My first three baskets for June's Block Lotto.
Ariane's fabric for her June Sew Modern Bee block has arrived. Hunky Dory. I love just looking at all of the possibilities.
My first Christmas test block is done too. It's Bonnie Hunter's 'Spinner' that was featured in Quiltmaker magazine, March/April 2010. Already I'm not positive it's the block I will use, but at least I'll have one more Christmas block to add to my sampler!
My daughter's Butterfly Sunshine just needs the hanging sleeve sewn down and a label added.
With Joy,
Sarah Vee
Keeping my table clean! I'm working quicker and with fewer distractions.
Last week's string block.
Remember these?
A little pile of fabrics hanging out in my sewing space. The top piece is leftover from the backing for the Bunny Lady quilt. The orange and yellow print are from my sister.
This quilt is a stunner. It's by the Piece O' Cake ladies and featured in the monthly quilt calendar I have hanging in my kitchen. I love the solids and how bright it is with those red zigzags.
It inspired the purchase of enough solid red yardage to make it. Well, maybe not IT exactly! I've made very few quilts exactly from a pattern. But the red is now part of my collection. I also stocked up on some more rotary blades (a package of 5 at a really good price) and bought my daughter a plastic embroidery hoop. I have a couple of older wooden ones around, but figured she would like one that's hers. This was all purchased from one of my favourite online Canadian shops - Sew Sisters.
We have snow today and freezing rain. The buses went to school so hopefully I will have a productive quilting day and a few finishes to show tomorrow.
With Joy,
Sarah Vee
My March string blocks. Apparently I didn't take a picture of last week's block on it's own; it's the bottom right one.
The teapot block parts drawn onto fusible. This will be my fourth block from Pat Sloan's Madhatter Tea Party challenge. April is looking like a block catch up month for me - baskets, tea party and maybe some new ones too. 
This is a quilt I can't wait to finish. I started cutting many months ago- Halloween 1904 by Blackbird Designs. It's my reward quilt as I now have several quilts to finish. This is the PUSH I need to pin, quilt, bind and label 5 quilts that I can think of off the top of my head. (It sure is crowded up there!)
What "pushes' you to get things done?
If it's chocolate - you're in for a good weekend!
With Joy,
Sarah Vee
My Birthday Baskets Quilt is done! If you click on the photo to make it larger you can see the 'zigzag' quilting I did on the panels.
I made it to fit above this bench in our entryway. It's my own design, inspired by many antique quilts. The basket block is from the Quilter's Cache. All the fabrics were from my stash - with many from my husband's Granny.
Now to paint the walls! And add a label to my quilt.
Happy Birthday to me!
~
With Joy,
Sarah Vee
I got the borders on my Charming Tiles quilt top. I'm finding I need a bigger vertical space to take pictures of my quilts - my quilts are growing! This one measures 49 x 60 inches.
My newest library find. It is for painters, but she discusses at great length seeing colour as VALUE. This is a lesson I can translate to choosing fabrics for my quilts. The cool bookmark my daughter bought for me at her school book fair this week (after I oohed and awed over the one she bought for herself first:))
My Procrastination Photo of (last) year! I made this table runner for last Valentine's and STILL have to quilt it. I didn't even sew shut the little gap from turning it right side out. I am really working on getting over the final hurdle of quilting a top. It's something I've always slowed down at. I could count all the quilt tops looking at me to get DONE already - I think I have enough fingers to count them all!
This one I would love to finish for this year. For this weekend!!
Can I do it? Yes. Will I do it? We'll see.
Is there a step in the quilt MAKING process that slows you down?
~
With Joy,
Sarah Vee
I finished appliquing the basket handle. I found the back basting technique made it really easy - no pins, and the fabric easily turns right on the marked placement line. I will be using this method again - soon!
Pat Sloan will be hosting a stash sew-in Feb. 5-7. You can read about it here. I am still on the fence, - haven't hoarded chocolate or stocked the freezer, but I HAVE pulled out a couple combinations of fabric for the stash chopping block.
First up: this Amy Butler print I love and haven't done anything with yet. I also have alot of browns waiting to be used.
Here's another fabric from Amy Butler's CHARM line - and some yellows. I have more yellows, but they have prints on them.
I've been working on my final stockings for the Season of Grace BOM with Pat Sloan and Emilie Richards. (The final one is on the ironing board). The dots are fussy cut onto each stocking. I'll put them together next week.
I've also been pulling strips for this week's string block. Still need to sew them to the foundation.
