2011 in review

It's been a crazy year, but a good one.  Mixed in with it all, I completed quite a few quilts, so I thought I'd make some fun collages to share.  Yeah, I know lots of others are doing it, but it does make one feel quite satisfied to sit with a pile of photos knowing you've made all of that - start to finish.

Most recently shown, there were Christmas quilts:

Not to be outdone by wedding/anniversary quilts:

There were quite a few baby quilts this year - 4 boys:

(and I'm sure 2012 won't be a big change from there - I already know I'll have another niece come May!)

A few quilts donated to charity:

Relay for Life (top) and Quilts for Kids (bottom)

I made a couple of wall-hangings and both went to my mom this time:

(she loved them both)

A few odds and ends of projects that aren't entirely quilts:

There were also 8 UFOs completed into tops (which I am considering done until I decide what to do with them):

And last but not least, a quilt for me!

(this is on my couch and gets used regularly!)

It looks like a lot, but I never felt frantic about finishing anything.  I'm a planner and I work best with a deadline and every one of these projects, except the one for me, had a deadline.  Whether self-imposed (the UFO challenge) or not (you can't put off a baby for a month because his quilt isn't done!), it got me busy and they all got finished.  On time.  I wasn't even sewing labels on while the hubby drove to wherever it was we were going to give the quilt away!  (Yes, I've done that - makes me horribly carsick - lesson learned.)

If you want more info on any of the quilts, I've listed them in the "2011 finishes" list on my left sidebar (they're all links to posts).  Or you can leave a comment and, so long as I have a way to answer, I'll answer.

I hope you all had a wonderfully productive year, however you measure it, and will have an even better 2012.

Happy New Year!

Katie

the last UFO of 2011

Though the officially assigned UFO for this month was my Garden Variety quilt, I finished that quite early this month...thanks to working ahead in other months.

With that completion, I'd finished 11 of 12 tasks for the 2011 UFO Challenge.  I was feeling pretty good about what I had finished, but still a bit guilty for not finishing that one last project.  I didn't want to get so close and not finish.

I've been putzing along, working a little here and a little there, but I think dreading the set-in seams kept me working at an even slower rate on this Lone Star-Whig Rose quilt.  But I've had the last few days off and decided it was time to dig in and finish the top.  I knew I could do it - the appliques were nearly done and the star was together before the challenge started - I just needed to DO it!

There are 4 squares and 4 triangles that get sewn into the star to make it square.  The squares have been done a while and the triangles were getting there. 

After about a whole season of Desperate Housewives (yay Netflix!), I got this far this afternoon and tried to call my mom to see what she was doing tomorrow.  (Maybe talk her into sewing these into the star?)  She didn't answer and I couldn't sit still knowing I was so close, so I took a chance on waking up the sleeping hubby and started sewing.

(After a quick google search on just how to sew these silly things in there!)

I got this far and Emma decided she was S-T-A-R-V-I-N-G.  She's fed canned food twice a day and has crunchies all the time, but when it gets near mealtime, you'd think she was dying.  I think each corner got worse and maybe it was because I had "help," but I think it was just beginner's luck.

We have a finish!

And it lays flat!

Guessing it measures about 50" square.  (= lazy)

Now what to do with it?

It was started to be a wedding/anniversary gift for my brother-in-law, but that marriage ended more than 7 years ago (yep, it's been a UFO for a while).  I've thought about giving it to my ex-sister-in-law because maybe she deserves it, but I'm not sure she'd want it.  I've also debated donating it for some sort of raffle fund-raiser, but many of us know how poorly those often do.  Any ideas?  (Yes, yes, I know you'd all be happy if I shipped it to your house...)

So let's review where I started in January:

8 projects needing finishing, divided into 12 months of tasks.  (Don't be fooled by the one in the upper right - it's a photo of the quilt from the pattern and was a kit I ordered in the process of making the 2011 blog post-list!)

And now we have:

8 finished tops! 
(Oops - I got the wrong photo in there of the Lone Star-Whig Rose, but you've seen the one above and know it's finished, right?!)

