a pretty pile of pillows

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

This week I worked on un-selfish sewing, which seems to leave a lot of room for self-doubt. :) My goal is to make about 11-14 throw pillow covers for gifts. Nice and easy, right? Ha!

As of last evening, this is what the first 5 throw pillows looked like. There has been a lot of power sewing going on over here this morning! (And a little bit late last night, too.)

I'm very happy to have the first 5 complete! Each pillow has an envelope backing (tutorial here)
and is stuffed with pillow forms that I have made (tutorial here).

First up is a contact print pillow that uses a mini charm pack of Road 15 fabric (by Sweetwater for Moda) plus Kona snow. This is one of my favorite ways to use mini charm packs! I love the simplicity of this design and how it allows the fabric to shine.

The rest of the pillows are all from scraps! I used trimmings from my In the Middle Quilt, which uses the Tri-Recs ruler. (If you want to make half-rectangles, the ruler may be helpful to you!)
I was planning to make a quilt out of the leftovers, but I love that I was able to use the blocks to make pillow covers instead. Each of the half-rectangle blocks finish at 2" x 4".

This is scrap project #133

 #134

 #135 (look at all that purple! And I'm happy to say that I even like this one!)

and this is #136. This might be my favorite, but I'm pleased with each and every one! I hope that they are happy in their new homes.

I do love a stack of happy pillows!!!! And I'm not an over-achiever at all, right? :)

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

the winner and a pattern sale

The winner of the handful of PDF patterns is Go-Go Kim! Thank you all for your comments on procrastination. I loved (!!!) reading through each and every one. I wish I could host a retreat where we could all get together and tackle our procrastination projects together. Wouldn't that be fun? It also made me want to work on ALL of my WIPs at once. Hahaha! What a mess that would be!

Since it's TAX day here in the US, I've decided to do a pattern sale! I've marked all my PDF patterns down in my Craftsy shop...each one is 50% off! The sale price is already shown, so no need for a coupon code. This sale will run for about 24 hours only and is valid only on my patterns in my Craftsy shop (not through my big cartel site). All patterns are PDFs, no hard copies will be sent. Just to clarify. :)

I started sewing things together for my orphan block quilt. So far, so good! Thanks for all the encouragement to jump in. I'm so glad I did!

Happy Monday to you!

maine morning mitts and procrastination

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

This week has been super busy, which hasn't left much time for sewing. I'm trying to go with the flow, but sometimes that is easier than others! Last evening, desperate for a finish, I pulled out my mostly completed fingerless gloves and knit the thumbs. Knitting thumbs isn't my favorite (at all), thus the procrastination.

Even though the weather turned warm this week, (we had our first 70 degree day! hurray!) I'm a Minnesota girl, so I wouldn't be surprised if I still need these a time or two this season. It's just the way it is!

The pattern is called Maine Morning Mitts and it's available for free here. These were a stretch for me....because 1. I had to follow a pattern and 2. I had to make two objects that were close to the same size. They aren't perfect, by any means, but I am reasonably happy with the results. The mitts are so cozy! I'd definitely recommend the pattern and I will be trying them again.

 

I'd like to do a giveaway today! If you would like to win a handful of my PDF patterns, please leave me a comment in this post. In your comment, I'd love to hear about a project that you are procrastinating on and why, if you care to give the reason! It would be fun to hear all about it. :) I'll pick a winner on Monday.

Here's another one of my procrastination projects. I've decided it's time to clean up all the odds and ends around my craft room, so I'm going to make a orphan block quilt. I've been nervous to sew it up because there is no rhyme or reason, so fitting everything together might get a little dicey. I'm excited and nervous all at once. I just hope it doesn't end up looking like a hot mess. Haha! I guess we will see! :)

 

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

mini rail fence quilt

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

I've finished my Mini Rail Fence quilt, which is the 4th in my frugal gal mini quilt series. I'm having so much fun with these! I love working on a smaller scale because it means I can actually execute more of my (crazy) ideas within my lifetime. Ha!

For this mini, I started with strip pieced 2 1/2" squares. They are teeny tiny and squeal-worthy!

I even snuck in a super scrappy string....but don't worry, there is only one in the mix. :) I couldn't resist! To quilt it, I stitched in the ditch because I was afraid that any other kind of quilting would detract from the overall aesthetic.

It would make a super cute placemat, but there is no way I'm risking food spills on this baby. It was way too time consuming for that! The mini measures 12 1/2" x 16 1/2" and it's scrap project #132!

 

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

"all I need is an hour...."

