BOM - ing

A few weeks ago, I was talking with my friend about my desire for a Go! cutter, but how, since I am now unemployed retired, there wasn't much chance of buying one.  My friend said she had one that she was thinking of selling because she never used it.  Well, one thing led to another, and we worked out a trade.  She had some projects she needed to have finished, and well, I've got some time right now.

The first project I'm working on is the Fat Quarter Shop 2012 Designer Block of the Month.  I'm really enjoying creating these blocks.  The fabric is lovely - Vintage Modern, by Bonnie and Camille.
And the blocks are really fun.  I don't think there is a single block that I don't like (even the ones that are mostly gray - shhh, don't tell!)

One of the fun things about these blocks is that FQS is so generous with their fabric, I'm getting two blocks from almost every kit.

A quilt for my friend...

And a quilt for me!

Because my very generous friend said I could keep the second quilt...

 Now THAT's a good deal.

 I'm really glad, because the more I see of this quilt, the more I like it.

The colors are gorgeous!

 Isn't it fun to work on a project you really like?

Happy quilting!

13 in 2013 - Granny Squares Quilt FINISHED!

It.  Is.  Done.

Love that many of the squares were bee blocks.  Love the quilt.  Love the binding.  Love that I got to quilt it on a long arm...

Love that I had a couple of extra squares to put on the back. 

Did I already say I love the binding?  I even hand sewed the binding, which I rarely do.

Oh yes, I think this is destined to be a favorite quilt.

Scavenger Bag

If you've read Amanda's recent post, you know that I visited recently and helped around the house a bit while I was there.  One of my tasks was to cut out her AMH Multi-Tasker tote. Sad to say we had a slight miscommunication, and I cut a couple of pieces incorrectly.  While I didn't do it on purpose {cross my heart}, it worked out to my advantage and I got to bring the incorrectly cut pieces of that yummy AMH linen, along with the pattern, home with me.  I had strict instructions to mail the pattern back by Wednesday, and I am proud to say that it was in the mail on time and my bag is finished.

The way this bag is constructed is rather unconventional, but it turns out that there are some nifty short cuts in the construction method, if you just follow the directions - something I occasionally have trouble doing, to be honest.  But I am ever so pleased with the results (if not with the photography - note to self:  when you go out to take photos and the light is fading fast, also take your glasses!)

Since I had such a limited amount of the AMH linen, I used a solid linen/cotton blend for the pocket lining {can I just say I L.O.V.E. the pockets???}...

And some Quilter's Linen (that my LQS was just unpacking while I was there) for the lining...

And some scraps of that beautiful feather print linen for the bottom of the bag.

Despite the fact that I feel something like a scavenger, I LOVE this bag.  I think it will be a perfect all-round carry-everywhere bag.

You can never have too many bags, right?

So thanks, Amanda and AMH for my new bag!

13 in 2013 - April goal

I'm working on the binding for my granny squares quilt.  Finishing it up was my goal for April in A Lovely Year of Finishes on Flickr.

photo by Westwood Acres

I had debated about the binding until I saw this print in Amanda's "Stripes That Bind" bundle in her shop when I was visiting last week.  They're all so pretty!  I knew this print was just the thing.  And I have 9 lovely stripey prints left to make other bindings if I want.  Or, maybe I'll make a quilt with them.  Wouldn't they be pretty as HST's with a collection of solids???  I think I'm drooling.

And this print is finishing up my granny quilt just as nicely as I thought it would.  I love that it looks like it's cut on the bias - but it's printed that way!  Saved me a ton of work and a ton of fabric.  I also love that it pulls out so many of the colors in the grannies themselves.  See how great it looks with the yellow Bella solid backing?

I think I'm in love!  Again!

Oh, and in other news...  you can now follow prsd4tim2 on

Travelogue... And a couple of finished projects

I've been traveling for the last couple of weeks, and I've been having a great time, although the weather is not what I'm used to - AT ALL.  Rexburg was cold and WINDY, and then it SNOWED on Monday and Tuesday in Spanish Fork!  It hasn't gotten above 50 degrees yet, I don't think.  I didn't really come prepared for cold weather, mentally or otherwise.

But it was certainly wonderful to celebrate achievements with Arielle and her husband, Mitch...

And visit with Sean as he congratulated his sister...

And see the grands (and their parents of course)...

 Britton is getting so big, and he smiles all the time (well ok, not ALL the time!)...

And his sister is a bit silly...  But Grandma is having a great time! Not much sewing is getting done, but I do have a couple of finishes to share.

This DS Quilts drunkard's path mini quilt was made with leftover circles from Amanda's circles class at Sewing Summit last October.  I had to cut a new template for the white, of course, but I thought the quilt turned out cute. I had fun accenting the diamonds in the center with hand quilting.  The first time I did it I was so afraid it wouldn't turn out, but it has become one of my favorite techniques.

I didn't finish my mini for the Fab Little Quilt Swap before I left home, so I had to find a project I could do mostly by hand.  While I was at Ari's I helped her with a quilt she was making and she gave me the scraps (which I think she had gotten from her sister!) so I put together this little hexagon mini.  Amanda kindly let me use her Bernina to sew on the borders and binding, so it got finished just in time to mail to my partner.

Oops, gotta run!  Abby wants to play!

Congratulations, Ari!

Congratulations today go to my beautiful daughter, Arielle, and her husband, Mitch on their graduation from Brigham Young University Idaho.  It seems odd to think my youngest has not graduated college.  Wasn't it just last week she was a little girl in pigtails?

