Pocket Tutorials

I just stumbled upon a wonderful blog, with a series of excellent pocket tutorials.

 

Currently she`s having a giveaway to win this wonderful quilt.  It looks really interesting with a button off backing so you can see how the pockets are constructed.

A successful 2010, and planning for 2011

• 2010 Review 

I posted my 2010 goals a year ago...

• Sew from stash, with meaningful purchases
I did sew from stash, but don`t have a true sense of numbers as my journal is sadly out of date.  I did buy fabric to complete the quilts, but they were needed.

According to my not yet updated journal I`ve completed over 94 projects this year... but that doesn`t include those I made for Christmas gifts that I haven`t journaled yet...  I really need a new system of journaling -- one that I can keep up with!

• Sew for me
I did some sewing for me - until I looked at the photos I didn`t think I finished much... but I finished 8 tops, 3 pairs of pants (not all shown), a nightgown, a dress and wrap.

1. Ottobre Wrap, 2. Loveliness Dress, 3. Camisole, 4. A new TNT Pattern

1. 2/10 #9 Katherine, 2. Ottobre 2-2010 #9 Katerine, 3. SpringOutfit, 4. Ottobre 2/10 #2

1. Nightgown, 2. A New Top from 2-2010, 3. fleece-top, 4. A new PJ Top

• Sew 3 quilts

I got one finished, started and finished a crib sized quilt and have two others much closer to completion, but they are still only as quilt blocks... Hopefully soon the blocks will form quilt tops, then the tops form quilts...  My kids are hoping these will be completed by their birthdays - which are coming up quickly.

• Finish the works in progress

I did finish some of my UFOs and WIPs but really need to focus on this again...  


Some other sewing...


Sewing for others... mainly my kids.  I did some alterations and tshirts for my husband too!

1. Swimsuits in action!, 2. A Tam for my daughter, 3. Hats for all, 4. A New Dance Costume







And in order to complete this, I will need to clean my sewing room :) and hopefully keep it clean


And as for this goal - totally missed this one!  It still needs cleaning (or is it that it needs cleaning again?

2011 Sewing Resolutions
My goals for the upcoming year are very similar to the past few years

• Make meaningful fabric purchases
• Finish UFOs
• Start Gift Sewing Early

¸
Specific projects that I need to work on

• Quilt 2 (for Jan 2011) & Quilt 3 (for February 2011)
• Kilt (probably for fall 2011)
• Jig & Hornpipe Costume for oldest daughter (for Summer 2011)
• Swimsuit for me (for our trip to Disney World February 2011)

Mariner's Compass Quilt Block - Progress

13/16 done! But when going away, and when you are paper piecing from a computer printout - bring extra copies... I didn't bring extra copies and don't have the ability to print them out here... AND I have messed up three of the sections.  I could possibly pick them apart but that sounds so fiddly, I don't think its going to happen, with those tiny stitches! So this block is on hold until after the New Years. Good thing I have many more blocks to finish for this quilt. I hope to complete some partially completed blocks tomorrow night, and maybe setting some blocks on point.  The time is ticking on this quilt... I'm really hoping to get the quilt top assembled in the next two weeks so I can have about 10 days to quilt this... and hoping the fabric I ordered will work for the backing...  or I will need to search for fabric too...

Mariner's Compass Quilt Block

-Two nights ago, my husband used his techie skills and drew me a template for the Mariner's Compass Block I'd drafted for paper piecing.  It will be an 18" square block.  Tonight I started sewing the first quarter of the block.  I have each quarter divided into 4 pieces that are then sewn together...  The first two pieces took 35minutes each!  The next two took only 20min each... so a total of 110min for 1/4 of the block!  I hope its worth it...

So far its looking good... A comment on my iron... I have never had a problem using my iron with auto shut off - in fact while sewing clothing or other quilting I've thought it was great... but given my speed (or lack there of) quilting this block, my iron with auto shut off was really frustrating.  So I pulled out my tiny iron (I think its the one here) that I got as a gift a few years ago.  It works great, but I found it frustrating because the cord wouldn't stay plugged in -- I think I need an extension cord - or a different ironing setup...




For those interested I have also updated some photos on my scrapbooking blog...

Quilt Challenge

Paula over at PAULA'S SEWING CHALLENGES is on her 4th Challenge. I've been meaning to enter the last few Challenges, but keep forgetting. She just opened up this Challenge, so I've decided to enter now, before I forget!

Challenge 4 is to enter a favourite quilt or wall hanging.


My favourite Wall Hanging Quilt I made is the one I made for my Gram and posted about during the Fall Blogger Quilt Festival.

And my second entry is a bed-sized quilt I finished for my 5yo.  I finished this in December and blogged about it here.  She loves this quilt... and snuggles under it nightly.

