Finishes

Butterfly Whirlpool
 

  I've "teased" these two finishes but I didn't have a chance to get an outdoor shot until yesterday. My ever-helpful DH held them up and I was able to shoot them in better light than in my sewing room. It does make a difference, doesn't it?
     I  love making Stack N Whack quilts, so much so that I've made at least four, and one of them lives on our bed. I'm not sure what will happen to these, but they are finally done. I think I started them around 2007 or so, so I think they've aged to perfection!
     The quilting was done on my Janome Horizon. I used a titanium topstitch needle, Bottom Line thread in the bobbin and a combination of Isacord and C&C machine quilting thread on top.
     The butterflies, called Butterfly Whirlpool, have drawn and traced feathers, echoing and stippling behind the feathers. I did free-form feathers in the outer border, and I'm not as happy with those as with the ones I drew. However, I did improve from beginning to end, so I guess that's a win.

Stack o' Leaves

     For the leaves, I did a feathery thingie (technical term) in the centers, squiggles in the star points, and drawn feathers in the green border. I drew bubbles in the narrow peach border and leaves in the outer one. This was the first finish for the year; the butterflies were second, but I'm happier with the butterflies so I placed them at the top of the post.
     I have one more quilt layered and ready to go, but I want to do some piecing for a week or so before I jump on that. I spent time Sunday piecing six Block Lotto Tall Shoo Fly blocks and it was a ton of fun. I want to do more with BL this year. The blocks are going to be rectangles, which I haven't done much with.
     On my Get it Done list:
     1. I have done the stabilizing stitching on the Carpenter's Star quilt, but nothing else. I still have hopes for this.
     2. I have two more border pieces to add to the Christmas Diamonds quilt. Then I need to piece the backing and give it to Michele to quilt. This is a monster-sized king, and I'll be glad to hand it over.
     3. The Block Lotto blocks are done and posted, so check!
     4. I cut some triangles with my Go! cutter, and found I have a defective die. I contacted the seller and they are going to get back to me. Now I really want to test all those other dies to make sure they're OK. I have a 1-year warranty, so I'm pretty sure the defective one will be replaced.
    The bottom line is I have only one check out of four and it's the 20th of the month. I need to get cracking!
     I'm linking up with Design Wall Monday today and I'll add a link Wednesday for WIP Wednesday. Enjoy surfing the creativity!

 

6 Block Lotto blocks

Tall Shoo Fly blocks

     I'm posting six Tall Shoo Fly blocks for Block Lotto, and I really, really hope my name gets pulled for this month. These blocks are singing to me, both because I love the colors and it was fun to make them.

     

I need to get better at this!

Three small quilts that are done (or nearly in
 the case of the butterflies, which need bound) 

Last week I made a list of projects that I felt I could get done this month.   None of the stuff pictured was even on the list! Since I'm new to blogging (and, apparently, accountability), I totally underestimated how long it would take me to machine quilt these 3 items.

The butterflies at the top aren't done yet, but they're close. I need to trim, bind and label and they will be a finish. The hearts and the Holly Hobby are charity quilts that I will take to Guild tonight to donate. They're small, but they're also DONE! (The hearts weren't done in the picture, but they are now.)

So here's where I see a need for improvement: I need to acknowledge everything that's on my sewing "plate," while still advancing with my lists. I've machine quilted and bound 3 (small) quilts in the first 2 weeks of the year and that's good. I haven't even started on my stated goals for the month, and that's BAD!.

That's going to change this week. The FMQ foot is off the machine and I'm going to pull fabrics for Block Lotto blocks today. I may not get to sew until Wednesday, but that will be OK once I have a plan.

Baby steps. I need to remind myself.

I'm linking up with Design Wall Monday and WIP Wednesday. Check out the inspiration!

Updated to add the correct link to WIP Wednesday. (Sorry!)


