WiP Wednesday: Addicted to Busy

So my list of things to do was long enough already but I keep adding more and more to it. I think I may have a fabric addiction. The fact that I'm just now admitting this is sure to make my hubby laugh. Add to that my growing Etsy business and my yarn addiction that I claimed long ago and you come up with one busy crafter. The funny thing is I actually tried to cut down on what I was working on this week and totally added more. I'm linking up with WiP Wednesday.

First up we have some fabric meant for two pillows. I recently joined my local Modern Quilt Guild and I just loved our first meeting. In November we're doing an exchange and I can't wait. I got this fabric and two zippers for the back as well as variegated thread. The zippers aren't an exact match but they'll be on the back and it's the first time I've ever used variegated thread.

I got all my fabric cut out. The white squares will stay as they are but all the other ones will turn into 2" HST. Good thing it's just a pillow or I'd go crazy with all those small pieces. I'm going off of this tute.

My daughter had been asking for an owl hat for a while now and it was finally her turn. She chose purple and blue sparkle yarn and it's so her. She also wanted her owl to be awake not sleeping like my other owl hats.

This variation was so fun that it got it's own listing in my shop.

I did work a little on my Q4 FAL goals. These two are on my list to make and they both got basted and quilted yesterday. The binding is made and ready it just needs to be attached. I'm odd because that is one of my favorite parts of the whole process.

Here's a closeup of the quilting. I just did on either side of the seams. I love this style of quilting for simple patchwork quilts.

I also started this hat for me. Well, mostly for me. I'm doing my first craft fair on Saturday and I needed samples of my work to bring and I didn't have one of these around the house. I decided to just have samples there and take orders because I don't want to make a bunch and not sell them and have them around the house. Plus, I think the best part of my shop is that everything is so made to order and completely custom from size to style to color choices. So it will be for me but it's a multi-tasking hat.

Also as a result of the upcoming craft fair, I ordered business cards. I made them myself at staples.com and just love how they turned out. They were ready for pickup in just a few hours.

Well, that was my crazy week. I hope to get so much more accomplished before the craft fair on Saturday and I also got another order this week. It looks like this week is going to be another full one. Thanks for stopping by!

First Q4 FAL Finishes

I had a bout of creative energy combined with a wonderful hubby who looked after the kids so I could accomplish what I needed to get done. I finished three things off my Q4 FAL Goals to add to the one I posted earlier this week. That's four! In one week! My list has 29 things on it and I really don't think they are all going to happen but if I even work at half this pace I'll get a lot done, which is nice. I'm linking up with Finish it up Friday.

One of the things on my list was to make bean bags. I combined this with my goal to have all my kids (and hubby) try out sewing. It went off so well!! Everyone had a go, except the baby who just turned 3 months, but she sat on my lap. They all did really well listening to instructions and lining everything up. The littlest were too short for the pedals so I did that while they controlled the fabric sitting on my lap.

These are all of our bean bags. I took the picture on their sides so you could see the contrast. They had a lot of fun picking out the fabric from my extra charm square stash.

I also finished the crowns for my older two kids. They turned out so good and the kids just love them!

The side shot is great too. These are listed in my Etsy Shop.

Finally, just this afternoon, I finished up the charity quilt. I really struggled with this one because it was started so long ago and the material is no where near my standards now but I kept telling myself it was for charity and some kids is going to love it no matter what.

I tied it using my machine doing a zigzag stitch with a zero length. I bound it in black that I had sitting around. I really like how the black binding looks on it especially on the cherry side.

So that's three more finishes out of the way and a nice productive week. I have no idea what I'm going to work on next but it's going to be fabulous! Thanks for stopping by!

WiP Wednesday: Good Interruptions

I had big plans to work on my Q4 FAL Goals this week but I kept getting good interruptions in the form of Etsy orders. I was more than happy to oblige. I did get a few finishes and made progress on a few more. I posted the High Street baby quilt and the rest of the finishes I'll post later this week, there are already too many things in this post. I'm linking up with WiP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.

