Diamonds

Working six days a week has limited my quilting time, and I've been even more distracted for the last two weeks searching in and indexing the 1940 census.  I have managed to finish the top for our diamond quilt in bits and pieces.  This was Eric's idea and fabric selection, and we planned out all of the layout together.  He did a large part of the cutting, and I did all the piecing and pressing.  And he's the one holding it up for the photo shoot.  Definitely a joint effort.  This is destined to be a throw in our living room, fitting with my comfy armchair:

Now to choose a backing and find the time to quilt it!

Friday Finish!

This is the first Friday I've had both a finish and time to post, so it's my first link up to Amanda Jean's finish it up Friday. 

I finished this quilt a more than a week ago, but heard that it reached its recipient today.  The pattern is out of Fat Quarter Quilts (or More Fat Quarter Quilts - I'm not positive).  It's a lap size quilt for my husband's grandmother, recovering from an injury.  This quilt is like a hug that I could put in the mail!  I quilted in the ditch on the lattice part and straight lines on the borders.  I wanted to do some free motion in the borders, but I don't trust my FMQ skills enough yet.  I'm so happy with the color choices I made for the front.  The back is orange fabric that I used for our wedding and had left over in my stash. 

I love that my quilt has legs!  My very patient husband got dragged out early in the morning before our commutes to take some quilt pictures and get some odd looks. 

My Star Log Cabin quilt is also a finish from last week, but I'm not counting it because it doesn't have a label yet (so it's not really done, right?) and I don't have any pictures of it bound.  This is the one I started some time in high school - I'm trying to figure out exactly when I started it so I can label it properly.  Maybe for next Friday?

WIP Wednesday: Binding Edition

I think I need a WIP Weekend Edition, since that's when I seem to do most of my sewing.  I've been working six days a week for the last few months, which wreaks havoc on my down time.  Not complaining - I'm having lots of fun at my bonus position - but it's made for some sparse posting.


In other news, spring is just around the corner (it will be sixty degrees out tomorrow!) and my Spring Zig-Zag wallhanging briefly made an appearance on my wall, although it has since been replaced by a beautiful framed art print. 


Completed Projects:


Lattice Quilt - A new and completed project since the last time I posted a WIP Wednesday.  Made with love for my husband's grandmother.  I finished hand-sewing the binding last night!  It needs a label before its sent off, but it's otherwise ready to be packed up and sent.  Pictures soon, hopefully!



Handwarmers - Another new and completed project - I made my husband some little pocket handwarmers from felt and rice for Valentine's Day.  These were really quite fun and simple to make, and he now has two pairs to help keep him warm while he's stationed outside in the cold.  (Not that he needs it right now exactly since it's getting warmer out!)


Free Motion Quilting Worksheets - I'm counting these as completed, since the class is complete - although these are more like scratch paper than actual projects.  I never posted about the actual class - I had a lot of fun, developed confidence in my ability to learn this, and I know that I need to keep practicing for a long time. 


Ongoing Projects: 

Star Log Cabin - Once I got started hand-sewing binding, I kept up the momentum with this one.  I'm about three-quarters done sewing down the binding, and I think another couple episodes of Battlestar Galactica and/or Upstairs Downstairs should see me through it.  It will be awesome to cross this off the UFO list after about ten years!

Diamond Throw - I finally gave in and picked this up off the floor where it was all laid out.  I have oodles of options to pick from for an additional light repro fabric, thanks to a very generous friend.  I want to get working on this one, because I have visions of it draped on my living room sofa, and I like it.

Orange and aqua throw -  I'm practicing my free motion quilting skills on this one, by quilting flowers in the background squares.  Each one is a little different, but I think I'm okay with that.  However, I think I'll have to work up my courage to show it. 

Dad's Sudoko Puzzle - No physical progress on this one, but I was inspired by Amanda Jean's awesome Math Facts quilt.  It didn't hurt that the colors match the oranges I've used for this quilt already, but it was mostly the bold, graphic, and decidedly nerdy statement the symbols make.  I've been toying with the idea of using a variation on blocks like these as borders around the Sudoko as a central medallion.

No Progress/On Hold:

Red and White Crosses and Losses  - need to order some more red solid (but from which online store?)

Placemat Pair

Curtains for the dining room

Fall wall hanging of maple leaves - put away for the season

Sisters Sampler
Wedding Quilt
Old Timey Stars

Hand-quilted dresden plates

Orange and aqua pillow covers - still not dropped off my list

This Week's Stats:
New projects - 2
Completed projects - 3
Currently in progress - 13

WIP Wednesday

New Projects: 

It's finally winter - quilts in the snow!

Star Log Cabin - This is really an OLD project, started when I was in high school!  I brought this back from my parents' house at Christmas, and decided to get to work on it and finally finish it.  I had finished the top quickly and hand-quilted it, but got stalled on the binding.  For some reason I decided it needed a bias binding, even though it doesn't have any curves and has some bleeding issues so it won't be washed.  This week I decided to soldier on, and now the binding is attached and waiting for some quality hand-sewing time.  

Roll of bias binding - finally made up.

Detail of the bleeding, which looks worse in person than it does on film.

