I did - did you?

That's right - I put my scraps to work - did you?

Yes - I got out some of my scraps and decided to make some fun tea wallets from the Zakka book.  Here they are closed with ribbon and buttons:

And here they are opened up and with tea bags inside:

As many of you know, I LOVE sewing small projects and these were great fun to make in assembly-line style!  Picking the fabrics was the hardest and most lengthy part of making these as the pattern is quite easy to follow.  I even got to root through my button tin to find the perfect buttons to use.... oh how I LOVE buttons!!

Did you make anything using your scraps in January?  I will be linking up to Fairy Face Designs.

WiP'ing

If this was a quilt top that you created, how would you quilt it?  By hand, straight, grid on point, stipple all over except in the white areas?  This isn't big so I am totally happy to try my hand at hand quilting a whole quilt but should you hand quilt baby quilts?  Do the stitches last wash after wash?

HELP - I need some ideas on how to make this baby quilt SING!

Linking to WiP Wednesday.

Fabric Fast - January check in

Here we are at the end of the first month of 'fabric fasting'.  How have I done?

Well - I am happy to report to you that I cancelled this month's Stash month even though I am signed up for the year.  I realised I just didn't need 10 fat quarters of designer yellow fabric prints.  That was my sensible and practical side shining through!  Yay for my sensible and practical side!!!

However, I did purchase two Voile Infinity Scarf Kits (which I am allowed to do according to my rules) because these will be sewn into gifts and they were already on my to-do list for 2014. 

Thanks Hadley!

Also, my hand-printed fabric charms from Blueberry Park arrived but they were purchased in 2013 so they don't count and were already accounted for in my rules.

So in summary, I have been a good girl!

So there. 
x

ALYOF January COMPLETE

Yay - it is FINALLY complete!!

It only took two bloomin' years to get this one done and I'm still not in love with it!  Am I allowed to say that?  Who actually admits that they don't like a quilt that they've made?  Hours and hours have been poured into this quilt and even more hours spent trying to ignore it!  I think I'm mostly embarrassed at my non-precise-piecing, or maybe my get-it-done-quick quilting?

Can you believe that this quilt was started in January/February 2012, soon after I went to the first London Modern Quilt Guild meeting. So, it is a GREAT feeling to have it out of the WiP pile and looking for a home - yay!  All of the pictures are before washing and it measures 51 x 70 inches.  I will definietly add some colour catchers in the wash in case any colours decide to run.  Fingers crossed they don't otherwise it will be two years totally wasted!  Here is the back - I love the back!
 

I chose to do some organic straight quilting as you can just see in the picture above which I think works pretty well - much better than the stipple I did on it and ripped out ages ago.

I do love the white binding and my corners - both of those worked out really well.  I can't wait to see it all washed and dried and all scrinkly - that is the best bit of a quilt right!?

But alas, it is done. Yay for me.  One quilt off my to-do list, 13 more to go!

Linking to ALYOF January party
and the 2014 Finish Along finishing party!







Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts and to TGIFF

Put your scraps to work!

These things I know:

• My word for 2014 is "DO".  
• I am a fabricholic and have committed myself to a FABRIC FAST until June 30th and plan to use what I have in the house already -- including my scraps!
• My scraps are sorted by colour and stored in fabric baskets of varying sizes.

I have therefore decided that I will be joining Fairy Face Designs "2014: Put Your Scraps to Work". 

 

All I have to do is make something once a month using my scraps and link it up!  Easy peasy, right?  This is something I can definitely sink my teeth into!  So, what project using scraps shall I "DO" first? [see what I did there?? hahaha]

Happy scrappy Friday!

2014 Quarter 1 FAL list

 

This is my year of FINISHES (I hope!).  I have decided my word is "DO" so I want to 'do' and 'finish' the following projects in the first quarter of 2014:

1.  Mod Sampler quilt - this Oh Fransson sampler quilt needs to be quilted and bound.
DONE - January 2014

2   Simply Solids Bee quilt - need to sash the blocks and sew the top together, baste, quilt and bind.

3.  Lizzy House Meadow quilt - baste, quilt, bind.

4. Mabel Messenger bag - pattern printed, fabric chosen, lining picked, hardware ready.

 

5.  Skirt Bag - pattern printed, fabric chosen [Ikea], lining picked but still need to get the hardware.

  

6.  Doll Quilt Swap 14 - finish this mini quilt for my secret partner.
DONE - January 2014

7.  X-Factor Log Cabin Cushion using text prints - fabrics purchased and zipper waiting!
[no picture as it has to be kept a secret!!!]
DONE - January 2014

8.  Jane Market Bag - fabric is all cut and I just need to sew it together now!!
DONE - February 2014

 

___________________________

I have three months to do these projects - wish me luck!!! 

Linking to The Littlest Thistle.

______________________
UPDATE 2 April 2014:
50% finished!  Yay - I managed to get four things complete!

A Lovely Year of Finishes - January goal

There is a list are SEVERAL lists floating about in my head of ALL the things I want to get done this year but to have ONE HUGE list is kinda overwhelming, no?  So, bit by bit I will work my way through it.  Here is my January goal:

To finally-finally-finally-finally quilt this bloomin' quilt!  I think I have fallen out of love with it.  Definitely.  This quilt was pieced a couple of years ago now and it has been basted, un-basted and re-basted, two thirds stippled quilted, then un-quilted (took 4 days to un-quilt it) and then has been rolled up waiting for some sort of divine intervention to get it finished.  I think this is the month to get 'er done.  Finally...  Once and for all.

