2013 Finish a Long Second Quarter

I really felt the benefits of this Finish a Long.  It isn't even about any prizes it is about committing in a public way and then trying to keep from being shamed!   When I was near the beginning of the end of the first quarter I read the comments on my commitment post and I was inspired to do my best when my motivation was flagging.  Thanks very much to my commenters!

Sew:

I got these two bunk bed quilts quilted but not bound so that will be first.  There are two and this photo shows one front and one back.  I will be trying the binder again and the fabric is starched nicely and is peeping out between the two quilts.  I am hoping a slow job will produce stellar results.

I would like to get some sewing done and these fabrics are grouped together for blocks to compliment the  3/4 bed that is also in the room with the bunk beds.  The goal is to get the blocks all made.

Spring will be in full bloom and I need this quilt for a guest room bed so I will be basting it and machine quilting it as a prep for 'that' quilt which you will recognize later in the line up. ;^)

This quick project is the companion quilt for grand daughter #3.  Her brother and sister each have a lap quilt and I need to get hers done.  Her fabric has insects on it but in the same colourways as her siblings.  I use most of the theme fabric for the backing and place some squares in the front.

I should then be ready to machine quilt this top which is only needing basting and some straight line quilting.

Then I guess it is time to face the quilting of this one!  Maybe I should move it to the top of the list.  vbsigh

I might be ready after this to finally finish up my art quilt from a Jane Sassaman class.  Hmm, I might just try it in a portrait orientation as opposed to the landscape position.  It is embarrassing how long it has languished in the closet. :(

The scrap trip along is also on the list as a reminder I want the blocks ready for the last quarter.

These blocks are listed to bring things up to an even 10 projects. Heaven forbid I should have weeks with nothing to finish! lol   These are for my bedroom.  I came up with the plan all by myself so I really am anxious to do it.

I shall link these to the Finish a Long and I guess it is "Ladies, start your machines!".

That'll Do!

When our Border Collie, Sweet Pea, has gotten the sheep where they need to be or even if we just want her to be still, we tell her "That'll do!".

It is time to officially close this first quarter and start spring whether it looks like it or not.  It is snowing again and it is down right cold! :(  Can you see Manni? Our night shift guard dog is still overseeing the early morning situation! :)

The lambs aren't waiting any longer and the first has come.

I lost my momentum when I had to take ds#3 to the city Thursday.  I soaked up 'atmosphere' at the upscale furniture store behind these two gentlemen.  Then I came home with decorating on my mind.  I am so ADD!  lol

The whole house purge is looking worse not better as all the stuff from the north rooms has found places of temporary residence while the contractors worked on the sitting and dining rooms on the north side of the house.  Some of their stuff is still here as I await the last couple of small details for them to be finished.

I am slowly putting things back in the room and I used some left over paint from the glaze finish on the walls to spruce up the old bookcase.  Next is to stain that table a bit darker and polish it up.

The book, Creating the French Look, was a surprise.  I got it to learn the paint techniques.  But reading through the various styles that comprise the French look had me identifying several design elements that are very French in my own home.  I'm a cross between country farm house and country manor.   France has several different areas which lead to the variety of styles.  I am attracted to the subtle and simple, with flair.  I like the playful and the delicate.  The colour of French style is quiet.  I luv Toile De Jouy fabric for some reason and it is uniquely French!  lol  I prefer simple, sheer, white window treatments.  Sparkly chandeliers make me smile.  Boulis, quilted bed covers, are the basis of my bedrooms (with an accent patchwork across the foot).  I want to learn how to replicate that wash of light grey or old white on wood that says 'French'.  I am presently eyeing up my dining room hutch to see how to transform it with paint.

My classes are coming along.  I have one more video on gesso for the basics class.  We are also using gesso as a foundation to our pages on the Printing the Journal class and I am keeping up real well with that one.

And I think that I am to the place in the Finish A Long where I must stop and tell myself, "that'll do".  I didn't get to any of the quilt blocks I wanted to make but I had hoped to do the bindings on the last two bunk beds.  Since I'm determined to accomplish a 'factory finish' with this binder attachment I need to stop the rush!  The 2013 Finish A Long has about 300 finishes so I feel I did add my few to the number and the rest can go on the second quarter's list.

