February Round Up-Pictureless Post

Well I've gone and lost my phone again so I guess I will not be showing you the wonderful things that came in the mail this week.  Maybe tomorrow (if I can find it).  I can usually blame it on Squeak taking it and hiding it, but I'm fairly certain I had it this morning.

Instead, I will share my completed goals of the month.

1. Sugar Club February Block
2. Lucky Stars February Block
3. And Sew On February Block--the template and fabrics are on my sewing table now.
4. Pretty in Patchwork Christmas Pillow
5. Pretty in Patchwork Valentine Pillow
6. MQG Pincushion Swap
7. Madrona Road Mini Quilt
8. Super Penguin Blocks--Set #3--most of the individual sections have been pieced but not sewed together into actual blocks yet.
9. Woodland Sampler February Block
10. 10 Triple Zip Pouches--I have nine done, one more to go.  It is already cut and just need to be put together.
11. 3 Sea of Stars Blocks
12. Finish cutting Isosceles Triangle Quilt fabrics.
13. Cut fabrics for Scrappy Swoon Quilt-I had to edit this goal since I decided to work in sections in stead of doing all of the cutting at once.  I have completed sections 1-6 so far.
14. Cut fat quarters for Solids Swap
15. Make Mystery Round Robin block
16. Add borders to Mystery Round Robin block for S.
17. Zippered Pouch for A Little Birdie told me swap--was not able to participate :(
18. Riley Blake February Block--I did print the template, does that count?
19. Finally quilt and bind my Pervalong Quilt
20. Pick fabrics for Starburst Quilt--I decided on Vintage Modern

I also made pretty good progress on my Orbit Quilt this month.  All in all not too bad (and I still have tonight to see if I can knock one more thing off of my list).  Next month may be a little different as I will be concentrating on upping my inventory for three craft shows that I'm participating in during the next two months.  My Etsy shop is also in desperate need of some attention.  Next month will be all about the pouches!  Well, after this weekend of course, which is all about the Birthday Boy!

Cleaning Out the Closet Sale

In anticipation of a couple of big changes in my life, I will be making an effort to clear out some of the inventory I keep.  The craft shows that I have signed up for this year will only give me small booths and I no longer have room to store all of my larger pre-made purses and bags.  Therefore I will be switching my focus to my small zippered pouches and other small items.  So that means a HUGE SALE in my Etsy store!!!  (There may also be some destashing in the near future.)

So take a second to take a look at everything I have up for grabs!

Break Out the Rainboots & a Sewing Room Reveal

The weather here is dreary and shows no signs of changing through most of the week.  Right now it's pouring and will continue to do so for the rest of the day (we actually really, really need the rain though so I guess its a good thing).  But on to happier things...

For some reason I thought I had until the 28th to get my sewing room ready for its big reveal but when reading through my blogs yesterday I realized it was TODAY!  So here it is--or at least as much of it as I was able to get done.  And later on there are some quilty things to show you :).

 

A view from the door.  I rearranged the tablecloth so that it covers the whole table and hides what is underneath.  On my Singer cabinet is my pile of clothing that needs mending and a little scrap bucket for overflows.  Just to the right of it is a plastic three drawer container that contains all of my scraps.  They are now divided by color and all non-quilt shop quality pieces have been removed.  The top of this little bin is currently the home of two of my quilt tops in progress (more on those later if you'll stick with me through the reveal).

I cleaned up my little nightstand and added some decorative, yet functional touches.  I was running out of room for fabric on my shelves so I rolled some of it up to put in a little basket and into the little bin part of my owl wall hanging.  There are still lots of things that need to be done to this room.  I want to paint my owls black and add some fun fabric behind them that will show through all of the cut outs and I'm thinking it may be time to paint the nightstand black too.  The scrapbook paper is to make some large paper flowers for a yet to be purchased vase that will sit beside the nightstand.  The empty frame was plain wood and has been covered in washi tape.  I also bought washi tape to cover the frame of the mirror but didn't have time to get it on there.  Next to the mirror is the pile of decorative items that still need to be painted and hung.

