UFO Busting #159

Happy Saturday!  By the time you are reading this I will be setting behind a desk trying to bring home the bacon...but know my head is dreaming about being home and behind a machine.  But for the next 8ish hours this will be my view.

A few weeks ago, I convinced the fellows at work to hang a bar for me so that I can change out quilts.  One it keeps me happy and two it is a great thing to talk to customers about.  It's really a win for all of us.

I was a little absent last week.  I promise I haven't bailed.  Life just happens.  But I have still been working away.  I finished quilting the 2015 UFO and will share finished pictures soon.  

I did a little retail therapy as well.  While doing some Pinterest surfing on sampler quilts, I fell in love with The Aqua Umbrella's free QAL from 2016.  I have to make it.  I chose colors very similar to the original quilt.

Instead of solids, I will be using mostly Moda Grunge and two other fabrics that are similar.  I found the grunge at a local quilt shop that I found out was closing because they must move out of state.  I'm sad they are leaving, but was happy to have the fabric clearance discount.

 These fun little Halloween prints hopefully will land in a sampler quilt-as-you-go quilt I found over at The Little Mushroom Cap.  I will definitely share my progress when I start.

And progress has been made on piecing the Hello Summer Quilt.  Funny as we prepare to actually bid summer farewell, I'm over here asking it to come back.  I would say I'm about 1/8 of the way there.  I love that it comes together in basically four huge blocks just rotated.  

Now it is your turn, link up below and share what you have been up to this week.

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My sad piece of news, that falls into the category of life happens, is I lost my number one quilting companion, Oliver, aka Poosa Poosa last week.  He made it to the ripe old age of almost 16 and we managed diabetes for the past 3 years.  We aren't exactly sure what happened, his numbers have been great for some time and over the course of a weekend he just crashed on me.  I miss him terribly.  I think he talked back worse than my daughter, but I loved every minute of it.  I am thankful for all the time I had with him and know he was met on the other side of the rainbow bridge by his two dog siblings, Becker and Newton, that he loved to torment.  He made several appearances on here and I wanted to share the news of his passing.  He is survived by his 19 year old dog sister, Maggie, feline sister Caroline and brother Junior and recently acquired step-cat-brother Bellamy. 

UFO Busting #158

 It's Saturday and it seemed like there was no better time than trying to bring the old UFO Busting party back to life.  If you are new to the party, it's a place to share progress on UFO's (unfinished objects), things that are becoming a UFO, things that distract us from UFO's or even something that didn't become a UFO.  Basically, just show up and share what you are working on or what inspires you.

This week I shared about my recent quilt finish of Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation's Strip Tango.  For my version of the quilt, I used an adorable dinosaur print.  It felt good to have a finished project under my belt after not quilting for so long.  You can read more about this little quilt here.

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of pattern testing Cheryl at Meadow Mist Design's Melodic Mystery Quilt.  I promise it does not disappoint.  It might actually be my favorite of all her mystery quilts so far.  This week, the fabric requirements and cutting instructions were officially released.  I cannot show you my finished quilt...that's a secret.  But I can show you the fabrics I chose to work with.

I was super excited to find that the fabric requirements give an option for pre-cuts.  I have a ton of them laying around the house.  So if you are looking to use up some charm packs or even layer cakes, this quilt could be for you.  Read more about the quilt along here.  

Next up I have officially opened the fabric kit for Hello Summer that I ordered from Sarah Made.  I've decided to add a white on white into the mix.  I cannot wait to cut into this pile of fabric!

Since I'm on a quilting roll, I decided it was way past time to pull out this UFO from 2015.  Technically, this isn't my quilt.  It was pieced by my at the time husband to gift to a family friend.  I had it quilted except for the two large blue and cream squares.  I had no idea what to do in them.  With a little inspiration from Angela Walters and Natalia Bonner the ideas are flowing.

I've been sneaking in quilting time before I go to work in the mornings and have made progress in one of the squares.  I'm super excited to get this one headed toward a finish.  It's time to get this quilt headed to the home where it belongs.

Now that I have covered all my quilty bases for the week, it's your turn.  Link up below and show us all the quiltastic stuff you have been up to.

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Strip Tango Dinosaurs

 

I'm back today with a recent quilt finish.  It's not a UFO finish, but it's not a UFO either, so that progress.  I friend of mine is expecting her second (great) grandson and I wanted to help her celebrate by gifting a quilt.  It's what we do.  Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation's Strip Tango is my new go-to baby quilt pattern, especially when I need one in a hurry.  All you need is a few fat quarters, and the large strips sew up super quick for a quilt finish.

After some discussion, it was decided we would go with a dinosaur theme for the quilt.  I found this fun bundle on amazon and mixed with it a few other fabrics I had on hand.  In less than a few hours I had a completed top.

For the quilting I went with something I can stitch quickly and probably at this point in my sleep...good ol' stippling.  For my thread color I opted for Aurifil 1126 Blue Grey because I loved that it blended well across the quilt without completing with the prints.

It's now time for this little quilt to make its way to the new baby due to arrive any day.

I love working on simpler projects when I've had a large break in my quilting time.  It feels like gently sliding back into things.  Plus, sometimes you just need a quick finish to get the quilting juices flowing again.  This project has inspired me to pull out a pretty close to finished UFO from 2015.  I hope to be sharing that finish with you pretty soon.  Until then I will leave you with a few pictures of other Strip Tango's I have made.

Of course in true UFO fasion...this one hasn't been quilted yet :)

Hello. What's Up?

 This will go down as my all time favorite quilt packaging (from Sarah Made)!  Plus it seemed like a fitting way to start this post.  I swear I'm not going to declare, hey, guys, I'm back!  Because it seems like every time I do, life goes hold my beer.  So how about a quick post about the things I've been up to and then I'll start sliding right back in to quilting posts.  I miss you guys!  

