2019 Finish-A-Long

I've been participating in the Finish-A-Long for many many years now. I stumbled upon it October 2013!! I loved the idea of setting goals each quarter and getting entered in for prizes for each one I finish. Sounds like a win win, right? I was contacted to be a host this year and gladly hopped on board. Now I get to tell everyone else about it and help them be motivated and possibly win prizes! You'll find the various global hosts and schedule below. If you want to see the rules or come back to this at any time I have a separate page you can find here. The linkup for 2018 4th quarter opens January 1st. Then on January 10th we start the linkup for 1st quarter of 2019. I hope you'll join in!

 

 

The 2019 Finish-A-Long Hosts: 

Sandra of Sew of Course - Ireland

Marci of Marci Girl Designs - USA Louisiana

Leanne of She Can Quilt - Canada

Ella of Throw a Wench in the Works - USA Georgia

Karen of Capitola Quilter - USA California

Lynne of Tinking Along - USA Maryland

Izzy of Dizzy Quilts - Canada 

Sarah of Sarah Goer Quilts - USA California

Julie of That's Sew Julie - USA Iowa

Sarah of Cedar Fork Stitches - USA Montana

Sharla of Thistle Thicket Studio - USA Kansas

Nicole of Handwrought Quilts - Canada 

The 2019 Finish-A-Long Schedule:

Q1

10 January (Thu) Proposed Finishes List - Linkup opens

18 January (Fri) Proposed Finishes List - Linkup closes

1 April (Mon) Finishes - Linkup opens

2-6 April - Tutorial Week

9 April (Tue) Finishes - Linkup closes

Q2

10 Apr 2019 (Wed) Proposed Finishes List - Linkup opens

18 Apr 2019 (Thu) Proposed Finishes List - Linkup closes

1 July (Mon) Finishes - Linkup opens

2-6 July - Tutorial Week

9 July (Tue) Finishes - Linkup closes

Q3

10 July (Wed) Proposed Finishes List - Linkup opens

18 July (Thu) Proposed Finishes List - Linkup closes

1 October (Tue) Finishes - Linkup opens

2-6 October - Tutorial Week

9 October (Wed) Finishes - Linkup closes

Q4

10 October (Thu) Proposed Finishes List - Linkup opens

18 October (Fri) Proposed Finishes List - Linkup closes

1 January 2020 (Wed) Finishes - Linkup opens

9 January 2020 (Thu) Finishes - Linkup closes

Ombre Lattice Quilt

It's been a while since I posted on the blog but it feels like it's time to pick it back up again. The baby I had last year is getting bigger and I have more time for sewing and completing things. So, we'll start off with a bang and my latest finish.

This is the Ombre Lattice pattern done in Ombre Confetti fabric. Fabric and pattern are from Vanessa Christenson of V. and Co.

I quilted it on my friend's long arm machine doing a simple meander using Aurifil 50wt thread in gray. I wanted to try something a little more adventurous but was strapped for time and just got it done. Next time!

I bound it in solid black. A first for me but I love it with this pattern. It really makes it pop. The backing is from Spectrum by V. and Co.

Quilt Stats:
Size - 74.5" by 91"
Fabric - Kona white and Kona Black with Ombre Confetti and Spectrum both by V. and Co.
Quilting - Simple meander on a Bernina long arm using Aurifil 50wt thread. 

Scripture Case Finishes

I made a scripture case for my son maybe a year ago when his store-bought one totally disintegrated. It was a horrible mess. I went and looked at the features I love of various ones and created my own. It was sort of tricky but turned out so great! Fast forward and my other kids wanted one for their scriptures too. I finally made it happen this time and put it as a Q3 FAL goal to keep me motivated.

Here are all the scripture bags I made together. The blue is the oldest and the guinea pig of the bunch. The small one on the end is for my tiny girl who didn't want to be left out but doesn't have a whole set. I made all but the blue one in a day start to finish.

Here's the little bag for her pocket-size Book of Mormon. I just measured it and made it slightly bigger and added box pleats. She said I had to use "her" fabric to make it. Her name is Ruby and this line is called Little Ruby.

Here they are opened up. I love this 18" double zips for how easy they make it to get the scriptures in and out. I used a contrasting lining and handles to add some fun to these cases. I let each of the kids pick their own fabrics and I love how it lets their personalities shine. Bonus: these were all 100% stash!!

The zip itself wasn't long enough to go all the way around the bag so I added some fabric stops at the end to help reinforce the bottoms and hide the zip ends.

They are a hit and the kids can't wait to take them to church on Sunday and show their friends.

