Five Finishes in December

I have mentioned three quilts that I have been working on this month, but there are two that I have not mentioned.

I have been so busy making and finishing all of these quilts that I have not had time to take pictures and write posts. One I make so quickly that I did not have time to take pictures. I only took two pictures of the blocks ready to be sewn together.

Four of these five quilts were Christmas presents and needed to be finished quickly. I love giving handmade things for presents.

I will be going into detail about all five finishes in the next few days, but  I wanted to record these finishes before the end of December and the end of 2013.

I am looking forward to 2014 and have hopes for a teaching job, to finally start a family, and the many quilts that are waiting to be made.

Christmas For Mom

I decided to make my mom a lap quilt for Christmas and this shed looked like the best place for a picture of the finished top.

 

 

This August when I was waiting for my machine to be fixed I cleaned my sewing room and put projects in order to make, I found the stack of stripes and fabric left from this project. I remember that I saved the rest to make my mom a quilt, so I put it in the stack. When I started pulling the quilt tops to quilt for my friend, I found this stack ready to get started. So, I pulled some of my other green scraps out and put a few in to complete a small lap quilt. I think the fabric additions really make this quilt pop!

 

I know my mom is going to love it! I have not ever made her a quilt (I am I shock also), and green is her favorite color. This top whipped up fast and I should have it quilted fast also. I still have enough fabric for the back and binding. All I have to do is get some batting and start quilting.

Christmas will be cozy!

Quilting Challenge

A friend of mine asked me to quilt a stack of quilt tops for her. These quilt tops were made by her aunt who had passed away some time ago. I told her that I would put them in the stack of projects and I though I would begin with this one.

 

I think it is beautiful and the picture does NOT do it justice.

 

 

 I was not sure how I wanted to quilt this. It is made out of perhaps two different fabrics that are those pre-quilted fabrics that do not have a back. Side note: I do not know what this kind of fabric is called. If you know feel free to educate me. She took this fabric and pieced it back together to make a very interesting quilt. Being made from this fabric, it is very bulky. I did not want it to have a bunch of ridges in the quilt where the seams were when quilted, so I used a gifted, high-loft batting. I think was a good choice.

 

I have it basted and plan to stich-in-the-ditch down the long seams. Let's get to quilting.

Work During TV

Guess what I finally finished thanks to the Berninja?

 

Yeah, this quilt is finally quilted!

 

 

Now while watching TV and instead of removing the stiches, I am burying these knots.

Soon I should have a finished quilt to show you!

Sewing Machine on the Sideline

When I get a picture or video of this, I will add it to this post.

I am watching the American football game between Alabama University and University of Auburn. Which is something that just about shuts the state of Alabama down for the duration of the game.

So, while playing in the Iron Bowl, a player from UA ripped his jersey. People on his team strip him of the shirt, bring out the sewing machine, repair the shirt, redress the player, and send him back on the field to play.

There is a sewing machine being used live on TV during a football game. AND it is being used by a man! Got to love a man who can sew!

Edit: sewing machine on sideline
more sewing
again

Berninja

Recap: my machine did not work well. I took it in for maintenance. It worked for about a month before returning to the unwanted stiches. I did not take it back for more maintenance/work.

So, what did I do when my machine would not work well enough? I bought a new machine.

I thought about a new machine but did not plan on actually getting a new machine. I just made my machine do what it could do.

Then one day, I was reading the local yard sale page on Facebook. There was a young lady selling five quilt books for $5 a piece or $20 for all five. They were new books, and a couple were books that I have been wanting but not wanting to spend the money right now. So, I met with her and bought the books. In the process of talking to her about quilting, she told me that she pieces and quilts by hand and that she had a machine for sale that she has also placed on the yard sale page. I briefly asked her about the machine and took my books home to soak in my find.

The problem was that the machine was still in my mind and my machine was so making me mad. I looked up the post and sent her a few messages. She told me that she had it for about 18 months and did not use it for anything other than piecing a few quilt backs, which she could do by hand or at her mother's.

I spoke with my husband, who told me that if I thought it was a good deal and I wanted it to purchase it from her.

I arranged for a meeting and bought it. It is a Bernina B330. It was a steal for the price she wanted and it being such great shape! The throat is a little smaller than I wanted, but in all other aspects it is PERFECT! She also gave me a machine carrier!

My husband has affectionately named it the "Berninja," and I have been playing with it.

I found a local Bernina store and bought a few more feet for it and a shiny new case to put those feet and other accessories. I also was able to have, someone who knew a lot more about it, show me how do other things besides straight stitching.

So, my little Berninja and I will be sewing/finishing a lot of things soon. Stay tuned; sewing stuff will be coming soon. I am so excited!

Also, I will have pictures soon. I am just so busy sewing.

