WIPS - Works In Progress list

My WIP’s

I worked on my list of things I need to finish this year or work on this year.  I tried to put the BOM's together.  The things that need to be bond together and everything else in priority.  Now things can change if I get a customer quilt in to quilt.  I'm mostly designing quilts and trying to publish them.

I have needed to write these down for awhile.  I have told myself I cannot add anything else to the list.  I have taken on some big projects also.  I am quilting for a friend that gathers quilts for cancer patients.  I am also quilting one quilt a month for Quilts of Valor.

I might put this is order later.  But I CAN'T ADD TO THIS LIST!  Here we go!  Ready set go!  Get moving Shar!

BOM

1 - Wool applique - BOM block

2 - Kaffe Class blocks

3 - Patchwork Posse Blocks - cut, piece, quilt and bind by May 20th.

4 - My Heritage BOM - blocks, quilt and bind. Plus parallel quilt.

5 - Guild's Mystery Quilt

6 - Table-runners – One for each month

7 - Pincushions - One a month

8 - Skill Builder – cut, piece, quilt and bind

Piece or Quilt-a-longs

1 - Batik Quilt - Design, cut, piece, quilt and bind by May 20th.  Ready to publish.

2 - Aviatrix – a quilt along May

3 - Denise’s Quilt – Design, cut, piece, quilt all before July 1st

4 - Kaffe- Design quilt, make blocks, quilt, and bind.  done by March 1st, 2015.  Make a pattern.

5 - Hemstitch receiving blankets – For my 1^st grand baby.  I need to have finished by July for the the baby showers

6 - Elysa's baby quilt – For my 1^st grand baby.  I need to have finished by July for the the baby showers

7 - Baby receiving 2 girl blanket – For my 1^st grand baby.  I need to have finished by July for the the baby showers

8 - Baby receiving 2 boy blanket – For my 1^st grand baby.  I need to have finished by July for the the baby showers

9 - 16 Patch – Design, cut, piece, quilt and bind by May 20th.  Ready to publish.

10 - Halloween - Design, cut, piece, quilt and bind by June 30th.  Ready to publish.

11 - Spool - Design, cut, piece, quilt and bind by June 20th.  Ready to publish.

12 - Erika's Quilt – this is my niece’s quilt.  I need to finish before she gets home from her mission in Feb of 2015.

13 - Derek's T-shirt quilt – this is my son’s quilt.  I need to have it finished before he gets home from his mission in Aug of 2015.

14 - Valentine Quilt – finish it.  In a state of mess.  And missing blocks, quilt, bind, wash.

13 - Harmonic Conversion – cut, piece, quilt and bind by July 31st.

15 - Cody's baby's - Design, cut, piece, quilt and bind by June 30th.  Ready to publish.

16 - Alisha's baby's - Design, cut, piece, quilt and bind by July 31st.  Ready to publish.

17 - Stephanie's 1^st - Design, cut, piece, quilt and bind by July 31st. Ready to publish.

18 - Color Wheel – Just want to make one this year

19 - String - Design, cut, piece, quilt

20 - English paper piecing - class starts in Sept.

21 - X-block – Design, cut, piece, quilt and bind by Aug 31st.

22 - Snowflake – Design, cut, piece, quilt and bind by Sept 30th.  Ready to publish.

Quilt

1 - Mom's quilt – quilted, binding on, washed before June 1^st.
2 - Green Top quilt - quilt, binding on, wash.  Design. Ready to publish.

Bindings

1 - Waterfall - Design and bind by May 20th.  Ready to publish.

2 - Easy Street – binding on, washed before June 1^st.

3 - Stephanie's pink – Design, cut, piece, quilt and bind by May 20th.  Ready to publish.

What I did on Easter weekend

Because my family is getting smaller, we had a very quiet weekend.  I was able to spend some time getting things completed.  Thursday and Friday I didn't feel very good and was in a lot of pain.  I have been given the blessings of having Hashimoto's and Fibromyalgia.  Plus a back that is degenerating and has 4 discs that are either bulging or herniated in different areas of my spine.  But I just push myself, stay positive that way I only have 2 or 3 bad days a month.  Two years ago I was having 4 days a week that were bad.  Finding things that I truly love to do has really helped.  Plus I have found some groups that I enjoy belonging to.

So what did I do?

I finished the commissioned top that I was hired to complete.  This is also a quilt for my mother.  I decided that I wasn't going to push and make mistakes to get it entered into the HMQS show.  Maybe I'll put it in the county fair.  I’m also entering it into the Small Town Quilt Show in Midway, UT.  I want the quilt to be right.  It will be going on the long-arm tomorrow.  Here is a picture of the top.  It turned out great!