,

First Finish of 2013

Simple feathers drawn in and then quilted
 

      My first finish of 2013 is a vintage Stack N Whack quilt that I began around 2007 or so. Honestly, I have no idea when the project was begun, because I didn’t keep records back then. The important thing is it’s done and I’m pretty happy about it! Including my quilting, which is far from good but is improving and I’m doubly happy about that!
      You cannot tell from the photo, but it’s the classic Stack N Whack Hexagon that I’ve called “Stacks of Leaves.” I used a design that I came up with in the hexagons, a back-and-forth scribble in the triangles and bubbles in the inner border. I drew feathers in the second border and free-motion leaves in the outer border. I quilted this on my Janome Horizon, using Bottom Line to blend with the backing and C&C and Mettler on the top. I used a Superior titanium-coated topstitch needle, sized 14. The Janome was a champ through it all.
     I used Bonnie Hunter’s method of labeling with a folded piece of fabric in the bottom corner. I still need to fill that out, but I WILL do that today.


Feathered circle

     Next up: I’m almost finished with another SNW from the same era. This one features butterflies and has Bottom Line in the bobbin, and C&C and Isacord on the top, and the same titanium-coated topstitch needle.
    I’m even happier with this project. I see my quilting stitches improving with each session. On this one, I’ve tried more feathers.  The first ones I drew the spine and feathers and then followed the lines. I stayed with the drawn spine, but began “going for it” on the feathers. Some are pretty wonky, but I see an improvement there, too.
     The bottom line: both these tops will be completed quilts and I will have more practice in free motion quilting.
     I still have one more layered top and I have the glimmer of a plan for that one. It’s the Carpenter’s Star that I put together for Judy’s Feather Lessons. I followed all the posts, but I have been scared to go ahead and quilt it. I’ve gained some confidence from these projects, however, so I’m going to give it a try.
     Last week I blogged about some UFOs that I intend to finish (I didn’t specify a time frame!), and I’ve already changed my mind. I need to narrow this down and be more specific.
     So, I’m going to participate in Judy’s Get it Done Challenge and list my goals for January.
1. Quilt Carpenter Star from last year.
2. Finish top, piece back and send Christmas Diamonds to Michele for quilting.
3. Make blocks for Block Lotto.
4. Begin cutting scraps with my new Go! cutter to get rid of some of the piles of fabric in my sewing room.
     I still want to complete the projects on my list, but I know I need to take baby steps and be realistic. If I can do more, well and good! Stay tuned; I suspect there will be detours on this road because I’m sure I won’t maintain this level of motivation all year.
     I’m linking up to Design Wall Monday,  WIP Wednesday and Friday Finishes. Check out all the inspiration!

What to do? What to do!

Maverick Stars are my L&E project.

     I've been working on UFOs this year, or I thought I was until I sat down and made a list. Off the top of my head I came up with 5 or so projects that I want to finish next year. Then I had to look up the size on one of them and when I went to my Official UFO list, I began to understand the extent of my problem.
     I have WAY more than 5 or so projects that need attention! In 2012 alone I started 13 new projects, finishing only four. That's not a good completion average (.307). I've been working like this for a long time and it's time for that to change.
     I'm a process person. I enjoy the journey of conceiving and making a quilt top. The layering and quilting are not my favorite parts of the process. Once the top is done, I've satisfied my creative urge and I'm ready to move on. Thus all the UFOs.
     I'm going to try something new for 2013. Accountability. I'm going to make a public committment to finish some selected UFOs. I've been making a list. It's already pretty long, but these are ones I can reasonably expect to finish. By finished, I mean pieced, quilted and labeled.
     UFOs that I mean to finish:
     Christmas Diamonds. This top is pieced and mostly bordered. I need to add the last two borders, piece a backing and send it off to Michele for quilting. This is a huge king-sized quilt. I love it and want it done so I can enjoy it!
     Sophie's Butterfly Challenge. Sophie gave each of us a butterfly panel for Christmas last year and issued a challenge to make a wall hanging with it. I've pieced the top, now I need to layer it and quilt it.
     Catharine's Wheel. This is a really old UFO, a king-sized one, probably at least 8-10 years old. I was using a quilt-as-you-go technique and ran out of steam as it got bigger. My Janome Horizon should make this process easier and I'll begin on this right away. Getting this huge quilt done will give me a big boost!
     Linus Quilt. This top has been done for months, but I haven't gotten around to quilting and gifting it. I thought I'd do it on Judy's longarm machine but that hasn't happened, so I think I'll just layer it and give it some straight-line quilting using my Acufeed foot on the Janome. It will get the job done and get me another completion.
     Anita's Arrowhead. I started this in 2010 and I'm not sure why it went into timeout. I loved doing the blue blocks. Then, I don't know. Now I have 've a plan. I've decided to make this a blue and gold quilt set 7 by 9. I have 37 blocks done, so I need 26 more. I'll do a couple in blue and gold and rest in gold and either light blue or cream. As far as quilting, I'm not making any promises! I want this top done and that's my focus. I certainly will consider having Michele quilt it.

