11 in '11

Kim, over at Kim's Big Quilting Adventure,

has a goal to make 11 quilts in 2011.

She was willing to make time

(and possibly offer a prize or 2 at the end of the year)

to keep track of those who want to join her.

I *think* I can make 11 quilts this year.

Yikes, that sounds like ALOT!

But I already have 1 done. And #2 is 90% done.

And I have #3 completely pieced.

And #4 is over half way pieced.

We'll say #5 is my Block A Palooza quilt, so again, half way pieced.

So, Ok, maybe I can do this!

Just as an FYI, I do not plan to count my runners/table squares,

etc....only real quilts.

I'll keep you updated!

Scattered Thoughts

I'm feeling slightly scattered.

Its been that kind of day.

Started with taking all 4 kids to the dentist for cleanings.

Good reports all around, but man, I wish they had been

better behaved.

Then, we ran a few errands.

And came home.

And I took a nap!
I was so tired!

This afternoon, I finished piecing my March table runner.

And started my March table square.

Love the runner.

Hate the square.

More on these laters.

Yesterday, I FINISHED the flannel baby

quilt for my brother.

So glad that is done!

And for the FNSI I finished

block #8 for the QuiltAlong.

Love how this turned out!

I hadn't figured out the basket stitch yet on

this machine, so after a bit of playing

around, I got it done.

All 8 block look like this:

I'm not much of a sampler person, so I hope I

like this when its done. I do love the Sunkissed

fabric's tho!

And, because my thoughts are scattered,

here are pics of my darling making breakfast

yesterday morning.

Strawberry crumble, anyone?

And check out that fancy apron she has on!

She picked out the fabric, I did the work.

She looks cute.

Even deal all the way around :)

Catch up!

WOW! Its been awhile!

My excuse is that I spent most of last week sick.

Strep throat that would not get better!
Ugh, it was horrible!

But, I am back and feeling better

and have gotten quite a bit of quilting done.

Here's a photo blog of it:

All quilted and pretty for valentines day! This table is in my kitchen.

And the runner that sits on the dining room table.

Let's see, I think this was block 6 for the quilt a long

This should be block 5? I'm not real happy with how it turned out.

Block 4. I think. Love this one!

And block 3.

Today's Block 7.

A sneak peak at what I am working on right now. This will be a streak of lightening quilt

for my son.

And, this is the center top for my bed. Finished this at the end of January

and haven't gotten back to it yet. All I need to do is add borders and send it off to be quilted.

And there are a few other's that I have been working on, but no pics of those yet!



Friday Night Sew In

The next Friday night sew in is

next Friday, the 18th.

You can sign up at CraftyVegasMom,

Not sure what I'll work on.

I have about a million choices.

If you're wondering where I've been,

I'm here.

Just sick :(

If I'm not better by tomorrow, I'm going back to the dr.

I've got strep throat and its not going away.

But its been awhile since I blogged and I've

gotten lots done and bought since then.

But for now, go sign up for the FNSI, it'll be fun :)

Waiting for Spring Block A Palooza Block 2

Yeah! Its Thursday!
That means the 2nd block for Block A Palooza

came out today!

Can you tell I am a bit excited?

I checked this morning....no block.

Darn, she must be on a different time zone then me.

So, I went and shoveled the huge driveway that

had 6-8 inches of snow on it.

Came back in.....

And there it was!
The second block!

Oh.

Wow.

Looks like ALOT of cutting and sewing.

Little TINY 2 inch blocks.

Lots of them!

I'm not thrilled.

So, I finished what I was working on.

Went out with my girlfriend and somehow

bought a quilt book but no fabric!
Yeah me! LOL

Although, my youngest daughter bought fabric.

That can't count against me!

Came back home and looked at the block again.

I really like it.

But I've never attempted anything like this.

No time like now, huh?
So I started cutting.

And cutting.

And cutting.

And then realized that all these little tiny squares now

need sewn together. In a particular order!

