WIP 2/29/2012

My big finish for this week is a Kindle sleeve.  I was just messing around with some scraps and had that wonderful Ah-ha moment that resulted in a lovely little sleeve for my beloved Kindle.

I have a Quilt Monster friend that is pushing encouraging me to do a tutorial, so I will be adding that to my WIP list.  Because this was not the intended final product, I have to try and remember just exactly how I got to this lovely little sleeve.


So, here's my update for the week:


1.  Cinnamon & Nutmeg: Progress!  All of my fabric is cut.  I can start sewing whenever I want.  This one is going to have some new techniques for me (cutting on an angle) and I always hesitate on new when I don't have another person standing right there to blame double check what I am doing.  It has been way too long...planning to start sewing this week.

2.  Prairie Paisley HSTs: No Progress

3.  Jelly Roll Jive: No Progress

4.  Fun & Done: No Progress, BUT I am committing to work on it every weekend.  This weekend it will be Saturday since the hubs is working OT.

5.  Pinwheels In My Garden: No Progress

6.  Jelly Roll Sampler:  Progress!  Blocks 1, 2 and 3 are completed.  Block 4 is cut and on the mini design board (I need to make some more of these).  Thanks! to Bee in my Bonnet.

7.  Kristi's T Shirt quilt: No Progress (I need to get more stabilizer.)

8.  Craftsy BOM:  No Progress (The new lesson should be up tomorrow.  I hope.  Foundation paper piecing.)


9.  Farmer's Wife: Progress!  I only made one block of the "Big Dipper" because I wasn't crazy about it.  I got out my stash and found some other fabrics to use.  I've chosen some blues, browns and golds for the next 3 blocks.  Plan to get those cut and pieced this weekend as well.

10.  Satchel for 2:  No Progress...on either one...I thought I would do some finishing on the first one while I was in Baltimore, but had so much fun with the hubs that I didn't get a single thing done.  The 2nd one is still waiting to be pieced.

And I found these little lovelies when I dug into my stash...not sure what to do with them yet.

Finally, here are a few pictures of how I was treated on my birthday...

My wonderful first born made this beautiful cake for me...

...and even decorated the batter...

...and yes.  That is a blow torch used to light ALL of the candles!

BOMs Away Monday 2.20.12

I've decided to link up with LynCC from What a Hoot!  to show off some BOMs.

Right now, I am participating in the Craftsy Block of the Month (there is a button on the right side bar).  We are doing 2 blocks a month for a total of 20 blocks.  I have made all of my blocks with some Kansas Troubles scraps that have.  So, without further ado...

Here they are:

January's Asterisk Block (slash & stitch)

January's Wonky Pound Sign (slash & stitch)

February's Balkan Puzzle (HSTs)

February's Chunky Chevron (HSTs)

This one isn't a "true" BOM, but it is a periodic project from Pam & Nicky Lintott's Jelly Roll Sampler Quilts and some leftover Urban Indigo strips:

Tulip (Block 1)

Sorry about the quality of the last pic...my camera never wants to do what I tell it...it kept flashing when I didn't need a flash *sigh*.

I found a Farmer's Wife sew a long!  The button is on the right side bar.  Gotta get started on that...I'm already late...

OH YEAH...

NO STINK BUGS LAST NIGHT OR THIS MORNING!!

FNSI: Satchel for Two

I've nearly finished the Satchel for Two.  I just have to close the opening left for turning.

  

I started cutting fabric around 430 yesterday and sewed until the older kids came home from a late movie.  (They went to see Woman In Black and really liked it.)  They got home after 1130...so that means it took me approximately 7 hours to make this bag.

  

 While I was sewing this was going on in the kitchen...

 ...I just love this little guy!  It makes me so proud to see them reading on their own.

I also found another stash of small HSTs.  These are Fig Tree Quilts Urban Indigo fabrics and a really cool tomato red (that I can't find anywhere...dangit!)  I now have 3 boxes of small (about 1 1/2 inches) HSTs.  They don't really go well together, but I'm sure that in no time, I will have more.  I really like star patterns & pinwheel patterns  and both of those seem to contribute to my collections.

Well, I need to get off my duff and head out to the Quilt Shop...I need to get crackin' on this Cinnamon & Nutmeg!

My Design Floor

Yesterday I saw that several blogs had posts like: "What's on your design board?"...Well, I don't have a design board.  Unless you count those mini boards that I made last week.  Usually, I just lay stuff out on my floor.

This is what was on my floor Sunday night...

...a bag of trimmed corners from my Jelly Roll Jive quilt.  They measure 1 7/8" untrimmed.  I'm thinking that I will just leave them that size and piece them in sets of four.  I sewed two sets together and it looks really nice.

I'm just not sure how it will get quilted.  All these little pieces are gonna be pretty bulky.  BUT, I've always wanted to do one of these. :)



This morning I took over the living room floor.  I moved furniture, vacuumed and mopped to get this nice clean floor...

I pressed my backing...

I taped it to the floor...

I love me some blue painters tape!  I smoothed out the batting...

 ...and the top.

Threaded 8 needles to start basting...and then 8 more...(I might be about 1/4 done).

My finger nail is shot...and it hurts! (How's that whine?!)
 

I'm gonna have to get this thing done...I locked everyone out of the house earlier, but they keep getting back in!  It's taken me about 2 hours to baste across the corners, the vertical center and the horizontal center.  I figure I've got another 4 or 5 hours to go...definitely a reason to pay someone else to do some machine quilting!

This is what Darren and Twin2 were doing while I was basting...
...a lesson in knife sharpening! They were so cute out there on the porch, sitting in the sunshine.  60 degrees in January?! I'm not gonna complain!

 

Hidden Treasures

While organizing my storage closet, I found this box of Kansas Troubles scraps.  I was so excited because I was trying to figure out how to do the Craftsy Block of the Month without spending any money.  

That was one of my New Years promises to Darren...I wouldn't spend any money on NEW projects until I finish the UFOs that are hiding around the house.

I found a baggie of light & dark triangles.

I chained them.  I pressed them.  I organized them by color.

Now I have a bunch of small (maybe 2") half-square triangles.

So, with that done, I started my January blocks.

...The Asterisk Block...

...The Wonky Pound Sign Block...

I'm not a big fan of the slash and stitch method...I'm just a little too "Type A" and it makes me crazy when I can't get everything to line up.

I also make a few mini design boards.  These are so easy and I found them at A Bee In My Bonnet.  I made 6 10" boards and 2 15" boards.  I will finish them later this week, I hope. It's been a busy day around here...and it's a good thing Darren & the kids brought me Krispy Kreme donuts!  

I just love those guys!