Christmas gift sewing

It's been radio silence here for a long while, and now I can finally show you the reasons!

Earlier this year I decided to make each of my five sisters-in-law on my husband's side of the family a quilt. The idea occurred to me as I stared at the closet of beautiful fabrics in my sewing room wondering how I would ever manage to use them all in my lifetime.  My SILs are all lovely women with very individual personalities and color preferences, so I thought a large lap-sized quilt for each would be not only the perfect Christmas gift, but also a great way to use up some of my ever-growing fabric stash.  I started digging through the closet pulling fat quarters and half yards to coordinate with the few pieces of yardage I had that were big enough to use as borders.  Turns out I had been collecting fabrics all this time that were perfect for each of their individual personalities without even realizing it!

Much of my sewing time this year was spent working on these quilts and last weekend I had the great joy of presenting them to the SILs at our family Christmas celebration. And yes, they loved them :)   I fact, this is the last photo my husband took before they starting elbowing each other and holding up their quilts in front of each other's facing exclaiming "mine is the best!"

First up is Rita's quilt. She loves chrysanthemums in the fall, so I chose a mix of autumnal batiks from my stash that coordinated with this beautiful ginkgo leaf border fabric.  I used a free pattern from Timeless Treasures called "Tonga Harvest All Squared Up Quilt" which was designed by Pam See of vanillalattequilts.com.  It measures 48" x 68" with 10" x 12" finished blocks.

The backing is another fall toned batik, but I'm not sure of the manufacturer or pattern name.

Beth is a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan whose new home is painted and decorated with lots of soft greens.  I added some soft browns to the mix so the green and yellow wouldn't be too obvious.  This pattern is "Picture This" from the pattern book "Happy Hour" by Atkinson Designs.  The finished blocks are quite large - 14.5" square - with the entire quilt measuring 58" x 72".

The large piece of green and yellow sweet gum leaf fabric on the back was the original inspiration for the color palette used on the quilt front.

Mary is a master gardener who loves roses.  These fabrics are from Jennifer Paganelli's "Circa" line for Free Spirit, and the pattern is "Show Biz" by Villa Rosa Designs.  It finishes at 54" x 63".

Mary says the back of her quilt is just as lovely as the front; it's the "Taylor" print in blue from the Free Spirit "Circa" line.

Jody's home is filled with a burgundy and cream color palette so I used a mix of French General, 3 Sisters, and Red Rooster fabrics.  This quilt is made using the same "Show Biz" pattern and also measures 54" x 63".

The color of this French General backing fabric is slightly off in this photo - it's really a much deeper red that looks so rich with the deep red tones of the quilt front.  It's one of my favorite prints from French General and kinda makes me want to start hoarding their fabrics.

And the final quilt belongs to Lisa - lots of deep navy accented with gold, wine, and green.  The pattern is "Snapshots" from the "Happy Hour" book by Terry Atkinson and measures 57" x 75".  The multicolored border was my color palette inspiration.

I used several extra blocks on the backing to make it more interesting and colorful.

Each quilt has a hand-written and hand-stitched label containing my name, the date, and the name of each sister-in-law.

There are lots of machine and hand stitches in each of these special quilts, but I have to give the machine quilting credit to my super-talented longarm quilter Carol Linder.  She did a fantastic job getting each of them quilted in plenty of time for me to have them all ready for Christmas delivery.

It was a big job to finish all of these beautiful quilts, but I'm so glad I decided to do it, and I'm even more thrilled that each of these five special ladies loves their quilts.  I'm a lucky girl to have married into such a wonderful family :)

Watch for two more posts about my 2014 Christmas sewing projects coming this week!

tulip update

I wish I had more progress to show you on this quilt, but it's been slow-going here in the sewing room this past week. I've been working on a little hand embroidery project for my LQS and trying to finish that up and get the directions written. I'm excited to show it to you next week - it's a Valentine project!

As I wrote last week, I really wanted to use some red in the sashing for this quilt, and lucky me (!), I found the perfect one buried deep in the red drawer. Red with pink dots - yes, please!

2014 impulse project #1 - scrappy bear paw

Last week I rescued these lovely fabrics (Meadowsweet by Sandi Henderson) from the depths of my stash and joined a few other quilters on Instagram in starting a scrappy bear paw quilt. (This is the sort of impulsive decision that is a direct result of not having a 2014 goal list prepared, but that's another story for a different day...)

Project Night Night finish

My first quilt for Project Night Night is finished and ready for donation! Earlier in the summer I found three charm packs of Moda's Fresh line by Deb Strain and two orphan blocks made from those same fabrics in my stash.

Thing 2 laid out all the squares with the blocks to arrive at a 49.5" x 58.5" size. I pieced the top and then delivered it to my long-arm quilter Carol who quilted an all-over pattern of swirls, dragonflies, and flowers in an orange thread.

The two large blocks finished at 13.5", so you can get an idea of the scale of the flowers and dragonflies from this picture. I'm hoping some little girl will have fun looking for and counting them across the surface of this quilt.

