A Lovely Year of Finishes - May Finish!

Just in the nick of time I managed to finish the first of the aqua/red quilts - the one with the yellow sashing.  I am pretty happy with the way it turned out, in fact.  This one is destined for a Project Linus donation.

I used another of the stripe fabrics from my Stripes That Bind bundle.  Looks like it was just made for this quilt, doesn't it?  I quilted each block in a different motif from Angela Walters' book.  There are 28 motifs in the book, and I have now tried 12.  Not perfectly, not even competently on some of them, but the last ones better than the first, so not a bad start.

Sorry for the blurry cell phone picture.  I promise to take better pictures soon, at least during daylight. 

For now, I'm content to say, "It is done."

Tula Pink Giveaway Winner

I just love this little froggy - he's so expressive!

I should have done this yesterday, but I just wasn't feeling bloggy.  I woke up yesterday morning and remembered that I was supposed to attend a baby shower and hadn't made the gift.  So I started a project... that took way longer than I thought.  I ended up giving the mommy-to-be a card and a promise, so she will get her gift today.

Anyway, I'm here today bright and early to announce the winner of the Quilts From the House of Tula Pink book and charm pack (BTW:  did you see BD#1's post on Quilt Market where she met the fabulous Tula?)

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

8 

Timestamp: 2013-05-26 13:27:32 UTC

 I thought it was so cool that it was such an early commenter this time...  Anyway, #8 was

8. Joyce  May 17, 2013 at 11:17 AM

I am a follower!

Congratulations, Joyce.  I'm off to email you.  And thanks also to Joyce and everyone else who follows this little blog.  I hope you find something useful or inspiring here from time to time.

Quick Gift Idea

 The 400th Post/Tula Pink giveaway is here, and ends today at 5:00 pm Central Time.

The other day I met my friend for a little fabric shopping/dinner adventure, and I wanted to make her a little gift.  She loves Tula Pink - and in fact I'm making a Neptune/Prince Charming quilt top for her - so I decided to make a little fabric basket from the selvages and some leftover linen from my Scavenger Bag.

This little basket is super easy to make.  I used the Pink Penguin tutorial.  Instead of using the 2" squares she used in her tutorial, I took 6" strips of selvage and sewed them together, then cut them in half and mix/matched them, and sewed them on in the same manner Ayumi did, then quilted and constructed the basket.  It is a fairly easy project, and takes about an hour.

I {over}stuffed it with a few little things from my stash.  I was glad I did, because she brought me a whole bag full of fabric, including some Lila Tueller Bohemian Festival jelly roll strips and pieces of layer cake I've been coveting.  I know exactly what I'm going to do with it, which is really quite rare for me.

I've made a couple of similar baskets.  This one from LouLouThi by Anna Maria Horner.

And this little one with handles is from LouLouThi as well.

So, if you need a quick gift for someone, this could work for you.  Have fun!

4 Quilts (in Process...)

 Note:  The Tula Pink/Prince Charming giveaway is here.

While there are a couple of aspects of being a working girl I do miss, being retired does have its advantages.  I have the chance to sew a lot more, of course, and I'm having a blast!  Since I feel like I've made a bit of progress, I thought I would share four quilt tops I have made this month.  The first {and the second?} is my goal for may in the  A Lovely Year of Finishes Flickr group.  These were blocks I obtained from the 3x6 bee, and I received so many - 26 to be exact - that I decided to make two quilts.  I sashed the first in the yellow from the GMFG (note to self - buying a whole bolt is a LOT of fabric).  It is a pretty color, and I think shows off the aqua and red very well.  A few of the blocks have yellow in them, so I think it works.

Here is the second quilt top.  I really like this one too.  The funny thing about bee blocks is that 12-1/2" can mean so many things, so I sashed them with really wide sashing and then cut them down to all end up the same size.

These will probably end up as quilts for Project Linus.  Our local Project Linus is attempting to collect 150 quilts by July 31 to enable them to give one to every child who attends a summer camp for military children whose parent/parents are deployed. 

Which of these do you like best?  I can't decide.  Is the blue one suitable for a boy, do you think?