I love this little corner.  The armoire definitely needs some touch ups on its paint but its the perfect place to display my jar of selvages, chair pincushion, basket of spools (needs to be painted and lined), a china cup pincushion that was my great grandmother's and my birdcage filled with my Cheep Talk fabrics.  I also finally got to hang my sign since the hand quilting is finished (yay!).

The printer got moved from the floor to the table and I recovered my zipper container with new scrapbook paper to match the rest of the room.  I've had the prints on the wall for quite a while but couldn't find frames I liked for them.  I finally gave up and just used tape to put them up.  My cutting board has the fabrics for my next project and my Carbany Street and Rock n' Romance bundles laid out and ready to go.

I failed to get a picture of this part last time.  I've put my ironing board as close to my machine as possible since I do so much paper piecing (which is what that stack of fabric and paper is).

Pretty, pretty fabric.  The top four shelves are non-quilt shop quality (which I'm contemplating getting rid of) and the bottom two are top of the line.  Every room needs a Scentsy warmer :) and it is sitting on the newly covered top of a plant stand.  Just a little bit of scrapbook paper and hot glue and TADA!  The wall above the TV is bare so I'm thinking this is where I will put the shelves that I bought on clearance at Target this weekend.  They need a coat of paint then they'll be ready.

Anyone have any idea how to hide all of those cords?!  Between two machines, two lamps, an iron, hot glue fun, Scentsy warmer, TV, router, modem and who knows what else, this corner is a mess and I don't know how to fix it!

I moved my roll of batting to the closet and added a solid black curtain so that it is not quite so distracting.

Not a whole lot of change to the corner behind the door except that it's more organized.

This organizer is kind of a mix of items.  It's got lots of little totes and pouches that are waiting for a home a well as some artwork, baby items, cross stitch wips, and towels that need to be made into pillows.

And of course, Josie hasn't changed much.  She was a little irritated that she wasn't getting any attention.

I had a couple of small cork boards laying around and one was the perfect size to add to the side of my stackable storage container to make a little place to keep coupons and things.  Again, all I needed was a little hot glue.

And since you've stuck with me this far, I'll show you the progress I made on my Scrappy Swoon Quilt this weekend. 

And the start of my Orbit Quilt.

I decided to do a slightly scrappier version for mine.  So far I'm loving it and it is going together so quickly.  I would be a lot farther but I miscalculated how much fabric I would need :/ so another trip to the LQS is in store for me.

Linking up with Plum & June, Sew Can Do, Sewing by Moonlight, and WIP Wednesday.

Friday Finish

I finally have a finish to show (and it's a long overdue one!).

My Pervalong mini is complete.

While I love the design of this quilt, I'm actually quite unhappy with it.  I used cheap fabric and you can tell, I put the borders on backwards, the quilting is horrendous and to top it all off, it is definitely not square (can't blame that one on the camera).

 

The back.  I wouldn't mind making another one of these the RIGHT way.  I think I would make it larger next time and possibly even use prints.  Definitely something to keep in mind.

 

I finished three more of my Sea of Stars blocks.

 

Another long overdue finish is my craft show sign.  I put the binding on it while in the car for Thanksgiving travels but decided it needed some hand quilting around the letters to make them POP.

 This is another project where I used cheap fabrics and even though you can tell (fabric glue will be needed in a couple of spots) I love it anyway!

I also managed to put the borders on the Mystery Round Robin that I'm in charge of this month...but I have decided they aren't good enough (good fabric choices, bad tension) and will be removing them and starting over this afternoon.

 And a non-sewing finish yesterday...I have baby proofed the entryway!  The bookcases are strapped to the walls, Squeak as a couple of shelves that are just for him, I got rid of more books and some decorations that we no longer had room for and created a cubby for shoes and backpacks.  This is one of my favorite areas of our house.  There will be more home improvements to come as we prepare for the Big Party!

The Start of the Scrappy Swoon

No sewing this week but I did start on my  Scrappy Swoon over the weekend.  The cutting has taken forever but putting it together has been pretty quick.

Depending on how much I love this quilt (and I'm thinking its going to be a LOT) I may have to add some borders to two of the sides and make it into a duvet cover for our bedroom.  I say duvet cover because there is no way that I would be able to wrestle a king size quilt through either of my  machines.  I could still quilt the top, add a button/tie/envelope closure of some sort and ta-da--duvet cover!  In addition to the colors I've already used, there will be pink, purple and black thrown into the mix.