I'm pretty darn proud of myself for getting them all done, though a little surprised that none of them have been quilted and given away yet!

(One I do have plans for, but don't need it until July, so you know I'll be finishing it IN July!)

Now I'm truly ready for the 2012 challenge.

Bring it on, Judy!

In a day or two, I'm going to put together a few more collages to show what else I got done this year because though the list is shorter than it was for 2011, the projects are bigger!  And it's fun to see them all together.  Makes me feel super productive.

Happy quilting!

Katie

Adrian's star flower quilt

This Christmas was so much fun because I got to give away two quilts!  The second went to my 7-year-old niece, Adrian - the one who wants so badly to learn to quilt.

Once she finally got it out of the bag (it was a tight fit!), she liked it.  Her comment was "Yay, now I have one that's not been barfed on."  I'm not exactly sure the back story on that, but since the only other quilt she has is her baby quilt, received before she was born, I can make a guess.  I think her mom liked it more, or at least appreciated it more.

This started out as a semi-impulse buy while on a shop hop in the northern portion of my state.  It was a kit with a pattern, intended to be 3x3 stars.  Though I figured and worried over how much extra fabric to buy (and did buy), the kit actually had enough for everything and only the smaller flowers used in the borders were used to make it big enough for her twin-sized bed.

Many months ago, we started here...

...with a bunch of pieces that made me think of fruit slices.

And then there was the quilting...

...with just a tease for a photo when I was finished.

Now I want to show you a photo of how I quilted the blocks!

It was hard to get the lighting right for a good photo, so I hope you can see it in this.  (Probably I shouldn't have waited until 3 minutes before it had to go in the gift bag to do this?)  I believe the shop sample was quilted in a similar manner, but I can't remember for sure.

The important (but less interesting) info:

pattern: "Star Power"

by: Tracey Brookshier

fabric/kit: "Fun Flowers" by Lakehouse Dry Goods

size: 70"x90" (approximately)

I asked my niece if she would keep her room neat and tidy and her bed made every day so she could look at her new, awesome quilt.  That earned me the "you've GOT to be kidding" look...funny kid.

I hope to have one more quilty finish this year - the Whig Rose/Lone Star quilt - and I'm plugging away at it.  The applique really is quite close, but getting those set-in corners into the star portion of the quilt...does it count if I have my mom help?  I had planned to use this as a learning opportunity, but since I'm down to the wire and did everything else myself, I think I'll try to talk her into letting me watch her and learn a little that way!

Happy quilting!

Katie

Alora's MSU quilt

Merry Christmas!

Today I FINALLY gave away two quilts I've been working on for quite a while.  You've seen bits and pieces of them as I've been working, but now I finally get to show off the whole thing.

First I'll show off my hubby's favorite: Alora's MSU quilt.

My niece, Alora, is a HUGE Michigan State University fan.  She also has just one quilt from me, so I decided to change that with a late-night design inspiration.

I had this pieced and into a top in record time, but I was really excited about it, so it was easy to keep going. 

I hit a small bit of trouble when I found out her bed is a double, not a twin, but since it was already rather wide, those checkerboards on the side fixed things right up.

I showed this sneak peak when I had finished quilting it a few weeks ago, and it's the only photo close-up of the quilting (oops!).  Most of it is in the ditch or 1/4" on either side.  I wanted to keep it simple since there's a lot going on in the quilt itself.

And finally, since Christmas was hosted at her dad's house (my brother-in-law), the quilt got put to use immediately!

Can you guess she was really excited?

She's spending the night tonight with her cousins and had to be told no, she couldn't take the quilt with her to their house!

I also gave away the Star Flower quilt this afternoon, but will save that for another post.

I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday.  I have to work tomorrow (Monday), but then have the rest of the week off thanks to rolling holidays.  I plan to work on the Whig Rose applique and HOPE to get it all sewn together so I can start the new year with all my 2011 UFOs completed.

Happy quilting,

Katie

PS If you're looking for a good dip-appetizer recipe, try this Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip.  It gets a bit runny, so use a big plate, but it's REALLY good!  (Sorry no photo - I put it together at my parents and didn't have my camera along.)

