finish it up Friday, 11/30/12

Welcome to finish it up Friday! I'm so thankful that you all join me in this business of finishing each week. It's good to have the accountability!

Today I have a few small finishes...but they are big on the cuteness factor. At least I think so!

I started this thread catcher last February or March at a craft Saturday with some friends. All it needed was a pincushion. That should definitely take months...right?

 I added a cute little pincushion....just this morning. FINALLY! (I'm so glad I did!)

I used leftover batting (cut into little squares) to fill the pin cushion....and I filled it to the brim! It's nice and solid and not lumpy. I usually use crushed walnut shells (can't find them) or poly fiber fill (which I have plenty) but I wanted to see if I could use up some of this batting that I just can't seem to throw away. I'm happy to say I like the results so far. (I love using it all! And I love red polka dots, too....in case you haven't noticed. :) )

I also quilted and bound a few quilt blocks and turned them into pot holders. Hurray for machine binding! I'm so glad that I decided to NOT make this into a big quilt. It would have been cute, but I'd rather not have one more project hanging over my head at this point.

The last finish I have to share today is a mini up, up and away quilt that I made for a sample at my local quilt shop. The pattern is found in Sunday Morning Quilts.  I've always thought it would be neat to sew samples for a quilt shop. Now I'm actually doing it and using my own patterns. Never dreamed that would happen, but it's pretty neat!

And here's the back. (I might like it more than the front....why does that happen?)

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week! Happy Friday to you!

finish it up Friday, 11/30/12

1.	katie z.	49.	Megan @ Tales of Ineptitude
2.	Chase {1/4"mark}	50.	Elena - Cosiendo sueños
3.	Lina@Smultronbopieceful	51.	Our Busy Little Bunch
4.	Geta	52.	Brenda@scrapsandstrings
5.	Ready, Set, Sew by Kelly	53.	Tracey D
6.	Caryn @ With Arms Open Wide	54.	tutorial newborn stocking cap
7.	Heather	55.	Karina @ The Naked Spool
8.	Rachel @ Snippets of Sweetness	56.	Fleece and Flannel Baby Blanket Sets
9.	Beth @ plum and june	57.	Rene' Creates
10.	Michelle's Romantic Tangle	58.	Holiday Lane Pillow
11.	Steffi @ just Quilts	59.	Plus Plus
12.	Jo's Country Junction	60.	Becky at Solar Threads
13.	Lynn - The Little Red Hen	61.	Cheryl in Iowa
14.	beth@lovelaughquilt	62.	Happy Cottage Quilter
15.	Amanda @ Everyday Fray	63.	Dina @ The Land of Crafts
16.	Jen @ A Quilting Jewel	64.	Meredith @ piecinginthenook
17.	Lucy @ Charm About You	65.	Row Quilt
18.	AMH feathers @ Making Life Prettier	66.	Alex @ teaginny designs
19.	Jen's Advent Calendar	67.	Tessa @ The Sewing Chick
20.	Gunilla	68.	Casey @ Casey York Designs
21.	Amanda @ Don't Tell Quilts	69.	Maja
22.	Heather @ Crafting...	70.	Andrea R
23.	Nat @ Made in Home	71.	Neutral Prism Quilt, Sewn by Leila
24.	Alycia Quilts	72.	Jennie
25.	pp ornaments	73.	Sue in WA
26.	marion@myquiltdiet	74.	Elena Boen
27.	Katie-bug quilt	75.	cathy@blueberrypatch
28.	Shore Thing quilt	76.	Mammafairy
29.	Brenna	77.	Emily @ Greens & Jeans
30.	Elaine @ Dashasel Sews	78.	Alyce @ Blossom Heart Quilts
31.	Mitten Wall Hanging - The Life of Riley	79.	Aunt Marti @ 52 Quilts
32.	Amanda @ Scissors&Thread	80.	Whirligig Quilt @QuiltsintheQueue
33.	My Solo Cup	81.	Karen @capitolaquilter
34.	Heidi @ Fabric Mutt	82.	Jezibels
35.	Cupcake Rag Quilt	83.	Colorfully Distracted
36.	The Winter Quilt by Angel Scraps Quilts	84.	Dresden Quilter
37.	Christmas tree skirt @ Sewfrench	85.	Jean @ QuiltAwhile
38.	syglad	86.	rachel@fourwisemonkeys
39.	Carin @ Shaped by Stitches	87.	Jenniffier's Sometimes Creative Life
40.	Kris @DukeSaysSewWhat	88.	Debbie @ A Quilter's Table
41.	Zoology Baby Quilt	89.	Cathy Tomm Quilts
42.	Elephants	90.	Japanese teapot by Val
43.	Charlie Brown Christmas@KayakQuilting	91.	Finish Stitching & Guerrilla knitting NZ
44.	Puppy Dog Rag Quilt	92.	Selvage Sewing Machine Cover
45.	Stars and Jeans	93.	Linda H.
46.	Little Island Quilting	94.	Janice@ better off thread
47.	Linda	95.	Chris - Over The Moon ARts
48.	Natalie@Craftinmechanic	96.	SuperMomNoCape - Crocheted Shawl

