First Stitches...

Spent a good part of the three day weekend basting this Single Girl from last year's QAL here.

My son said I didn't use quilt it for real so I'd better fix. 'K. It runs 90 by 90 inches and I am quilting it in some perle cotton (DMC 712). I putting the first stitches into the quilt.

Is there an easy way to fold a quilt this big to hand quilt it? I am swimming in it. At least I will be cozy until spring.

The Not So Itsy Bitsy Christmas Postage Stamp Quilt

I have been working on this top for a couple of years. It's itsy-bitsy tiny one inch squares. It all started because I made a mug rug that I rather liked. You can see the flickr set here.

I made 20 by 20 inch blocks

and plugged along until I thought it would never end. Never...

a lot of squares...

I finished the top before Christmas. It was an all year goal. I learned so much about accuracy and finding that perfect scant 1/4 inch seam. The last few blocks really did come out to 20.5 inch blocks.

It will become a 80 by 80 inch size quilt for my bed. I may add a few rows to fit the bed perfectly because I am OCD like that. Threw around a border idea, but, by looking around, I like the all square look. I ordered some batting three weeks ago that just won't arrive (sigh), but I smile every time I walk pass the top on the craft room table. I am going to quilt it myself just like the mug rug since I seem to have time more since the littlest one is loving coloring. Yay!

Far Far Away...

Took a longer blogging break than I wanted too. Just wanted to make sure blogging was fun, not a chore. I just wanted 2012 to go away. A little bit of a health drag and lack of energy. A couple of food intolerances and thyroid problems were to blame. Yuck. Now I have a bunch of happy stuff to blog about and more energy to do so. Thanks for sticking around. I do have some great quilt tops and finished quilts to share with you, but let's start the year with a new one.

I decided I can't buy any new fabric this year unless I empty the good stuff out of my stash. I have issues. Feel my pain? My Far Far Away 2 was bought a few weeks after it came out... in 2010.

Then, as I think most people do, hoard it as they need to find the perfect project. I needed to get going with this fast as I don't want the girls to grow out of the princess theme!

I love Bec's Sand Castle pattern so here is it is as the first project of the year.

It uses 18 fat quarters with hardly any scraps left over. What a relief!

I am waiting on the Natural Essex linen to piece these 12 blocks together. Then it is off to a longarm quilter as it is a bit too heavy to put under my sewing machine.

Linen might be my new favorite kind of fabric type to work with as it took less than two weeks for me to make these blocks from cutting to piecing without any pinning fuss or stretch. I definitely recommend this pattern if you have these Far Far Away fat quarters hanging around.

September- Just Three!

I met my Just Three goals for August!

1. I finished a quilt. My kaliedoscope quilt went from this

to this,

to this.

This binding had some issues that included fraying of the seams on the edge. I would sew a 1/4 inch seam on a top that had so many seams on the edge of the top to stabilize it. It all ended well.

Unfortunately no pictures of this since it I am not sure how to take a picture of an 72 by 80 quilt! I will get you a picture soon.

I added the binding by hand and realized how relaxing it is. I have got to start an applique project next year. Maybe in a block of the month format so I can keep a goal.


2. Two of my postage stamp blocks are finished. I promised myself I would not buy the backing until I was completely finished with the top. So I am on a mission this month with this one.

It just seems like I never visit my machine on a regular basis anymore. I have to sneak spurts of time here and there. Most are no longer than 15 to 20 minutes at a time. I am hoping for naps this month! ;)


3. I have the Sarah Jane quilt basted. I have some work cut out for me in perle cotton.

My goals for the end of September are:

1. Quilt the Sarah Jane quilt.
2. Finish 2 more postage stamp blocks.
3. Get another quilt out to be basted.

and 4. ( cause I am horrible and break the rules) pick up a favorite UFO. I may just pet it, but maybe I will sew a bit on it.

Hopefully September can be just a productive as August was.

Super Mario QAL: The Fire Flower

The beginning of school is well underway. Now there is only 1 little one at home. Zoe is adjusting well and there is less strife since she has no one to 'bother'. It is nice to just listen to her play and realizing how happy it is. A lot of her dolls are potty training. Successfully too, I might add. ;)

Another block has been added to the bunch. This QAL is not to be passed up. I have got to get my act together on other WIPs, but I stop for this one. These are the blocks so far. I'll add Pacific Blue as the Kona solid sashing between them. Fun, no?

I played with Angela's pattern and this is what I came up with. I added some red to the Fire Flower and used all the greens I collected for this project. I may have used the seam ripper way too much, trying to get the seams to nest the right way, but it's my favorite block so far.

Kaufman Kona used: aqua, white, black, tomato, orange, canary, jungle, clover, and
sour apple

My thought is to finish this for Christmas. I am thinking of a pieced back that is very busy in places. I am thinking there will be a lot of seams on top of seams. Is this a good or bad idea for anyone familiar with a longarm sewing machine? Should I go ahead and piece the back with pieces as small? Doesn't hurt to think ahead, right?

Sharing with Amy and Sarah this week.