Thanks for stopping by! That's me for the week. I have a few projects in the works and hope to have another finish to share soon. Until then I'm linking up with TGIFF.

Penguin Pillow Finish

My brother recently reminded me of his love for penguins. Since I'll be staying in his house for several days just before his 35th birthday I decided to whip him up this adorable penguin pillow. This is #2 on my Q3 FAL list.

Here's the first one I finished. It was LOVE! I mean seriously?! Penguins are one of my favorite animals too and this pattern is so adorable! It is Penguin Parade by Sugaridoo.

All finished complete and adorable with the pillow inserted. I super love this one and I had so much fun going through my stash picking out the perfect blacks and low volumes I know my brother will love.

This fat quarter from Cotton + Steel's latest Black and White line made the perfect backing fabric. I also poked on a little tag.

Here it is again without the pillow insert. You can see all the penguins and prints better this way. Each penguin got a different belly, black, and orange print but they all shared the same background so they stood out well. This one is going to be hard to give up but it was relatively painless so I'll just have to make another one for myself.

A closeup of the penguins. I had fun quilting this one with my favorite paisley motif again in Aurifil 50wt. I love how it blends so well but adds such awesome texture that doesn't overwhelm.

Quilt Stats:
Pattern - Penguin Parade by Sugaridoo
Fabric - Mixed designers stash with a lot fabric by Cotton + Steel and Carolyn Friedlander.
Thread - Pieced and quilted Aurifil 50wt
Quilting - paisley on my domestic Juki.
Size - Pillow 17" square
Stash Report - Project is 100% stash!

That's me for the week. Thanks for stopping by! I hope to have another project ready to share next week too. I'm working on a few fun things I'm really excited about. Until then I'm linking up with Finish It Up Friday.

Nativity Mini Quilt Finish

My Mom is turning sixty this year. To celebrate my whole family is getting together for a reunion. We haven't all been together in so long I'm really excited. My Mom collects nativities and has been asking me for a quilt nativity for a while and this seemed like a great time to whip one up for her. I super love this project! This is also my first finish from my Q3 FAL list.

Let me start by saying how this pattern was a bit out of my comfort zone. I adore paper piecing and do it often but have never attempted something so tiny! As it turns out it's not any harder than the bigger pieces. In fact it may be easier because you don't have to worry if your scrap is large enough to cover the area. Side note, I deliberately skipped piece five. It didn't really need it and I only had one good skin color on hand.

See how amazing this is!! I can't stand it I love it so much. The pattern is O Holy Night by Paper Panache. I did this all from stash and am so happy with how my pull turned out.

Here's a bit more of a zoomed in shot. While some of the pieces were small it went together really well. I started this project not knowing if I would finish in time to leave for the reunion as I only had a week. As it turns out this took me three days start to finish. My kids and house got pretty ignored but I think it was worth it.

I really love the quilting on this one. I did my favorite paisley again with Aurifil 50wt as always. I was worried that it might not blend well on the front but it totally blends and pops just like I'd hoped. This is the back and it looks so amazing!

One final shot of the tag, the binding, and a closeup of the quilting. I did my usual zigzag binding and love this tag with room for specifics.

Quilt Stats:
Pattern - O Holy Night by Paper Panache
Fabric - Mixed designers stash with fabric by Cotton + Steel for the back and binding.
Thread - Pieced and quilted Aurifil 50wt
Quilting - Free motion paisley on my domestic Juki.
Size - Wall about 16" by 17"
Stash Report - Project is 100% stash!

That's me for the week. Thanks for stopping by! I have another project ready to share next week too which I'm really excited about. Until then I'm linking up with Finish It Up Friday.

Nora Quilt Finish

Almost a month ago my good friend from college, Lindsey, contacted me and asked me to make a quilt for her littlest munchkin. Nora just turned four months old and is the fourth of her four kids. Lindsey said her baby needed a quilt, something that was made just for her. As a mom of five, and the youngest of five myself, I know how good it feels to have something special for everyone. I was excited to make this quilt for her little Nora.

Lindsey said she wanted it all in teals and purples. After we went back and forth a bit on a pull we settled with these prints all done scrappy.

Here's another angle. I really love the variety of prints in this one! This whole quilt came from my stash. I really didn't think I had that much stash but it amazed me what I came up with. It makes me want to make even more things!

I think I had the most fun with the name. I used double-sided fusible interfacing and then a tight zigzag around the edges. The quilting was fun on this quilt too! I did pebbles on the white strip around the name and then 1/8" from the seams everywhere else all in my favorite Aurifil 50wt thread.

