2016 - part 2

So I got some Comfort Quilts quilted and actually made some time to work on my own stuff.  

This is for my son-in-law Thiago.  He and my daughter Liz live in Basel, Switzerland.  She asked me months ago to make him a flannel quilt with the triangle pattern.  NOT MY CHOICE of either fabric or pattern ... but I rallied on and finished it.  The moment I cut it from the machine, I fell in love with it.  The swirl pattern gives it so much texture.  I used wool batting which makes it incredibly soft and light.  It made it to Basel in 7 days ... Merry Christmas, Thiago!!  And they opened their presents while we watched via Skype.  Doncha just love technology!!

This little critter is Mizz Prickly.  Our little sewing group decided to do a pin cushion exchange and I had been wanting to make this cutie patootie for a year.  Got my chance and made it up fast.  She is just too darn cute!  

 I saw this originally at Intown Quilters 2 years ago and had to have one of my own!  Loved the fabrics and smushed them all together.  There are over 20 different fabrics in this.  I have to say that the directions are ... shall we say ... lacking?  The designer did put out 7 videos to help you along but it still took some skill and effort to get it all together.  Love my bag!  Maybe it will see Basel one of these days???

And these are a posse of lacy zipper bags that I made for some of my sewing buddies.  Once I made 5 or 6 of them, they came along pretty easily.  But I totally wrecked an expensive iron because of the fusible.  NO MORE EXPENSIVE IRONS FOR ME!  

And on Christmas Day, the Missouri Star Quilt Company put out a video on how to make an easy-peasy sewing mat.  I've been wanting one for years and that day was a blessing!  In the late afternoon I sat down, watched the video, and had it made by that evening.  Love love love it!!!  Of course, you see where my scissors (1 pair of at least 7 in my studio...sigh...) are sitting?  There is a pocket for them but they just naturally sit right there on the machine.  

Happy 2016, y'all!!!

Welcome to 2016!

Seems like they come around faster and faster, don't they?

Here are some quilts and projects that ended up the year 2015 for me ... enjoy ...

The following four quilts are Comfort Quilts for our Stitchin' Sallies ministry at Due West United Methodist Church.  They are NOT "charity" quilts ... each quilt is made with love and hope that it brings comfort to the recipient.  We are a small group (I think we have 11 members at this point) and we meet weekly to work on the Comfort Quilts or on our own projects.  My mission is to get them quilted.  I finished up my customer quilts at Christmas and dove into the Comfort Quilt pile and finished these 4.  More are on the way ...

A HUGE quilt going home today ...

This huge quilt (94"x100") is going home today.

It has 300+ individual motifs, cross-hatching on the border, and I used 20 prewound bobbins ... took a lot of time but I think customer will be pleased.  She gave me a picture of what she wanted and I pretty much was able to do all that was asked.

A New Project

For some time now I've resisted starting any "in-depth" project ... unlike most of you (I imagine a LOT of you start a project and finish it before the new one comes along...right?) I have more than several unfinished projects that I really need to just pull up my big girl panties and JUST FINISH!  So when someone says, "Here's a cute project we can do" ... I usually pretend I'm deaf and change the subject.

But then along came friend Tina ... last May ... showing me this Beatle Bag.  I resisted doing one then ... and then, again, along came friend Tina last week telling me she was doing another one ... oh good grief... so I bit.  I had the pattern ... I think I can find two fat quarters around here somewhere ... 5/8 yard of another fabric isn't hard to come by ... 

It is the smartest project bag I've seen in a long time and now that I've done one I know where the pitfalls are, and can actually see getting one done in a day or a day + 1/2 day.  Time is my enemy ... I just don't have a spare week to work on any new project so this bag is perfect for my Saturday/Sunday free time.  The pattern comes with the inserts - a set of 4, giving you 8 separate zippered plastic holders.  If one were to do more than one bag, the inserts are available by themselves.  How smart is that?  How many will YOU make?  LOL!

Great news! Quilts found!

Sally Wright's quilts (and others) found!  

www.sallygouldwright.blogspot.com

So glad that these quilts were located.  The owners spent a few anxious days wondering if their quilts would be found...

Sad story ...

Go visit 

www.sallygouldwright.blogspot.com

Hard to imagine how I'd handle my own missing quilts.

Hard to believe that this hasn't been spoken of until now.

Geez ...

Finished Quilts

Here are some quilts that have found their way home recently.  Enjoy!

 This one is a quilt of fairies and Frosted Fairy fabric!  Love these big blocks and how Cathy styled it from light at the top to dark at the bottom.  For a sweet granddaughter who helped plan the project.  Great job, ladies!

 This is a Floral Sampler and it is big!  The fabrics are based on a rose theme, so I chose Ribbon Rose for the quilting.  On it's way to NY!  Great job, Alethea!

 And this is Eleanor's Lone Star.  Another big quilt.  We decided to quilt a simple panto and I think it worked out beautifully.  Super job, Eleanor!

The next two are Little Monsters quilts, for two grandsons.  Easy peasy but oh-so-cute!  Robbie didn't want a whole lot of quilting so I used the Little Monster panto but made it big and spacious.  Great quilts for two little boys.

I pieced this Bento Box last year and after working on a lot of custom quilts recently,  I decided to treat myself to a simple panto.  This is for our Stitchin' Sallies group.  And it is done!  Woo woo!  Love doing something simple but cute ....

Another Almond Country Beauty!

This Almond Country Beauty was a BOM at Intown Quilters last year and it's the second one I've quilted.  Friend Wanda taught the class and I quilted hers.  Thankfully she doesn't mind if the ones that follow resemble hers ... not much you can do with those spikey thingies.  But I did manage to throw in some unique-ness.

It's not a large quilt but it sure takes time to quilt.  Plus I'm not one to stand for hours on end quilting ... I take plenty of breaks, read email, catch up on far-away daughters, talk to hubby quite a bit, and there's always the time consuming "let the cat in...let the cat out...wait, she wants to come in again ..."  Life's finest moments ...

Enjoy!

Update ...

Friend Wanda and I entered two quilts in the East Cobb Quilt show earlier in the summer.  Wanda did the hard work - piecing a Jacqueline de Jong pattern is not for sissies, believe me!  

Curling Colors (Jacqueline de Jong pattern) got a 2nd place ribbon:

We also entered Wanda's By My Hands - pieced with machine applique.  She did a wonderful job and I had a great time quilting this one.  It was a dream to quilt!

By My Hands received a 3rd place ribbon.

Congratulations to us both!  We were gob-smacked at the honors!  

A Salute to the University of Georgia

Friend Patsy Ruth's daughter Julie graduated from the University of GA some time ago and is currently working on her doctorate.  She is employed by the University as the Alumni coordinator and recently got a promotion ... new office with a big blank wall.  Patsy decided to piece a wall hanging for her and gave it to me to quilt.  This is Capristrano by Judy Martin from her Stellar Quilts book.  Isn't it stellar?