Christmas Quilts are coming along!

Christmas is coming! It's only 6 weeks away!

So, last time I said I would keep you updated on my progress and that I would try to sew 4 days a week. So far I've been doing ok!

Saturday all my friends were at a retreat, so I had a pity party!! I shipped one kid off to grandma's and the other one was pretty happy in her "Thunder-dome" (it's a play pen, but the reference cracks me up), so I parked in front of the TV and sewed for 6 hours! 

I got 2 lap-size Christmas quilts pieced and 1 full-size Christmas quilt mostly cut!

Sunday - I cut some more on the full size quilt.

Monday - NOTHING!!!!!

Tuesday - finished cutting out the full sized quilt and laid out the more intricate blocks. Started piecing the blocks. Decided on a pattern for a KING SIZE Christmas quilt.

Wednesday - I swear I spent 3 HOURS shopping and I'm counting it! I needed to buy the fabric for my king size quilt. Thankfully the pattern is made in all 2.5" squares and rectangles, so I decided to make it easy and buy jelly rolls.  I wanted solid colors, obviously in red, green, and white. Guess what, YOU CANNOT FIND GREEN JELLY ROLLS!!! I went to 2 LQS, called 2 more, checked out at least 7 online stores and COULD NOT find green jelly rolls. I finally found the color I wanted on Ebay. After getting them off Ebay, I realized I had purchased Junior Jelly Rolls from my LQS in red and white, so I only had half of what I needed. So I ordered more online (from The Fat Quarter Shop! Quick shipping and awesome selection!).

At this point, I do want to give a shout-out to my LQS Stitched With Love. It's a bit of a drive for me, but when I couldn't find the green I wanted, they pulled out their Kona and Bella color cards and helped me go through and find the right color. (Evidently the one "green" that I found online was really teal. Would not have worked.). They also offered solutions to make cutting a billion strips easier and then offered to buy the green jelly rolls I wanted from the supplier for me in case I couldn't find it. Their customer service is AMAZING! That is why I'll make the drive and spend the time to shop with them!

Thursday - finished piecing the blocks, pressed and trimmed. Laid out full size quilt.

Friday - pieced full size top!

This weekend I'll be visiting my grandparents out of town so I doubt I'll have any more time to sew this week, but I've actually surpassed my weekly goal (an hour a day for at least 4 days). Lets just hope I can keep up the momentum next week! Next week I hope to baste and quilt the 3 tops I have done, and start piecing the KING SIZE quilt!

My goal is to have 4 christmas quilts completed by Thanksgiving. We're having a Christmas party on the 5th and I want everything decorated really well! So cross your fingers for me! If I keep going this way, I might be able to have it done!!! :)

See ya!

EL

Christmas Gifts!

Merry Christmas! I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing holiday!  As we have a 3 year old, it started out amazing, but quickly deteriorated with a few tantrums. She's still talking about what an awesome day it was, though, so I guess it's a win!

Her new house, and her Princess Dress, and her Pirate Spyglass.

She is a girl of many tastes!

Santa was VERY good to her, and she is very appreciative! She wrote him a thank you note! (Hurray for manners! Let's hope it lasts!)

I made very few gifts this year . . . I learned my lesson a few years ago and just do what I can.

I made my grandmother a Rainbow Quilt from a kit from Pink Chalk Fabrics. The quilt sewed up REALLY fast!

 So bright and happy! :)

 The backing (From Camille Roskelley's Scrumptious) was picked out by Miss A because "Flowers make Oma happy", and how do you say no to that?

backing

I also knit my grandfather a blanket; I've been working on it off and on all year, but I think it turned out very nicely!

Knitted!

When I finally cast off, it was 65" x 25" . . . yes, I almost cried! But after blocking it (thank goodness for tutorials on the Internet!) it ended up 65" x 45". I'm told he fell asleep on Christmas day under it, so I think he likes it!

I made my awesome SIL a quick scarf from a kit and tutorial from The Purl Bee.

Just me . . . posing (I changed shirts so I looked presentable!)

It turned out really well! I had a hard time giving it up! I got to try something new, elastic smocking, which was easier than I thought it would be.

Smocking

Finally "Mrs. Clause" made Miss A a baby doll quilt for her new baby and baby bed!

Baby's Quilt

Thankfully I have a stock of It's A Hoot from before she was born and was able to whip up a quick quilt that matches the one on her bed.

