Goal for August

This is the quilt that made me want to get a long arm machine.  After I spent an inordinate amount of blood, sweat and tears pushing a queen-sized flannel quilt through the small throat of my domestic machine to quilt it, my next quilting project was this one. And the thought of doing all that maneuvering again just about did me in.

Kaffe Fassett Fun Quilt by Mountain Quiltworks

That was three years ago. Last month I found this quilt top quietly lying in wait for me to find it again and bring it to life! 

So I have declared that this will be my Finish for A Lovely Year of Finishes.  I've replaced the original backing material that I bought for it with fabric that will compliment the quilt better and be quilting-friendly.  I had purchased a plain brown for the backing, but now I like patterned fabric designs much better.

All in all, it's probably a good thing I waited this long to quilt it. I'm excited to have it done!

Barb

Linking up to

July Finishes

Boy, how do I love summer! We have such long winters here, that when the weather is nice, you just need to make time to get outside. Again. And again. And again. Until you just can't stand the cool weather any longer.

I have been hiking - made a personal best for a hike with friends to Boulder Basin and the Boulder City ghost town. 7 miles round trip - all uphill with about 2,300 feet elevation gain. Glorious, glorious trip, with all the wildflowers in bloom. Well worth the bruised toenails from slipping around on the shale rock.

Top of this peak is10,800 elevation.

I did get my Autumn Table Runner quilted, the binding on, and completely sewn down. It's on my table now - I think I'll just leave it there until Thanksgiving, lol!

I also got three Halloween table runners all completed for my Etsy shop, and am now working on two long, long (72-inch) table runners for Christmas. They are more traditional with poinsettias, lots of gold leaf and sparkling red and green. Those are quilted and now just need binding, which with the  180-inch diameter for each one, will take a lot of evening tv viewing to get those done!

Fun Halloween runner with black and lime green ric rac

But maybe the most arduous task I've done this month is to make 65 new microwave hot packs for the shop. Talk about a lot of work!  Just like anything we do when it comes to sewing, everything takes at least twice as long as you figure it should.  But I've got some really great colors and patterns, and these should sell well and make wonderful Christmas gifts. (The past two years have taught me that I need to look well ahead of the season in order to prepare seasonal items. July and August are Christmas months, don't ya know?)

That's a lotta hot packs!!!

Today I am quilting a quilt I made as a Tester for a new pattern designer.  Can't wait to show the entire quilt . . .  just waiting for the word!  Having fun with that one. Then I have two more quilts to quilt this week, and I can then start a new project for August. Whew. Guess I'd better remember to pay bills, since the 1st is in just a couple of days.

Hope you are enjoying your summer. I imagine it goes by too quickly for all of us!

Barb

Linking up with A Lovely Year of Finishes
and Linky Party Tuesday

It's 95 Outside. Why Am I Thinking About Fall

That's right - even in my lovely mountains we have been unable to escape the Heat Wave the Western states have been experiencing this week.  At least we are not up to 110 like Boise, which is just 100 miles away as the crow flies.

But the good side of this is, I have been able to get some quilting done this week.  I've made a couple of small projects, two of which are ideal for this fall.

My daughter has been home for the weekend and we have been having a blast. No quilting done this weekend, but I'm okay with that.  Here she is golfing yesterday. She decided she won't be taking up golf any time soon, but had a good time with us.

 

Yep, she had a good time. Me, too!  

Dang it all though. She has to go back to Seattle today. Probably won't see her again 'til Christmas. I hate this part of being a parent.

Linking up with A Lovely Year of Finishes and Link A Finish Friday and It's Needle and Thread Thursday.

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Ready for Christmas

I finished it! Now I’m ready for Christmas.  Well, not quite, but I do feel quite accomplished.

I bought this fabric and pattern in September of 2010. I pieced it together in January of 2011.  And then it sat in my sewing room for more than 2 years!  What was holding me up on finishing it?  Simply that I didn’t have the ‘right’ border fabric. Sometimes it’s the silliest things that hold up a project, isn’t it?

Well, after waiting for so long, the Moda fabric I wanted was out of print (of course) and I couldn't locate any more.  I ended up searching through my stash and came up with what I think is the most perfect fabric.  It’s a dark lime-green with a quilt-like swirl in it, and it matches up nicely with some of the green within the center of the table runner.

I cut out and added the border and got it quilted the same day. Then I added a fun candy-striped edging for the binding, and wa-la! I’m ready for Christmas.

 

I’m linking up with Freemotion by the River’s Linky Tuesday, Richard and Tayna’s Finish It Friday, Crazy Mom Quilts' Finish It Up Friday, Quilt Story’s Fabric Tuesday, Sew Happy Geek’s Manic Monday and last, but certainly not least, A Lovely Year ofFinishes!

Now to finish my Autumn table runner. Guess I’m a little behind on my seasons!

Barb

Goals for June



As I was organizing some things in my sewing room, I ran across this great table runner that I started two years ago.  I got to this point and then I didn't have the right fabric for the border, so it sat.

Now I'm going through my Christmas fabric stash to see if I can come up with something that would work. What I need is Moda's Christmas Magic #5995-14 - in green. Can't find it anywhere! It looks like this:

The rest of the colors need to be matched fairly closely, and this would tie it all together well.

So if anyone might have some of this fabric, I only need a quarter yard! Just let me know.

I'm linking up with A Lovely Year of Finishes.  And Linky Tuesday! and WIPS and Whatnot's

Finally finished!

I am glad to report that I finished this black and white quilt that you have been seeing lately! All bound and sewn, it's now a staple fixture in our living room.

What a nice feeling to have made something just for me!!!

As you are all aware, each quilt has a story. The story behind this one is that it was one of the first quilts I pieced when I became crazed with the Quilting Fever.  I had joined a team on Spark People called the Quilt and Lose Team - a bunch of quilters who try to lose weight and stay in shape and whose passion is quilting.

They held a fabric swap with black and white jelly strips. After I received my swap bundle in the mail, I added a few more black and whites to it, found this yummy orange-ish red solid, and went to town on it.

It seemed like it took a long time piecing it, but that was a couple of years ago when I was truly a beginner. Then I had to search and search for just the right backing. Finally found it online.

And then it sat. And sat. And sat.

When I got my long arm machine last year, I wanted to use it as my Test Quilt to practice on, but never got around to it.  But now, as part of A Lovely Year of Finishes hosted by Fiber of All Sorts and Bitter Sweet Designs, I declared to "get 'er done." And I did!

I would like to point out one extremely important thing from the top two photos:  the background is green! Yes, we have a green lawn now, although when the sprinklers were going this morning when i got it, it must have been below freezing because the grass has an instant layer of frozen ice all over it. Springtime in the Rockies - gotta love it.

I originally posted my May Goal here.  I'm linking up to A Lovely Year of Finishes, Link A Finish Friday, and Linky Tuesday.  Hope you have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Getting Back to a Lovely Year of Finishes

I've been so busy with my recent move, that sewing has been cast to the wayside. But I'd really like to get some things finished, so my goal for  May is to quilt and bind my Black & White Quilt.

I have the backing I want, and it's just a matter of getting it done!  Most of the fabrics in this quilt came from a swap I did with a group of quilters from Spark People a couple of years ago. It really deserves to become a quilt!

So, I'm linking up to A Lovely Year of Finishes with Melissa and Shanna.  This makes me accountable!