12 UFOs for the year

I have seen a few people online that are doing 12 UFOs (Unfinished objects) in the year. One a month. I was hoping to do this also, but here it is the end of February and I haven't even finished one UFO! Now don't get me wrong, I have finished 2 projects so far this year, BUT those were WIPs (works in progress), things that I have been working on for a while.

I realized when I was using my MILs featherweight that my Singer 99 would be able to sew through jean material. I started this quilt in March 2008! So when I get it done it will have taken me 3 years to finish! But my Montgomery Ward couldn't sew through the four layers of jean at parts of it! But my 99k blew right through it! I have gotten quite a bit of it done tonight! I am excited for this! I have always wanted to make a jean quilt!

Here are some pictures of it! I didn't do anything planned, it's all random, so sometimes there are the same color next to each other. But it's going to be wonderful!

Here it is just laid out.

And this fabric is what started the whole thing! spools of thread!

Jenny's couch quilt - teaser!

My sister asked me to make her a couch quilt.  The only requirement was that it was blue & brown.  I felt bad that my sister asked for this last summer, and it's taken me almost a year to get it done! 

I talked to her last week and she told me it was fine that it's taken a while because she knows that when she gets it, it will be the best ever!

But I finally got it done tonight!! I am not going to post full pictures of it, until she gets it :)  but I do have a teaser pic!

Here is a snapshot while I was stitching the binding on!

Sewing groups!

I have never actually sewn with a group of women.  I have sewn with a friend, or with a class, but in the class we weren't working on the same thing.

Well last weekend my mother in laws church was having a sewing get together, to sew bibs.  As soon as I found out, I wanted to go!  But since I am letting my friend borrow my machine that is portable I was afraid I wouldn't be able to participate.  But MIL told me I could use her featherweight!

So I sewed bibs last weekend!

Here is the pile of finished ones!

My goal for this weekend is to finish up my jean quilt (if I can find it!) finish cleaning up my fabric, and maybe make a rag animal.

I want to make a small bag for my ipad, but I don't have the case yet, so I don't know the size of it!  hopefully this weekend!

Give away!

Sorry no give aways here! But my friend heather has one on her blog!

retro fabulous

It's gorgeous!

My 99K

 This is my 99K (I posted more about this here).  I love my 99K!  The only thing I wish it had, was like my grandma's machine that has a knee control.  I have been scouring the internet, and hopefully I found one!  

Thanks for letting me show off my machine!

From shirts to quilt top

My grandma has these shirts (like a light jean material) that a friend embroidered for her in the 70's/80's.

Instead of keeping them in a box we decided to make it into a quilt top!

Grandma was pleasantly surprised (that is an understatement!) when she received it on Thursday! Which of course makes me happy!

Crumb quilting

A few years ago I started a crumb quilt.  I made a bunch of 4" squares that had all these little bits of all the quilts I've done.  It's been sitting in a box, I'd been using strings, but not my crumbs as much, well I recently found Jo's Country Junction where she was running a crumb along quilt.  I didn't find out about it til after it had started, and I didn't have a lot of time to sew until now, so I couldn't participate at the same time as everyone else.

I am also doing my crumb quilt a little differently.  Not only am I using all those little scraps I have left over, I am using blocks that I have left over also.  I also have some test blocks I have made.  And here is what I have so far:

I have been following along with the crumb along also, I made a bunch of mini flying geese. Hopefully I can get it done this week!

My first craft show!

Here is my set up at the craft show. I hope something sells!

I'm borrowing my MIL's featherweight! So hopefully I can finish a few other things.

Sew crazy

I've been sewing "with" my friend Jan.

I added binding to this quilt (if you've read long you should remember this quilt from over a year ago!), and finished 5 of these bags.

I have binding started on another baby blanket, but I need and empty bobbin to put red thread on! And of course that quilt, I was about an inch short on the binding! I could have probably made it work. But I just added another piece.

Sewing machine

(I just found a blogger app for my iPhone! I should be able to post ALL the time now :) )

I'm not sure if I've ever talked about my sewing machine(s). My main machine (which I don't have a picture of) used to be my moms. I stole it in high school, and she hasn't gotten it back.

But I remember when I was younger she would sew on it. Mainly clothes for me! They were SO cute! They even lasted so my sisters could wear them!

Well I went to DC over the summer and was able to visit my oldest friend, we've known each other 24 years!! (that's most of my life!) well I took my machine, because we love to see together. (we used to have sewing parties in high school. We'd get together and sew the night away!)

