Local Quilt Show, 2015

I was able to make it to our annual Quilters Guild Quilt Show which was last weekend.  Very excited about this because last year I wasn't able to attend. It was so much fun, and of course one of the best parts of the Show is meeting up with fellow quilters to tour the show and compare thoughts on the entries.

It seemed there were less entries this year. We had some hypothesis about why that might be, but in the end we were happy to enjoy the ones we saw. We all had our favorites, but I snapped a couple of shots of my favorites that I'd like to share.

Admittedly, as I wondered the isles, I was thinking about my stash and what I have at home that could work with the patterns and designs I saw at the show. The first is similar to some marble fabric that a dear friend gave me. It gave me an idea about trying some window frame look. This particular fabric was hand-dyed by the quilter.  I am not ready to go that far.

The second was probably the colors that attracted me more than anything else.  I am just in love with anything pink, and this was no exception. I am also a super huge fan of diamonds, and I like how they alternated with the white to break it up. Great use of a simple white with a bold color.

The third one is such a classic I can't help but love it!  That being said, there is a story here, too. I have a set of red-stitch Sun Bonnet Sue cards; one for each month of the year. I was starting to consider doing the red-stitch and then use those blocks in a quilt...and then I saw this. I just love how they used fabrics to make the patterns of the children to pop. I think this might need to be added to my goal list for this year. I would love to finally get that done.

Finally, there was a baby quilt. I don't remember seeing a baby quilt in the show before, and this one was truly unique. She literally sewed shorts and hats to the quilt. She also used scraps from the various pieces to create borders and sashing. Very dedicated, and a wonderful finish. I don't know if I have enough clothes for each of my kids to do this much. but I am definitely curious to try it out.

Great time! Love it! So much fun to see what everyone is working on, see what the current trends are to get inspiration for my own sewing. Let's put it to the test and see if it works.

All Caught Up!

I did it! I am all caught up...well...sort of.

The holiday season got away from me and I struggled to keep up with the blocks for the BOM I'm doing with our LQS. It was a bummer because I love the colors, but I wasn't in love with the block patterns.

I am super happy with the end result though, and this most recent one was wonderful! Great colors, great pattern, happy with the outcome. I am putting them all on-point, so here's what it looks like. I love how the center is so bright and the purples create wonderful pops of color.

Now if I could just get the rest of the WIP's done. I have been working on the Pirate Quilt, but keep having to rip the seams because I've sewn the wrong pieces together or I haven't paid attention to the direction of the pattern of the fabric.  It's everything in my not to start working on a new project, but I really need to get this one done. Not sure what to do for a backing yet, but I'm sure it will come soon.

The other one I really want to finish is my Vintage Modern Stars Quilt, but I was super bummed out to discover that I don't have enough fabric for the backing. I am having to make the tough decision about what to do, which has tabled the project. It's such a bummer. I'm thinking maybe just a nice solid to finish off a border. We'll see.

Workin' on the Pirates

What a motivator! I had been in a little bit of a funk with the holidays and all and was struggling to get back on track with my quilting. I don't know if I was overwhelmed with the number of projects I want to do or feeling like I have quilt overload happening in our house, but something needed to happen to get me back to work.

Enter my son... "Mommy, when are you going to finish my pirate quilt to put on my bed?"

All the motivation I needed...I'm back on it! Motivated, excited, interested. Kids honesty can be so healing. I immediately got to work on his pirate quilt.

I have gotten the body of the quilt completed and have been working on the border. I'm piecing that together so it's moving a little slower, but I'm working on it. That's what counts. I am not sure what to do for a backing, but I'm crossing one bridge at a time.

Can't wait to see how this one turns out. I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday. Feels good to get back on track. Hope I can keep it going.

Sewing Goals for 2015

A little late, but I think I need to make a list of sewing projects I want to accomplish this year.  This is not a definitive list; it can be added to or changed.  We all know life can get in the way sometimes, and things pop up. However, I think it's good for me to put together a reminder/check-off list to help me thru the year.

10 Things I want to Accomplish in 2015:

1. Finish my Vintage Stars Quilt - quilting and binding
2. Finish my son's Pirate Quilt
3. Finish the Alaska Stars Quilt - order more fabric to accomplish this
4. Make at least one Alphabet Quilt
5. Complete a quilt from something pinned on Pinterest
6. Add at least one tutorial to the blog
7. Complete a quilt pattern to post on Etsy
8. Complete the BOM quilt top
9. Make a quilt for the sofa for hubby
10. Minimize fabric purchases to only necessities/work thru stash

Some of these are roll-overs from last year that I just didn't get done or got distracted. It's all good. I'm not big on new year goal-setting, but this does seem like a good time to create a memory jogging list. Multi-tasking can be an enemy sometimes.

Here's to 2015 and all things possible in this new year!

December's BOM

Just like November, I really struggled with this block.  It could be the timing; the block was to be turned in the day after Christmas. Every year I say I'm going to get things done quicker and every year I feel like I'm accomplishing that.  It isn't until about a week before Christmas that I realize I put too many things off and now I'm racing to catch up.

I absolutely love the colors in this block.  The aqua blues are great! The pattern was nice, too.  Allowed for symmetry no matter how it's oriented.

I tried to wrap the lighter blue around the yellow pinwheel and use the darker blue to create some definition, but it's not really obvious in the finished block. That's okay.  Sometimes the flower pedals don't show individual definition, right?

I love pinwheels.  I haven't done a lot of them; I need to change that. I should make a 2015 finish goals list. Pinwheels would definitely be on that list. Hmm... That's my deep thought for the day.

I literally finished this block the night before it was due. I had it in time to take it to class last Saturday and was able to get my next block pack, and that's what matters. I made it! Yeah! Hopefully this is a sign that I'm back on track. With only a few blocks left; I think I can do this. I will need to add to my goal list that I complete the quilt top with these blocks. That will be the next battle.

BOM Catch Up

I didn't realize how far behind I had gotten with my posts about my blocks. So here's to November! Yeah! I finished this block pretty quickly because I knew family was coming to visit and I didn't want to have to worry about it.

I was happy that I was able to use some of the pieces from previous blocks, but I wasn't thrilled with the layout. I have been working with all the blocks on point, but when you put the block on point, it's not symmetrical.

That kind of bums me out. I actually thought very seriously about breaking my own rules on this one and changing the pattern a bit.  In the end, though, I felt like I needed to stick to my rules and do the best I can. I do like the colors in the block and in the end I think it turned out well.