3rd Quarter Finish-Along Projects

Since the 2nd Quarter on the Finish-Along with Adrienne of On The Windy Side just ended, that of course means that the 3rd quarter is just beginning. There are a few days left to link up your projects for the quarter, so be sure to stop by and check out all the details.

Here is my list for this quarter. As always I like to be ambitious and have a lot of things on my list, as well as give myself options to pick from.

Tommy's Quilt

Sorry for the quick repeat. I need to have a separate link to link up for the Finish-Along, so here is another picture of Tommy's quilt, but you can read about it HERE.

Here's my original list of projects.

2nd Quarter Finish-Along: My List

Yes! Can I just tell you how excited I am that I met the deadline for this FAL?! This Finish-Along event has been one of my favorite blog events for, well, since I started blogging about quilty stuff! But I don't think I've linked up for over a year and a half. I just keep forgetting and missing the deadline. Well, not this time! I put it on my calendar, so every day I've gotten a reminder on my phone to link up. And even with that, look at me... I'm still squeezing my entry in under the wire! (The proposed finished list link up ends today.) You can read all about this over at On the Windy Side.

2014 Finish Along!

One of my goals is to blog more. So far, I have done a horrible job at reaching that goal. lol. But if there is one event that will get me going, it's the Finish Along link ups. Rhonda of Quilter in the Gap started it two years ago(?). Then it moved to She Can Quilt with Leanne last year. And this year it is with Katy at The Littlest Thistle. The link up for the 1st Quarter is open until the 17th, so there is still time to get your WIPs together and join along! It is now closed. so bummed. I wrote this post on Monday, but it's taken me all week to find my camera, which I still haven't. So I have no pictures. I was going to throw in some old pictures, but the event is already closed. Anyway, even though I am not officially participating, I will still blog about it and do it on my own. :) Anyway... still stop by, so you can learn more about it - and be better prepared than I for the next quarter. I have really enjoyed it in the past! Plus there are prizes! (I've won some fun things in the past... which definitely helps with the motivation factor.) :)

I must say I was SOOO sad to miss the last quarter of last year. We moved at the same time as the pre-quarter link up. Although I missed it, I did finish a LOT of my projects that have been on my list for years! (I will post about those soon, I hope). I'm really excited to start over with a mostly fresh and new list this year. With no further delay, here's what I want to finish (and hoping you won't see these projects on my list over and over again. I at least feel like I'm getting better at actually finishing things.) ;)


Ok, looking at my previous list, I still have a lot of repeats... oh well. Anyway, here we go:


Quilts:

• Kaleidoscope Quilt - needs a back, then quilted and bound
• 60's Granny Quilt* - I want to change out the orange and teal instead. Then the giant squares need to be pieced to finish the top
• Tommy's Quilt* - I had the pattern all written out on my computer, and now I can't find the file anywhere. so bummed. I still remember how to make it, but I need to figure out the measurements again.
• Nest quilt* - just sew together, figure out a few details, and quilt and bind.
• My newest secret, upcoming pattern quilt.* The top is finished on this baby size. So excited to show this to you, but I am going to wait for the big reveal. I have a lap size of this to finish as well using some of Heather Bailey's new fabrics. So excited for it!
• Neil's triangle quilt - I started this one at Sewing Summit in Jeni's class. It's half finished. I LOVE how triangles look, but I am realizing that sewing them together is not my favorite. ;) I am probably going to confiscate the quilt once I give it to him. Good thing we live in the same house so he won't notice. ;)
• Bee Blocks Quilt. I received a lot of quilt blocks a year or so ago from the Quilting for a Cause group on Flickr (which I have been neglecting. the new flickr is so hard - as in hard to enjoy.) :( I laid these out the other day and paired up the blocks, and made a plan for them. I think I'll make all of these into 7 quilts.
  

Other projects:

• Numbers book, using My ABCs Numbers pattern. 
• Swap projects (these are TOP priority and what I'm working on very very first, like right as I'm typing this, I'm also working on these. lol. I am having a lot of self control not skipping over to other projects.) It's a secret, so the pictures are very secretive. lol. But here they are. :)
• This pillow from Angela's class at Sewing Summit (I just realized that I never blogged about that. we moved right after... I have been thinking about it a lot, so maybe I'll do a really random recap. lol.) 
• Coasters and mug rugs
• Starburst Mini
• and lots of patterns* that are in the works. but I don't know if those count here. ?

Alright, that is a long list. With everything else going on in life right now, I'm hoping I can still speed through these and get them finished! Who's with me?! :)

I hope you are having a wonderful Monday!

