Back to Sewing!

I completed Grace`s quilt this week.

Getting back into routine since school started has been difficult.  I haven`t gotten much sewing done - life keeps getting away...



My daughter is making a bag for her friend... she also learned paper piecing. I`m pretty sure she couldn`t do it herself, but she`s learning. She sewed and pressed. I cut and pinned!  We used the following Scottie Paper Pieced Pattern

Is it Wednesday already?

Getting sewing time is difficult... But I am working with my kids on sewing.  My son has become quite proficient, now that he has a few ideas...  And soon, maybe, he'll be working on his own.

My daughter has continued to sew mice this week and now has a family of 10! Some of them have clothes. Her stitches are visible, and she's not changing thread colours... but I'm not arguing as she's working independently and helping her 5yo sister!

The kids start school in two weeks... So I have lots of sewing to complete by then... as they each want back to school clothing.....

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Quilting Projects
Completed

• Mug Rug for my Step-father
  My son did this project pretty much on his own. I provided instructions on technique and helped with the binding, but he did all the sewing. The label is on, but I don't have a pen to write on it...

Progress

• Dresden Quilt
  All circles have been set and borders added.  I'm hoping I have enough batting to get them basted, but won't be quilting them until after school starts as my thread is at home.
• Christmas/Winter Quilt
  Quilt top is assembled, but need some unwashed white fabric for borders!  Need to go to the store...
• Grace's Quilt
  The kid's quilted it. I have squared it up and it is ready for binding!

No Progress

• Mariner's Quilt
• St Patrick's Day Quilt
  

Garment Sewing
Started items

• Tank top for me (Braided Neck Tank at BurdaStyle)
• Tunic for each girl (Ottobre 4/11 #28, Ottobre 3/2008 #12)
• Leggings for each girl (Ottobre 4/11 #32, Ottobre 1/10 #18)
• Pants for my son (Ottobre 1/11 #39)

Cut Out 

• Blouse for my youngest (Ottobre 1/20 #11)
• Pinafore for my youngest (Ottobre 4/11 #14)
  

Planned items

• Tshirt for my son (Ottobre 1/10 #24B)
• Second pair of pants for my son (Ottobre 1/11 #39)
• Skirt for my older daughter (Ottobre 1/11 #31)

And there are more items that they'd love to have, but this is what I'm committing to for the next two weeks... I really should also add two white blouses - one for each girl.  They'll probably be simple white peasant blouses.

I'm also debating whether to make myself a skirt, or a second top...

Friday night sewing at the beach....

During the day instead of having prep time, I was making blackberry jam for my Gram.  She is very spoiled - my mom went home with fresh blackberry pie and blackberry jam for her.  She is 95!

After dinner I started sewing while the kids went down to the beach with my mom and her husband... Looking out at the calm waters I couldn't resist the call of the ocean.  So I went out for a kayak!  Then I picked up my husband from the ferry.

Finally at 9pm I sat down to sew...

Winter Quilt
First I worked on my winter whirly gig quilt.  I had laid out the blocks previously and then stitched together to quilt top.  I can't proceed any further on this until I get more unwashed white cotton.

Sewn Together

Dresden Quilts 

Last night I set 4 of the circles into the outer border, squared up the blocks, then added the two borders.


This project was started as part of Lily's Quilts QAL in the spring... but life got in the way and I never finished them. Now I have the blocks ready to add the batting and backing. I will start assembling these blocks, but the quilting thread for these is at home in my sewing room. Because I'm not positive where the thread is, I'll need to wait until I get home to find it.

I need to head back to Lily's Quilts Blog and read the instructions!

Each of these blocks is about 31" square.

The 4 Blocks Ready for the Quilt.  This is a quilt as you go project, so I didn't piece them together

When I was making up the blocks, I forgot one at the cabin... but now all blocks are united and now I have an extra one.

I don't have enough of the background fabric to border it.  I will do a wider light border - probably the ligth blue, and then maybe a pieced border... I haven't decided....

Dresden - this one will be made into a separate quilt.

Grace's Quilt


Grace is still in the hospital and is gaining weight but has some struggles. She is in our continual prayers... The kids are continuing to work on their gift for her. They decided they would do the quilting too! So the progress is slow as Gramma (my mom) came for a 3 day visit. They didn't work on this last night, but are starting to work on it again today now that Gramma has left!