Quiet

I know one of the last posts I made was to say that my machine was back and I would be going through a lot of sewing, so I thought I would explain.

I took my machine in to be repaired because I could not do free-motion quilting. It bothered me a lot that I could not quilt like I wanted. I put a couple of quilts to the side because I could not FMQ on them without the thread fraying or snapping. It was so bad that it would do this after three to five stitches. That is NOT fun at all. Think of all of the knots to bury. My machine was fine with straight-line quilting but not much more.

So, I took it mostly to fix this problem. I brought it home and put it to work. Well, it did not last  long before it started doing the exact same thing that it was before. I was very upset.

I have still not taken it back to be worked on, but I have some news that I will be sharing before long.

T-Shirt Finish-Army Strong

Happy Veterans Day!

 

Here in the states it is Veterans Day. It is a day that we remember and honor our veterans. In honor of Veterans Day I always thank my mom. She is my favorite veteran.

 

I have decided to name this quilt Army Strong. As previously stated this is a quilt for a veteran. Many of the shirts are from when she was in the army.

 

 

These are not the most amazing pictures. My husband snapped them quickly for me in the setting sunlight just before I headed off to make my delivery. I did not get a close up of much of the quilting, but some of my favorite is the stars underneath the flag and the bowling balls under the bowling shirt.

 

 

Here is one of me peeking over the top.

And the best shot of the back.

I am very happy to say that the recipient LOVED it. She was so happy when I got it to her. I love it when people love quilts.

T-shirt Quilting

 

Remember when I was working on this quilt, and I said I just had enough green thread to finish the quilt? Well, I used the very last of it to quilt this block. Just look at how little is left.

This picture still has the marks before I washed them off, but don't you think that looks good for using a walking foot and not doing it free motion? I wish I was able to do it free motion. A little more about that coming soon.

 

This is the backing fabric and the binding fabric. This will have to do as a close up of both since I did not get a good shot of either before sending it off to it new home.



This quilt was made for a veteran who was an air traffic controller. The fabric has several different aircrafts. If you notice at the very top, there is an airplane dropping parachutes. I thought it was a great fabric for the theme. Also, how can you pass up red and white stripes for binding fabric.

T-Shirt Layout

After getting the T-shirts ready to sew, I tried several layouts. I wanted to have a colored square in each corner, the other colored ones in the center, to keep a front and back together, and cut as little as possible.

This is how I started. I knew that I would have a block that was pieced together using the pocket prints and prints on two sleeves. I was hoping that I could fit everything together before making this block so that I knew what size to cut the squares and what size to make the block.

 

 I rearranged and rearranged until I decided to move the other blue one and the green one. This arrangement gave me the best size without cutting to much. It was almost perfect in rows from side to side. The blocks were not all the same size in the rows so I trimmed them to be the same height. Mostly I cut from the bottom since there was empty space at the bottom of each block until they were the same height.



 

 

It gave me the size I needed for the final pieced block, which I whipped up. I also had four more squares to use and thought that the green block had the most space at he bottom and had a little unwanted look on it. This left the best place to piece the rest of the blocks.

 

Once I had it all lined up, I began sewing the rows together.

 

Then I sewed the rows together and suddenly I had a quilt top finished.

 

For me this takes a little bit of time to get the T-shirts all lined up. T-shirts have different sized prints and make different sized blocks to fit together. It is a puzzle to fit them all together. It is always my hope to fit them together without cutting too much or adding filler.

 

I love making these quilts. They are always soft and show a person's life in fabric.

Another T-Shirt Stack

Have you missed me? I have missed you.

I have been busy taking a couple of online classes, doing volunteer work, applying for teacher jobs, working at current job, doing domestic work, and I started working on a new t-shirt stack.

Lilly's Wave

As promised, Lilly's Wave quilt reveal.

 

We were on our way to visit family and this quilt was going with us to be delivered. It was a great day, so we stopped at a campground to eat lunch. It was a very pretty place and just right for taking pictures.

While my sister was making sandwiches, my mom and I took quilt pictures.

 

 

This was the first picture taken, and my mother really wanted me to make sure that I got the geese in picture. See how she angled the quilt toward them.

 

I wanted the lake in the picture and was a little disappointed that the sun was behind her, but I managed to get a decent picture. I took an art class over the summer and had to study some of the element of photography, so my brain was yelling "natural frame" while taking this picture.

 

What would a quilt reveal be without the back? I positioned my mom so that when she held the quilt it would have more sun on it. The colors of the quilt were much better in these pictures.

 

I got closer for some close up shots of the quilting and took a peek at my mom. Looks like the sun was to bright for her so she closed her eyes. She did not even know I was taking this picture, but look at that smile. I love her so much! She makes me laugh all the time.

