Ringing in 2012

My plan in 2012 is to use my stash and not buy ANY fabric.  I can buy sewing machine needles, buttons, thread, etc.  I do have my Etsy shop and possibly might need to buy something for this or that, but hopefully use what I have.  Any one else, going on a fabric diet? 

Using The Stash

I must, must use from my stash. So I signed up for Judy L's blog (patchwork times.com) I have a little notebook ready to write down my progress. The fabric ins and outs as I cal it. Hopefully there is way more outs than ins! I have a BOM project that needs to be quilted and I plan on using the quilt as you go method. So I am on a fabric diet and I need to stick to it. Anyone else doing this?

Quilt As You Go Pinks & Pillow

The quilt is from the book Crazy Shortcut Quilts by Marguerita McManus and Sarah Raffuse.  I have had the book for awhile, just kept looking it over and over.  Finally I decided to dig in the fat quarter box (well large see through container) to find some similar fabric.  I pulled out 18, nine for the front and back each.  The quilt measures 48x48 when you are finished. The pillow was made with the leftover strips you cut off each end of the fat quarters.  I didn't use fancy stitches on the crazy quilt - just straight lines and some points, whatever came to mind.  I am so loving this method of quilting. I encourage you to give it a try.  Email me if you have any questions.  The pillow is going on my Etsy site, don't know about the quilt yet.

Winner of Casserole Carrier & Oven Mitt

Random Number:

Desi said... (No Blog)

I have had a carrier on my to-make list and it keeps getting bumped to make things for my daughter :) new follower, I love black and white together. My favorite decoration is the ornament my husband and I bought on our honeymoon to Disney.

Congrats Desi - I will get an email out to you next.  Thanks all for playing.  I had a great time. 

I'm Having a Giveaway!

As part of the Quilting Gallery Blog Hop I am giving away a casserole carrier for a 9 x 9 pan plus an oven mitt.  The pan will not be included in the gift.  Carry your food in style to the next party you go to. 

Linking to http://quiltinggallery.com/quilters-fun/quilters-blog-hop-party/

To enter my giveaway, become a follower to my blog and tell me what your favorite color and holiday decorations are.  Simple right?

 I will pick a random winner on December 17th.  Thanks for playing. 

I signed up for the blog hop party!

I don't know yet what I'll give away, but it should be fun.  This is sponsored by the http://www.quiltinggalery.com/.  Over 200 bloggers have responded. 

Tree Skirt Made

I made a tree skirt.  I have always wanted to make one for years, but other holiday sewing got in the way.  You all know how that happens.  I took a class at the local quilt shop (Piece By Piece) and went for it.  The pattern lacks in directions, so I am extremely happy I took the class.  The teacher was very helpful with useful hints using this pattern.  The pattern is called "Snow Falling on Cedars/Tannenbaum" by www.aardvarkquilts.com. 

For sale in my Etsy shop $95.00

IPAD Case & Color Nook Cover

Steve purchased a Nook Color - that's his holiday gift and birthday.  I made a new cover.  He has a thing for the Three Stooges.  I found the fabric in my stash.  I bought it in Florida about four years ago.

More Three Stooges fabric - this time an IPad II cover.  It has a zippered pocket on the front for your cables, cords, etc., hook and loop tab closure, and a detachable strap.  This is going in my Etsy shop for $19.50 if anyone is interested. 

Small Quilt Swap #1

I am in a small quilt swap and this is what I made for my partner.  Hope she likes it.  It had to be bigger than 22 inches, this one measured 23.5.  Now I want to make one in a bigger size for myself.  Actually this is the fourth small quilt I made.  The other three are done in various stages.  I could not decide.  

Another Toddler Quilt Made

I made this for a friends great-grandson.  I machine quilted it with straight lines and then used the quilt as you go method to put it all together.  Nice and bright for a little two year old boy. The pattern is called Nite ~ Nite, a very easy quilt to make.  It was eight fat quarters plus the border and backing. 

QAYG Table Runner

I have been sewing my scrap fabrics to phone book pages.  I tear out a bunch of pages and then using the straight side of the page cut the pages six inches by the length of the page, ten or so at a time.  I had almost a hundred of these pages which turn out to be about 6 x 10.75.  While watching TV, I tear off the paper on the back once I get a bunch sewn.  I want to make a lap/throw quilt with them, so I tried the table runner first to see if I liked the method = quilt as you go (QAYG) first.  So this is my result.  I loved it better after I washed it.  It is amazing how all the scraps just float in the center.  I used a gray kona cotton on the sashing and borders. 

This is about as Halloween as I get.  So now I know how it works and want to go on and make a lap quilt.  Quite easy.  I used the method in "Mile-A-Minute Quilts" by Sharon Hultgren. 

New baby quilt and diaper bag made.