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staples

I've been thinking....

...having plenty of batting and white Kona in my sewing room is much like having a well stocked flour and sugar supply in the kitchen. I love having a well stocked pantry. A well stocked sewing room could possibly be even better. :)

cyber monday sale and a question

I'm having a sale in my shop today, since it's cyber Monday and all. I'm offering the diamond pillow pattern and the lazy summer days pattern for 50% off--one day only. Both patterns are pdf files and will be sent to your email within 24 hours. (At least I will do my very best to do so!)

I also put signed copies of the book on sale for $19.95. (Shipping is additional.) This sale will be good for two weeks. It would make a great Christmas gift for you or someone else!

Now, for the question portion of this post. I've got my drano quilt basted. But how on earth should I quilt it? I'm totally stumped. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Here's a peek at the back. (LOVE!!!)

One last little tidbit for today....this is a conversation that happened in our house last night.

my 9 year old: "why do we have to go to school tomorrow?"

my husband: "because it's open."

(such a great answer, don't you think?)

Happy Monday to you!

finish it up Friday, 11/23/12

Welcome to finish it up Friday! Sorry I'm posting so late today. My life is nuts.

I have a few home finishes to share. They are exciting, but on such a different level than sewing finishes. That being said, I'll take ANY finish at this point.

Yesterday my husband and I replaced the brick work on our front step. Just in the nick of time. I was putting in the final bits of mortar right as the weather turned cold and windy. A mere hour or two before it started raining/snowing. I'm so glad that project is done!

(I took this photo before the mortar even had a chance to dry.) Masonry work isn't my favorite. :P And I'm wondering when I am going to figure out that I should hire out some of this work? I am a slow learner.

Then, after all that fun, we laid a new bathroom floor. Too much work in one day! Today my husband and I are hobbling around like we are 80 years old. Those are two significant projects that were finished in ONE DAY. Man, am I thankful.

I was trying to get my drano quilt back pieced and ready to go for today, but it didn't quite work out. I've got a plan...all I need is an hour to sew it together. Oh, that sounds blissful.

How about you? Have you had time to finish anything this week? Hopefully you've had time to sew. If so, please link up! Happy Friday to you!