I'm still working on binding the Pervalong but I'm hopeful it will be done today.  And birthday preparations are in full swing.  Getting the house guest ready has been my main focus lately and probably will continue to be until this shindig is over.  

It's raining AND snowing here right now so I'm wishing everyone a better Wednesday than I see myself having :).

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced.

A Little Late to the Party

I've decided to join in the Sewing Room Clean Up Along at Sewing by Moonlight.  It sounds like the motivation that I need to get my room in order (finally!).  Besides, for Lent I decided to give up at least 20 minutes of my time to being a better housewife--cleaning, cooking, etc., so this fits right in.

If unorganization, clutter, and chaos make you shudder, you might want to stop reading now!

I only ask that you please do not judge me by the state of my "before" room.  This is the room where you put something that has no where else to go.  And this room has already had a bit of renovating recently.  I moved the tv from the folding table to the new bookshelves when my old bookcase broke.

To your left as you walk into the room is a night stand that I've had ever since I was a kid and even though I'm not the sentimental type, I can't seem to get rid of it.  It is currently the catch all for the room.  The random lamp was in Squeak's room but his fascination with cords meant it had to go.  Speaking of cords...wasn't it nice of my husband to hook up the tv and then leave all of the cords in the middle of the floor?

In the northeast corner (kinda sounds like a boxing match doesn't it?) is another piece that I've had for a long time.  My mother picked up this armoire from a yard sale about 8 years ago and painted it black.  The top is another place for clutter to accumulate.  It does a good job of holding up my batting though :)

 

 

The inside of it houses my holiday and non quilt shop novelty fabrics, cross stitch miscellaneous, and hollowed out books that need to be made into clutches (someday...).  The drawers are overflowing with craft paint, art supplies, sheets of felt, orphaned blocks, craft show hardware, patterns and yarn.

I didn't get a close up of the cutting table.  It is absolutely covered in UFOs and tins containing random bits and pieces.  Underneath in a tub are all of my interfacing, fillers, and scraps of batting.  And my poor sewing cabinet is covered in fabrics.  Beside it, almost out of the picture, is my overflowing scrap bin.

 

The little cubby in the corner holds all of my larger pieces of fabric, books, and non-cotton fabrics. as well as a bunch of random stuff on top.  The little storage bins to the right are all of my BOMs and Sew/Quilt Alongs.  They are neatly labeled and right where they should be :)

 

My fabric shelf in the background and a huge pile of scraps waiting to be sorted in the foreground.

 And the closet.  It's actually not in too bad of shape.  I did not manage to get a picture of my main sewing table with my tabletop ironing board on it.  Let's just say it fits into the room just perfectly.

All of the above photos were taken early Sunday morning and I have made quite a bit of headway since then.  And of course I've started a list of projects that I could make for this room :)  This afternoon I will be hanging shelves and decor that I've had for months and just haven't gotten around to putting up.  I have until the 25th to get everything in order.

Oh, and I did manage to get a bit of sewing done this weekend but I'll save it for WIP Wednesday.  Hope to see ya then!

Linking up to Let's Get Acquainted  and Sewing by Moonlight.

Cross Stitch Countdown

Again, no time at the sewing machine but I have gotten some work done on my cross stitch samplers.

 

I'm almost done with the third row of the Winter Wonderland Sampler.  I am missing a couple of the colors of floss that I need so there will be some touching up to be done later.

 

And my February block of the Woodland Sampler is complete and I've been working ahead on the borders for the next months.

Since it's the middle of February a progress report is in order.

