Flashback Friday #6: Valentine’s Day Table Topper #1

I am a big fan of charm squares. They enable you to play around with all the fabrics in a line and explore different colors and styles without having to spend a lot of money.

I was looking for inspiration for a present for my mom when I picked up a couple charm squares of Valentine’s Day fabric. Using the Quilted Quickies Charm School – Lesson Two pattern, I made a table topper for myself first, to test out the pattern. I am very pleased with the outcome, especially the striped back.

If I remember correctly, the line was by Deb Strain. While this is not my favorite charm square pattern of all time, it worked well for this project, as well as for my mom’s present, which deserves its own blog post. I finished this table topper in January 2008.

Time Management

My sewing machine, it mocks me. It sits there in the corner, expressive in its silence. It knows that I have no time for it just now, but it taunts me anyways. Out of the dust and darkness, it calls to me. “Think of all the new projects we could start together,” it whispers. “Think of all the presents we could make.” I turn away, trying my best to ignore it. “Come play with me,” it pleads. “Wouldn’t you rather sew than do the things that must be done?” It knows me all too well. I would rather sew than do all the things that, as a responsible adult, I need to do in the next few weeks. But they must be done, and they leave no time for sewing.

And so, for now, I pack it away.

The day will come soon enough when I can spend time at my sewing machine again. For now, my hand sewing must sustain me through this busy time. One day soon, I will sit down at my sewing machine once more. How I look forward to that day.

WIP Wednesday: August 17, 2011

Lately, real life has been encroaching more and more on my sewing time. I have a couple big time sinks coming in the next month or so, which will mean a lot less time for sewing (and for blogging). Knowing this made this week’s sewing day at my mom’s that much sweeter.

Check out Freshly Pieced for more WIP Wednesday goodness.

Current Projects

Unblogable #1: Still hand quilting. It’s slow going, but I am enjoying it.

Scrappy Green Quilt (aka Unblogable #5): I finished the top and the back at my mom’s. For the back, I used the slash and sew technique that I first encountered here. I really enjoyed putting the back together.

On Hold
Blueberry Pie
Call Me Crazy {17/42 blocks complete}
Color Book
Kaleidoscope Quilt Along {15/35 blocks complete}
Scrappy Nine-Patch {12/70 blocks complete}
Warm Cool Quilt Along
Valentine’s Day Half-Square Triangles

Stats

New projects: 0
Completed projects: 0
Total projects: 11

Finish It Up! The Finale

Can it be August 15 already? The past two months have flown by! To be honest, I enjoyed this challenge more than I anticipated. When it comes to quilting, I tend to have more inspiration than I have time. I often start new projects before finishing up old ones. It was very affirming to finish so many projects in such a short space of time.

Over the sixty-two days of the Finish it Up! Challenge, I finished a total of six projects. That means that I finished 35% of the seventeen projects on my list! I had hoped to finish more, but I am still very happy with what I did finish. I would definitely participate in a similar challenge in the future.

Here is my final list of projects:

1.       Yellow Brick Road #1: FINISHED

2.       Yellow Brick Road #2: FINISHED

3.       Unblogable #1

4.       Unblogable #2

5.       Baby’s Color Book

6.       Aqua and Red Table Runner/Unblogable #3: FINISHED

7.       Paris Cats Quilt #1

8.       Batik Kit Quilt: FINISHED

9.       Hexagon Mug Rug/Unblogable #4: FINISHED

10.   Call Me Crazy

11.   Scrappy Nine-Patch

12.   Unblogable #5

13.   Forest Friends Embroidery: FINISHED

14.   Blueberry Pie

15.   Warm Cool Quilt Along

16.   Kaleidoscope Quilt Along: Progress

17.   Valentine’s Day Half-Square Triangles

Stats

Number of projects at beginning of challenge: 14

New projects: 3

Completed projects: 6

Number of projects at end of challenge: 11

Check out Fashioned by Meg to see what other people have finished.

WIP Wednesday: August 10, 2011

Well, I don’t have much to share this week on the WIP front. I am doing my best to focus on one project at a time so that I can finish as many projects as possible before the end of the Finish It Up! challenge on August 15. After machine sewing the binding on the hexagon mug rug, I haven’t been able to get back to my sewing machine, so all the progress I have to show this week is hand quilted.

Check out Freshly Pieced for more WIP Wednesday goodness.

Current Projects

Unblogable #1: I’ve been working on hand quilting this fun quilt, which is a gift for someone who reads this blog, so I can only give you a little peek. I am really happy with how the quilting is turning out.

On Hold

Call Me Crazy {17/42 blocks complete}
Color Book
Kaleidoscope Quilt Along {15/35 blocks complete}
Scrappy Green Quilt
Scrappy Nine-Patch {12/70 blocks complete}
Warm Cool Quilt Along
Valentine’s Day Half-Square Triangles

Stats

New projects: 0
Completed projects: 1
Total projects: 11

Twelfth Finish of 2011: Hexagon Mug Rug

I can’t seem to get enough of English paper pieced hexagons. I haven’t made a large project with them yet, but the small projects just keep on coming. Whenever I make hexies, I make more than I need for that particular project. I had quite a few left over from a hexagon pillow I made earlier this year, so it seemed natural to make a mug rug. I pieced the top a while ago, but only recently finished it. I gave it to my mom, who liked it. This is my first mug rug, and it's just big enough for a cup of espresso.