Kirsten's bed

It's an amazing bed. My Opa (who got the knit blanket) made me this bed and a matching trunk when I was a kid for my American Girl doll (Kirsten).  Santa found it in the attic and thought it would be perfect for a new baby doll grandma was getting her. Baby has slept in that bed every night since Christmas. It makes me smile!

Those are the only gifts I made! I took it easy this year and it ended up being a great Christmas! I hope you all had one just as good!

Happy Holidays!
See ya!
EL

Quilt Stats:
Name: Oma's Rainbow
Size: 64" x 64"
Design: Line Art Kit from Pink Chalk Fabric
Fabric: 2 Robert Kaufman Kona Jelly Rolls (one white and one multicolored)
Back Fabric:  Aqua Summer from Scrumptious by Camille Roskelley
Completed: December 16, 2013

Christmas Quilts!

Christmas Trees!

Merry Christmas!! I LOVE this time of year! I'm very into the decorating, and the baking, and the EATING!!!! Every year I want to have Christmas quilts out, but I usually underestimate my time and overestimate my ability, so I don't get them done.

NOT THIS YEAR BABY!!!!!!! Granted, one of these quilts was pieced, basted, and partially quilted, and the other is ridiculously small and completely cut out and organized, but I actually FINISHED 2 CHRISTMAS QUILTS! And that is what we are focusing on! ;)

The first one was part of a Round Robin for the Dallas Modern Quilt Guild that started in February of 2012 and ended in July of  2012. I finished this quilt on November 21, 2013!

Round Robin Quilt . . . I need to find a better way to photograph quilts!

I used the Octagonal Orb Block tutorial from Oh Fransson! as my center, 

It looks like a wreath! Hurray!

and some lovely ladies of the DMQG finished the sides.

Inner borders.

Outer Borders.

I did have to add one border to make it long enough, but it now resides on my guest bedroom bed!

Quilt Stats:
Name: Christmas Wreath
Size: I didn't measure, but it fits a full size bed really well.
Design: Round Robin (center is Octagonal Orb Block from Oh Fransson!) 
Fabric: Miscellaneous Christmas scraps (back is a sheet) 
Completed: November 21, 2013
Label: None, but I do have a journal I sent around for the ladies to write in. It includes pictures! :) 


The second one is for Miss A's toddler bed! I picked out the fabrics and cut them last year before abandoning it for more pressing matters.

Look at those little feet!

It is the Lovely Little Forest tutorial from Purl Bee.

I used a TON of fabrics, some are real lines, some are scraps from my stash, some are even scraps from my Grandma's stash. So I can't tell you what they are.

She wanted to photograph her quilt!

But the back and binding are from Happy Zombie's Holiday Happy line. (Miss A LOVES the "Santa's" on the back!).

"Santa" Gnomes!

Quilt Stats:
Name: Ali's Christmas Trees
Size: 44" x 52" (Small enough for her toddler bed, but big enough for a couch quilt when she moves into a big bed!)
Design: Lovely Little Forest from Purl Bee
Fabric: Miscellaneous Christmas Scraps (Back is Happy Zombie's Holiday Happy gnomes.) 
Completed: November 21, 2013
Label: None

I'm really proud of my Christmas quilts, and that I've actually had them decorating the house for the entire Christmas season. Maybe next year I'll have one for my bed! (No promises.) ;)

I do have some Christmas presents to show you next time (not too many, I decided not to kill myself;)

Merry Christmas!
See ya!
EL

WIP Wednesday

Sorry for the absence; I think I got burned out on the 2 quilts I was working on.  They had very important deadlines (which I ACTUALLY met for once), but they wore me out.

I have still been sewing, but I haven't felt like talking about it, so I'm easing in with a WIP Wednesdays!

 I've been working on Christmas stuff the past week or so because . . .

Hurray! I LOVE Christmas, and Miss A is really excited, too! This is the first Christmas she really understands what's going on, so she's pretty happy!

She INSISTED on an orange tree . . . We're still working on the bleeding maroon thing!

So I am finishing her Christmas Quilt. It's a pattern on the Purl Bee, and I had the top all cut out last year, but nothing sewn!

This is my favorite! The seam lined up completely by accident!

This morning It's basted and ready for quilting! It's so small it should only take me an hour or so!

Can't see the forest for the trees!

