BAM Swap Gift

Wrapped Swap Gift from Sue G.
Wrapped Swap Gift from Sue G.

I was so pleased to receive a really nice swap gift from Sue G!

Not only did she sew some scrap bins/thread holders, but she gave me some of my favorite Art Gallery fabric as well. All of it came wrapped in this bag filled with festive tissue paper.

On the form we had to fill out, Isaid my colors were turquoise and red. Sue knows that I like my red to be more towards the pink than the orange and she did a great job choosing fabric.

All the gifts
All the gifts

The large thread catcher, or soft bin, isn’t huge, but everything else fit inside. In the bin is another bin and four half yards of fabric. I didn’t realize there was another bin inside when I opened it, so was very surprised when I opened it.

Two swap gift bins
Two swap gift bins

The small bin will go very well on my ironing board. Normally, I just pile up threads as I iron fabric until the wad gets to big or falls on the floor. I think the small bin will look much nicer.

Bin on ironing board
Bin on ironing board

I haven’t quite decided how I will use the larger bin. The mini-charms falling out of the 1 hour basket in the fabric closet might fit – or some of them might.

Thanks, Sue!!

La Pass Month 16 Arrives

La Passacaglia month 16 fabric and supplies
La Passacaglia month 16 fabric and supplies

My month 16 BOM packet arrived the other day. I was pleased, because I had just enough time to wash the fabric before Sew Day. My plan, which has been foiled the past couple of months, was to cut and baste at Sew Day.

I was surprised at the large size of the packet that arrived. I was pleased to find that this month has a lot of fabric to use in the 3 (THREE!!!!) rosettes we have to make. They are smaller rosettes, so I am not worried. Still! THREE!!!!

La Passacaglia month 16- more fabric
La Passacaglia month 16- more fabric

As I got ready to wash the fabric, I kept finding more pieces of different designs each time I unfolded another piece.

I plan to rearrange the way the pieces are presented so I don’t know how much of the above fabric I will use.

Sewing Advent Calendar

Wrapped gift from Julie
Wrapped gift from Julie

Friend Julie’s birthday is December 1. Like mine, we bookend Christmas, though our birthdays are both far enough away to, mostly, not get combined gifts. Regardless, I try and make sure her gift arrives so she can open it on December 1 and she can enjoy it before all the other Christmas gifts arrive. I’d like it to arrive the day before, but it’s challenging, because of Thanksgiving.

Sewing Advent Calendar
Sewing Advent Calendar

This year, I was surprised to receive a gift from her that I needed to open on her birthday! It was super fun to keep it on my desk and think about what it could be while I worked. I couldn’t guess, so was surprised and pleased when I opened an Advent calendar with sewing labels inside. These are labels I can use in my bags and on my quilts.

Along with the Wunderlabels, I need to get better about remembering to add them.

Advent Calendar label, day 2
Advent Calendar label, day 2

Unlike the Wunderlabels, these are not personalized. The labels behind the doors I have opened so far have different sewing related sayings on them. Each door seems to have two of the same labels behind it.

It is really fun to open these every day and I am pleased about having something fun to do on the lead up to Christmas.

Knitting Needles Bag in Process

Knitting Needles Case in process
Knitting Needles Case in process

I finally got over the hump of the elastic on my Knitting Needle Case and started to make progress. It has been over a month since I started working on this bag and I thought it would go more quickly.

The problem was that I couldn’t believe I was reading the pattern correctly. The first instruction after cutting is to apply elastic to the right side of the fabric. I couldn’t believe that was right, so I procrastinated, then I DMed the creator and then I found her videos. There are two videos. I skipped through a lot of the first one, though when I found the section I needed it was really helpful.

Lining Up Elastic
Lining Up Elastic

Neither of the videos have talking. The sound is all musical (I turned the sound off), but there are some titles. It doesn’t matter, the visuals are helpful. The part about the elastic also gives a helpful tip for lining up the elastic as holders for needles.

After getting over the elastic hump and learning to add snaps, I was able to make good progress in a few hours. The last step I have is to sew on the binding.

New Pantone Project Blocks

Pantone Project Blocks - November 2022
Pantone Project Blocks – November 2022

I received a nice package of blocks from Friend Julie the other day. It is so interesting to see these blocks. Julie mentioned that it looked like a real project now when she posted about the blocks I sent to her last week.

I can’t really see what they will end up looking like, but I can see that they will end up as something. I can see the possibilities now.

I have received more postcards and need to match them to fabric. I might be over the hump of fabric selection being a big barrier. We’ll see how it goes with the next group.

Random Donation Blocks –> Top

Lee Ann's donation quilt
Lee Ann’s donation quilt

I was super pleased to see a quilt show up made from blocks I had donated. I made a number of these blocks this year, so they didn’t hang around very long, which is nice.

LeeAnn finished this quilt and showed it at last month’s meeting. The corner fabrics she chose make the quilt look like a night sky quilt.

I love seeing what other people are inspired to make from my blocks.

Gift Post #1-2022 -Julie’s UCAB

Julie's UCAB
Julie’s UCAB

Yes, I made Julie a UCAB. This wasn’t planned for her, but she admired mine at Super Sew Day so much that I showed her the outside of the Brocade Peony UCAB and we made a deal. I would finish it for her and she would forget our conversation and be surprised.

I didn’t wait until the last minute to get the project done. About a week after Super Sew Day, I started on the pockets and just powered through. This is my third UCAB and I don’t find it any easier than the first two. Well, maybe a little easier.

Anyway, I sent it off the day before Thanksgiving and I am sure she got it. I can’t wait to hear if it is useful or her.

Various & Sundry 2022 #12

Admin

I updated the Minikins page. I also updated the Ends Donation quilts page.

Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

I found an interesting bag while scrolling through Instagram. It is called DIY Magic Twist Zip bag. It has a template for the shape included, though I don’t know what the template is made from. It comes from a shop called Dremmie.com, which appears to be just a shop to sell patterns and templates. There is no information about the shop except hidden in the About us on certain screens and that doesn’t even say that much, such as where they are located and the location from where they ship.

Crafty Gemini has a video on choosing bag interfacing.

Natalie from SewHungryHippie has a free tutorial for a see-through pouch called the Comet Case. In the tutorial, she shows you how to make it with vinyl.

The first clue for Bonnie Hunter’s FREE 2022 Mystery Quilt came out this morning. If you want to join in, take a look at the introduction and first clue. All the information is on the Chilhowie tab on her website. I have made two of her mysteries, En Provence and Frolic!. Lots of piecing, but it is broken down into manageable stages. I don’t always do the quilts, but I always save the clues.

Bonnie’s mystery quilts are great scrap busters and also a great way to hone your precision piecing. She gives lots of tips and tutorials on making your pieces fit.

I tried to teach myself to use the pliers I bought to add snaps to a project. I even found a tutorial that was helpful in getting me to understand what I was doing. It didn’t help. I rummaged in my tools pouch some more and found the Snapsetter tool. It was in an unlabelled box, so I had forgotten about it. Apparently, I didn’t end up using it for whatever project needed snaps.  I do remember that Sew Sweetness has them, so I checked the tutorials link on her site. There, I found a video on how to use it. I did a few practice snaps then went for it. I am pleased with the way the snaps came out. Stay tuned for photos.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

Need colored elastic? Check out ElasticBytheYard. They have polka dot foldover elastic!

Media

I watched a GREAT Tula Pink video where she showed A LOT of bags made with her new Everglow fabric line. She showed a Bionic Gear bag that finally made me want to make one of those.

26 Projects 2022 #11

 

Finished 2022 Quilt Projects

Finished 2022 Small and Non-Quilt Projects

This category covers bags, toys, aprons and knitting as well as other non-quilt projects.

 Doing Good

Ready for Quilting

Nothing at the moment

In Process or To Make
The ‘In Process’ is used to denote projects on which I am actively working or are on the design wall waiting for me to stitch. I am continuing to try not to put away projects. I find putting a project away ensures I never work on them, because I just lose steam.

Quilts (machine work)

  • Who Am I? – this quilt is now hanging out on my design wall waiting for me to do something to it.

Quilts (Handwork)

I decided that some of my quilts are in a different class because they are hand piecing or embroidery or beading. They take longer. Thus I created a new category and have moved some projects here.

  • Half Hexie Stars Project– I am reignited about this project after working on it at the November Sew Day. I have been working away steadily and can see the light at the end of the tunnel
  • La Passacaglia – I am now working on Month 17 and am expecting Month 16 any day.

In the Quilting Process

In the Finishing Process

  • The Tarts Come to Tea – I am hand sewing the binding and will put on the sleeve I made soon. Nearly there!!!

Small Projects

Most of my progress involves thinking or just cutting. I don’t have a bag in process at the moment.

  • Ultimate Project Organizer – another project from the Crafty Gemini Organizer Club, also on my list, but not yet started
  • Retreat Organizer – another project from the Crafty Gemini Organizer Club, also on my list, but not yet started. Recently, I saw one of these made up and I am not so nervous about it
  • Rose Petrillo bag – I found the pieces for this bag cut out, but not sewn.
  • Superbloom tote using Hindsight fabric – not started

Still UFOs
I still have UFOs. Who doesn’t, after all? A project in the ‘UFO’ category means I am stalled, it hasn’t been worked on in awhile or it is waiting its turn to be worked on. The list is a lot shorter and the projects are newer, for the most part.

I am annoyed that some of these are still WIPs. I just need to work on them!

  1. Handbag Sampler – this is still the forgotten project. It should be on the UFO list. The blocks were teaching samples when I taught a sampler class some time before I started writing the quilt class sampler tutorials. I found one block recently, but otherwise I don’t actually know exactly where the blocks are hiding. I crawled up in the far reaches of my fabric closet to see if I could find them and they weren’t where I thought. I am sort of mystified as to where they could be. I haven’t even found a picture of all the blocks. WTH?
  2. Self Portrait: started in 2006 at a class at Quilting Adventures in Richmond, Virginia. After a brief burst of inspiration, I am stalled on this again. As one of my oldest (I am pretty sure) UFOs, I put it on my blog and out into the Twitterverse and Diane suggested that I not consider this as a self portrait. I think that strategy is a great idea. I am now trying to think of a new persona for her.
  3. Serendipity Lady – I am still planning to take this piece to be framed. It might need a bit of quilting first.
  4. Fabric of the Year 2020
  5. Fabric of the Year 2021 – I may combine 2020 and 2021 into a COVID edition.

Ends n.13 Finished

Ends n.13 Finished
Ends n.13 Finished

Ends n.13 is finished! I got to see it briefly at the meeting 10 days ago. It is such a hodgepodge of fabrics! Erin quilted this one as well and said that she enjoyed quilting happy looking quilts. This one is certainly cheerful.

Ends n.13 has been languishing long either. I finished the top and back in March of 2022.

We had a discussion of how many quilts we have given away and are in the neighborhood of 130 for the year. That is really great for a small guild like ours.

 

Finished La Pass Month 17 Center Medallion

La Pass Month 17: rosette #1
La Pass Month 17: rosette #1

I am not finished yet, but I am making good progress on Month 17. The rosette with the peony center looks really good, I think.

I think the red-violet dots and the green solid look great together. They are sort of complimentary on the color wheel. I am also happy with the way the daisy fabric (in the diamonds) looks in that location. It was supposed to be the center.