How many projects can I work on at once?

This one is a commissioned project.  For a friend.  It's actually something I have wanted to do for years, but I am a little OCD, so the design was what was stopping me. . .She gave me the design, so I can work around that!

I follow Bonnie (of Quiltville - the link is her blog), she has the best site! I love all the scrappy ideas she has!! Well right now she is hosting a mystery quilt along, and I thought I would participate.  good thing it doesn't matter who finishes first ;)  The first part is to make 172 2" strips that are pink/green/pink.  I have 16 ;) I have a lot to go.  I tried to use as much from scraps as possible, but I just don't have that much pink or green.

This is my "basket" weave quilt.  Well more squares.  I need to lay it out and see how many more I need to do, I should be getting close (I hope so!)

I am still working on triangles for my values quilt.  and I need to pull out my brown bag quilt and just FINISH it! although I have a few months til it's "due" so maybe something will hit me so that I can make it just a little bigger.

My sister's tee shirt quilt is coming along nice.  I have decided how I am going to do the sashing, I just need to get it put on ;) I just want to do it perfect! Cause heavens knows her first quilt was far from perfect (but she still loves it, so I am ok with that :) ).

I've still had no luck finding my background for my BOM :/ I even tried a Jo-Ann's in Indy.  So far I have looked in Minnesota, Wisconsin and three stores (plus I called three) in Indiana! Let's hope that Iowa has SOMETHING!

Exchange

I posted pictures of the quilt top I finished (the patriotic one) was an exchange. I finished that top and sent it back to it's owner.

And here is a picture of the quilt top I received. Let me say! She did an awesome with the fabrics I gave her!

I never would have done this, it's perfect! She did great with the kitty fabrics. I'm still just in awe of it!!

I can't wait to finish it up!

All caught up!!

 I am all caught up! This is November's block!

And here are all three blocks so far!  I was definitely iffy about the blue, but I really like it!!

I am quite frustrated though, I have gone to 4 Jo-Ann's, called 2 Jo-Ann's, and am not able to find anymore of my "light" the white with dots.  I even have the SKU # but since it's a clearance fabric they are being a little. . .hmm what's the most polite way to put this? They have not been the most cooperative with me.  We are going to Indianapolis, so I am going to beg my husband to take me to as many Jo-Ann's as possible praying that I can find it!

Well I have another project I am starting tonight!! I am quite excited!! not that I need another thing to work on :)

Block 2!

I have the second block finished!

 I am not 100% in love with it, the brown/white is a little light compared to the light, but I think when it's all done I will like it.

And when I made the middle square I had some left over, kind of like a snowball block. . .so I have a pinwheel, and we all know how I am obsessed with pinwheels ;)

Block of the month & new ironing board cover. . .

 I am sorry I haven't posted much, or been around much.  I think about posting, but then I haven't done much sewing, so what else could I post about?  The insane amounts of fabric I have bought at Jo-Ann's recently?  Which really has been a lot, but their clearance fabric was on sale, so it's 50% off the clearance price, so usually really cheap.  And this is the time that I normally get a little crazy about buying a bunch of fabric!

This is one fabric I bought.  It is actually a little bluer (see the next pic) but I just loved the pattern and the subtle gold in it!

I have had this ironing board (it's a mini one) since 2001 or 2002, when I was in college. . .It had the cutest blue bubble print on it, but the thing is, it was DIRTY! It was browning and fading, and just didn't look good. . .And I have been wanting to make a cover for it for a while. . .But I kind of cheated.  I just stapled it to the back instead of sewing a cover. . .But I definitely love it! I made sure when I took this pic I put my iron in it, I love that little Rowenta iron!! So much that after my cat broke mine, I bought the same (older) model that I already had, instead of their newer one. . .

As I said in my title, I am doing a block of the month.  I am doing it with a group of friends online. These are the fabrics I chose. . .The only problem is I don't have enough of the white with the dots of the brown with the flowers, and I can't go to the store I originally bought them at.  I am in Minnesota now (more on that later) and we stopped at a Jo-Ann's, but they didn't have it :( so if you happen to go into a Jo-Ann's and they do have it, and want to send me a 1/2 yard that would be AWESOME!  I hope we can check a Jo-Ann's or two on our way back home.  But first I shall check their website. . .and of course I don't have the SKU so I can't call Jo-Ann's to see if they have it. . .

And here is block 1.  I am actually a few blocks behind. . .this was started in August, so this is August's block, hopefully I can get the rest finished this week. . .

And those of you thinking didn't she already do a block along and NOT finish. . .Well kind of. . .I mean *my* top I made I haven't finished, but the one for my exchange I did :p so I think that evens out :) Maybe I will work on that next week!

So this doesn't really have to do with sewing, but I will tell you why I am in Minnesota this weekend. . .I have a very good friend that lives here, and there is a band that my husband and I really like, so we decided to come up for the weekend. . .And we were able to get two nights free hotel rooms!

So we'll be here this weekend, and then I will be able to sew a lot next week because it's the start of a new term at school so I won't have a lot of grading to do :)

Tee shirt quilt

 So I mentioned last night I mentioned my sister's tee shirt quilt. . .Here is what I have so far.  There are 22 squares, it feels like SO much more!  I think I am going to cut some more to make it enough for 16 on each side :)

 I do plan on adding sashing, but that will be a surprise, cause I don't want my sister to know yet!

This is the pile of scraps that I had when cutting the pieces down after ironing the interfacing on!

This thing will be massive, I hope a month and a half is enough time to finish it!

Away from da blog…

Sorry it's been awhile since I posted! I have been sewing…nothing finished yet (I have some WIPs I could probably pull out and finish 100%, along with 2 tops that need backs…)

I have been working on my "basket strings" quilt. I had about 80 4.5" squares, it was actually quite a big pile. I thought I had enough to make the top…not so much! So those will be leaders and Enders as I work on other things.

I got to hang out with Heather (retro-fabulous {I will link later when I'm on a computer}) and I were able to hang out and sew again. She gave me a cute idea for Christmas presents! And she is making the cutest ornaments!!

Let's see what else? My buddy Jan (sewsowinlove) and I chatted on the phone. It was nice to put a voice to a blog :) we discussed our brown bag quilts (among other things!) speaking of I need to just bite the bullet and finish it up.

The big thing I am working on is my sisters tee shirt quilt (from HS) she told me she wants a college one too eventually :) that girl sure has a lot of tee-shirts. Probably enough for the front and back to be ALL tee-shirts (with sashing).

Well that's what's going on in my sewing life. Sorry there aren't pictures. Nothing really NEW to share :/

Have a good night!