Finish It Up- Two Weeks In!

I finished my Modern Meadow quilt top!  Yay!  I have been planning this quilt for two years ever since I saw this beautiful quilt here.  This is the Turning Twenty pattern (although I used thirty fat quarters for mine to make a queen size).

I originally wanted to use Good Folks just like the quilt I was inspired by, but I decided it just was too bright for my bedroom.  I received the entire Modern Meadow collection for my birthday last year from my wonderful family, and I knew that it was the perfect fabric.

Now over a whole year later the top is done, and I love it!  It is so big it was hard to get a good picture of it! I am thinking of getting this one long arm quilted by my friend, Lynn.  It is just so huge and the thought of quilting this beast makes me groan a bit.  However, maybe if I quilted it lattice style?  Still debating!

Right now I will just rejoice in its completion!

I can not believe the second week of the challenge is already over!  I have a feeling this summer is going to go by way too fast.  I finished my maxi dress as well last weekend, but I have to say that it was a bit of a fail.  The neckline is just soooo low.  I could probably go back and fix it, but I think I am just going to use it as a swim suit cover up and call it good for now.  

So here is how my list is looking!

1. Ruffle Clutch- Finished!
2. Inset Clutch
3. Coaster Set
4. Maxi Dress- Finished!
5. Sienna Dress
6. Swoon Mini Quilt- Finished!
7. Modern Meadow Quilt- Quilt Top Done!
8. 9 Patch Quilt
9. Pinwheel Blocks
10. Fussy Cut Bee Blocks
11. PJ Bottoms
12. Men's Shirt

I think I am going to try and finish up my nine patch quilt this week and maybe the other clutch on my list depending on my motivation!

So how was your second week?  Make good progress?  I can already feel my motivation lagging a bit, but when I finish something off and cross it off the list it feels so good!

Finish It Up- How was your first week?

So how did this week go?  Did you have any finishes? Make progress on any of those quilts?  This has been such a busy week and a HOT one as well!  We have had temperatures over 100 almost all week, and the girls have been at Vacation Bible School.  I have been running around in the heat, and by the end of the day I have been sooo tired!

So here is my second finish of the week!  A ruffle clutch!

This is what I had started with!  

Now I have this super cute clutch that is just perfect for a gift I need!  I used this pattern by Sweet Pea Totes.  It went together well, except I somehow sewed the pocket wrong side up.  I ended up just taking it off since the thought of having to rip this all apart just wasn't doing it for me!

Didn't it turn out cute?

Here is my list again!

1. Ruffle Clutch- Finished!
2. Inset Clutch
3. Coaster Set
4. Maxi Dress
5. Sienna Dress
6. Swoon Mini Quilt- Finished!
7. Modern Meadow Quilt- PROGRESS!
8. 9 Patch Quilt
9. Pinwheel Blocks
10. Fussy Cut Bee Blocks
11. PJ Bottoms
12. Men's Shirt


So I finished a clutch, a mini quilt, and all of my blocks for my queen sized Modern Meadow Quilt are now cut out!  I had really hoped to have my maxi dress finished by today as well, so I am hoping to get to it tonight!

So how did YOU do?  Link up with any finishes or progress that you have made! (I will leave the linky open all week, so that you can all have some time!)  If you don't have a blog, then check in at the Flickr group or comments! It has been so much fun to see people getting excited about finishing up some of their projects!  Remember:  one project at a time!  You can do it!

//Swoon Mini Quilt//

So I finished my first project!  I thought with every finish I would show the picture of what I started with at the beginning of the challenge.  So this is what I had last week.  Some squares and rectangles of some Good Folks.

This is what I have today!  Yay!  This is a mini quilt I made for a friend who really likes Anna Maria Horner.

The pattern is from Camille Roskelly's Swoon pattern, which was all over Pinterest a few weeks ago.  I really liked the pattern, but I wasn't too tempted to buy it until I saw Tracey's super sweet baby girl version.

I looked at the pattern and saw that you only needed two fat quarters, and I had just found these two fat quarters behind the baby's changing table.  How they got there...I know not.  I do have suspicions though. ;0)  I kept the quilting simple since this was such a bold block, especially with these fabric choices.  I would love to make a whole quilt out of this pattern.  However, I would definitely choose smaller prints as I think it would look better.  I couldn't get one of diamond prints to go in the right direction, and it drives me nuts that it is facing the wrong way!