1. Sugar Club February Block
2. Lucky Stars February Block
3. And Sew On February Block
4. Pretty in Patchwork Christmas Pillow
5. Pretty in Patchwork Valentine Pillow --I'm to the quilting stage on this one.
6. MQG Pincushion Swap--I have decided on the layout and fabrics but no actual sewing yet.
7. Madrona Road Mini Quilt
8. Super Penguin Blocks--Set #3--most of the individual sections have been pieced but not sewed together into actual blocks yet.
9. Woodland Sampler February Block
10. 10 Triple Zip Pouches--I have nine done, one more to go.  It is already cut and just needs to be put together.
11. 3 Sea of Stars Blocks
12. Finish cutting Isosceles Triangle Quilt fabrics-prints are cut just need to do solids.
13. Section 1 & 2 of the Scrappy Swoon Quilt-***I had to edit this one--after reading more of the tutorial it was going to be nearly impossible for me to do all of the cutting at one time since I'm using so many different colors.
14. Cut fat quarters for Solids Swap
15. Make Mystery Round Robin block
16. Add borders to Mystery Round Robin block for S.
17. Zippered Pouch for A Little Birdie told me swap--I spent yesterday working on the design and I'm ready to get started.--Not participating due to an error in my Threadbias account set up.
18. Riley Blake February Block
19. Finally quilt and bind my Pervalong Quilt
20. Pick fabrics for Starburst Quilt-Vintage Modern!

I'm hoping to get lots of cutting done tomorrow and Saturday, as long as Squeak cooperates.

Happy Friday everyone!

Really Random Thursday

I have to admit that I'm pretty spoiled.  Especially this week.

I came home from work Monday to find this waiting for me in my sewing room.

I sometimes steal the heater out of the bathroom because my room gets cold so now I have my very own.  No more sharing (although I think this actually benefits the Husband as much as it does me)!  And my favorite popcorn.  Wal-Mart has been out of it every time I have looked the 4 months so he bought me a bag when he saw it.

And today at work I got a gift card for Valentine's Day from one of the other assistants.  And she brought cookies! 

The Hubby and I are waiting until this weekend to celebrate but there will be good food involved when it does happen.

No sewing news to report but I have gotten more of my Scrappy Swoon and Isosceles Triangle Quilts cut and I'm ready to get started on them as soon as I have a free minute.

Linking up to Really Random Thursday.

WIP of the Week

Earlier this month when listing what I hoped to accomplish, I threw in my long neglected Pervalong top.  Monday night I actually dragged it out and started working on it.  I will admit that more than once I almost threw it away.  I like the design (even though I put my borders on the wrong sides) and I like my colors but the fabric I used was cheap and you could tell.  It does not lay flat and the mini was definitely not squared up.  It was so badly warped after I ironed it that there was no way it could be basted without puckering on the front.  I minimized it as much as possible and sat down to quilt.  I have been wanting to try something new but since I wasn't enthusiastic about this project I just didn't have it in me.  I started quilting on the outer edge (black) then realized after a couple of inches that I had white thread in the machine. 
 

 

Since I was already at my breaking point I decided to keep going with wavy overlapping lines down the length of the quilt.  The quilting is done -- and is admittedly terrible.  Please remember when looking at it that my priority was to just get it done.  I'm in the process of attaching the binding and will hopefully be able to cross it off of my UFO list tomorrow. 

Joining in at WIP Wednesday.

Fabric-y Goodness!

I came home from the monthly guild meeting with all kinds of goodies. 

We had our fat quarter solids swap:

 

I am a bit ashamed to admit that I do not have any quilt shop quality solids in my stash so this is a very welcome addition!  So many bright beautiful colors!

And one of the girls had a bag full of scraps for everyone to dig through.  I pulled out one piece that I really liked then let everyone else have a turn before I looked at all of the left overs.  Lucky for me there was still a LOT left and my oversized bag was stuffed by the time I left :).  Now I just need to get my creative juices back (they have been very lacking lately) and find time to get to work...

Progress

A few things to share today:

 I finished my Valentine Reverse Applique Pillow for the Threadbias Pretty in Patchwork Sew Along.  Last week I showed you my Christmas version of this pillow.  At the time I was okay with the way that it looked but after seeing how this one turned out I'm not quite as happy with it.

 

Another small finish was my pincushion for the swap at QuiltCon.  Sadly I will not be going so one of the members of our guild will swap on behalf of those not able to attend.  It's not exactly how I pictured it in my head but I did get to try hand quilting for the first time.  Hopefully someone will love it :).  I am also thinking of using these fabrics for my Pantone Challenge item.  The center fabric was the closest I could find to their version of Emerald.