3rd Quarter Finish-A-Long

This post is for the 2013 Finish-A-Long, 3rd Quarter with Leanne of She Can Quilt. Learn more about it here.

I tried really hard to get more projects finished last quarter, but it didn't happen. (Not surprised since I really only tried the last week of the quarter. lol. oops.) But now I'm determined to get more of these projects finished! And it makes it easier since I did at least make some progress on some of them.


Finishes from last quarter:

• my Travel Duffel Bag. You can see it here.

Progress from last quarter:

• Mabel's quilt! Hooray!

I finally basted it and started quilting it. I think I would have/could have finished it, if I hadn't run out of the pink thread. (I am quilting the center with large pink flowers and then vertical lines in green thread.) I did finish the flowers, and only have a few more lines to quilt with the green thread. Then I want to write quilt Mabel's name, birthday, birth place, etc (just like the boys quilts) around the sashing and quilt more flowers around the outside border. I ordered more thread from Joann's and it's supposed to get her tomorrow. I really should have just waited and bought some Saturday when we were actually down there. Oh well.

I really like how it all looks on the back, granted my flowers are no where near perfect. But I'm not so sure about the front. I think the quilting is a little more juvenile, and the quilt/fabric on the front looks more elegant. I think it will be fine for my girl and I think she'll love it no matter what. If I wanted to really show off the quilt though, I think I could have gone with something else. Anyway, just my inner turmoil. ha. The only reason why I've put this quilt off so long is because I was so nervous that my quilting would be less than perfect. Since I sent the boys quilts out to be quilted on a long arm, they look so fantastic, and I know my skills aren't that good. I finally decided that it doesn't even matter, and I'm sure she'll love having a quilt by mom, more than she'll care if it was professionally quilted.

• coasters and mug rugs

You would THINK I could get these done already. I was going to finish these too, but I had the quilt on the machine. This quarter I got them squared up and cut the binding for them. As soon as I finish up the center of Mabel's quilt and get it off my machine, I'll sew the bindings on so I can stitch them when I'm not at my machine. :)

• 60's Granny Quilt - I did finally get all my larger blocks sewn together. Except now I want to replace the orange with an aqua or teal or something. (shaking my head. this will never be finished.) lol. I am really getting excited for this, but I am not in a rush to finish it right now.

Here is the rest of my list for the 3rd Quarter:
(I took new pictures so you at least can see new photos even if the projects are the same.) :)

• This quilt - this is top priority next on my list. I really want to finish it before we leave for Utah later this month. It might be a sewing marathon, but I want to do it. (I'm crossing my fingers that I can get this done along with my projects for my swap I'm in with two good friends of mine.)

 

•  This diaper bag - I actually would love to get this made this week, or whenever. But definitely before we leave for Utah. I really need a new diaper bag and I love all the pockets in this one. Plus I really want a green bag, I always have! I love this Amy Butler fabric and can't wait to finish this one up.

and the rest of my projects for the quarter, in no particular order:

• kaleidoscope quilt - I need to finish the back, baste and quilt.

• knitting roll - I still have like 3 rows to add to it this section and then finish it.

• My ABC's Number's Book

• Starburst mini - I don't actually know what to do with this. My hubby is not a fan of mini quilts. He doesn't understand the whole concept of hanging fabric on your wall. Idk.

 

• This block that I want to make into Tommy's quilt, maybe. I'm undecided. But I would love to write up a pattern for it either way. :)

• Placemats

I think I added only one new project, and actually left off a few that I've had on my list previously. I'm not going to worry about them right now. We'll see how this quarter goes... I'm in the mood to finish things, so hopefully it goes well. What about you?? What do you have on your list? Do you do better with longer lists? or shorter lists? (I like longer because then I can kind of pick and choose.) :)

Travel Duffels 1 + 2

Do you know that it is now time to link up your finishes for the second quarter of the Finish-A-Long over at She Can Quilt?! Well, it is. And that means that I am racing to get at least a few things finished from my list. Yep, if you've been around my blog for a while, I'm sure you know that the last week of the quarter is my favorite time to finish a ton of projects! :) My original 2nd Quarter list can be found HERE. You have until the 7th to link up your finishes.

My first finish is my second travel duffel. I made my first bag in April, so that I could have a big bag to take all my stuff to the hospital in. It was the perfect size!

I used some Amy Butler home dec weight fabrics that I've had forever. Originally I was going to make a diaper bag with them... glad I never did. :)

The same time I started that one, I started a second so my kids could have their own to share when we traveled. I might make a third for my hubby, but not now. Anyway, I never did get the second finished, until now!

More Amy Butler.
I didn't have enough of the main fabric in this one, so the outside pockets are the same fabric as the handles. 