For the back I used my favorite print from this line.  I just love how delicate and intricate this print is.  For the binding I used an orange and pink dot from Heather Bailey's Bijoux line.  I had a yard of this fabric that I bought a couple of years ago, and I can't tell you how many different projects it has ended up in.  It is amazing how far you can stretch a yard!

I added a little tag with my initials stamped on the bottom.

Hopefully, the new owner will love it!

Here is to many more finishes!

Linking up to Fabric Tuesday at Quiltstory!

Thank you!

Thank you so much for the wonderful response to the Finish It Up!  Challenge.  I have already found lots of new blogs to follow, and it is fun to see what everyone is working on!  Here are some of the projects in the Flickr group.  If you haven't joined in the challenge yet, please feel free to do so at anytime over the summer!

1. WIP, 2. Hex Quilt for Finish it up!, 3. DSCN1939, 4. Scrappy Spider Web, 5. rainbow WIP, 6. Final Block for Embroider Bee, 7. Jane Market Bag, 8. Murph and the blocks, 9. Completed "Dream Big" top, 10. HR Munki Munki log cabin - for me!, 11. I'm stuck and need quilting ideas, 12. Climbling Jacob's Ladder

I also received my bag from The Goodie Bag Swap this weekend.  I received this big, lovely bag from Amanda over at A Crafty Fox!  I asked for something neutral and large, and she did just that!  Plus, she sent me some amazing scraps and a charm pack!

I love this side detail of the bag!

I also received this pouch from the Pretty Little Pouch Swap last month, but never posted about it here on the blog.  My partner for this swap was Chickenjulie, who was actually my partner last year in the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap.  She was the one I made this mug rug for.  So funny how what comes around, goes around!      She made this zakka inspired pouch that has a laminate lining!  It has such lovely details and right now I am using it store my embroidery floss.

52 Weeks:: Week 2

I almost forgot to do my entry for Week 2 of the List Challenge!  We were in Rome during Christmas of 2008, so here is a list of things I learned.




What I learned in Rome...


1. Have change.  I have never been scowled at so fiercely by cashiers then when in Rome.  It was explained to me that stores didn't go to the bank everyday, so they preferred exact change if possible.  How do you do that when you have cash fresh from the ATM? ;0)

2.  History, history, history surrounds you: in the buildings, in the streets, in the churches, in the people.  Ah-mazing. 

Blessed Anne Marie Tagli

3.  You can see incorruptibles.  They are just hanging out there in tiny churches.  People pass by them all the time and don't say anything.  Wow.


4.  Tiny little shots of espresso...very addicting.

5.  You walk almost everywhere.  This part I really liked.  It makes you feel so much more connected to your surroundings.  (However, my husband claims not to have liked carrying a heavy baby on his back.  Imagine that!)

St. Maria Trastavere

Beautiful statue of St. Cecilia.

6.  The art.  The paintings and statues and architecture.  So overwhelmingly beautiful.

7.  I like having one word for hi and goodbye! 

8.  We could only find a tiny Christmas tree!  This was Juliana's Christmas tree. She loved it.

Finish It Up- What's your plan?

Welcome to our first check in for the Finish It Up Challenge!  Find more info about this challenge here and feel free to jump in at any time this summer!

So here are all of my half way or (barely started) projects!  Lately I have found that they have really grown!  Yikes!  I often will cut things out while the kids are awake and sew at night.  However, with summer starting I haven't had much time for any sewing and have to catch up with my cutting and dreaming and planning.  I wish I could always keep up with all my sewing day dreams!

  

 1.  Two cut out clutches!   One I started this past Christmas for a teacher gift and changed my mind.  The other I started sewing at the same time as my pouch for the Pretty Pouch Swap.

 2.  Coaster set- I started this for a swap about six months ago and decided it wasn't my partner's style.  All I need to do is finish the bottom!

3.  One Sienna dress started for Juliana and one maxi dress started for me!  The Sienna dress I messed up on the applique and then lost interest.  The maxi dress I needed navy blue thread to finish it off.  I now have some!

4.  Some Good Folks I cut out for a mini quilt or pillow (haven't decided yet!) for a friend who is a big Anna Maria Horner fan.

5.  Modern Meadow!  This is the very beginning of a quilt for my bed.  This is going to be a Turning Twenty quilt, and I am hoping to get it long arm quilted.