To celebrate the event, we had a lovely lunch beforehand with both families...

and a little party afterwards to celebrate the event.

But sadly, I left the camera on and discharged the battery, so these are the only pictures I got.  Hopefully, Mitch's parents will share their photos.

Ari and Mitch, we are proud of you!

Friday Finishes!

It's been a frantic week, finishing up some projects and meeting some deadlines, with not much time for recording finishes here.  But despite all the chaos, I do have a couple of things to share.  My daughter saw a duvet cover on Pinterest about a year ago, bought a set of sheets and asked dear old mom to make one like it for her.  There was a real learning curve to this thing, most of it make-it-up-as-you-go-along, but it is finally finished.

The only way I could figure out to do the gathers, since the gathers needed to be independently gathered, was to cut a piece of paper the right length and gather both sides to the right length individually.  It was a lengthy process, considering that all 4 sides of each block needed to be gathered separately - 48 blocks times 4 is 192 gathered seams!

I have to say that I'm really glad this project is finished. It wasn't my April goal (wonder why I didn't think of it???), but it was on my list of 13 finishes in 2013, so that makes 3 finishes from the list so far this year.  I'll take that as a plus!

What have you been working on?

Blogiversary Giveaway Winner

I apologize for the delay in announcing the winner of this gorgeous bundle of fabric in my 3rd Blogiversary giveaway.  Now that my husband is only home on weekends, they seem to pass even more quickly than they used to as we try to get a week's worth of chores crammed into two days - or in this case three. His birthday was Thursday (happy birthday, dear!) and so we had a bit of a celebration. 

He wanted a birthday cupcake - German chocolate is his favorite.  Have you ever tried to make just one cupcake from a box mix?  So, in a bit of cleverness (OK, so it was just me that thought it was clever!) I went to Michael's and picked up one of those giant cupcake cake pans and made him a cupcake.  I did love the look on his face when he saw it.  =}  And I got to use the cake pan for the YW bake sale auction the next day.  Two for one!  Ha! Ha!


Anyway, I finally sat down and asked Mr. Random Number Generator to give us a winner for the Mo Bedell Full Moon Lagoon bundle.

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

155  

Timestamp: 2013-04-08 12:27:27 UTC

who is

155 Cecilia  April 2, 2013 at 6:31 PM

Happy Blogaverisary! I would make a pretty tote bag. Thanks for the chance to win.

I loved that in her next comment she said she could actually hear Abby and Britton laughing in the photo!  Made me smile!  And I think her tote bag will be awesome out of this fabric.  Hope she sends me a picture.

So I'm off to email Cecilia.  Thanks to everyone who commented and helped to make my blogiversary a success!  I apologize for not responding to all the comments this time {yet}.  I seem to be busier now than ever!  But I did read every one and hope to respond to you in a day or two.

"Prince Charming" Double Hexie Pillows

We all know I simply have no self control when it comes to swaps, but I really love how they stimulate the creative process for me.  While I have received some totally fab-u-lous gifts in swaps, they are not the reason I participate.  I love to try new things and make something that {I hope} will please my partner.  Without the inspiration of the swap, and making things for new people each time, I doubt I would ever try anything new.

For this project, my partner suggested a palette that is not-quite my usual style. I was really stumped until I remembered that I had this Tula Pink Prince Charming bundle sitting on the shelf that I purchased - and used quite a lot - in 2011.  In fact, I made my son pillows from it that year.

The pattern was inspired by this tutorial from Kerri and from this pattern by Jaybird Quilts. 

Be sure if you try it that you are using a 60-degree equilateral triangle template.  Yes, I made a huge mistake and had to re-cut all the triangles.  Boo.  It was a lot of extra work, but the pillow turned out OK in the end.  In fact, I kind of like the fact that the inside hexagon is smaller than the outside, but it wasn't planned that way.  LOL

I had a couple of blocks left over so for the "extra" item, I made this little hexi-ish scrap basket.  If I was to do it again, I would make the inserts more rectangular than triangular, and make it a little bigger.  It is a mere 5-inches in diameter, so it is small, but deep.  Still, it would work very well in my sewing space, which is very cramped (to say the least).

So there you have it - one more swap completed with the hope that it is something my partner will really enjoy.

March Recap

I never feel like I accomplished as much as I wish I had, but there were a few finishes to report in March.

I finished my Madrona Road quilt using Ali's heximetry pattern.  Every time I see it, it reminds me of the quilt in this picture that Ali made and sent to Britton on the occasion of his arrival...

which was taken the day the quilt arrived.  Their mommy had no sooner put the quilt on the floor and placed newborn Britton on it in anticipation of a photo session, than his big sister had to lie down next to him for a chat.  I love this picture, and these children, and the quilt as well.

And here's another photo of our {then} new little guy {and the quilt, of course}.

Britton was a year old yesterday.  Look how far we've come!

... But I digress...  we were talking about March finishes, weren't we?  Let's see - Madrona Road...

And Jelly Roll Race...

And the wonky Hexie Scrap Basket...

And the little Selvage Pouch...

 And a {sorely needed!} new ironing board cover...

Leona's mug rug...

A table runner, napkins, market tote and pouch for my partner in the Wish List swap....

And my sister's Music Tote.

So, there were a few accomplishments.  And let us not forget that I had my first experience with a long arm, which was a blast!

So, that about wraps up March...  In addition to the Lovely Year of Finishes, I'm linking up with Richard and Tanya's Link a Finish Friday (even though this was posted on Thursday) because they said there were no rules.  =)


Here's to April!