First WIP Wednesday of the New Year

Ahhh...another year of WIP Wednesdays. The biggest one on my list this week is my Fair Isle Quilt.

 Here it is, all pieced before Christmas. Then, I stalled out with no backing in sight. As soon as I solved that problem, I got down to pin basting on the floor.

 And got it all done. One of my least favorite parts of quilting. Hard on the knees and the back.

And now the quilting is begun. I am quilting in an all over swirly pattern. It reminds me of blowing snow. Very appropriate for a winter quilt, I think. Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced.
You can find my 400th post giveaway here.

New Year, New Challenges

Note: Giveaway post is here.

Good Morning! I am always on the lookout for ways to push myself to creativity. Yes, I love to sew and quilt, but I have discovered that if I look at lots of other quilters works, it inspires me to keep going on my own projects, as well as to come up with new projects. This year, I have decided to try and join up with Adrianne at On the Windy Side for her 2015 Finish Along. You will see the button on my right sidebar. This is my first quarter list of proposed finishes.

 This first is a bunch of pennant flags, made from the book Modern Bee. I made it two years ago, but never finished it because I didn't really like the way it turned out. Need to quilt it and bind it.

 This is one I put together with a couple of charm packs and the scraps left over from my Petals quilt. It too needs quilting and binding...for the last couple of years.

 This is my Cat Weave quilt. I am trying to decide how I want to quilt this. Needs quilting and binding.

 This is my X plus quilt from Sunday Morning Quilts Bee. Finally have the blocks together (my month was August last year) and need to figure out a backing, quilting and binding.

 I pulled these for either a quilt of pillow. I have made a couple of blocks and I like it so far. I just need to decide what it will become so I can move on with it.

This beauty needs quilting and binding. I made it along with Lee at Freshly Pieced and I want to finish it now, so it will be ready for next year's holiday season.

This quilt top is maybe 5 or so years old? I made it from the first jelly roll I ever bought. It is a Fig Tree line called Gypsy Rose. I just wanted to see what I could create with a jelly roll. Never did it before. Now, I want to finally quilt it. I have a quilting plan, and a backing (finally) so I want it done. It will be going to live at my middle daughter's house whe I get it done.

And I think that is enough for one quarter, don't you?  I will be excited to see how I do in the personal challenge. If you are interested, join up with us!

The Big 4-0-0

Well, this is it. My 400th post. I decided to hold off on posting until after the holidays were really over and everything was back to routine. I am so proud of all I have accomplished here. Not just the quilting and sewing, but learning all the things I have learned in order to be a blogger and to try and make my blog a place I love. I hope it is a place you love to visit. I want to inspire you and make you want to return. That is why I read the blogs I read. They inspire me.

I have been very busy getting organized for the new year. I have cleaned the sewing room and made a list of things that need to be finished. I have begun working on those things. I am taking lots of pictures to show you. I have plans and I have goals. But, I also have surgery coming up in 3 weeks. I have no idea how long I will be unable to sew, so I am stocking up on pictures of things I can share with you during that time, because a blog post without pictures is boring, to me.

So here are your pictures for today. This is what I am giving away, to celebrate my 400th post:

                         This lovely bundle of pink fabrics.

      I wanted something special. I wanted something that was meaningful, at least to me.

      This beautiful bundle represents my color of the year, pink, for breast cancer.

    Each fat quarter is absolutely gorgeous. Not a bad one in the whole lot.

I found this lovely bundle here, at Fort Worth Fabric Studio. They put together lots of lovely bundles there. I shop there frequently.
What do you have to do to win this lovely bundle? Simple. You must be a follower of my blog. Only followers, new or old, will be eligible. Second, answer this question: If you could put together a bundle of fat quarters using only one color (plus white or a neutral) what color would you choose? So, let's do this: Leave one comment to answer the question. Leave a second comment for another entry, telling me how you follow my blog. No reply commenters leave your email in your comment or I will not be able to contact you if you win.
I will leave this open for 2 weeks. Winner will be chosen on Monday, January 19 after 5pm eastern. Everyone is eligible no matter where you live, but you must be a follower.
Thanks so much, for stopping by.

