BLock-A-Palooza finish & more

Last week I finished quilting and binding my Block-A-Palooza quilt.  Although skeptical at first, I like the way it turned out.  It feels good to have a finish!

I like the back almost as much as the front!

And a few binding pictures...love it!

The quilting is an all over stippling.  

I also finished the flimsy of this quilt but no pictures yet. I need to sandwich and quilt it.  

In between sewing on quilts, I have a need to work on other projects whether it is stitching, knitting, crochet...These projects are hand projects that I can take in the car or relax and watch TV.  One of my latest is T-shirt yarn as mentioned in a previous post.  Here is the finished bath mat that I knitted for my D1's apartment. 

T-shirt yarn is fun to make knits up fast. Try it!

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter! I'll leave with a few pictures...

P.S. Just linked up to Charming Girls' Quilt Club over at Kelly's.  Hop over to see what everyone's been up too!

The last 2 blocks...

for Block-A-Palooza were released this week (Monday & today)! I have been really good at keeping up and here are the last 2:

Next week we will be putting it all together!  I think I may remake a block or 2 as I'm not completely happy with a few.  I didn't take a picture of all 16 blocks together yet. I'll have to do that soon as it always helps in seeing how they look together.  

I also finished my March block for the Birdie Stitches BOM.  

Isn't it cute?

Back in the early part of February, Cara over at Cara Quilts sponsored The Basics Charity Challenge.  You can read about it here.  There were several prizes for incentive but the challenge was an easy and not expensive act to do.  Although my DH and I volunteer at our local homeless center, I accepted the challenge and went out to buy some twin size fitted sheets and dropped them off at the center.  

Just last week, Cara notified me that I had won one of the incentive prizes, Bari J's new book Inspired to Sew! I love it...it has beautiful illustrations and I can't wait to try a project.  I especially like Bari's Chicago connection...my hometown! 

I have been thinking of ways to repurpose things and here is one that I recently made.  

Instead of dog-eared corners in my books to mark my place, I now have these easy to make corners.  They remind me of photo corners and neatly fit over the corner of the page.  And they are much prettier! 

What do you think?

Do you remember my extreme wedding dress makeover?  Well, I promised to make the bride her wedding veil.  She wanted a simple, single layer veil.  I used some lace from the original dress to cover the comb.  

I leave you with another challenge.  Rachel over at p.s. i quilt has joined Moda in their Just One Star challenge.  They need 1800 star blocks by May 1st.  Rachel has challenge us in making just one star this week...in the mail by Monday! Quilters Unite! We can do it! They are so easy to make...I made 2!

{name blurred on purpose}

Have you made yours?

Back on Track

It"s amazing how 2 days of being too sick to do anything can throw you off balance.  I am not one to lounge around in my pajamas all day.  I'm up and dressed fairly early.  I like need to keep busy.  Truly, I can't remember a day, much less 2, that I didn't get up, slept the day away and/or stayed in my pajamas until this past week.  My plans were out the window.  

I have been trying to stay on top of the Block-A-Palooza blocks since I played catch up for the first 3 blocks.  I was doing real good until Monday's release.  

I didn't have time on Monday but I only worked a half day on Tuesday so my plan was to sew the block then [before the Thursday block arrived.] 

Getting home from work, I felt exhausted. Ate a bit of lunch...didn't feel any better.  Took a little nap that lasted 21/2 hours [unintentionally]...didn't feel better but headed to my sewing room.  Looked at the pattern release for block 13 and my fabrics and couldn't decide what to do.  

Since when does playing with fabric exhaust a quilter?  I knew I was sick! 

I headed to the sofa and that is where I spent the rest of the day.  My wonderful DH made me chicken noodle soup, brought me meds and water. Wednesday morning I was not any better, maybe even a little worse.  

Happy that I was off on Wednesday, I stayed in bed the entire day...sleeping.  

Not reading, playing games or watching TV...just sleeping.  

By Thursday I was feeling better [not 100%] but was off to work.  That night I picked fabric for Monday's block and sewed. Ahhh! 

Friday night I worked on Block 14

Here are all 14 blocks! Only 2 more to go.

I am surprised on how much I like how this is all coming together. 

{Some blocks better than others.}

These bright colors are a little different for me.  

On Monday, I got my package off to Kelly at Charming Chatter, my pincushion swap partner.  She let me know that she received it and she likes it!  So now I can let you see what I made.

This cute heart pincushion...

where I embroidered Kelly's word, Rest.

   

I also made this needle case...

and my first attempt at special pin heads...

I will try again but realized that I need to get some green.   

{and some chocolate of coarse}

I finished a few more knitted headwraps...

for some friends.

There are few more things I've been working on [I'll show you later.] 