 

And I started sewing on my Scrappy Swoon Quilt.  I have had the background pieces cut for some time now but was having trouble committing to my other fabric choices.  A not so quick trip to the LQS solved that problem.  I did run out of most of my grays so I will have to pick up a little more of those today.
  I've also cut the next three sections and hope to work on them tonight.

 

Another Triple Zip Pouch is ready.

And my UFO project of the week--I originally cut this wine tote as a Christmas present but changed my mind at the last minute and went with different fabrics.  Since the exterior was already cut and quilted I just needed to cut the lining and put it all together.

 

In other UFO news, I did tear all of the paper off of the Pervalong top (which took about an hour) and I hope to quilt it this week and get it off of my to do list :)

Art Student Tote & B-Day Prep

One of the blogs that I regularly read asked everyone to leave a comment telling their favorite project they have ever done.  I had to think about it a bit and realized it was probably my Anna Maria Horner Art Student Tote.  It was made before I ever started blogging therefore I have never had an excuse to show it off.  And since it is a pretty large tote I don't carry it often.  I plan to use to use it as part of a "luggage set" that I have in mind to make for my trip this summer.  I think that it, a duffel of some type (Bari J. maybe?) and a Weekender Bag (for some reason I cannot get her website to open so no link today) as well as some small assorted pouches, would be perfect for our vacation.  I made it using Sweetwater's Reunion line. 

 

Not my normal style, but I love it anyway!  I have already been picking up a few of fat quarters locally when I find them in preparation for the next bag in the set.  I have no official plan yet but I'm thinking there will be paper piecing and patchwork involved :).  The pattern is great but next time I make this bag there are some definite changes I would make.  I would stitch the handles up further, add interior pockets, a false bottom for more stability, and possibly even a recessed zipper.  The zippered pockets on the front were easy enough to put together but there was a LOT of measuring and pinning in order to get everything evenly spaced.

 

I realized yesterday that I have less than a month to get everything ready for Squeak's birthday!  We are having his one year photo session on his actual birthday and his party the following Sunday.  So much to do--decorations, photo props and outfits, cakes to order, balloons and invitations...I'm sure there's something important I'm forgetting.  Oh yeah, PRESENTS!!!  His favorite thing to play with right now is Penny and as long as he's not trying to bite her tail she's a good sport :)

 

Does this kid look like he needs more toys?!

 

We're off to the LQS tonight to stock up on cute little boy fabric.  I'm thinking a monster theme is in order with lots of orange, yellow, green, blue and white!  And if the items turn out as well as I'm hoping there might be a tutorial or two if anyone is interested ;)

Joining the fun at Really Random Thursday!

February Goals

I know I already posted today but I feel that if I don't write these all down immediately they are never going to happen!

1. Sugar Club February Block
2. Lucky Stars February Block
3. And Sew On February Block
4. Pretty in Patchwork Christmas Pillow
5. Pretty in Patchwork Valentine Pillow --I'm to the quilting stage on this one.
6. MQG Pincushion Swap--I have decided on the layout and fabrics but no actual sewing yet.
7. Madrona Road Mini Quilt
8. Super Penguin Blocks--Set #3--most of the individual sections have been pieced but not sewed together into actual blocks yet.
9. Woodland Sampler February Block--Almost done!
10. 10 Triple Zip Pouches--I have seven done, three more to go.  All three are already cut and just need to be put together.
11. 3 Sea of Stars Blocks
12. Finish cutting Isosceles Triangle Quilt fabrics-prints are cut just need to do solids.
13. Cut fabrics for Scrappy Swoon Quilt-background is done, need to pick my colored fabrics.
14. Cut fat quarters for Solids Swap
15. Make Mystery Round Robin block
16. Add borders to Mystery Round Robin block for S.
17. Zippered Pouch for A Little Birdie told me swap--I spent yesterday working on the design and I'm ready to get started.
18. Riley Blake February Block
19. Finally quilt and bind my Pervalong Quilt
20. Pick fabrics for Starburst Quilt

Twenty seems like a good round number don't you think?  I've already got a pretty good start on the list so keep your fingers crossed for me that I can keep up the momentum :)

Madrona Road Mini

I finished applying the binding last night and I love it! It is currently on top of our washing machine acting as a scratch guard. The colors don't work with my decor at all but it is the perfect size and it will stay there until I find another use for it :)

 

I did put little hanging corners on it, just in case.