I can do this!

And so I did.

Out of all those little squares, only 1 didn't match up exactly!

WoooooHoooooo!

I do think this would have been much easier strip pieced,

but I did it as the directions called for.

I'm liking this quilt along!

Waiting for Spring Block A Palooza Block 1

I was a little worried after seeing pics of Sunkissed by Sweetwater for Moda.

It looks really light in the photo's and I

wasn't sure I was going to like it.

But, it arrived today and I like it!

I more then like it!

I'm excited to work with it!

So, I completed my first block for the

Waiting for Spring Quilt Along.

Thanks to Quilt Dad for the great design!

I really don't think that the computer does justice to the

real color of this block, which is too bad.

I love how it turned out!

Can't wait to see the next block tomorrow!

New Fabric!

My FatQuarterShop order arrived today!
Yipppeeeeeeee!

Thankfully, they had all the fabric wrapped in plastic,

as the box had gotten wet at some point.

I was so worried until I got it opened up.

I ordered 2 quilts worth of fabric.

I ordered the Sunkissed line by Sweetwater for Moda

for my Block A Palooza quilt.

And I ordered Dilly Dally by

Me and My Sister Designs for Moda.

Which I forgot to take a picture of! LOL

So excited to start using both!



Snow Day!

The kids are off school today.

High school midterms finished up, which means

the whole school district get's the following 2 days off.

A little weird to me, but whatever,

we'll take it.

But its snowing anyway.

Which puts school tomorrow in jeopardy.

This area is not equipped to deal with snow.

At all.

So, today, I shall quilt.

I got all the squares cut out to start making the blocks

for my king size quilt.

Yesterday, I finished 4 squares.

Out of about 30.

So, a very good start in just a few hours.

I wonder how many I can get done today?

It would be so cool to get this done quickly

and then send it out to be quilted!

I'll sip my tea, sew my blocks,

and listen to my children argue play nicely

in the background.

I hope you enjoy YOUR day!

One Thing, One Week Challenge Complete

My goal for last week was 2 parts:

To finish piecing

2 king size pillow shams, that will

eventually match the quilt

I plan on making for my bed.

I am happy to say I got that done!

The second part was to start working on a valentine

table runner.

And, I not only started, but completed the piecing!

And, just as a bonus, I also pieced this cute table square:

I got a few other projects worked on also, but these were my goals for the week!

Thanks Amy for the motivation!



FNSI Results

This FNSI was my first.

And it was a bit of a bummer

as the N stands for night.

And my sewing machine disturbs the

family when they are trying to watch tv.

But I had anticipated this and got quite a bit done

during the day.

I was working on my brother's new baby quilt.

He should be arriving at the end of March and I am ready

to have this done for him.

But I can't post pics on my blog

just in case he or his wife are spying on me <g>.

But you can check out the pictures that I uploaded to flickr!

So, I got most of the quilting done. And

what I didn't get done I finished this morning! Yeah!

So, its in a pile on my table waiting for binding.

Which is cut and ready.

But I need a break. That flannel is so different

to work with then cotton.

But its so soft :)
Just what I would want for my new baby :)

Friday Night Sew In

Apparently, the Friday Night Sew In

is here!

I've never done it before,

but it sounds fun!

I'll be quilting the baby quilt I

finished piecing last week.

Baby won't be here

til March, but this way it'll be done :)

Check out the FNSI here.

I'm excited!



Another Shopping Trip

I really want to do a christmas block of the month club.

But the one I like is a bit out of my price range.

So I designed my own.

I ordered the Kate Spain for Moda 12 days of Christmas

Layer Cake from The Fat Quarter Shop.

Awesome selection and prices!

Today, I bought the background fabric

and the border fabric.

Its washed and sitting in the dryer right now.

Probably getting wrinkly.

So, I'm on my way to fold  and iron it.

But I'm excited! I've got 12 blocks sketched out.

Not in full detail.