When we got to sewing, she pulled her machine out. One of those tiny plastic ones. I was shocked! So when I left, I left her my machine so she could sew. She told me she knows how long I've had it, and she can't take it, but I told her it wouldn't be forever and I have a machine at home.

which is what this post is about :)

I bought this machine over 10 years ago when I was in high school. I had a job and of course back then didn't save quite as much as I should have, but spent most of it at Jo-Ann's. Well this machine I bought off eBay. It was actually a really good deal $40 in a cabinet.

Until I got the shipping charges! $120!

But now I look back and even thought I should have saved my money, I do have a beautiful machine now, and it runs well :)

I'm just adjusting to it. It's different than my other (Montgomery ward). But I'd like to think we're adjusting well.

I'll post another day about my other machines :)

Where in the world has sewgreenm been?!

I am sorry I have been MIA.  I did sew over the summer, but I didn't get anything finished.  And then we ended up moving (at the beginning of August) and I am JUST NOW getting my sewing room organized.  It's not quite as well organized as I would like it, but it's also quite a bit smaller than any sewing room I have had before.

It's coming along, but then I remembered that I signed up to do a craft show this weekend!! EEKS!! I have some stuff to sell, but this is definitely the kick in the pants to get some stuff finished!

And then my husband also volunteered me to make some of those patchwork stockings ornaments, so I need to get started on those!

So why am I sitting here posting?!

appliqué

 Tonight one of the towns nearby was doing a movie in the park (Shrek forever after :D) and I decided to go.  And I emailed Heather to see if she wanted to bring her family along.

So she suggested before the movie, while hanging out, that she teach me how to appliqué, which is something that I have wanted to learn how to do, but I do best learning things I have never seen in person (rather than a book or video).

So I started this block!  My head hurt after doing just this little piece :p But I definitely like it.  And will finish it up.  I prefer sewing by machine to handstitching, but it would give me something to do while watching TV or other things when I can't take my machine along :)

Coco & Caramel

I have a friend that wanted to learn how to quilt, and she decided to do this pattern (I am not sure of the name, it was called coco & Caramel in the magazine)

This is her first quilt, it's not all finished, we have to put it all together, but I helped :) so I figure I can share a picture of it :)

It's really big so I can't post the WHOLE thing right now, but you can get the general idea!  Don't you just love it!  I wasn't sure about the colors she picked out, but WOW!! once it was put together!! It's AWESOME!!!

Pillowcase dress

I have been enjoying making pillowcase dresses I decided to make some to sell, and some to send to my friends with little girls :)

This is Chloe in her very own "pillowcase" dress.  I didn't actually use a pillowcase, I just used a piece of fabric.  And by the size of it on her you can tell that it's a little big, but this way she can grow into it :) I added a pocket to it, I know I love pockets :)  And of course some eyelet ruffle at the bottom, cause what little girl doesn't like a little lace.

Pillowcase dresses part 2.

 I told you I bought more pillowcases :) I made 3 more dresses tonight :) I would have made more but I don't have enough different ribbon!

I think I might make up a tutorial on these tomorrow. (of both types!)

 I am not sure if you can tell but this first one is actually a little different than the others.  I used a slightly different pattern, and cut arm holes.  I like it too :) just a different feel.  I also think a serger is a lot easier for this kind of pattern.

This is the same type of pillow case as above, just added lace :)

Pillowcase dresses for little girls in Haiti

 Today I got together with some friends from church and we made these cute dresses out of pillowcases for little girls in Haiti!

I enjoyed it so much I stopped at Salvation army on my way home and bought some more pillowcases so I can make some more :)

Newest baby quilt!

Newest baby quilt I have finished.  I am putting this one for sale in my etsy shop for $30.  I actually made the top last summer, and finally got around to finishing it :)

I didn't add batting to it, Just a fleece backing so it's not too heavy for a baby.

And you can click the following banner to get to my shop :)

Basket strings

I started this last fall.  I haven't posted many pictures of it, so I am not going to link you, but I had about 100 (at least) 4.5 string blocks.  and I started putting them together, and I went a little overboard and ended up making it QUITE a bit bigger than I had planned!

Just to give you a little size reference, we have a california king sized bed!  It's actually a lot wider and long than I had planned.

It's actually the first thing I have made on point.  I like it, it's just different and new for me :)  Hopefully I can get some more basket string blocks made and get it finished soon.  I also want to finish some baby blankets to put them on my etsy shop.

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 :)