My friend Tara and I often chat about things we want to make (or finish) and I can't tell you how many times we use the phrase: "all I need is an hour..." It's become a running joke. Last Friday, as I was cleaning up my creative chaos corner (hahaha!)...I made a list of projects that I came across that fit the one hour time frame. On Saturday, I sewed. It felt great to cross so many things off the list in one day! It's amazing what a little focus will do.

The first project was simple pillow cases for my kiddos. Each one takes a yard of fabric, and I used French seams, so there are no raw edges inside. They are fairly quick and a great way to use novelty fabric. The penguins were too cute to pass up at the fabric store, but I was happy to have a project in mind when I bought them....because who knows how long they would "cure" in the stash without a plan. My boys love them! My daughter loved her ballerina pillow case as well. Hurray!

Next up was a pair of PJ bottoms for my daughter. I don't sew many clothing items....but PJ's are some of my favorites, simply because they are low pressure. A friend gave me the fabric about a year ago or more, so it was nice to use it up. I had JUST enough to make the shorts...which makes it feel like it was meant to be. I love that!

I made a quick infinity scarf for me. I wish the fabric was a little bit more flow-y, but I think I will still wear it. I LOVE the color! It's a nice weight for spring, so my timing is spot on for once. Noteworthy, for sure! (ha!)

I made catch all tray (video tutorial here) for some scrappy coasters I made a few months back. I love these trays! They are so handy and I could see making them in all sizes...and in all colors!

I cut the pieces 9" square for this version and it worked perfectly with the size of the coasters. My husband is going to take these to work. It will be fun to have some of my good neighbors fabric hanging out in his office. :)

Now, I'm ready to move on to something else that will surely take more than an hour.

I'm curious...what would be on your "one-hour list"?

Happy Tuesday! xo

scrapalicious quilt top

Welcome to finish it up Friday! Thanks for all the wonderful comments on my epic quilt top! I appreciate each and every one!

Once again, I'm thankful for the deadline that each Friday brings. Without that push, this quilt top would not be complete! At least not this soon.

This is my second scrap vortex quilt. (You can see the first one here. If you would like to make one of your own, the links to the scrap vortex QAL are on my quilt along page.) I was thinking about my quilting habits this week...and my compulsion to make multiples of each quilt. I think I could have a scrap vortex quilt going at all times! Seriously, I'm resisting the urge to start a third one. I really don't know why I feel compelled to make multiples of the same quilt, but I'm doing some serious thinking about it. I want to make another pineapple quilt, and yet another (it would be my third!) bright birch trees quilt. I think I need to force myself out of my comfort zone and branch out! Who knows what good things would happen! :)

Last night, as I was working on the last corner of this quilt, my younger son came into my sewing room and said, "wow, that looks easy....all you have to do is sew a bunch of scraps together, right?" I kind of chuckled. I think the answer is: yes and no! I think these types of quilts are easy in some ways. There are no points to match, there really is no rhyme or reason, so in that respect, pretty easy! But, there are a million and one design decisions along the way. That gets tiresome. And, I learned once again, even in all the randomness, editing can not be ignored. I had some severely ugly spots in the quilt, so I chopped things up (which was not easy to do!) and sewed them back together in a different order. That really helped!

There were times when I was so irritated by this quilt that I seriously thought about putting the parts up for adoption. (Isn't that terrible?) If quilting has taught me one thing, it is that perseverance is key. I'm happy I stuck with it and saw it through. I love looking at just one section of the quilt and seeing all the details. Looking at the variety of fabric never gets old!

After I finished the quilt, I sewed a quick stay stitch around the perimeter of the quilt to prevent the patchwork pieces from separating during handling. I know that the quilt top will be secure while I'm taking photos and while I am basting it, etc. It's especially important on a quilt like this that has about ten thousand seams! (Don't worry, that's only a guess. I didn't count the seams. ha!)

The quilt top measures about 68" x 88". It will definitely be counted toward my 101 scrap projects, but not until it's complete. For now, I'm just so happy that the top is done!!!

 

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

 

epic quilt top complete



Thanks to my younger two kiddos, who played together quite nicely on Saturday, my epic quilt top is finished! I think it will work out just fine and dandy on my bed! Now, to figure out what kind of backing to make for this huge quilt....it measures approximately 110" x 99". (!!!!)

The block measurements can be found in this post, and the construction methods can be found in this post, (although I pressed the seams open on this one).

The fabrics are from various Denyse Schmidt lines, including Hope Valley, Chicopee, Ansonia, Shelburne Falls, Hadley, Florence, and a few prints from her lines at JoAnn's.

