honey cowl

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

I'm very excited that I finished knitting a honey cowl this week! (There is a free pattern here if you care to make one of your own.) I used 2 skeins of luscious Madelinetosh yarn that I bought at Home Ec Workshop last summer when we were passing through Iowa City. I usually knit socks on size 2 needles, so knitting a project on size 8 needles was a delight! This is the kind of project I would usually finish in July rather than January. So, hurray for a warm, toasty neck and a timely finish! :)

I'd highly recommend the pattern! I've already cast on another one in a yummy aqua color.

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you for joining me for finish it up Friday!

mini nines

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

This, my friends, is a stack of 340 mini nine patch blocks. That means that I finally have enough blocks for a decent lap size quilt! Oh, happy day! If I could do cartwheels, I would at least 100! :)

I started making these blocks back in July of 2013. Each 9 patch finishes at 1 1/2'', which means those little squares within the 9 patch are 1/2" finished....give or take. (So tiny! So crazy!) Precision piecing is not my thing, so these blocks nearly drove me to the brink of insanity--a few times!

I've learned a lot about myself through the process. One of those things is that I have more stubbornness than good sense. (hahaha!) I also know that these blocks are going to make one fabulous quilt top! So, here's to a little (or a lot) of perseverance!!!

If you care to leave a comment today, I would LOVE to hear about a crazy project that you have taken on....how you are faring with it, or how long it took you to finish. :)

And just to show you that I'm not the only crazy one...a friend of mine told me about a quilt pattern called are you kidding me? Don't you just love the name? It looks like a LONG term project as well. (Yikes!)

Now it's your turn to share your finishes for the week! Thanks for joining me for finish it up Friday!

hourglass pillow

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

It has been awhile since I made a pillow cover...it was high time to remedy that! I actually had a bare pillow that needed covering. (Can you believe it???) So, I can check that off my list. Yippee!

For this pillow cover, I started with several charm squares of Jennifer Sampou's new stash studio yarn dyes and stash studio prints. (Fabric is scheduled to be released this month.) I added in a few solids and textural prints (4 total) from my stash to make the pillow top square. I figured it would be easier to finish it that way. Ha!

It usually takes me 2 years (no joke!) to decide what to make from new fabric, but for some reason the idea of hourglass blocks popped into my head right away. I ran with it, and I'm so glad that I did. I love, love, love the results! I feel like this is an unexpected color combination, but I couldn't love it any more. I think it's fabulous!

I cut the charm squares down to 4.75", which resulted in 3.5" finished blocks. (You can refer to this hourglass block tutorial, if you care to make some of your own.) I finished the pillow cover with an envelope back using this wonderful Echino polka dot fabric that I found at my last trip to SR Harris.

The pillow cover is about 21'' square....and shockingly, it is NOT scrap project. Although it would be a good way to use scraps! You know, if you had any of those laying around....(hahaha!)

I'm so thankful for the fresh coat of pretty snow this morning! I had fun taking photos! :)

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you so much for joining me for finish it up Friday!

winners

I haven't forgotten! The winners of the 3 PDF patterns from last week are: Jen from Stitchified and Granny Maud's Girl. Thanks to everyone who played along!

happy new year!

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great (and safe) time celebrating last night!

2015 was definitely a scrappy year for me! This mosaic features the top nine most popular pictures from my Instagram feed. What can I say? Scraps make me pretty happy. :)

 

Last year was a super busy year for me. Good grief! My family and I went on a "real' vacation to Florida in February, I prepped for and taped my Craftsy class: Colorful Scrap Quilting, I taught several days at the Minnesota Quilt Show, I turned 40 (!!!), my good neighbors fabric line was released, and I started writing another book! I also released several new patterns and made a bunch of quilts. No wonder I'm tired! I'm happy to say, I accomplished ALL of my goals that I posted last year. I guess public accountability really does help!

 

Looking ahead....it's time to catch my breath and regroup!!! My one crafty goal this year is to knit a sweater for myself. That's it! Also, I think that this is the year that I finally decorate my house. It's time to make it look like someone around here actually cares about that type of thing. Hahaha! I'm looking forward to a slower pace this coming year. But, I bet I will still find time to sew up plenty of scraps!