I like that the bags kind of match.

I used this pattern for the Quilted Travel Duffel by Studio Cherie on Etsy. I think you can find the pattern on Craftsy as well. I bought this pattern a few years ago, so I don't know if it's been updated, but I wish there had been a few tips the first time I made it:

• prewash your jute webbing - it shrinks when you wash it, as well as softens up. I think the ink in the webbing might also bleed - another good reason to prewash. (You can find jute webbing on Etsy. Some shops are better priced than others, so look around. I was excited to find some with a light grey coloring rather than the red and blue that was most common. but it really doesn't show, so not a big deal anyway.)
• Cut your webbing LONG. Measure the length she says from the short ends of the angles, rather than the points. The first time I cut it, it ended up being short. The next time I was about an inch too long, so really, I don't know how to cut it, but longer is always better!
• I did not zigzag around all my pieces as often as she suggests. For the end squares, I only zigzagged around them after I had added the pockets.

I can't remember what else...

On the white bag I added zippered pockets on both ends, as well as the pocket between the straps on both sides. I also added one extra pocket between the straps on the inside. I love pockets. I would have added more to the blue bag, but I didn't have enough of those fabrics. Oh well. :)

And I must add that these bags are HUGE!! They don't seem so big just carrying them around, but they hold a LOT. We went on a day trip to the Field Of Dreams movie set and brought a picnic blanket, snacks, water bottles, our baby bjorn, another blanket, some jackets, etc and still had room. We also did an overnighter in Nauvoo and fit all of our clothes, diapers (for the kids and baby), swimsuits, bathroom stuff, etc, in it (that is two adults, 3 children and a baby). Usually we have to bring two suitcases. It was awesome to only have one bag!!! We are driving to Utah later this month and I'm excited to see how much we can fit in these two bags and not have to bring as many bags as usual. :)

Hooray for a finish! 

Stay tuned for more in the next few days. :)

Do you have any fun plans for the summer???

Happy Monday!

Quarter 2: Finish-A-Long Projects

You'd think I'd remember to write my post for the 2nd Quarter of the FAL over at She Can Quilt, but of course, I'm doing it last minute again. :) That's just how I roll right now I guess. ;)

Anyway, I'm so excited to have some of the projects from last quarter off my list, but I also have some new projects to add. Let's see how I do this quarter. I'm hopeful!


Here's my list in no particular order:

Quilts:

1. Mabel's Quilt. Just waiting to be basted. I've been holding off on this because I'm so nervous to quilt it! I got both of the boys quilts professionally quilted, and they look so good. I don't want hers to be any less amazing. I really wanted to quilt flowers on it, which I might still do, but I think I'm finally ok to just do what I'm good at and make it look good rather than try something I'm not good at just to make it comparable to the boys quilts. Anyway, I think she'll love it if I can finish it. :) For some reason I really don't want to crawl all over the floor to baste it right now. Hm, I wonder why that could be?! ;)

2. Kaleidoscope Quilt: I need to piece the back for it. I want to do it like the back of this quilt, but with the colors/prints I used on the front. It's just been a matter of going through my stash and pulling out all those fabrics. I really should just get this one out of the way... it's been way to long!

3. Mood Blues Quilt: I need a lot more blocks before this is finished. This quilt is stuck at about the same spot as the kaleidoscope quilt - it's just a matter of pulling fabrics for it and doing it. I have 20 blocks (all made by my bee members... one year ago?). They finish at 10" x 10", and will (almost) all have a yellow strip in the center with blues and greens. I think it'll be gorgeous! (I just pulled the blocks out to look at them again. I think seeing them and having them out is a good plan for actually making progress on them. Maybe that's my problem, I put things away and they get forgotten about!) Anyway, I'm thinking if it finishes at 60 x 70 (is that a good size?) Then I need 42 blocks, so just 22 more to go. That's not so bad I guess!

two blocks are missing from this photo.

4. Giant Granny Quilt: I actually wanted to pull this one out last night and work on it, but I resisted and worked on some of the projects that I already have out instead. I need to start finishing more instead of project hoping and not finishing any at all. I found the perfect backing for this one, and I'm so excited! I was going to make it as a floor quilt/rug type thing for Mabel's room, but I just might have to keep it for myself. :)

5. Nest Quilt: Ok, I have too many unfinished quilts. I don't know why I say "I quilt" because I don't think I make enough quilts to qualify as a quilter. lol. I've been thinking about this lately, and it kind of makes me laugh. I don't know what I do... but I don't think quilt is one of them. ;) Hoping to change that. :) This quilt and the Giant Granny are two quilts I want to write up patterns for. I think that's been my stopping block for them... there always seems to be that one extra step that puts everything on hold. Every project seems to have it... maybe if I realize that I can stop getting stuck and just finish things. :) crossing my fingers.

