February Sewing: A month in Review

Thanks to Sarah's challenge over on Berry Barn Designs 4x7 Sewing Challenge I have spent a lot more time on sewing activities this month.  Granted, some have just been fabric pulls and trying to narrow down palettes for a couple upcoming quilts, but I also finished a couple items that have been waiting to be completed.

I made this pouch over the summer at a Fun Friday Class at my local quilt shop. All I needed to finish it was add the button!  Well, last weekend, I finally went through my buttons and found one that worked.

I did a little more stitching on my skate.  I have realized we don't have enough light in my living room in the evening for stitching on this.  I am trying to figure out a way to use my Ott light there without blinding my husband! LOL

I squared these blocks up and got them all put together.  I have the last two borders to put on, the back to piece and I hope to get it quilted this weekend. Mandi was inspecting my work.  This will be my first free motion quilting outside of practice sandwiches, so fingers crossed!

Now, the next has been one of the most time consuming, I have been trying to decide on the background for these fabrics!  I think I have decided, but would love to hear other opinions, white, black or grey?

I finished handquilting and bound my log cabin block listed in my goals from the beginning of February.

I also had an awesome time last weekend in all of the #quiltnon2016 activites on Instagram. I finished the little Pixie Basket, using some of my favorite Bonnie and Camille fabrics.

 I also completed six of the seven block tutorials that were posted for the challenges and I also made Lori Holt's Instagram camera block.  

  It has been a great month of sewing! Thank you for the challenge.

February Sewing: Week one

It has been a busy week! While I did do some "selfish" sewing, I also ended up doing a couple birthday presents for my niece. I know, I know, but to be honest, since they have been on my "to do" list for awhile and it felt so good to get them completed that it seemed a little selfish too! ;)

 I had the first class for my Vintage Ice Skate.  It was a five hour class. I really didn't think it would take me that long to color/shade in the skate, but it did!  Tomorrow we start the embroidery on it. I can't wait to make this up into a wall hanging. It matches our Christmas colors perfectly!

I made the Aurifil Block of the Month block for January. I think the next block comes out February 15th.

We had a snowstorm at the end of the week. Our power was off and on all day, so I did not want to plug my sewing machine in.  I decided to sort through all of the charms I had collected from participating in several Denyse Schmidt charm swaps.  I had been looking for the perfect scrappy quilt to use with them. I found it! I am going to use Jen Kingwell's "I'm a Farmer's Daughter" pattern. I am just stumped on what to use for the backgrounds. I love Jen's use of scrappy neutrals, but then I get hooked on it having to be all Denyse's fabrics and I don't have enough backgrounds.  I will be hand piecing this one, so it will be a long term project.

...and I just have to share the cute little purse and doll quilt I made for my niece!  She turned three today. She is also my Goddaughter, so I wanted to do something special. The quilt is made from the scraps that were left from the quilt I made for her before she was born.

Okay--all selfish sewing from here on out! ;)  I have been pulling fabrics trying to start a new project. Linking up to 4/7 Sewing challenge

Sewing 4x7 February Challenge

This year I am hoping to finish up some UFO's along with starting all of the new projects I find each day on Instagram, or Facebook, or blogs! LOL  I discovered the 4x7 challenge on Berry Barn Designs.

My goal is to sew everyday in February, at least 20 minutes, though hopefully more!  Some of the projects I hope to complete, or at least move a little closer to completion are:


1. Add the border and finish this mini quilt. (Still debating if I want to add a little embroidery also.)

2.  Finish this mini, my first hand quilting project. Practicing before I start a bigger project.

3. This mini quilt is altogether, my goal is to quilt and bind it.

4.  Get the skate started. I am taking this as a class on Thursday.

5.   Get STARTED, and caught up on the Project 48 quilt along. This is my fabric pull so far.

6.  Catch up on my Farmer's Wife '30s quilt. I am so behind! I would love to at least get some more of the blocks cut out and ready to sew.

These are just the projects I have pictures of! LOL I hope to finish my pink and brown half square triangle bed runner this month. Currently, it is still just in blocks. I would also like to get a couple flowers pieced on my Daisydo quilt.  I just started this and don't have any flowers together yet.  I also am involved in several quilt alongs on line, so my sewing may come from them also. IF, I ever decided on the fabric palettes for them! One is Sarah Fielke's BOM and the other is the Splendid Sampler.  Wow, that's a lot of stuff!  I could also work on any of the many UFOs listed below in my Quarter One goals for the Finish Along.  Thanks for the motivation.