finish it up Friday, 11/23/12

1.	Wivi	37.	Applique Flowers
2.	Marmalade Quilt	38.	Zig Zag Mad
3.	Marion @ My Quilt Diet	39.	Little Island Quilting
4.	Hand Print Pillows	40.	Marian Griffin - Lady Face
5.	Rainbow Pillow Shams	41.	Butterflies in winterland - tubakk
6.	String Circles Quilt Top	42.	Carla
7.	Katie Z.	43.	Chase {1/4"mark}
8.	Val	44.	Jean Burke
9.	Megan @ Tales of Ineptitude	45.	Alycia Quilts
10.	Jennifer @ The Days Dewings	46.	Kathleen@CrabbitQuilter
11.	Michelle's Romantic Tangle	47.	Jennifer @ Glinda Quilts
12.	Debbie	48.	Caryn @ With Arms Open Wide
13.	Kathy@KayakQuilting	49.	Gemini Jen NZ
14.	Lucy @ Charm About You	50.	cathy@blueberrypatch
15.	Kerstin@sunset sewing	51.	Rachel @ Snippets of Sweetness
16.	syglad	52.	selinaquilts
17.	Gunilla	53.	QuiltnMama
18.	Cathy Tomm Quilts	54.	Amanda @ Fabric Engineer
19.	Wildflower Pincushions	55.	Tracey D
20.	Upcycled to Regency Jacket - Karen NZ	56.	Jenniffier's Sometimes Creative life
21.	Pingwin Rag Quilt with tutorial	57.	Lisa F.
22.	upcycling PJ to boys hourglass quilt	58.	Elena Boen
23.	Mom's Quilt	59.	Julie @ That's Sew Julie
24.	Minky for Julia	60.	Karen K. at Fireball Quilts
25.	Aunt Marti @ 52 Quilts	61.	Jennie @ Porch Swing Quilts
26.	svetlana@sotakhandmade	62.	Quilter Kathy
27.	Geta Grama	63.	Karen @ Small Town Quilter
28.	Heather @ Crafting...	64.	Kathy @ CarpeLanam
29.	Lynn - The Little Red Hen	65.	Becky @ itssewimmaterial
30.	Shanna @ Red Poppy Quilts	66.	Ready, Set, Sew by Kelly
31.	Zig Zag	67.	sewmuchwithme
32.	Sonia @ Hobble Creek Quilts	68.	deborah@LittleMsSew-Unsew
33.	Freddie	69.	Quilt Monster in my Closet
34.	Maja	70.	Polka dots and Buterflies
35.	Ginny@fishcreekstudio	71.	Traveling Stash @ Sewfrench
36.	Sarah C.

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making memories

Nothing says "Thanksgiving" like a home improvement project or two, don't you think?

Today we are replacing a bathroom floor.

(Good grief! Why couldn't we do this for us?)

We are also taking out the crumbling brick on our front step and replacing it.

With all the work ahead of us, I decided to go all out and make prime rib. 

This is what memories are made of! :)

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

choose joy

This move (or impending move, I should say) has been extremely difficult. There have been many tears, lots of stress, and  more exhaustion than I thought possible. Let's not forget sleepless nights. I'm a bit ashamed to admit this part, but it all has been accompanied by lots of moping around on my part. So, when the idea for this pillow popped into my head (in the middle of the night, as most great ideas do), I knew I couldn't let this one go by. I pieced the low volume slab the very next day. I finished up the details and made it into a pillow a few days after that. I finished it within a week of inspiration. That never happens! I absolutely love how it turned out! I am not saying that it has been a magic wand on my attitude or anything, but it's a tiny step in the right direction.

---

Thanks for all your thoughtful comments in the previous post about fabric usage. I appreciate those of you who took the time to weigh in and join in the discussion. If you are a fabric hoarder (like me!) there are a few comments that might encourage you to use your pretties...and that's a very good thing!

it's all just....

Thanks so much for all you who commented on my take a guess post. It was so fun to read your responses!

Here's the answer.....

(Right???)

I made this because I desperately need the reminder to quit hoarding fabric. I've got lines that I haven't really used yet....like Pips! How old is that line now? I've got Ruby and the new Flea Market Fancy that I'm holding on to. Also, layer cakes of Reunion, Marmalade, Sew Stitchy...Posy. Let's not forget Chicopee! SO, what am I waiting for? (Other than time to sew! HA!) Hopefully this reminder helps!! Because I want to use my fabric while I still love it! You know?

Are you like me and hoard fabric? What line is hardest for you to cut into? Or do you have no issues cutting into the good stuff right away? If the latter is the case, can you share you secrets? Please?

Happy Monday to you!

finish it up Friday, 11/16/12

Welcome to finish it up Friday! I actually finished a quilt this week. Hoo-ray! :)

This is my hello sunshine quilt. You can read more about the fabrics and templates used in this post. I will note that the template I used is not quite an equilateral triangle...but since I'm only using the one shape it wasn't a big deal.

