Chugging Along

Just trying to get through all the gotta do projects here.  It's so hot here and supposed to be over 100 degrees tomorrow.  Good time to be indoors sewing.  I am trying to give each of my projects a little bit of my time every day so that they all make progress.  Stitch, stitch, stitch.

This is what I have got going on today:

Quilting the 1001 Peeps quilt.

The hemmed stack of napkins is growing!

I also wanted to show a little quick project I whipped up from 4 strips of a jelly roll.  I needed to make something to protect my Kindle.  This is some of my favorite fabric!

It has an easy Velcro closure.

I am trying to stay on task with the napkins, but then the UPS guy stopped by my house and look what I have!

Hometown!

 

 

I have been dying for this fabric ever since I first saw it.  Now that I have this layer cake (thanks to Kimberly Jolly at Fat Quarter Shop-so fast) I know I will buy some yardage as soon as it becomes available.  Another winner from the ladies at Sweetwater.  I will try not to let its presence disrupt my napkin hemming.

One more thing.....where do you get your inspiration?  I surround myself with things I enjoy looking at while I sew.  This is the latest addition.

love the labels

Have a great week and stay cool.

Independence Day

Happy Independence day.  Just think of all the things we are free to do because we live in America.  It is a day to count our blessings.  The 4th of July reminds me of so many past years where there was swimming, watermelon and fireworks.  This year, the kids are gone, the fireworks will not be shot off due to budget cuts, there's no watermelon because it's just the two of us and it's too much to eat.  So hubby is outside smoking some pork and I am inside in the A/C, sewing.

Here is what I have been doing this week.  I have continued the cleaning and organizing the sewing room.  I found some fabric pieces I had long forgotten.  And I have sewn a few projects.

my rainbow

I bought a charm pack of Kona cotton brights.  When I got it in the mail, I thought it looked like a rainbow, so I immediately cut some white squares and did this in a few hours.  I need to decide how to finish it.  Then I finished this top that had been sitting around for a couple of years.

The faded spot on the one heart is a smudge I found on the camera lens after I downloaded this.  Next I found 3 quilt tops I had made and put in a pile.  I ironed them and hung them on hangers so maybe I will finish them someday.

I made this top for a "grand kids quilt"

This is my wonky 9 patch quilt.  I love these colors.

This top is my first made from a jelly roll of Fig Tree Quilts fabric.

The last thing I found and took a picture of was this small quilt that I started so many years ago, I don't remember when.  It is some Laurel Burch fabric I bought at a local quilt show.  I have just a bit more to hand quilt and it will be done.  You'd think I would get on it.

I don't remember where I found this pattern.  One of my many quilting books probably.  Maybe now that I have shown it to the world, I can finish it this summer and bind it.

I hope you have a great week.

Procrastination

Procrastinate-verb-to put off or defer (an action) until a later time.  Now we all know this word, and we all procrastinate at one time or another, even the best of us.  Here's another saying for you: a stitch in time saves nine.  What do these two things have in common?  Well, when there is sewing to be done, as in quilting and other creative types of sewing, we are eager to get at it.  When there is mending to be done, it goes into a pile for "later".  I had one of my husband's shirts that needed a button, and a sweater of mine that lost 2 buttons in the wash and needed reattaching.  They have been in my sewing room fer several weeks now, and while that is by no means a record, yesterday it was time to get to them.

As I was stitching the first button on the shirt, I thought 'this is taking like 5 minutes.  What was I waiting for?'  When I got to the sweater, I did the two errant buttons, but noticed 2 more loose ones, which got me to thinking about the 'stitch in time' so I gave them a reinforcing stitch as well.  All told, 15 minutes.

Where am I going with this?  Well, remember these?

Castle Peeps

1001 Peeps

Well I pulled some fabrics to piece the backs for them, and then just kept avoiding them.  Until yesterday.  After my session with the buttons, I pushed myself to get started.  At first I didn't really like the fabrics I had chosen, but I was determined to not buy any more fabric for these guys.  I started playing and stitching and I found myself getting into it.  I switched out a couple of fabrics and it was working!  This is what I came up with:

And I fussy cut some of the Peeps from each collection to applique onto the back.

I was on a roll!  So the next project is to rev up and get onto those napkins.  Yes, napkins.  My daughter is getting married in October and after seeing a couple of napkin tutorials at the Purl, she decided we should make cloth napkins.  Instead of making 100 all the same, she decided we should make sets of 4, 6 and 8 in various fabrics.  This way, after the wedding she would have plenty of reusable napkins for her home.  This was a year ago.  Plenty of time.....right?  We did a few.  Then 4 months ago we got real organized and cut them all out, bagged them according to groups, ready to hem.