A member of our quilt guild is moving soon and put 24 of these blocks up for grabs to make another quilt for the Project Linus quilt drive.  I found them at the bottom of my bag last week when I cleaned up my show and tell stuff.  Since they were there, and I was avoiding another project (don't remember which one) I sat down and made one more block and put them together in a square. 

Then, since I don't really like square quilts, I bought a yard of this Boho Eclectic in Rain by Urban Chiks and did really wide borders.  The colors matched perfectly.  I'm not sure what the original fabric was...

Finally, I had this idea that I could do faux string blocks with my Stripes that Bind bundle from Westwood Acres, so I thought I would give it a try.  It turned out just like I thought it would.  Easy Peasy.  But I didn't want to use up all my stripes just yet, so I only made 6 blocks.  Hmmm...  What can you do with only 6 blocks?

Heximetry, of course.  I think I may make narrow borders from the solids before this one is actually finished, but I really love the way it turned out.  The perfect pattern if you only have a few large-ish hexagons.  These were larger than Ali's original pattern, so I had to fudge some, but I am pleased with the way it turned out.  Not sure if I'll donate this one.  I might just have to keep it.

So, there you have it.  I need to buy some batting and then get these babies quilted.  Should keep me busy for a day or two (or five - or ten...)

Happy quilting!

Weekender - Take.2

If you are looking for the 400 post - Tula Pink giveaway, enter here.

I've spent the last couple of days making another Weekender bag - this one for my partner in the Sew Sew Modern 2 Swap.  This one seemed more difficult than the first one - partly because I tried a new technique, and partly, I think, because I didn't follow the directions as closely.  The new-to-me technique was a modified quilt-as-you-go technique.  I'm not sure if I like it or not, but I think I will experiment with it some more.  Elizabeth Hartman uses a similar technique, but densely quilts over each piece as it is added.  I didn't think I wanted that much quilting, but I may try it another time and see.

I'm not really a random/improv kind of person, so the random placement of the fabrics kind of drove me nuts.  But overall, I like the effect.  It is obviously something I need to practice.

I started with the Heather Ross vans/campers print, and worked from there.  Can you believe I actually used GRAY???  That was a total departure for me, and coming up with enough grays was a challenge.  I added some pinks in random places to liven it up a bit.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.  I hope my partner likes it. 

NOTE TO SELF:  The next weekender bag is for me!

400th Post Giveaway - Quilts From the House of Tula Pink

This is my 400th blog post, a fact which amazes me no end.  When I started this blog, I NEVER, E-V-E-R thought that I would really blog - you know, actually write in this forum.  Regularly write.

I really started the blog just to be able to see - and comment on - pictures of my grandchildren (gratuitous photos of grandchildren inserted here), which you know is almost as necessary as breathing, if you're a Grandma.  But once again, I digress...

I have decided to honor the occasion with a giveaway.  I really like doing giveaways.  I love reading the comments I receive.  It's so fun.  I try to answer every one, although sometimes its kind of daunting, and I know that in past giveaways I have missed a few.

So, to celebrate my 400th blog post, I am giving away Tula Pink's book Quilts From the House of Tula Pink and a charm pack of the remaining prints I have of Prince Charming.

I regret that this won't be a complete set of the fabrics in the line, as I have used and/or given away a few of them.  But there is a respectable selection remaining in my stash, and I want you to have something to work with when you get the book. 

You can see that I've used this particular fabric a lot.

So, what do you have to do to win this little gift?  You have up to four chances to win:

1. Just leave a comment here and tell me about a project that's on your quilting bucket list, and why.  Or tell me about a project you are currently working on.  That's all - you will be entered in the giveaway.
2.  If you are - or become - a follower, you get a second entry.
3.  LIKE my Facebook page, or if you have already done so, just leave a comment on my FB page and then come back here to enter. 
4.  Use your favorite social media to tell your friends about my giveaway - blog, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, etc., then come back here and let me know.

This giveaway will be open until midnight Central time on Friday, May 24.  I will post the winner on my blog by Sunday, May 26.  Please be sure you are not a no-reply blogger.  I will immediately choose another winner if I don't have your email address.

Thanks for visiting - and good luck!

Hugs and Kisses

Awhile back I mentioned the deal I made with my friend to trade her Accu Quilt Go! Cutter for my labor.  I haven't received all the Block of the Month packets yet - the May block was just mailed out - but I did get a chance to work on another of the quilts she requested over the last couple of weeks, and so I have a finish to report.

