Progress!

On March 24, I finally finished my January UFO project!  I didn't want to rush my work just to meet a deadline that was sort of artificial in the first place.  In January, I completed all of the straight line quilting with the walking foot.  Then in the beginning of March, I completed the free motion machine quilting. I used different motifs in the various areas.  This past Saturday, I added the binding and the hanging sleeve.  I am quite pleased with the project, and it only took a decade or two from start to finish!

I am in the midst of a major decluttering/reorganizing project in my bedroom.  My bedroom is also my craft room.  This project has been ongoing for months, but became more accelerated at the end of February when I bought my new friend Sergio home.

Sergio is a new Viking Husqvarna serger.  I have resisted buying a serger for quite some time, but I do so much garment sewing that it really makes sense to have one.  Anyway, I want to set it up on a little table so I can leave it up most of the time and move back and forth between sewing and serging without having to switch out the machines on the same table.  To be able to do this I need to declutter and rearrange the room to make room for a table.  I might try to put the serger on top of a lovely cabinet I bought that houses an antique treadle sewing machine.  I have the new owner classes for the machine in early April, I just can't decide if I will try to figure it out myself before that.

I also finished my Easter (2017) dress.  I started it for last Easter.  I redrew the neckline to match some embroidery I was using at the neckline, with no thought to the fact my neck still needed to fit the neckline, which of course it didn't.  I threw the dress aside, and then it turned out we stayed home last Easter anyway, because my husband Bob was not up to going anywhere.  I resurrected the dress recently.  I recut the neckline, chopping off the embroidery.  I redid the embroidery once I had a neckline that fit well.  I used bias binding in place of the ruined facings.  I definitely needed a refresher on order of assembly: for some reason I left installing the zipper until last, and that was not a good idea at all!  Since my return to sewing, my husband had been my helper to mark my hems for me.  For this dress I tried a new gadget I bought that one can use to shoot chalk along a line around the level of your dress where the hem should go.  It worked like a charm on the front, I think getting the markings on the back will take some practice.

Yesterday I made a t-shirt!  I used my old tried and true pattern and the remainder of a big piece of grey knit I bought years ago at the Goodville Fabric Outlet (now Zincks).  I wanted to try out the heat transfer vinyl and my Cricut machine to make a graphic T.  

I added one of the little Maggie Made This labels I had made.  I used thread that matched my vinyl.  I really enjoyed making this!

February UFO

I am following along with Judy at Patchwork Times on her UFO challenge.  Each month we are supposed to finish up a designated UFO.  I think I will just be happy to make some progress each month.

My UFO for February was my quilt from the English Paper Piecing party run by Mister Domestic and and Pat Bravo.  I was sick a whole week in February with the flu, but I did manage to make some progress.

Here are the six blocks that are now completed:

While I had the blocks all together for the photo, I took out my Kona sample card to choose a few colors for frames/sashing.  I decided on colors called Artichoke and Khaki.

I also took some time this month to work on the free motion quilting on my January UFO.  I am taking my time and enjoying the process.  

The UFO for the March challenge is my Scrappy Trip around the world quilt.  I am looking forward to working on it!

January UFO and a RTW Redo

I am participating in the 2018 UFO challenge over at Patchwork Times.  As a good friend put it, it is a good idea to finish up neglected but once loved projects!  The project assigned for January turned out to be this quilt.

This quilt was pieced as part of a round robin exchange with 3 of my quilty friends, many moons ago.  It was originally intended for my dining room, but I think now it will go better in my living room.  

Yesterday, I pin basted the layers.  Then I started quilting.  I did all of the straight line quilting/stitch in the ditch stuff that I could do with the walking foot.  I want to do some freemotion quilting in the center square and around those sun ray sort of shapes, and also in the outer border.  I am not sure I have time at home this month to finish all of that.  But I do not want to rush just to finish.

The reason I can't finish is because I am taking a trip to Florida!  My host told me "bring a bathing suit", so I have spent some time working on getting one together.  First, I made the Tidal Wave swim shorts from 5 out of 4 Patterns.  I planned to make a top from another of the 5oo4 pattern site, but my supply order did not come in time. I plan to sew a separate bra out of swim foam into the new top for support.  SInce my order did not arrive, I have neither the time nor the materials to include the appropriate support into the new top. So I cut the top out of an old tankini that does not fit, and added a new skirt to it.

WIP Wednesday Apr 17, 2013

I have only recently returned to quilting after a bit of a hiatus (who am I kidding, I lost my mojo!).  I sorted some fabrics, cutting strips from each for a scrappy trip around the world quilt.  While going through boxes I found this small quilt:

I pieced this top a long time ago for a baby that I am pretty sure has started school by now, so I decided to quilt it for Project Linus.  I pieced this back:

I layered the top and back with some batting, pin basted and then used my walking foot on my Husquavarna sewing machine to quilt along the edges of the blocks. It needs more quilting though.

So I layered a few squares and practiced some spirals from the quilting book I go for Christmas.

I don't hate it, but I think I am going to make at least one more square of practice before I do anything on that quilt.

Linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.