And its already Jan 18, so I need to pick a block for this month

and get started.

In the meantime,

I finished piecing the pillow shams for my bed.

They turned out so much better then I ever expected.

I also started my valentine table runner.

That is going slowly. But I'm determined to let it

sit there until I am 100% certain how I want to finish it.

Until next time :)



One Thing, One Week Challenge

Its that time again!

Amy, from Amy's Creative Side, has challenged

us to complete 1 thing this week!
You can find more information here.

My goal this week is to finish piecing the 2 pillow shams for my bed.

And...

because I am already pretty close to that goal....

I want to start piecing a valentine table runner.

This table runner idea is coming from

Kim at Kim's Big Quilting Adventure.

The Be Mine blog tour from last week was excellent and I

got alot of really great ideas!

January!?!

Hard to believe that I haven't posted here

yet this year! YIKES!

Its not because of a lack of new things

to talk about.

I've been busy sewing!

So far this year, I have already completed

quite a few things!

• I helped Allie finish her very first quilt

• I quilted the winter table runner for my dining room table
• I started and finished the winter table square for my kitchen table

• I made Allie a pajama shirt and eye mask and helped her make the pants
• I made Nick 2 pairs of pj pants
• and 2 new pairs (shirts and pants) of pajama's, plus eye masks
• 2 new eye masks for my neice and nephew

Allie!

Allie.

What words can I use to describe her?
Fun. Loving. Energetic.

Attitude-y. Funny. Athletic.

Busy. Cool. Friendly.

And after yesterday, I can describe her as a

seamstress in training.

She went with me to the fabric store the other night.

We spent her money and bought her a child's Singer sewing machine.

It took D batteries and only made 2 stitches.

No bobbin.

And it was LOUD.

But she loved it.

We also bought some fabric for her to make a

few things for herself and her favorite

stuffed animal.

By the following morning, I hated that machine.

And all she had done was practice on it.

So I decided to teach her on my machine and we

would return the other one.

Yesterday she made several things:
A reversible blanket for a stuffed animal.

2 pillows for that animal.

A mattress.

And a purse/bag.

She had some help. Grandma is here and me.

But for the most part, she did it all herself.

I am so proud.

She spent the evening trying to decide what to do next.

She couldn't decide between curtains, pajama pants,

or a quilt.

She decided on all three.

I have most of the fabric for those things here at home.

But I needed some other quilt fabric and she needed some

to go with what she had picked out.

So, back to the fabric store today.

Got all that we needed and returned the small machine.

We're both happy.

Me-I'm thrilled she wants to do this with me!

DECEMBER!?!?!

December is pretty much gone.

Hard to believe that tomorrow is the 30th already!

I haven't been back here in awhile.

I got sick a few weeks ago and things have been

on fast forward since then.

But I did get all my christmas sewing done.

With the exception of the tag that needs to go on

my mom's quilt.

I'll finish that before she heads home on Sunday.

But, to count the gift list, not including what I made for myself:

2 table squares, one for my brother and one for my sister in law

a rag quilt for my mom

a table runner for my sister

6 placemats, also for my sister

pajama's, eye mask, and covered 4x6 photo album for my nephew

pajama's, eye mask, and covered 4x6 photo album for my niece

a small quilt for my new nephew to be, due in March

an apron for my mother in law

an apron for my father in law

All of it was made and shipped/delivered on time.

I'm proud of myself!

I'm also glad the holidays are over.

The new year is upon us and my project list is

getting started in my head.

I got a Bali Pop in Pink Lemonade for christmas.

I have a pattern picked out for it.

I need to buy the background fabric so that I'm ready

to start it when I can.

I got 2 small jelly rolls for my birthday, back in November.

I've picked out a Bargello pattern I want to try.

This one kind of scares me.

But I can do it.

I need to buy several more pieces of fabric before I can get started.

I went to the fabric store last night.

<smile> I had to. I haven't been in several weeks!

I got some fun valentine fabric.

