WIP in Wednesday - Fog Day!!!!!!

Our phone rang at 6:00 am this morning.  We were still in bed (although I had been hitting the snooze for 30 minutes) and our first thought was who's calling us at 6:00 am?  Well, it was a great call for me (my kids too) because school is delayed two hours due to fog.  We live in a rural area so approximately 50% of the students live in the country and it's not safe for the buses when we have this much fog.

I teach preschool three mornings a week for a private Catholic school, although I usually work the entire day planning, etc.  When school is delayed two hours, that means I get the day off.  Yay!!!!!

So now the question is, what should I work on given this nice block of free time?  I have 9 works in progress.  That seems like a lot, especially since I only started quilting in July of this year.

I have chosen two projects I would like to make considerable progress on today:

1.  Finish the top for the Star Surround QAL.  This should only take about an hour and would be great to have finished.

2.  Finish piecing the top for The Princess's Neon Jelly Roll Jam.  This would not take more than a few hours since I made considerable progress yesterday and over the weekend.

Hopefully, I will soon be posting about two newly finished tops.  Wish me luck!!!

Linking up to:

Snug as a Bug Super-Sized Nine Patch - Finish #2

I did it!  I finished the second Super-Sized Nine Patch Snug as a Bug quilt.  I was motivated because we met the expectant grandparents for lunch on Saturday when they were passing through town.  I knew we wouldn't get a chance to see the expectant parents until next fall, so I wanted to get it done.

I actually finished it on Thanksgiving.  We had a quiet Thanksgiving, just the six of us.  It was nice.  That gave me time to quilt it, sew the binding on, and then The Princess, Goldie, and I watched a movie as I finished hand-sewing the binding.  We watched Life as We Know It with Josh Duhamel.  I have loved that boy ever since he played Leo on All My Children.  It was hard to concentrate on the binding, but it got done.

Here it is with Leah's Snug as a Bug quilt.  I haven't been able to visit her yet because I have a cold.  I'm hoping it will be gone sometime this week and I can go meet her.

Linking up to:

Quilty Fun Sew Along Weeks Three and Four

I am still sewing along with Lori Holt and her Quilty Fun Sew Along.  I must say it really is fun.  You can find out all about it here.

Last week we did the courthouse steps block which were super easy.  I had never made this type of block before, but I really liked it.  The hardest part for me was choosing my fabrics.  I thought I had it all figured out and then decided I didn't like my first choices of fabric.

So I went back to my scraps and chose these fabrics instead.

This week we are making sewing baskets.  I love these little baskets.  They are adorable!

 

 

I have also been making my scrappy quilt binding as I go.  I want to use fabrics used in the quilt and I don't want to go back and have to find them when I only have the binding left.  (If I did I might not ever finish the quilt!)  I am using strips 2 1/2 inches wide by 5 inches long.

 



WIP Wednesday

There is not much work in progress today.  It is pie baking day after all!  I only have to make three pies: a pumpkin, an apple, and an Oreo.  The Oreo is already finished (I always do the easiest one first).

This afternoon when The Musician gets off work (she works at a grocery store when she is home from school) we are going to pick out our Christmas tree.  It used to be a family tradition every year, but last year no one wanted to go with my husband and I.  I was sad.  However, with Nina being here from China this year, I am making everyone go because she has never celebrated Christmas or been to a Christmas Tree Farm.

After that I am hoping to finish up my Sewing Baskets block for the Quilty Fun Sew Along.  Here's what I have so far:

I have also been working on Goldie's quilt this week, but I am a teeny bit frustrated with matching my seams.  This section is being especially troublesome.

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!



A Finished Quilt - Snug as Bug Super-Sized Nine Patch

I spent this past Saturday sewing.  I accomplished a lot.  I finished The Princess's costume for her upcoming performance in the school Christmas musical.  She is going to be the innkeeper.  It's not a fancy costume, but it's not supposed to be.  It was very easy to make using a Simplicity pattern.

I also spent time sewing together the 2 1/2-inch squares for Goldie's quilt.  I think I have become addicted to sewing these little squares together.

Finally, I finished the Snug as a Bug Super Sized Nine Patch for baby Leah who was born on November 9.  I was planning on having it done before she came, but she decided to come ten days before her mom's scheduled C-section on November 19. 

This is a super easy pattern from Quiltmaker.  You can find it here.  You only need three yards of fabric to make three different quilt tops.  If I were to sit down and make this quilt in one sitting it would have probably taken less than four hours (not counting hand sewing the binding). Mine measures 34 x 37.  I used the Snug as a Bug fabric collection from Riley Blake designs.  I love the way Leah's quilt turned out.  I have to admit I wasn't that crazy about it until after I quilted it.  I hope the other two turn out as nice when I finish them.

I am planning on visiting Leah tomorrow and can't wait to see if her mom likes the quilt.  I sure hope so ...

 

Linking up to: 

 


 

 

   

 



 

     

When Can You Call Yourself a Quilter?

When are you officially considered a quilter?  When you finish your first quilt, your second quilt, or when you have more than three quilting projects going and a dozen more running around in your head?  When I said I was going to start quilting, Goldie asked me, "Mom, what makes you think you can quilt?"  I answered, "Because I want to."

So here are the projects I have going on right now (all of them works in progress, not one near being finished).  These are not listed in any particular order.

1.  Goldie's quilt

2. The Princess's Jelly Roll Jam quilt

3. Star Surround Quilt-a-Long for my bed

4. Quilty Fun Sew-a-Long (I am current on this, just need to complete this week's courthouse steps blocks.)

5. Super-Sized Nine Patch baby quilts

6. The Princess's Innkeeper's costume for her part in The Mystery of Simon Shepherd

The only project that has a distinct deadline is the Innkeeper's costume.  The musical is December 4, but they are performing it for the local nursing home next Tuesday.  It's a really simple pattern, but since it has a deadline, it is the last thing I want to work on.  It's a real problem.

WIP Wednesday - Goldie's Quilt

I have been sewing for years.  My mom taught me when I was in 4-H.  I have sewn many dresses, Halloween costumes, etc. for my three daughters.  I saved all their fabric with plans to make them each a quilt for their 18th birthday.

Well, the musician is 20 and her quilt isn't even started.  She does love the  t-shirt quilt I recently made her though.  I went to visit her at school on Saturday.  She texted me Saturday night saying it is the warmest blanket she has ever used.  See the post about that here.

My youngest, the Princess, is only eleven.  I have time (at least I think I do).

That leaves my middle daughter, Goldie (she has a heart of gold).  She is 17 and a senior in high school.  I started cutting fabric for her quilt in July or August (I can't remember back that far!).  I need to cut 860 or so 2 1/2-inch squares.  As of last night when I went to bed, I had over 340 squares cut.  I have also been cutting 2 1/2-inch strips for the binding at the same time.

That's what I'm doing for a little while today anyway.  We are leaving in a few minutes for Cedar Rapids.  Our school is in the state volleyball tournament!  Go Crusaders!

Quilty Fun Sew Along Week 2

Week Two of Lori Holt's Quilty Fun Sew Along and Blog Tour is underway.  This week we make our twinkly winter stars.  I think they are just adorable.

Here's my finished twinkly winter stars.  Even the name is adorable!

I love the way they turned out.  Already looking forward to Week 3: Courthouse Steps.

Thanks Lori!