For the backing I used two larger pieces of fabric from the same line that I had on hand. I wonder what my original intent was for these fabrics?

I also had the batting on hand, so I'm proud to say that this project was created entirely from my stash. The binding was machine sewn on both the front and back sides so the quilt can stand up to lots of love and washings :)

The Crystal Lake Modern Quilt Guild's first donation to Project Night Night was delivered in August - 12 bags each containing a quilt, book, and stuffed animal. We're on target to donate over 20 more bags in October! I'm so proud of the way the ladies from our new little guild have responded to this worthwhile cause!

You can read more about Project Night Night here.

UFO busting

Ah, Pinterest... how I love thee. I stumbled across a pin from Pat Sloan's blog yesterday that called out to me.

Source: blog.patsloan.com via Amy on Pinterest

Busting UFO's? I'm interested!

12 tips (aka steps)? I'm very interested!

I have quite an accumulation of UFOs that mostly cause me guilt, so I decided to dive right in and bust through them along with Pat. She seems like a fun and funny gal with project hoarding tendencies similar to mine, so who better to share the pain?

The first step is "Knowing What You've Got" which involves making a list. I excel at compiling lists - it's an inherited trait, right, mom? ;) Then I got to categorize the list into five separate lists! Woo-hoo! I am so on board with this.


So here we go with categorization of my 30 UFOs...

Group A - Almost Done! Really Want to Finish!

1. Sunburst baby quilt for teaching - deadline February 15!
2. Dotty Stars needs a label - easy peasy.
3. Twinkle - needs backing sections pieced and then off to the quilter.
4. SewMod row quilt - finish applique borders, then off to the quilter.
5. Green and teal baby quilts for church donation - quilt and bind these myself.
6. Spools quilt with Lorrie - applique borders, then quilt off to quilter.
7. Kaffe colored pencils needs a pieced backing then off to quilter.
8. Christmas pillow tops (2) - quilted and backs added.

Group B - Almost Done but Do I Want to Finish?

1. BOM table runners/toppers (2) from QIJ 2009 - GIVE AWAY!
2. Red hand-pieced sampler from late 1990's - GIVE AWAY!

(This is a short list because if I've lost interest, the project rarely gets to the "almost done" stage)

Group C - Partially Done but I LOVE it and Want to Finish

1. Tree of Life pieced
2. Tree of Life applique
3. Kaffe floral snowball
4. Rear Window
5. Fresh Modern Bee stars
6. Laundry Basket Quilts batik house table runner

Group D - Partially Done but Do I Really Want to Finish?

1. Yellow/orange batik placemats (2)
2. Picnic quilt
3. Sunflower wreath applique/embroidery
4. Grandmother's Window applique (3 of 12 completed)
5. "Merry Christmas" door banner

I'm not sure what to do about these items yet. They might be give-aways to friends or they might be moved to Group C before this UFO busting 12 step program is complete. Right now I'm awaiting further instruction from Pat regarding this category.

Group E - Barely Started and No Interest

1. Batik log cabin diamonds - I actually tossed these out!!!

I took a class with Flavin Glover at the IQF in Chicago in 2010, and finished only 8 of these blocks. The many dozens of remaining pre-cut strips have been neatly organized for almost 3 years now, but I'm never going to pick up this project again, so into the bin they went.


Group F - Partially Done, Don't Love but Keep for Gifts/Donations

1. Twister pinwheel Christmas pillow
2. Baby girl lava flowers quilt
3. Twister pinwheels "Hideaway" baby quilt
4. Dresden color wheel pillow
5. Amy Butler 16" pillow w/coral cording
6. Summer Sampler coordinating dresden pillows (2)
7. Zippy strippy bags (2) - brown w/birds
8. Christmas table toppers (2) Birds & Blooms

This last grouping was my idea - I like having a small stash of things that can be quickly finished for donations or small "thank-yous" to just the right person :) Sort of like a "gift stash" that people sometimes keep on hand.

And if you're thinking, "wow - that girl has got 30 UFOs!" you're right - that is a LOT of UFOs - but I'm already down to 29 because I tossed one out! And Pat has 42! You can see her categorized list here.

Sorry for the text-heavy posting; list making is wordy work! I think Step 2 is going to involve prioritizing, but I feel like mine are already in rank order, so I'll spare you any revisions.

Have you made a formal count of your UFOs? Think you can beat my total? I dare you!

I still can't believe I met him!

Yep, that's me... with HIM... hanging out together last weekend. We're pals now, Kaffe, Liza and me. Maybe you don't know this about me, but I have a little teeny bit of an obsession with Kaffe Fassett and his fabrics and patterns and books. And last Friday I got to take a class that he and Liza Prior Lucy taught at the International Quilt Festival in Chicago! The class topic was making a floral snowball quilt, and we spent the entire day fussy-cutting, arranging, and making color and design decisions. I was a little nervous to expose any of my ideas about color in front of him; I mean, he is a master of color, you know! But he was so gracious and encouraging and complimentary of every single person in that room, that we were all very quickly put at ease. Turns out he's just a regular guy who happens to be a color genius. Oh sure, he gave suggestions and his ideas, but he mostly just encouraged us to figure out what our own personal vision was for the quilt we were creating. How cool is that?!?