Ringing Out the Old

Here we are again, the last day of the year. The time when we look back on the last 365 days and remember what came before this moment in time. The time where we resolve to make the next 365 days better in some way than the last. I love turning a new calendar page and starting fresh. To me, it is hope for improvement, 12 times each year. And yes, they go by faster as you age. I have made several "resolutions" for myself. Some will succeed and some may fail, but the point is to try. I am not going to go in to them here. What I am going to do is to show you my last finish for the year 2014.

 Remember this? Made over a year ago, this light weight "blank-o-let" as we call it, is voile with only a flannel backing and no batting. It makes a lovely light covering in spring, summer and fall. It also is nice if you experience hot flashes in the night. This one has been so loved and  used A LOT! I wanted to make another one, just a wee bit bigger. I also wanted to bind it, as this one is only zigzag stitched turned in edges.

 Here is the beautiful binding, made from the Anna Maria Horner Little Folks voile I have been saving for this project, along with a wee bit of the Connecting Threads Masuri left over from the first one.

 So soft and slick and smooth. Sews like a dream, but I used my walking foot so as not to cause it to bunch up. Lots of pins too.

 Here it is laid out on our queen size bed.  When I did this, I thought "Wow, it is bigger!"

 The machine binding looks great, I think and a much better option for the edge than the last one (lazy me).

 Then I laid the old one over it to compare size. I was a bit surprised that it wasn't that much smaller.

 And the back? LOVE LOVE LOVE! Anna Maria Horner for the win! Echenacia flannel. I tried to capture the color. It is hard. This stuff fairly vibrates with its vividness.

 So soft, so pretty. I will be enjoying this a lot when I have my recovery time after my surgery in late January. I figure if I have to lie around and just look at the scenery, I want pretty scenery.

And now, one more thing...This is post number 399. Yes, that means that the next post, the first of 2015, will be number 400. A great way to start a new year. I have a very special giveaway planned, so stay tuned. Have a very happy new year and I will see you all soon.

Sunday Stash #33

So with all the holiday sales going on, I picked up a couple of things for my stash that I have really been wanting.

 This first is not for my stash. This is Tinseltown cars in red from Dear Stella. This is going to be the back of my Fair Isle quilt that I just made with Lee, from Freshly Pieced. She wrote this great pattern and if you start now, you can have one for next Christmas.

 This is a print from Kate Spain's Solstice. I am thinking of making another Christmas quilt and have been collecting favorite fabrics for it.

 These two prints are from April Showers by Bonnie and Camille. I couldn't not get a little something from this line. I love the raindrops and the umbrellas have such a vintage look.

And lastly, a couple of Carolyn Friedlander's Architexture line. I knew I would regret it if I never got some of these.  How about you? Hit any sales? Linking up with Sunday Stash.

Merry Christmas

I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas. I am going to take a break for a few days and I will be back. For anyone keeping track, this is post number 397. When we hit 400 there will be celebrating.
And now, a few Christmas pretties:

See you soon.

Baby Quilts I Have Made

In a continuing effort to keep this blog moving forward towards my 400th post, in spite of the holiday craziness, I am focusing on baby quilts I have made. There are a lot of them. For that reason, this will be (mostly) a picture post. Ready?

 Okay, so he isn't a baby, but I made two of these for the first two grandsons for their first big boy beds.

 Can't quite see the tumbling blocks quilt here, all in bright colors for this little guy, the first grandson.

 Made two of these for a sweet pair of sisters. They weren't babies anymore either, but so what?

 I loved this pattern so much I had to make another. The above is a bag you can fold the quilt up and carry it in.

 A whole cloth quilt for a sweet baby boy. I love this one, even though it is so simple.

 This one above and the one below it were donated to help raise money for cancer.

 These, you may remember, were made this summer for a set of twins living in Ohio.

 And these for a set of twins living in Texas. Two sets of twins this year, a first for my quilting.

I am sure I forgot a few, but I love making baby quilts. They are quick and you can try out lots of patterns on them. Happy Monday everyone.