To quilt it I did a free motion swirl in silver thread. (I love the 70 weight from Connecting Threads.)

I bound it in this fabulous lime green fabric. This print is equally great in all the colors they offer...sun, magenta, teal and sprout. I love them all!

I chose to machine bind this one. I LOVE the speed of finishing a quilt in this manner. I also love the line of top stitching on the binding. My husband must be skeptical about this approach because he always asks me if I like it. It makes me chuckle. And it makes me thankful that he takes an interest in my work. He's such a sweetie!

I pieced leftovers for the back. It's so fun for me to work out a pieced back. I love the pop of lime on the top.

The laundry line fabric print is one of my favorites in this collection! It makes me smile.

It measures about 45" x 60".

It's been quite awhile since I finished a quilt and I have to say it feels pretty darn good.

I hope you have had a good week finishing as well. Please link up your finishes and then go and cheer on a few others. Happy Friday!

finish it up Friday, 11/16/12

1.	5 for QOV sent	40.	Twirl Rag Quilt
2.	Cupcakes with cherries on top	41.	Elena - Cosiendo Sueños
3.	Kat @ And Ladybug Hugs	42.	Twirl Brick Baby Quilt
4.	Dreaming in Patchwork	43.	Beth @ plum and june
5.	Lynn - The Little Red Hen	44.	Mary
6.	Rachel @ The Life of Riley	45.	Caryl W
7.	Megan @ Scraps for Omi	46.	Michelle's Romantic Tangle
8.	Cathy Tomm Quilts	47.	Harleigh@Cutie and Co. Chevron Quilt
9.	tubakk	48.	Rachel@liketosew
10.	svetlana@sotakhandmade	49.	syglad
11.	Heidi @ Fabric Mutt	50.	Andy @ a bright corner
12.	QuiltnMama	51.	Trish
13.	Gunilla	52.	Mickey Mouse hot pad
14.	Butterfly Baby Doll Quilt	53.	Jennifer @ Glinda Quilts
15.	Drawstring lunch tote	54.	Sally Evans
16.	cathy@blueberry patch	55.	cottage garden birthday quilt
17.	marion @ my quilt diet	56.	Maja
18.	Gone Selvage Crazy	57.	Melissa @ Melia Mae Quilting
19.	Chase {1/4"mark}	58.	Becky at Solar Threads
20.	Katie Z.	59.	Jennie @ Porch Swing Quilts
21.	Selvage Pincushion	60.	The Quilt Barn
22.	Tracey D	61.	Kathy@KayakQuilting
23.	Taryn @ Pixels to Patchwork	62.	JibberishDesigns
24.	Cristina @ The Quilted Mitten	63.	Nicole @ Mama Love Quilts
25.	Beth @ lovelaughquilt	64.	Clair
26.	Baby Doll Quilts	65.	Amy @ Sew Incredibly Crazy
27.	A View of Deer Valley	66.	Megan @ Tales of Ineptitude
28.	Amie @Fabric Warrior	67.	Jeni B Quilts
29.	Sarah C. for Kathy	68.	Becky B.
30.	Birds and Bugs	69.	Elnora
31.	Kate @katiemaequilts	70.	Kat @ Kat and Cat Quilts
32.	QUILT FINISH! @ owen's olivia	71.	Beth @hello quilty lady
33.	Diane Swett	72.	alidiza
34.	two.hippos	73.	Scraps-and-Quilts
35.	The quilt called Joseph - Amy in UK	74.	Lina@Smultronbopieceful
36.	Karina @ The Naked Spool	75.	rachel@fourwisemonkeys
37.	deborah@LittleMsSew-Unsew	76.	Inès @ Thready Bear
38.	Jean Belle	77.	Sewfrench
39.	Alycia Quilts	78.	Baby Quilt Tops @ Lena-Hardy

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really random thursday

good news...I haven't forgotten how to quilt. what a relief!

