A finish and small #1

Just in the nick of time I have the first small of 2016 finished.  1 down and 11 to go to stay on track for a small-a-month in 2016.

This cutie is one of the little motif's in Prairie Schooler's Tree Farm pattern.  One of my favorite Christmas images is of a tree in a truck or on the roof of a car.  I used a simple beaded edge finish and cording I made myself.

In keeping with my Prairie Schooler stitching...I finished the village piece included in the Harvest Time pattern booklet.

That darn flash.  I took the pictures then left for Florida so there isn't any going back and re-taking the photo.  It is what it is.

I brought a ton of sewing to Florida so I should have a few things to show over the next few weeks. My main cross stitch project is Murky Manor but I might have to pull out a little something to break up the monotony.

Pam

An Ipad post.

I know that when I post from my iPad it doesn't always work well but that's where I am at right now.  I want to document where I am with this piece as I start my Florida sew-a-thon.

Where I left off 6ish years ago on Glendon Place's Murky Manor.  

Here's hoping for some good quality stitching time over the next few weeks. 

Pam

A flurry of activity.

As I pack up projects and prepare to head south I have been working away on some of the stitching pieces that need finish-finished.

My main focus was the pile of A Year in Chalk.  I think they came out pretty well.  There is one that I'm not thrilled with but I got better as I went along.

I laced them like the designer suggested.  Using Velcro per the same instructions was an 'epic fail', though. I found these magnets that are intended to be applied to the back of a business card.  They have a peel away adhesive and stuck right to the back of each piece.

I also stuck one to the wooden plaque.  You can see where the Velcro came right off but left glue behind.

Each piece is easy to stick in place and pull off when it's time to swap it for another one.

After all 12 of these I am not sure I'll get to any other finishing but I did pick up my framing.

How cute is this?

The frame and mats are just right.  The room with the blue walls is not where this picture will live.  Terrible color clash but the light was good for picture taking.

I also picked up this little cutie.

This little rustic frame was just right.

I have also managed to add a couple finishes to the pile of pieces I don't know what to do with.  I am not sure they're frame worthy but they're a little bit too large for me to finish so...what to do?

This first one is called Light The Way Home by SamSarah Design Studio.  The picture really didn't look so wonky before uploading it.  Also, in real life the letters show up.  

I stitched this one a couple years ago then left it for dead when I lost interest in filling in the white around the 'N'.  It is called  'Normal' by Lizzie Kate.

We are suffering a spell of bitter cold.  There really is not anything better to do than stitch.  

Pam

A fun finish.

Starting in the spring of 2015 I took part in Lori Holt's Farm Girl Vintage sew along.  The idea was to make two blocks each week and by fall we'd have all the blocks necessary to make the quilt.  I opted for the 6 inch blocks rather than the 12 inch.  I just didn't need a quilt quite that big.

My quilt comes in at about 60 inches by 72 inches.  Plenty big enough for a decorative quilt.

I really enjoyed working outside my usual color-way...not to mention my usual style.

I found the perfect backing.  I'm sorry to say that I don't have a salvage with the information to share. That was a goof on my part.  I have a whole bin of salvages to someday make into something but I guess I didn't save this one?  So weird.  I just bought it this past fall so it's a fairly new fabric.

One of the fun things Lori did was make extra blocks and combine them into smaller table toppers, etc.   My favorite (at the moment) block is the 'Pie Cherries' block.  I created a fourth block all on my own.  A cherry pie and rolling pin. I think it's a cute little table topper.  So summery.

There are a ton of fun blocks and projects in the Farm Girl Vintage book if you've been holding off on purchasing it or have tucked it away.  I was just flipping through it and see other blocks I'd like to make into a little something.

I am organizing projects for my time in Florida.  Oh, the stitching time I'm assuming I'll have!  I have also done a tiny bit of finish-finishing and have also stitched a couple little things that will have to wait another few days for their moment.

Pam

The final link-up Monday.

After receiving the last clue in Bonnie's mystery quilt, quilters have been working away.

I have completed more than half the blocks so I can show a corner of the quilt.

I have all 30 of this block done and

5 out of 20 of these done.

