 24/42 done



5. Blue and beige 16 patch scrap quilt - pulled from the scrap bins



6.  Layer Cake - Quilt for Christmas  I won this in the Love Moda Blog Tour and I think this might be a good one for my SIL and BIL. I have the grey to go with it as well.


7.  Halloween Table Runner - needs to be quilted

Not listing but want to start-

1.  Moda Building Blocks- Picked out fabric but need to finish the first two before I start this.  I wonder if I will listen?!

2.  I think I am crazy enough to do another Quiltville Mystery.  Really shouldn't based on all I want to get done but love the bright colors this year.  Lots of pieces - but fun not knowing what you are making and all of them are pretty when they are done.  So I will start but no intention of finishing this one this year!

3.  I am also going to make a few Christmas gifts but haven't even figured it out yet!

So that is it for now.  I am linking up with The Littlest Thistle and we have until the 14th - cutting it close once again!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Q3 Update

I made some good progress on a very optimistic or aggressive list depending on how you look at it.  Sewing time was not optimal so I am very happy with what did I get done.  Here's the run down.

1.  Badger quilt- done and blogged here


2.  Moda friendship quilt -  finished the top so need to baste and quilt.



3.  Batik Rail Fence - Done and blogged here.



4.  Giant J pillow -done and blogged here


5.  Tula Pink City Sampler - no sewing progress but am going to focus on this one for last quarter.  I did figure out a fabric to sash it in so that was good.


6.  Batik Scrappy Majestic - top done - needs a back and the quilt it.  Lovely Month of Finishes Goal.



7.  Light string blocks - 18 out of 42 done.  Put them up on the design wall to get a look.


8.  Botanic bundle - no progress

I did accomplish four out of eight.  I am calling that a success since 2 more are close to completion.

I am going to join in a Lovely of Year of Finishes this month and go with lucky no  6- the Scrappy Majestic Mountain.  This one is smaller so should be done (fingers crossed) this weekend!

I need to figure out Q4 Goals since I need to throw in some Christmas sewing as well and want to finish up the UFO's in 2014 and go into 2015 with a clean slate.  I am not even sure that is possible for me but it is worth a shot!

Thanks for checking in.  I am linking up to NTT and Sew Fresh Quilts.


Sunday, October 5, 2014

When You Say Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Badger quilt is done!  My son loves it and I am so pleased with the way it turned out.  
I used all the reds, blacks, whites that I had in my stash only buying the black background for this quilt.  I have the Wisconsin fabric in my stash since everyone here is a Badger fan.  The only fabric I added to this was the monkeys - see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.  It was just fitting that piece be in the quilt and the dish that ran away with the spoon.  I found those two fat quarters while in Paducah.  



See that crazy border - thank goodness there was only two - those are cut 1.5" and yes I sewed all of those together.  I am happy to say that young son did notice them and thought they look pretty good!  Such a compliment right?!  I quilted them separately than the rest of the quilt.



I did the rest of the quilt in meandering squares.  I do like this pattern.  I quilted it on the Juki (which I love) with black Auril thread.

I have to say on this one I like the back almost as much as the front!


Here is one more photo of my hubby holding it up.  

This one finishes at 88" x 89" and fits his full size bed nicely.  He still likes to wrap up in it too.  The pattern was from a the calendar by Weeks and Ringle.

This is one I can cross off the list from the Q3 Goals and am linking up the finish.  

Stitch n flip finish

So happy to have this one done.  Since I am on a finishing streak and not much blogging, there will be a few posts to get caught up for the Q3 finishes!

It is a small quilt but one very big pillow measuring about 35" square.

This started in April when I took a class in Paducah at Quilt Week with Jacquie Gering.  I wanted a project that wasn't too big and preferably one with a purpose.  I had seen the giant pillows that Crazy Mom Quilts made and knew this would be a great gift for my niece.

I put it aside to work on other things over the summer but took it to a retreat and quilted it.  Doing those circles was a little harder than I thought it would be.  I used up all my small pieces of batting but it still was not quite enough.  It needs some more stuffing but that should not be an issue as I do have plenty of time.

This also got the stamp of approval from the very helpful 17 year old that it was pretty cool and where is mine???  

I now can't wait to be able to give it to her.  Now I have to figure out how to wrap this one.

This was on my list for the Q3 Goals and now I can cross this off!  Here is the link up to see what everyone has done!