(oh how i miss quilting several hours a day!!!!)

other snapshots from my week....

i joined instagram and i'm loving it. i'm @crazymomquilts over there. (if only blogging were that quick and easy!)

my son had his first choir concert this week. i could have bawled like a baby through the whole thing. he's growing up fast. (he is in no man's land for clothing sizes. especially dress clothes. fun. times.)

i bought a stack of chicopee. not sure what to do with it yet, but i'm determined to cut into it before it gets "old".

i've been deep cleaning everything in sight. it's exhausting but amazing how good things look when they are clean. who knew? i feel the compulsion to clean even when i'm out and about....like at the post office or the store. i need to remind myself to tone it down when i leave the house. (true story.)

my daughter LOVES running our Keurig. don't worry, she only drinks hot chocolate. so far. we predict that she is going to grow up to be a barista. :) those little hands are so precious.

we got our carpets cleaned by zerorez yesterday. they do amazing work! i never would have thought that our carpet could look that good. yippee! if you need your carpets cleaned, i'd highly recommend them.

i had a friend come over the other night to help me start staging my house. (it's much like playing dress up...but with your house.) we used things that i had on hand and it was FUN! i can't wait to finish up that project. (and kicking myself for not doing this much sooner!)

linking up with Cindy's really random thursday.

hope you have a great day!

take a guess

I started this fun little project this weekend.

It's ALL just________.

how do you think I'm going to complete this sentence? (if you were at retreat this weekend, please don't spill the beans quite yet!)
how would YOU finish this sentence?

Incidentally, it's really, really fun to free piece letters.

finish it up Friday, 11/9/12

Welcome to finish it up Friday! Today I'm blogging from beautiful Colorado. :) It's quilt retreat weekend. Hurray! :) :) :)

I have a few finishes to share. It's been quiet here on the blog but life has been anything but quiet. Oh. Mylanta. In the midst of everything I managed to finish up yet another rag rug, which was a gift to my fabulous and lovely friend Tara. (there is a tutorial here, should you want to make one yourself...and I think you should. ;) )

I also finished painting the trim in my basement this week. (a big fat hurray for that!!!) I started putting my sewing space back together. I even got to sew there for a bit before I left. And it was good.

This is what the trim looked before. (I'm l-o-v-i-n-g the white trim upgrade.) 

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes and cheer each other on as we share our finishes! (Please remember to link to a specific post when you link up.) 

Happy Friday to you!

finish it up Friday, 11/9/12

 

 

1.	Heather @ Crafting...	36.	cathy@blueberrypatch
2.	Carin @ Shaped by Stitches	37.	QuiltnMama
3.	svetlana@sotakhandmade	38.	natalie@craftinmechanic
4.	Text Fabric Project	39.	Lina@Smultronbopieceful
5.	Michelle's Romantic Tangle	40.	Emily @ Greens & Jeans
6.	Deborah@Simply Miss Luella	41.	Sarah C. & friends
7.	Jo's Country Junction	42.	pinwheel quilt
8.	Megan @ Scraps for Omi	43.	Valerie@Evening in the Garden
9.	Recycled Coasters	44.	Kris @ Duke Says Sew What
10.	Simply Color Pow Wow Quilt	45.	katie z.
11.	syglad	46.	Krista @ Krista Stitched
12.	Beth @ plum and june	47.	Quilt Barn
13.	my quilt diet	48.	Kelli@Small Town Stitcher
14.	Kathy@KayakQuilting	49.	Sherri at A Quilting Life
15.	Amanda@Don't Tell Quilts	50.	Mary on Lake Pulaski
16.	Maja	51.	Kathy Gordonu
17.	Rebecca@LetsBeOriginal------	52.	Lisa F.
18.	Jennie @ Porch Swing Quilts	53.	alex @ teaginny designs
19.	Springtime Quilt	54.	Lisa @ hilltophouse
20.	QuiltedTeapotCozies @ OurBusyLittleBunch	55.	Karina
21.	Prison Suits?	56.	Karen H - Smalltown Quilter
22.	Cathy Tomm Quilts	57.	Seville by St at Joyfulst
23.	Skeleton Quilt	58.	Tracey D
24.	Back to the beginning	59.	two.hippos
25.	Jamie	60.	Peace and Love
26.	Cathy in Ontario	61.	Quilting Ginger
27.	Dots and Owls	62.	Diane E Swett
28.	Lynn - The Little Red Hen	63.	Pam in Richmond
29.	Diaper Bag by cj	64.	diane Swett
30.	Jen @ leaandlars	65.	Lucy @ Charm About You
31.	littleandlots FMQ spinning stars pillow	66.	Gemini Jen NZ
32.	Cheryl in Iowa	67.	Kathleen@CrabbitQuilter
33.	Becky at Solar Threads	68.	beth @ lovelaughquilt
34.	Happy Cupcakes	69.	Quilting in the cold
35.	Sewfrench

