january ufo finished!

I didn't have much left to do to finish January's UFO project when I stepped into my sewing room this morning, but I wasn't looking forward to it. 

Borders...fussy cut and mitered corners.

But I surprised myself.  Sewing those long seams for the borders wasn't so bad.  Maybe because there was only one border.  Maybe because there weren't very many points to match.  Or maybe because I knew once they were on, I was done.  UFO complete.  Something to check off a list!

And the mitered corners were a new technique for me, but the pattern instructions were very easy to follow (for that step at least).  Though not as easy as straight corners, I see myself using them again, but not too often!

I wanted to hang this outside and get a good photo and though it's warmed up to about 18 degrees (up from zero), I'm still not up for going out any more than I have to, so this photo of it draped across my longarm will have to do until spring.  (Sorry, but when you walk on snow and it squeaks, it's too cold to "play" outside.)

(Not only is the quilt not flat, but there's a doorway to contend with...)

The pattern is "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" by Jackie Robinson.

I bought the pattern and border fabric quite a few years ago at a quilt show and intended it to become the back of this quilt:

From American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine, December 2000, "Looking Back" by Alice Berg. 

But I got sidetracked on this one first.  So the Daisies quilt never got started.  Eventually I finished this top (it has solid red borders, but I can't find a photo of the quilt with them), but that's as far as it got.

And while I was procrastinating finishing this quilt, I sorta forgot about the Daisies project.  Judy's UFO challenge got me digging into bins of projects stashed in my closet and I found it and decided it needed to be added to the list.

But...these will become two separate quilts.  Since my quilt show decision to purchase the Daisies pattern, I've come to realize just how difficult a two-sided quilt of this nature will be to get together properly and I think having a quilt to rotate onto the bed instead of just flip sides, will be nicer.

(And I won't mention how often one of my furry beasties makes me a present in the middle of the night and I have to start a load of laundry at 2am and how nice it would be to have a different quilt to put on the bed instead of the old comforter the hubby's ex-girlfriend gave him...oh, oops...I mentioned it...)

Both of these quilts are scrap quilts, though I did buy the red and gold that are more prominent in the "Looking Back."  My mom's scraps contributed almost all of the remainder of this quilt, but by the time I made "Daisies" I had a stash of my own to start with.  Both are loads of fun to look at and remember where different fabrics came from, why they were purchased and what other quilts they've been used in.  (I thought about showing photos, but that would make a big post!)

You all know I'm NOT a scrap quilter, but I wasn't really aware of it when I started "Looking Back."  I knew it when "Daisies" was started, but since it's only two colors, I wasn't going too crazy and it was a good way to reduce my stash!

Two last photos - a reminder of where this was on January 1st:

And now I can start Judy's Quilts of Valor quilt along with a clear conscience!

Happy quilting,

Katie

PS I've been sewing owl parts down and will show that project off again soon!

randomness

I've been sewing along on my January UFO and have some true progress to share!

The first 24 blocks!

(There are 80 total...yikes!)

There are quite a few different blocks that will make up this quilt, but these are done!  All red is kinda boring, but I think the rest are half red and half gold.

Those pieces in the corners will come together and make stars.  I would have arranged them all on my design floor to show you, but the sinus cold I've been fighting for 3 days makes that job difficult, so you'll just have to use your imagination.

This quilt is going to be interesting to put together.  I'm going to have to lay the whole thing out and sew carefully to make sure everything is going the right direction.

And I said I'd tell you about the dinner in my crock pot if it was good.  It was good! 

Slow Cooker Spicy Black-Eyed Peas (name is a link to the recipe) was so yummy!  I didn't add the red bell pepper and put in less cumin than called for, but otherwise, followed directions. 

Sorry for the ugly crock pot photo - I ate my bowl and let Emma lick it out (she approved, too) and then realized I should have gotten a photo.  It was even better the next day!

And finally, the book stack progress.

(A few days late from my usual 4th.)

A few more books gone, but I haven't been reading as much lately.  I can't really say why, though in the last week the UFO quilt has kept me busy in the evenings.

And now I am going to go take a nap.  I have a feeling the football game the hubby is excited to watch later today is going to keep me up late with the cheering and hollering and this sinus cold is wearing me out.

Happy quilting,

Katie

cutting and cutting and cutting

I'm off to a good start on this month's UFO already!

I dug through my stash to find fabrics that would work...washed those that needed it.

I had more than I thought.

And those skinny logs - there's little waste!

I cut and cut and cut. 

Then I slept. 

I got up this morning (it was my day off) and cut some more!