 

Here is a close up of the front quilting. I really wanted to do a little more in the diamonds, but I ran out of time and really like this anyways. Sometimes more is not better.

 

 

The back looks great! I love the quilting on it. Those diamonds are just wonderful. I bought this fabric awhile ago when my LQS closed its shop. They are still selling online, but do not have a store. When I purchased this fabric I intended to use it for a backing. This was the perfect quilt trop for this fabric. It looks a little like it is a solid color, but it is covered in little dots.

 

The binding is the same fabric as the backing fabric, which I think looks great with this quilt.

 

One of the very few things that I did differently from the original quilt (why mess with perfection, right?) was to add a triangle of the sashing fabric to each side. I did this because I wanted the quilt to be wider and I could not find another stash fabric that I liked well enough to go with this stack. I had the bright idea to use more of the sashing fabric on each side.

 

One more thing, the sashing fabric is left over from this project. So, that means that I have come full circle with this quilt, having made the two boy quilts with the left over squares.

 

I really enjoyed working on this quilt, and I am so glad to have a quilt for my sweet little cousin who will be turning one in a couple of weeks. Happy birthday Lilly!

Bury the Knot

My mom, sister, and I went to see the sisters/aunts and nieces and nephews/ cousins again.

I delivered two baby quilts while we were there. One for a little girl who is almost a year-old and one due in October.

 

With the machine getting home just in time for me to quilt and bind the wavy quilt for he little girl (at one o'clock of the morning we left), I did not have time to bury any knots or take pictures before leaving.

 

So, on the way there, I finished it up and took some pictures.

 

Usually I drive everywhere we go, but this time my sister insisted on driving. That did not bother me one bit. So, I took the time to finish it off.

 

She caught me working. Look at that cute little smile.

There was only three knots to bury: the two ends of the thread on the binding and a place in the middle. So, I did not need a lot of time to finish it up, just needed to do it.

 

I had completely forgotten about needing to do this (must have been the late time getting in bed), but I noticed it while we were taking pictures. Then I looked through my purse and found the needle that I have in there and the scissors that I always carry (does this make me strange?) and finished it up.

I will be posting the finished quilt later this week. So, glad to have the sewing machine home and to be able to catch up on some quilts.

Ahh Widdiddid

Ahh widdiddid (can't you just hear it?)
The sewing machine is back! YAY!
The title is the sound my husband makes when ever he is commenting on my sewing. He said he was so glad to hear the sound of the sewing machine and not me whining. Okay, maybe not whining, maybe.
I have sewing stuff and getting through the pile on the sewing table that is still NOT under a pile of laundry!
Very soon you will be sing some finishes and quilt tops.

No Sewing Macine Means

So, what have I been doing without my sewing machine? I shared that I cleaned the sewing room, so what else?

Deep clean the kitchen: check
Deep clean the living room:check
Deep clean the bathroom: check
Have new windows put in the house: check
Fix soft spots in the floor: check (to undo and create more cleaning: check)
Work on school work: check
Sew by hand: check
Have husband wish the sewing machine was back: check

Yup, he is happy with the cleaning and the progress around the house, but he is ready for the sewing machine to be back. I find that funny.

We scheduled the work around the house, and I knew there would be school work, but sometimes you just need to sew something. That is when the hand piecing came out.

 

I got out this project. I have been working on it awhile. These pieces are 2 inches finished. When ever I have some scraps left over I cut them into two and half inch squares and throw them into a bag with the rest of them.

 

 

When I get some time on my hands, I draw a sewing line on the squares.

 

Then, when I feel like sewing by hand, I pull out this bag of squares, grab some light squares and some dark squares, and sew them together.

 

 

That is what I have been doing while my sewing machine is in the shop waiting on a light.

I sew squares of ten by ten, so that there is one hundred squares in a block. Usually they are all the same, but when I looked at these blocks I found that there is one block that has one repeat. I think I like that there is a repeat in there. Makes me smile.

 

This is a long term project and I do not know when or if I will finish it. I just like the idea of taking a project where ever I go and being able on work on it. I even took this to the doctor's office.

 

What do you do when your sewing machine is in for maintenance?

 

 

Boo Hoo, Cry, Whine, Sniff

I took my sewing machine in for some maintenance. While I was there I mentioned that the light was flickering on and off; mostly off. They seemed surprised because the light is LED and should not do that. So, they had to order the light.

