a traditional log cabin quilt-complete!!!

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

Today I am THRILLED to share with you my completed log cabin quilt!

I started this quilt back in May of 2016 and I'm delighted that it took me less than 2 years to complete it. Truth be told, most of the blocks were made earlier this year in a marathon quilt making session. It was a little intense. Hahaha!

I made it a point to use some of my most precious fabrics in this quilt. I used a lot of fabrics from Denyse Schmidt, some from Heather Ross, Carolyn Friedlander, and soooo many other great designers. I also mixed in some of my own designs from each of my fabric lines. (That was pretty fun, I have to admit!) I added a lot of blenders and several 30's reproduction fabrics, too. I LOVED using such a large variety of prints in one quilt. The more the better!

It looks SO good on my bed! EEEP!

I quilted it with simple loops all over with white Aurifil 50 weight thread. I love the texture it created....and it hasn't even been washed yet! It took a LONG time to quilt!!! Days and days. I'm really glad that I quilted it myself, though. There is such a feeling of accomplishment quilting a KING size quilt, even if the quilting isn't perfect.

My original plan for the binding was to use red and white polka dots. That's my default, it seems. I didn't have any appropriate options on hand, so I chose this springy apple green polka dot instead. I LOVE the pop of color on the outside of the quilt. It worked out so well....plus, it was in my stash, which means I could make the binding at 9pm. We all know that is important! :)

I love the front of the quilt, but the fun fact is, that it's actually two quilts in one, because I pieced a back from my stash. I used a stack of fabrics that I had bundled together YEARS ago, thinking it would make a cute quilt...you know, someday. Well, after some editing (adding AND subtracting), I have ANOTHER quilt. That's good use of my batting dollar. Hurray!

I LOVE that this block says "Cookies". That will be sure to make me smile every time I see it. Quirky and fun.

On the back I used some of my vintage fabric (the two florals shown) that came from my grandma's house. It was a little thin, but I really wanted to use it. Realizing that the quilt will only be as strong as the weakest fabric, I added some Pellon SF101 to the back of the thin fabrics to stabilize them. They should withstand a lot of wear now. I'm so glad I thought of that solution sooner rather than later. (Which would be typical!)

I think the back turned out even better than I imagined it would. I LOVE it when that happens.

I labeled the quilt nearly right away, so it's REALLY done! After all that work, I am very happy to put my name on this quilt! I opted for a hand written label because it feels more personal. I like having a bit of my handwriting on the quilt label, even if it's not super polished.

The quilt measures 108" x 99". AND....it's scrap project #202!!!! That means that I've officially wrapped up my second round of my 101 scrap challenge. WOOHOO!!! That feels amazing!

All together this quilt used about 12.1 yards of scraps for the front, nearly 10 yards of fabric for the back, and about 3/4 of a yard for binding, which means that this quilt contains nearly 23 yards of fabric. How CRAZY is that???? It weights nearly 9 pounds. This one heavy duty quilt!

You can find the measurements here, if you care to make one of your own!

 

Alright! That's it for me today! Now it's your turn. Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday! Have a great (and safe!) weekend! xo

 

 

 

small projects

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

I made my first pincushion of the year! It's about time, no? I had 5 of the 6 sections pieced for months and then it got set aside. Yesterday I finally pieced the final section and finished it up. I got hung up on fabric placement, (and then distracted by 100 other things!) which is why it took me so long to finish it. Seems silly now, because I love how it turned out! It's scrap project #198. (Pattern can be found in Plenty of Pincushions, Volume 2.)

This week I finished my 10th block for my Mark Twain quilt. It's pretty exciting to see the pile growing! I have a low-key goal to make 5 blocks a month, so I'm about a week ahead of schedule. (I'm rarely ahead of schedule on ANYTHING, so I'll celebrate that miniscule victory. Ha!) I have been enjoying hand stitching so much!

I decided that this project needed a brand new WIP bag. (Pattern can be found here.) This version is extra large...it measures about 18" x 20"! I was happy to discover that it was very easy to upsize the pattern. (I have a post about sewing with vinyl and shortening zippers here, that you might find helpful.)