My Handmade Christmas Gifts

This year I worked hard on making it a handmade holiday.  Many on our list this year got handmade gifts...  Classroom teachers, music teacher, dance instructor gifts were finished earlier this month (some were finished really early, here, and some more, and others are pictured below).  The only gift item made that hasn't been photographed is some underwear for my husband...

And all the quilts were signed, and even made myself a paper pieced Mug Rug...

4 Santas, A Star, Quilts Labelled, Paper Piecing

Mountie Santa, Checking his List, Over the Tree Tops, Scottish Santa

Blankets, Mugs & Mug Rugs, More Towels

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday...

Received a handmade Christmas Gift

Fabric Close Up

Two years ago I headed to help my dad and family clean out my Grandmother's house as she'd been moved into the care home. While we were there it was my responsibility to clean out the sewing room. Some of the stuff I took for recycling, donated some, kept some for myself, set some aside for my aunt and my step-mom and tragically threw some out (cut out fabirc, anything remotely broken, etc). Then there was a basket of fabric. I think some of it was cut up, possibly with some other fabric (from my memory there was also black or dark purple fabric in the basket) stitched to some of it - the fabric was good quality but very dark looking and neither my step mom or I could figure out the project (that had no instructions with it), nor what to do with the fabric. I wasn't quilting at the time, so I left the fabric behind - we couldn't see the beauty in the fabric...

My dad and step-mom stayed longer than I did... and the fabric followed her home... This year my brother's fiancée and I each got table runners - made with this fabric - enough for two table runners 17-1/2"x57", sashing and stars on the front, backing and binding . And the fabric is no longer dark and dreary... it goes to show how fabric choices really make the tone of the finished quilt. I'm not sure this will stay in my dining room, as my dining room doesn't have any purples in it and the table runner is nearly the length of my table fully extended. I might take it to the island as my long dining room table is over there....

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Paper Piecing

One of the blocks I need to make for my son's quilt is the mariners compass and I've found a number of paper pieced patterns available for it, but I've never done any paper piecing... So today I tried using a "simple" star -  Laced Star Block

I used some Christmas scraps... not too bad, but don't know how I'd do a larger block... as only some of the points turned out nicely...

ETA:
1) I am nearly finished Christmas sewing... Now onto wrapping...

2) I got notice that the Accuquilt I won from Mandy at Simply Solids is being shipped! Hopefully it get here before I head away for New Years...

Almost ready for Christmas

All the wall hangings I'm working on just need binding.  I made the miles of binding tonight...

NOTE to self:  its much easier to make binding on fabric that has a definite right and wrong side...

UFO Challenge 2011

Back in October I posted about Pat Sloan's UFO Busted - here is my list


So how did I do? And what is left as UFOs in 2011....

I did finish the Halloween Quilt, and my youngests quilt, but the rest of the UFO projects sit as UFOs.... I will divide my UFO list into a quilting list, and a garment sewing list.

Quilting:

1. [March]  [Done!]Quilt & Bind Hand print quilt for dh
2. [August] Rocking Chair Cushions for my mom
3. Hand Bag for my mom
4. [April] [Done!]  Small bag started at a quilt class
5. Baby Quilt cut out years ago
6. [January] [Top Done!] Quilt Top for my son (Quilt #2)
7. Rag Flannel quilt
8. [June][Done]Teacher Gift Quilt Blocks -- made into baskets
9. [May] Gift for my grandmother with some fabric she strip pieced
10. [February] [Done!] Quilt Top for my oldest daughter (Quilt #3)
11. Finish my sons Quilt (UFO #6 above)
12. and probably another one

Sewing

1. Black Highland Dance Vest
2. Shirt for me
3. [February - Done]Tshirt remake for my husband
4. Kilt for my oldest

My goal will be to complete 1 quilting UFO each month (but #1 & 2 will be competed in January and February as they are birthday gifts).  And I hope to complete 1 other sewing UFO every other month.  I may have a few more unseen sewing UFOs hiding in my sewing room...

Updated:  August 2011 with some completions...

Catching up with some other projects

A Quick Project

I've been needing a curtain for my door.  This was a no sew project, but did use some yucky sticky velcro from my stash!  I was shopping yesterday and came across these sliding blind panels.  They had velcro at the top, and a bar/weight at the bottom and instructions were included to shorten them.  I figured it was a nice quick project to hide my sewing room.  My sewing room has a wonderful glass door...  And the best thing was it only cost $5 (plus the yucky velcro in my stash) and took less than 10minutes to install.

And no you can't see into the room.  Its a disaster....

Christmas PJs

OK, these aren't really Christmas themed, but the last day of school before Christmas holidays is PJ day at my kids school.  Now I don't really get the idea of this, but my kids can't go wearing well worn pjs from last year, the year before, or even hand-me downs.  The last few years I've been giving them their Christmas PJs early... So this year the girls got dance nighties and fleece pants, and my son got a pair of green pants & a top.  In typical procrastination fashion, the last item was finished at 10pm the night before they were needed.

