WIP Wednesday

It was a dark and stormy Wednesday...might as well do a WIP post before the power goes out!
 



Finished:


do. Good Stitches blocks for January. Warm/cool log cabins.


 That Stash Bee blocks for January (Birds in the Air tutorial from Nicole). She has some really cool layouts using these blocks (and no HSTs!!!).

In progress

Swoon quilt!

I added a border to make it a big and beautiful queen.

 
 I got a start on the Scrappy Swoon-Along with the Hopeful Homemaker for the back. I've just about talked myself into sending this one out for quilting, so I'm eager to get it done!

 dGS quilt
MUST FINISH.

Pixelated Heart quilt
I'm working on collecting some more low-volume fabrics before I can start on this. Have you seen the Text Me fabric swap on Flickr? I'm thinking that will help.


Completed tops awaiting quilting:
Arcadia Quilt

To do:
Baby quilts
January do. Good Stitches Blocks
January That Stash Bee Blocks
January Lucky Stars block
Feathers Quilt
Half Moon Modern quilt borders
Tracey's French Kisses


Head to Lee's to see what everyone else is working on!

Swoon quilt top: Now it's done.

We have throw-size quilts coming out the wazoo around here, but bed-size quilts? Not so much. One of my goals this year is to remedy that by making queen-size quilts for our bed and the guestroom. When I realized the Swoon quilt (which finishes at 80x80) was just a border shy of being a queen, I figured it was worth the extra effort.
 


And it really wasn't that much effort. I used a charm pack plus some extra 5-inch squares I cut from my leftover fabric to make a bright, scrappy border.



 I do love this fabric, with it's charming village scenes...





and cuckoo clocks. It's Hideaway by Lauren and Jessi Jung.




I'm really happy to be finished with this quilt top! I started it more than a year ago when Katy had her Swoon-along. It's  tempting to just slap a backing together to get this finished, but I'm going to jump aboard the Scrappy Swoon-Along to make a backing (and bust through some more of this fabric).

WIP Wednesday

I spent my sewing time this week working on my Swoon quilt. This has been a year-long WIP, so I'm excited to report some progress!

 



Finished:

Nothing. And that's okay.

In progress

Swoon quilt!

I really had to force myself to crank these out. It's the HSTs! The saving grace of these blocks is that they're 24-inches, so you don't have to make too many. (The fabric is Hideaway and the pattern is Swoon by Camille Roskelly.)

 
I'm so excited to have this quilt top finished! But now I'm thinking I'll add a border to make it a true queen size so it can go on our guest room bed. Also, I'm going to jump aboard the Scrappy Swoon-Along with the Hopeful Homemaker to make a back for this one, so it's not going to be a quick finish. (Have you seen her scrappy Swoon? Excellent.)

 dGS quilt
 
Yeah...haven't touched this yet. Soon!

Pixelated Heart quilt
I've fallen in love with the pixelated heart quilts going around (first with Jolene's, and then Kelly's, and now Amanda's has pushed me over the edge). Must make!


Completed tops awaiting quilting:
Arcadia Quilt

To do:
Baby quilts
January do. Good Stitches Blocks
January That Stash Bee Blocks
January Lucky Stars block Feathers Quilt
Half Moon Modern quilt borders
Tracey's French Kisses


Head to Lee's to see what everyone else is working on!

WIP Wednesday

After a long break from my sewing machine, I seem to have rediscovered a bit of my sew-jo. Let's celebrate with a WIP post!

 



Finished:


Practice block for the Lucky Stars BOM with Elizabeth/Don't Call Me Betsy.

In progress

dGS quilt
 
Top done...I'm going to try to finish this up this weekend.

Swoon quilt!
 
I finished 3 of these blocks in January 2012 and 3 in January 2013. Let's hope I don't wait until 2014 to make the final 3!

Completed tops awaiting quilting:
Arcadia Quilt

To do:
Baby quilts
January do. Good Stitches Blocks
January That Stash Bee Blocks
January Lucky Stars block Feathers Quilt
Half Moon Modern quilt borders
Swoon
Tracey's French Kisses


Head to Lee's to see what everyone else is working on!

Anna Maria Hoarding winner!!

Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone in my AMH habits! I got a little something in the mail this week to add fuel to my fire--a little charm square signed by Anna Maria herself!

Now, onto the winner. I used Random.org and chose #32!

 

 That's Heather A.! Heather, I'm sending you an email. Congrats!

Anna Maria Hoarding (**and giveaway!**)

I know this is a safe place to admit that I am an Anna Maria Hoarder. Take one look at the AMH charm swap group on Flickr, and you'll see that I'm in *very* good company. I like to think that I have a special (albeit woefully one-sided) relationship with Anna Maria Horner. See, way back when, I won a FQ bundle of Good Folks on her blog, and I used it to make my very first quilt (I know, it turned out to be the most expensive giveaway ever). Here is my stash.



I'm sure many of you have a much more impressive collection, but I have made four whole quilts from her fabrics!

 

My feathers quilt is AMH quilt #5 in the making. I'm going to use the stack of charm squares to make a big, beautiful quilt, so that will be #6.

 

As luck would have it, I happen to have an extra copy of her new book, Anna Maria's Needleworks Notebook, and I'm going to give it away to a lucky winner! I'll also throw in some fabric, assuming I can pack it up without having a complete panic attack. 

How do you win? Just leave a comment. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you win. I'll announce a winner on Sunday morning (1/13). Good luck!

Looking forward (and a look back)

I admit--I'm suffering from a bit of post-holiday sewing burnout. My lovely machine has been giving me come-hither looks from the corner of the room, but I've been too busy curling up on the couch watching football or Scandal...or playing Skylanders with the boy...or building Legos...or napping (okay, mostly napping) to give it any attention.

BUT. My hibernation ends soon. And to kick off 2013, I want to wrap up some WIPs. I present to you, my list. I'm linking up to Lee at Freshly Pieced.

   

Hexagon Park

 
 I love this quilt top. I got it to this point in JUNE, and it has been waiting for some borders since then. I have everything I need to finish this quilt. This one is at the top of my 2013 to-do list.  

Bella Patchwork
 
A finished quilt top, just in need of backing! I want to back this one in minky fabric.  

Hideaway Swoon
 
Dang it, I love this quilt! I think I have 3 blocks finished. I need to get over my HST burnout and get back to work on this one.

do. Good Stitches quilt

I've received all of the blocks from my DGS circle. Should be a quick finish.

Feathers quilt


My precious. I'm so glad I picked this one for my bee friends to help me with! I think I'm waiting for one more block to arrive, and then this is mine. All mine.

Other to-dos:
Baby quilts
January do. Good Stitches Blocks
January That Stash Bee Blocks

And, now, for a look back at my 2012 quilt finishes.


So I made 26 quilts in 2012. I realize that's insane. Know what's crazy? I made 26 in 2011 too. This year, I'm proud to say that of those 26, 11 were given away as gifts, 5 were donated to charities, and 7 were sold. For 2013, I'd like to slow down and focus on improving my skills, finish up my WIPs, and make a quilt for our bed and our guest bed. And also read more, do a better job of cleaning my house, cook healthy dinners for my family...Okay, clearly I'm getting carried away.

Happy 2013! Hope it's a great one.

Tomorrow, I sew.

Handmade Holidays wrap-up

I got all of my Christmas projects finished up without too much stress, so I consider that a win!

Here's what I made.

I think this was my oldest WIP, and I finished it up for my mother-in-law. I started this with the postage stamp quilt-along with Rachel of P.S. I Quilt back in *cough* January 2011.


I was able to finish this quilt thanks to a destash from Kaye/Miss Print. The fabric is Hello Betty, and I love the way it turned out! I am anti-snow, but it does make for a pretty photo!


Also for my mother-in-law (she's on the nice list), stockings for her grandkids.


I used the Merry pattern from Thimbleblossoms and some leftover Christmas fabric I had on hand.

I made a wall-hanging for my mom using the Spools pattern and Mama Said Sew fabric from Sweetwater.

I finished up this Spiderman quilt, but I don't have a photo of the finished product.


I sewed up nine pouches for my coworkers and my son's teachers using the Ruched Happy Bag pattern from During Quiet Time.