Everything goes together quite nicely.  The only thing I wish is that my gray was lighter.  That's the thing with a mystery.  You can't exactly tell where things will fall and how much contrast you really need.

You can check out the rest of the linked posts here.

Pam

Well, that's a fine 'how do you do'.

So, I was off to a really good start on my goal to finish-finish some of the old smalls that were hanging around my sewing room.

The first thing I pulled out was an old Secret Needle Night piece I stitched way back in (I'm ashamed to say) 2001.   If you aren't familiar with Secret Needle Night pieces they are small projects designed by the Silver Needle and released once a month.  You can buy them as they come out or sign up for a full year of auto-ship.  I believe I did this for a year...or maybe two years.  They generally use a large count linen or Aida and all sorts of specialty threads.  They are fun and whimsical.  I kept up with them but didn't always make them into any sort of finished project.

Fast forward a mere 14-15 years and I pulled out my stash of Secret Needle Night pieces and decided they had to be made into something.

Look at the way-cute fabric I was already sewing as borders.

The first thing that happened was that the button came off.  I thought...well, the thread must have come untied.  I can fix that easily enough.

Then I noticed the shredding.

That isn't just a fuzzy fiber.... that is thread disintegrating before your very eyes.

Two of my three unfinished pieces were in the same condition.

So, my next move was to inspect the pieces I had finished.

Two of those three were dissolving before my very eyes.

Any other finished pieces I have are stored with their like-season decorations.  I will inspect them when I unpack them.

Such a sad thing to have happen.  You can't argue it was in the storage, either, because the unfinished and finished were stored differently.  The unfinished were casually tucked away in bags...not sealed tightly...in my sewing room along with all manner of unfinished finishes.  The finished Christmas pieces were stored out in the open in my sewing room when not placed around the house at Christmas time.

Anyone else have this happen?  Guess that gives me even more reason to actually FINISH my stuff before it ages out!

Pam

2015 in Quilts

For the last year I have dug in and finished just about all of my old and neglected quilt projects. I really didn't have a good reason for neglecting some of these.  It's just how it goes sometimes.  A class, a retreat, a start I couldn't resist or a quilt planned as a long term project...I was overwhelmed and tired of them all.

The four main finishes were these four.

Over the River by Crabapple Hill. This was intended as a long term project and it took a looooong time!  Mainly because I didn't make any effort to work on the stitching regularly.  I just picked it up whenever I felt like it.  I have a new Crabapple quilt being worked on in the same manner.

We made this block in a class with my quilt guild.  It originated in a 100 block magazine but I do not think I ever knew which magazine or who designed it.  I got super bored making these so it took forever to finish enough for a quilt top.  I was pleased with my lay-out, though.

This is just made from two jelly rolls.  Sew sets, cut sets, re-sew strips into blocks of 25 two inch squares.  I'd sewn the sets and cut them into 2 inch strips then put it away.

Furry Sweetness by Eat Cake Graphics spent years in a box.  Every now and again I'd pull it out and applique a square.  I just needed to keep it out and work on it.  It wasn't hard...after all...I am good at machine applique and I had all the necessary fabrics.  I had just lost interest.  Persistence paid off with a cute quilt.

Another attempt to work my way through projects involved making some of the kits I'd accumulated.
So, this winter I took some projects to Florida with me where I get lots of uninterrupted sewing time.
Nantucket by Minick & Simpson was a favorite finish.

I bought the fabric for this quilt ages ago.  Using Jodi Barrows' Square in a Square method I made Homestead Stars.  Because I wasn't following her fabric requirements exactly I bought a jelly roll of the same fabric just in case I ran a little short on anything.

With that jelly roll I worked up a 1600 quilt.  Nothing fancy just quick.  It came in handy during a quilt guild demo of 1600 quilts.  You can find free instructions here if you have a jelly roll just hanging around you'd like to whip into a quilt in an afternoon.

There have been other odds and ends of projects that I finished this year but I think we got the idea.  I committed and I accomplished.

This year I have only a few unfinished projects and most of those are intended to be long term projects.  When they're being worked on I'll show them but for now they are tucked away.

Let's hope the coming year lends itself to as much sewing time as 2015 did.

Happy New Year.

Pam