     Others on my list are Antique Divas Pyramids, Crazy Cats & Fishes, Smith Mountain Morning, Batik Log Cabin Flowers, Wyoming Valley Stars and Hawaiian applique, and I have plans for most of these. I'll revisit them when I've made some preogress on the first five.
     I'm also working on Maverick Stars as a Leaders and Enders Project. I'm not sure where this fits in the picture. I made two blocks to see how they're going to look. Love them!
     That being said, I know I'm going to begin some new projects in 2013. I will keep them to a minimum, but there are five that I really really want to do:
     Orange & Gray Kaleidoscope, Big Zig (cut out but that's all), Dresden Plate, MMQ Quilt Show Challenge (not even a glimmer of an idea, but I plan to make this at my March Quilt Camp), and the Block Lotto monthly blocks. I have ideas for all these, but this post is already too long, so I'll come back to this another day.

     I'm linking to Judy's Design Wall Monday. Go there and see all the wonderful projects on display!



    

     Merry Christmas! I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday, however you celebrate the winter solstice, and that your new year is even better!

    My thanks to Madam Samm of Stash Manicure for permission to use this terrific graphic!

A prize! (and a VERY eventful weekend)

This is the terrific prize I've won
from Marcia at Crafty Sewing and Quilting.

    Color me lucky! Marcia at Crafty Sewing and Quilting emailed me this week that I'm a winner! Pardon all the exclamation points, but I never win anything and this is a really nice prize. I get three great fat quarters and a really cool pattern called Summer Tomatoes. It's just the type of pattern I love best. I'm tickled pink. Thanks, Marcia!
     I've been following her blog for a while and I enjoy seeing what she's up to. She also has some pretty awesome tutorials on her site.
     I'm also pretty tired. We had a pretty exciting weekend here on Pinehurst Drive. Saturday night we discovered we had no water. We called our plumber, who's awesome, by the way, and he diagnosed a well problem. DH wouldn't hear of calling the well company on Saturday evening (it was after 9 p.m., you see), so we called today (Sunday) around 10:30 a.m.
    Someone came out, checked it all out and said we needed a new well pump and a new holding tank. He said he'd send someone out. Believe it or not, a young couple (man and woman) showed up about 11:30 and they went to work on pulling the well pump. They replaced the piping, the well pump and the holding tank and were gone a little after 2:30 p.m.
     We had to wait a little while and run the water for a while before we could use it, but now we have water! You never know how much you use something like that until you don't have it.
     The first thing I did was wash the dirty dishes that were driving me crazy and then I brushed my teeth. I couldn't stand the cotton mouth any longer!
     Now we just have to get my grandson's broken down car from behind my part of the garage. He had a problem with a brake caliper bracket and I can't get out of the garage. I need it tomorrow. I need to make color copies for guild tomorrow night, and I have NO wiggle room on timing. I really need him to take care of this.
     Did I mention DH had a flat tire while all this was going on? We're too old for all this drama!

Kingwood staffers
decorated this 18-foot tree

     Before all the drama began Saturday evening, we had a great time at a cocktail party at Kingwood Center Friday evening. They have this party every Christmas time for members and guests (DH is a member) and it's soooo pretty there. Various local garden clubs, staff and volunteers help decorate the various rooms using their assigned themes. I was told this year's theme is "A Kaleidoscope of Holiday Color," and each room featured a different color. It was pretty cool!
     The tree in the lobby was an18-feet tall Frazier Fir and featured an estimasted 7000 lights! It was gorgeous! The colors were saphire blue and silver. Stunning! S everal of our friends were there, too. It was great catching up with them. Mansfield is so lucky to have something like Kingwood Center available to us.
     Despite the hiccups and "bumps in the road" today, however, we're incredibly lucky and blessed. We live in a great country with freedoms that millions of others can only dream about. Life is good.