Friday, January 29, 2016

My Special Snowflake

My first official finish of 2016 and a finish for Q1 of  the 2016 Finish Along.  It's amazing what a little cold weather can do to make a project happen!  I found these Aneela Hoey hexies I prepped on vacation a few years ago and decided it was time to turn them in to something.

After playing around with a few different layouts I decided to arrange them like a snowflake.

Once I had them stitched together I removed the papers and pinned them on some Steel Essex Linen I had in my stash layered with batting and a backing.  From there I just quilted them down around all the edges and then added some extra outline stitching.

If I did it again I'd use a white background, some of the grey hexies get lost against the background.

But there you have it, keeping my Sherbet Pip Zig Zag company in the foyer:-)

Apparently everyone has snowflakes on the brain this week.  Check out this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts to see the adorable snowflake pillow Amanda Jean made this week.  Are you dreaming of snow or is it haunting your nightmares?

Pillow Stats:
Finished pillow is 20" x 20"
Fabrics: Sherbet Pips by Aneela Hoey for Moda, Steel Essex Yarn Dyed Linen
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient Bamboo.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in Grey Green (2847).

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

W.i.P. Wednesday: Quilting ADD

I've been having a hard time getting back into the swing of things this year.  It seems like every time I step into my studio I stare at all the UFOs and then start something new...

still haven't finished up the Boat House pillow covers I worked on last week but with a snowstorm on the way I figured this would be a good time to start quilting my Houndstooth quilt.  I even made a trip to Quilter's Way to stock up on thread...  but then I couldn't decide how to quilt it.  Instead I decided I should make a sample to audition quilting on first.  I found these solids in my stash and got to work piecing together a 1/2 sized version.  Guess what I don't have...  lime green thread.

In the end we didn't actually get much snow but I wasn't about to go out in the cold so I distracted myself playing around with these hexies...  obviously I still had snowflakes on the brain.

And then for good measure when I pulled out my Boat House stash to make binding I realized what I really needed to make was a Preppy the Whale pillow.  

So there's my week: 5 pillows in progress, 0 finished.  How do you stay focused to actually get things done?

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced
Starting all the things at this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

Saturday, January 16, 2016

2016 Finish Along: A New Beginning

The 2016 Finish Along has kicked off and this year it's bigger and better than ever.  I have to admit, I'm not always the best at sticking to my plans but overall last year I did finish 7 of my 14 proposed projects.

My TBQ pile is starting to overflow again and cold snowy days are just meant to be spent in my studio so hopefully I can knock a few of these out...

1.  Sloops  2.  Spellbound  3.  Houndstooth
4.  Here Comes the Sun  5.  Toes In the Sand  6.  Swoon
7.  Keeping It Together  8.  Urban Windows  9.  Frenchie

Of course only focusing on quilting UFOs would get really boring really fast so I've got a few new things planned to add to the mix...

1.  Make something with these Aneela Hoey hexies.  Flashback to 2012 when I spent my vacation with the hexies...  some things never change;-)  I found these when I dug out my paper piecing supplies for my La Passacaglia.  My Sherbet Pip Zig Zag is gracing our couch this month so a little something to match would be lovely.

2.  Make a Sew Together Bag.  I bought this pattern last year and still haven't made one...  would be a great way to pack my smaller notions for retreat:-)

3.  Make a quilt with these Bonnie & Camille charm packs.

It's not too late to join the fun!  Link up your proposed Q1 Finishes and see what everyone else has planned.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

W.i.P. Wednesday: Finding my Sewjo

I finally made it back in to my studio.  It's always an adjustment after the rush of holiday sewing and being away and this year it's taking me a while to find my sewjo.  To kick things off I decided I should finish up these Boat House pillow covers I made with leftovers from my Sloops quilt.

To ease my way back into quilting I used the Bernina wavy stitch (#4) to quilt the Nauti Monogram. It takes some adjustment to get the tension right but once I had it set I could just blissfully stitch away and catch up on a few episodes of Bloodlines and pretend I'm still in the Keys.

For the Cheerios pillow I decided to push my FMQ skills.  Inspired by all the gorgeous ocean shots of home and the suggestions of my peanut gallery I started by doing bubble quilting in the centers of each ring.

In the intersections I really pushed myself with starfish.  They're not great but from a distance they look OK.

Finally for the outer border I used this Twisted Rope tutorial.  I need to work on getting my spacing consistent but I'm happy enough with the results.  I can almost feel those tropical breezes;-)  Have you found your 2016 quilting groove?

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced
Stitching it up with this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

W.i.P. Wednesday: Busy Relaxing

La Pass Vacation Prep
I usually take a bit of a sewing break over Christmas and New Year while we spend time with my family in Florida.  This year I prepped a bunch of La Passacaglia pieces so I could stay busy while I relaxed;-)

La Pass on a Plane
The flight down...

My favorite breakfast, guava pastelitos...

Margarita time...

Waiting for the kid to finish CrossFit...

And ringing in the New Year.

Now that I'm home I am itching to get back in my studio but I've got a few housekeeping issues I need to wrap up this week.  How are you kicking off the new year?

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced
Stitching along with this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)