First the WiPs...

I got the backing for these two (it's the yellow in the middle) and I rough cut the batting. I hope to get them at least basted and quilted this week but also hope to bind them too if the baby cooperates and has a good nap.

I also made some good progress on the Charity quilt. I machine tied it using a zigzag at zero stitch length. It worked pretty well but my spacing left something to be desired. Maybe I should have gone for a more random look or marked my spots.

I also trimmed the Charity quilt to a more square shape. It's now ready for binding and I have a goal to finish this by my Friday post.

Now on to the GOOD interruptions...

Could you just die over this hat?!?! I saw the pattern and I knew I had to have it for my little man. He has a stuffed fox (Foxy) he adores and also has an obsession with all things orange (Orangin). I did have one oops on this hat. The tip of the ears is supposed to be all black not just outlined in black. My son didn't want me to change it due to his orange obsession so I left it for him. This hat is listed for sale (made to order) in my Etsy Shop.

A friend ordered this adorable Sleepy Owl hat for her baby girl. I seriously love this hat and have each and every time I've made it. I'm sure you'll be seeing it again real soon as my oldest daughter has requested one.

Isn't this Crab Hat so fun? I love it! I got two orders for this one this week for Halloween costumes. This one is a 0-3 months size and so tiny!

Here it is on my baby person. Isn't it just cute?! She already has a costume or I'd seriously consider this one.

Right after I started working on the baby crab I got another order for one in a 1-4 years size. I just love this hat.

Here it is on my little man. What a fun costume idea!

I just adore these kind of interruptions to my to do list and seriously hope to receive more in the coming weeks. I did finish up two more things on my list and hopefully I'll do one or two more before Friday.

High Street Baby Quilt

My cute sister is having another baby, this makes five just like me. I always make my nieces and nephews a quilt and I was excited for this one. I've become much better over the years and I had the perfect fabric in mind. My sister gave me free reign on the fabric and design and I had so much fun! This is what I ended up with...

The fabric is High Street by Lily Ashbury for Moda. The pattern is the original quilt-along from Happy Quilting. I quilted in the ditch around the white pieces and bisected the squares going horizontal and vertical.

It is 51" square so an odd size for normal size fabric in the backing. I've never really pieced a backing before so I thought I'd try it. I've done a stripe of something else but I don't know if that really counts.  I had an extra inner square so I plopped that in the corner with a little fabric for cushion room and then used some yardage to finish off the strip then the other one was just the width of fabric. It saved so much fabric doing it this way instead of how I'd usually do it with two full strips and cutting off the excess to be used as stash.

I machine zigzagged the binding, my favorite method of late, in lime green to match the binding. I also added one of my tags. I bought these way back in 2004 and I only have one left! Now I need to go find some new ones, maybe something a little more gender neutral.

One last picture just for fun.

This is quilt number fifty two. You can see the rest of them here. This is also my first blogged finish for my Q4 finish-a-long!! One down not more than 28 to go.

Q4 Finish A Long - Goals

I've been feeling super overwhelmed and overextended lately so when I happened upon the Finish A Long I was so excited. I could create a list and see what I really have going and finish something, hopefully a lot of somethings. I warn you the list is long- very, very, long. I used to pride myself on being an monogamous quilter. I'd buy the fabric for one quilt, finish it, then buy more fabric. Sadly that is no so any more. I current have 29 projects (yes you read that right) in some stage of completion, some I'm counting a few things together as one project.I'm linking up with WiP Wednesday.

Here's my goal list in no particular order...

#1 - This one is a fairly recent top finish -early to mid-September. It is waiting on some batting so I can baste, quilt, and bind.

#2 - This one is all basted and ready to be quilted and bound. I also finished this in September.

#3 - This was done way back in March. I even started quilting it but my thread kept breaking so I had to go buy new thread and haven't picked it back up.

