Another Scrappy UFO completed

The Mad Quilter... a.k.a. my husband... strikes again!  Another one of the scrappy tops he made in the last year or so has now become a quilt.  There is only 1 or 2 left, I believe, and he will be caught up. :-)

"Belle"

Sewing Center is back up and going!

Christmas is over and all the decorations are down (except the tree.. which I will work on soon!).  The dining room is no longer a dining room... it is Sewing Central once again!  Hubby got back to quilting before me. I decided to bang up my toe and ended up sitting on the couch with it propped up for a couple of days.

He pulled out 12 quilt tops we have made individually and together over the past few years. The plan, for most, is to keep them to give away when there is a need. There is just one problem.. I end up loving them and wanting to keep them all! 

He pulled out a bright blue scrap happy top... we got it sandwiched and then the Mad Quilter was off!  Got it done in 2 days... really an afternoon and a morning. Then got it bound and it is ready to go. Hopefully it won't leave here too soon.. I really do love this one. I love bright and scrappy and fun and this quilt is ALL of those!  The binding fabric is one of my favorite fabrics too.  Here are a few pix:

Also, I found a cute pattern online right before Christmas for a fabric journal cover (http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/QuarterlyChallenge/Get-Organized.pdf) I decided to play with this a bit. Here is my cover... I did not use a ribbon, but instead used a bit of elastic to close the journal.  I do think next time I will make the cover just a smidgen larger as I can see some of the notebook peeking out at the top and bottom edges.  Overall though, I like it. I will definitely be making more.

There will be at least one more post for 2010... I think. Bought a bit of fabric today (all on sale!) and Hubby is working on quilting another top. Be watching.... "Belle"

Catching up on Projects... New Toy....

Seems there has been very little quilting or sewing of any kind around here for a month or so. The summer has been full and busy instead of slow and relaxed!

This past week hubby and I made up for lost time. He finished up a quilt top he is making for a co-worker who is on his 2nd our in Iraq. Most of the fabric used came from an online quilting buddy of mine who recently made a patriotic quilt for her son on his return from Iraq.

Quilting buddies are great about sharing fabric!

I played around a while back with some scrap strips (2 1/2") and came up with some blocks. I took part of them and added sashing and put them into a top this week. This will go into a pile of quilts here to be used when someone is cold or to be given away when there is a need. Last year we had an apartment complex burn and 8 families lost everything they had. I so wished I had some quilts to donate to them. I am working to create a pile of quilts to have on hand for when someone needs one... or even wants one. My kids' friends hang out here a lot and many come from less than ideal family situations.

Several have said that they want a quilt all their own. If I had some made up, I would just say "Here.. take your pick." So that is part of the plan too!

Some online quilt buddies and I do a quarterly block lottery. I won the last one... gorgeous mini-bowties made from repros on white backgrounds. SO I got to choose the next block.

I picked Buckeye Beauty (easy block that has several neat layout options) and fall fabrics. We draw in August, so just in time for the winner to get some blocks for a Fall Quilt. Here are a few of the ones I made:

A couple of weeks ago I made a bit of an impulse buy... but I think I am going to be pleased I did. I have been toying with the idea of an embroidery machine. I looked at some wonderful ones, but they are way outside my budget. I decided to just let it go and look again next year. Then one night I was looking at Craigslist and came across an add for a basic Brother embroidery machine. A bit of research and I found the seller was asking $100 less than the cheapest retail price I could find. Further inquiries and I learned she was the mom of 2 children.. toddler and infant... bought it 4 months ago with the intention of learning to sew etc. Got in over her head and needed money more. So I bought it.

I finally had time to play with it today. One thing I love is that it has the applique stitch. I have a basic Brother sewing machine (you can see it in the picture too) that I love and have used for 5 years, but it doesn't have the applique stitch. I have not tried the embroidery features yet. That is very new to me, so will take a bit of time and patience on my part.

Hopefully now that summer is winding down, I can get back into some sort of routine and find some quilting time each week!

"Belle"

Finally! Some Time to Sew!

I have been running in circles lately... going here... going there... doing this... doing that... and all this busyness has taken over my sewing time. But this morning I was able to jump into sewing central (a.k.a. the dining room) and get some things done. I worked on 2 projects.

I am working on a tote for church (I want to be able to take 1 bag... no purse... with all my stuff in it!) using the Charm Party pattern I bought a few weeks ago. I swap charms each month with a group on online friends, so I have lots! I planned to use black and white charms, but as I was digging through my charm stash I came across a black fabric with bright pink flowers... I love this fabric! and I am such a pink girl! So I decided to toss some pink into the mix. I have pieced the front and back panels for the tote (they look the same) and I have the inner pockets pieced. And now I am on hold. I need some fusible fleece for the next bit. I will get that on Friday when I am across town near Hancock's.

I have also jumped back into the Quiltville Mystery Quilt... Orange Crush. It isn't a mystery anymore since all the steps have been posted, but still... there is a tad bit of mystery in not knowing how my fabrics will look when all is said and done. I am working on the blocks created in step 4. I have 2 done... 28 to go! The "red" fabric isn't reading true... it is a dark magenta. It really pops in the HSTs with that bright tealish blue.

I realized today that this quilt is a tad reminiscent of some I have from my great-grandmother. She didn't buy fabric for those quilts. She used what she had on hand (usually from clothes or other sewing projects or feed sacks). And she made them for use... utility quilts. This quilt will be a utility quilt. Both my kids travel several times a year with church groups and such to camps and we need some quilts that can be hauled off with them. And all the fabric in my orange crush (which is orangeless) is from my stash. I might purchase fabric for the back.... or I might try my hand at a pieced back... I'll decide that when the time comes.

Back to the sewing machine.... "Belle"