June already!

Well, friends, after a short break I am back and hoping to be able to find the time to post weekly once again.  May was a whirlwind month for me, and last week had an activity each day!  Needless to say, I haven't been doing a whole lot of quilting, although I have done some.  Even if I can get a little done each day, it gets me closer to finishing something.  Right now I am working on a wall hanging made of orphan blocks that I purchased about 3 years ago in my old NJ guild's annual garage sale.  For a mere $4 I got 8 blocks of yellow flowers in a basket on a navy/black background, as well as additional fabric.  What a bargain, or so I thought!  As I was organizing my fabric I came across the blocks and decided to take a closer look.  Well, the blocks were not very square and the seams were rather uneven, so I tried to see if I could press them and with the help of steam and starch, to square them up.  Three of the blocks would have had to be disassembled and then reassembled, so I decided to use the 5 OK blocks as a wall hanging.   It is turning out OK, but even with my best efforts, there are some flaws, but I actually rather like how it is coming out so I am working on the quilting and hope to have it finished soon.  As soon as it is done, I will post a photo.  Guess the moral of the story is to look over orphan blocks really well,  although in this case the extra fabric was worth at least the $4.

I also finished a  summer purse that was donated for the auction.  Had learned the technique using the twister tool and decided to make something out of the trial rather than having a small piece left over. (See photo)

The second installment of the Finally Finished Challenge continues to produce results.  So far 16 FFO's have been reported  and several of those items have been donated for the auction.  Katie finished some summery pillows and Mona finished a lovely quilt.  Please be sure and let me know if you have completed an item, and if you want to share how long ago you started it, that is always fun too!  Everyone involved in the challenge is  making it a success, and that makes me happy!

So as we start June, try to find some time in the summer to work on a project!  It isn't too early to finish something that could be a Christmas gift .....it will be here before you know it.  Be sure to let me know of your completed items...I love getting those e-mails.   Until next week, happy quilting

Where does the time go?

Hello to all of my quilting friends.  Here it is mid-May and I can't believe how quickly the year is passing.  I am still recovering from my trip north, and when I got back, I decided that before I tried to do any additional sewing I had to get reorganized in my sewing room in order to be able to get anything done!  It was an undertaking I can tell you.....I had new fabric (that I needed like another hole in the head) to put away, fabric left from old projects that needed to be cut into strips and pieces and put away, as well as sorting various pieces of batting, threads and embellishments and finding them a home.  It took about 3 days and it got worse before it got better, but finally, I was able to walk  around easily and actually get some sewing done.  It is much easier to create when the space around you has a sense of order.  This isn't to say that I can't create in chaos, believe me, I can, but I don't get distracted as easily in a neater room which I think makes me more productive.  I have made a concerted effort to pick up at the end of every quilting day, I have to keep at it because as I get older I swear I have adult ADD and get disorganized more easily.  But all I can do is to keep trying.

I am quite excited that as the second  section of the Finally Finished Challenge started that at least 14 UFO's have become FFO's.  What a great start to the second phase of the challenge.   I am hoping that all of the participants can keep working towards their goal.  Take a look at the FFO that Carol completed, so nice.   And please, if you have a photo of your FFO, send it to me so I can include it in my posts.

Until next time, Happy Quilting!

Finally Finished Pillow Shams

Hi Quilting Friends,

This will be a short post because I am leaving tomorrow for  my Mom's 91'st birthday celebration, but before I did, I wanted to let you all know that the deadline worked again!  I was able to finish the pillow shams that match the my daughter's wedding quilt...the first of my FFO's.  These shams have been haunting me a bit because I wanted to get them finished by their 3rd wedding anniversary (May 10) and I have to mail them tomorrow before we leave.  Having a deadline works as does making a list! 

Yesterday I made a list of all of the things I needed to get done by today and this blog is about the last thing that I have to do.....it felt really good to cross things out today as I completed them.   I think when I get back, I will go through my UFO list and perhaps make a realistic list of what I can finish before December.  Maybe being able to cross things off the list will be motivating especially if I post the list in my sewing room.

I'd really like to hear from my readers if a list and/or a deadline has worked for you as motivation on your UFO's or if you have other methods that work.  In the meantime, here is a photo of the completed shams.  I will be back next week with a new post.  Until then, enjoy your quilting time.....Vicki