Patriotic Quilt Done!!!

My mother's patriotic quilt is FINALLY done!  This quilt was started over 2 years ago and I've really struggled to get this one done.  Let's just say that I was 3/4 of the way through the quilting when I was forced to undo all the quilting and replace the backing fabric with better quality fabric.  It was disheartening to say the least.  I also intended to have a more elaborate quilting pattern on the quilt, but ended up making it more simplistic to help encourage me to continue even after replacing the backing fabric.  I finished hand-stitching the binding on Monday evening and took pictures Tuesday morning.  It was definitely a labor of love and I'm glad that I can finally present this quilt to my parents for Christmas.

This quilt is a large lap quilt and could almost fit a twin bed, which means my parents can cuddle under it together without having to fight for covers.  :)

Plans don't always work out

I had this big idea to take the scraps from the top of my mother's patriotic quilt and create a scrappy flag on the back, as I mentioned I was going to do on this post.  To make a long story short, it didn't quite work out the way I had planned.  A lot of it had to do with some of the fabric that I was trying to use.  I had purchased the fabric years ago before I knew any better and quickly realized how cheap and horrible it actually was.  I ended up tossing aside the horrible fabric and went and bought some Kona Navy to finish up the project.  I also decided to keep the flag separate and create a wall hanging instead.  My mother isn't one for flashy quilt backs anyway.  So, without further adieu, here is my mother's wall hanging.

There are 5 stars represent my mother's 5 grand kids.   I used up every last piece of this fabric collection and I'm truly please with the results.

For the quilting, I used a wavy stitch setting on my Bernina.  It's just a additional touch to the flag to help give it some movement. 

My mother's patriotic quilt has about an hour worth of work left on it and then I will be finished with it.  I promise to show it off when it's done. 

My brother's quilt is quilted and all I lack is burying my threads from the quilting and putting the binding on.  I hope to have that done in the next couple of days.  I have a nice 12-hour drive to look forward to for the holidays and I plan on hand-stitching the binding down to help pass the time.

I hope all your holiday projects are coming to a close as well.

Spreading a little Christmas Cheer

This year I hand-made some Christmas ornaments for teacher gifts, ornament exchange gifts, co-worker gifts, etc.  It was an easy project and the results are cute.  I pieced and machine-quilted these together.  Instead of binding them, I left the rough edges.  I think it adds to the charm.

Here are the backs of the ornaments. 

I've also been working on two quilts that will be Christmas gifts for family members.  Remember the Patriotic Quilt that I'm making for my mother?  Well, I'm hand stitching the binding and then I will be DONE!  Woohoo!!!

I also started a quilt for my brother.  I just finished hand-appliqueing everything down and I will be ready to start quilting this evening when I get home from work.  It's crunch time!

To give you an idea of the size of this thing, the longhorn image is as wide as my dining table (48 in.), which is the table it's laying across in this picture.

I still haven't completely decided on the quilting for this one, but I've got at least 7 hours to figure it out before I need to start.  No problem...

My brother and I are both graduates from the University of Texas (Hook'em Horns!) and I thought this would be a fun and unique gift just for him.  He might need to share this quilt while I'm visiting because I have a feeling it's going to hurt a little bit to give this one away.

A New Friend

I have a dear old friend who has taught me a lot in the past few years.  She was also my grandmother's dear old friend and we became kindred spirits from the beginning.  We have spent many hours together creating some beautiful things and it's been an honor to have her in my life. 

I've also made a new friend recently.  We've spent some time getting acquainted this weekend while working on my mother's patriotic quilt and I think she is going to be a welcome addition to our little club. 

Her character is solid and the talents she brings are undeniably beneficial to our relationship.

 

She even has some wonderful accessories that she's offered to share.

 

We've rearranged our space a bit so everyone has a place where they will be most comfortable.  

 

I truly believe this relationship is the beginning of something magical.

Patriotic Quilt Back WIP

I've been ignoring the patriotic quilt top on my design wall for about a month now, but it's time to face the challenge of the back and finish this thing. 

I've got my plan and I've got my fabric laid out ready to start cutting.

I even conveniently ignored my hesitancy to do paper piecing again this year to achieve the perfect 5-point star (I need 5 of them for the back). Paper piecing is a skill worth having and it pays off when you need it.

I'm hoping to make some real progress this week and hopefully have a quilt back done by Sunday. 

Mail Sack

I can no longer say that I only know how to quilt.  I now know how to make one bag, which I hope will translate to other bags and patterns.  I finally finished up the last bag that I was working on (I made 5 total) last night and now I get to share my creation.  I'm only showing one of the bags since the other 4 are Christmas gifts and I don't want to completely ruin the surprise.

I learned how to make the Mail Sack from Pink Chalk Studio.   I made a few alterations to the pattern, like having a single piece of fabric for the exterior and adjusting an inside pocket to compensate for a shortage in the interior fabric.  Overall, I think these bags turned out well and I can't wait to give them away from Christmas!

Hiatus is OVER!

Okay, my break lasted a couple weeks more than intended.  I was just tired and hit a wall...a break was much needed.  I came out of hiding and dusted off my sewing machine by signing up for a purse making class at Sew Memphis, a local modern fabric store right in the heart of Memphis.

I taught myself how to sew with quilting, but had not learned how to do other things like follow a pattern (that is not a quilting pattern) or how to insert a zipper.  I think the main thing that got me back to sewing was the prospect of learning something new.  So I signed up with the intention of possibly learning how to make a purse that I could then recreate as Christmas gifts for my nieces.  The purse pattern we used was the Pink Chalk Studio Mail Sack. 

I was intrigued by the pattern and decided my nieces weren't the only ones receiving one for Christmas.  I can't go into too many details since they may be reading this, but I'm making 5 of them.  I have 2 done and 3 work-in-progresses.  One of them is mine and I will share that one when it is complete.  Stay tuned.

I also attended our local MQG meeting yesterday and got to see Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation in action piecing her Bento Box Quilt.  Let me tell you, it looks great in person and she is FAST!!!!  I'm always amazed at how quickly she can create a quilt.