Happy New Year 2020

Happy New Year! I am enjoying my holiday break right now and looking ahead to quilting projects for this coming year. Of course as a quilter I have looking back to do too - several UFOs and unquilted tops are part of my plan to complete this year. Maybe you too?

I made this bowtie table topper for my QUILTsocial posts over the Christmas week. And I made napkin rings and made buttonholes for the first time! It was a lot of fun. You can find the tutorials for both projects over at QUILTsocial. Start here.

Quilters can make buttonholes too

Bowtie runner post 1

Bowtie runner post 2

Bowtie runner post 3

I'm also participating in my New Year's tradition of sewing with my online group of friends. We have an online luau and all quilt and chat for several days. It's a time when we all make an effort to be online at the same time in our group and catch up, sew and enjoy a few good laughs and photos too!

I'm working on putting the sashing and borders on my Winter Fun quilt. I added a few more blocks and am doing a different setting. I started webbing it together last night and hope to have a finish some time today, even with parade watching thrown in.

Plus I decided to make a mini quilt for my sewing room of my word for the year. This year I chose BELIEVE. I'm using Pat Sloan's free alphabet letters (you can find them on her free pattern page) and cut out my backing last night. I hope to get this finished today or tomorrow too. Not finishing is something I want to work on this year. 

Of course, sometimes I'm just trying something out and don't plan to make it into something and this is something I need to keep doing - playing is definitely part of my 2020 plans!

If you need another way to  play with your stash this year, Jen from Patterns by Jen has started this year's Monthly Color Challenge. Click to go visit this post to see this month's color and to visit the bloggers participating this month. I'll share my block next week.

January 2020 Monthly Color Challenge

If you're still reading, Happy New Year again! I know it's not all happy all the time. I'm glad you're here. You are enough. 


With Joy,

Sarah V.

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New Year's Quilt in Process

It's that time of year again - time to get a final finish for the old year OR to get your first finish of the new year :)

This is my quilt I'm aiming to finish. It's the 12 blocks from the Threads of Memory block of the month by Barbara Brackman at her Civil War Quilts blog.

I made a setting that added blocks to make it a big quilt.
It will finish around 60 x 84 inches.

Block 12 was released this past Sunday.

Rochester Star for Amy Post and Harriet Jacobs

After this block was made I could then cut up the rest of my Christmas fabric stash to make those 6 middle blocks. As you can see from my calculations, I needed 72 31/2 inch blocks to finish off those middle blocks! I was surprised - and definitely short of fabric!

While my mission was accomplished, I still needed fabric to finish those blocks. I went back into my shelves of fabric and pulled the big pieces of fabric that I had removed from the bin.

I cut the big pieces into 3 1/2 by 12 1/2 inch strips. BUT even here I was short by 2 strips!!

Oh the challenges of working from stash! I really do like this part :)

My solution?

I pulled out the fabrics I had saved for different quilts to see if there was any I could 'borrow' for this quilt.

 I finally have a plan for this one now!
 The rest of it will be made up of my orphan Christmas blocks. I needed to decide how I was going to get this giant stocking onto the quilt.
 Applique, of course!
 And these blues and reds - it finally clicked and I am itching to make this quilt now.

{Long story short - I was able to cut off a strip from each of these reds to use in my current quilt. Yay!}

I didn't take a picture of where I'm at with the quilt at this moment. I decided to piece the top into two halves - one of 3 rows, one of 4 rows.

I've got the 3 rows pieced together - it's on the very bottom of the piles in the photo above. I'm building my backing out of {mostly!} my daughter's stash. That's not really stealing right? She collected fabrics when she was younger and would visit quilt stores with me. I don't think she'll mind when she gets to snuggle under the finished quilt.

It will be 2 pieced backs. I plan to quilt the two parts then join them together. I found a green fabric to use as binding {do I need to admit where?!}

Will I get it done in the next few days? Maybe.
When it is finished it will be full of memories of my year at teachers college, shopping with my daughter over the years, watching my son grow up in the room beside me while I'm quilting, and my supportive husband who went out today to buy the batting that will complete the layers of this quilt.

Wishing you Joy,

Sarah Vee

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Time to BEGIN a Finish

It's almost here! 2013. Hard to believe it's been a whole year since I started focusing on the word PLAY. I think I was pretty successful, but it's a hard thing to measure. Do you pick a word to focus on for the year? Can you guess mine for 2013?

Before 2013 arrives it's time to party at Pat Sloan's New Year's Eve Luau. You can join us over at her forum. My New Year's quilting tradition is to pick one quilt that I want finished before next year. My Happiness Key wallhanging is the lucky winner this year. I am close to done - just need to finish quilting it!

Can you see the pies?

I quilted in 10 pies yesterday. I trace the template on freezer paper then iron it onto the quilt. Using a smaller stitch length I added the pies, using different colour thread. This photo shows one pie quilted onto the sail and another still waiting to be quilted.

Do you quilt yourself into the New Year?

Sarah Vee

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Make New Plans, But Keep the Old!

Read all about the Times Square New Year's Eve ball here.
Pretty 'quilty' looking, eh!

Photo Credit: Countdown Entertainment, LLC

from the Times Square Alliance website

As we get closer to a new year, I always get over excited making plans for my quilt projects.
I'm hoping to get many more designs out next year as compared to this one.
But I like to make other people's quilts too.

And that pile of tops that need quilting and UFOs hasn't gone away either!


Here's one challenge that I am joining in next year.

Monochromatic Challenge

You can click here to read Judy's introductory post and get your list of colours she has selected.

Judy is also having a UFO Challenge next year - a sneaky fun way to get your UFOs done!
I'm not joining in as the UFOs I plan to work on already have deadlines - in my mind:)
We'll see how I do!




Of course, I'm also planning to participate in the Block Lotto again. Love the challenge each month of trying a new block. There's no pressure to participate and you don't have to make 9 blocks each month (but usually that's the maximum if you get carried away!)

I've also mentioned the Sketchbook Challenge.

There will be a new Sew Along with the Old Red Barn Company starting in January. You can watch the flickr pool to find out about that.


Pat Sloan has something new planned with Emilie Richards to start in March.



And Pat's having a party to sew in the New Year! Read her blog today for more info.


Next year will be a different year for me as my son will be off to school. This means mom will probably be getting a full time job outside of the home.

Lots of planning going on - we'll see how much quilting gets done!
Do you have quilting plans for 2011?


With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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