Also, I've finished quilting my DMQG Round Robin from last year! I didn't do the top justice with my quilting, and the back is horrendous, but the top really makes me happy!  I'll be binding it this this weekend!

That blur is Miss A trying to steal ALL the Christmas quilts!

I don't have any good pictures of the Franken-quilt, but I hope to get some on Sunday (I finally got my camera back, but I'm out of practice, so these are all Phone photos again!) and I'll do a Finished Friday on Sunday!

See ya!
EL

So I'm kind of freaking out!

On Saturday morning, I teach my first class . . . EVER.

The pattern for the class . . . Abel

I'm completely and totally terrified! But my friend Michelle (of Urban Spools) seems to think I'm pretty good at embroidery, so I hope I can make her proud.

I have been thinking nonstop about stitches, trying to keep everything straight.

Abel the Stitch Explorer by Follow the White Bunny

Will I sound like I know what I'm doing? Because I usually just wing it.

Will I make my students love embroidery? Because I do. But I know better than anyone that a bad teacher can kill a project. I'm worried! :/

So I haven't really been concentrating on anything else, except my Uncle & soon-to-be-Aunt's wedding quilt.

Kona snow, Kona champagne, Kona grass

They requested a Guest Quilt instead of a Guest book, and I have been put in charge!

This is Red Pepper Quilt's Economy Quilt Block.  I used the paper piecing template from Craftsy and enlarged it about 140% to almost 7 1/2" (hoping the paper on the back helps people write on the fabric a little better!). Also, as much as I hate paper piecing, my points are FANTASTIC!!!!

So pointy!

I'm almost finished with the blocks, and then I can get back to working on my MIL's birthday present . . . and then it will be time for CHRISTMAS!

Seriously, only 75 more days, and then SANTA COMES! "I LOVE HIM!!!!!!!" (I also love the movie Elf, this is a quote!)

Really? crap!

I am also participating in the You Are Here swap coordinated by Sukie - Don't You Know Who I Am?  I sent my partner a Dallas Mug with a book and some binding clips, and this is what my AWESOME partner sent me!

Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!!!

Hurray for Chicago! I'm super pumped! The next round starts in 2 weeks, and I am determined to actually make my next partner something!

Hopefully I will have my camera back in the next week or two, then I can stop with the phone photos, but until then, at least I have pictures!

See ya!
EL

PS: If you think about it, on Saturday about 9:30 and on Wednesday at 6PM, please send good thoughts to me. I'm going to be SUPER nervous!

Report!

Four out of Five ain't bad, right?

On Saturday, I dropped the kiddo off at Grandma's house and sat down with a few diet cokes and some candy and sewed like a mad woman! First, I finished these blocks for my friend Amanda at Panda Bear Quilts. She is making comfort quilts for her nieces who recently and unexpectedly lost their father. You can read more about it here.

The I tackled Don't Call Me Betsy's Ninja Star (from Lucky Star BOM)! I was a bit distracted by Netflix, so there are a few, um . . . extra seams to fill up the squares. I purposefully took a blurry picture so you can't see it. Hee hee! Looks awesome, right?

 Then I actually took a deep breath and made a dress for my baby! I used this tutorial, and whipped it up. It was a lot more simple than I thought it would be! It is a bit wonky, and the pleats aren't even, but you know what . . .

I MADE PLEATS YA'LL!!!!! I kinda rule now.  Miss A will be wearing this to hunt Easter Eggs on Sunday!

Finally, I made the binding for my Christmas quilt. I made enough for a full sized quilt, plus extra, since I haven't finished the actual quilt yet! I  think it's around 400 inches.  

On Sunday, I spent about an hour staring at the Christmas quilt. I originally thought I had quilted between a quarter and half of it, but it turns out I only quilted about a tenth. I got discouraged and took a nap.

Oh well! I'm really happy with what I finished, and it's not like I need a Christmas Quilt in the next 2 weeks, so I'm good!

The next few weeks will be machine-less, so I may have to scrounge for things to tell you, but I can say I WILL be cleaning the sewing room, and washing & ironing new fabrics, and picking out new projects I want to start! :)

See ya!

EL

Happy New Year!

I bet you never expected to hear from me again!

The past year or so has been (as you might expect) extremely busy. Not much crafting has been going on in this house, but I think that's about to change! (Knock on wood).

