Baby quilt, vacation crafts and pouches

Last week was a very happy week in our family.  My niece and her husband had the good fortune to adopt a beautiful baby boy.  This joy has been a long time coming and we are so happy for the 3 of them.

I've been waiting along time to quilt this for the newcomer. The alphabet pattern is by Temecula Quilt Company.

This was a great place to use some of the fabric I got on my trip to NJ last week for the backing.  It's all little gears.  

Hope he feels the love coming from this aunt every time he snuggles in it.

This week we went to Disneyworld for 3 days. 1 day it rained and the next day MJ wasn't feeling very well.  This left me with a lot of time on my hands.   Good thing that I always travel with things to do.

In between the reading of 200 pages of a new book I crocheted this hat for Angel Snugs

and stitched up 6 circle blocks for my Quilty 365 project.

Going to Disney meant that the girls had to spend 3 nights at the kennel. They are way more active at the kennel than when they are home so when they get home catching up on sleep is a top priority.

Sleep on the couch is only second best to sleeping on the bed and since I was trying to share that bed while they were sleeping there are no pictures.

We all got home by dinner time yesterday and I really had to make one of those Becca Bags by Lazy Girl that I mentioned in my previous post.  The one where you use only one side of the zipper and the pull.

I only used the pattern for the how to on the zipper.  This pouch is just my dry run using one of my curve class blocks and previous pouch making experience.

Last month I received a whole bunch of crochet hooks and thought this odd shaped pouch would be perfect.

The only problem I had is that I lost my grip while taking pictures to capture the zipper and I had all of those wonderful hooks all over my sewing room floor.

This morning I got up and before breakfast I did stitched up another pouch.

From the pieces below to the pouch above took 17 minutes.   The pouch is about 5 x 5.  As you might notice the outside piece had already been quilted before I decided to time the project. If you used fusible fleece and minimal quilting you might add 3 minutes to the process.  Again I didn't follow any particular pattern for the pouch itself.

Since the zipper is sewn straight along the entire top of the pouch, you only have 1 side seam and the bottom to close.

This is the back. I'm showing it so you can see how my curve wrapped around the bag.

I don't like raw edges that are zig zagged on the inside of my bags if I can help it. The Becca pattern called for that type of seam for the bottom and side.  That would probably have cut down on the time needed to make this bag by a couple of minutes.

Wrapping up.  I love the zipper. I love the speed of the project.  (not sure why I am so obsessed with the time it took to make this)  I need to make up at least 3 maybe 4 more today. I think I will try changing up the pull tabs and the zippers, Maybe a black zipper with a gray pull and vice versa.  Should be a fun couple of hours.

Home again Home again - Jiggity jig

Got back late last night from a 9 day vacation with my sister. We went back to NJ to visit with many friends and family.  One of the reasons we left NJ was the winter cold.  We thought that going back in April was a good idea. HA.  We spent a few minutes is a sale bin at the local Walmart and found these for $2 a pair.

I had a lot of fun visiting with old friends.  We had a lot of show and tell

P made the scrubby for me and gave me the left overs to make another. I saw the green in Micheals and picked it up, you know just in case I couldn't find any in FL.

I caught up with my friend P for breakfast and then a trip to one of our favorite yarn shops.  

I found these 4 skeins on sale and figured they would be happier with me than in the bin.

Ended up back at P's house where I gave her a quick class on making rope coasters. She made 2 on her own before I left.

Left her and went to my nieces to have a late Easter family dinner.  My sister wanted to bring something to do with her grand son so we picked up a parachute cord bracelet making kit. We made this one before we went so she had an idea what she was heading into.  This was the test. Not bad for a couple of beginners. He didn't miss the Pink set.

While we were in Michaels picking up the bracelet kit. I picked up some yarn to make a few hats for Angel Snug while we had down time at the hotel.

Also in my down time I tried to keep up on my Quilty 365 circle blocks.  Gone 9 days, home with 8 finished blocks.

On our way to meet an old friend for lunch I  took sissy to one of my favorite quilt shops, Pennington Quilt Works in Pennington, NJ.    I picked up this group of fat quarters that I have some tentative plans for.

Couldn't pass up on this little pack of 2.5 inch squares

Or this yardage of 4 fabrics from the remnant room

Met another friend for lunch and went to another quilt shop.  Found these fabrics in their remnant room. The gears are Riley Blake from 2013.  Got 5 yards at $4 a yard. CaChing. 

I also picked up two specialty rulers which I forgot to photograph.

In summation we ate well, we visited with 8 family members and 7 old friends.  I had 2 bagels, a pork roll sandwich and fried chicken. None of which can we find in Florida that we like as well. Purchased so much craft stuff that I had to mail a box of it home.

All in all a wonderful trip any way you slice it.

2016 - Finish Along - Q1

I had listed 7 items on my Q1 FAL list.  Several of the items were for multiple pieces. All in all this was a wonderful incentive to get things done,  including the piece I finished last night.  If it wasn't on my list I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have gotten done.

