Sew Sunshine

  May challenge for Off Season Project Quilting which you can find out about  here   Is the Patone Challenge.  The idea is to make something using part or all of these Patone colors for 2013: On a recent shopping trip to my local Cosmic Cow quilt shop I found a fabric line by Benartex called Manhattan Modern. It has many of the Patone colors in it.  Since I was thinking of combining this challenge with my very own Make and Use/Wear it challenge, I opted to make a quilted bag and a quilted bag insert.  Colors in this print piece: Dusk blue, monaco blue, tender shoots, emerald, linen and my fav grayed jade. I liked that so much I used a grayed jade upholstery for the bottom and handle backs.   The smaller bag works as an insert in the larger tote bag. I plan to use it to carry small sewing projects to and fro.  Both bags are quilted as you go with the sew and flip method. I lined both the large tote and the small sewin...

Yes ...I made it! May Finish sponsored by  Fiber of All sorts and Bittersweet Designs .   I had a UFO from 2012 that I committed to work on this month, with the long holiday weekend it was more difficult to fit it all in but...Here it is.  Has bits of Nebraska Husker fabric in it along with their red and white theme.   I made my own trip around the world with the Lil' Twister quilt block. I didn't have the ruler but it still worked out. I ended up doing a straight line in both directions with red thread since the design is so busy. 

It has been a strange week. I got really motivated to get going on things in some challenges I have been in. I knew the Memorial weekend was coming up but that I would have time after to have a nice month of finishes at the end. Wrong! I totally forgot about the  Persimon Dreams  "My Favorite Block Quilt Along" which is due May 25th.    I made 12 of the 20 blocks. Two of them I made twice so I figured why not go for a finish. One of my blocks is not exactly what it was supposed to be ...it was a paper pieced fiasco but the others turned out pretty well. I have 13 blocks on the front and one of my favs on the back.  Close up of my spiral quilting. I now know there is a wrong way to spiral. Let's hope I remember that for next time. :) I am happy for the finish! I think it turned out pretty cute. 

  Here it is ...the Final Challenge. I don't know how to even go about telling Kim over at  Persimon Dreams  how much I have enjoyed participating in her Project Quilting this season. It has helped me get back into quilting and sewing which I was not sure I was even going to do again.  Last year in the spring, my Mom got sick and we ended up having to move her to a nursing care facility. She was 93 and lived by herself in a house across the road from our old farm.  Mom passed away and we buried her the day before her 94th birthday in the fall.  I learned almost everything I know about sewing from her and we shared a love of quilts.  When I saw the Project Quilting challenge I felt I had to give it a go.  The challenges were just fun and no pressure on judging or even finishing.  My mom loved the t.v. show Project Runway and I think secretly wished she could do something like that. I just thought it would be a great tribute to her to partici...

  Geta over at  Geta's Quilting Studio  is hosting a "Quilter's Favorites"  linky party.  I am new the blogging world and trying to get back into sewing and quilting.  I am not an expert in any way but I just used one of Geta's tutorials and so I thought it appropriate for me to participate.  I have learned so many things from the wonderful blogging world. Bloggers are so caring and accessible.  They tend to share freely of their work and designs as well as tips and tricks. Often there are challenges to get you to try something out of your realm and there is always something to learn.  Some Favorite Tools: I do have some favorite tools that I have found to be wonderful.    I love the Havel's Sewing Embroidery Scissors - It has a curved up blade so you can get really close to the fabric to snip threads. I just won this from my quilt guild last week and used it on the challenge piece I made this week (using Geta'...

I have to say this was an interesting challenge this month.  "Wings" hmmm??   I had some things I wanted to try but was not sure that I could work it into a challenge.  Then I saw  Geta's quilting studio tutorials   on Shadow Trapunto. I just had to try it.    Lots of cutting, even for my simple design. I would recommend the new embroidery scissors I won at my quilt guild the other night, however, I do not recommend using it on this project while on the phone. I snipped a thread a little too close and made a small hole in the organza. I covered it pretty well later but still!! :) Not sure if you can guess from that left over batting?? I wanted to use a multi-color fabric to represent the butterfly wings.  This ended up being really hard to photograph so I hope you can see the end result.    "Reverberate"   18" x 18" Holographic organza makes the shadow over the trapunto cut pattern of circling butterflies. ...

You know the old adage...the more you do the more there is to do? Well I have been getting lots done but the things I want to make and do keep growing.  I guess that is a good thing. I sure would hate it if I ran out of UFO's and random piles of fabric. ha...as if! My WIP this week is for  Le Challenge  and this month the theme is "Wings". I have some new techniques I want to try out so I thought this month it might come together. ......I said "might"?? This is pretty crazy and wild fabric but I am hoping the trapunto I am going to try will calm it down. I think no matter what it is a good chance to try something new.  You will have to wait and see how it goes. The deadline for the challenge is the 15th of the month. Why don't you go over and check out the blog and give it a try yourself.  I did finish my Skill Builder BOM Block ...well one of them from last month. I still have to quilt but believe me that will be the easy part.  Also finis...

I was thinking of what I wanted to do this month vs. what I think I can get done. hmmmm? Last month I managed to accomplish a lot so this month I might as well commit myself to something I have put off.  For Christmas last year I wanted to make a little Husker doll blanket for my great niece Sophia.  My husband had an old doll bed from when he was little and we thought we could clean it up a bit and paint it and make it like new.  So.... I had some Husker fabric and I wanted to make a "Little Twister" quilt. I knew the fallout from the blocks would make a cute "Trip around the world" quilt for my doll blanket.  The holes above I cut out my Twister blocks.   This is my quilt top so far.  I promptly folded it up and put it on a shelf so now I have to finish it!!! Thanks to  A Lovely year of finishes   we will see what I can come up with. It is pretty small...maybe 34" square. Any ideas are welcome??? Here is the finished doll bl...

I had a productive month. I didn't think it was going to happen but somehow the starts were aligned (in more ways than one) and several things came together.  First I tried out my new Curve Ruler from  Sew kind of wonderful . 2nd - Modern BOM 2 block by Alyssa for  Sew Mama Sew My version called "Box Out" And my second version called "In and Out" 3rd - Catching up on some Charity quilts: Craftsy BOM 2012 - 6 more blocks used above 2 preemie flannel backed blankets for Lincoln Quilts for Kids group 2 boy quilts made to go to my guild project Cuddle Quilts  and one to go to Lincoln Quilts for kids.  One I gave to a friend to have her mom try her hand at the binding. I hope to get that back soon so I can donate this bundle. 4th - A year of lovely finishes project for April was to finish my half hexi green quilt. Yep I got'er done! 5th - Project Quilting  off season challenge was "What is your sign?" Mine ...