TEMPTATION NUMBER ONE: Nanette's spool quilt! So tempting, my sister even emailed me about it last night. Hmmmmm
I'm managing to keep my sewing area relatively tidy. The pile on the right hand side of the table never seems to leave. It's magazines with patterns I'm looking at making, my idea journal, and notes on what I'm working on now. I just try to keep it from becoming a "Put it here so I know where it is" pile. (Like that drawer in the kitchen:))
TEMPTATION NUMBER TWO: Megan posted about her guild's BOM - Baskets! Hmmmmmm
TEMPTATION NUMBER THREE: Pat Sloan announced her new BOM that starts in February. Hmmmmm
My furry assistant checking on pin placement. This is the third and final panel of my Birthday Baskets quilt. I finished quilting the middle one this week. I found that it didn't take me as long to quilt as anticipated - hence the procrastination on getting to this one! I really want this quilt done for my Birthday so I'm keeping at it - a great deadline for a quilt project:)
Have you been tempted?
With Joy,
Sarah Vee
Christmas charm squares and a fat quarter that Generous Quilter Sandi sent me. She had a great giveaway last year and I was one of the lucky, persistent, winners:)
The strips are folded once in these photos - so they're twice as long as what you see.
They range in size from 1 to 3 inches wide.
I think there is a floral string project in my near future!
I missed cutting one foundation and didn't realize until I was DONE all the rest of the blocks.I put so many numbers in the title of my post so you wouldn't count how many things I didn't get done yet this week:)
I have started to quilt the first panel of my Birthday Baskets quilt. I have made a quilting plan and think it will look good. The quilting is the part I always put off. I prefer traditional quilting motifs and geometric designs - I just don't feel like I can pull them off. Something to work on this year!
I have been making steady progress on getting this one done. I want to finish this one so I can start something new - by Monday! I designed it before Christmas and slowed myself down by deciding to hand blanket stitch around the trees. I've quilted the rest of the top and made the binding and sleeve. I"m following the suggestions in Jaybird Quilts binding tutorial. The new to me part in the tutorial is the way she joins the binding at the end.
FYI - Here are links to the two other places I've found useful binding instructions:
Heather Bailey's pdf which is linked from the Irish Quilting magazine
Ami Simms method for binding small quilts as part of the Alzheimer donation quilts information
I used to be an envelope or pillow method finisher of wallhangings - putting the quilt top and backing right sides together and flipping it to have a finished edge. I still use this method for tabletoppers and some wallhangings, but find that I can now successfully bind. Which is good because I'm working on some bedsize quilts and you really can't use the flip method on them!!
My last picture today is of my FIRST request for a birthday party gift this year. The party is Saturday so we picked something quick to make. Fabrics have been picked out for a Friendship bag which will then hold some other goodies. The bag on top of the fabrics is the one I'm almost done making for me. It just needs the little turning gap in the lining sewn shut. Are we seeing a theme here?
Enjoy your first week of finishes for TwentyTen.
With Joy,
Sarah Vee
Once the hustle and bustle of Christmas travelling slowed down, I was able to finish the last six blocks for my Lady of the Lake quilt. I am so happy to be moving onto the next stage of this quilt in 2010!
I received a literal STACK of fabrics for Christmas! Most bought just for me, some from my sister's stash. This coming weekend Pat Sloan is doing a Share A Long for cleaning up and quilting related New Year's resolutions. On my list is to get this pile into circulation:)
Last, but not least, I am the official carrier of Green Bag Lady Bag #7783! I won this one in the Sew Mama Sew giveaway day. It came with the fabric to make another bag to giveaway. These bags are quick and easy and really useful. I'm going to link the tutorial in my sidebar - next year!
Wishing you Peace and JOY as we enter 2010.
With Joy,
Sarah Vee
I received my Secret Elf package this week. The exchange was organized through Pat Sloan's Quilt Mashup forum. I received three fat quarters of brights, Quilter's chocolate wedges, a peace drawstring bag with lavender in it, and some candy canes. A perfect little quilter treat!
I completed the blocks I needed to get done for this week. My sister and I are collaborating on a special one for next year. This is a third of my blocks done. I can't wait to keep working on it now that so much progress has been made.
I made three more Green Bag Lady bags. Two at the original size and a smaller 10 inch square one using the rest of the material I had. This is silk like fabric - I think I bought it a few years ago to make something for my daughter. That never happened - but now I have some bonus Christmas gifts!
I hope you enjoy the Christmas weekend. May you find time for all that you enjoy with the people you love.
With Joy,
Sarah Vee
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