On last making in 2014.......

I thought with my last post I'd be done posting things made in 2014 but I do have one more thing to share.  On Thanksgiving weekend when our eldest daughter and family were home, she and I stopped in my local quilt shop, Hannah Johnson's Fabric (a great modern fabric store if you are in the Duluth area!) and as we were perusing the shop my daughter spied a child size circle, twirl skirt and mentioned, "I know a little girl who'd love one of those!".  Well that's all it took.  A few minutes later we had the pattern by Love Jill (https://www.etsy.com/listing/127619430/lovejill-reversible-wrap-skirt-pattern?ref=shop_home_active_6) in hand along with fabric so that I could make a skirt for my grand daughter.

It's been awhile since I have sewn clothing.  I had to wrap my mind around the directions and there was more than one time where I thought,  "I do what!?!" or....."That will never work!?!"  I also got to try out for the first time the top stitching foot that came with my Juki.  Oh my word!  How much easier did that foot make top stitching!  The foot has a guide so the stitching is almost perfectly straight and the foot is broader than a normal foot so I think it holds the fabric down better as you are top stitching.  I also swear it had a kind of walking foot motion but that was probably my imagination.

My grand daughter's birthday is the 29th of December, so while everyone is  home for Christmas we will also be celebrating her birthday.  I've decided that this will be a part of her birthday present.  That being said I am sure it will totally be trumped by the Elsa costume I bought her as her 'toy' birthday present.  Lol!

A Little Holiday Cheer

In 2014 I resolved to improve my overall quilting skills.  Nothing does that better than making things and things I did make!  All in all, I completed eleven quilted projects in eleven months. To list them off: one table runner, one sewing machine cover, two baby quilts, three regular sized lap quilts, one over sized lap quilt, one queen sized t shirt quilt, one twin sized quilt and one almost queen sized quilt.  I have to say working on these projects really did improve my quilt making skills.

On Sunday I finished quilting our guild's collaborative quilt that will go to Quiltcon for the Charity quilt display.  No photos to show. You'll have to go to Quiltcon 2014 to see it!  :-)  The quilt measures 65" by 70" and the quilting design was simple (phew!).  To be honest, I was very relieved to have finished my role in our collaborative quilt.  I think I may have hit, 'big project burnout'.

To reward myself for all my hard work (and to have something handmade to give at my workplace Christmas party this Thursday), I set out to make something start to finish in one day. I finished this mug rug in about four hours, start to finish.  The design is from Amanda Jean Nyberg of Crazy Mom Quilts.  She posted the tree blocks on her blog about a week ago and I knew they would be perfect for a mug rug.  The red is Kona Crimson which I bought a few weeks ago from the remnant bin at my local big, box fabric shop.....score!  I have to say it was very satisfying to make something start to finish in one day.  It truly was a reward!

So what's up for 2015?!?  Well, I do have some goals (that's just the way I am)......  First up is to finish up my version of the Missing U quilt from the book Sunday Morning Quilts by Amanda Jean Nyberg and Cheryl Arkinson.  Also, over the course of 2015 I want to expand my repertoire of piecing skills.  I am thinking of making some pillows using the tutorials and patterns I have saved up. Most of them have at least one technique I have procrastinated learning. Time to start broadening what I can do!

The other idea rambling in my head to make two (yes I said two!) low volume quilts.  I've been saving up fabrics for almost the past year and I'd like to make one for my daughter's guest room bed (queen) and one for me (large lap quilt?)!  Then......I started Tula Pink's 100 Modern Quilt Blocks in January and never finished them........and then........

So you get the idea......the quilts/ideas never end!  :-)

I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday season!  May all you do and make bring joy to those you love and to you!