I did my usual zigzag stitch on the binding and a tag from my yardage by Sweetwater for Moda. I am so happy with how this one turned out and so glad my friend Lindsey involved me in creating this quilt for her daughter.

Quilt Stats:
Pattern - Simple patchwork done with 3.5" squares and a strip with name applique.
Fabric - Mixed designers stash with fabric by Kate Spain for Moda for the back and binding.
Thread - Pieced and quilted Aurifil 50wt
Quilting - pebbles in the white strip and 1/8" straight lines on either side of the seams done on my domestic Juki.
Size - Baby 30" by 36"
Stash Report - Project is 100% stash!

That's me for the week. Thanks for stopping by! I have another project ready to share next week too which I'm really excited about. Until then I'm linking up with Finish It Up Friday.

Third Quarter FAL Goals

I finished 9 of 14 goal items last quarter so I'm going for a 14-item list again! I know six of these will get finished and I'm hoping for more but we'll see how it goes. We have a big 3-week vacation coming up on Sunday so that will dip into my productivity but have the awesome bonus of being super fun and totally worth it. Without further ado, the list...

#1 Nativity Mini - I'm making this for my Mom's 60th birthday coming up next month. She collects nativities and helps run the annual exhibit each year in her town. I know she'll love it and I've warned her to stay away from all my accounts as I post so it will be a surprise.

#2 Penguin Mini - My brother has recently told me of his deep love for all things penguin. We're staying with him for several days on our trip and it's also his birthday while we're there. That prompted this last-minute gift addition. I hope to get it done before we leave.

#3 Knit Socks - Driving from Iowa to the Oregon coast takes a long time so I wanted projects that I could do on the go. Thus, I will be learning to knit socks on the drive. I've been knitting for about 18 months now and tried so many challenging things I'm ready for the next one. I'm using the Vanilla Latte sock pattern.

#4 Moebius Knit Scarf - My favorite part about knitting is picking up new skills. I've been knitting for about 18 months and have tried cables, fair isle, and mittens. Moebius knitting seemed like a cool thing and the Arrowhead Moebius Cowl looked so neat I have to give it a go.

#5 Little Ruby Clambake - I adore this fabric line and I wanted to do a pattern that would show it off without being too simple. Thus enter the Clambake pattern by Thimble Blossoms. Perfection!

#6 Scripture Cases - I reverse engineered a scripture case for my oldest boy after his store-bought one literally disintegrated. My other three who read now get a turn since his worked out so well.

#7 Jumbo Crochet Blanket - I've been looking at Jumbo knit and crochet blankets for a while now. I just love them! Enter this clearance yarn from Hobby Lobby and a US 50 crochet hook. This is going to be so fun, and fast!

#8 Norway Quilt - This bunch of awesome is going to become a scrappy Norway quilt with a low volume background. I'm so excited about this and have been planning and collecting for a while.

#9 Alphabet Quilt - I've been loving all the Spell It with Moda alphabet quilts popping up on my feed. I happen to have an extra Horizon jelly roll and I think it will be perfect for this project which, in turn, will be perfect for my little people to play with and practice letters.

#10 Vintage Modern quilt - I have been collecting and sitting on this for a while now and I think I finally decided on a pattern! On a Whim from Thimble blossoms has struck my fancy which is funny because she made the original with Vintage Modern.

#11 Flower Girl Quilt - I knew I had to have a fat quarter bundle of Hello Darling when it came out. Then when I saw the Flower Girl pattern I knew they were perfect for each other! Now, to create!

#12 Plume Quilt - My oldest daughter just transferred over to a queen bed. This calls for a new quilt! I'm using this Meadow Bloom bundle I won in a giveaway. We all pretty excited about this one.

#13 Color Dive - I have been obsessed with the Color Dive pattern since I first saw it. I love so many things about it. Then one night it hit me that I could do the Color Dive with V. and Co. prints and it would be amazing. I have every line Vanessa has ever made and she has such great value and prints that I knew it would be so fun! I'm going all out and making the King Size version. It will cost an arm and a leg to get it quilted but so so worth it!

#14 Woven Quilt - This quilt has been all cut out and ready to go for years. I kid you not - YEARS! It is my second oldest wip and I want it finished. I hope it makes it this quarter but honestly I'm really not in love with it so who knows. It's not meant for me though so I really need to just do it.

That's my wishlist. I know the first six will happen and beyond that it's what I'm in the mood for at the moment. I'm excited about it and am loving all the other things I'm seeing at the linkup here.