9 1/2 years to finish! Yea!

Almost finished photos with helpful hubby quilt holder. Took these two pics because it was sunny and that changes so quickly in the winter.

Missing the binding but just about done.

One on the floor after binding is finished and quilt has been washed and dried.

Those pesky appliqué kids look okay now.

Some outside photos since the sun came back out!

This will never be in a quilt show. There are lots of mistakes but also lots of learning through doing this quilt. I may try appliqué again. I like the raw edge appliqué I finally decided to use.

The back is a lovely yellow paisley print. It was not what I originally bought for the back. My tastes or understanding of color has changed in the nine and a half years it took to finish this.

It washed up nice and crinkly. I used 4 color catchers but only a little blue was caught.

Love the blue border so much I had to use the same fabric for the binding. 

Trimming threads and sewing on label and this one is truly DONE!

Working on quilting

I am working on the blue and yellow quilt. I have quilted diagonally in the ditch and around the inner border. Now I need to do some thing in the middle and in the plain blocks. I have wasted this whole Saturday. Once again avoiding instead of sewing.
No photos to show but hope to get some before the long weekend is over.

Posting mix up

I just wrote the best post about quilts I plan to make in 2015. But oops! I wrote it on my other blog.
Oh boy, what a dope!

So to read that post, please go to my other blog. Just click the link.
www.wannabereading.blogspot.com

Thanks!

Dreaded Applique is done!

After much delay I have finished the appliqué for the yellow and blue quilt. I still have to trim the thread tails and cut the squares into triangles. I am considering drawing faces on the children with permanent marker. I know there will not be embroidered faces.  

I decided to just straight stitch around the fabric. I had to pick out the zigzag stitches from one of the boys because it looked terrible. I just don't have the patience to zigzag around this many curves.

The original design was flowers, leaves, berries, and vines. There was no way I was going to do that much appliqué. I thought the children were a better fit for me since I have spent so much time with children. Tomorrow I hope to get the borders and all the sections sewn together and maybe get it basted and ready to quilt on my sewing machine. This one is going on my bed when it is finished. The last of my unfinished quilts.

2014 in Review

In random order, here are some sewing projects and travel photos from 2014.

Memory squares made at MRA Leadership in July were made into this quilt I call "Woven Words".

This cutie turned 2 in May. He loves the movie Cars and had a visit from neighborhood firemen and the fire truck at his birthday party.

 

I started the year with some quilt finishes. The giant log cabin was for a nephew.

My first Saturday sampler was finished after about 10 years. 

This is half of it. The other half was donated to a raffle at school.

I took a class in July on accidental landscapes. 

Most of the family came together for Thanksgiving at mom's house. At 89 mom was happy to have all of us bring the food while she enjoyed visiting with grandkids. Kim surprised us with her announcement that she has been accepted to Ole Miss. A sad day for all of us Mississippi State grads. ;-)

In June we toured Rome and Florence. This was one of our favorite places outside of Rome.

I bought fabric in Rome and have made 2 scarves from some of the fabric.

TESOL was in Portland, Oregon in March. We took a memorable food tour in the pouring rain.

We rode the bus to a neat fabric shop where I bought several bits and pieces that have made their way into small projects like zipper bags and cozies.

Zipper bags appeared several times this year. A fun, quick sewing project.

This year I made 3 qwillows, 3 pillowcases, lots of coffee cozies, and cell phone covers.

Most fun was making a Mrs. Claus outfit and reading Christmas stories to kids at church and school. 

I am waiting for a quilt to be returned from the long arm quilter and I hope to finish one WIP over the break.  2014-a great year!

Mrs. Claus visits my school with small gifts

Mrs. Claus met these Christmas trees in the hall as she went around reading stories to the good (and bad) little boys and girls. The kids wore their pajamas for a fun half day of school before Christmas break. They loved my costume. Some of my students didn't recognize me. So funny!

I made these cell phone covers in about 2 hours yesterday. I got the idea to leave out one side seam and that made them lots quicker to cut out and sew. After school today I bought more bargain buttons and elastic hair bands. All ready to make more coffee cozies and phone covers.

Still avoiding applique!

Linking up with Crazymomquilts.

Small Finishes

Not much sewing time lately. Last weekend was busy with choir programs and outings with children from church. 

About a week ago I saw the cutest phone cover online and managed to find time to cut out and stitch up some. Especially useful since I finally bought a new phone.

The coffee cozy is made from one slice from a batik layer cake. 

The pieced phone covers make use of very small bits of fabric-one and a half inch pieces.

The fronts of the phone covers with button closing above.

The backs are below.

The batik phone cover uses two slices of layer cake fabric. It is very quick to make even adding free motion quilting.

The best find of the week? The buttons. I went to the big fabric store looking for buttons. Found some Art Deco style that I really liked marked down to $2 for two. Had to have them even at a dollar per button. Surprise! They were only 40 cents for two. What a great deal. I had to go back and get more at that price. Look for more coffee cozies and phone covers so I can use my bargain buttons.