I guess if I talk about the dogs I better at least include a photo of one of the grand kiddies. #3  We did have a hoppy Easter day at their house!

It is time to say, "that'll do" for the winter season.  I shall continue with the burst of ambition that ended the quarter as I head into this second quarter. 

Finish Five,part A

This quilt top is the main reason I joined the Finish a Long.  It had been languishing way too long.  It is my daughter's wedding quilt and child number three is here. :(  I learned a valuable lesson on procrastinating.  I can't even find the book that has the original wall hanging directions.  I just made it bigger and got overly clever with all the colours and 'flowers'!  The wedding saw all but the last row and a half done.  Then she sat.  and sat and SAT!  enough.  But even with the April deadline I dragged my feet and that has put the other ufo's behind. BUT...

She is done and I will be putting her on the second quarter list for machine quilting and the final part B.  The binding is worrying me.  Why did I let DD talk me into all those curves???

The north rooms are also in part A mode.  I am slowly putting things back.  I need to think about some kind of curtain for the sliding doors. on the other hand...  Privacy isn't an issue so I'll make haste slowly.  lol  I am also deciding about darkening the table under the mirror and the round dining room table.  Then there are colour decisions for the hutch and bookcase. 

I hope to roll through some starched strips through the binder later today for the next twoquilts.  Is that a finish line just ahead???

Finish a Long Three

It was an April Fool on the Rooster as he thought one of his ewes was lambing.  Coldest April 1st in a long time so he was glad she was only fooling!  But he moved them up closer to the barn as their time is approaching.  :)

The binder works well when I have my mouth just right!  Operator error sometimes.  I do wish I had gotten the bigger size as the batting and the seams make things a wee bit more difficult.  I'll be practicing some more as I think I can snug things up even better.

But she is another finish.

Finish a Long 2

                                                                           Baby quilt.

                                                            Backing for the baby quilt.

This baby quilt is leftovers from a quilt along.  The top with a new backing ended up going to my niece as a wedding present.  She now has a baby and I think these leftovers will be fitting for her daughter.

History:
Colour choices
Stripping
Processing
Nearly done
Leftovers

I hand sewed the binding and realized I will not get my bindings done before the deadline so I am now learning how to use my binder attachment.  Stay tuned!  lol

Finish along for First Quarter

The Snoopy Dance is for the First Quarter Finish A Long.

This has just been the best thing for me as I have wanted to get these old ufo's done so I can start a whole bunch of new things. :O  Well, let me rephrase that.  I want to make new quilts, 'finished' new quilts and some new fibre art also finished.  I think I have learned my lesson about having old projects languishing in piles all around the coop!

I also like planning things so it was fun to sort and prioritize for the first three months.

This week will be all about finishing.

I started off easy.

A binding for the veranda quilt.

The quilt was started back here  and here.

This is a lap quilt. It is called the veranda quilt because it was made got the quilt rack in the veranda.  The Rooster had to shore up the veranda roof and he made a creative shelf for the spot . Now the quilt rack is awaiting a new spot but the quilt actually lays nicely on the end of the bed!

One down and a few more to go!

Making dust!

It has been one of those days.  A big blip in my sister's life has necessitated a dozen phone calls.  We have let our relationships collect some dust and needed to dust them off and promise to do better. :^)

I also dusted off the Finish-a-long list and I gathered up the projects, cut batting for them and made a fabric avalanche as I found some suitable backing for a couple.  I'm somewhat ready to proceed.  First I had to clean out all the dust from sewing the wedding quilt top together.  Nina actually sneezed.  Bless you!

Interestingly my first project is leftovers from my niece's wedding quilt and it is to be a baby quilt. Her baby was born the day after Jolina and her name is Janina.  I think it is just meant to be for her!  I'll be hand delivering it when the snow is gone.

The small floor sander wasn't really doing the job so it was replaced by a bigger, heavier, noisier, dustier model.  Now I REALLY have dust.  I think I'll be spring cleaning whether spring comes or not!

S' white out!

Snow storm began just as I was finishing up my binding on my first Finish a long quilt.  This is a lap sized quilt and my first real try at modern fabric style quilts.  I'm pleased with it..