2012 ufo challenge - my list

Last year Judy L, via her blog, Patchwork Times, put out a challenge to finish up unfinished projects.  I joined and did quite well.  She's planning to do it again this year and so am I!

This year took a bit more digging to find projects that were buried deeper and I'm not sure how many I'll actually finish (last year I took it a bit easy), but my goal for this year is to at least work on the projects every month and finishing will be a bonus, because some of them require a LOT of work...probably why they're UFOs!

So the deal (for those of you who don't already know): dig out your UFOs, number them.  Each month Judy will randomly choose a number and the project with that number is the one to work on.  It's kinda like having random homework assignments and I know I do better with a goal in mind, so this is perfect for me!

Now don't you fret - the sister-in-law who is pregnant will still get a baby quilt though it's not on this list.  And the 30-year-old brother-in-law with his first serious girlfriend will also get a quilt if a situation arises that requires one.  But this will keep me quilting without starting anything new that I don't need in between those times.  At least one can hope.

Enough reading, right?  Time for the list...with photos (and after a camera battery change, I have them all!)...and excuses stories why they're still not done...

#1 Rose of Sharon quilt

I don't like hand quilting.  I think that says enough about why this has been around since about 1999.

#2 Charles Wysocki cat cross stitch

Counting for counted cross stitch is apparently not my strong point.  I got off by a few and this densely-stitched project got set aside.  I'm GOING to fix it one way or another.

#3 Felt Christmas stocking

I 'm not even sure why I started this.  Blanket stitching takes a while.  Lexie likes to help with the thread (in a not-so-good way), but I'll get this done.  Then what?

#4 Sheet inspiration

This is the flat sheet from my favorite set of childhood sheets.  I snagged it with the intention of using it for a quilt back.  (Cause the fitted sheet was worn through.)  That's as far as I got.  This year I want to finish that idea.

#5 "Please Don't Eat the Daisies"

So the pattern takes a special border fabric - check.  The rest of the quilt...um...no check...  (Darn those quilt show vendors!)

#6 When Children Dream

Boy was I ambitious when I started this.  I've got a few blocks done and I'm thinking they may become a wall-hanging and call it good.  We'll see...that's a lot of pieces!

#7 Toad in a Puddle - Asian Style

I love the Asian kitty fabric in there (center bottom - tan background) and planned to make a quilt for my guest room bed.  Then realized I didn't have enough of the white-on-off-white (with the Chinese characters) and looked high and low and couldn't find more.  I bought an alternate, started cutting, and decided I didn't like it.  Time to find an alternative I like or suck it up and use the other one.

#8 Lily Field rescue

This UFO is definitely my most recent one.  And it's technically not even mine...well, now it is (story here) and I really, really want to finish this in honor of the quilter who couldn't.  Let's hope everything I need is in there!

#9 Adorable Puppies

So I bought this kit, planning to have a baby quilt in reserve.  But we all know (well, you do now) that I'm not good without a deadline, so here it sits.  Maybe I'll make this pattern, maybe not.  But those fabrics are too cute to sit on a shelf.

#10 Giddy fabric and Twister ruler

Once again...no deadline = no finish.  I need to do more reserach about that Twister and decide if that turqouise matches well enough with the charm pack, but I hope to get at least a baby-size quilt out of this.

#11 Family names embroidery

I intended this to be a family reunion quilt for my cousin who hosted my mom's family reunion this year.  Other details of life got in the way and my mom made one too, but I would like to finish this.  Then maybe my cousin will get two quilts...

#12 Vintage Homestead panel

Can you say impulse buy?  I bought only the panel (pattern was free) and now what will I do?  Perhaps when Judy draws #12, I'll decide to gift this to someone who will use it!  Maybe I'll be ambitious enough to make it - it probably would look nice in my old farmhouse...I wonder how my mom's stash looks for these colors...?

Bonus #13 Impulse Buys

Ooohhh....pretty...  Bad Katie.  I bought these fabrics wanting to make something for myself and then, well, no deadline again.  So maybe this year the perfect pattern will smack me in the face or I'll find an extra day of the week the rest of you don't know about and make something.  Maybe.  But probably not all of them in one project...yikes!