This is a sneak-peek of the quilt I am working on. It didn't really turn out like I had pictured in my mind prior to the class, but I have decided just to run with it, and every time I walk into the sewing room and see it in progress up on the wall, the more I fall in love with it. The toughest part was finding a fabric to use as the corner triangles that will eventually create the illusion of each floral block being circular when the whole quilt top is put together. The small lavender/dusty purple squares in the photo above are going to be my corner triangles. This fabric was the fifth one that I bought and cut up - the only way to really see what worked was to cut up some squares and stick them up on the wall with the blocks. I never would have guessed that this purple would be the one, but Liza suggested it, and it turns out she knows what she's talking about too! She was a riot! We listened to great music while she and Kaffe walked the room and offered advice and their thoughts.
I'll be finishing this quilt as part of the Quilt Along with Kaffe Fassett (button on right side bar). There is a group on Facebook for posting photos of your projects and progress, and Kaffe and Liza will be commenting and advising on all the posts. So now I can still interact with them without being labeled as a stalker :)

And here are the newest additions to my Kaffe stash! Maybe I went a little overboard, but this is the last year that the festival will be in Chicago, so who knows when I'll again have the opportunity to be in the same room with all that Kaffe goodness?! I think I may have even turned my friend Andrea on to his fabrics too while we shopped together on Sunday! Now what I could really use is a winning lottery ticket, because the fourth thing I would do with my winnings (after sharing with family and friends, funding my girls' future college education and wedding expenses, and buying my husband a cooking vacation in Italy) is buy an entire bolt of each of Kaffe's fabrics. I'm hardly able to wrap my brain around how much fun that would be!

Hope you are able to spend a little time on your favorite interest, ahem, obsession today!!

Oh, heavenly day!

Today I spent an entire hour outside walking my dog, and it is a glorious day here in Northern Illinois. All of our snow is finally gone, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and LIFE IS GOOD! I have also spent A LOT of time staring out the window today, finally feeling that soon I'll be seeing this view...

This is a small garden area near the gate to my back yard. It is the view I see every time I drive the car into the garage, every time I come home from walking the dog, and every time I go out in the morning to get the paper (during the summer, of course.) It is a lovely little area filled with boxwoods, snapdragons, coneflowers, zinnias, as well as other annuals that spring up from seeds that were just "dropped in." But my favorite part is the sign. I made that several years ago from a pattern found in a Mary Engelbreit craft book. I have to repaint it and the post (a painted stairway spindle and ball-topper from Home Depot) every few years, but it is worth the time - so cheerful! It stays outside all year long, and every year the twine holding up the sign breaks, and sometimes the entire thing is covered with snow. But it is always there, waiting for spring and flowers - just like me!

Speaking of flowers... these Anna Maria Horner Garden Party prints came in the mail last week from hawthornethreads.com. I just had to get them out and photograph them on this wonderful day along with these cuties...

Aren't they happy! Alexander Henry Willow line... again from hawthornethreads.com

I did have a few moments of productivity today when I managed to get some more paintbox quilt-along blocks done. Only six more solids to go and I"LL BE READY FOR SASHING!! I am love, love, loving how they have all turned out!

Hope you are having a glorious sunny day at your house, too!!

Kaffe Love

I am in love with this man's fabric designs. I discovered Kaffe Fassett a few years ago at a quilt show in Northern Illinois... never heard of the guy before that. I love the riot of color in each and every design.

I have been collecting the fabrics ever since that quilt show, but until now I have NEVER cut into a single piece of his fabric from my stash. Oh, sure, I've bought specific yardage to make a few bags and cut into that. But I loved that "the stash" was neatly folded and securely stored in a big plastic see-thru bin. I could take it out and touch and admire it any time I wanted. And I did... a lot!

I mulled over many ideas of what to use it for, but never settled on any one. What if I found a better project later, and had already used it?

Then a few months ago my dear friend Andrea told me about the Oh, Fransson! online Paintbox Quilt-Along project (http://www.ohfransson.com/). Eureka! THE PERFECT PROJECT! All I had to purchase was a roll of Kona brights, and I was good to go! So now we are into week 8 and I have 56 of the 80 blocks finished. I'm really going to have to ramp it up the next couple of weeks to finish on time. I've chosen the sashing and borders - Kona Charcoal - my new favorite. It's going to be spectacular!

AND... I am completely geeked about the class I am taking with Kaffe at the Rosemont, IL quilt show this April. We are designing a snowball quilt with fussy-cut large floral blooms. I am hoping to learn a lot about color choices and combinations from him. And a quilting class also means... collecting more fabric... bummer :)

Hope you are having warmer days filled with more sunshine as we creep toward spring!