Some are done.

Now I have less time in front of me so I need to get busy.  This is my big contribution to this wedding.  Here is what I have so far:

And there is one special set that will be double sided with embroidery:

So I will try not to procrastinate any further.  I need to get these done.  And those two Peeps quilts.  And my Sunkissed Squares quilt.  And I have more ideas than time  right now.  I guess I should make a list for myself.

Happy Sewing.

Sweet Summertime

Okay, I know it isn't  officially summer until tomorrow, but it feels like it to me.  I don't mean the heat, although there is plenty of that here in North Carolina.  There is a certain something about the way the sunlight looks in the early morning.  You know what I mean?

And it makes you want to do something summery......like this:

fresh blueberry muffins

now really...doesn't that say summer?

But I did have a very productive weekend.  I took a couple of extra days so I could go to see my out-of-town grandson for his 4th birthday.  And I worked on lots of projects.  I spent most of the car ride working on my Birdie Stitches block.

almost done

I will finish it up this afternoon, almost 10 days ahead of schedule!! Yay!!  And I finished up this little project:

a pair of vests for the grandsons

This was from Oliver + s, little things to sew, a fabulous resource for the doting grandmother in me.  I also finished my sewing for the Prouty so I can get that in the mail.  Final tally is 4 sets of pot holders and 2 quilts for the fund raiser.  I managed to get in a few stitches on my Sunkissed Squares quilt as well and then started this project which I am very excited about:

This one is the Castle Peeps fabric.

this is 1001 Peeps

Both of these are for the grandsons, but I just love the colors and working with them is so much fun!  I am thinking of straight line quilting in the open area to contrast with the circles.
Hope you have a great start to your summer.

Whew! Thought I might not get here

I had to work today, which I usually don't on Mondays.  Then, when I got home I was having some trouble with my internet, but now...here I am.

Had a busy weekend, or actually only Sunday off.  When I got home from work on Saturday, the mailman brought me a nice little thing I had been waiting for.....

I bought a fat quarter pack from Hawthorne Threads.  I was so excited to get it.  I do love it, but I must say that the colors look a bit different than they did on my computer screen.  Still, I have the perfect idea for a quilt for these babies and also my Castle Peeps that I have been saving until inspiration hit me.I love that some of the on line shops will notify you when new fabrics are available.

But first, I started a project that I have been wanting to get to for a couple of weeks.  After the success of the bucket hat adventure, I am working on the explorer vest from Oliver + S Little Things to Sew.  I had forgotten how long it takes just to cut out a pattern.  And I am making two of these for the grandsons.

first I had to trace the pattern pieces

then I cut out the pieces

Once I started with the sewing I felt better.  This is the first time in all my years of sewing that I have done bellows style pockets.  I have to say I was nervous, but Liesl's directions and illustrations are so clear and easy to understand, that it wasn't hard at all.  Just go slow and careful and they turned out great!

See, my first bellows pocket.

There should be room for lots of rocks, and sticks and bugs etc. in these pockets.  I can't wait to see the boys in them.

One almost done.

It just needs the armhole binding and buttons.  The cute bug fabric is from Connecting Threads. Then make one more.  I can't say it enough, this book is fabulous if you have children or grandchildren.  So many cute things to make.

Happy sewing everyone.

Progress made

I'm getting some things moving finally.  Last week I finished my Prouty quilt and this weekend I got the first pair of potholders finished.  These were from a pair of Chefwear pants my daughter had.  I got the idea last year to re-purpose some worn chef's pants into potholders so my brother could raffle them off for his cancer fund raiser.  Now I have started a tradition and will do more pairs this year.

love the fabric!

Now, Chefwear is known for cool prints on their pants, in case you've never seen them.  I have some white fabric re-purposed from chef's coats that a friend gave me.  I will put colorful quilting and borders on them to jazz them up.  The drawstring from the waist is what I use for the hanging loop.  Hardly any waste after disassembling them.  Love that!

I also got started on quilting my Sunkissed Squares quilt finally!  I had forgotten how lovely it is.  I love this quilt from every angle.

I am doing my first try at quilting with pearl cotton.  It's a little different from hand quilting with betweens and quilting thread, but I think I am getting the hang of it.  So far it looks lovely.  I will shre the finished product, hopefully soon.  Have a productive week everyone.

Prouty Quilt Done

Front

 

a little closer

love these tigers

the back

Just finished and I LOVE IT!!