Reds are done (with a few golds cut while some fabrics were in the washer).

Yay I had enough reds with just my fabrics!

(Red on the edge is binding - yep, already!)

On to cutting gold.  The rest of it.

Uh oh...I'm out of gold and only have about half of the pieces cut!

Quick, call mom!  She's got a great stash and loves to share.

(I also donate my scraps that are too small for me to her stash - she loves a teensy-pieced scrap quilt!)

What a mess!

I should wash these, too, right?

Oh my, what have I done?

I think they grew or multiplied or something.

Good thing I have a new, fantastic iron!

Iron, cut, iron, cut, iron, cut.

(My feet hurt!)

Woohoo!  All the pieces cut!

(Let's hope I counted correctly!)

Doesn't look like I used much of my mom's fabric does it?  But they're all nice and fluffy - once they get smooshed back in her storage boxes, they'll flatten out a bunch.

(But I couldn't exactly return them to her in the state you saw above now could I?  I mean, I was the one who decided they needed to be washed!)

Now it's late.

I have to work tomorrow.

Know what I want to do?

Yep, make log cabin blocks!

But those pieces will be there tomorrow when I get home from work.

I'm planning dinner in the crock pot (if it goes well, I'll tell you about the recipe) and the hubby got his game system back from the repair shop, so I can sew tomorrow evening - guilt-free.

Here's to hoping those directions I followed to cut about 4 bazillion pieces are correct!

Happy quilting!

Katie

(Emma, the fierce mouser.)

PS for Liri and Flit: It's ON!  (tee hee hee)

first project(s) of 2012

This week I found out my sister-in-law is expecting a girl.  She'd called it - her mom had all girls and her sisters, so far, have all had girls.  But I don't think it matters much to her, so long as the baby is healthy.

I had picked up the pattern "The Hoots!" by Amy Bradley Designs quite a while ago at a kinda-local quilt shop and was just waiting.  My sis-in-law loves owls, so it's perfect!

I went through my stash of leftovers and chose quite a few fabrics that might work and planned to stop at JoAnn's after work one day next week, but yesterday the hubby's video game system fried itself, so off we went to get it repaired.  We were so close to a JoAnn's and he was waiting, hoping it would be fixed quickly, so we stopped.  (Well, the hubby waited in the car, but at least this time I knew his impatience wasn't MY fault!)

I had a lot of trouble choosing fabrics.  The selection seemed to be quite picked over and nothing seemed to just feel right for the background.  I may stop at Hobby Lobby this week for a second chance, but they were closed by the time we got there yesterday.

But you can help!

The yellows, pinks and oranges will be the owls.  The pink with owls will be an outer border.  The viney floral at the bottom will be the back of the quilt.  And that's the pattern in the bottom left corner.

Which background would you use? 

(I was hoping for something with a bit of a print, but those dots seem too small and the flowers too large.)

And which green? 

I'm thinking to use it for binding as well as a skinny inner border, if I have enough.

The pinks are all new (I had only paler pinks), but all the yellows and oranges are from my stash - some of them are fabrics I picked up on impulse and have been giving me the evil eye for a while, so I'm glad to be using them.

Everybody has been washed, but not yet pressed.  Doesn't that look so fun?  I want to just dive in, but with my indecision (and unhappiness) with the background fabric, I'm hesitating.

But that's okay because Judy released the first 2012 UFO Challenge number:

#5

Uh oh.

That would be the "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" quilt.  Here's where I am:

I have the border fabric and pattern.  Ummmm...there's a big chunk in the middle missing there!  I do have some fabrics in my stash that will work for these, but I think my mom's stash will also get a reduction for this project!  (I'm positive she won't complain.)

I was so hoping she'd pick something easier for the first month, but how could she have known this was one of the ones furthest from finishing?  Ah well, get it out of the way!

I've opened the pattern and started figuring it out.  It's not the easiest pattern I've seen, but there are lots of photos, so I should be okay.  I counted and it will take 80 blocks to make a queen-size quilt.  And the blocks will be 9.5" finished with 1.25" logs.  Yikes!

And just in case I don't want to work on this, I have a few new books:

(The cat hair book was a "sort-of joke" from my mom for Christmas.  Let's see how funny it is when they all get projects from this book for Christmas next year!)

Or I can go organize some stuff:

I found these at Target for $1!  I bought all they had in this print and may go find another Target to get a few more.  (So much cuter than the homemade ones I made a while ago - and filled up!)

What are you all doing on this first day of the new year?

Happy quilting!
Katie