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

finish it up Friday, 11/2/12

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

Somehow I managed to finish up a few thread catchers amid my uber crazy week. (I'm not quite sure how, but I'm glad I did.) They will be going to my retreat attendees next week. I love making these! Because I know someone will ask, I am planning on writing up a pattern for these at some point....after life settles down just a bit. (I can't wait.)

This has nothing to do with finish it up Friday, but today is my 6 year blog anniversary. SIX! I can hardly believe it. I've been thinking about it a lot and got mixed feelings about it. I did some reading back in my archives this week. Do you ever do that? Doesn't it feel kind of weird? I've got lots of  thoughts on this subject, but I'll save the rest of my introspection for another day.

Do you have a finish it share? If you do, please link up. Thanks for joining me for finish it up Friday!

finish it up Friday, 11/2/12

1.	Amy the Canadian	37.	shawn
2.	sewmuchwithme	38.	Needle little balance
3.	Michelle's Romantic Tangle	39.	DIY chevron Ottoman-Let's Be Original
4.	Megan @ Scraps for Omi	40.	Karen
5.	Carin @ Shaped by Stitches	41.	Karolina
6.	my quilt diet	42.	Craft Fair Sewing!
7.	rainbow fishes	43.	Flowers All Around
8.	Jo's Country Junction	44.	finished tova & knit cowl@ littleandlots
9.	Jean in MN	45.	Katie Z.
10.	Quilt Barn	46.	Maja
11.	3 Musketeers	47.	Half-Square Triangles @ Lilyquilt
12.	Cindy@Live a Colorful Life	48.	Selvage Christmas Tree Mug Rug
13.	Cheerful Homemaker	49.	Needle Books @ SuperMomNoCape
14.	beth@lovelaughquilt	50.	Becky @ itssewimmaterial
15.	Tracey D	51.	Boys quilt - upcycled - Karen NZ
16.	Geta Grama	52.	Pokeytown Kim
17.	Dina	53.	Pam in Richmond
18.	Down the Dyeing Path	54.	Chase {1/4"mark}
19.	Wintery Quilted Table Runner	55.	Rebecca @ Sew Festive Handmade
20.	Snowmen Wall Hanging Quilt	56.	Harleigh @ Cutie and Co. ~ Spa Bag
21.	Alyce @ Blossom Heart Quilts	57.	Cheryl in Iowa
22.	SBMQG Charity Quilt	58.	Marian Griffin - Lady Face
23.	Caryl W	59.	QuiltnMama
24.	Lina@Smultronbopieceful	60.	Chris
25.	Cathy Tomm Quilts	61.	Katy @ Change is My Only Constant
26.	syglad	62.	Barbara
27.	Beth @ plum and june	63.	cathy@blueberry patch
28.	Rachel - Queen Annes Lace Mini Quilt	64.	Kathleen@CrabbitQuilter
29.	Jennie @ Porch Swing Quilts	65.	Kelly
30.	Amelia Minky Quilt	66.	Karen @ Small Town Quilter
31.	Bee 2 Quilt	67.	gale
32.	Sarah C. & Krista!	68.	Duke says sew what
33.	CJ's Zig Zag Delight	69.	Jennifer @ Glinda Quilts
34.	Craftinmechanic	70.	Diane E Swett
35.	Brenda's little finishes	71.	Amy @ Butterfly Angels Quilting
36.	Beth in PA

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)