Quilt for grandma

So my grandma has these shirts that a good friend of hers embroidered, and they have been sitting in a box, and so we decided that a quilt would be a good way for her to still have them as opposed to sitting in a box.

There are 7 shirts, so I had to add some patchwork (of my own) to it.  And Grandma didn't know what kind of design to do.  So I made up a few for her to look at.

None of these designs are set in stone.  This was me playing around in photoshop, just getting some ideas.

This is a rail fence block.  I probably wouldn't make it so scrappy.  I don't like it scrappy as much.

This is a snail's block.  I LOVE the snail's trail block!  So I had to throw one of those in there :)

And this is the snails trail, but with a few of them put together.

And a simple nine patch.

And a pinwheel.  I love pinwheels :) I think this is the one that grandma likes best.  But with the border of the second one, except in red & white instead of the green & white.

What do you all think? what would you have done?

It's been far too long!

It has been WAAAY too long!! I am sorry I haven't posted.  Although I haven't had a lot to report.  I did not use my sewing machine for almost 2 months, from January til March. . .and I have been working on things, but I don't feel done enough to post pictures!  I will hopefully have time to get a picture post of what I was working on late tonight (Friday morning ;) ) But to tide you over I have some pictures of my sewing area.

I was talking with Jan and we were discussing our sewing rooms. . .And I decided to show her my messy area!

 These are a bunch of tubs with fabric, I don't have the shelves I have used in the past to put my fabric on, so it's just kind of in boxes.

 This is the other side.  My computer, machines, and main table I use.  It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but under the table I have 2 plastic storage bins.  I stole Bonnie Hunter's ideas for some of my scraps.  When I have pieces that I can't use anymore I cut them up into strips, 1.5", 2", 2.5" & 3".  Then in the one next to it, I have my values quilt parts, and just some other random bits.  It's amazing how much those little plastic things have helped!

 These are my dollar store bins.  I love them, not the color so much :p But they are great for scraps.  I can put them there and pull them as I need them for leaders and enders.

 Jan showed me a picture of her scraps, thinking that my bin above was all I had :P So I had to show her the rest of it :) This is one of those space bags. . .I stuffed it as full as I could of scraps. . .

 And it wasn't even all of it! These are all my "crumbs" since moving!

 And since I ran out of room in the bag, I found a box that had some room and shoved them in the bottom!

 And then my strips scrap box!

And last but not least my LARGE pile of 4" squares.  Which I am still trying to use all of :p

Ok back to sewing :) I hope you enjoyed seeing my sewing area, and some of my scraps :)

Paper piecing

I love paper piecing. . .I'm not perfect at it, I have issues making the points all match up, but I'm working on it!

Later I will "quilt" this put black binding on it, along with a strip of fabric to hang it with, and I shall hang it next to my eiffel tower

The Eiffel Tower is actually a paper pieced design I made myself.  It's not perfect, but it works for me :)

Fat Quarter Shop

I am on twitter, and on Tuesday nights there are "Talkin' Tuesdays" There is more information about it here.   It's great, it's a bunch of quilters getting together and chatting!  What's even cooler is that there are giveaways!

And I actually won last week!  And I won a $25 gift certificate to the fat quarter shop!! I just received my package today!  SO exciting!!

This is "Jolly Pack" like a charm pack. . .I am not sure what to do with it.  They are all polka dots.  I know one friend who would like it!  But they are all different colors. . .Suggestions would be appreciated!

 And these are the yardages I bought.  I have NO clue what I am going to do with them (like most of my stash ;) )

And this is slighty different :) this is a Christmas present I got.  Well 2 actually.  It's hard to see, but it's a "shape cut" ruler.  It has slots in it to cut multiple things, or strips without having to move a ruler! Here is a picture and a link:

It's pretty darn cool!  I want to cut fabric strips and strips and strips!!

The other part was a gift card, which I used to buy a new cutting mat! It's so nice to use!

I have other things to post, but later :p I've been to busy sewing to really take a break and post, but maybe tomorrow, since it's my last school day before going back to school (does that make sense?! [I'm still on break this week])

Finished Tetris Quilt!

 I showed a few teaser pictures of the Tetris quilt, but here it is all finished!

 I added a little black/grey  border to the outside to make it look like the game :)

 Here is the recipient on Christmas morning!

 And here it is being used! this is my favorite kind of picture to see! I love it when the things I have made are being used :) That's why I make things! so people use them!! Thanks for getting me the pictures Hollie!!

Biggest dog bed!

 I said I would post pictures of the finished dog bed, and here it is!  With the puppy on it :)n It fit him quite well!! of course, it being fleece it slid all over the place..

 Here is another picture of the dog bed, but this time with a cat on it :) this is my parents cat Abby.  She was testing out the bed for Bo.