This quilt has been on ALL of my to-do lists this past year so I am sure you are sick of seeing it but here it is one last time in an unfinished state

The back:

The front:

Wish me luck!!  Linking to Fiber of All Sorts ALYOF January 2014.

Q4 2013 FAL summary (and one last link up)

Well... I listed 25 things [crazy talk I know] on my Q4 2013 FAL list.  How many did I complete?  I completed SIX of my 25 listed!  Not as many as I thought I could get done but at least it is six things less to drag over to 2014 with me right!?  Here they are:

3.  Shaggy Edge' boy' quilt - cutting is all done, need to sew the 3 layers together for each square then figure out the layout and sew it all together, wash and dry, wash and dry, and wash and dry again!
DONE - and SOLD!

6.  X Factor pillow - cut, sew and submit.  I have the stack of low volume prints already (but I have to keep the rest of the fabric a secret) and I have the pattern - just have to make it now!
DONE - and my recipient loves it!

7.  "Winter" themed mini quilt - design, sew and submit.
DONE - hard to photograph the hand stitching and silver metallic thread french knots but here it is

8.  "I love London" Noodlehead Divided Basket - finish this project as it has been cut out waiting for me to sew it for far too long.
DONE - yay finally!

23.  A STACK [and I mean a HUGE STACK] of orphan blocks including R2D2, a butterfly, some red mugs, loads of log cabins, solids blocks and these double wonky churns.
DONE - plus I donated 9 blocks to a lady named Barb so she can use them in charity quilts!

**And finally, my last finished entry for the linkup:

24.  Trim the Tree Ornaments - complete four ornaments

DONE - and I made more than four!  Once I started I couldn't stop!  I love handmade Christmas ornaments!

Linking to the Q4 2013 FAL at She Can Quilt and busy preparing my Q1 list.  THANK YOU Leanne for hosting 2013's finish a along! 

Another Q4 2013 FAL finish

Yay another finish to link up to She Can Quilt and the Q4 2013 FAL.  In my original list, goal number 23 was to do something with a stack of orphan blocks that have lingered for far too long!  So, I decided to turn the butterfly into an Open Wide Pouch:

When looking through all my orphan blocks, the lovely R2D2 jumped out at me and said 'pouch' so I decided that he should be made into a drawstring pouch:

Here are the backs of these two pouches:

I also gave nine blocks away to a lady named Barb.  You see, after reading my blog post about my 'Fabric Fast', she suggested that I could send her any unfinished projects or blocks so she could finish them and incorporate them into a quilt and donate what she makes to charity!  I jumped at the suggestion and sent her nine of my poor orphan blocks that I KNEW I would never use.  I also sent her a couple of fq's and some scraps.  Good effort Barb :)

This means that 11 orphan blocks now a new mom life - yay!  Happy days!

So long, farewell 2013 - hello 2014

2013 certainly went by very quickly!  I managed to create more 'works-in-progress' than finishing the ones I already had.  That's me - a serial-starter!  Not much was crossed off my to-do list so 2014 WILL be the year of FINISHING... I hope!

Despite not crossing things off some of my many to-do lists, I still managed to sew lots of schtuff!!  I tried to create some mosaics with themes so I could make sense of it all.  Here we go:

Bags/pouches/baskets etc:

 
Small projects:

Pillows/cushions:

Mini quilts:

Bee blocks:

 

Needlebooks/pincushions:

_____________________________________

2013 Highs

• Hand printed swap - I made my own screen printed design and printed my own fabric!  I received some really cool hand printed fabric back too!  Printing is something I definitely want to do more of in the next few years.
• Cushions - I have resisted until this year to make cushions but they are so much fun (and highly addictive)!  
• Paper piecing - I LOVE to paper piece now and will continue to get better and better the more I sew! 
• Receiving amazing prizes from some very generous people - thank you to everyone who shared!!  
• The blog has been a great way to share my crafty shenanigans and to receive encouragement.  It has also been a great place to make friendships so thank you for following and making me smile! 

2013 Lows

• I only managed to completely finish three quilts and two of these were projects carried over from 2012.  On a positive note, I did manage to sew up 4 quilt tops plus I have one quilt ready to quilt.  This is all good, I realise that, but the fact that I still have 14 quilts in varying degrees of progress is sad.  I will try harder to finish what I start before moving to the next shiny thing!
• I made something like 48 bee blocks in 2013.  What this means is that it was time spent away from sewing my own quilts (I'll use any excuse!!).  Great experience though but I will be pleased to have fewer bee blocks to make each month in 2014.

 _____________________________________

All in all it was a good sewing year.  I happily close the door to 2013 and skip across the threshold of 2014 full of motivation, good intentions and hope.  2014 is the year I turn 40 so I have several personal goals to work on as well!   What crazy sewing targets and goals will I set myself for 2014? 

2014 Goals

1. Six month fabric fast - use what I have indoors
2. Work on WiP's and PhD's before starting something new
3. Join fewer swaps, finish up the bees I'm in
4. Learn to take better pictures for the blog
5. Re-vamp my blog

And there you have it!!!  I hope you all had a great 2013 and are looking forward to the new year.  Happy sewing!