 

My other finish from earlier this week was my Reverse Applique Christmas Tree Pillow.  I made it as part of the Threadbias Sew Along.  I have the Valentine version ready to quilt just as soon as I have a free minute.  I did change this quite a bit from the way it was in the book.  I didn't use binding around the edges or muslin inside, which is probably why it puckered a little.  On the next one I plan on following the instructions to see what happens.  I'm still pretty happy with this one though.

Sew Much to Tell You!

It was a whirlwind of a weekend!

It started off with Sew Day with my MQG on Saturday.  Due to poor planning on my part I didn't have nearly as much done by the end of the day as I would have liked.

 

I finished another Triple Zip Pouch.  I would have finished three more but after I started this one I realized I had forgotten to iron on the interfacing before I left the house and it was still sitting at my work table.  I actually think it came out okay with out it.  I may try using fusible woven interfacing on the next one and see what happens...

 

 

Again poor planning got the best of me.  I put together all of my blocks for my Reverse Applique Christmas Tree Pillow for the Threadbias Pretty in Patchwork Sew Along but forgot to print and enlarge my templates.

 

 

I'm doing the Valentine version too!

 

 

I did get my Sugar Club BOM done.  The pieces don't quite line up but if you don't look too closely you won't notice (I hope!).

 

 

And my Lucky Stars BOM is finished.

 

On Sunday my dad made a trip down to see us.  He always comes prepared to do handyman work around the house :).  And as always it was greatly appreciated.  The tv is now mounted on the wall well out of Squeak's reach.

 

 

Squeak though he was helping :).  We've also added risers to the bottoms of the couches to keep him from crawling onto them.

 

Besides bringing his tools, Dad also brought me this lovely new machine.  It came in a beautiful cabinet designed specially for it.

 

 

And all of these disks and feet!  This machine has more features than mine could ever dream of!  And its 50 years old!!!  I will still be using my singer for most of my piecing but this one will come in handy for quilting!  I haven't gotten to play around with it very much but I will definitely be setting some time aside to do just that.  Would you believe the whole package only cost $25?!

 

He also brought me some new shelves for my stash since mine collapsed.  Yes, a bookcase collapsed because the weight of the fabric was too much.  Maybe that should tell me something.  And I hope to soon have my new laminate counter that runs the length of the wall and has tons of storage built into the supports.

 

Then came the Super Bowl Sale at one of the LQSs.  I picked up (clockwise from top left) precuts of Chicopee and Simply Color as well as quarter yard cuts of some Bunny Hill, random stash prints, Type, and Reunion and coordinates.

 

Most of these are just fabrics that I have been admiring for awhile.  But a couple I have plans for.  I purchased the Tea for Two pattern from Blossom Heart Quilts (such a sad story, btw) and it will be the perfect pattern for the Chicopee.  And the Reunion prints will be used to make a travel set for our trip this summer.  I made Anna Maria Horner's Art Student Tote out of these last year and if I can add a Weekender Bag and maybe a Bari J. Duffel along with some small pouches it will be perfect.

 

 I got an e-mail Saturday reminding me that our original block for the 2013 Mystery Round Robin was supposed to be in the mail (whoops!)  So I sat down last night and got to work 

 

 

I have to thank Pink Chalk Fabric for the block.  The fabric was my first month's package of goodies from their Charming Solids Club.  The prints are Kate Spain's Honey Honey and the solid is ______________ (?).  The pattern I used for the block was featured in one of their e-mails earlier this month.

 

And last but not least...

 

I tested out a great heart pattern for Juliette of Tartan Kiwi.  I figured instead of having yet another orphaned block I would try to make a complete project for once.  I put together two of her hearts, designed a LOVE pattern using Quilt Assistant, put them together, quilted them and came out with this!

 

I even love the back!

 

Well that is enough from me for today :P.

 

Linking up to BOMs Away Monday and Let's Get Acquainted.