Swaps Completed

 May seems to be shaping up to be a busy swap month.  I just can't seem to resist them.  I see cute stuff on Flickr, and before I know it, I've joined another swap.  They are just too addictive.

Yesterday I popped my Great Cover Up swap items in the mail to my partner.  It included the Charley Harper Sewing Machine Cover I've posted about a couple of times before and

this embroidered hoop.  I found the quote on the internet, and it is my original design.  To be honest, I really had trouble giving the hoop away.

And, of course, a hexi needlebook.  Oops, I forgot to add the D-ring.  Oh well, sorry partner.  It's way too late now.

I am also participating Potholder Pass 7.  Apparently, many swappers have enough pot holders, and perhaps I would too if I had been participating from the beginning, but I have only done one round before this one.  If you could see my collection of ancient and aging pot holders, you would see that they are sorely in need of replacement.  They are all stained, burned, and/or aging.  I received 2 new pot holders with the last swap, and they were welcome additions to my sad collection.

These are the pot holders I received from SweetTeaMom in the last swap.

My partner for this round must have very similar kitchen decor to mine, as the colors she selected would have made themselves at home very nicely in my kitchen.

The theme was "anything but square", so I made a more-or-less hexagonal pot holder, which is a modification of a Dear Jane block I found here

along with a double-sided pot holder.  I've made this one before.  It's from Emily's tutorial on The Boy Trifecta blog.  Such a great idea.

I also opted to swap market totes, and I used a modification of Keyka Lou's Market Bag pattern.  It's reversible, and so very versatile.

I've made this pattern before, too, and it makes up soooooooooooo quickly.  Love it!

I was going to make an apron, but I was getting into the wee hours of the morning, so I opted for a decorated towel

and a hexi needlebook as extras.  I actually remembered to put the D-ring in this one.

Lots of fun for me.  I really hope my partners enjoy them.

So What Did You Do This Weekend?

This weekend seemed very busy, but I don't seem to have a lot to show for it.  I did the March for Babies on Saturday morning, and just never seemed to get in the sewing groove for the rest of the weekend.    I did finish my sewing machine cover for the Great Cover Up swap.  As I mentioned in this post, I knew from the beginning that a Charley Harper image would be just the ticket for my partner.

Don't look too closely at the quilting.  I'm still experimenting with FMQ.  (Luckily the darning foot only fell off once during this adventure.  Maybe I'm getting the hang of it?)

I put pockets on both ends to hold the foot feed, power cord, and whatever else she decides to stuff in there.

I guess I can't say much more until she receives it. I don't want to give too much away.  I've got a couple of other little things to finish, and then I can get this package in the mail.

WIP Weekend Part 1

 Don't forget about Week 4 of my blogiversary giveaway here!

I don't know if any of you do this, but I always seem to over estimate the amount of time I have to complete Christmas projects.  Then, as the day nears, I run out of time and give my family unfinished gifts with the promise to finish them "soon".    Do you do that?  Well, it's probably not the best gift-giving technique, but I do quite a lot of it, actually.  This past Christmas was no different.  Grandma got Abby this adorable growth chart panel from Fabric.com and I was certain I could finish it by Christmas.  No dice.  In fact, I have worked on it pretty consistently since Christmas, and finished it this past week.  So proud.  I even got it mailed this week so now I can show photos of my project.

One side is this cute little plant with inches marked.  I hand quilted around the  images.  It also has places for significant dates, first word, first haircut, etc.  I embroidered the milestones that have been achieved so far.

The other side has name, birthdate, parent's names, etc.

Flower pot and watering can.

Cute little birdie.

It was a lot of fun to do.  I used fusible fleece, and I'm not sure I like it.  It  left the fabric looking crinkled.

This is Abby in her favorite shirt waving "hi" with both hands.

BTW, did I tell you that Abby likes doggies?  Last January I found this little shirt at The Gap for something like $4. Abby loves the shirt.  Abby would like to wear it every day.  Her mommy, however, feels the need to wash the shirt occasionally, which makes our little doggie lover very unhappy sometimes.  So, I came up with what i hope is a solution to the problem.

 Five more doggie shirts.  I found a fabric quarter at JoAnn's and a cute piece of fabric with a doggie on it at our LQS, and appliqued them onto onesies.  I hope they make my Abby-girl happy.

And I finished one more GMFG block the other night while I was watching TV.  Overall, it was a pretty productive week, I think.

This weekend is dedicated to finishing projects that have been on "the list" for too long.

 I finished the Soul Blossoms dress BD#2 and I started last weekend,

and the one I had started before she came home.  I'm especially proud of this one because you know, I love a bargain!  The fabric was on the free table at the January quilt guild meeting.  All I had to buy was lining and a zipper.  There must have been 5 yards there.  I still have enough to make BD#1 a dress and probably even a skirt for me.  The whole dress may have cost $5.

And, while I was at JoAnn's last week, they had this cute broomstick dress fabric on sale.  It was $4 a yard, and I only needed 30 inches.  How's that for a bargain?

This morning I made these Just One Star blocks.  Moda is collecting 1800 blocks to make 100 quilts for America's soldiers and veterans.  I'm married to a veteran, so how could I not?  It only took about an hour, from cutting to completion.  If you're interested, the deadline is May 1.  The pattern is available here.  I was gratified to find out that the Quilts of Valor Foundation has collected and donated 37,000 quilts to service members and veterans.  Way to go!

Then I made this block for Toerintx for the Christmas Fabric Bee.  She asked everyone to make something that represented Christmas.  I had a tough time deciding what to do.  I had a different idea originally, but this one kind of made itself.  Do you like it better with or without the button?  I think the button finishes it, but it's not a very comfortable thing to have on a quilt, so I can't decide.

EDIT:

Jessica suggested I try a yo-yo in the center instead of the button to finish it off, and I tried it.  I really like it a lot better now.  Thanks for the suggestion, Jessica.  Why didn't I think of that myself?

We were to make 2 blocks, and  my other block is an angel.  What do you think?  I left the block a little big.  She can trim it if she needs to, or if it doesn't work on point, she can add triangle blocks to make it square.  Her face is awfully pink...  Is it too pink?  It is the petal of a poinsettia from 12 Days of Christmas, I think.  Oh well, it's made now.

I am participating in the Sewn Spaces Swap.  The idea is to make your secret partner a sewing machine cover.  I need to get my act together because the deadline to mail is next Saturday.  About the time the swap started, I became aware of a Charley Harper sew-along on Flickr.  I had never heard of Charley Harper before, but I really like his images.  They are so "quilt-able".  I had several choices in mind for the front of the sewing machine cover I am making my partner.  Here is what I came up with....

I actually really like it.  I hope my partner does.  She is a bit challenging for me because her color palette was full of colors I don't have in my stash. I still have to quilt and bind the cover, but that should go fairly quickly, I hope.

And for tomorrow?  Here is the list...

Finish the sewing machine cover
Make the tote bag and pot holders for PP7
Make blocks for the Spring Citrus Surprise Swap
Quilt the 2 MIAGIA quilts for the Guild meeting on Monday night.

How far down the list do you think I will get?