Finish It Up! Two Finishes in One Week

This week was a great week for quilting! I finished not one, but two quilts: the Aqua and Red Table Runner and the Batik Kit Quilt. Let’s hope that I can keep this momentum going.

Here’s an update on my progress:

1.       Yellow Brick Road #1: FINISHED
2.       Yellow Brick Road #2: FINISHED
3.       Unblogable #1
4.       Unblogable #2
5.       Baby’s Color Book
6.       Aqua and Red Table Runner/Unblogable #3: FINISHED
7.       Paris Cats Quilt #1
8.       Batik Kit Quilt: FINISHED
9.       Unblogable #4
10.   Call Me Crazy
11.   Scrappy Nine-Patch
12.   Unblogable #5
13.   Forest Friends Embroidery: FINISHED
14.   Blueberry Pie
15.   Warm Cool Quilt Along
16.   Kaleidoscope Quilt Along: Progress
17.   Valentine’s Day Half-Square Triangles

I’m hoping to have at least a couple more finished before the challenge ends on August 15. We’ll see how it goes.

Check out Fashioned by Meg to see what other people are finishing.

Eleventh Finish of 2011: Batik Quilt

Despite myself, I am really enjoying the Finish It Up! Challenge. Having two finishes in one week is rare for me. This quilt started out as a kit I received as a gift: Salt-Water Taffy by Amy Walsh/Blue Underground Studios, featuring Tonga Batiks by Timeless Treasures.

I liked the block pattern, but the placement wasn’t really doing it for me, so I changed it. I also took a few of the blocks and made a table runner for the same person that I gave this quilt to, since she loves batiks so much. I used yellow thread to machine quilt this project in a crosshatch pattern. Overall, I was pleased with the results. The recipient was even more pleased.

WIP Wednesday: August 3, 2011

This week, I focused on finishing the two quilts that I machine quilted last week. I was tempted by some of my other projects, but stayed strong and finished both of them! I blogged about the Aqua and Red table runner earlier this week and will blog about the Batik quilt after I gift it. With the end of the Finish It Up! Challenge around the corner, I am trying to focus on the quilts that I can finish soonest, rather than the quilts I’d like to work on.

Check out Freshly Pieced for more WIP Wednesday goodness.

Current Projects

Scrappy Green Quilt (aka Unblogable #5): For a year or so, this project has languished out of sight, awaiting borders. I am not fond of borders. Since the intended recipient doesn’t know that I’m making it for her, I haven’t been motivated to work on it until this week. I have admired Kati’s A Day at the Aquarium quilt for some time. Recently, I reread her post on that quilt’s backing and realized that her technique would be perfect for this quilt! I’m looking forward to turning this stack of fabric into a fun, improvisational back.

On Hold
Call Me Crazy {17/42 blocks complete}
Color Book
Kaleidoscope Quilt Along {15/35 blocks complete}
Scrappy Nine-Patch {12/70 blocks complete}
Warm Cool Quilt Along
Valentine’s Day Half-Square Triangles

Stats
New projects: 0
Completed projects: 2
Total projects: 12

Small New Blog Meet-Up at Lily’s Quilts

This is my first day linking up with Lily’s Quilts and I get to link up twice! She is holding a Small New Blog Meet-Up and I just barely qualify.

I started blogging in April 2011 and as of this writing, I have eighteen followers! My original intention was primarily to document my quilting progress and inspire myself to quilt more. I got hooked on blogging the moment a stranger commented on my blog. Previously, I never commented on the blogs I read. Now, I enjoy commenting and reading the comments left on my blog posts. I had no idea an online community could be so much fun! I still have so much to learn, but I look forward to learning it.

My wonderful mom taught me how to quilt. I started out in the traditional style. The more I quilt, however, the more I am drawn to the modern quilting moment movement. My favorite blocks are log cabins, flying geese and half-square triangles. I especially like working with pre-cuts, solids, dots, and the color blue.

In my non-blogging life, I work full-time in an office, which I enjoy. I live with my husband, infant daughter, dog and two cats. I hope someday to share my love of quilting with my daughter.

Tenth Finish of 2011: Aqua and Red Table Runner

Many moons ago, I made a present for a friend. I actually started this aqua and red table runner for her first, decided she needed blue pillows instead, and then decided she needed the table runner after all. The design was dictated by the scraps I had to start with: 2.5” strips of various aqua fabrics. I added some white and two different red polka dot fabrics. The quilting is a simple crosshatch done by machine. I am really happy with the end result. So happy, in fact, that it warrants linking to Fresh Sewing Day at Lily's Quilts.