So Long...Farewell...

2013 that is!  It's hard to believe that another year has already come to an end.  It seems like just yesterday I was vowing 2013 would be better than 2012 and I was going to get so much done this year.  Well in many ways this was a much better year but there is always room for improvement and I'm looking forward to 2014 being better still.

I didn't finish up nearly as many projects in 2013 as I would have liked but here are a few snapshots of some of my favorites.

Best wishes to you and yours in 2014 and happy stitching.

WIP Wednesday (Still working on Homemade Holidays)

The progress in these parts has been a little slow this week.  A killer migraine due to the weather here had me down and out most of this past weekend.  I guess that's what happens when it goes from 80 degrees to 40 degrees in the span of a day.  We didn't get any of that beautiful snow some of you saw just a bunch of rain.  When I have been sewing it's been slow going.

I did manage to finish up these pincushions.  One is for my SIL and the other is for my mom.  She asked for a pincushion and since she already saw this on Instagram it isn't a surprise anymore.  The yellow one was for practice but I made it in yellow just in case it turned out alright so she could add it to her collection but my SIL is the one who like owls.  I followed this tutorial pretty loosely.

I also started working on quilting the table topper for my SIL.  I'm having a little bit of difficulties deciding what to do next.  I didn't want to use the darker red thread on the light parts on the top but since the back is all the solid red I don't want to use a light color thread on the back.  Anyone have any ideas?  Like I said before one of my biggest regrets with my mom's table topper was that I didn't think it was quilted enough.

Last but not least-this has nothing to do with quilting but I also made some apple pie infused bourbon for Christmas gifts this year.  It was super easy and I'm hoping it will be a hit with the husbands family.  I wanted them to have some ideas for drinks they could make with this so I found a few cocktail recipe-of course they needed to be prettied up.  I used picmonkey to make these little cards.  A friend let me test drive her pro account and I have to say I think the $33 dollar annual fee might be well worth it.  I've added it to my holiday wish list for sure.

So that's it for me.  Is everyone else as knee deep in holiday projects as I am?  Be sure to head over to Lee's to see what everyone else is up to.

WIP Wednesday (Homemade Holidays Part 2)

I can't believe it is already Wednesday.  At the start of this week I kept telling myself only 15 more working days and then I can relax and enjoy my whole week off.  But now it's already Wednesday and I'm starting to feel the crunch of just how little time is left between now and Christmas.

I've been plugging away at my list of homemade gifts and trying to move as many as I can from the to do list to the done list.  Monday night I was able to finish up the binding on this little ditty that I'm calling Authentic Piece of Cake.  Named of course for the fabric line and pattern.  This pattern is pretty easy and it was a part of the Craftsy class I took with Camille.

I'm keeping this one under wraps for the most part until after the Holidays since it's a gift but I'm excited to have it finished up.  What are you working on?  Lots of homemade holidays going on?  Be sure to head on over to Lee's to see what everyone else is up to.

Homemade Holidays Part 1

I might have over done it with the number of homemade items on my Christmas gift giving list.  I've made a lot of progress already but I have myself wondering if I might be a little crazy to have taken on so much.  So many of the things I can't show you just yet because of who they are for but I've been busy making quilts, pincushions, and other fun things.  You might remember the toy car roll up I shared previously was on the list as well.  I had been struggling with what I was going to give my sister in law for Christmas other than a pincushion that I had made up for her.  On Thanksgiving she commented on a table topper I had made for my mom a few years ago and how much she liked it.  Well I happened to have everything I needed to make another one and in burgundy and creams it even matches her home nicely.

The pattern is from Camille's first book and the fabric is French General Rouenneries.  Apart from the fact that these are stitch and flip blocks which I hate making the pattern is very user friendly and easy to follow.  It only took me a couple of hours to make the blocks and get the top put together between laundry and dishes yesterday.

Now comes the hardest part for me.  I need to quilt this little ditty.  One thing I always wish I had done differently on my mom's table topper was more quilting.  I was chicken back then so I just did some flowers in the solid and some straight lines in the boarder on hers.  It is pretty loosely quilted to put it mildly.  But now I have this one that needs to be quilted and I'm still chicken to do it.  Any suggestions?  

WIP Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!  I hope all of my friends here in the US are gearing up for a great turkey day tomorrow.  I know I sure am.  My mom does most of the cooking so I get to relax and take it easy-having cooked Thanksgiving once in my life I am super grateful for this and know how much work it is.

It has been a little slow for me in my sewing space and when you add in the number of projects I'm working on that I can't really show here yet it makes it even harder.  But I've only missed a handful of Work in Progress Wednesday post this year and I'm trying to keep my streak alive.  I find when I don't have much to blog about this is the one post a week I can count on to keep my little space here alive and kickin' during the week.