I haven't said it in awhile, and I can not say it enough. Thank you for stopping by, reading and taking the time to comment on my blog. It means so much!

Happy Monday to you!

ticker tape tiles mini quilt

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

My kids have been home on spring break all week, so sewing time took a back seat....and that's ok! My kids are growing up (so fast!) and I wanted to soak up as much time as I could with them. I'm thankful that it's been a good week. We've had several spring breaks that were a little dicey. Ha!

I still needed a finish for today, so I turned these little ticker tape blocks (that have been a WIP for years) into a mini quilt. Each of the tiny scraps are fused to an Essex linen background with Lite Steam a Seam 2. It was not a quick process! I quilted it heavily, to ensure that the pieces would stay put. My daughter picked out the yellow binding. I was kind of on the fence about it, but now that it's finished, I love how it perks up the piece.

The mini measures 15 1/2" square and it's scrap project #131. This is the 3rd in my series of Frugal Gal Mini quilts. You can see the first one here and the second one here.

It's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thanks for joining me for finish it up Friday! Have a happy and blessed Easter! xo

epic quilt in progress

My epic Denyse Schmidt quilt is coming along nicely! I currently have 49/90 blocks made.

This fabric is kind of magical. Some of the prints, on their own are kind of ugly (sorry to say it!)....but when you put them all together, something magical happens! It's the craziest thing. Those magentas and citron greens really add a lot of zip to the quilt. The darks do, too.

Each of the squares were cut at 12 1/4'', then cut on the diagonal, twice, to make quarter square triangles. I mixed all of the triangles up and started sewing them back together, randomly. I love how this quilt is shaping up! I can't wait to stipple it!

Even though some of this fabric is pretty old, there is still some Hope Valley and Chicopee prints available (at normal prices!) at Cia's Palette. There are plenty of other old goodies there, too! Sorry to be a fabric enabler... :)

tiny things blog hop

Good morning! Today I'm happy to be a stop on the Tiny Things Blog Hop!

I wasn't familiar with Susi's work (tiny toffee designs) before she contacted me and asked me to be a part of her blog hop, but after one glimpse of her work, I certainly wouldn't say no! Her work is amazing. And tiny. And oh-so-good!

I made a version of her mountain pattern. This little paper-pieced mountain range fits on 1'' hexagon! Seriously! I used scraps from my ticker tape scrap drawer (which I shared in my last post) and I even had to trim some of my scraps down. (Ha!) It's good to find a use for those small little pieces!

I turned my hexagon it into a pin cushion, of course! There was a fair amount of squealing when I made this. It was so. much. fun! And, while the pieces are tiny, the construction wasn't tricky, really. Paper piecing made it very manageable. I definitely plan to make more!

The dream big pattern collection includes 7 different paper pieced designs...each one as darling as the next. So, there you go! Another reason to save ALL of the scraps!

Oh, and speaking of that...this is scrap project # 130. It measures just under 3" square!!!

Happy Monday to you!

bunting cards

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

These bunting cards are practical, scrappy, and quick to finish. Three of my favorite characteristics of a project. :) I experimented with a few different shapes of scraps and a few different thread colors. It was fun to play!

I'm way behind on writing out thank you notes, so this project actually fills a need. I love that!

 I also love utilizing my drawer of ticker tape scraps.

There is no danger of running out of scraps any time soon. (I have a full post about my extensive scrap storage methods here....)

These are a few of my favorites from this round! This is scrap project #129.

 

Now, it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you for joining me for finish it up Friday! Have a great weekend! xo

the beginning of an epic quilt

I need (no, really, I do!) a new quilt for my king size bed. The problem is, I have the hardest time picking out patterns/fabrics for bed quilts. It is quite the commitment!

I decided to pull out the good stuff from my stash. I have quite a nice collection of Denyse Schmidt fabric, so it makes sense to use it. Right?

It took me a few weeks to figure out a plan for the fabric, and on Monday, I started cutting. I had to laugh when I saw the year on the selvage. It's only 7 years old. Ha! At least it has aged well!

It took me ALL day to cut out the fabric. Thankfully, Mary was here for a sew day, so I had someone to visit with while I cut. I definitely needed the moral support! 

I cut each square at 12 1/4", then cut each square on the diagonal twice to make quarter square triangles. The blocks should finish at 11''. It's going to look soooo good on my bed!!!

This photo better conveys the scale. I only need 90 blocks, which means I'm already 10% done piecing the blocks. That's pretty exciting!

 

I have another quilt pattern picked out to use up some of the scraps. It's such a fun, vicious cycle!