So there you have it.  My list.  If you saw my list from last year, you'll see this list is much more ambitious.  But I did finish most of my goals (at the time of writing this, I'm still working on the Whig Rose applique project) and I'm up for it.  And if things don't get finished, that's okay - forward progress is the goal this year.  (And hey, if I don't finish a single one, I've got my 2013 UFO list pre-made!)

Are you interested in joining the fun?  You can join on Judy's blog - at the 2012 UFO Challenge page.  Dig out projects you want to finish, define what "finish" is for you, link up with a list and have fun!  I've had a ton of fun doing it this year and found some great new blogs this way.  I expect to find a few more this year, but be warned - you might come up with a new list of quilts you want to make, too, when viewing all the other projects people are working on...I did, but am trying VERY hard to not go look at those right now!

Happy quilting in 2012!

Katie

pillow improv

I finally got the binding finished and labels made and sewn onto the Christmas gift quilts, so I started looking at what was next.  (I can't wait to show pictures!)

I thought the blue water-erasable pen was finally out of my niece's embroidery (43 spritzes later), so I decided to get busy making those projects into a pillow for her. 

Then I ironed it...oops...a bit of blue came back, but it was too late then, so I just kept going.  It's not too bad and I'd be willing to bet it will fade in time.

I made it up as I went along...

...add some borders...

...add a back and batting so it can be a bit quilted...

...quilt in the ditch around the embroidery piece...

(...try not to make up too many naughty words to focus at the "walking" foot that doesn't often "walk"...)

(yeah, I had it on right)

...sew the two pieces together...

...uh oh...

(I cut the head of the pin off to get the pillow out - red arrow - and can you see where the pointy side of the pin came out? - blue arrow - yikes!  A few more tools later and I was back in business.)

...stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff...

(darn that stuffing mooshes down fast!)

...Adrian's side...

...my side...

The ric-rac fabric is left over from the binding on her quilt, but shhhh!  She won't know it coordinates for another week.

Her mom works the same place as my hubby, so I think I'll send this to work with him this week.

Now I just need to make kitty toys.  Last Christmas I gave my niece-kitty some homemade catnip toys and short while ago she gave me a thank-you note and mentioned she'd worn them all out.  I think that's a hint and since they're super easy to make, I'll make her another batch.

Happy quilting!

Katie

december UFO done

It's been done a while (I actually finished it on the 1st!), so it's about time it got its own blog post - my December UFO is finished!

Look at all that snow!

(It's all gone now - it was 58 on Wednesday...what?)

(It was back to freezing on Friday.)

I even made binding!

This quilt was featured in the Summer 2010 issue of Quilts and More and I found the kit at Fat Quarter Shop about a year ago.  As I was making my 2010 UFO list, I found the kit on sale, ordered it and added it to my UFO list. 

Name: Garden Variety

Designer: Holly Holderman

Size: 54"x60"

I haven't been doing much sewing lately, but I have plans to finish binding and labelling Christmas present quilts today.  I've been saying that for far too long now, but I think today it will actually happen.  I got up early and did all my chores, so now all I need is the hubby to keep his promise that he's done Christmas shopping and he won't drag me out to do more.  Soon I'll be able to show photos of those projects!

Happy quilting,

Katie

sewing with a niece

Yesterday evening, we had my brother-in-law's kids while he and his wife had to work.

My nephew, 11, loves to play video games and so does the hubby.  You've heard about this pair before - they do well together.

But what to do with the 7-year-old niece?  She is desperate to make a quilt, but afraid of the sewing machine.  She also has the patience of a gnat.  (Gotta love 7-year-olds!)  Hmmm...

First, she helped me make bread.  In my bread machine.  She kept asking when we got to punch it down?  The machine does that.  What do we do with it when it's done?  We eat it - I think she was expecting to have to knead it.  Finally I convinced her that the machine did ALL the work and then she decided her mom needs one.  :)

Next, on to dessert.