It's really hard to convey the size of the bag, so I took a photo of it on my 18" x 24" cutting mat for scale. It's HUGE! I look forward to filling it up with finished blocks!

If you have the Work In Progress Bag pattern and would like to make an 18" x 20" bag, here are the measurements you will need:
Use a 16" zipper.
Cut 1 piece of vinyl 2 1/2" x 18"
Cut 1 piece of vinyl 17" x 18".
Cut 1 piece of vinyl 18" x 20".
Cut 2 pieces of fabric 2" x 18" for the zipper casings
Cut 2 (or 3?) strips of fabric 2 1/4" x WOF for the binding
Zipper with tabs should measure 17 3/4".
Assemble the bag according to the pattern directions.

Alright! I think that's it for me today! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday! Have a great weekend!

two things

Welcome to finish it up Friday! This week didn’t feel very productive, but it sure felt FULL! Anyone else in the same boat?

I did manage to round up a few finishes for this week, though! My major finish was quilting Nancy’s charity quilt. I brought it home as a flimsy just last week and I returned it to her yesterday, ready for binding. That was fun! I tried out a new-to-me machine, which is always a little challenging, but it was also a very good experience. (I'll be sure to blog about the machine again after I use it a little bit more.) The quilt is about 64" x 83" or so.

The other little finish I have for this week is turning an orphan block into a pot holder. It's what Lynn calls "cleaning up the slow way". Isn't that a great way to describe it???

I used a few scraps of Insul-Brite and stitched them together (by hand) before using it as the "batting." If you are not familiar with Insul-Brite, it's a great product that has a layer of heat resistant material in it, making it a perfect choice for projects like hot pads, oven mitts, etc. This is the first time that I tried piecing it together (a machine zig zag stitch would also work, I'm sure) and it felt good to eliminate wasted product. Just the trimmings went into the trash! 

The backing is a cute pear print (it's cotton lawn, so it's super soft) by Robert Kaufman. I LOVE it!

I quilted it with a concentric square and bound it with a spring green gingham print. It's ALMOST too cute to use, but I WILL use it! It's going to replace one of my super gunky old ones. It's a good way to put the scraps to use, don't you think? It measures about 8.25" square and it is scrap project #195.

That's it for me today! Now it's your turn. Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday! Have a great and safe weekend!

scrap and stash projects

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

I've been working on this boxy pouch off and on over the past week or more. I broke up the steps (patchwork, quilting, assembly) over several days, which seemed to work out well. It was time consuming, but I love how it turned out!

I used this tutorial by Pink Stitches and I made the larger size. I was happy to use that pink strap for the handle, which was previously made for a purse, but then I decided not to use it after all. I hung on to it for several years, knowing that I would use it eventually. I'm extremely surprised that I was able to find it when I needed it! Ha!

I used a cheery spring green gingham from my stash for the lining.

I love that I was able to use up so many random scraps in this project! I pieced the patchwork as I did in my Scrap Vortex quilt along. (You can find the tutorial links at the bottom of this page.)

Remember my 101 scrap project challenge? I was looking back at some old blog posts the other day and realized that I fizzled out on that sometime last January. Since I was so close to completing my challenge for the second time, I decided that I needed to resume it. (We will just say that I took a nice long hiatus....ok?) All that to say, this is scrap project #194!

This next zip pouch was a much faster project....

I made this one for my daughter's friend as a belated Christmas gift. My daughter picked out the fabrics and I did the sewing. It looks perfect for a tween girl, doesn't it? (It's good to have some purple in the stash after all, I guess! Who knew? Ha!)

For the lining I used a stripe that compliments the exterior. I used my two color zip pouch pattern (available here), with a few modifications. I used one fabric for the exterior instead of two and I quilted the exterior panels onto a thin cotton batting before assembling the pouch. It adds a little bit of extra structure and texture.

I'm happy to report that my daughter's friend LOVES the pouch and uses it every day at school. Woohoo!

One more project from the stash to share....