New Year....New goals Q1

Happy 2016!  I hope to finish up a lot of projects this year, though the list of new projects I want to start is growing daily as well!  I hope to #sewmystash2016 this year as well as empty out my WIP containers so I can fill them with new projects.  I didn't get many projects finished last year.  I am still working on improving my FMQ, so many of my projects remain as just tops.  I did take a handquilting class and am practicing that as well, since at least two of my UFOs I plan to handquilt.

I know this list is probably longer than what I will accomplish this quarter, but I like to have options for when the mood strikes! I also have a couple quilt alongs, like the Farmer's Wife 1930, that I am participating in, but won't include those at this time.  Linking up to the   2016 Finish Along.

  

1.  I have about ten of these blocks completed now. Hoping to finish this one to fit our queen size bed.  I also know how I want to quilt it and plan to take the certification class at my LQS so I can use the longarm.

2.  This still needs to be quilted. I am practicing my FMQ and hope to work on this soon.

3. A quilt top made during Pleasant Home's Sew Scraps Along 2012. The top is actually all pieced, I just love this picture, so I need to quilt and bind it. Another top waiting to be quilted.

4.  A quilt top started during Thought and Found's Oh my stars BOM last year. I only have about eight of the fifteen LARGE stars completed.  I really want to get back to this quilt! Love the colors and plan to do some big stitch quilting around all of the stars in coordinating colors.

5. I hand pieced this sampler over 17 years ago. It was a class I took to occupy my time while my husband (then boyfriend) went away to college. It needs to be quilted and bound. I am planning to handquilt this one! I took a class and am practicing before I jump in here.

6.  This one needs to be quilted.

7. Star Surround QAL.  I am not happy with the yellow fabric for the surround. It was so much brighter when it was folded up! I also mixed up where I placed those color corner pieces. So, I kind of set this aside.

8. This is one of the first quilts I ever started, over nine years ago!  I have most of the blocks together, I just need to sew them together and piece the border. This one is a wall hanging. I kind of have put off finishing it because I wasn't crazy about the fabrics anymore, but it is starting to grow on me again.

9. Penny Patch QAL---this QAL has quilted along without me! LOL I was doing well until the piecing part, then life got busy and my temporary design wall had to come down so I could get inside the closet that holds the wrapping paper!  So, I will need to lay this one out again and finish it.

10. Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice mystery. I started pressing and cutting for this one. However, I don't have enough scraps to work from, so I am going scrappy using fat quarters. With at least 10-20 different fats in each color--that is A LOT of pressing before I can even play! LOL Slowly working away at it.

11.  The Fat Quarter Shop 2012 BOM.  Obviously, I never even started this one. Now, the 2013 BOM is starting to pile up as well. I really want to get to work on this one!  This one has been all cut out and a couple blocks have been pieced.

12. I cut this one out and have all but three blocks completed. Deciding how to quilt it will be the challenging part!

13.  I received this quilt kit two Christmases ago.  It is my first hand applique project and it is taking me forever! I can't wait to finish it and hang it in my craft room.

14.  I received this quilt kit several years ago. This is the first Flea Market Fancy collection along with the Tag Sale pattern. I would love to get this one completed for our bed---before we change the colors in the bedroom! When I received this kit, I really wanted to make it exactly as pictured--I have notes trying to keep track of where each fabric was used. Now, I don't think I need to be that neurotic about it! LOL I actually think I am going to use it as a leader and ender project while I work on another quilt.

15. This quilt has half of the blocks pieced, but they are coming out the wrong size!  I really want to get this one completed!

16. Quilty Fun quilt I have more than half of the blocks completed.

17.  Just need to quilt my Aurifil mini for February.

18.  I started these scrappy stars as part of a challenge to use up scraps. I was working through my 1.5" scraps as leaders and enders. Now to get it finished!

19. Finished handsewing all of the curves, now I just need to quilt it.

20. All the blocks are completed, now to assemble and quilt.

21. Elizabeth Hartman's Catvent quilt. I am still collecting the fabrics for this one. I can't wait to start it!

22. I have been wanting to make this mini to hang in my laundry area. I think I may start here!

23. Nine Patch Posie. I can't wait to assemble and quilt this one!

24.  Scrappy Braid table runner. Just needs to be quilted and bound.

25. Table runner. This was a free gift project I received at a retreat. It just needs to be quilted and bound.

  26. I started these winter themed trees last winter! I would like to finish them and use them as a centerpiece.  I am trying to decide how to finish the tops and I need to make the two smaller trees.  (I couldn't figure out how to rotate this picture.)

Hoping to cross several of these off my list this quarter!