Up Early

I am and have always been an early riser.  This morning a bit earlier than usual.  Five phone calls between 9 pm and 1am so on the last one I just couldn't get back to sleep.  So up I am, showered and ready to start and finish this Friday.  Oh, thank goodness it is Friday.  My job is overwhelming these days with another assistant come and gone in a matter of 6 weeks.  I am on the hunt for help again!  My New Years promise to myself of finding balance and working less this year has not come to fruition...yet!  It is still my goal.

On to better things...Doll Quilt Swap 12 is about to draw to an end.  I made this for my secret partner
It is a paper pieced log cabin block, actually 30 blocks and the quilt finished at 17 inches by 21.

 I am very happy with this little quilt and if my partner does not like it I hope she sends it back to me!  I sewed sparkly little beads in the center of each purple "flower" and sewed tiny buttons at the junction of each block.  I used a SID quilting pattern so as not to obstruct the look of the quilt.  I love it!

I put a fabulous Kaffe print on the back.  Need a label and then mailing and my deadline is Tuesday.

Now for the little quilt I received...   Isn't it wonderful?  Also a paper pieced project and I love it.  Jan made this for me!  Love the colors and the unusal design.....It is fabulous.

swaps and this and that...

i have been busy, busy.....working and sewing.  It is Big 12 basketball week and being in the parking business in downtown kansas city means i have been busy.  how great it is to see the mass of humanity descend on the city, it is fantastic.  really cuts into my sewing time!

i have once again, against my more intelligent inner voice, joined my two favorite flickr swaps, for the love of solids 2 and the doll quilt swap 12.  both are almost at an end so i will soon be swap less again which is my current goal.  time to get started on those three christmas quilts i want to get done.

this is my main item for floss 2 and my first ever pillow cover.  i will be making more pillows.  it turned out quite nice i think

for the doll quilt swap 12 we had certain blocks that we were allowed to choose from to make our doll quilts.  the quilts are very small of course, and  must contain at least 6 blocks.  We could choose drunkards path, which you would think would be my choice, log cabin, churn dash....etc.  i chose to make these.  more on this later!

i made this quilt  several years ago from a quilting magazine love the fabric but would not be my chosen pattern today.  the fabulous angela quilted it for me and my great niece chloe got it for christmas.  from the scraps of this quilt came this quilt...

i like this one much better for some reason!!!  it will go on the quilter today so i can get it finished up.  it is going to a friends first female grandchild.  I do love this one.  hope the quilting turns out well...we shall see!

i bought this backing fabric for less than $5 a yard.  i get excited when i get fabulous quilting fabric for less than $5 a yard!  especially when it is such a fabulous purple.






Hope you have a great weekend sewing.


Sharon...hope you like the mug rug!  Forgot to take a photo before the kcmqg meeting!

Where to begin...

I've been gone for awhile. My work has become overwhelming but I am hoping that is about to end.  These 60 hour weeks really cramp my sewing ability.  My hope for 2012 was to work less and balance my life a little better.  Hopefully sew a little more.  I am hiring some help so I can just barely see light at the end of this horrible tunnel.

I spent this weekend sewing and it has been fabulous.  Nothing I can show you but another project finished.  I am working on my For the Love of Solids Swap project.  I am not that thrilled with what I have so we shall see what my partner ends up with.  These are my choices....a little secondary project with the blocks on the left and then my main project out of these beautiful brights.

Today I recieved notification that I made it into Doll Quilt Swap 12.  One of my favorite swaps filled with imagination and inspiration.  I dug out some of my quilt books for some guidance in my mind. Who knows what I will end up with for this.

One of the group projects while waiting for partner information was the Polka Dot Piggie mug rugs.  I whipped up a couple today and here they are;

I just wanted to sew today!!




What did you sew this weekend?

my colorwheel

My colorwheel came home from the quiltshop!  It is one of my favorites.  I want to make another one and do it a bit differently.  I just love the vibrant colors paired with black.

I will change the quilting on the next one.  I need more quilting in the color portion.  I may work on that when I bring her home.  She is hanging out in my office at work and makes me happy.  For the backing I found a bit of Kaffe to use.  I love the brightness and richness of color.  I love this quilt!

Making Simple Things

So many things I would like to make.  I have an improv quilt on my mind but need more time to spend with my thoughts.  Those Transparency Quilts are haunting my sleep.  Right now with my intense work schedule and vacation just around the corner (I have not packed yet) I am settlling for some simple things.

Just an easy center panel with a couple of borders.  It is flannel and covered with monsters!  Our own little red haired monster celebrated his 2nd birthday on Christmas day so we celebrated when the holdays were done.  It is about 60x60 so a good size for him.  Most importantly for me is that it is a finish!!   It's nice to have a finish even though I don't have as much time to sew right now.

I started and finished these two doll quilts today.  Simple and fun and finished!  There is a little girl and her dollies that will love them!  A little yellow marble flannel for the back and some easy quilting.

I am hoping this little one loves these pink ballerinas!

Who doesn't love this Heather Bailey?  This is one of my very favorite prints.  Just love the big flower.

These are in the washer and will soon be ready to go to a new home.

So it is not always about creating for me.  Sometimes I just need to touch fabric, hear my machine run and every now and then get a very easy finish.  It's good for my sewing soul!

All Done

I did it!  This is my first total finish for 2012.  I love this quilt.  It is so soft and warm.  It is in the dryer as I write this and will be ready to go to it's new home.  I hope my sister in law loves it.

I had a little fun with the snowmen on the back.  Her grand boys will enjoy cuddling with her and the snowmen!

This photo is blurry but it is a photo of some little quilt labels my niece gave me for Christmas.  She ordered them off the net somewhere.  I think they are pretty nice.  Plenty of space to write the date at the bottom of the label.

I've got another quilt on the frame.  Have to have it ready for a birthday party on Saturday.  I'd best get busy!

Happy New Year!

Another year older....seriously, do I need to keep having these birthdays?  I really think I have had enough!!!  I just want to stay the age I am right now!!  No more aging.

For this wonderful day I quilted my first quilt of 2012.  This quilt that I have made for my sister in law is made from flannel......Woolies flannel from Maywood Studios.  If you have never made a quilt with Woolies flannel you have not used the best flannel of all.  Just my opinion of course but this flannel is nice and sturdy and the colors are rich.  This is a large quilt!  She told me she wanted to wrap herself up in it!  It is big enough for that.  Need to get the binding on tomorrow and finish it up,

What a perfect way to start the new year.  A quilt and the ipad my husband gave me for my birthday!  Life is good.