In the past month, the house has gotten mostly organized, thanks to Christmas guests, and Miss A has decided that napping in her crib is finally acceptable! Hurray!!! :) Things are falling into place for crafting.

Basically, for the new year, I made a list of all of the WIPs (Works In Progress) that I have at least started. There are 30 of them. YIKES!!!!!

My resolution for this crafty year is to have half of them done by Christmas 2012. Think I can do that?!?!

I've made myself the counter to the right to keep track. I won't bore you with the whole list, but I will keep you up to date on my progress.

Until I actually have progress to report, though, I will show you a Christmas present. My grandmother and great grandmother pieced this top while my grandmother was pregnant with my mom. My grandma quilted it and gave it to my mom as a high-school graduation present.

I love this! This Parasol Lady is my favorite!

I plan on making something similar for Ali, and my mom (probably tired of me asking for pictures so I can work on a design) decided to give this to me. I ADORE it!

Yea for quilty gifts! :)

Thanks for sticking with me. Hopefully I'll talk to you soon! :)

Bye!

EL

Happy New Year!

I know, I know. It has been a long (long, long, long, long) time since I last posted anything! I was totally unprepared for pregnancy!

We have been blessed to have a relatively easy pregnancy, compared to what some of my friends have gone through, but there is a LOT that no one tells you about!

Just to get you caught up, we are still due February 7, and we are having a little girl, Alison Grace! Now, I have been doing a lot of crafting for her (well, a lot for me anyway), but I'm still better at starting things than at finishing things, so there's not much to show for it yet. Over the next few weeks, though, I hope to show you some of the amazing things others have made for us and the wonderful nursery that S has put together! I'm sure things will fall into place in the next 5 weeks (ack!) Right?

Anyway, I do have 2 New Year's Resolutions . . . to eat healthier and to be more organized. (I think these two things are going to come with the territory this year, so they should be easy to keep, right?) Maybe the blog will help me be organized with my crafty stuff!

See ya soon!

PS: I got a new present for Christmas . . . expect my pictures to be MUCH better this year!

Christmas Wrap-up #3 - The Final Saga

This post is going to be ALL ABOUT ME and what I got for Christmas:) Yea!

I want to introduce you to someone very special to me. We met at Christmas, and I turned a new page in my life, and will NEVER LOOK BACK!

ERNST!

Isn't he hot? He happens to be a Bernina 220 and runs like a dream! (In case you didn't know, Bernina is a Swiss company, so I named him after the smart kid on The Swiss Family Robinson, Ernst!)

Also, the awesome MIL got me this sweet ride for him, so I don't have to carry him!

He can do so many more things than Mo could, and he can ACTUALLY QUILT! It's so nice to not have to get frustrated with a tired old machine (sorry Mo, I still love you, a little).

My loving husband went to the Bernina store, unbeknownst to me, and picked him out, as well as a few accessories, ALL BY HIMSELF! Isn't he a peach? I don't know what I did to deserve him! One thing he made sure of was that Ernst came with instruction. Part of the package was 4 classes at the local Bernina Store to learn all about him and the crazy things he could do. That's what I was doing all January! We made all types of crazy samples, and now, I'm a MASTER! (Well, not really, but at least I know the ins and outs of him!) So, our house is pretty harmonious now, and I'm TERRIBLY happy! Hope you all had as great a Christmas as I obviously did!

See ya!

PS: My 1 year blog-a-versary is coming up. Shall I do anything special for my 2 readers out there? Hmmm?

Christmas Wrap-up #2

Now, moving on to S's family.

I made this for S's brother. It's a smallish lap quilt, and it's just a bunch of flying geese squares in green and white.

This was for the SIL. She's a quilter, so I made her a bunch of accessories. A pin cushion from an Oh Fransson pattern (I love it, have one myself), and a few needle books and a small scissor holder. (Also a fabric gift card, but I didn't make that!) The fabric is Alexander Henry something (I can't remember the line, but they are all the same line. I bought them here.)
This one I made for S's dad. I finally got the Modified Bento Box right! It's maroon and white, for watching the Ags!

This one I made for S's mom. It's a beautiful pattern from Bunny Hill. I taught myself embroidery on it (I had done a little, but this is my first big project). This was the 2009 Block-Of-The-Month. I should have showed it to you earlier, but I wanted it to be a surprise.

This is my favorite one. It' July! Yea!

That's it for everyone else, I'll show you what I got next time!

See ya!