I made these cloth napkins for my neighbor's son who just moved into his first house. He was hinting last summer that his mom needed to learn how to make some so he could have a set or two for when he moved to his new place. Well, I remembered that hint and was happy to sew them up for him. He was thrilled. What a great guy! :) I cut 18" squares and hemmed them up. Quick, easy and practical!

 

That's it for me today! Now it's your turn to link up your finishes for the week. Thanks so much for joining me for finish it up Friday! I hope you have a GREAT weekend!

 

almost finished and some wool garland

Welcome to finish it up Friday and Happy December!

I made serious progress on my gingham quilt this week! I debated rushing through the hand binding just so I could have a finish for today, but then the voice of good reason showed up. (Hurray for that! hahaha!) I decided to slow down and enjoy the process instead. I'm currently 1/4 of the way done stitching the binding to the back. I look forward to snuggling up with it as I finish it this weekend. I love hand binding!

 

(As an aside....I dream of having a stack of 20 quilts sitting in a pile, just waiting to be hand bound, especially as we head into winter. I don't think that will ever happen, as I can't wait to finish quilts! But, doesn't it sound like a nice winter activity to sit down after dinner and have some binding to do every night?? I don't think that would ever get old!)

 

Anyway.....I do have a small finished project to share with you today!

A few years ago my neighbor friend passed along some scraps that her sister-in-law had leftover from making felted wool mittens. Not one to turn down scraps, I adopted them and they sat in my sewing room for quite awhile. I cut circles (freehand, with scissors) out of the wool scraps and they sat in a basket for awhile longer.

Recently, I separated the cool colors from the warm colors and sewed some of them into a garland. It was so quick and easy...once the circles were cut, that is! I used a 50 weight thread from Connecting Threads (because it's nice and thick) and I stitched them together on my sewing machine. I sewed about 6 "blank" stitches between each wool disk. I made a few garlands...one is about 4 yards and one is 4 1/2 yards long. I discovered that might have been a little bit too long, but I guess I can always trim them, right?

I hung one on my mantle and I'm sure I'll find a home for the other one soon. This was such a fun and quick project!

These are ready to stitch up and would be perfect for either Christmas or Valentine's Day. Or both! 

That's it for me today! Do you have a finish to share? If so, please link up. Thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday! Thanks for stopping by and for reading. I appreciate it so much! Have a great weekend!

 

Emma & Myrtle market bag

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

This project has been on my list for a long time, and I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to it! I ended up making this bag the same weekend that I made my range backpack.  It was a pretty intense weekend of sewing, but the feeling of accomplishment was outstanding! :)

The pattern for the Market Bag is in Anna's book Handmade Style. I used my new fabric line, Emma & Myrtle, for the patchwork pieces. I thought it was a good pairing, keeping with the vintage style of the pattern. The background fabric is Essex linen. I've had it in my stash for many years, so it was great to finally USE it!

I used leather straps in medium brown (available here) and Anna was kind enough to help with the rivets. (Thanks, Anna!) I love those extra touches like the leather and rivets. It gives the bag a professional look.

I also love all the quilting on the exterior of the bag. It takes awhile, but it's definitely worth doing. For the interior of the bag, I used leftover gingham backing fabric from this quilt. PERFECT pairing and I had it on hand. Yay!!! I hand stitched the binding down rather than machine stitch it, because I knew that I would get better results. It's totally a personal preference.

I love this bag and I definitely recommend the pattern! Many thanks to my friend Holly for helping me style the photos for this post!

I think that's it for me today! Now it's your turn to link up your finishes for the week. Remember that I am leaving the link up open for 2 days rather than 1. Hopefully that gives you a little more time to post something!

Thanks, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday. I really mean it! :)

biased quilt--the beginning

Now that school is back in session, (my kids started last week!) it was time for an honest WIP assessment. I counted up my quilts in progress to see where I was at. It turns out that I'm back up to 14. (My recent lowest was 4, back in March of this year.) It sure doesn't take long to rack them up!!!