Finally, in the non-fabric realm, I made my son a Lego table using a Lack table and Vessla storage bin from Ikea and glued some Lego base plates to the top. Easy and cheap!

I'm enjoying a little break from my sewing machine before I think about my 2013 plans. First up: Finishing some longstanding WIPs!

Two-fer

My blog has been quiet, but my sewing machine has not! I finished up 2 quilts this week.
 #1 Pattern is Dilly Dally by Camille/Thimbleblossom.


Fabric is Kumari Garden by Dena Designs.

 
 #2 Pattern is Cartwheels by Lee/Freshly Pieced. Paper-pieced but not scary (promise!). There's a row hanging over the railing, so it's a little longer than it looks.

 
Fabric is Willow by Riley Blake.

 Short and sweet! Back to my elf duties.

WIP Wednesday (T-20 days and counting)

I was at the library last night, and they had a big countdown clock that said "21 Days Until Christmas!" I got a little sick feeling, so I figured a WIP post was in order. Will this make me feel better or worse? Hard to say. I do have some un-blog-ables this time of year, so this list is only a partial representation.


Finished:
Okay, these were finished two weeks ago, but I'm including them to make myself feel better!

Block for Tracey


Block for Lee

 
Modern Maples table runner

In progress

Bind Cartwheels and Dilly Dally

Big progress here on my biggest pre-Christmas project! Two quilts, just waiting for binding.

Christmas stockings

Just need to make the cuffs for these. Should be quick.

Spiderman quilt

I'll begin this project as soon as my Spidey sense starts tingling.

Assorted other teacher/co-worker gifts
I'm thinking maybe something in the pouch family? I'd love suggestions.

Completed tops awaiting quilting:
Postage Stamp quilt
(I'd LOVE to finish this before Christmas. Maybe??)
Arcadia Quilt

To do:
Half Moon Modern quilt borders
Swoon
Tracey's French Kisses


Head to Lee's to see what everyone else is working on!

Happy Little Pouch Hop: Feeling Foxy!

Welcome to my stop on the Happy Little Pouch Hop! My circle of do. Good Stitches held a little swap recently, and I made this little guy for my partner. I figured he'd be perfect to share for the hop!
I used the Open Wide Zippered Pouch tutorial from Noodlehead. I love the design of this pouch, and Anna gives several size options. My favorite part? Because of the way the pouch is designed, you don't have to worry about the pesky zipper ends.

 
 I figured the large size of the pouch would be great for showcasing some fun paper-piecing. I used the Lil' Fox pattern from Artisania. I don't have much paper-piecing experience so I was worried I wouldn't be able to pull it off, but it wasn't difficult at all and turned out really cute!

 
My swap partner is a Lizzie House fan, so I used some of her pearl bracelets for the lining and included some of my Lizzie fabric scraps.

 I loved making this pouch! The pattern comes together quickly, and I definitely see more of them in my future. (Maybe teacher gifts? Hmm.)

 Here are the details on the hop!

Here are our Happy Little Pouch Blog Hoppers!

Monday 11/26: Emily from Mommy's Naptime and Elaine from Dashasel Sews

Tuesday, 11/27: Courtney from Mon Petit Lyons and Lucy from Charm About You

Wednesday, 11/28: Hollie from Undercover Crafter and Katie from Katie's Korner

Thursday, 11/29: Lindsay from Lindsay Sews and Michelle from I Like Orange

Friday, 11/30: Sara from Sew Sweetness, Cindy from Adventures of the Singing Quilter, and Jennifer from Ellison Lane Quilts

Monday, 12/3: Holly from Bijou Lovely and Heidi from Fabric Mutt

Tuedsay, 12/4: Elizabeth from Don't Call Me Bets and Emily from Mle BB

Wednesday, 12/5: Shruti from 13 Woodhouse Road and Liz from Dandelion Daydreams

Thursday, 12/6: Beth from Plum and June and Kaelin from The Plaid Scottie
Friday, 12/7: Emily from Mommy's Naptime and Elaine from Dashasel Sews

Please join us in the fun and share your pouchy makes in our Flickr group. The Flickr group is also where you can upload your pouchy makes, and at the end of each week we will have some great prizes to award!

Prizes have generously been donated by: