'Tis the Season.....

..... to be getting ready for the Season ..... and, yes, I mean that Season - Christmas!

Needle, Thread, Happiness is hosting a Christmas Quiltalong that I believe is just what the doctor ordered to get me moving on my Christmas UFO's.

I've seen so many blogs, websites, and even shops in my area that are doing "Christmas in July" to get us kick-started on our Christmas planning.  But what about after July?  My problem is that I may start a Christmas project in July, but come December, it's still not done!!!  Anybody with me here?  Yep, I know you are!  I have been reading your posts, remember? *wink!*

Every year as I'm decorating for Christmas, I think of all the Christmas quilt projects I have in process and bemoan the fact that they are not DONE and decorating my house.  And there are so many others that I would love to make, but I dare not start another until some of the UFO's are done!

So this year, I have decided to put a plan in action to get at least a couple of these wonderful Christmasy projects out of the sewing room and into my family rooms.  You've heard the old saying, "How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time!"  Well, that's how I'm going to handle this dilemma.  I'll assign a Christmas UFO to each of the remaining months in 2013 and do my best to get that UFO completed in that month.  If I just devote some time to a Christmas project one day a week, I should at least be able to put a dent in that UFO list, right?  I'll link up with the Christmas QAL on the second weekend of each month.

Here's my Top 5 Christmas UFO's list -

1.     Midnight Runner
This is all ready to quilt and add a little embellishment

2.    Jovial
Participated in a swap with friends - all the pieces cut and ready to sew up!

3.    "A Yenter Christmas" Tree Skirt
This one is still just a pattern and fabric in a box!  It needs a lot of work yet!
Go HERE to see my post about this and see the pattern picture.

4.     "The First Tree of Life" Mystery Sampler
All sandwiched and ready to quilt - has been for over a year now!!!

5.     Sandwich and quilt Dancing Trees
Go HERE to see my post about how much FUN making Twister quilts can be!!!

This month, I'm working on Midnight Runner.  I really need to brush up on my FMQ before I start quilting Moonglow, so this is the perfect project for me to practice with :*)  I'm planning to use some shiny, sparkly threads to give it that special Christmas BLING!!!

I know just the place for it to hang in my Living Room over the archway, and I'm excited that I may actually get to enjoy it there this coming Christmas!  This project was a kit that was gifted to me by a very dear friend, so it will really mean a lot to me to have it done =^..^=

Visit HERE to see the wonderful Christmas projects in the Christmas QAL....

There's even a fun Challenge for those of you who love that kind of thing....

HO! HO! HO!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

End of Month Reports - August 2013

Since I regularly do several posts at the end of the month to update progress or participate in challenges, I thought it would be good idea to try doing one post that covers them all.... I'm hoping that will help me stay organized and save some time.... time that I can use sewing!!!  I think you will all enjoy this post more than you might think, since it will be picture heavy - lots of eye candy on months when I get a lot done, right?

2013 NewFO Challenge project(s) - linking up with Cat Patches

Shop Hop Market Bag - see post HERE

Covered Project Box - see post HERE

Personalized Marker Rollups for Back-to-School gifts - see post HERE

Love my new Selvedge Box!!! - see post HERE

Wow!!!

Yes I was BUSY in August!!!!

2013 Rainbow Scrap Challenge - REDS - linking up with SoScrappy

Fantasia - click HERE to see more Fantasia blocks :*)

Lone Starburst - click HERE to see more blocks like this one

I also did a lot of playing with my red scraps while constructing blocks for Talkin' Turkey, a slow and easy quilt-along project with a couple of friends.

Made 30 nine-patches for the block centers....  Next up - 456 flying geese - YIKES!!!

On the Needles - linking up with Patchwork Times
This month I completed my Cloud Illusions shawl - my first ever knitted lace project!!!

Click HERE to read my posts about this shawl

Completed 3 feathers in my Dreambird Shawl KAL with Judy & Denise...

Click HERE to read more about my Dreambird adventures ....