My sister sent me the front fabric to make a baby quilt for her co-worker.  I dug the back fabric from my stash.  The diaper bag I made from the left over fabric. I stippled it myself.  No pattern, just on a wing and a prayer.  Happy with how they both turned out.  Now I just have to get them in the mail to my sister in Las Vegas.

I have joined a small quilt swap!

I hope I can come up with something for my partner.  This swap is at http://Mary-myneedlethread.blogspot.com.  It has to be about 22 x 22.  I am trying not to stress too much.  Maybe this will help me get my sewing room in order from the move.  Seems like everyday we have to go and do something related to living here in Oregon and have not had the time to sew, except two small drawstring bags. 

I just came back from San Antonio, Texas.  My grandson graduated from Air Force Basic Training.  I am one proud grandma!  This is a bright future for this 18 year old young man.  Maybe he will friend me on FaceBook now?? 

More Drawstring Bags

This is my first sewing project since we moved into the house.  My sewing room is almost unpacked.  I thought I downsized a lot before we moved, but apparently not enough.  I have three plastic bins full of nothing but kits I have purchased.  What was I thinking???  So definitely on a no buy odyssey now.  I am leaving tomorrow to go to Las Vegas.  My daughter lives there and of course her five almost six year old twins.  We are leaving Wednesday to go to San Antonio together to see my grandson, her son, graduate from Air Force boot camp.  I made these two little drawstring bags for them to put toys in or whatever they want.  Grandma just can't go empty handed.  I will put some money in there, they like that.  I have not found a good place for pictures yet in this house. 

We have arrived!

It was 3300 miles from Tampa, Florida to Eugene, Oregon.  We are staying in a LaQuinta Inn as they are pet friendly.  Our moving truck was suppose to be here September 16th, but as Murphy's Law will prevail in our house, it won't be here until Thursday or Friday next week.  So we will be staying a few more days at the Inn.  I am anxious to move in and get out of this place.  I did pack my little Janome AQS machine and a project so not all is lost.  I made 30 string blocks 6 x 10.5 yesterday. 

Start of Scrappy New York Beauty

A little project I started using my scraps.  I purchased the book New York Beauty Simplified by Linda Hahn at my local quilt shop Crafty Threads.  She really does a good job of explaining and lots of pictures for clarity.  My plan is to use pinks for the pie, greens for the background and yellow and oranges for the spires which have a white background.  Instead of paper to make the arch foundation, I used something I found in the interfacing section of Joann's.  I think it is used to make patterns.  I tested it by washing and drying a small sample.  While watching the idiot box, I have been tracing the arch's onto this stuff.  Works well, I love using it and a bigger bonus, no paper to peel away.  Looks like interfacing, but better. 

Once we move across country, we will be staying in a LaQuinta with our two dogs in Eugene, Oregon.  I am packing my small Janome with this project and another one, just incase I get bored. 

Four Completed Projects

My $15 thrift store chair redo.

Embroidery birthday pillow for sale $20 + $5 shipping. Contact me if you are interested.

Online quilt class at Quiltuniversity.com.  I don't like my colors, just glad it is done.  It measures 32 x 32.

That's it for now, just finished packing up my sewing room and have a big box of stuff to donate to my guild meeting on Friday.  No more sewing until we move to Oregon. 

New Purse Made

I made this for a family member for her birthday.  She is 80 + and I wanted to put a light color lining on the inside so it is easier to see things, I also put zippered pockets in there.  I think the bag looks much neater with the zipper pockets.  Loved how it turned out.  The outer fabric is from Joan's home dec line and the inside is just some cotton I had on hand.  I found the free pattern here and made changes to it.  I like this bag as it is just the right size, not too big or small. 

New House in Eugene, Oregon

We finally have a contract on our house in Tampa.  It has been on the market with two Realtors for nine months.  Last Sunday we went to Eugene for a few days to look for a house to buy and this is it.  It has two bedrooms downstairs (a master and guest) and upstairs is a loft and another bedroom.  There are three full bathrooms, two down and one up.  Several built-in all over the place.  Going to rest today, just got back and then packing starts again tomorrow.

Cupcake Pillow and Little Girl Skirts

I made these little skirts for my five year old granddaughters.  One has a Halloween birthday and the other a late September.  Both mamas are into Halloween.  The cupcake pillow I embroidered and then stippled.  I put a zipper in the back of the pillow, my first.  It was quite easy.  The tutorial came from Piece N Quilt.  If I wasn't so lazy, I would get up and get the info.  Email me if you are interested. 

GPS Bag and Store Sample

Not much going on here.  Trying to get into the retirement mode, which was not easy at first.  Retired for almost two months now.  I made the Smorgasbord quilt sample for http://www.craftythreads.com/, my local quilt shop. Went together so easy if you are wondering.  The patter is by Block Party Studios. 