I'll probably make a cute table runner for my dining room table.

And maybe a table square for my kitchen table.

I also got some backing for the quilt I'm making

for my new nephew.

I have that almost all the way pieced.

I bought the fabric before the holiday,

and cut and pieced it in 2 days.

All it needs is the side borders put on and its done.

Maybe tomorrow?

Then, there's the other list.

You know. The one that keeps getting longer

but nothing get's crossed off it!?!

The king size quilt for my bed.

The baby scrap book for my daughter who is now 15.

The many MANY pairs of pajama's that I

bought fabric for on the Black Friday sale.

22 yards, if memory serves correctly.

Pillows for the family room to go with the

furniture I bought over the summer.

The list goes on....

But that's it from me tonight.

I'm going to try to come up with a plan for next year.

I have a million projects.

A HUGE vacation in July.

A much needed weight loss.

An exercise regimen that will hopefully help the headaches.

etc etc etc

Good night friends :)

December Week 3 Goal

Ok, I'm putting my weekly goal down,

for all to see.

Not sure how I did last week, I know I didn't get done

all that I needed to.

Which means that I have even more to get done this week.

And from now til the end of the month, I'm making this my general goals for the week, not just my sewing goal. (which means the extra things that I need to get done, not my normal weekly chores)

So............here goes

• finish table square for my brother (I am in the process of quilting it. hope to finish it tonight)
• finish the baby quilt for my brother (this needs appliqued, it could be wishful thinking)
• wrap and mail packages to my friend, my sister in law and my sister
• organize my recipe cards so I make sure I have all the ingredients for the cookie baking that will start this weekend

I have lots of other things on my to do list, but these are the things that I feel MUST

get done. Wish me luck!

Friday Accounting

Projects Started:
Table Square for my brother and his wife
Table Square for my sister in law and her family

Projects Completed:
-pajama's for my niece
-2 christmas presents that I can't post about

Projects In Statis:

-quilt for my mom for christmas...needs a block appliqued

(haven't even started that part)

and then the last row attached and the edges sewn and then "ragged"

-receiving blanket size quilt for my new nephew

that is due to arrive in March

(the blocks are put together,

I need to applique a teddy bear into the middle block)

 and then finish piecing the top, quilt and bind

Projects on the To Do list:

-aprons for both my father and mother in law

......more and more and more...

I did get the fabric purchased and washed to
make the aprons for my in laws and the quilt
for my new to-be-born-in-March nephew.

This week's stats:
Currently in progress: 4
Completed projects: 3

New projects started: 2

December Week 2 Goal

Always a day late......sigh.....

Anyway.

My sewing goals for the week are:

• finish Emma's pajama's
• shop for fabric to make the aprons for my in laws
• wash the above mentioned fabric
• make a table runner for my sister in law

I'm giving myself  'til Monday to get my packages in the mail.

I didn't meet last week's goal, but I came pretty close.

I hope to do better this week!

Friday Accouting

A day late and a dollar short...isn't that always the way?

I thought about this post yesterday, but I was literally out of the house from 9.30 to 3.30, dropped off my packages, made dinner and back out the door from 6.15 to 9.45 and by that time I was TIRED!

Needless to say, no sewing got done!

Projects Started:

none

Projects Completed:-6 placemats for my sister

-table runner, also for my sister

-pajama's for my nephew

Projects In Statis:

-quilt for my mom for christmas...needs a block appliqued

(haven't even started that part)

and then the last row attached and the edges sewn and then "ragged"

-receiving blanket size quilt for my new nephew

that is due to arrive in March

(the blocks are put together,

I need to applique a teddy bear into the middle block)

 and then finish piecing the top, quilt and bind

Projects on the To Do list:

-pajama's for my neice

-tablerunner/square for my sister in law

-aprons for both my father and mother in law

 

......more and more and more...

This week's stats:
Currently in progress: 2
Completed projects: 3

New projects started: 0