 

Thank you all so much for reading and for all your encouragement this past year. It means so much! xoxoxo

 

Here's to a new year, new finishes and a fresh start!

 

(I plan to resume Finish it up Friday next week.)

diamond pin cushion

The other day I needed a little bit of sanity sewing.
(Or perhaps this could be considered insanity sewing?)
Either way, it was just what I needed!
It was inspired by my diamond pillow pattern.
Finished size is 4 1/2'' square.
It is scrap project #123!

Also, thank you so much for your sweet comments about the quilt for my dad! They are all appreciated! xo

a quilt for my dad

Welcome to the last finish it up linky party of the year! It's a little odd to be hosting finish it up Friday on Monday, but I didn't want to skip it altogether. :)

Making my dad a quilt has been on my to-do list for the past several years. I started the top last Tuesday night (!!!) and I actually finished it in time for Christmas! Crazy. Pants. Making a quilt in three days isn't that big of a deal on a normal week, (hahaha!) but on the week of Christmas, with so many other things going on, it's kind of ridiculous. (My poor husband.)

I enlisted the help of all 3 kids and my husband to make it happen. The kids helped iron, counted out the quilt blocks and did some of the layout. Everyone helped tie at least a few blocks. Most of the fabric came from shirts that my husband wore in the past. He also suggested the addition of the cow fabric. I love that it was a group effort!

When it came time to photograph the quilt, I had a lot of fun finding various spots around my dad's farm. It was so nice to have my sister and my niece volunteer as quilt holders!

The back of the quilt was already pieced. I made the back for an entirely different quilt, but I ended up changing direction on that quilt. I thought about chopping it up and just using the fabric, but then I came to my senses. (Ha!) So, I built the front of the quilt to fit this backing. It worked out pretty well!

Because of the time constraints, machine binding was a must! It's far from perfect....but it will be durable!

I used polyester batting inside the quilt, which is not my usual choice, but I wanted the quilt to be nice and lofty. I used red heart yarn (!!!) to tie it. I wanted the quilt to have an old school/throwback feel. This is the kind of quilt that I slept under growing up. I knew I couldn't make his quilt too fancy or chances of him using it would be slim. That's just the way it is! :)

The quilt measures approximately 60'' x 78''. I'm pretty sure my dad liked it. It is my hope that he actually uses it!

This quilt is scrap project #122!

As I have done for the past 3 weeks, I will be choosing one winner from the commenters and one winner from the links to win their choice of 3 PDF patterns from my pattern store, as a thank you for being a part of the party!

Now it's your turn. Please link up your finishes! This is a great time to show off all your Christmas sewing. :) Thank you for joining me for finish it up Friday on Monday! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Happy Monday to you!

winners

The winners of this week's giveaway of 3 PDF patterns are Claudia and Lucy. Thanks for all your comments and kind words! Happy Monday to you!

rose city roller socks

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

I have a new pair of hand knit socks! I finished these this morning...just minutes ago! I love how they fit! This is the second pair of socks I knit with this particular sock yarn. (You can see the first ones here.) I still can't believe that I was able to squeeze out four socks from 2 balls of yarn! love that I was able to use almost ALL of the remaining yarn I had on hand. It almost feels like I got a free pair. :)

I especially love the contrast toe, which was even more leftover sock yarn. One day I will figure out how to do a contrasting heel as well. But for now, this is great!

I used this pattern as a guide. What a fun knit! This is my 15th pair of hand knit socks to date! I already have pair #16 on the needles. :)

One more little finish for today...I finished my rainy day birdie coaster (#2!) that I started back in September. I love how it turned out! The pattern is in Erin's book Sweet Tweets. The crocheted edge was the challenge, as my crochet skills aren't super strong, but I think it ended up pretty cute! I used the instructions as a guide (noticing a theme?)..and then I kind of made something up that looked good on my coaster. For the edging, I used up more leftover sock yarn (yay!), which worked pretty well! The pattern called for embroidery floss, but I wanted to use what I had on hand. It is scrap project #121!

