This week I finished up a few tops and started getting more my quilts up on Etsy.  I finished a mitten, took an online Art and Stitch class and designed a few quilts for clients on EQ8.

I used the Kaffe Paperweight fabric for the outer border on the heart quilt.  It ties in nicely with the inner colors.  There is a stripe of it down the middle of the backing too.

The Crayon Box quilt was fun to piece and I think I need to do mitered corners on my borders more often.  Jinny Beyer has an easy way to measure and cut them, if you go to her website https://www.jinnybeyer.com and go to “free patterns” there are a few that you can download with the instructions for how to do the mitered borders.  I bought this as a kit from Craftsy last year, it was on sale and looked simple enough.  The directions are well written and there are full color fabric pictures so when you are separating the strips, you know which is which.  There are 36 different prints in this project.  The only bad thing about this kit was that they shrank the instructions down to fit two pages on one page.  At times I had to break out the magnifier.  There were many inset and Y seams, and the majority of them turned out well.

I started another kit I had bought on sale, I think in 2016, too.  I’m planning on making it into two smaller quilts, instead of a twin size.  The prints are too cute for an older child, but just right for a baby or toddler.

Linking up with Judy at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday today.

 

This weeks finish is a sweater named Stråle by Woolfolk.  I can’t remember when I started it, but I finished the body of it some time last winter.  I remember stopping because it had become too warm to have all that wool on my lap.  This past summer I participated in a KAL with Curious Handmade on Ravelry, I needed something to knit while I was between patterns and the sweater was in my basket.  I did one sleeve and put it down again.  Last week I picked it up again and finished off the other sleeve and collar. I want to block it, but our weather has been very wet and cloudy, I know it would take a week for it to dry.

I didn’t do much sewing this past week.  Yesterday I got my serger/coverstitch machine out to hem two pairs of pajama pants.  It took me two hours to wrestle with the machine to get it to sew the hems.  Once I got the needles in the right place, threaded it right, and used the proper foot it was a breeze.  In other sewing news, I traded in my machine for the next model.  I want to start a new project with it, I’ve been designing a teeshirt quilt for a client and I was hoping that I could get started on it. Unfortunately the client has big plans for the tee shirts, and we haven’t found a design that appeals to her.  She sent me a few cute ideas, but they are small throws and use faux fur on the back.  Her tee shirts are 12″ blocks, not cute little 4″ squares of coordinating fabric.  Sigh.  I’ll come up with something, maybe I’ll end up making two quilts for her.  I am getting lots of practice with EQ8 in the meanwhile.

Linking up with Sara at Confessions of a Fabric Addict today for “Can I get a Whoop Whoop” Friday.

Yesterday  (1/5/18) I finished quilting and binding my On Ringo Lake Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt.

I’m so happy with how it turned out!  Finished size is 75″ x 90″.

I posted it on the facebook group for Quiltville and I’ve gotten over 1000 likes.  Wow!  I’m a fairly reserved person, not liking the spot light on me.  But you know, sometimes a crafter just needs a pat on the back, a great job comment, or even a WOW!  I think my family is just so used to me making things that they think its common place.  My daughter said “it’s nice”, no comment yet from DH though.  So if you’ve commented out loud to yourself or here on my blog, thank you! I appreciate it.

Linking up with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict for “Can I get a Whoop Whoop?”  and Quiltville’s Quips and Snips!! for “Monday Mystery Link up”  today.

 

I finished my On Ringo Lake mystery quilt top last night.  Started on November 24th and finished on January 2.  There are 3339 pieces, some as small as 1 1/2 inches square.  I loaded up the backing a few days ago, and now to quilt it.  I surpassed last years personal challenge (En Provence) by two days.  I was wondering if I just made the clues one after the other, how long it would take me.  Six weeks is a long time (for me) in which to complete a quilt top.  Most of these clues/parts took me from one to two days the complete.   If I was truly an over achiever, I think I could do this top in about ten days.  That would certainly suck any fun out of it though, not to mention the wear and tear on me and my machine.

In other news, I restarted the 365 block challenge.  Fortunately for me, the quilter who runs the challenge decided to re-do the 2016 quilt.  I have completed all the blocks up to March.  So I won’t be starting it (again) until then.  As of now, the blocks live in their tote, happily hibernating.  

I have two commission quilts to make in the next month or so.  A tee-shirt quilt and a Storm at Sea quilt.  The Tee-shirt quilt parts are in a plastic bag right now.  I was waiting until the new year to open it and lay everything out, maybe after I quilt the ORL quilt.  The S@S quilt I need to get fabric for, Batiks maybe.  I’m not sure if I want to paper piece it or not.  Those diamond in a rectangle blocks are tough to get straight.  I can’t remember how I did my red and white S@S, hmmm.  I think I used the block-loc rulers and templates.  I should really take notes LOL.