A finish

I'm home!  It was a nice long visit.  But I always love coming home, even if it was a little sad to not have the hubs here....Anyhow.

A FINISHED QUILT!

This one is for my little nephew Drew for Christmas.  We draw names in my side of the family, and the monster got Drew's name.  Its sort of a big deal because Drew is 6 months old, and the only other boy... but there are eight girls!  Eight nieces and one nephew!  We were waiting for a boy cousin for a LONG time!

I like the simplicity of this one.  The backing is fun.   I almost always pick a medium or large print for the backing, then go pick the fabric for the front.  It makes it easier for me I think.  

I think I will have one last finished quilt this year... but that's if I can overcome the clean sewing area syndrome

acquired

 Last week my mom started pulling old stuff out of her hope chest.  This old quilt came out.  I asked if I could have it and she said sure.  How easy was that?!  My great grandma used it as a mattress pad!  The binding obviously needs to be replaced.  It seems to be totally gone.  But the rest of the top is in pretty good shape.  

 And its hand quilted and crinkly and heavy and soft.  

 Why is it so hard for me to acquire quilts?  I seem to give a lot away, but we never get any.  The monster has a quilt that was gifted to him a few years ago from my cousin.  I have the quilt my great grandma made me when I was little.  And now this one makes three quilts that I didn't make out of the dozens that we own. 

Hellooooo

Were you wondering if I had fallen off the face of the earth??  Nope I haven't.  Life is just a little unblog worthy right now.  I am super missing the hubs.  We still have a few months left until he returns and it just really stinks.  

 I hauled the dog the bird and the monster across 5 states to spend Thanksgiving and a little time with family in the mitten.(I also hauled the baby Juki along with us)

 I've been drinking.

 I've been playing with new nieces.

And I've only been working a little bit.  But I love Amy's pattern.  I'm teaching my sister in law to make her first quilt and she is using it as well.  Its been really great for a beginner since there aren't any points to match up.  

I didn't bring my camera cord so please enjoy these lame iPhone photos.  Maybe I will check in again soon. I've got something to show you.

Bagged, Tagged, Aprons, and Placemats

About a week ago for fun I pulled out all of the fabric I have bought intending to use it for bags, aprons, or placemats.  Its a weakness I have, but when I see something I love but don't need, I always tell myself to get a little to make one of those options.  It works for me I guess, but when I pulled the fabrics out I was appalled.  So I got to work.  

I haven't finished this bag yet, but I feel better having the body ready for handles.   

 Needs ties.

 These placemats just need to be closed and quilted

 This bag is done!

I finally got the birdcage cover done!  Don't you just love it when you put something off for four weeks, and then when you do it it takes a whopping thirty minutes?  Jeesh

I also put a few tags on some of my recently finished quilts.  Some people get so huffy about the fact that I don't always put a label on my quilts.  

This is part of that stack of fabric that still needs to be made into a bag/placemat/apron.  I am planning to do this.  Seriously you should see the gaping hole in my fabric stack now that all of these are fated to be worked on.  Looks like I could almost use a shopping trip....almost.

the road to bliss

 WHAT?!!  I finished another quilt??!!  Why yes I did! Boo-ya! 

I used a pattern I found out is called road to Tennessee, but I'm sure its called a hundred other things.   Anyhow, I'm calling it my 'road to bliss' quilt.  Because I try really hard to give my quilts corny names.  

 The monster thought it was great, and he thought it was fun to roll it up.  

I meandered the free motion quilting with two straight lines in that inner border.  I dig it alot.  But I always forget how much harder flannel backing makes the FMQing.  I powered though it though.  I'm pretty happy to have this one done!  You'll find me under this baby this winter for sure!

Citrus

I finished this baby up while I was at the Sewing Summit.  I feel pretty dang happy about it too. 

I bought these fabric back in May while we were in Denver for the weekend.  It was pretty fun to play around with them, even though they are way out of my normal comfort zone.  I could have used some white in this one to make me feel a little more confident.  But I still like it.

I don't know why I have such a love for gray lately, but this backing sure does make me giddy.  

Shoot, the whole quilt makes me giddy!  I just love a new quilt, especially if I am keeping it, which I totally am!!

The new and old

 My mother in law has some new fabric she is busy plotting over.  Today she scored some nice fat quarters to go with a couple hunks of yardage she picked up a couple of weeks ago.   Then she went though my books and magazines looking for a spools pattern, which is where she is probably headed with this quilt.  For some reason its even more exciting watching someone else start a new project.  

 Especially since the pile I'm working on are waiting for the summit to be finished.  I am taking a couple of quilts that just need hand sewing on the binding.  Won't it be nice to get a whole mess of quilts finished?  

I might just get this puppy quilted in time and have this one to bind at the summit as well.  Imagine coming home with three finished quilts.  Maybe then I could finish up a couple other projects that have been bugging me.... keeping me awake at night, thinking I need to get them DONE!