6.  9 patch quilt-  This one is shameful!  This is my nine patch quilt from Crazy Mom Quilts two years ago!  I couldn't decide what to do for the back and have been stalled out ever since.  This was my second quilt top I ever made!

7.  Pinwheel Sampler Quilt Blocks-  I finished the blocks P.S. I Quilt's Pinwheel Sampler, and while I liked each individual block...I made it too scrappy.  They just didn't go together well.  So I hope to donate some, and use some for mini projects!

8.  Blocks from the Fussy Cut Bee-  I love these blocks!  I need to make a quilt from them!

9.  PJ Bottoms-  These turned out so weird!  I don't know what I did wrong, but the waist is so gigantic, and they look like giant granny panties.  These need to be reworked!

10. Men's Shirt-  I started this shirt for my husband two years ago right before we moved back to California.  I lost interest and was going to just ditch this project.  However, when I mentioned this challenge to him, he brought up this shirt being finished!  Woops.

So, here is my plan.  I don't think I can finish these all this summer.  I do hope to get most of them done though.  Some should only take an hour to finish and others will take a week or longer.  Next week my girls are going to Vacation Bible School, and I am hoping to crank through some of the smaller projects during that time to help me feel pumped up about crossing things off the list!  Then it is on to the bigger, more involved projects!


So what unfinished projects are you planning on completing?  Do you have one big project in mind to complete?  Some?  All?!?!   

Link up and share!  I will be leaving this linky open throughout the weekend to give people time to come up with their plan of attack.  If you don't have a blog, please feel free to let us know in the comments or in the thread in the Flickr group!

Finish It Up Challenge- Come join In!

Earlier this year I had the great inspiration to try and finish up all my projects that I have left unfinished (aka WIPs).  I did great up to a point, but I lost steam and got distracted *gasp*!  However, now my half finished pile has grown once more, and I am determined this summer to get most of these finished up!  

I find it is always better when you have friends supporting and encouraging each other along.  So, I thought I would issue a summer challenge to anyone with some sewing projects that need to be taken care of!  From now until August 15th lets work on getting these once beloved projects their finishing touches!

• First, gather all your WIPs and take a count!  A WIP is anything that has at least been cut into.  It could be a quilt, clothing, home decor, or accessory item!  If it is just fabric and a pattern, it isn't a WIP yet!
• Decide what needs to be done to get them finished.  Maybe that queen sized quilt top should be sent to a long arm quilter?  That dress you were sure was going to be so cute but wasn't...maybe it is time to make it a skirt or at least save what fabric you can!  Some quilt blocks can be donated...find a charity!  Your windows are still rather bare because the curtains you started three months ago are languishing in a dark corner.
• Come join in and leave a comment letting me know what your plans are and join the Flickr group to share pictures and lend support!
• Commit to spending at least once a week working on one of these projects!  I am not going to say that you shouldn't start anything new because sometimes inspiration strikes, and well...two months is a long time!  This is just supposed to be fun and help clear out some of those skeletons in the closet.

• So grab a button and come back this Friday for a linky party!  I will be sharing all my WIPs, and I would love to see what you are planning on working on as well!

Convertible Bag Complete!

I finally finished my bag for The Goodie Bag Swap!  *whew*  I have never cut it so close in a swap before.  I had plans on getting it done last week, but after my after my wrist got hurt I took some time off sewing.  Luckily, it is healing really well, although it still hurts to move it in some directions.  Then we had a big family reunion this weekend, but we got home yesterday afternoon, the baby napped, and I put this bag together lickety split.

I did switch it up a bit from my first version.  I realized my first was way too tall and took off about two and half inches for this one.  I made the adjustable strap two sided to add some more contrast, and I lengthened the tabs on the side of the bag, so that they went all the way down the side.

The overall construction of this bag is very simple, so I tried to add lots of fun details.  I used (fake) leather for the bottom.  I added rivets to both the long and short straps.  My mom got me this fun tool called the Crop-a-dile for my birthday which made putting in the rivets much easier. It is supposed to work for snaps and eyelets as well!  I also added some teal piping to the top edge, which I think adds just the right amount of color.

For the shorter handles I used some leather straps.  I found that on the first version I made of this that I use the shorter straps almost just as much as I use the longer adjustable strap.  It really is convenient to just grab the shorter handles when you are jumping out of the car and use the longer strap for when I am carrying it around for a long period.

