Quilting in February

Slowly getting back into the swing of things and carving out some time for quilting.  I have had a bag full of t-shirts waiting to become a t-shirt quilt for over a year.  These belong to our daughter's fella, but the quilt isn't for him.. it's for her. I hit the ground running and got the top made and then hubs used his mad quilting skills to get it quilted in time for her birthday (Feb 14.. she's our best Valentine!) She loved it.. knew she would.  :-)  I love how hubs quilted it. I even love that he didn't use invisible thread this time. 

I also start a baby quilt for a little one due in April.  Here is are the blocks put together. Just need to add a border or two and the top is done.

"Belle"

Finishing up 2010....

My sewing area is also our dining room... my dream is to have an actual sewing studio one day where everything is together and I never have to take it down for holidays and such.. but in the meantime I thank God I have the space I do!

So sewing for 2010 has pretty much been wrapped up as Sewing Central is now a Winter Wonderland. Here are some pix of the final projects of the year... at least those done by machine.. I still have handwork to do (Thanks goodness!)

My son has been dating a young lady for close to a year now... sweet girl... a keeper! She mentioned last summer that she wanted a t-shirt quilt. I said "Bring me some shirts and I will work on one for you."  Well she brought them and that sat here all summer long!  I finally started working on them a month of so ago... and now the quilt is all done and I love it!  I did the prepping and piecing... sweet hubby did the quilting. I knew I did not want to tackle it!  He used "invisible" thread for the top.. first time to use it.  I love the pattern he used.. a basic straight line pattern, but it created a cool pattern. There is a close up photo, but it doesn't really show it as well as I would like.

I also whipped up another Pin Cushion Organizer. This one is for a dear friend... not a Christmas present.. just a happy... cause she deserves it!  I am a pink and green girl, so this one is difficult to part with!

Sigh... sewing central is down for 2010... time to start planning 2011 projects. I have no doubt I will vow to finish up all my UFOs... and then won't! LOL!  That seems to be the norm.  I actually know 2 projects off the bat.. 2 baby quilts.. a jungle themed one for a boy due in April and one for a girl due in March. Maybe I can decide on patterns and fabrics over the next few weeks.

Happy Christmas Y'all!

"Belle"

Quilty Saturday!

Today has been a very quilty day! Worked this week on a t-shirt quilt I am making for my son's girlfriend. It was supposed to be her birthday present but I missed that deadline!  I would LOVE to post pix, but she might look here and see, so I will have to do that after Christmas. I will say it looks great! Cannot wait until it is all quilted and done.

I found some blocks and fabric that I started some time ago for a quilt for a little boy. For some reason, I don't remember why, I abandoned it and did something else. So I ironed everything out. And am going to finish up the blocks and make the quilt for a little boy due in late November.  The fabric is a vintage cowboy theme. Really cute!

I am also working on a pincushion/thread catcher thingie. I made one for myself earlier this year (see A Happy For Myself ) and love it. I use it all the time when working on my GFG quilt.  I am making another one for a quilting friend.  The fabrics are ironed and ready for me to cut (once I get off the computer).

Hubby and I basted a quilted today. Last year I won some lottery blocks .... a group of quilty friends have a quilt lottery every quarter. The blocks I won are mini-bowties made with 30s repros. I put them together.. added a couple of borders and a flange. (see Happy Quilt Day )  Looks so good!  Hubby (the Mad Quilter) is going to quilt it for me. I cannot wait to see it done. It will be lovely on the couch this spring!

That same group of friends (the absolute best Quilt buddies ever!) do a Mystery Swap Box thing every so often. Someone gets a box and over time fills it with fun quilty stuff (and usually a few non-quilty things that she knows we will like). These can be new or things she already has but doesn't use or no longer needs. Once full, she mails it off to one of us. We go through the box.. pick up to 6 things to keep and add 6 new things.  It is a lot of fun to see what folks put in and what they take. SO here are the 6 goodies I got took from the box today...

There were 3 cute patterns that I just loved (well more than 3 but I am limited to how much I can keep!)...

I also took a cute little magnetic notepad with matching magnet. I love those things. Poor Hubby... he dreams of a day when the refrigerator has nothing on it. For that to happen he will have to outlive me! :-)

I am not a huge fan of this next pattern for a fall table topper BUT I really love the fabric. The photo does not do it justice!

And the last thing I kept is a Quilt Panel...

I love Snowmen and Red Birds!  This will make a cute Christmas quilt.

It was an exhausting task! If you don't believe me just ask Mac...

and Mia...

They are such great helpers!

I put some wonderful things back into the box.. but I cannot share what they are. My quilt buddies read my blog and that would spoil the surprise!

Back to Quilt Land!

"Belle"

Whole lot of quilting NOT going on....

Seems life has been flying in a zillion directions lately... add that to extreme heat and humidity... and you find a quilter too tired to quilt!  That is a sad thing.  I have continued to get some flowers made for my GFG and am working on piecing another section together. And I have 2 other projects in the works...

First... I worked on some blocks for a quilt being made for a friend with cancer. This is the Starflower Block found at Quilter's Cache. I love the way it looks and it really isn't a difficult block... this from someone who hates matching up points with triangles!  My friend loves calicoes, so that is the fabric being used. I am not a huge calico fan, so don't have a lot on hand... and what I do is pink and green (Gee, I wonder why! LOL!) I think the blocks I whipped up this weekend turned out well..

Second, I will soon start cutting those t-shirts below to make a t-shirt quilt for my son's girlfriend. I have made one other t-shirt quilt in my 6 years as a quilter. Love how they turn out, but whew!  they are work.... she is worth it and I have an idea to do something a little different, at least different for me, so that is motivating me.

See the GFGs in the picture? They are coming along. I need to make more white ones!

I have several other projects I NEED to get started and more than I can list that I want to do!

Our temps are still high, but the humidity has dropped.. so maybe my energy will come back and I will get motivated to spend more time in Sewing Central getting things done!

Keep Stitchin'

"Belle"