And since I am showing pictures of pets and beds I figuredi t was only fair to show off Sophie!.  She is laying in a fleece tye blanket I made for my sister on top of her Red white and blue quilt.

Christmas sewing!

I made this last year for my husband's grandma.  It's actually double sided.  The other side is a thanksgiving side.  I don't have a picture of that though.

And these are little ornaments I made for the ladies in my department.  I hope they like them!

I am working on my "roll roll cotton ball quilt" and cleaning up!  Because my sewing room got kind of messy!  I rearranged since I got my serger back, and I am quite happy about that :)

I hope you all have a good Christmas!

Biggest dog bed

When I asked about thR biggest sewn thing, I wasn't really thinking quilts…cause I have made some big ones!

The doggie bed is the biggest non quilt thing I have done.

Which I got done with tonight! I am quite happy with it. I think the kitties like it too. So I hope that transfers over to a puppy ;)

I am not posting pictures of the dog bed until after Christmas.

I also have another gift that made it safe, but again no pictures Til after Christmas :p

I have something small I want to do tomorrow. And hopefully I can get pics of that up.

Little sewing crazy. . .

 Last winter my serger broke.  I think I had been trying to sew through too many layers of fabric.  Or maybe it was just old and needed a tune up.  Well it FINALLY got it!! And I got it back on Friday, but I wasn't able to use it until today.  And use it I did!!

I made one all flannel cloth pad (I would have made more, but this had green, and my machine had green thread on it. (this lone pad will be going on etsy, but I thought I would let you know about it first.  If someone is interested in trying out cloth pads, let me know! I can make more! I have plenty cut!)

Then I made some "mixed" pads for me.  IE they aren't ALL flannel.  There is flannel on one side, PUL on the inside, and another fabric, well I can't remember the name of it right now, but I LOVE it in my cloth pads!!

And last but not least A BUNCH of cloth wipes! I only have 13 here, because like the flannel pad above, I had green thread on the machine, so I sewed everything that was green :) These all have flannel on one side, and varying fabrics on the other.  Terry cloth, sherpa and fleece.  (I am going to put this for sale on either etsy or ebay, so if you would like them, or know someone that would, let me know, I can make a deal :) )

I am almost done with the Tetris quilt, I just forgot to get a picture of it.  And I am still chugging away at my quiltville mystery quilt.

Now that my serger is fixed, I need to rearranged my sewing area so I can have both my machines up. . .I am not exactly sure how I will do this. . .but I am sure I will get it figured out :)

I hope y'all have a good week! and if you're up north (like me!) try not to freeze!

Biggest thing you have sewn?

 This is definitely one of the biggest things I have sewn!! I have also done a window seat cushion, which was longer, but not quite this wide :)

This is a dog bed for my sister's dog.  He is a German Shepard/Pyrenese Mix! So he is a big dog! They have had some problems finding a bed big enough for him.  So I decided to make him one!  Here he is!

And here is the bed for him.  It's 30" wide by 60" long.  It's almost to the ground if you can't tell.  Minnie was lots of help making this :) This isn't the final project.  Right now, I took a King Batting, folded it up, and then used some embroidery thread to keep it together.  Then I made a "case" for it.

I am going to make a cover for it.  But I am not going to share that picture until after he gets it!

And the next thing is the 8.5" strings I am working on for the quiltville mystery quilt.  I LOVE the way they look!! I want to make a HUGE string quilt now!!

 I have more that I am working on, but I wanted to get the main pillow done tonight.  And I haven't posted much lately! so I thought I would share this one little thing!!

BOM & Mystery quilt

 Block of the month and random sewing progresses. . .

Here is the block for December. . .I don't actually like it that much :p but I was able to use things other than my dotted fabric that I have no more of!

And here are all 5 blocks so far!

Here is what I have been working on. . .it's for the quiltville mystery quilt. . .I finished all the little 2" pieces! Those were annoying!! And now it's making a bunch (120!!) HSTs that are pink & brown.  I have about 50 :( And I am also working on these (pictured) blocks now.  They are 8.5" square, but they are done as string blocks, which is why it looks the way it does. . .I have to make 60 of them, so I think I am going to wait to trim them, while I watch a movie or something.  Because there is going to be a lot of them!!

I realized while doing these blocks (which are to be neutrals) I don't have many neutrals, whether it's white or cream. . .I am not sure why.  Maybe it's cause I like colors so much?

I am also done making all the rows for the Tetris Quilt.  I still need to find the perfect backing!

I am still working on my basket weave quilt, I just need to get it laid out.  Tomorrow I think will work well for that :)

I believe that is all from me.  I hope you are all having a good evening!

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!