The pattern is Hugs and Kisses by Jaybird Quilts.  The fabric, of course, is Flea Market Fancy, by Denyse Schmidt.

The design uses this cool Lazy Angle Ruler by Joan Hawley.  It's really pretty easy to use.  Julie at Jaybird Quilts has several other amazing quilts using this ruler on her website.  Personally, I think I'd like to make the Unwind quilt for myself, although the one she calls Carnival is pretty too - but you know I am a sucker for any fabric by Kate Spain, which is the fabric featured in her cover quilt.

The quilt went together like a dream.  I love its dramatic x's and o's, but the dominant diamond shape and the strong diagonal lines appeal to me also.  Honestly, it was a really fun quilt to make.

The quilt is twin size, and my friend has plans for it to go on her bed.  I think she will really like it.

All in the Family

My son came to visit his mom (and dad) for Mother's Day!  So glad to see him!  He brought along a jigsaw puzzle he bought for us at Disney World.  My kids and I have done many puzzles together over the years.  I love puzzling together.  It gives us a chance to chat and really enjoy each other's company while figuring out where the pieces go.  He arrived Friday afternoon and we jumped right in.  (As you can see, housework tends to take a back seat when we're puzzling.)

In between puzzle sessions, we watched a few movies, including Iron Man 3 since Saturday afternoon was rainy and gray, ate lots of yummy food - WH cooked breakfast and dinner (what a dinner!) and Sean cooked lunch on "the day" [and they did all the dishes!] -  and laughed and talked and enjoyed each other's company.

We had some sunny weather too, so HS managed a couple of trips to the beach while he was here...

And he commissioned a Mickey Mouse Fanny pack to aid in his traveling and beach-going (yes, he chose the fabric himself because Disney just didn't have anything he liked!)  Can you see it there against his plaid shorts?  Apparently I didn't take a photo of the fanny pack itself, although I could have sworn we did.  Fanny pack patterns are amazingly hard to find, now that said bags are out of style (though to me they're darn useful.)  Luckily, I had a pattern for a fanny pack in a shorts pattern that I made for him when he was - oh, maybe 8 years old.  (Good thing I keep all this stuff, huh?  You just never know when you will need it!)

We had a lovely visit.  So nice of him to come home and see his mom for Mother's Day - for the fourth year in a row, I think.  And no, he had to leave before the puzzle was completely finished - we were probably 2/3 done with it.  But I finished it last night, and am off this morning to buy some foam board and some mod podge.  It's too pretty (and too much work) to just tear it apart and stick it back in the box.

Hope everyone has as lovely a Mother's Day as I did! 

To Boston With Love

Thanks, Melanie, for holding my flag!

I attended our monthly meeting of the Emerald Coast Modern Quilt Guild on Saturday.  The Guild had decided to participate in the "To Boston With Love" project sponsored by the Vancouver MQG. The project will "show the love" of quilter's everywhere in response to last month's tragedy in Boston. Our hearts truly go out to those affected by this tragedy.  It seems that there are more wackos than ever in the world, doesn't it?

The  hundreds of flags collected from quilters all over the world will be displayed in the Shapiro Family Courtyard of the Boston Museum of Fine Art for several weeks, beginning Memorial Day weekend. 

But, as usual, while I knew for weeks what I planned to do, I didn't make my flag until Saturday morning before the meeting.  Too often, it seems, I'm a last-minute kind of gal.  But still, last-minute is better than not-at-all, don't you think?

Thank goodness for scraps and bonus HSTs, because I created this little flag in about 15 minutes.  (I hope you can't tell!)  The HSTs are left over from all the flying geese in the Fat Quarter Shop BOM quilt and a scrap of text from the Weekender Bag.  Easy peasy - no cutting, just sewing the bits together, backing it and turning it right side out.  I used a scrap of blue navy dot 1/2 inch bias tape for the tie at the top, which was probably purchased in about 1985, which had a price tag of 94 cents.  (I knew I'd find a use for it someday.)

I hope somehow that seeing all those flags displayed will bring a bit of comfort to those affected by this event.