On the inside I put in a zipper pocket, a large outer pocket, a magnetic snap, and a key fob.  Both the outside and inside fabrics are some of my favorites from Anna Maria Horner's home dec line, Drawing Room.  Here is hoping this bag is what my partner wanted!

I am still considering making this my first pattern, but I am concerned that maybe it is too simple?  What do you think?

Linking up with Quilt Story for Fabric Tuesday and Tea Rose Home Wednesday Link Party!

I Wish...

I finished my nephew's quilt a couple of days ago...finally!  I started it right after he was born.  I used the Kitchen Windows block in Elizabeth Hartman's Practical Guide to Patchwork.  I was really excited to cut into these Castle Peep fabrics, and I was really loving it all.  However, once I put three of these blocks together all I could see was "GREEN!".  It bugged me, and I didn't know what to do about it.  So I just didn't touch it.  

However, my brother's family is visiting right now, and I really wanted to finish it up to give it to them in person.  So I decided just to make four blocks and add some white sashing.  I was left with a square, and I was going to add more white sashing but decided just to add some strips to the top and bottom. I really like the look, although I am thinking that maybe I should have added some more white to the sides because it still looks slightly unbalanced to me.  However, I am pleased with how it turned out for the most part.

I didn't add any batting this quilt.  All I did was use minky for the back.  I love how soft and flowy it makes this quilt.  It doesn't feel stiff at all, and I think it is just perfect for a baby.  It did make free motion quilting a little tricky.  The minky seemed to stick, and I really had to pull at it more to make it work.

I added the binding on by machine because we just did a little class on binding at our modern quilt guild meeting and felt a little more confident after learning a few tips.  Love how fast and quick it made finishing the quilt up!  

I finished this quilt Tuesday morning and was having such a great productive day (I wish today was going well!), when I decided I needed to clean out my fridge a bit.  I had a run in with a jelly jar, and I ended up slicing my wrist.  A little jaunt to the urgent care, and I got all stitched up.  It wasn't really bothering me yesterday, but today all I can think about is how sore and itchy it is.  Such is life!





I decided to join in on Don't Call Me Betsy's Kaleidoscope quilt-a-long for my next quilt!  I have always wanted to make one of these, and I have the perfect set of fat quarters!

52 Weeks: Week 1

I found this list challenge over at On The Brink of Something Beautiful through Angela.  52 lists for 52 weeks!  I thought it was a fun challenge, and it didn't involve sewing!  (It is hard sometimes to always have to sew something in order to blog!)  I have always loved making lists since I was a kid.  I loved making lists of all the books I read over the summer, and I made schedules for my days and impressed all my friends' moms.  I still make lists: on my giant white board, stuck to my fridge, on my inspiration board, on the iPhone, and often on random receipts found in my purse.  I am thinking it would be fun to make a little notetaker for this challenge.  I have made several of them from Kathy's Notetaker pattern as gifts (and this tutorial looks really cute too!), but I have never made one for myself. 

Also, I must admit that my Sundays don't always look so productive.  Often they go more like: go to church, make breakfast for hungry, grumpy children, and then recover from previous two activities.  Luckily, the girls went to their Grams' house after church for a special breakfast and cousin playing. ;0p

Now I am off to start on my giant pot of chili!  What are you doing today?!

Meg's Super Simple Summer Mug Rug

The Bakersfield Modern Quilt Guild had its first swap!  We decided to swap mug rugs with the theme of "Summer".  I had all sort of plans to make something ah-mazing.  I just didn't know what, and for some reason inspiration just never struck.  So finally I just picked up some of my leftover Dream On scraps and sat down at the sewing machine.

I was inspired by Jeni's Scrappy Stack Mug Rug, which she has a tutorial for here.  Although, I used fewer strips and made them a little bigger.

I used this fun green floral print for the back. I love how the quilting turned out on this one!  Quilting is so much fun on little things like this.  As simple as it was, I do love how it turned out!  

The mug rug I received was made by Nancy.  Anyone who reads my blog is aware of my daughters' obsessions with rainbows, and kites have been on Juliana's mind as well of late.  So it was just perfect for them!

Here is the group with all their newly swapped mug rugs!

The weekend is here!  I love short four day weeks!  My weekend is going to be full of BBQs, dance rehearsals, sewing, and family!  Hope you have a good weekend planned as well!

Linking up to Amy's Sew and Tell!