Next week we will not have a link up party on Friday, since it is Christmas day. I think I will move it to Monday, the 28th instead, so you can share what you made for Christmas or any other finishes you may have between now and then. Does that work? I hope so!

Also, I will be picking 2 winners (one from the comments and one from the links) this week to win a 3 pack of PDF patterns of their choice from my pattern store as a thank you for joining me for finish it up Friday!

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week! I hope all your last minute Christmas prep is going well. Remember to breathe! Have a great weekend! xo

it's not too late!

There is still over a week until Christmas...so if you are a last minute person like me, here are a few gift ideas to make. It's not too late! Hahaha! I met up with a good friend of mine for lunch yesterday, so I made up this little gift package for her.

I used some good neighbors fabric (and a few other prints) to make a pair of Christmas dishtowels and a pot holder. I love how the rounded edges of the pot holder make the simple patchwork more interesting. Simple is good! I used bias binding to finish off the edges, which I hand stitched down while waiting for my son's choir concert on Monday night. (Every minute counts! Ha!)

There is a tutorial for making a simple patchwork dishtowel here, if you care to make some of your own. I love how the set turned out! These are scrap project # 120!

I also made a few decadent sauces. I used this recipe for the salted caramel sauce. (It's soooo good!) It's very salty, so you may want to reduce the amount of salt to start with and adjust to your personal taste. I did add the full amount and only 1 out of 5 in my family thought it was too salty.

 

The hot fudge sauce is a recipe I've had for years. It's easy, and it only takes about 10-15 minutes to make.

 

Hot Fudge Sauce

2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups (12 oz) evaporated milk

2/3 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp. vanilla

 

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 8 minutes, stirring constantly. Cool slightly and pour into a jar. Keep refrigerated for up to two weeks. (It probably won't last that long!) Warm for several seconds in the microwave before using.

 

There you go! If you have any great last minute gift ideas, I'd love to hear them! I can always use a few more.

more PDF pattern winners

The winners of 3 PDF patterns from my shop this week are Julie and Carol. Emails have been sent. Thank you to all of you who joined in! We will do it again next week! :)

Happy Monday to you!

a thread catcher, fabric ribbon and mighty lucky, oh my!

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

This week I did a little gift sewing! I made this combination thread catcher/pincushion for a good friend of mine. I always have a hard time picking fabric for others, so I did what I could to mix her likes with a little bit of mine. I think it turned out alright! :)

The pincushion is made from quilting cotton which was fused with Pellon SF 101, (my all time favorite interfacing) and then I filled it with crushed walnut shells. The magnetic strip is handy for holding metal bobbins and hand sewing needles. It's handy to have one of these next to the sewing machine, or on the arm of the couch when hand sewing binding.

I modeled it after the one I finished about 3 years ago! (There is no pattern, I'm sorry to say, but there is a similar one-see this post for photos-in Krista's book Make it, Take it.) I use mine all the time...it's one of my favorite sewing gadgets. I'm happy to report that my friend liked hers, too! This is scrap project # 119!

As I was wrapping up my friend's gifts, I realized that I didn't have any nice wide ribbon, so....fabric to the rescue! I made my own "ribbon" from the red and white ovals good neighbors print. I love how it kind of looks like peppermints! (This fabric really needs to be a Christmas quilt backing!)

It makes pretty good ribbon, wouldn't you say? I LOVE how it turned out!

 

One more thing to share today...have you heard about the Mighty Lucky Quilting Club? It's like a gym membership, but for quilters! It the first of its kind subscription based program where you will receive a different design challenge/instruction each month from 12 different quilters. (The line up is impressive and I'm a little nervous/excited/thrilled to be a part of it!) You can read all about the details of the club here. I'm looking forward to learning and being challenged in a guided format each month! It sounds like a lot more fun than going to the gym, doesn't it? :)

 

As I mentioned last week, I will be picking 2 winners from each Friday post (one from the comments and one from the links) during the month of December. Each winner will have their choice of any 3 PDF patterns from my pattern store. Just a little thank you for joining me for finish it up Friday!

 

Ok, folks! Now it's time to link up your finishes for the week...if you have anything that isn't secret sewing, that is! :) Thanks, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday!