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

Catching Up!

Hello again!  There's been a fair amount of activity around the prsd4tim2 studio, even though I haven't recorded anything here.  Now that Leona has received her mug rug, I can show it here.  Leona is a "fabric collector" and quilter extraordinaire, and she was my partner for the Rugs with Friends swap this time.  I decided to use some of my selvage stash in her mug rug.  The idea is a peek into the window of a fabric store, with all the bolts sitting on the shelf, just waiting to be purchased.  I thought it was a little "blah" in this version, so I added a little gold "chain" and a button peg above the sign, but sadly forgot to take a photo of the finished product, so you'll just have to imagine...

Then, I'm playing along in the Wish List Swap.  My partner wanted a fairly unique item, so I can't show it until she receives it, but I created this little table runner as the accessory.  The fabric is from the DS Quilts collection at JoAnn's.  I love making wonky stars - they're tons of fun as long as I remember to have the triangle cover the corners.  Sadly, since Priscilla's little mishap with the pin a few weeks ago, she doesn't like FMQ, so this is pretty simple straight line and echo quilting. 

I've got a good start on some pillows for my partner in the Modernista Swap.  Just have to put these together.  These were inspired by the Double Hexagon Tutorial on Kerri's blog and by the Jawbreaker pattern by Jaybird Quilts.  My partner wanted some colors I don't generally collect, but then I remembered I have the leftovers of a FQ bundle of Prince Charming by Tula Pink, which I think hope is perfect. 

And I've finally gotten around to working on my granny square quilt.  I started it last spring (May?) during the Granny Square QAL, but didn't finish enough blocks.  Then last October, I had the ladies in the Sew Fun Bee make some more blocks.  And there it sat.  And sat.  And sat.

But my friend Marcy has offered to let me play with her long arm to do the quilting, so I had to get the top made.  I'm really jazzed by getting to try a long arm! Anyway, here's the layout.  The top and back are now done (sorry, no photo yet) and just waiting to be quilted.   We're getting together next Wednesday, and I hope to remember to take lots of pictures.  Can't wait.

For relaxation, I've made a couple more flowers for my GMFG.  I think I need 4 or 5 more to finish.

Krista has been making me half flowers for the edges and I received a bunch just the other day.  I love the way they make it look so finished!  It's almost done!

Along with the half flowers, Krista sent me (look at all the cool Christmas stamps on the box!) a whole bunch of fabric she inherited from someone.  It will make wonderful quilt backs and other things.  It really was like Christmas when I opened the box.  So fun.

Anyway, I've been needing a new ironing board cover (and new ironing board too I thought).  Desperately.  The old store-bought one was stained and had holes where even the foam underneath was gone.  Can you see it?  Even though this cover is only a year old, it has apparently been abused.  Or maybe they just don't make them like they used to.

So I went to Walmart and brought home a new ironing board.  (Of course I had to clean the sewing room to make the exchange, so the process took - um, a few hours.)  Anyway, I got it set up, and realized that my 1970s ironing board is way sturdier than the new one I bought, and for the kind of use I give the thing, sturdier is better, even if it isn't totally flat any more.  So the new ironing board goes back to Walmart.

But I really did need a new cover.  So what to do?  Going back to Walmart was out of the question, as once a day year is really more often than I care to go, and the sewing room was clean, but everything was out of order so it needed to be finished sooner rather than later.

So I dug in the big box of fabric Krista sent and found fabric long enough to fit the ironing board.  I cut the old nasty one apart and laid it on top, cut around it, found a scrap of quilt batting and some bias tape (labeled TG&Y with a price tag of 96-cents!) and sewed up a new cover.  Honestly it was easy peasy.  And free!  Way better, don't you think?  I may never buy an ironing board cover again.

So that's what's been going on around here.  What have you been up to?

The List - Progress Report #3

I'm finally getting around to finishing my progress report from LAST weekend, and I'm glad to say that I did make some progress.  (I've been sick this week and barely managed to move from the couch to the recliner and back.) 

Last weekend, though, I managed to make 30 bow-tie blocks and kept 5 so I have 25 to trade.  I don't know why it was so hard for me to get to these.  Or get the photos out of the camera.  These left on their journey a week ago.  This one is my favorite, I think - leftovers from my jelly roll race quilt (which has yet to be sandwiched, quilted or bound =<  .)

And I'm playing along with Krista and the Old Red Barn Co. Granny Square quilt-along (tardy as ever!) but I finished 9 more granny square blocks for a total now of 12.  I need 20 for my quilt, I think, so I have a few more to make.  Don't you love the fabrics?

I traded a couple of charm packs for literally hundreds of perfectly cut squares with Marian (lookwhatladyfacemade).

 I have not had to cut the first square - except for the setting triangles (which aren't really squares at all, of course.)  I really hate waste, and I couldn't imagine what I would do with all those white Kona bits, so I used Tracy's tutorial and cut triangles that fit (sorry I haven't cut the dog-ears yet).  The added bonus is that with Tracy's method, the squares don't have bias sides, so I think the quilt should go together better.  If I ever finish all the blocks.

Aren't these fabrics cute?  Almost all of them were fabrics I didn't have, so sewing with them was a real treat.  I decided my quilt needs a little red, so I'll have to cut some red squares, but heaven knows, I do have red fabrics.  Yes, I do.

I really had a lot of fun with these, especially since I didn't have to spend hours fiddling with the rotary cutter and my scrap bin (although my scrap bin would certainly have been all the better for it, the blocks wouldn't have had nearly the variety - and that's the truth!)

And I was trying to be artsy with the camera (ha-ha - me?) and this is what I got.  Does it make you crazy?

But I do kinda like this one.  Maybe it's better in small doses.

Happy Monday.  I'm going back to the couch now.

So - What Have You Been Doing Lately?

So, what have you been doing lately?  I've been getting caught up on bee blocks.  This was an easy-peasy one for Becky in the Sew Fun Bee.

And these Halloween Blocks are for Mary in the Fall Bee.  Making these blocks with 2" squares was a ton easier than making similar blocks with 1" squares.  Guess I'm just not a postage stamp quilt kind of girl.

And then I've been working on a mini quilt for the Mini QT swap.  The theme this time is movies, and I'm really having fun with this one.  Can't show the whole project yet, because in this swap you know who your partner is, so this is just a hint.  Any guesses?  This little guy is going all the way to Sweden!

 

And if you've been reading this little blog since the first of the year, you know that one of my goals is to make every quilt in this book.  So far, I have made 3 Sugar Rush quilts and 2 Little Man quilts.  

Well, when I was at Sewing Summit last fall, I picked up a Fairy Tale Friends charm pack from  my daughter's little etsy shop, Westwood Acres.   The pattern I had in mind for this called for a charm pack and a honey bun.  Well, it seems that honey buns are scarce as hen's teeth around here lately, but I finally found a Fairy Tale Friends honey bun online, so I've been working on those blocks. I'm ready for the sashing and borders.

Wish JoAnn's carried Kona Snow. 

And I got the borders on my jelly roll race quilt, so I could quilt that and get it out of the WIP pile.  That would be a good feeling.

Finally, I traded some Flora charm packs for a whole passel of 2-1/2 inch squares, so I laid out a couple of granny squares for the Granny Square QAL, if I'd ever cut the white setting squares.

And I really should get something done for my sister for her birthday, which is Tuesday, and she lives in California...  Oops, late again!

So, I have a jam packed weekend planned.

And I really should clean my house.

What about you?  What are you working on?  I'd love to hear about it, and if you have a blog, stash a link in the comments.  I'd love to come visit.