Been slowly stitching my birdie and give thanks BOM.  

What have you been working on lately? 

What I've Been Up To

Well, I really can't show everything yet but I can show some.  

I have been keeping up with the Block-A-Palooza quilt along...2 blocks a week! Blocks 11 & 12 were released this week.  You can see more at on flickr.

I made my pincushion for my swap partner, Kelly, but no peeks.  It will be in the mail to her next week...maybe a surprise or 2...not saying.  Hope she likes it.  Pictures soon!

I also made this pincushion.  

I had to chuckle when I saw it here and just had to try one for myself.  Here is my version.

I also received a very nice package in the mail from Jane.  I won her Domestic Diva charm pack giveaway! I am a lucky girl.  Thanks Jane!

I was asked to show some close up pictures of my Happy Camper quilt.  There are 12 different campers fussy cut and centered in each block. 

The fabric is Happy Camper from Clothworks.  

Here are a few of my favorites.

The pop-up...

vintage...

VW van...

We have had quite a bit of rain and grey days...today was back to snow...Argh! I'm so ready for Spring and some sun!  How about you?

January & February Finishes, etc.

It is time to summarize my finishes for the first 2 months of 2011 for the Charming Girls' Club.  

Some of my finishes I could only give peeks since they are for weddings. 

The wedding dress makeover has been delivered to the bride! 

The finished wedding quilt.  

[Full reveal of both after the wedding!]

This is my Quilt Around the Block stitchery made into a pillow.

Inspiration and my own design 'On the Fence' quilt.

Several mug rugs...for swaps and me! 

Oh the joy of paper piecing! Love it!

 Give Thanks stitchery banner and 3 verse cards from Jenny of Elefanz.

Stitching brings so much joy! It's sew relaxing!

I also finished 2 blocks for the Birdie BOM, the top of my Happy Camper Too quilt, added the borders and sandwiched my daughter's wedding quilt, and made 10 blocks for Block-A-Palooza but they are not real finishes as there is still work to be done. 

Here is block 10.

What have you finished recently?

Revisited

You may recall that last summer I finished a quilt called Happy Camper for a very special friend of ours.  

I was planning to make 2 quilts...one for Ken and one for us 

[our families love to camp together.]  

After starting both quilts and almost finishing both flimsies, I didn't like them so out came the seam ripper and I took them all apart.  I recut, added color, and changed the design and finished the one for Ken.  

You can see it here.  

The Happy Camper quilt for us never got redone.  

A UFO MFU [Masterpiece Under Fermentation] it became.  

I recently had the notion to get it out and start sewing.  Yep! it fermented just enough. 

I now have a finished flimsy.  

Don't have plans for the backing quite yet but it feel good to have it this far!

Yesterday, I got a little present from a friend of mine.  She isn't a quilter but she knows I am!  I like it :D

Each page of the year has another quilt block and directions on how to make it.  FUN!

This morning block 9 for Block-A-Palooza went live.  Here is my finished block called Lemonade Stand. You can check out other blocks on the flickr page.

Last Wednesday night, I went to my LQS for a demo [more about that another day] and I learned about this notion.  Yay! It protects your iron from sticky residue when ironing adhesives. Beats cleaning sticky stuff from your iron! I used it for a small applique project and it worked great.  It is made from a 

no-melt plastic.  Have you ever used this?

Tonight is knitting club.  Taking a special friend...I'll tell you about her another time!

Friday Night Sew-In results and a little more!

Did you join in the fun for last night's FNSI?  Here are the things I accomplished.  Again not quite as much I hoped but nonetheless, I did accomplish something!

I finished stitching the February block for the Birdie Stitchery BOM.  I am caught up with a week to spare before the next block is released! 

This is a good thing!

I also finished Block 8 for Block-A-Palooza - Basket of Geese!

This block is a applique block - a change from all the pieced blocks.  

I chose to machine applique the geese with a small blanket stitch and the basket with a zigzag applique stitch. 

 I like how this block is so different from the rest but fits right in.  

Take a look!  

To be honest, I am a little out of my comfort zone.  

I not used to purchasing fabric and making a quilt without knowing the end results. I chose not to use the fabric that the designers were using - even though it is among my favorites right now - I didn't want to spend the money not knowing what this quilt would look like. 

 Are you like this or do you like a mystery?

 So I chose the line Sips of Summer with a few other fabrics mixed in to round things out.

After the first few blocks, I really could not see how this quilt would come together...but as I add blocks...it's pulling itself together. 

What do you think?    

On a final note, I would like to send my thanks to my mug rug swap partner, Heather Spence.

 Aren't they cute!  Love the shoe!

I'm off to my sewing room! Hope you enjoy your day!