October Goal

Remember this stack of quilts I blogged about in June?

At the beginning of June, I issued myself a challenge to quilt a stack of 20 flimsies (finished tops) before the end of the month. I met that goal, but it left me with a stack of bindings to do!

Earlier this month, I unofficially pledged to finish the remaining bindings by the end of October. I really didn't think I would meet that goal, but I'm happy to report that the final binding stitches were put into the last quilt tonight!

This quilt was the oldest of my flimsies -- I made it over four years ago when I was testing out blocks for our guild's block of the month program.

Here are a couple of other bindings I finished this week:

A Modern Meadow quilt (top was completed Summer 2012)

A coins quilt featuring Groovy Guitar fabrics

And a Central Park flying geese quilt (top was completed in Summer 2012)

It feels great to have somewhat of a "clean slate", and now I'm ready for some new projects!

 

Finished Tops and False Starts

I'm working on one of my ten summer goals -- cutting and sewing fabrics that have been set aside for projects and are taking over the floor of my sewing room! I had a pile of Patty Sloniger's adorable Les Amis fabrics, and I managed to create four tops (various sizes) with only a few scraps leftover! Now I've got to get these on the quilt machine frame before they become a pile of unquilted tops!

I also made a yellow and grey baby quilt out of a pile of leftovers from a previous custom order. This one just needs binding, and I have enough squares left to create a second quilt.

I used some leftover grey minky and some scrap pieces from the yellow and grey quilt to make these burp cloth and onesie sets:

I had a great time sewing together this scrappy top for a customer, made from Hunky Dory fabrics by Chez Moi -- now I'm just waiting for the backing to arrive!

Finally, I laid out these squares I had cut from another set of leftover fabrics, only to discover that I really didn't like the overall look. (I don't think the caf liked it either). After some consideration, I decided that I will edit a few of the prints, and turn it into a chevron top using this pattern. More to come on that later!

Linking Up to Freshly Pieced Work in Progress Wednesday!

Finish it Up Friday: An Epic Finish!

I have a very BIG finish to share today!

19 days ago, I issued myself a challenge -- finish quilting the stack of flimsies (unquilted tops) before school gets out on June 21st. Considering that I had 20 unquilted tops, that was quite a tall order! (If you're counting the stack in the photo, you'll only find 19 as the 20th one has already been delivered to its new home). You can see pictures of the individual tops by reading through this month's posts. Here are the final two finishes:

Quilt #19 in Amy Butler's Midwest Modern fabric collection, using my Bricklayer pattern:

And quilt # 20, using one of the ombre fabrics in Vanessa Christensen's Simply Color collection and this tutorial.

I'm so glad I saved a small one for last -- I was counting down the stitching rows by that time!

So, what's on the agenda now? Lots of bindings, several custom orders, and a little sewing room organizing/cleaning. I'll have lots more to share on these projects in the coming days!

Linking up to Amanda Jean's Finish it Up Friday and

Confessions of a Fabric Addict: Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

 

 

Finish the Flimsies Challenge quilts 17 and 18

These two quilts are made from the same pattern -- but they are as different as night and day! Last summer, I participated in the Great Granny Square Quilt Along project (the pattern and information can be found here). The blocks are so addicting, and a great way of using up 2 1/2 inch scraps. The first quilt I made was in Parisville by Tula Pink. Last fall, I decided to play with the pattern again, and I love the way both of these quilts turned out!

This one was made out of Bliss (Bonnie and Camille for Moda Fabrics) and a bag full of white scraps.

I absolutely LOVE how this one turned out! The border is from the Ruby collection by Bonnie and Camille, and the backing is a super soft flannel, also in Ruby. I will definitely blog more about this one once the threads are trimmed and the binding is attached.

 

I also wanted to see how the pattern would look with one of my other favorite background colors: grey. I chose the Soul Blossoms collection by Amy Butler, and I think the quilt looks so modern and cheerful.

The row of blocks on the bottom is my favorite!

When I made the Parisville quilt, I just set the blocks together, but after making these two, I definitely recommend adding the sashing and border. Not only does it finish the quilt off nicely, it also stabilizes the bias edges in the blocks.Only TWO more quilt tops left to go in my Finish the Flimsies Challenge!

Linking up to Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation!

 

Finish the Flimsies Challenge Quilts 9, 10 and 11

This month, I have issued myself a personal challenge of quilting my stack of unquilted tops. To read more about my progress, here's the initial post.

Today's theme is Kate Spain! It's no secret that I'm a big fan of her fabrics, and I've made at least one quilt in each of her collections. Central Park is one of my absolute favorites. Quilt #9 is a Flying Geese lap quilt using my Mother Goose and Baby pattern.

I still have a lot of this fabric collection on hand -- it's hard not to hoard it!

Quilt #10 features a newer collection, Honey Honey. I had some leftover jelly roll and charm pack pieces, so I used my Hip to Be Square pattern and some white background fabric to make this large lap quilt:

I really love the way these collections pop on a white background!

Quilt #11 is from a new pattern I'm working on. I used selected fabrics from the Terrain collection...

...plus a little Central Park on the back!

That brings the total number of flimsies left to quilt into the single digits -- only 9 to go!

 

Linking up to Blossom Heart Quilts' Kate Spain Blog Hop!

 

Finish the Flimsies Challenge Quilt #8

Another flimsy is finished!

Only 12 more to go!

 

 

Finish the Flimsies Challenge Quilts 5 & 6

Last night, I quilted these two Ahoy Matey baby quilts. These have been so popular -- I think I've made ten? The whale border print has become harder to find, so I've thought about trying different border combos. However, I must admit that I really love the borders as is!

I saved myself some valuable time by creating these as one long quilt (the bottom border of the first was also the top border of the second -- I just cut an extra wide border piece during the assembly process. I was then able to load the quilts and backing only once on the frame instead of twice (this saved the step of pinning all the layers to the muslin on the frame.

Once the entire piece was quilted, I cut them apart to create the two separate quilts.

Only fourteen more flimsies to go! Here's a preview of the next flimsy:

This one may take a couple of days!

 

"Bliss-ful" Sewing Saturday

Since this is the first weekend in more than a month that I haven't been consumed by custom orders to finish, I decided to play with some projects that had been on the back burner for a while.

First, I managed to get my Bliss Granny Squares sewn into a quilt top -- I just need to complete the border!

After that, I gave myself permission to finally be sucked into the scrappy-trip-along craze that has been sweeping the web. I've decided to make mine mostly out of Bonnie and Camille's fabric collections -- I totally fell in love with Camille's version.

They truly are addictive! I'm dying to make some more, but laundry and custom orders are calling, so they will have to wait!

As it happens, I think both of these quilts will end up living with me -- they will match the new paint in the bedroom perfectly!