WIP... Tuesdays? hee hee

Good day to all!  I know most normal people get their work in progress pics on their blogs on Wednesdays, but I have time now.  So here's a sampling of what I've had a chance to work on lately:

 

These are corners for my Strawberry Quilt, a project I am introducing today to the world.  The plan is for a king size quilt for my husband and myself.  It will probably take a while, however the hope is to get it done this summer.  This is the longest chain piecing I've done so far!

This is the instructions, the pattern is from the Walla Walla Valley Quilt Guild website, is called Fair Play and is designed by Marcia Hohn at www.quilterscache.com.  You can see in the picture below that I messed up the corners, but then I decided I like them better that way.

 

I've started listening to Pat Sloan's radio show the last week, and it's pretty cool to learn from some of the quilters who are deep into the quilting business.  And nice to have the background noise too, I focus a little better with it.  Wow, I just noticed it looks like it was sunny that day, how strange!  It's been gray ever since, I can tell you that!

 

 

Since I was so proud of myself for finishing my moose, I allowed myself to purchase a mini-charm pack and some fat quarters for a project that I just could not get to stop bothering my brain.

 

The Indigo Crossing colors just completely appealed to me, and I had the perfect idea of what to make for our house.

 

Using ideas I've picked up around the web, I made my blocks.

 

 

The shrinkage always amazes me, I'm sure someday I'll get used to it.

 

 

I'm testing out what happens quilting-wise when you sew strips of batting together, seeing how well it holds out, whether or not it creates wrinkles, that kind of thing.

 

It's so beautiful!

 

 

I am also trying this form of basting, which is different for me.

 

I think my favorite part of making this little wall hanging was when I brought it out to show my husband, and he said "wow, those colors are really nice."  I feel like they're pleasant to the eye, they just make me so happy.

 

  I hope you have a great day, I'll see you soon with the Don't Let the Door Stop You blog hop!

 

~Brandy

Happy day, my first finish of the year!

Yeah!  All right!  It only took 2 months to get this one finished, and I taught myself (via Missouri Star Quilt Co youtube videos) how to put a binding on by hand.  Sweet!

Pretty proud, I also figured out how to get those corners on, for some reason there just aren't instructions anywhere on how to do this!  Of course, maybe that reason is, it's not that hard to figure out... :)

 

binding on, now to the hand sewing

 

oh, and wow, having the fabric go opposite directions on the corners sure makes them lay a lot more flat

 

 

Ta-da!  You can even kinda see the quilting, that hint of moose...

 

 

That's right, it lights up (it's a battery operated necklace I incorporated)

I am so glad it's finished, I'm showing it off to everyone I see today!  Oh, and sometimes I talk about our family cat, and I wanted you to meet Konnie:

 

 

 

These pictures are from Christmas Eve, she's a shedder so dad always puts down a sheet on the couch until just before everyone arrives, and of course, it's just another blanket to her!  That's John and I giving her some lovin's in the 2nd and 3rd pictures, and in the fourth, Christmas morning when she could reclaim her happy place by the fire and under the tree.  Thanks for stopping by!

 

~Brandy





Merry Christmas!

And nearly Happy New Year!  I hope your holidays are going well, mine aren't so bad considering my grandmother passed away about a week before Christmas.  We will miss Grandma Linda's snarky comments towards Grandpa and never-ending humor even in the face of leukemia.  Grandma also happens to be the other quilter in the family, and her last wish for me was to take over the last project she was working on for my cousin.  She gave me her sewing machine to go along with this project.  Bernina Virtuosa 150 QE, and it's incredible.  I only wish the circumstances I ended up with it were different.

 

However, as fate would have it, this machine arrived right when I needed to quilt my mom's quilt (yeah, didn't finish for the competition, maybe next time) and worked like a charm.  Here's progress pictures:

 

 

You can see (if you look very closely) the columns of color going blue, purple, white, purple, blue.

 

Still piecing with my White, and have ended up with a new pincushion by accident, was trying to make a football themed one for my aunt and royally messed up the process, so I'm keeping it...

 

Getting down to the wire, this one is

 

 To give you an idea of the space I work in, under the table has been tidied up since I got organizer bins for Christmas (thank you Grandma Kathy!)

 

 

My husband was really impressed

 

Racing stripe down the back, yeah!

 

I had to set up shop in our living room, there was JUST enough space for me.

 

 

I learned how incredibly helpful it is having lines to follow.

 

Yes!  Oh thank goodness, done at 10am Christmas Eve.

 

I told mom if she wanted to see it she'd have to wait on the binding, and she was fine with that.

 

Yay!  Happy mom!  Now hand it back over...

 

So the next thing I had promised (I will really have to work on this organizing thing and not saying "yes" to every request) was to make my sister a Christmas giraffe.  Well, after the festivities seen here

 

Oh, am I supposed to leave some for others?

 

The aunt's chattin' it up

 

There's my hubby (in the hat) diving into the macaroni & cheese I contributed to our lasagna dinner :)



 

 at 11:00pm Christmas Eve: 

 

 12:00 am

 

2:15 am

 

9:00 am (only got 3.5 hours of sleep, not good for Christmas Day activities)

 

And Jif with his new momma, who was very pleased with how he turned out.

 

 

The other patchwork giraffe is going to my best friend in CA, who's son turned one 2 months ago, and she is a zookeeper, so it seems fitting he have a giraffe.

 

 

 

I am very much looking forward to this year, I am all set up to be organized with only one or two projects a month, and at least three of them are actually for myself.  Pat Sloan asked a very good question on her blog a while back

"WHY ARE THERE SO MANY UFO'S FOR YOU??"



 and that got me thinking, "you know, I have at least three off the top of my head I can say are mine and I keep putting off because I am putting the perceived needs of others before myself" so I am following her Assignment:

Pick the top THREE projects that you want to finish for you in the first quarter of next year (yes I like lists and I like the number THREE!)

Set a deadline of when they need to be done.

Do NOT move this deadline.

Do NOT take on other work that makes you MISS this deadline.

Now get the first of these 3 projects OUT where you CAN work on it. Don't leave it in a box under the bed in the spare room.  Put it front and center in your workspace

Now work to finish something for YOU!

(1) Mortimer Moose, just need to bind

(2) Car quilt, may need to acquire more jeans for backing

(3) King size strawberry quilt for bedroom

 

#3 may end up being a goal to have done by the end of June, but I can always work on a block a week for it, and it may get done sooner!  By the way, I am quite looking forward to being in my second blog hop with Mdm Samm and Carla at the end of January, and contributing to my sister's household while I'm at it!

 



 

Happy goal setting to you, and see you all in the next year!