On the cutting table...

The Mail Sack from Pink Chalk Studio.



Little Bear's first day of preschool is coming up!

Happy Kitty Heads

One of my finishes from last month was my 2012 Fall Mystery Quilt from Heather Spence Designs. I call it "Happy Kitty Heads" (inspired by the Laurel Burch print I used).

I quilted the heck out of it using Aurifil Mako 50/2 threads to coordinate with the fabrics: dove (2600), bark (1140), and rusty orange (2240).

And my love affair with Angela Walters continues! Once again, her fabulous book, Free-Motion Quilting with Angela Walters, inspired my background quilting. I used her "Swirled Hook" design through all of the grey areas.

I kind of did my own thing in the orange areas and I think it works pretty well. Then I just did some straight-ish line quilting in the center kitty areas, and feathers in the outer border.

As I have been wont to do lately, I used the leftover fabrics from the front on the back as well as pieces from my stash. I swear, quilt backings are the best stash-buster ever!

Using this Moda marble on the back ended up being a great choice because it really shows off the quilting. Feathers! You can't really see them at all on the front because of the busy print (which was intentional, as I am not-so-confident of my feather quilting skills as of yet)-- but seeing them on the back is a treat since they turned out better than I had hoped.

I used one of the last scraps of the kitty head fabric with my label.

This one is for me!

Back to school!

This morning was Big Bear's first day of First Grade!

He was a bit nervous, but definitely excited!

As he did half-day Kindergarten last year, this is also his first full day and the first time he's eating lunch at school. I decided to make some reusable snack bags to use when packing his lunch.

I started with the "Snack and Sandwich Bags Tutorial" at the SAHM of Etsy blog and then changed it up just a bit by using French seams in stitching up the sides. I just didn't like the naked seams in there. Also, as suggested in the tutorial, I used ripstop nylon as it is a food safe option (I was surprised to learn that laminated cottons and PUL are NOT food safe... good to know!!!). They were super quick and easy to put together and the perfect excuse to use some fun fabrics!

I also decided to try and add a personal touch by including a little note in his lunch bag. I used a printable I purchased through Sweet Pink Designs on Etsy. I printed it, glued it to some cardstock, and then my husband and I both wrote brief messages to Big Bear on the back. I think it will be a nice little surprise for him at lunchtime. :)

Now I need to go buy some more ripstop nylon so I can finish up our snack bag stash!

August accomplishments

It has been a busy month full of fun family adventure (vacations, outings, and activities galore), but not a whole lot of crafting (and even less blogging). However, I did manage to complete my August goals for Carrie P.'s Nothing but UFOs Challenge. It took me until the last day of the month, but I did it. Woo hoo!

1. Baby Bot quilt:
   
   
   
   
   Done!
   
   
2. Mod Mosaic quilt:
   
   
   
   
   Quilting is complete and the binding is now in progress (2 sides to go!). I'm really pleased with this one. Crossing my fingers that it will join the finished pile very soon!
   
   
3. Vogue 1224:
   
   
   
   
   I completed it this morning! Woo! But then I spent the day doing yard work and was too gross to put it on for a picture, so the slightly blurry hanger shot will have to do for now.

Yay for progress! And, as always, many thanks to the fabulous and inspiring Carrie P. for hosting the challenge (and helping me get my bum in gear!).

I plan to do separate write-ups so I can share more details about each of these projects (and more pictures!) very soon. Hmmm... maybe I should try making some blogging-oriented goals for September? I've got some catch-up to do!

Eden Baby Quilt

This little quilt has been in the works since the end of last year. I had intended it as a shower gift, but once I learned about the nursery colors, I changed my plan. As a result, this one got shoved to the side for quite awhile.

It is a Moda Bakeshop offering called "Line Dance Baby Quilt" by Kathy Mack of Pink Chalk Studio. The pattern is straightforward everything goes together very quickly (truly, a perfect last minute baby gift!). I used a charm pack of "Eden" by Lila Tueller and some happy Kona Maize for the background. The backing is also from the "Eden" collection. The binding is Kona Crocus. (I love the bit of purple around the edge!)

The quilting motif over all of the yellow is from the book Free-Motion Quilting with Angela Walters; it is called "Concentric Circles." I can't recommend this book highly enough. I'm telling you, Angela Walters is totally awesome!!! Truly, her book is getting me to try new things, and has made me all excited about improving my quilting! I'm also learning that quilting over solid fabrics is a lot of fun because the quilting really (really!) stands out. I LOVE how it turned out on this quilt. Anyway, I quilted it back in April, and for the life of me, I cannot remember what kind of threads I used. That's what I get for waiting 3 months to stitch the binding down and blog about it. Ha!

As I don't have a plan for this one, there isn't a label. I'm torn between keeping it to give as a baby gift at some point in the future (should the need arise), or donating it. Decisions, decisions.

A happy finish!

UFO Challenge Win!

As if I wasn't a winner enough just for successfully doing the challenge, I also won Carrie P.'s "Nothing But UFOs" July drawing! Yesterday afternoon, I received my prize...

It was wrapped so prettily!

And inside was a wonderful array of treats-- some handmade, some vintage, and lots of happy.

Even the little pouch was full of goodies! (Look at those trims! And that lovely handkerchief!)

And the block is gorgeous... it needs a picture all its own:

I'm kind of thinking it would make a lovely quilted pillow cover. I've not made one before. But Carrie P. has made quite a few-- so it just kind of feels right, you know?

Meanwhile, I am plugging along with my August challenge. I'm binding up the baby quilt, and I've started quilting my Mod Mosaic.

Progress!

Many thanks to Carrie P. and her monthly motivational challenge. It feels good to work on these UFOs and even better to be finishing them!

UFO Challenge - August

Woo!!! I can hardly believe it-- I was the winner in July's Nothing but UFOs Challenge hosted by Carrie P. at A Passion for Applique! What a treat!

Since I seem to be on a bit of a roll still, joining the challenge for August will be a good motivator for me and help keep me on track. (One can always hope!) So here are my three goals for August:

1. Baby Bot quilt:
   
   
   
   
   Baby is due any day now, so I want to get this one DONE! Still to do: binding and label.
   
   
2. Mod Mosaic quilt:
   
   
   
   
   This one is basted. I'd really like to get it quilted. Even better would be finished-- but that might be stretching it a bit considering how much time I have available in August... it is a busy month!
   
   
3. Vogue 1224:
   
   
   
   
   It has been cut out for three months now. I would really like to get this sewn so I can actually wear it at least one time before summer is over.
   
   

Meanwhile, I am still feeling the itch to work on other things... new things... I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to stay UFO-focused. But I'm gonna give it a go!