The package above I just had to have.  I found Sarah from Sarah Made on the Instagram and fell in LOVE with her Hello Summer quilt. So I did the only thing I could do and ordered the quilt kit (to make eventually).  I'll do a post about the fabric later, but if you have a chance check our her Hello Summer quilt here.

Since moving to my new position at work, things have been banana bonkers busy.  Working longer hours left little time for quilting.  I found myself picking up my original love...cross stitch.  

One thing I love about it is that it can be super portable.  So, between customers I can sneak in a little bit of creative time.  My obsession at the moment is the Mini Masterpieces by The Sitch Patterns on Etsy.  

How can you not love tiny versions of famous paintings??  I hope to display them in a mosaic frame in my office for a conversation piece.  I think I need a total of 24 so I'm almost half way there.

So what in the actual quilt have I been up to since June?  Well, I pieced a quilt.  My big thing now is to make things to display in my office, as I just mentioned.  As soon as I ran across Lo and Behold's Summer Pop Quilt, I knew I needed it to hang in my office next summer.

Bomb Pops are summer to me.  The traditional red white and blue.  I have the top pieced.

I found the cutiest print fabric to go with it.  Now to make a decision...use it as a backing or, use it as a backing and do a border?

I am 100% open to suggestions.  Please let me know what you think.

I also found time to piece a small baby quilt for a dear friend expecting a grandson.  I actually finished quilting it this week and will share finished pictures as soon as the rain stops and a proper photoshoot can happen.  

So this is me easing back into quilting.  Life looks so much different than it did a few years ago and I'm looking forward to sharing the quilts again.  I hope to open the UFO Busting Quilt party back up if anyone would be interested.  I'm seriously thinking about issuing a challenge to myself next year to not piece any quilts.  The challenge would be to spend an entire year quilting the piles of UFO's.  Crazy?  What do you think?

  

A Roll of the Dice

 

Hello, everyone!  I'm back after what appears to be a 7-month hiatus.  Unfortunately, during my away time, not much quilting has gone on.  I was in training for a new position at work, cheering on my daughter while she is going to nursing school and reconnected with someone that was very important in my life.  Over the past few weeks, I dipped my toes back into the quilting world by pattern testing for a quilty friend and I feel like I'm finding peace in life again.  So when my dear friend Sandra (mmmquilts) reached out to me about her pattern release for A Roll of the Dice...of course I want to be part of your release party!  I can't think of a better way to come back.

Introducing, A Roll of the Dice!  Not only do you get instructions for a sweet little baby quilt, but she also included instructions for a bed runner and pillow.  The pillow could also be used as a tiny wall hanging.  I chose to make the baby quilt for the pattern release.  For my colors I went with soft mauve/pinks and green/mints.  Sandra's patterns never disappoint.

I love a quilt with variation blocks.  Each of the four star blocks have a different center.  And when you step back from the quilt you notice a large Ohio Star.

Another thing I love about this quilt, is that the block sizes are bigger and this nine patch of blocks comes together very quickly.  I was able to piece this quilt over a weekend. 

Now I'm looking forward to quilting those blocks.  Measuring in at 40" square, this would be a great size to practice free motion quilting on, especially if you are quilting on a domestic machine.

I think we can all safely say, most things in life are a roll of the dice.  However when you bet on this pattern, you are sure to win.  Make sure you visit Sandra's launch page here to check out all the other projects.  You can also find out how to grab a copy of the pattern for yourself.

If you've made to the end, I just want to thank you for stopping by.  I hope to be more vocal on my page soon.  Until then...happy quilting to everyone!

UFO Busting #157

 

Yesterday kicked off the first day of what I call Tishmas.  What is Tishmas?  It is the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas in which Tish wears a different Christmas themed shirt to work.  This year I kicked it off with this one.

Needless to say, I love Tishmas.  It also includes random small gifts to my coworkers.  They love Tishmas too.

As for quilting this week.  I did have a finish (that will be a Tishmas present) that I will share with you later.  And it was a UFO.

And in the spirit one goes off the list and one is added.  I purchased some fabric this week that will be a gift to an unsuspecting friend.

I love me some grunge fabric!  I can't wait to start piecing this one together.

Keeping it short and simple this week, it's your turn.  Link up below and show us what you've been up to the past two weeks.

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And now I leave you with the pole dancing squirrel my daughter left on the Christmas tree for me.  She was quite proud.  It's the 21 year old version of a macaroni necklace or popsicle ornament.  It was left with love and laughs. 

UFO Busting #156

 

It's Saturday!  And you know what that means...party time.  This week I'm celebrating a non UFO finish.  I love those just as much as a UFO finish because it's like I saved a quilt from becoming a UFO.  I have completely finished the two Let Your Star Shine (pattern by Sandra at mmm!quilts)quilts I pieced back in July.

If you would like to learn more about the quilting of these quilts you can read more about it here.  In the post I break down the threads and rulers that I used and why I chose the motifs that I did.  Kind of a peak in side my quilting head...that's a scary place sometimes.  Or if you just need to look at pictures of quilting...I think you will still walk away happy.

So what next for me?  I've pulled a few UFO quilts that need quilting and I know I still have a dinosaur quilt to piece.  Fingers crossed I will find balance in both projects.

Now let's take a look at what you were up to last week.  Things have been flying over at Sew Yummy...it's like she's feeling goosey.  Why do I say that you ask?  Because of her recent Spurced Goose Quilt Top finish.

My favorite line in her post..."Please don't remind me I could have been working on a UFO."  Distractions can be a good thing.  Never feel bad for working on what your heart wants.  Make sure you fly over and congratulate her on her finish.

Now it's your turn.  Link up below and show us what you have been working on or even what you aren't.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter