another WIP

i know that i said i was going to get to the projects already in progress from last year (and even from 2011 !!) but i just couldn't resist cutting into this pile that has been sitting in my stash. i was having visions of mustard and grey.

 

i actually pulled these blocks out and had them on my table for a few days. i wanted to continue work on this quilt but after staring at the blocks for a while i just couldn't find the inspiration. i had a specific design in mind when i started these but i am having a hard time visualizing a finished quilt that i am going to love. not to say that i don't think the original design i had in mind would work out nicely, but i am just not feeling it at the moment.  

i still have these blocks out and the fabric is in my line of sight, but for now i'll continue working with chateau rouge. let's see how far i get...

finally a finish

first finish of 2013.

it's been a long time coming, what with so many starts in 2012. these were started in January of this year and finished just Monday, in time for some quick photos on Tuesday and onto a plane for Belgium on Wednesday. it feels like i haven't started and finished anything this quick in a long time.

 

two quilts, for our nieces...one loves aqua and the other, well let's just say she loves to eat sweets. the pattern is based on the Squares and Strips Bed Quilt by Allison from Cluck Cluck Sew. this pattern is very easy, fun and quick to make.

I am glad to hear that the girls loved them and were excited to use them. even paulin wanted in on the fun...he already has his own!

now that these are out the door, I've pulled out one of my WIP's, one that was started sometime in February of last year. while looking for that one, I came across the flying geese quilt and guess what...all it needs is the binding! what the heck am I waiting for with that one?!?

2012 was a year full of many starts and hardly any finishes.  i started a sweater for my baby nephew and then gifted it to him within a few weeks when he came to visit from belgium. sadly, no photos of the finished object nor of baby nephew!

my list of W.I.P. that were started in '12 is astounding, i am thinking that I should take inventory to guilt myself into finishing some things up before starting in on something new.

with that said...what i am working on now, are two quilts for my neices in belgium.  these were started in 2013, and are in various states of completion.

the novelty sweet treat quilt is ready for binding, and the aqua one is about 25% done with quilting.

making progress

i've been busy this weekend making flying geese. about half way through assembling and trimming these blocks to their proper size, it dawned on me that it would be more efficient to pick up the special flying geese ruler to make my life easier.

and it did.

that is, up until i went to set the stitches and press the seam on this strip...

how did i miss that? and this was after i had sewn about 75% of the units for my finished quilt. it was a sure sign that i needed to stop and go do something else.

last night i finished sewing all the units into strips and the strips into one piece, so the quilt top is done. tonight i will assemble the back, make the quilt sandwich and baste my layers together.

my deadline is looming.

holiday sewing

to keep my mind occupied during a very sad time, i pulled out some Happy Holiday fat quarters from my stash and started sewing these reversible little tote bags

it was good therapy for an afternoon.

i also found some time to work on these log cabin blocks, which eventually turned into a table runner and matching table pad for a christmas gift for my mother.

she has a glass top coffee table and matching side table in her living room which i designed the sizes for.

and the last bit of holiday sewing i worked on was this quilt for my nephew. you may recognize the fabric from diagonal madness which i made for my other nephew last year.

pensée en français

i am definitely on a French General kick. in addition to the unfinished Panier de Fleurs quilt top from my last post, i have started in on some pom pom de paris star blocks.

i've got a maison de garance quilt top done, ready for a backing to be put together.

la petite ecole...can't settle on a pattern quite yet, but the fabric cuts are screaming out to me!

not to mention the fa la la la la half-yards i have yet to take photos of!!

and no, this is not a sponsored post. french general is one of my favorite shops, and i love every fabric line that they have come out with. something about the contemporary interpretation of the old french style. perhaps it's that secret desire i have to get back to the south of france that drives me to their style every time.

oops! que je suis bete

this week i started a patriotic(-ish) quilt, trying to get it done by the 4th weekend.



the last time i was at French General, i picked up a few cuts of their upcoming line, Panier de Fleurs. not knowing what i was going to do with it, i just opted with 1/2-yard cuts of my selected prints. i decided to use these for my quilt and up until last night production has come to a halt...i don't have enough fabric.

i had the brilliant idea of schlepping it up to french general to pick up more, i live a good 45 minutes-to-an hour away. imagine my wave of emotions as i pulled up and saw the perfect parking spot right at the front door - the high, then came the low...as i walked up and noticed none of the lights were on and the door was shut, i read the sign and they've switched to their summer hours. CLOSED ON SATURDAY.

needless to say, this quilt is going to go unfinished, and there'll be sitting on the ground for us over the fourth!

hawaiian quilt

until i can muster up enough courage to attempt a hawaiian quilt, i have this to live with.

wowow

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i really wish i had the patience to make this quilt. it's so beautiful but i can already tell you that if i attempted to work on it i would probably only get to 2 maybe three of the blocks. if i am lucky.

first finish of 2011

ok, although this is the first finish of 2011, i have to admit i actually started this one over a year ago. i cut all the pieces and started sewing rows and soon realized i didn't like what was resulting. uneven rows, puckering...all the mistakes of a rookie. come to find out it was because i cut the triangles on the bias and as i sewed individual pieces together, i was ironing...key word ironing, not pressing, thus causing distortion. so i threw the project to the side never to see the light again.



it wasn't until about late summer that i came across the quilt again, ok actually gaetan asked me when i was going to finish his quilt, when the project was resurrected. by this point all that was left was the quilting - i had actually pieced the whole thing together and added the borders and basted the sandwich together before casting it aside. what?!? with that little left to do? i couldn't believe it.

uhm. yes, i could.



ok, so that took all of one day and then the unfortunate happened - i had no binding. so i put it aside and worked on other things and the cycle started all over again. it wasn't until about mid january when i finally got around to ordering that small piece of kona cotton in coffee (triggered by the fact that i needed to order some other kona cottons to finish the zigzag quilt for dee). so i cut into that half yard, put together my binding and finished off the quilt.



needless to say, now i have to get that zigzag quilt done.