"W" is for WINNER of the WEEKENDER

Well, it's a good thing that SMS Giveaway Day lasts a whole week, or I would be in a pickle, wouldn't I?  When I got up last Monday morning, I had no idea what I was going to do for a giveaway prize, and being that I hadn't yet started sewing on Monday morning, I'm glad I had a few days to finish it.

Overall it was a really fun project and not at all the nightmare I had been led to expect.  I pretty much followed Elizabeth Hartmann's suggestions and took it slow and easy, and used a large (size 18) needle.  Since WH was out of town, I had lots of time to play on the sewing machine, so when I got bogged down with it, I worked on another project.  Consequently, I have made progress on several other projects in the process of making the bag that undoubtedly will become topics of future blog posts.

I really enjoyed reading everyone's comments.  If I didn't respond to your comment, it was because I was something of a ditz - I got so excited reading them that I forgot to respond, and once they were read, I couldn't figure out who I had responded to and who I had missed.   Thank you all for the kind words, for following the blog, and for following me on FB and Pinterest.  I hope that we can become good online friends.  Maybe I'll even get to meet some of you in person one day.

But now it's time to choose a winner.  I have to admit that I'm having a little trouble letting go of this bag.  This is the third or fourth time I have sat down to write this post, and each time I have gotten interrupted sidetracked.

But this time, I am going to succeed in posting a winner.  I asked Mr. Random, and he chose

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

84

Timestamp: 2013-05-12 20:09:29 UTC

Who is my friend and former swap partner, Mary,  and who writes one of the very first blogs I ever started following.

 84 Mary on Lake Pulaski  May 6, 2013 at 2:23 PM

I "like" you on Facebook.

Again, thanks to everyone who entered.  Mary, I'm off to email you right now.

Weekender Travel Bag #Sew Mama Sew Giveaway - FINISHED!

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I couldn't wait for "sweet light" to introduce you the Weekender Travel Bag I made for the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway.  (If you are entering the giveaway, please leave a comment on this post - comments left anywhere else, while oh-so-welcome, will not count as entries for the giveaway.)

As you can see, I used mostly Amy Butler Lark for the quilted outside panels of the bag.  I am actually really excited about these chevrons, you know - these were some of the "bonus HSTs" (I made the HSTs as I was making the flying geese - a suggestion I read somewhere - Flickr, maybe?)  I had left over from all those flying geese in Amanda's Swoon Quilt that I made her for Christmas.  You can read about the Swoon quilt here and here.   I really love creating things out of scraps.  It makes me feel so thrifty!  And I really had a blast creating this bag.  (And now that I've re-read the Swoon posts, I think I'm going to have a really hard time giving this baby away.  Luckily, there are lots more HSTs if I decide to make another bag.)  If you'd like to make one, I think Amanda still has some Lark in her shop.

Here's the other side.  While the color combinations are basically the same, the fabrics on both sides are different, partly because I didn't have enough of any one fabric, and partly because I thought it was a fun way to create the bag.  Making the bag wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be.  The most time consuming part was quilting the outside.

Not a single wordy-dirty on this project, can you believe it?  A bunch of bent pins, but that was to be expected (I really have to get some of those quilting binder clips.)  And only two broken needles - one because I didn't screw the needle in tight enough and it came loose while I was sewing - oops!  The other because the needle I was using was too small.  In the instructions, Amy recommends a size 16 needle and sewing s-l-o-w-l-y.  I think she means it!  I didn't have any 16's, but I did use an 18 for most of the bag construction (after I broke the size 12 needle, of course), and it worked perfectly.  I used most of Elizabeth Hartmann's suggestions for the bag, including using cotton duck instead of peltex, and I really like the sturdiness and heft of the bag.  If I do make this bag again, I'll use this same idea. 

I decided to vary my chevrons a bit for the end pockets.  I kinda wish I'd thought of that sooner.  It's really fun!

I used texty prints as filler - and also because I thought it was really fun.  And the piping is a texty print I stole scavenged from Amanda when she made her Weekender last fall.

It has a double zipper...

And my favorite divided pocket inside - perfect for cell phone, keys, and other small objects you don't want to lose in the bottom of the bag.

I'm so excited about this project!  I sure hope the winner likes it!

Weekender Giveaway!