This posting contains 3 of my finishes.

#6 from my list is a finished Helmet Liner, I try to make a few a year for the group Forgotten Soldiers.

The second #3 on my list was to make 2 mini quilts 24 inches square for the group Giving Dolls. This is the second and the piece I completed yesterday.

My Quilty 365 project which I started on January 1 was the othere #3 on my list. By end of day today I needed to have completed 91 blocks.

(I'm sure she is helping me count not hindering my picture taking, HA).

I have 11 rows of 8 plus 4 for a grand total of 92.  This was a very tough goal mentally. Much easier to keep up on than I ever imagined.

I totally missed the 3 items that were #5.  Looking back at my posts for the past 3 months I can't complain that I only missed #5 as I did accomplish a lot of other stuff.  Maybe I'll put it on the list again or maybe not. I have a week to figure that out.

Thanks to all of the coordinators across the globe for taking this awesome project on. It's been wonderfully motivating.

March 11 Update

We have been away for the past week enjoying time with family and friends at Disney World.  The down side to the vacation was the pollen and its adverse effect on my ability to breath. I've been home for about 20 hours and am feeling sooooo much better locked in with the air conditioner running.

I've been keeping a hand written log of what I have worked on in my world of crafting since the beginning of the year.  One side of the book notes what I want to do or have committed to do and the other side shows what I have done each day. Each night I make a note of what I worked on even if I only worked on it for as little as 15 minutes.  I must admit it has been eye opening  and it is keeping me on track for my commitments.

Since my last posting I have been making Mickey and Minnie hats for Angel Snugs. (yes they do get permission from Disney) I turned in the Mickey's before the trip and the Minnie's got dropped off on the way home.  I managed to make 6 of each.  Totally forgot to take pictures of the Minnie's before I turned them in. Blaming the pollen for that oversight. This is a picture of  the Mickey's before the ears were attached.

I made a couple of the Pixie Baskets, the tutorial has been all over the internet.  They were a fun project that I did in an evening.

I've also been keeping up on my Quilty 365 blocks.  Before the trip I was one ahead. Last night I prepped 8 and stitched 4. I think that I am now 3 behind.  I hope to get them done today.  I'm so afraid of getting behind on this project and then dropping it. I've started to put the blocks together in groups of 8 just so I can keep track of them.  They outgrew their space on my wall way to quickly.

I made 2 additional sets of rope coasters and baskets. One set was requested by my cousin and the other was a gift for the friends we met up with at Disney. My friend can't wait to try making them on her own. Always a good response when making things for crafty friends.

I finished quilting and binding the Honor Flight quilt I was working on with my guild. Turned that in before I left for Disney.

My girls like to hang with me when I am sewing so I made them a rather large bed for the sewing room floor from an old Mattress pad and a fleece blanket kit I got on sale and with a coupon from JOANN's.  This photo shows Nets testing the in progress bed. Shes seems pleased.

And then because I have nothing else to do I started a new hand quilting project just for me

These are my dotty clam shells.  I love them.  I had 3 fat quarter bundles of these dots just hanging out in my sewing room.  I saw a clam shell quilt posted somewhere and my brain started to click away at the possibilities.  I had always wanted to "quilt" a quilt with that pattern but had never given any thought to making a quilt with them.  Not having a clue where to begin I started to google. This is where I am on the project.  It is truely a learning experience and I am enjoying it completely.  The info available out there is amazing.

Where did January go?

January certainly flew by.  Looking back I can see I was busy, and actually accomplished way more than I thought. Great thing taking pictures of everything that happens in life ;-}

This is my Quilty 365 project that I started on January 1.  So far so good.

I also managed to finish this baby quilt for my cousins first grand child.

This is #2 on my Q1 FAL

Love the fabric I found for the back.

So very little girly.

The big happening in my life this month is that my little sister moved from NJ to 4 blocks from me here in Florida.

I really missed having her near by this past year.  What I forgot was that she is my biggest quilting fan and that she isn't shy about asking me to make her things. And being the wonderful big sister  that I am, I don't know how to say no.

She told me she was in need of new placemats and some matching rope coasters.

This is her set of reversible mats.  

And a close up of the matching rope coasters.

She asked for them after seeing this set made for a local church. They supply weekly meals to their seniors.  A placemat goes out with the first meal and at Christmas all mats are replaced.

Fronts and backs

Our guild is taking on this project.

I have a personal goal of 2 per month for the year.  

Another local group, Giving Dolls, hand makes dolls for various Childrens Organizations.  When they send their dolls to hospitals they include 24 inch square quilts.  This size works well with wheel chairs.

This is part 1 of # 3 of my Q1 FAL

I had some great monster fabric 

I'm hoping to make at least 1 of these a month for 2016.

I had this great fabric in my stash for the backing.

Come on February, bring it on.