I also worked on my guild 3D mystery blocks.  There are several layers within theses blocks.  I am not sure that I really like doing these, but I will finish the quilt to say I learned something.  Learning something new is always a good thing.  One thing I learned is that open seams are not always a good idea.  The layers make it really difficult to press and they have a mind of their own.  When a seam is not pressed it will cause problems when you go to quilt it.  They say not to press 3D blocks, because you loose the 3D effect, but I don’t feel I have lost the look.  It also keeps the fabric from moving as you are sewing the blocks together.  So here are the blocks that I worked on.

 

Left to Right top row:  Feb Rolling Pinwheel, Mar Mosaic, Apr Christmas Star
Left to Right bottom row: Apr Hill and Valley, May Salem, May Square Star

It has been a lot of work.  I also spent a lot of time on the computer working on some new programs.  We are redesign the blog so look for that in the coming future.  My husband is doing most of the work there, and only can work on it on the weekends.

Guess what I got today?

I was so excited when I got the mail.  I got a package that I wasn't

 expecting.  I opened it.  It was my pincushion for April.

I love it.

I can't believe how much time Shelley put into it.

It is so beautiful.

 






 Thank you so much Shelley!  It is awesome!  I am already using it!

Patchwork Posse Six Stars are Better than One Block #10

UPDATE!  This block won the week contest!

 

So I worked hard on this block.  I really learned how to get my points right.  It wasn't easy.  Lots of half square triangles.  Which I have a lot of.  So this will be great to use for.

I started with the red fabric and pulled the others together.  I only went with 4 fabrics.  I just couldn't find another pink and orange that would work with this.  I decided to put a red square in the center to help balance the whole square.  I really like this square.  I don't know if I l would like a whole quilt with these colors.  But I think a quilt using this block several time in different colors could really be fun.

I love half square triangles so I think I will use the star block a lot.

The setup of the small stars

 

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Pincushion Exchange

I am taking part in a pincushion exchange hosted by Bea over at Beaquilter.  We make a pincushion for the month of April and May and send it out to two different people.  So today I made my pincushion.  I have the lovely lady named Karyn to give to.  She loves large pincushions.  I had the perfect one in mind.




Flower Layout

The Final Layout



I have always wanted to try wool, so I thought this would be a great chance to try it out.  I drew pieces for a flower on freezer paper.  Then put it on the color of wool I wanted to use.  I cut out the shapes.  I places these pieces on a Lite Heat and Bond.  Just enough to hold it on the wool so I could sew it on.  Then I ironed it onto the yellow in the pattern I wanted it.  Anything that would be laying on top of something I waited to put that on until I had sewn the bottom pieces on.

I picked out colors of thread that matched the wool.  Then I just straight stitched everything on.  Then stitched the yellow piece a blue piece of wool.  I put that with right sides together and sewed a 1/2" seam.  Turned it right side out.

 

Crushed Walnuts

I filled it with crushed walnuts.  I have done a lot of reading on how to sharpen pins and you need to have pincushions filled with crushed walnuts to sharpen them.  So I purchased this at Petco for $8.00. I only used about a cup.  This will go a long way.  But with my long arming pinning and all the sewing I need to keep my pins sharp.

So here is the finished pincushion for Karyn.  I am also sending her so fun pins that I have made.  I hope that she likes them.  I enjoy making them.  I think I have found a new relaxing thing to do in the evenings.  I will make some pincushions and pins that I can give away to others.  Plus have for this exchange.

The Final Pincushion



Block and Project Catch Ups

I have had so much on my mind that I have had a difficult time sleeping the last week.  So I have spent my nights sewing and reading blogs.  Friday was my Kaffe and Friend class.  In class we got 5 more block to do for the month of April.  So that will keep me busy this month.  I am working on the Patchwork Posse Around Robin Blocks.  I get a new one each week.  I have a BOM for my guild.  I hadn't gone to January's or February meeting so I had to get those blocks done also.  I also had a block for the Guild quilt to get done.  Plus I'm trying to get a quilt ready for the quilt show.  The deadline was April 11th, but the just extended it to the 20th.  That really helped.  So that is what I have been doing ever since Wednesday last week.  So let look at the projects.

Patchwork Posse Around Robin Block #9 and The Hash Tag Block

Block #9

Hash Tag Block

Guild Mystery Blocks & Block For Guild Quilt

Jan Wheels



Practice Block





Guild Block

 Commission Quilt Top Before The Border Put On

I have to get the borders on this quilt today and start quilting it this weekend.  Then make the sleeve and label.  Bind it.  Take pictures and enter it into the HMQS show.  I can't wait.

