Bathroom Redo

It's long overdue. We are getting ready to paint the hall bathroom. 

Pictures say it all!

I really loved this old vintage design wallpaper when I put it up years ago. Time for fresh paint. I have the color all picked out. More later----back to scraping off glue. I would rather be quilting!

What's on the Design Wall

 I'm really trying to work on my unfinished projects. This is one of them.  It is so old, and has been packed away in a container on the UFO shelf, I can't even remember when I started it. I was tempted to just give it away to our local craft recycle thrift shop, but I have so much time invested in the machine embroidery and 30's print fabrics, I reconsidered.

All the machine embroideries depict the months of the year, starting with January in the upper left corner, and ending with December in the lower right corner.

What it needs for a "finished UFO" is a border, and of course the final quilting and binding.  It's been on the design wall for weeks now. (not as long as it was stored away though!)--- I really need to be more motivated and get it done!

I'm sort of stuck with the mitered corner. I don't miter good at all! So, I'm avoiding it. The borders you see missing in the photo are finished, I just don't have them up on the design wall.

I have the idea here, now to execute it----sigh.

Here are some close ups of the embroidery….I would post a link to the designs, but I can't remember where they came from.  This will make a cute quilt for a little girl. There was probably a little girl in mind when I started this, who is now all grown up!

Elephants

Sometimes you just need a nudge to get blogging again.  Mary over at "Making Scrap Quilts from Stash" just did that for me.   She posted about considering the purchase of a die cutting machine to make a quilt she had created a pattern for, and also other projects she could use it for. Mary does so many wonderful quilts, I'm sure she would make good use of one.  When I saw her   Elephant quilt,  I   mentioned I had a die cutting machine, but hadn't used it much, so I would love to cut out some elephants on it from her pattern.

 I had not touched my Brother Scan n' Cut 550 since my first project. So, this is my second inspiration to use the machine.  Here is my first. The Little Bird zippered bag. It's a freebie on the Brother Scan n' Cut website. I did it months ago, soon after I bought the machine.

The blue fabric for the bird is the die cut. The satin stitch around the bird and the embroideries were completed on the embroidery machine. This is a all done in the embroidery hoop at the machine, except for the fabric die cutting. Even the zipper is inserted in the hoop.

For the elephants I needed to learn to duplicate, and also reverse Mary's elephant drawing. Having not done this before, I was a bit hesitant. But, as you know,  and I've said here, if I buy something I really want to use it. Not just let it collect dust in the sewing room, or I need to sell it.  I have felt a bit neglectful of the Scan n' Cut machine and a bit guilty that I had bought it, but only used it once.  Mary's cute quilt really inspired me!

This morning bright and early with a firm resolve,  I decided that I would embrace the learning curve and  do or "die" (pun intended) and cut out the elephants for the quilt.  I say "learning curve" but, really if you watch all the dozens of You Tube tutorials for the Scan n' Cut, you can overcome some of the "curve" on your own.  And of course, as always, learning to use a new gadget, you have to use it. Not just once, but often to get the best of it.

I'm so pleased with the Scan n' Cut! Really, I surprised myself! Once I prepped all the fabrics and applied Heat n' Bond Lite to the fabrics, I was ready to roll!

Here are my Elephants! It took me about 30 minutes or less to cut them out with the Scan n' Cut!

I even learned how to reverse them right on the machine screen!

Baby steps, but I'm learning.  What fun!

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all my family and friends----

Project Linus Mystery-Update

So far I have finished Clues 1 thru 5. Working on Clue 6---having so much fun with this Mystery!

Project Linus

Are you doing the new Project Linus Mystery?

It's a lot of Fun-Fun!

Here are my Clues 1, 2, 3 and the Bonus "Shamrock" block!  I promise these are easy blocks to do, and  it's for a good cause!  I hope you join in! Clue #4 comes online tomorrow. You can catch up quickly!

There is also a Facebook Group for the quilt! 

Black Board Bags

Happy New Year! ---almost. We have been sick since before the new year.  Flu bug hit us both.  We are still coughing, but on the mend except for my right knee which has decided to act up---so, I've been sitting in the recliner and finally gave in to seeing the doctor today after trying everything else to make it feel better.  I've never had knee problems, so this is a new experience….not in a good way! My garden awaits. Spring Daffodils 2015…... Really!

Every once in awhile I venture into the sewing room and make one of Anita Goodesign's "Black Board Bags".  My first one was disappointing, but thanks to an online friends instructions, I've lined the last two I stitched out.  So much nicer.  I have never been disappointed in Anita Goodesigns' embroidery projects until this one.  I can't imagine not digitizing for an in the hoop lining. It really is so easy to do and finishes off these cute bag so nicely.

Here are some photos:

I used black pre quilted cotton for these.

I have some black ultra suede I'm also going to try,  and some thick black felt.  Now that I have the lining method figured out, it's going to be even more fun to pick out thread colors and zippers to go with the lining! 

Lined this bag.

These take a while to stitch out.  About an hour and a half, but the embroideries are very so cute!

Christmas Wishes

To Everyone, may your Christmas be Merry, and your New Year blessed with good health & happiness.

Tumbling

Soon after I made this tumbler quilt I purchased another GO cutter….I know, I know, I'm not a fan of the GO cutter, but for certain shapes, like the tumbler, it works very well.  I love how it cuts reference notches, and makes it so easy to sew the tumblers together accurately, and it certainly saves a lot of time.

So, I've made my excuses as to why I have another die cutter.

I can't make any excuses really for not quilting much lately except to say November seemed like a very busy month around here.  Lots of food shopping, cooking, family dinners and laundry---lots of laundry.   I now know how many dish towels I own because I must have used every one of them!

I'm not complaining, I love company, as it can get lonely around here in the woods.

We actually don't live that far off of the main road, but if you are used to paved, straight, two lane roads, then a trip to our house could be a challenge.   Of course, I will take our country road to freeway driving any day!

Freeway? ---or

Country road?

The tumbler quilt all finished except for the binding.  I tried Angela Walters swirls and pebbles…I love her quilting. My quilting---not so much love here! I have a stack of quilt tops under my long arm waiting to be quilted, so it felt really good to get this quilted yesterday afternoon.  The small dotted yellow fabric is going to be the binding. I hope to load another quilt today, and do a bit of quilting every day. My hurdle seems to be backings.  I really dislike seaming backings---and of course I won't buy wide backing fabric as I already have so much fabric I could piece for a quilt backing! ---and sew it goes around here. :o)

Tote Your Selvages

I've been saving the selvage edges of some of my fabrics for awhile, note the overflowing basket on the right of tote bag. I finally decided it was time to attempt making something besides a Mug Rug with them…. Our county has banned the use of  plastic shopping bags. This tote will be put to good use! The pattern is from an older Oct. 2009 McCalls magazine I had kept,  or can also be purchased on Craftsy. Save your Selvages!