And I got this far on my Noro Bias Lace Scarf, although this project is now officially on hold until I finish Dreambird.

Get It Done - August/September 2013 - linking up with Patchwork Times
I've really let this handy little organizational tool drop by the wayside in all my busyness these past few months, but I'd like to get back into the mode of having a written plan of what I'd like to accomplish each month, and then be able to look back at the end of the month to see how I've done.  Although I haven't taken the time to write up a post in recent months, I have been writing my goals down on my dry-erase board...

Down and dirty organizational method, but it works for me!

August 2013 - my goals were to:

• Wash Stash fabrics! - DONE - Washed 9 loads!
• Prep for Runaway class - DONE - ordered patterns and emailed participants
• Genevieve's Banners - planned but not yet started
• Hexie Blog Hop - DONE!!!
• Begin quilting Moonglow - not done :(
• Quilt Midnight Runner (Santa Sleigh) - DONE!!!
• RSC Challenge blocks - DONE!!!
• Dishcloths for daughter- DONE knitted 3 and mailed them off to her!!!
• Block Cloud Illusions - DONE!!!
• Start Dreambird - DONE!!!

September 2013 Goals:
I will be at Runaway Retreat for 5 days this month which should equate to getting a LOT done!  I'm teaching one of those days, so I will have to plan some time for preparation for that.

• Finish prep-work on all materials for Runaway class
• Continue washing Stash!
• RSC Challenge blocks
• Complete Genevieve's baby quilt
• New Tabletop quilt for Mom (NewFO Challenge project)
• Quilt The First Tree of Life
• Start quilting Moonglow
• Make flying geese for Talkin' Turkey
• Finish Dreambird Shawl
• Plan and prepare Runaway projects that I think I can accomplish in 4 days

How are you planning your September?
I think I'm ready - BRING IT ON!!!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Design Wall Monday - 8/12/2013

True to my word, I got busy this weekend with Midnight Runner, my August Christmas project for the Christmas QAL over at Joanna's Needle, Thread, Happiness.

This is a fusible applique project that I had fused down and sandwiched for quilting some time back - probably more than a year ago.  So all I needed to do was stitch down the pieces, which also served as the backbone of the quilting.

I used a lot of sparkly glitter threads for the stitching and quilting.  You know how sometimes you go to a huge Quilt Show and buy stuff and then never use it?  Yeh, me too!  But the last time I was at Paducah, I picked up several sets of sparkly threads to play with.  They came in SO handy for this project!!!

You may not be able to see it, but this picture shows the iridescent sparkle thread I used for Santa's beard.....if you look very closely, you can see the pink and blue showing up here and there.

I used a really nice green sparkle thread for the reins....

I used gold sparkle for the reindeer and sleigh.  Look at all the threads that had to be pulled to the back, tied and buried in the quilt, just for one deer!  There were a lot of stops and starts, so the threads kept multiplying.....

Then I used a silvery-blue sparkle thread to quilt a swirly design in the background....

There's a star button to put on the top of the tree and a seed bead for Santa's eye, of course.  But this project is now all ready to be trimmed, bound and labeled!  One Christmas project down - yoohoo!!!!

The other project I got a lot done on is Genevieve's baby quilt, Live-Laugh-Love.  My DIL fell in love with the quilt Denise at Count it *All* Joy made for her newest granddaughter...

Denise's baby quilt

I didn't have a pattern for this, except that Denise sent me her pattern for the pennants *thanks!* so I decided the best way to accomplish this quilt would be to make a paper pattern.  I taped together pieces of packing paper to the size of the quilt.....

I downloaded a script font that I liked and then did my best to draw that out on the pattern...

I pinned the background fabric to the pattnern....

..... and then using a light box, transferred the drawings on the pattern to the fabric....

I used a Frixion pen for the drawing process.....

So now this project is ready for me to get busy and get it done!  Stay tuned.....