6. Ok, I think this is the last quilt: Baby Quilt #4. I have the pattern and design all worked out. I think even though this baby is coming NOW, I'm not even going to worry about it until I get these other quilts out of the way. Every child has had to wait a little while for their quilts, Mabel being the longest now, but oh well. At least they are getting one right?! :) I think this would be another fun quilt pattern. (Can you tell I really enjoy making patterns? I have yet to make a quilt pattern though, so I'm a little intimidated by it.) Anyway, it's actually really quick and easy!!

Are you tired of looking at all these yet? I am determined to knock all these constant repeats off my list this quarter!!!

Other Sewing Projects:

7. This Starburst Mini. I really need to finish this. I already quilted it, but I am now wishing it was bigger. I also don't know if I should make it a pillow or a mini quilt. What do you think?

8. Knitting Roll. I don't know why I stopped working on this. I'm actually really close to being done with all these 1" HST's. This is craziness. That's all. ;) I think I have 5 more rows?

9. Travel Duffel Number 2. I didn't realize that I was supposed to prewash my jute when I made my first duffle, and now I'm just waiting to get that washed (wow, I'm starting to feel really lazy with all these hangups. lol.) before I finish this second one. I'm a bit nervous to wash my first one now and hope it won't get totally ruined! I need to blog about these two and put in my two cents about the pattern... it's a fantastic end product, but there are definitely tips and things I want to remember for future times that I make it. (I'm not so fond of vague patterns. I bought it 2 years ago. Maybe it's a better pattern now? I don't know. I know a lot of people are making this right now. I'm curious.) Ok, anyway, that's for another day. I might also make one for the hubby if he ends up wanting one. I think he'd like to have his own. :) I did buy enough jute for a third.

10. Monogrammed Place mats. I'm struggling with these. You can read this post and help me out?! :) I also need to figure out what this new baby's name is going to be and make up the letters for it.

11. Numbers Fabric Book. I am SO excited about this. I am rather happy with how it's coming along and think the kiddos will enjoy it when it's done. I'll blog more about this one this week, but anyway, It will have the number on one side of the page, and then that amount of items on the opposite. It will finish at 6" x 6" closed. So it's not too big. It's been fun to work on, and a little quick. :)

12. Alphabet Book. I started on an Alphabet book before I had finished the lowercase letters for the My ABC's pattern, and only actually got a couple done. I'll either continue and make a book with these like the Numbers book, or turn it into a quilt, which I also want to make with these. :)

13.  Mug Rugs and Coasters. I did make some progress on this last quarter and got them all quilted. Now they just need binding.

14. Advent Calendar. I'm adding this because it is something I want to finish. Sometime. :)

Well, I was hoping to have less this quarter, since I finished up 4 projects last quarter, but it looks like I've added 5. oops. ;)

I also have a few other projects I want to start/make/finish, but I'm not going to add them here. Just make a list, because I like lists. :)

• Finish My ABC's Number pattern
• Make a new diaper bag. I already have the pattern and the main fabric picked out.
• I have a few other patterns I want to finish/put together, along with a few tutorials. Yes, I want to blog more, but it's not a high priority right now.
• Super high on my priority list: Swap items for Tiffany and Marika. We are doing a little private swap between the three of us, and I am SO excited because they are some of my favorite friends! So I need to get started and finished with their items. :)

Are you linking up in the 2nd Quarter FAL? 

Good luck if you are, and even if you aren't. :)

Hooray for a last minute finish!

I finished up one more of my original projects for the 1st Quarter of the 2013 Finish-A-Long over at Can Quilt! Yay! :) Unfortunately I can't find my camera (instead I found a yucky water bug trying to look for it. I think I'll look for it again later.) So bear with me and my camera phone picture. ;)

9 Reversible Drawstring Bags
Fabric: Top row left: Valorie Wells - Nest, 4 Amy Butler Bags (the 3rd has Michael Miller on the inside) Bottom Row are all Riley Blake, I don't remember the details. Except the shells, I don't remember what that is - not Riley Blake.  The pink one with the flowers and cherries (So Cherry is the line I think) really makes me crave strawberry ice cream. lol.

I used to sell these in my Etsy shop. I still have some there, but haven't made them for a very long time. (obviously since I started these ones over a year ago!) Anyway, they are fun and I love these fabrics. Once I find my camera I'll take some better pictures of them, and probably list at least some of them in my shop. (I have a hard time not keeping them since the fabric is so great! Especially the Amy Butler.) lol.

I hope you had a wonderful Sunday! :)

(I woke up to screaming children,

which makes for a very cranky mom.

I am NOT a morning person.

So I spent a lot of time sewing today to help me recover.

But otherwise it was a fantastic day!)

1st Quarter Finish-A-Long Finishes!

I know if I don't put this post up now, I'll forget and miss out. Are you playing along in the 2013 FAL? I have been so out of touch with blogging lately, but this is one event I LOVE. I love making lists, love crossing things off, love being able to see that I'm actually making progress on my pile of WIPs.  If you don't know about this yet, you should stop by She Can Quilt and read up on all the details HERE. The first quarter is just ending (last day to link up is tomorrow - hurry if you haven't yet.) And that means the next quarter will be starting soon after, and you'll all be able to see a repeat of pictures of everything I still haven't finished. lol. ;) Pretty soon I'm sure you'll all be rooting for me, just so you can stop reading about what I'm not working on. CHEESE :D

Anyway, you can find my original post here, with all the projects I had hoped to finish this quarter. I only ended up finishing three out of the thirteen, but that is pretty good I think. Even though I finished them all at the same time, it finishes up to be one per month. If I can keep that pace up, I'll have them all finished by the end of the year (plus one of course).


For a quick round up, here they are, with the link to the finished post (if you want to read more about them) underneath each.


1. Bee Block Quilt:

read more here.

2. Mabel's Car Quilt (that she does NOT want to use in the car. lol.):

 

 read more here.

3. Christmas Table Runner:

read more here.

I especially love how this one turned out after I washed it. I am really loving the straight line crisscross quilting design right now. (this picture is before I washed it.)

So there it is!

There are my finishes.

If you're new to these parts,

welcome and thanks for stopping by! :)

and good luck to finishing up all your projects!

2013 FAL - 1st Quarter Projects

 Wow, I almost missed this! I've been waiting to take some good pictures of everything, but it doesn't look like that will be happening in time. ;) I have a lot of almost finished projects that I've been trying to get finished for about a year now. Well, now is the time to get them done! It's tiring having a huge to do list all the time. ;)

I was just going to pick a few projects and work on those, but I decided to list all of them that I want to get done and hopefully I'll be able to whittle down the list through the year. My goal: No more repeat projects! Nothing will last through 2013! ha. 


1. Mabel's quilt - need to finish this before I have another baby! I can't start his until hers is finished. Ready to baste and quilt. Have you seen this picture enough times yet? ha.

2. Kaleidoscope quilt - top finished.

3. Giant Granny Square - I still have a bit to do for the top, but this is a fun one. I really want to see it finished. SO excited to keep it in Mabel's room, or keep it for me. ;) (want to make a pattern for this one.)

4. Baby #4 Quilt - I made up this quilt block and decided it would be a fabulous one for baby #4's quilt. So far I've made one for each baby and they just keep getting more and more modern. :) So fun! I was almost going to say that I'm going to have to keep having more babies, but that is not a necessity to make more quilts. haha. ;)

5. Bags - these are so quick... but I get tired of repetition.

6. Another Quick project - a bunch of mug rugs and coasters.

7. Moody Blues 2 Quilt - this really is/should be on the top of my list. Need to get it done asap. I still have a bit to do on it though, so I would really love to finish a few that are closer and get them out of the way so I can feel like I have more room for this one.

8. Mabel's car quilt. I didn't start it until recently, but if I don't finish it it will be in a pile forever. New projects that don't get finished at the same time I start them are already UFO's. ;)

9. Melinda's quilt - top finished. Need to finish this and donate it.

10. Bee block quilts - I actually have a bunch of bee blocks that I've received from people and need to put them together and finish them. I need more fabric for some of them though. Maybe I'll call out for donations, since they are for donation anyway. ???  My plan post to come.
 hum, I don't have a photo of these. I guess I won't link them up at the end of the quarter if I finish them, but they still count for my list. :)


Some Holiday sewing:

11. Advent Calendar -

12. Christmas Table Runner - that is actually square. Top finished.

and one just one more...


13. Nest quilt - this is a somewhat quick quilt, just need to get at it. I'm about half way done with the top. Would love to make a pattern of this one too.

is it unlucky to have 13 projects? Maybe it's extra lucky and means I'll get them finished! :)

Ok, this is my list for this quarter! Wish me luck! :) (and add Pay it Forward 2013 projects as well as two swaps. I think I will be plenty busy.) :)

There are still a couple hours left if you want to link up your projects over at she can quilt.