This is where it gets sad. It is supposed to take them two weeks, TWO WEEKS, to get my machine fixed up. They said it normally takes three days to get a machine cleaned and put back together, but because they had to wait for the light it would be about two weeks before it was ready

Let me tell you, I am going crazy without it. I have cleaned my sewing room. Yes, it is sparkling.
*WARNING: If you are expecting before and after pictures, it is not going to happen. I am more than a little embarrassed as to how it looked before cleaning, and I am not excited to show you the boring, although better, after picture of the laundry, I mean.. umm... sewing room. Yeah, sewing room with a washing machine, dryer, and clothes both clean and dirty that always want to be washed, dried, folded, put away, and covering my work space... WHY MUST MY WORK SPACE ALWAYS BE COVERED IN LAUNDRY?! Oh, um, sorry. I was cleaning my sewing room...

During the cleaning I uncover all sorts of WIPs, pulled fabric stacks for projects, and scraps, all sorts of wonderful scraps. So, I sorted the laundry WIPs, fabric stacks, and scraps into piles and put them in order to work on when my sewing machine finally gets back. I know that I will not be without a project for some time, but it is always good to have something to work on.

So, I guess I will go find something else to clean since I don't have my machine back yet. Or maybe I will just pull some more fabric and prepare for when I can sew again. Yeah, I think I will do that!

Pink Lemonade Quilts

I finally finished this quilt! Okay, okay, you got me. It was, HAS been finished...quilted that is. All it needed was a binding! Yet it sat beside the sewing machine looking at me and waiting! I started cleaning the sewing space and decided that one way to do that was to put a binding on this quilt and give it to the little girl who is nearing one. What took me so long!!!

 

 

It is a beautiful quilt and very similar to the other with subtle differences. There is more quilting on this one than the other, and most of it is my go to favorite wave. There is some straight line stich-in-the-ditch quilting that is hard to see if you are not looking.

 

 

When I gave them this quilt they put it on the floor for the little girl, who is crawling and trying to walk, and she crawled right to it. She laid her head on it. She left a few times but always came back and either sat or laid on it. Once, she tried to turn it over while sitting on it and got grumpy when the dog stepped on it. I am rather sure that she loves it.

 

The backing is the same monkey print that was so cute. I still have a LOT of this fabric left so you may see it used in the future. ;)

 

 

I realize that I did not post any pictures of the other quilt all finished. I finished it in March and planned to take pictures together when I got the binding on this, but then I decided to give the other one since it was finished.

 

The back is the same, but the binding is different.

 

Also, for some reason, which is maddening, I am unable to post the pictures, taken with my cell phone, that I have of it here!

Here is the last post that I wrote about these two quits.

 

Updated 23 November 2013: here is the picture of the other quilt finished! I was finally able to figure out a way to upload this picture. The back is the same fabric as the other. The quilting on this one has wavy quilting in the light pink fabric and several straight lines on the pieced coins.

 



Wave Rainbow

I finished the wave quilt top.

After a visit with my sister and mom to see our niece/granddaughter and on our way home, we had a photo shoot of this quilt top.

First my mom held the quilt top. She did a great job!

Then my sister held the flimsy. She also did a great job. Then both of them held the it and tried to hide behind it. It worked for a little while then...

Blooper! We had so much fun. We always have a lot of fun when we get together. This quilt will be quilted soon.

Two Baby Boy Quilts

They are finished!

 

I quilted and put a binding on both of them all within two days.

That is super fast for me!

Every part of these quilts are from my stash.

That includes the batting. I have a, now dwindling (yay), stash of leftover batting pieces. It has been enjoyable to piece them together and use them instead of them being discarded or sitting in waiting.



 

There was just enough of the light blue fabric for both quilts' binding. I though it worked well with the quilts.

Both quilts were given the same stash fabric for the backing. There is a subtle difference in the amount of green and blue fabric. I had enough to give the same amount, but I wanted them to have some differences.

 

They were both quilted in the wave that I really like. One is quilted more densely than the other.

These two quilts will be separated soon. One is going to a little boy in Texas and the other to a baby due in October in Tennessee.

 

Slowly I am catching up on my quilting.

Wave Quilt

I have had this stack of fabric for a couple of years just waiting on the right pattern and a new baby girl. I told you that I was behind on making baby quilts. My cousin had a girl a few months ago and this stack seemed perfect.

I looked through my Pinterest quilt inspiration board and found this quilt. You may remember that I plan on making it with this fabric.

 

This quilt will be finished soon, and I am so in love with this quilt pattern and fabric!

Leftover/Precut Squares Into Quilt Tops

I had several squares left from this quilt. It has been sometime since I cut them...

Well, I am behind on making some baby quilts for some loved ones, so I was going through my stash and found the stack of them.

I started laying them out and there was enough to make these two quilts without cutting more or having any left over.

 

These quilts are not very big, currently 30"x 36", but that is okay; I have made smaller. I know they will be loved no matter the size.

I am preparing to baste these and start quilting.

 

After how fast these two tops came together, I understand why so many love precuts. This was fun, fast, and fabulous!