The other is a bag for my GPS.  My old one was not updated and kept getting us lost on our recent trip to Cape Cod so we got a new one.  I made a simple padded drawstring bag to hold the GPS, the instruction booklet and the USB cord.  Now when not in use, it goes in the bag.

Vintage Spools Small Quilt

I downloaded this pattern from Loft Creations, it is called Vintage Spools. You need some background, spool top and bottom fabric, five inch squares and rickrack.  I used a 30's charm pack.  I had everything in my stash except the rickrack.  It measures 35" long by 31" wide.  Don't know want I am going to do with it yet.  It could be a baby quilt or a table topper.

Up Cycled IPAD II Case

These jean men's shorts were meant for the Goodwill bag but were detoured to my sewing room.  I wanted to make an IPad case out of them.  I put an additional pocket on the inside.  The two outside pockets are fully usable.  The outside can hold the cell phone and the other all the cords and accessories.  If interested, you can purchase through my Etsy shop here for $20.00 plus shipping.  The lining and top border are a Robert Kaufman print of old clock faces. 

New Bag Made

Wrong sided hounds-tooth.  My bad!

Blue Zippers??

This is called Take Me Away - Weekend Bag by J.L. Stephens Couture.  I ordered the PDF pattern from Etsy.  I don't know if I will make another one.  If I did, I would change a few things.  One side is good the other the hounds-tooth did not match up as I was short on fabric.  I used what I had on hand to include the navy blue zippers in the lining.  I made a hard covered bottom as well. 

Early Halloween Wallhangings

My daughter is a Halloween nut.  She sent me home from Vegas with these two panels and the fabric for the borders.  I mitered the borders so the little table topper is from the leftover strips and is reversible. 

Back From the West Coast

We took a family trip to Disneyland.  There were 15 of us and three vehicles from Las Vegas to Anaheim, California.  There were seven kids and one teenager ages two to 18 years. It was exhausting and fun.  The little ones were so fun to watch.  We went to a character breakfast and well worth the money.  Then the Disney characters come to the table and you can take pictures of your child without having to wait in long lines.  

I went to M&L Fabrics which is a great store if you get a chance to go there.  There are so many fabrics and very good prices.  Bring an extra bag if you are flying.  My one daughter bought two Halloween panels and fabric for the border to make her wall hangings.  I got them together, now I have to quilt them.  Pictures later.

Humbug Bags

I whipped two of these up last night. This pattern is from http://www.quiltwoman.com/.  They would be great for cosmetics, toiletries, or to hold the foot pedal and cords for your travel sewing machine.  I have one a friend made for me years ago and I keep my little Janome pedal and cord in there.  So a great gift for your sewing friends.  I will probably put these on my Etsy shop when I get back from vacation.  Going to Las Vegas and all seven of my grandchildren will be there.  Well three already live there, but all in all, it will be great.  We are driving to Disneyland and hope to make a trip to M & L Fabric without the kids. 

Any Ideas -Foundation Piecing & the Phone Book

I call this the start of a phone book quilt.  I tore pages from my phone book and laid my six by twelve ruler on them and cut.  I then went to my scrap bucket and started foundation sewing.  I have 27 six by 10 1/2 rectangles so far.  I don't know what I am going to do with them.  Any ideas out there?  I am thinking sashing in between.  I know I need to make several more rectangles. 

IPAD II Case and Placemat Pillows

I designed this IPad cover.  I wanted something to hold my charging cord and stand so I put a nice big pocket on the back with a hook and loop flap pocket.  I added batting to the lining and outside fabric, so it is nice and cushy for my Ipad. 
The pillows are from two placemats I purchased at Target.  They add some nice color to my couch. 

Pillowcases for the military and more snack bags.....




Pillowcases made for Carol at http://brownquilts4me.blogstpot.com/.  She has taken over this project for Jami who was diagnosed with cancer and could not continue.  Jami would go to the airports and give out pillowcases to any service member she would see so they would have something from home.  I have only made two, but plan on making more.  All she asks if you make them in patriotic colors.  Go to her blog and check out her story and make a few.

 

A few eco-friend snack bags made.  They are available on my Etsy site.  Go to www.SugarPlumPlace.com and it will link you directly with my Etsy site.

Reusable Snack Bags

I haven't posted in awhile - have been busy with my retirement plans and trying to sell our house.  I officially retire May 31st with 23 years of government service.  I am so ready.  I am in the process of making reusable snack and/or sandwich bags for my Etsy shop.  These are a few I have made so far.

Snack Bags & Quilted Basket

A few things I made last weekend.  The quilted basket is for a customer.  The snack bags I will be selling in my Etsy site and the drawstring bags are for a friend I work with.