I've seen these candy acorns out in blogland a few places and though fall is over, they were fun to make.  Hershey's kisses, Nutter Butter mini cookies and chocolate chips, held together with chocolate frosting.  We made a big mess, ate our mistakes, ate some for dessert after dinner (beef stew in the crock pot - another mystery I had to somewhat explain - her mom DOES cook) and there were even quite a few for her to take home.  These are my share. 

And then we sewed.  I decided embroidery might be fun - and teaching her to wield a needle and thread can't be bad even if she decides she doesn't like this particular technique.  I let her draw on some white fabric with a blue water-erasable pen and showed her how to do a backstitch and running stitch.

There's not great contrast because she used every pink shade of DMC floss I have, but she had a blast.  Figured out if you take bigger stitches you get done faster, though I don't think that ANY of what she stitched looks like what she drew.  Maybe I should have left the blue lines there, but there was a LOT of blue - it's on the 4th spritz and still not all gone.  (Though some of it bled through onto my carpet!)

In between helping tie knots, rethread the needles, and finding the needle (I finally got her to stick it in the pin cushion by telling her the next time she lost it she was DONE), I managed to sew some swirls.  (I'll show a photo later.)  The piece is about 8" and I plan to use both hers and mine to make a little pillow.  I'll date hers and put her name on it.  She was so proud of herself.  I'm proud of her, too.  And she got significantly better as she went along.

Now it's Sunday and I have a delicious coffee cake recipe to share.

Yesterday, A Left-Handed Quilter posted a link for this recipe - no photo.  But you know me, I love to bake, so I clicked on the link.  Looks yummy!  This didn't last 30 minutes.  The hubby and I devoured it - ALL.  It is fantastic-amazing-delicious-givememore good!  And easy.  Easy Cherry-Almond Coffee Cake from Pillsbury is a W-I-N-N-E-R.

And now I hope to get some more binding sewn down on the 2nd Christmas-gift quilt.  It's about half done, but I'm ready to have these projects done and off the list!

Happy quilting,

Katie

tuesday sewing: gavin needs a stocking!

I realized earlier this week that my new nephew, Gavin, doesn't have a stocking!  Well, at least not one that I've made that matches the ones I made for his mom, dad, and big brother and big sister.  (I know he's only a week and a half old, but I really feel like I should have seen this coming...I did have about 7 months...)

It's my day off for the week, so I dug into sewing.  The hubby is back on a shift that brings him home around noon, so I can get up early and use the sewing machine without worrying I'll wake him.

I had to scramble to get enough fabric for another one.  I had a pack of coordinated homespun red and green fat quarters and boy did I squeeze this out.  Let's hope there aren't any more little ones for this family or I'll have to buy more fabric!

(Oh the horror!)

When I made the first three (mom, dad, and big sister), I never thought about what would happen if they added to the family.  I had to scramble to make big brother Ethan a stocking a few years ago - mom (sis-in-law) asked - so I figured I'd better get ahead of the game with Gavin's stocking!

Oh, it's looking like a stocking!  I had enough...but I don't have any more!

I had some help, too.  Funny that she was more interested in me paying attention to her than the thread I was using to tie with!  Eventually she gave up and went for a nap on the cat climbing tree that's inches away from my cutting table.

Almost finished!

Phew!  Done in plenty of time (I thought it would take more than a morning) and the few squares of fabric that don't match are partially cut off to make the toe and mostly under the cuff.

(I still need to press the cuff once the water I sprayed to get the blue pen out is dry.  It looks a bit wrinkly right now.)

And since I forgot to show my book stack on the 4th, you get to see it here!

Just one book shorter than a month ago...better than none, right?

I'll be working on binding the Star Flower quilt this afternoon and snuggling my sweet Tucker, who had an unpleasant experience going to the vet today.  It seems he has acid reflux - I never knew cats could get that!  Let's hope the Pepsid I picked up on the way home is the key.  The vet says if it's going to work, it should work quickly.

I also mentioned I'd finished my December UFO, but I'm going to wait to show it a while because I'm trying to finish up the Whig Rose applique and I'd like to do it all in one post.  (That way the linky on Patchwork Times can be just one from me.)

Happy quilting,

Katie