I did manage to sew up my second quad to Marmalade Stripes & Squares.  I even joined Quad 1 & 2 together so technically speaking this quilt is over 1/2 done.  I don't think I can sacrifice this one to being a back but I figured out it would make a pretty good quilt for my SIL.  So I think I am going to work in that direction.  She & my brother kept their Dueling Flurry Quilts out all year because they needed quilts on the couch so I think we need to give them so variety.

Well I guess that's it for me this week.  Be sure to head over to Lee's and see what everyone else is working on.  As for me it's a 4 day weekend and I'm getting a quilt back tomorrow that my mom picked up from the long arm for me so I see some binding in my future.

WIP Wednesday

How is it Wednesday again already?  I'm not sure where the weeks are going.  Please tell me I'm not the only one to look at a calendar lately and get completely freaked out about just how close Christmas really is.  Since things are still really tight here I'm making as many Christmas presents as I can.  Homemade holidays is in full swing at my house but there are still people I don't know what to make.  Before you go suggesting I make quilts-I only make one quilt a year for Christmas.  It's a self imposed rule to keep me from going crazy and freaking out.

For my nephew I made up this little car roll up.  I used this tutorial and changed it up just a little by adding piping down the sides.  I almost wish I wouldn't have done that now because it looks a little messy but I'm sure JR will still love it.

If I were going to make this again though I would do a few things differently.  The tutorial calls for sewing on the track after the layers are sewn together.  I think I would do this first next time just to make it a little more clean.  And even though it was my idea to add the piping I think I would skip that next time as well.  I did use the Velcro that the tutorial called for but if I was doing this again I think some elastic loops with big buttons would still be easy for little hands.  

Since I've started the mad dash to completing my holiday list I will probably have to take a short break from my current project.  But I did manage to sew up the first quad of what I'm currently calling Marmalade Squares & Stripes.  Allison suggests in her tutorial to sew up a larger quilt in quads.  Which actually makes a ton of sense to me.  After working that way on my Complications quilt I have to say it is a lot easier to maneuver than tons of seams that are twin size.

I'm looking forward to this quilt along (found on instagram #feathersquiltalong) after the holidays.  It will be a little reward to myself for not going completely crazy with everything I have going on this season.  Quilting is after all cheaper than therapy.

Be sure to head over to Lee's to see what everyone else is up to.

WIP Wednesday

So after spending the first 2 days of my 4 day weekend wishing I was sewing and begging inspiration to strike I finally settled on a free quilt pattern I found on Pintrest for the back of my Complications quilt.  I've never really made a quilt back that had a lot of detail to it.  Usually I find one print from the line that is on sale and use that with some left over pieces or blocks so I don't have to try and match the pattern repeat.  But I am trying to work with what I have on hand right now since I can't afford any new fabrics to play with.

I really love Allison's (of Cluck Cluck Sew) patterns so it was not surprise that this free pattern of hers would be the same way.  I set out using the pieces I had left over from my fat quarters of Marmalade and Vintage Modern.  There are even the last tiny pieces of Ruby from my Swoon quilt mixed in here too.

Overall the pattern is made up of 4 types of blocks.  Large squares cut from a single fabric, squares made up of tiny squares, squares made up of strips, and a square in square design.  Then you lay them out in random order.  I think I am going to cut a few less of the large squares and add in a few more of the 16 patch squares because I have a ton of 2 1/2 inch squares cut already and they are just so darn cute.

I haven't cut everything out-another disadvantage to my sewing space is the lack of a proper cutting area.  I currently cut on a TV Tray so after a while my back starts to hurt.  So I cut a little and then sew a little.  I did manage to make the first 16 blocks or so not counting the solid ones I have cut out.  I need a total of 88 so that's not too shabby for progress.

Truthfully-I'm loving this so much it will be hard to use it as the back of a quilt.  I'm thinking it might just end up as its own quilt before it is all said and done.  But then of course what do I make for the back of two quilt tops.

In other news I joined Instagram this weekend.  I'm having a hard time finding all of my friends over there but I'm working on it.  I was such a fan of Flickr but it seems like more and more people, quilt alongs, and destash sales are showing up on Instagram these days and I felt like I was missing out.  But being so new I'm still trying to learn all the rules of the @ and the #.  Do you #designer when you use their patterns or fabrics?  What helpful hints do you have for someone brand new over there?   I'd love to hear about it.

Be sure you also head over to Lee's and see what everyone else has been up to this week.