Check out all the other projects on Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times!
Also linking up with:
Tuesday Linky Party
WIP Wednesday
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Design Wall Happenings!

Last week I told you I'd be AWOL from Blogland because I was going to Runaway Retreat -
      Well, I'm back!!!

And I had a wonderful time!!!  I'll share more about the retreat in a few days, but for now, I'd like to share some of the things I worked on while there.  It's exciting to see projects taking shape.  I have a combination of new and old projects going on .....

New.... Bargello Tree Skirt

Two sections of this hexagon-shaped skirt assembled.

I was TOTALLY excited when I got these two sections sewn together and saw a glimpse of just how amazing this tree skirt is going to be!!!  It is not an easy project, and I was worried that the sections would not line up correctly.  I had to get two complete sections done and trimmed with the oversized triangle template I had prepared before I could tell for sure that it was working - so you can imagine how delighted I was when they lined up perfectly!

When I put it up on the design wall at retreat, everyone said it is too striking to be stuck under a tree and that it needs to be a wall quilt.... hmmmm..... that's definitely a possibility - we'll have to see! :*D

My original intention was to make this in blues and whites to look like a snowflake, but then I went shopping for fabrics and fell in love with this focus print.....

It is a Jason Yenter Wintergraphix print and I just loved the colors!  I added in a wonderful bright blue, a nice spectrum of greens, and some golds......

 But then I ended up taking out the lightest gold and adding in the black instead, and I think it was a good choice.  You can really see the black add some definition in the first picture above.  The light gold was just too mushy and died out when put in the bargello spectrum with the deep colors.

I've had these fabrics for this project for quite some time, but as usual, the project got pushed to the side for more urgent projects.  Then as I shared in THIS POST, I decided that I really want to get some of my Christmas UFO's done so they can decorate my house rather than a UFO box this Christmas.  I joined up with Needle, Thread, Happiness for her 2013 Christmas QAL in order to have some accountability to get them done :*)  This will be my second UFO I've tackled so far.  The August project - Midnight Runner - is complete - quilted, bound, and ready to be proudly displayed this Christmas!  Yoohoo!!!  You can click on the quilt name if you'd like to read more about it's progress :*)

So far so good!

I also began another NEW project while at Runaway - a small quilt for my mom to fit in her tabletopper frame I gave her last year.....

She asked for a Vintage Valentine block to switch out with the Sonshine sunflower table-topper quilt I made for it last year, so I got it all ready for stitching down while at Runaway.  All the button-hole stitching was completed at retreat, so I just need to quilt and bind it, and then add the little hanging sleeve for the frame.

I hope to have this ready to take to her when I visit at Thanksgiving :*D

As for OLD projects on my design wall, I still have to get Genevieve's Banners sandwiched and quilted....another project that needs to be ready to go with me at Thanksgiving!

and I'm hoping to get the appliqued border for Amish Beauties applied and stitched down soon....

And don't forget....
              Today is the first day of the Crazy About Wool blog hop over at Pieced Brain!!!

My day is Thursday so be sure to come back and see what I'm playing with.... here's a sneak peek....

Hmmm..... what could it be?

Here is the Blog Hop schedule for today:

CJ Stitching and Blooms

Negligent Style

Sweet P

Reluctant Quilter

Racie Baby

Patchouli Moon Studio

The Raspberry Rabbits

Hope you have a marvelous week!  Here in Nashville, we are enjoying fall-like weather and it is gloriously cool and crisp - yum!!!  I don't know how long it will last, but I plan to enjoy it while I can.  Mornings will be pleasurably spent on my side porch with a little stitchery =^..^=

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Linking up with ....
Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times
Christmas QAL at Hazel's Quilts
Tuesday Linky Party at Freemotion at the River
WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

Sew Sweet Simplicity BOM - Finishing it up!!!

Sew..... Today is the day all of the QAL hostesses are showing off our finishes for the Sew Sweet Simplicity BOM designed by talented Jacquelynne Steves!  