#4 - My hubby's great grandmother made the blocks in the center of this quilt. They are made from clothes and backed with potato sacks. I'm not entirely sure of when she did this but it was at least 50 years ago. I inherited them and bought this cute pink to make it up to a twin size quilt. It is basted and ready to be quilted and bound.

#5 - This is a charity quilt I started some years ago. They asked to have it tied, which I'm not a fan of. I got a few rows into tying it and got word that they already had enough baby sized ones. Thus, it when into a bag and I haven't touched it since. I'm thinking about cutting off the few rows of ties and just quilting it then binding it.

#6 - I'm going to make these into two pillows but they'll be so quick I'm counting them as one finish. I was part of the Mario quilt-a-long but had so much frustration I stopped after these two. My boys have requested that they be made into little pillows for their beds.

#7 - I started and finished this quilt top about 15 years ago and since then it has just sat. It is HUGE! Like king sized huge. It was the second quilt I ever made and I'm pretty impressed with it but I don't know if I really knew what I was getting myself into. It needs to be basted, quilted, and bound.

#8 - Once again I'm counting these two as one thing. They will be crocheted crowns (like this one) for my oldest children for dress-up. They should be pretty fast but I just have to actually sit down and do more than a few rows each.

#9 - I usually have all the projects for my babies finished before they are even born but I got behind with baby number five. This is her crochet blanket I started about 7 months ago and it has about 18 rows left to go.

I emailed Leann and asked if I could count projects that I have cut but not started and those that I have all the fabric for but that's as far as I got. She said yes to all of the above. These will be turned into five different Jelly Roll Jam quilts and are numbers 10 through 14.

#15 and #16 - These little baby quilts need to be basted, quilted, and bound. It sounds like a lot but they should be pretty fast because they're not that big.

#17 - This will be the Happy Weekender quilt from the Moda bakeshop. I can't wait to see how this one turns out!

#18 - This will be the Line Dance quilt from the Moda Bakeshop.

#19 - These adorable firefighter fabrics are destined to be an equilateral triangle quilt for my little man.

#20 - This is going to be a "Charming Lucy" baby quilt.

#21 - This fabric is going to become at least two but hopefully more like three pairs of pajama bottoms.

#22 - These are going to be bean bags. My son for one of his Cub Scout requirements has to make some bean bags and then play some bean bag games with the family. It is going to be fun sewing these with him. I'm hoping to get at least four.

#23 - I have nearly all the T-Shirts I need for a quilt for my friend's sister. I also have the backing and binding I just need to do more than cut the shirts.

#24 - This one is getting really close to being done. It's a book quilt for my SIL and I just have to applique the black letters onto the white strips then sew the top together, baste, quilt, and bind.

#25 - This is going to be a zigzag baby quilt. I'm excited for this one!

#26 and #27 - These will be made into the Line Dance quilt found on the Moda Bakeshop.

#28 and #29 These are going to be the Pinwheel Baby quilt from the Moda Bakeshop. The pattern for this one is so adorable complete with tiny prairie points.

PHEW! No wonder I can't decide what to work on. I just need to stick to one at a time for a while and check things off my list. I can't wait to see how much I get done between now and January 1st!!

Three Fabulous Finishes!

I've been a busy bee this week! I finished two baby/lap quilts and an adorable crochet crown. Oh, how I love that crown! They are all for my Etsy shop.

Look at this adorable baby in a crown!! You can have one too because I listed it in my shop! Well, the crown, not the baby. ;) The pattern is not my own and can be found here.

I also made this cute baby quilt. I love the little serving suggestion thing in the bottom corner like you find on a cereal box. I crack myself up.

This Berenstain Bears fabric is just so much fun!

I even got some for the back and bound it in red.

I do machine zigzag binding on my quilts. I think it looks cool, it's fast, and super sturdy.

Here's a non-closeup of that last quilt. It is also listed in my shop.

The back of this one is so fun too! The quilt is 41" square.

I'm linking up with Finish it up Friday. I'm so happy to have finished something this week! I hope to have more to post next time too!