It's that time again and once again {what's new?} I'm running late.  I really struggled with what to do for this year's spring Giveaway Day.  It's always such an exciting time and I always have a blast seeing what everyone else is giving away (and entering the giveaways, of course - occasionally I have even won something!)  In the past I've picked favorite fabrics that I've been excited about to give away.

This year I decided to actually create something for Giveaway Day.  I've been going to do this for awhile, and what better time?  I'm creating a Weekender Travel Bag which I will give to one lucky winner.

Here is the front pocket of the bag you will receive.  Chevrons (mostly Amy Butler's Lark and texty prints).  I really think you will like it.  I think I will really like it when it is finished.  (Actually, I think I'm going to have a hard time giving it away.)

So, what do you need to do?  Here's the scoop:  each person can have up to three entries.
1.  Leave a comment and tell me about your favorite Sew Mama Sew Giveaway this spring.  That's it!  You're entered in the giveaway.

2.  If you are a follower of my blog, you receive a second entry.  That's it.  Just a leave a comment and let me know.  If you want to become a follower today, that counts too.  In either case, leave me a comment and tell me so.

3.  For a third entry, Like my PressedForTime2 Facebook page and leave me a comment on this blog post to tell me you did .  If you already Like my page, just leave me a comment and say so.  (I'm sorry to say that comments left on FB will not count as entries - I'm just not that nimble to be able to figure out how to mesh them together.)

In accordance with the rules of SMS Giveaway Day, this giveaway will close May 10 at 5:00 pm PST.  

Anyone, anywhere in the whole wide world can enter - I am more than willing to ship internationally.

Please, please, please check to be sure you are NOT a no-reply blogger.  It is so discouraging to choose a winner only to find out that I have no way to notify them that they won.  I will pick another winner immediately if this is the case.

So, I'm back to work on your bag...  I'll post progress pictures in future posts if you want to see more of what it will look like.  I think you'll really like it!

This giveaway is now closed to new entries!  Thanks everyone!

Fun Mail Update

I  have received some lovely things in the mail lately that I thought I would share.  This lovely Dresden clock came to me from Pam (sewmama123) in the Modernista Swap.  She really hit the nail on the head!  The fabric is Madrona Road, a long-time favorite, and I love that she fussy cut the tree into the center of the Dresden.  The hand stitching outlining the Dresden is really exquisite, and totally up my alley.  She even sent along the stand and a battery for the clock!  Now that's thinking! 

Along with the awesome clock she sent this very cool pennant that I currently have hanging over the doorway in my sewing space.  I love that I see it every time I go through the door, and that the words she embroidered remind me of what is important.

This lovely mini granny came from Emily (simple girl, simple life) in the DS Quilts Mini Quilt Swap, along with some delicious chocolate covered cherries that I had for breakfast one morning.  (Yum!)  This was such a perfect idea, especially since I was just in the process of finishing my granny quilt when it arrived! 

I decided to hang some of the wonderful minis I have received on the wall in my sewing space.  I wish I had more room, because I have many lovely mini quilts that I would love to display!  The top one is from Suvarna (rkpulipaka) from the Wish List Swap, and the middle one from Heidi (fabricmutt) from last fall's Modernista Swap, I think.

 When I returned home from vacation, I had a couple of packages waiting for me.  This beachy mug rug is from Maria (Mary/Maria) in the Rugs With Friends swap.  The embroidery is so fun, and I love the fabric she chose for the waves!

 Here's side two.  Isn't this a fun little print?  Perfect!

 And the Popsicles mini is from Kristina (kcalgary) in the Fab Little Quilt Swap.  It is so awesome.  I have been coveting a Popsicles quilt since I first saw it last summer.  So fun!  And the details are amazing!  Love the little print behind the flower popsicle.  And I love the wonky cross border, and the fact that she used Loulouthi (another current favorite fabric) in her design. Instead of binding, she used a facing technique.  I love that the design goes all the way to the edge.

 

And the embroidery on the 4th popsicle is awesome!  L.O.V.E. it!

And the back is nearly as cool as the front.  I love the fabrics she chose for the panel and the border on the back.

All in all, it has been a great month in the mail department here at prsd4tim2.  I feel so blessed to receive such thoughtful gifts!

Wishing you a happy day!