I do have a house guest who joined Jenn and I for our Creativity 101 session.

We experimented with Valentine Day tags.

My favourite was the modeling paste smeared over a stencil.

I think I have figured out distress inks.  My spray bottle gave too fine of a water mist. I shook the spray bottle's wet tubing all over the tags.  This is more like it.

That's all for this snowy weekend.  I am trying to be the hostess with the mostess!  

Wow, who is on my worktable?

I tried to get the binding on my first Finish a long project without any help but I didn't quite make it!

My Finish-a-long goals were posted here.

I just wanted to let the TN&TN know I am piling fabric projects on my worktable this year.  

First Quarter for the Finish-a-long

The 2013 Finish-a-long is officially starting and I have an ambitious plan for the first quarter.  I am kinda zealous so I will use that to start strongly and I hope to keep up the momentum as the year progresses.

I'm gonna start with a quick finish.  This just needs binding.

This just needs some free motion quilting in the last border and binding.

This was a backing that I really liked and decided to make into its own quilt.  Yikes.  I forgot it was queen sized!  So first sandwiching.  oye, it needs a backing now.  :(  Then I'm thinking some straight line quilting and binding.

Then I have 2 very small bunk bed quilts which have their pieced backings ready to go so just sandwiching and more straight line quilting and binding.  oops, that makes five.

I have material and a plan for the small bed that is in the same room as the bunks.  I'll be happy to get the blocks all made but I'd sure like to 'finish' the room with the three quilts.  Here is hoping.

Then I have started a series of blocks for another bedroom along the same colour ways. Just want these blocks made for this quarter.  Nothing original but I did come up with this plan all by myself.

I have two more small tops that need backs and quilting. My quilting skills are a bit rusty so I am including these as practice pieces but it would be great to get them out of the stack.

I am working on my daughter's wedding top and it needs two more rows.  So having the top finished and ready for sandwiching is my goal for this quarter and why I need/want  this quarter to get my MQing skills up to speed.

Ten sounds like a good number, five plus five.  So I will throw in, gulp, the scrappy trip-a-long blocks that it seems everyone in the blog world is doing.  I've never done much with leaders and enders so maybe this would get me started and my goal is to have at least a third of the blocks for a lap sized quilt for the final quarter of the finish-a-long.  Goodness knows I have lots of scraps in baskets stacked around.  And because I suffer from startitus like some others I know, lol, at least I'll be using up leftovers which are hanging around and waiting in the queue! Hmm, the actual pattern is more like strip piecing but any excuse will do!

oh, brother.  My math!  That makes 11 but that is still a good number.  two 1's!!!   Easey Peasey!  :{

But that should definitely help my 2013 goal to do more sewing!

I feel organized and motivated.  I guess the end of the quarter will show the finished results!

wow- What a lot of UFO's

I am still reviewing what works and what doesn't.  I'm still fine tuning the plan for 2013,

I had seen lots of sites with the theme of what is on your worktable so when The Needle and Thread Network asked for support I decided to, well, support!  :)

It is for Canadian Fibre Artists or Creative Stitchers and Sewists.  Last year I seemed to emphasize Creative rather than Fibre and I'd like to change that this year.  Sewing/quilting is my foundation and fibre my first luv.  Sew...

                                      

Leanne is a TN&TN member and she is hosting the 2013 Finish-a-long.  Part of my goal for 2013 is to get more sewing time and to finish up the UFO's that remained after my initial, "ew, I'll never finish that!!!" purge.  :^)  I've not quite figured out where all of mine are tucked away nor exactly how the finish-a-long works but I took time this morning to grab a few possibles.  The thing is to start, to commit, to put it out there.  Accountability!  VBSigh

How embarrassing! But it gets worse.

These are not quite UFO's but WHIMM's, that is works hidden in my mind.   Oops, the very bottom shelf are wips.  At this point I need to remember I have more invested in fibre than I do in mixed media art supplies.  LOL

Very poor lighting but we are into short days and the sun isn't anywhere near up and the room is yellow and the only light fixture is a covered bulb!  But this is where I'll start. It can't get much worse although I know of at least three things that are missing from the display.  :(   Details and progress reports to follow.  Happy New Year!