Simplicity

Found a new quilt pattern this weekend that somehow 

jumped to the head of my "to do" list.

It is just in the preliminary stages of becoming a quilt

but will hopefully be completed in a few days.

Simplicity is defined as "the state or quality of being simple".

That seems to sum things up pretty well.

May you always Sew in Peace!

Save a UFO Finalist!

Been wracking my brain all day trying to remember if I've ever

won anything of value in a contest before. 

Hmmm.... nothing seems to come to mind except a poster contest

at my elementary school when I was in the fifth grade. 

Now that I think about it, 

I believe the prize was a whopping three dollars.

Perhaps one reason I do not "win" prizes, is that I do not enter many contests.

Hmmm... yes that may have something to do with my odds of winning prizes.

Well anyway, 

I stuck my neck out on a limb the other day and entered my 

Homeward Bound quilt in the 

"Quilting is Murder - Save a UFO Challenge" 

sponsored by Quilting Gallery.

Participants were asked to save a UFO (unfinished project) 

from certain death by completing the project and then sharing the details of their story.

I'm happy to say I am one of the lucky finalists!!!

The winner will receive this newly designed Bernette 25 computerized sewing machine!

It features 155 stitch patterns, speed control, needle stop up/down function,

 stitch memory, 8 standard presser feet, and much more! 

Sweet!

Now this is the point where I need your help.

The winner of this contest is selected by popular vote

(which makes me a little nervous).

If you click on the link below

 it will take you to the 

Quilting Gallery

website where you can view all the lovely projects and cast your vote.

Voting will close at midnight on Sunday, February 19th!

Thanks so much for your help!

Homeward Bound

Behind every unfinished quilt is a story waiting to be told.

The blocks for this UFO came from a block-of-the-month 

at a local quilt shop and have been sitting

 in the same box for about ten years.

The entire block-of-the-month program was a frustration.

Since the directions were poorly written,  

the blocks ended up as varying sizes.

I also hated the mixture of fabrics the shop owner selected.

In an attempt to salvage the project, 

as an inexperienced quilter I sewed narrow borders 

on several of the blocks to try to even them up.

The result was a whole bunch of ugly!

So at this point, 

not only did I hate the fabrics

but there was no unifying pattern to tie the blocks together.

My older and wiser self decided 

 it was time to conquer this UFO!

The first thing I did was tear off many of the narrow borders 

and re-frame each block in navy to tie all the blocks together.

Each block was then squared up to 12" to hide all the varying sizes.

Ah! That's much better!

To complete the top, a two inch strip of Kona snow was used for sashing

and a narrow, scrappy border was added in the outer border.

Finished size of the top is 62" x 75".

Here is a close up of a few of my favorite blocks.

This former unwanted and unloved UFO 

is now moving on to bigger and better things!

It has been lovingly named "Homeward Bound"

and will be donated to the Quilts of Valor organization. 

Special thanks to Alycia who has generously volunteered to 

machine quilt this!

Do you have any UFO's waiting to be finished?

Linking up with:

Finish it Up Friday

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

Quilts of Valor Progress Friday

Quilting Galleries UFO Challenge

Patchwork Times UFO Challenge

Sew Darn Crafty

 May you always Sew in Peace!

Snowman Mug Rug

Before Christmas I ran across an awesome tutorial to make a snowman mug rug,

but the finished product ended up as a 9" square which was a little larger than I wanted.

The snowman mug rug shown above finishes out at 5 1/2" x 7 1/2".

Here is what I did to alter the pattern.

• 1 - ivory fabric cut  4 1/2" x 4 1/2"
• 4 - red dot fabric cut 2" x 2" for corners
• 2 - red dot fabric cut 2" x 5" for the sides of the block
• 2 - red dot fabric cut 1" x 9" for the top and bottom of the block
• 1 - backing fabric cut 7 1/2" x 9"

I followed the basic sewing instructions from the original tutorial, 

but when I got to step 8 this is what I did.

After the carrot nose is applied using an iron-on bonding adhesive,

I laid a strip of tear away embroidery stabilizer  beneath my block before I began

to stitch the nose in place. 

I basically just laid the stabilizer on the back of the block,

then flipped the block 

over to begin outlining the nose.

The embroidery stabilizer has just enough body to 

stabilize the fabric as the carrot is attached.

I used a simple zig-zag stitch set to a very narrow width

for my outline. 

The stabilizer instructions indicated that it can be "torn away" from the fabric,

but I opted to cut it away with a sharp scissors.

If you decide to cut the stabilizer away at this point, 

pay careful attention that you do not cut into the snowman

or it will make him very sad and possibly nose-less!

The snowman face is machine quilted using a simple meandering stitch. 

The rest of the mug rug was straight-line quilted 

using the markings on a walking foot as a stitching guideline.

A few more hours of work and I'll have this stack of snowmen

completed and ready to store away for next Christmas:)

Linking up with:

Christmas Through the Year

Freshly Pieced
Finish it Up Friday
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

May you always Sew in Peace!

January UFO Finish

I started this I Spy quilt for my grandson several months ago and was finally 

able to finish up the machine quilting. 

The center is pieced with 77 - 5" I Spy blocks.

The outer border is made by joining 2 1/2" x 5" rectangles.

The outer border also has a 5" block to anchor each corner.

Finished size is approximately 44" x 62".

Here are a few of my favorite blocks.

The back was pieced with 

"Wheels by My Mind's Eye" by Riley Blake Designs 

and features different modes of transportation.

The flannel is ultra soft and snuggly.

Although the quilt does not appear to be square in this photo...it is!

Apparently the photographer will need to  pay closer attention in the future:)

Now that my design wall is empty, 

 it's time to get busy on the next project.

Linking up with:

Sew Darn Crafty 

Design Wall Monday

Made By You Monday

May you always Sew in Peace!

Sewing Caddy

Seems I'm always making something to give away, but

this week my focus was to complete a sewing caddy for personal use.

The pincushion is made with an enclosed bag of uncooked rice,

and polyester fiberfill. The pincushion includes several

vintage fabrics given to me by my grandmother, and two

antique buttons inherited from my great-grandmother.

This makes me smile.

It features a detachable waste basket.

 Best of all, the pattern was based on a free tutorial designed by 

Elizabeth Hartman for Sew, Mama, Sew.

Wouldn't you enjoy one for yourself?

Linking up with:
 Finish is up Friday
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

where you can see other awesome projects that were finished this week.

May you always Sew in Peace!

One Flower Wednesday

Happy to report two new additions to my flower garden this week!

If you are working on a hexagon project, 

be sure to stop by Karen's support group and join us

each Wednesday.

May you always Sew in Peace!