Arm warmers for me.  A quick project made from some left over fleece

Some boots for the boys in the Christmas Concert

Friday Night Sew In Progress

I completed the following blocks for my daughters quilt (Quilt #3).  The first blocks are 3" pinwheels made from the scraps from some HST that were cut off the second blocks.  The second blocks are 8.5" (the original pattern was for 12" blocks, but my quilt needed some smaller blocks too)....   These are part of the Moose Quilts Layer Cake Along.  While making the HST for the flying geese, I cut the fabric 1" too small so ended up with 2" squares instead of 2.5" squares - so had to start over!

And I tried to make a Mariners Compass block for Quilt #2... but its all wonky and I will loose the points of the compass if I try and appliqué it on the quilt block.  I think I will be starting over - with a different technique.  I've never paper pieced or foundation pieced... so I think I need to learn!

I also did the binding on 3 mug rugs -- they are complete!  YEAH!

And started quilting my pile of Christmas presents - one fully quilted, another nearly finished.  Still have a few to finish before Christmas and they must be bound too!

Friday Night Sew In

I nearly forgot.  Now waiting for the kids bedtime, then I'm off to my sewing room...

I did get a few things started this afternoon.  Hope to finish a few quilt blocks, and some Christmas presents...

A more productive Saturday Night

So I got some more things done tonight -- without arguing with my machines.  Not much completed.... but getting there.

Dish Towels - I have completed 9 with various embroideries (and given one away already).

Mug Rugs - I have 1 complete, 3 needing binding


Wall Hanging - this one was embroidered tonight and now awaiting finishing of the binding


Quilt #2 Blocks - this block used up some more QST and HSTs... I did make another set of QST & HST to have enough to make 4 blocks - only had enough for 3+ blocks...

A not so productive Friday Night Sew In

Last night I participated in the Friday Night Sew In hosted at Handmade by Heidi.  But everything was going against me... I did get three dish towels embroidered for part of the teachers gifts for this year.   I have one more teacher gift to work on - I found these darling gingerbread embroideries at Bunnycup Embroideries- and this years Christmas Concert is called "A Gingerbread Christmas", so I put together a design using 3 of the Bunnycup Embroideries and some text created in Embird and using the multi-position hoop, I'm ready to stitch out a wall hanging for our Music Teacher/Librarian, that all my kids have for music and library.  Every year she puts on two shows a Christmas production as well as a spring production, and runs the Choir from October til Christmas -- preparing them for Remembrance Day, Christmas Production as well as Choir performances at the local mall and performing for the CKNW Orphan's Fund Pledge Drive, and the spring choir puts on a spring play.

And I did complete 4 blocks for Quilt #2, but since these were leftover HSTs from another block, my nine patch ended up with a smaller than 6" block... I think I might add borders to it to make them larger... probably make them a 6" finished block, or possibly mount it on point to get it larger.


Now for my other work, I'd hoped to get to quilting some of the table runners or wall hangings for Christmas, but my serger and sewing machine were working against me.  I started with a simple project or so I thought.  How difficult are 3 pillow cases... I broke 4 serger needles - don't know what is wrong with my machine... I think I will clean it and hope all works well today.  And for the sewing machine, while I was top-stitching snowflakes, the thread nested underneath... it didn't sound quite right, but I didn't stop and got about 12" done before stopping... so I then had to pull out all the top-stitching.  One of three pillow cases done...

Some progress

Quilt Progress

More blocks for Quilt 3

I am making progress - I have 6 sets of blocks... but they are 4 different sizes!!! Oops... I have 3 sets of 4 blocks at 12.5inches, 1 set of 4 blocks at each 6.5, 8.5 and 9.5inches... and how will I lay them out in the end... OK this quilting as my mood strikes me may be a problem...

And how about some leftover blocks... some half square triangles, squares and quarter square triangles and hourglass blocks.  And just how do I make these blocks of various sizes (1.5, 1.75, 2.25, 2.5, 3 and 5 inches) all into something to fit the quilt....

Christmas Sewing

I`ve also been working on Christmas presents.  Mostly embroidered projects... many designs downloaded from emblibrary.com...  maybe a few from other sources (but can`t remember off the top of my head...)  I also have started 4 sewing related mug rugs, which I think I`ll give out with a Christmas mug to a few of my friends that sew...

Other projects ongoing - I have started a few gifts for the kids and some `boots` for the kindergarten boys for the Christmas concert.


Thank you... I won a giveaway over on Cotton Cocktails for 3 episodes of the Quilt Show...

And also recently received a pattern from the giveaway on Moose Quilts and used the flower from the pattern today!