 

If you signed up to sew along on this fun BOM, you should be receiving your border and finishing instructions today :*)  Are you fired up to finish your quilt???  We are showing off our finishes to help inspire you and encourage you to get your quilts assembled and bordered and finished!  (You'll be glad you did too - stay tuned for a teaser about an exciting contest at the end of this post :*)

Please ignore all the strings on my design wall LOL!!!

I spent hours this past week trying to decide how these blocks wanted to be set into a quilt.  I've only done the four main blocks, and had just about decided to keep it at the four and make a small wall quilt.  Since I have limited wall space, the smaller the better for me.

However, after awhile it became apparent that inspiration had deserted me, so I decided this was an excellent opportunity to link up with Sharon Vrooman's "Let's Book It" linky party and pulled down a few books from my shelf.  (Yes, really, I actually USED one of my books!!!)  This book proved particularly helpful .....

This layout was very appealing to me - simple but effective.   My blocks are bold and bright, so they don't need a lot of fussy details surrounding them.  I wanted something clean and neat and linear.  With a little effort, I was able to envision how this setting would look using my blocks and fabrics ....

..... using only the four blocks, it would look something like this -

Black in the background of course, and using the bright oranges, pinks and golds in the cross bars, with the purples and blues in the cornerstones.  As I've mentioned before, one of the blocks has a black corner piece, while the other three have a bright color in the corners, which poses a problem.

For this layout to work, I would need to change the corner sections on three of the blocks to black to get that nice joining effect.  Not a big deal, but I wanted to be sure of my plans before I tore those blocks apart!

And the more I thought about it, the more I decided I really want to make it bigger and use all the fun kitties left in this panel!

I mean, really now, how could I not include these sweet kitties in the quilt?

Jacquelynne has already planned a new BOM for next summer, so I've decided to put these blocks away and then add to them with the new blocks she designs for the SSS #2.

I have to tell you, I'm SEW happy about that decision!!!  It does mean that I don't have a finish to show you all today, but if you want to see some beautiful finishes, all you have to do is go to Jacquelynne's blog, The Art of Home, HERE - and you will find links to some really wonderful finishes by my fellow QAL hostesses :*)

Of course, DON'T GO AWAY before you leave a comment and get in on the GIVEAWAY !!!  What is Jacquelynne giving away this month?

This really cute e-Book with SEW MANY cute ideas inside!  There are projects, yummy recipes, and loads of fun projects that kids can do!  Don't you just want to hug the stuffed dog and cat???  And I know you may not believe it - I'm having a hard time myself - but Summer is going to get here faster than you think!  This wonderful e-Book has some really great ideas for ways to keep those kiddos happy and creative during their summer vacation :*)

To win, you simply need to leave me a comment letting me know that you would love to have a copy of this sweet e-Book!  No hoops or helicopters or anything scary like that LOL!!!  I love comments, so you'll be making my day :*)  The giveaway will be open until midnight Sunday, March 1, and anyone is eligible to win!

After you've left your comment here to win the e-Book, hop on over to Jacquelynne's blog HERE to enter to win her BIG GRAND PRIZE!!!  Here is what you could win....

Wow!!!  

You know you want that prize package!!!  

Heck, I want that prize package!!!

So many great items!  Just in case you haven't yet tried any of Jaquelynne's cards which feature her own lovely art designs, I have several sets and love them!  I often send them out to brighten someone's day :)  They are the highest quality and you can't beat the beautiful designs.

***************

Now, as if that weren't enough .... Jacquelynne has decided to hold a CONTEST for finished projects!  She'll be giving away TWO prizes - a fabric bundle, and a KIT for the next BOM!!!  She is using some really yummy fabrics in that next BOM, so you want to be sure to get your name in the pot for this contest!  Get those projects finished folks!!!  Remember, this doesn't have to be a quilt - you can use your blocks to make a table runner, or a tote bag ... the possibilities are endless.  You can find the rules on her website tomorrow, so hurry over and find out how you can WIN!!!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=