This quilt is my newest WIP, which is made from solid scraps. It was definitely pre-meditated. I have been planning this quilt for months! The blocks measure 6" x 10" unfinished and are foundation pieced onto phone book paper. I've been having a lot of fun with it! I have 44 out of 88 blocks complete. Feels great to be half way there! My sister and a good friend of mine both commented about the riot of color. Apparently it is a LITTLE much for their liking. As for me, I love all the color. I can already imagine it all quilted up!

I posted this photo on Instagram the other day, but I thought I should share it here, too. A few weeks ago we got not one-but two-puppies! It took at least 5 years for my kids (and husband!) to wear me down. Lucy, on the left, is a Schnoodle (schnauzer/poodle mix) and Gigi, on the right, is a Cavapoo (King Charles Cavalier/poodle mix). We are finally settling into a routine and I get to sleep through the night again. (Hurray for that!) They sure are a lot like kids. It's a good thing they are cute! Ha!

Happy Tuesday! I hope your week is off to a great start!

a pillow for clare mary

Happy September and welcome to finish it up Friday! It was nice to step away for a bit, but I'm very happy to be back from my social media break!

My little neighbor girl turned 6 at the end of July, so I sewed up this personalized pillow for her. I used a standard sized bed pillow for the form and scraps, of course, for the patchwork. (The squares were cut at 4 1/2", so they finish at 4".)

I used this cute heart print from my stash to make an envelope back for the pillow, so it's removable and washable. A very important feature! :)

I stitched light aqua lines on a piece of cream fabric to create "notebook" paper, then I did some free motion quilting to add her name to the pillow. I had to let go of my perfectionist tendencies, which is always hard to do, but I think I managed to find a good balance.

Her mom appreciates handmade quite a lot, so I figured she was a good candidate for a handmade gift. Plus, it was a fun to use up some novelty scraps!

Now, it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you for joining me for finish it up Friday!

pincushions 21-31, the finale and a blog break

Well, it's the end of July and I completed another month of pincushions!!! Let's catch up, shall we?

 Day 21--simple hand embroidered hearts on "notebook" lines

Day 22--twin pincushions made from a sweet little floral print that I adore. (even if it is polyester. ha!) The tabs are made from a tape measure that would no longer retract. I love re-using things like that!

 Day 23--morning--a tiny Jacob's ladder pincushion

day 23--evening--another version of the Jacob's ladder block, but this time in red and white. I had it in my head all day long, so I had to make another one in a different color way.

 day 24--simple bias solid stripes with a tiny metallic polka dot tab

day 25--fronts--These were made from scraps that were leftover from my friend Mary's fabulous owl blocks that she was working on at retreat.

day 25--backs--the backs are quilted, too, and are made from more scraps from the same project. Don't they make a fun set?

day 26--I showed these on Friday already, but I had to include them in the line up. Fabrics are from my new collection Emma & Myrtle for Connecting Threads. :)

day 27--a simple cube pincushion, again from my new fabric line!

day 28--the front--I really didn't feel like making a pincushion on day 28, but as usual, red and white polka dots were the answer! This pincushion measures about 2 1/2" square. It's tiny!

day 28--the back. I love how the back turned out, too. I'm glad I pushed through and made something, even if I didn't feel like it. That's all part of the challenge!

 day 29--A simple design made from the leftovers of day 19

 day 30--ticker tape pincushion that uses teeny tiny Liberty scraps

day 31!!! And the last one....a happy flower block, inspired by my friend Rene's wonderful blocks. I feel like this was a fitting way to end the month!

Thank you ALL so much for your kind comments and for cheering me on as I made a pincushion (or more!) a day. I appreciate you following along on this crazy journey. It's been a lot of fun!

Here's a picture of them all together:

 There are 44 in all!!!! It wasn't easy to get them all in the frame. Ha!

 And here they are in calendar order. :)

It's been a fun month! Thanks again for all of your encouragement!

It has been my usual practice in the past few years to take a month off social media, and I've decided that August is going to be my month off this year. I'm tired and I need a break! I need to soak up the last few crazy weeks of summer with my kiddos. I also have plans to take a trip with my husband to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary! (How can I be that old??) I'm looking forward to catching my breath and returning at the beginning of September.

Thank you for reading my blog and being a part of this. I appreciate it more than I can say. xoxo