Design Wall Monday

Quilting
Today we got Grace's Quilt top pinned together...  Not much else done...  

And my dresdens are waiting to be sewn into the backgrounds, which are ready sitting on my sewing table.  Time to get busy....

Back to school sewing
The pants for my son need the fly sewn...

Seen around town

This is the quilt in my massage therapists office.  I thought it was quite pretty... The statement on it reads "What is your greatest desire?  Follow it and find peace". 

Sorry for the quality of the pictures, they were all taken on my Blackberry...

Quilt Top for Grace

Quilt Top for Grace
Originally uploaded by l3designs.sewing

Here is the completed top! They worked so hard to complete it.... Now to find the backing fabric (hopefully my husband can find something at home), and then figure out how to quilt it... would love to FMQ, but not so sure on my skills....

A Sewing Day (WIP Wednesday)

So what am I working on?  Too much? 

Proud of their work!

And since I've had to "fight" for computer time, I finished up these blocks last night after they were in bed.

Christmas Whrilygig blocks

Well, so much I created spread sheet last night to track it all...  The following list are my current quilting projects, this doesn't include any of the UFOs that are put away and not being actively worked on.  Most of these projects are new this year....

• Mariner's Quilt
  This quilt is waiting for me to finish quilting it. Its not currently with me... but will be my first priority once school starts. Binding is made, about 25-50% of quilting is done.
• St Patrick's Day Quilt
  I have this one here, it has 3/9 of the blocks quilted. And I'm not sure what I'm quilting in the border. I do have the binding cut and ready.
  
• Dresden Quilt
  The sashing is ready, the outer circles are ready, now to set 4 more of the dresden circles, square the blocks, then add the sashing.
• Christmas/Winter Quilt
  All quilt blocks are made. Not sure how I'm piecing this one together. I have 22 blocks - likely it'll be a 4x5 quilt with 2 blocks on the back. If I want white sashing, then I'll need to buy some more white. The white fabric that I was planning on using went into the quilt top the kids made.  I used the tutorials at Crazy Mom Quilts and Michelle Sews.
• Grace's Quilt
  All blocks have the side sashing on. And they are now set into 5 strips. The kids did the sewing and pressing. I did the cutting and pinning. We finished with less than .2m of white left.   I'm hoping my husband can navigate my sewing room to find the fabric I'm hoping to use...

Garment Sewing

And then we are onto garment sewing... need back to school clothes  for the kids.  I have patterns traced... now to iron fabric and cut those out.  I'll itemize those in another post...

Stop by Tea Rose Home for Wednesday's Link Party....

I've also linked up with Freshly Pieced with the WIP Wednesday Post.




And over at Clean & Scentsible for Creative Spark!

Tuesday's Progress -- and another new quilt!

My daughter wanted to sew a quilt for her new baby cousin (my cousin's daughter).  She was born on Friday, although was 7 weeks early, and is doing quite well.  I created a scrapbook page of the photos I have been emailed here.

We started with a Charm Pack that had 24 fabrics, and chose one additional fabric from the stash.  My daughter wants to set these on angles (wonky) with white sashing...  

The Charm Pack
all in order

All pinned and ready for my daughter to sew.  2"x5" white squares onto the 5" Charms....

Day 1: 2 sets are done...(she completed
a third set before bed!)

Christmas Quilt Progress
Oops... no photo of these... my daughter bumped me from the machine today!  Hope to sew the rest up tonight and will post all the blocks tomorrow....

1" wide by approximately 550" long
Hope I have enough

Dresden Quilt Progress

Not much progress on the quilt, but I did press the outer circles, and cut and sew the 1" borders...  

My Helpers....

Alexandra sewing

Roger Tracing... and the cat came to help

My Daughter's Sewing 

Two new pairs of pants for her build-a-bear....

She did most of the work, except I added the tail-hole and elastic...

Fruit Trees!  Baking.... Canning....

Blackberries and Transparent Apples

Spiked Peach Plums

Climbing the tree...

A wonderful Library

Prizes

Ever since my son started reading, the kids have participated in the Summer Reading Club at our local library. Each year out library has a series of prizes for the kids who participate. We have fared quite well every year... this year my youngest won a packages of books... We have an amazing set of librarians, a small library and some great finds. BUT please remind me to return the DVDs, as they are now only a 7 day loan! (Until this year they were a 3 week loan)