Free Motion Quilting - I've done my homework for my FMQ class tomorrow night - cutting and pin-basting 18" sandwiches.  I'm wicked excited about my new FMQ foot and the prospect of improving my skills here.

Ongoing Projects:

Diamond Throw

No Progress/On Hold:

Placemat Pair

Curtains for the dining room

Fall wall hanging of maple leaves

Orange and aqua throw

Sisters Sampler
Wedding Quilt
Old Timey Stars
Dad's Sudoko Puzzle

Hand-quilted dresden plates

Orange and aqua pillow covers - still not dropped off my list

This Week's Stats:
New projects - 2
Completed projects - 0
Currently in progress - 13

2012 Sewing Plans

The new year has me reflecting on how I go about sewing, and I am making some plans (is it too late for them to be resolutions?) about what and how I want to sew this year. 

1. Finish more.  I am really good at diving into projects, pretty okay at finishing tops, and horrible at follow-through.  This is why I still have UFOs from more than eight years ago (almost a quarter of my life!).  I have already taken a stab at this particular UFO, and I'm hoping to finish the binding soon.  I'm also thinking of using the Finish It Up Friday link up at Crazy Mom Quilts as motivation to push myself to follow through on more.  Which leads me to...

2. Blog more.  As I've said before, once I miss a bit, I feel like I'll never catch up, and it perpetuates itself.  I am going to try to post more, maybe with more link ups - and hopefully with more finishes!  I want an awesome collage of finishes at the end of 2012. 

3. Explore more.  I want to push myself to learn new things (hopefully without starting too many new tangent UFOs.)  I am signed up for a free motion quilting class this week (and I have to finish my basting homework in prep for that!).  I also have a project set on the shelf because of my fear of Y-seams, which I need to get over and tackle.  I know I'll make good friends with my seam ripper for both of these, but they'll make me a better and more well-rounded quilter. 

WIP Wednesday

Completed Projects: 

Secret Project - Like I said earlier this week, all completed and on its way to a very special family member.  To be shared soon.  

Christmas Gifts - Posted earlier this week.

New Projects: 

None!  I have been sorting through some inherited blocks, but that's an OLD project, and I haven't technically started working on it yet.  However, here's a sneak peek at some antique Sunbonnet Sues: 

Ongoing Projects:

This now has another row of blocks across the top.

Diamond Throw - The nine-patch units are all sewn up as blocks, and they are assembled into diagonal rows.  We did some figuring on how to square up the edges, and I've been working on that.  It needs a little more width, which means picking up an appropriate light reproduction fabric to work with.  

Crosses and Losses - Interestingly, for the last couple weeks, the Quilt Index Blog has been focusing on examples of the Old Maid's Puzzle, which is a different name for the Crosses and Losses block.  I made a bunch more blocks, but ran out of Moda Ruby, and have to order since my local quilt shop is out.  I had planned to make a complete top of the same block, but the Quilt Index examples are making me reconsider using sashing or setting blocks. 

No Progress/On Hold:

Placemat Pair

Curtains for the dining room

Fall wall hanging of maple leaves

Orange and aqua throw

Sisters Sampler
Wedding Quilt
Old Timey Stars
Dad's Sudoko Puzzle

Hand-quilted dresden plates

Orange and aqua pillow covers - still not dropped off my list

This Week's Stats:
New projects - 0!
Completed projects - 2
Currently in progress - 12

Holiday Sewing

Now that the holidays are past, I can share some of the sewing I did for the holidays.  In reviewing my pictures, it's apparent that I didn't take all the pictures I meant to.

I made a couple sets of potholders - a set for my sister-in-law, and a set for my parents-in-law with a matching sightly larger hot pad.

This is the pair for my sister-in-law, with the accompanying baking dish.  I did an Ohio Star block and did simple in-the-ditch quilting.  In-the-ditch on a single Ohio Star can be done without starting and stopping, which was nice to figure out!  These were pieced, quilted, and machine-bound very quickly - I can work fast when I'm under a deadline!

The all-green set was for my in-laws: two potholders of hourglass blocks, and a hot pad with a larger Ohio Star (kind of visible in the picture below).  I didn't get a picture of any of these finished.

Under the trivet above is a doll quilt for my youngest sister-in-law.  She got a doll bed for her 18" doll from Santa, and this was made to go with it.  I went with the hot pink and dark pink because she loves them, but I tried to make it more sophisticated by contrasting them with greys.  I'm hoping that it grows up a little with her - at least as long as she's playing with dolls.  It's backed with a purple argyle flannel, which gives it a nice weight and drape without overdoing it with batting.

Last on my holiday sewing list were some drawstring gift bags.  These were literally last - I stayed up all night making them!  We flew to my parents' for Christmas, and I was determined that the TSA wouldn't interfere with me wrapping presents for my parents.  The solution - festive, handmade, reusable, search-friendly bags.  My mother loved hers, but I stole them back to fill up for the next time we travel.  I used the great tutorial from In Color Order, and more of these bags are definitely in my future!


I'm glad to get caught up on several secret projects - the last one is (finally) complete and was shipped out yesterday, so I will get to post on that one soon.