Now it's on to cutting 2 1/2" blocks to make 10 sets of 100 different fabrics.  I have to mail them off by the 15th of April.  Then I get 10 sets sent back to me.  I am waiting for my 1 1/2" sets to come.  I am starting to plan my quilt to use those block.  Now I get to work on a quilt to use these blocks.

Fabric Push Friday

I have been pushing to get many things finished and organized in my life.  Most of it has to do with my business.  Which spills over into my family.  I have been working really hard on my

Commission Quilt  

 My Flour Sack Doll

Kaffe Blocks for my class

 

 March Blocks

 

 

While doing all of these we went to the Blackfoot Quilt Fest.  I really enjoyed the getaway.  I plan on attending next year.  My daughter also decided to make her first quilt .  So I am helping her understand what the instructions say and what are the best ways to sew things together.  But I have to do it with other fabric, because she has to do everything on this quilt all on her own.

Blue Bird Flour Sack Doll

Em over at Em's Scarpbag decided to have a flour sack challenge because she had more flour sacks than she could use.  I decide I wanted to join in.  I spent several days looking on Pinterest and the web coming up with ideas of what I could do with the flour sack.

   This was the Final Result

Now you need to go over to Em's Scarpbag and vote for me in the upper right hand corner so that I can win fat 1/8 pack of 30's fabric.  I have fallen in love with the 30's fabric.  I want to make a mini quilt for the wall in front of my sewing machine where a picture from my grandfather hangs now.  That will only move higher, because my ancestors are my inspiration for quilting.  On to the tutorial.

I would search and I kept coming back to flour sack dolls.  My daughter had a hankie doll when she was little and I thought that if I used the sack front to make a cute skirt for the doll it would work out great.

Here are some pictures and steps to make the doll.  I can see flour sack coming in my future to make more dolls.  They are very easy and a lot of fun.  All of my supplies were taken right from my home.

 

 

I took some leftover batting and stuffed it in an 8" square piece of muslin.  I tied it off with a piece of ribbon.  I squished it around until it became what I thought would look like a head.

 

I cut the bag into two pieces the front and back.  The back I use to shape the body.  I rounded the corners on both sides.  The back I left unfinished.   I put the head in the top and middle of the backing.  Then took a blue ribbon and tied that around the head and flour sack to make it as one.  Then tied a small piece of ribbon on the right and left sides to make the arms.

 

On the front I rounded the corners.  Then I rolled hemmed the edges.  It gave it such a nice finish edge to the flour sack.  Then I sewed a 2 1/2" wide lace, that I had, around the edge.  It gave the feel of a skirt.  Then I folded the top down about an 1" to make a tube for the ribbon to pass through.  I tied the ribbon in a bow in the back.

 

I also sewed a piece of lace over the head to look like a bonnet.  It was very easy.  I had it complete finished in 2 hours.  I would love to make more of these.  I had everything on had.  The ribbons all matched the colors in flour sack, so it was very fun.

 







My first quilt

Well, I have my first grandbaby coming.  My daughter wanted to go through the blankets and take what was hers.  As we went through them we came across the first quilt I had ever made.  I couldn't believe what great condition the quilt was in.  There was only one problem.  There was no batting.  The batting that I had used had completely disappeared.  I was really surprised.  I also had no mitered corners.

I made this quilt for my first daughter.  I was taught by my aunt.  She help me decide on the pattern, it was a log cabin pattern.  Then took me shopping for the fabric.  I came up to her house, where she helped me cut out the fabric and showed me how to put the quilt together.  But by the time it came to quilt it and bind it I had put the quilt aside and many years had passed.  She had gone other ways and so had I.  I should have stayed the task and finished the entire quilt with her.

Boy I have learned a lot over the years.  There is definitely reasons why you need to use quality batting and use correct methods of sewing.  Take the time to learn from others.  Also learn how to correctly fold quilts so that you don't have permanent folds in your quilts.

March Block Count

I love this project group, because I can see that I am getting things accomplished.  I have been working on putting quilts together this month.  I always have a leader ender project that I am working on.  That way I have sewing that helps keep my block count going.  This is my total count this month is 187.  My daughter started a quilt also this month.  I have instructed her, I have shown her on scraps how to sew what she needed to sew.  Because this quilt has to be all done by herself.  She has cut out, and sewn 506 block so far.  I'm so proud of her.  I can't wait to see how this turns out.

Where my blocks come out to are: 50 for my mom's quilt, 2 for my guild, 9 for a class I'm taking, 111 for leader enders.

You can go over to Prairie Moon Quilts to find out more about the 350 Block Project for 2014.  Check out her website.  She has a lot of information there.  I love following her.