ALOYF--December Finish

I have been so grateful to Melissa and Shanna for hosting ALOYF these past couple years.  I've pushed to get things done thanks to the motivation of posting and sharing.  I will miss the link-ups and monthly goal setting with them.

Christmas Ornament Exchange

This year I participated in an ornament exhcange sponsored by Madam Samm.  I was watching for the post to link up, but apparently I missed that.  So, sorry I'm late ...

Merry Christmas!

This holiday season has been so busy, but I wanted to stop in and wish everyone a very merry Christmas!  I made a couple of these darling ornaments (tutorial from Diary of a Quilter) to give away as gifts.  I think they're darling =)

ALOYF--Back in the Saddle

I've been quite a bit absent the last couple of months.  Mostly because I started a new job and now work 40+ hours each week.  Quite a change from subbing =)

ALOYF October Goal

Last month I started Faithful, the project in the 2nd Frivols bin.  I thought it would be a quick project in between other larger projects ...it has been sitting here this way for about 2 weeks now.

September ALOYF Finish

Well, I've held onto this right down to the wire, but here it is ...  I really like this finish!

Welcome!

"Hello Handsome" quilting progress

Welcome!  To those of you who are new, thanks so much for stopping by.  A big thank-you to Amy over at Amy's Creative Side for featuring me today.  Truth be told, I was a bit star-struck when she contacted me =)  I religiously follow her Bloggers Quilt Festival in May and October.  I have a quilt kit awaiting attention that she designed both the quilt and fabric for. And I love her new fabric line that just showed up at my LQS, Chic Neutrals.

September Stash Bee

I got right on these blocks this month because I want to focus on quilting my Handsome quilt for Rhett.  I'm kind of glad that I did, because I had nothing but trouble with the sizing on my first attempt.

September ALOYF Goal

This month, I'm hoping to finish quilting my Hello Handsome quilt.  I started it back in March 2014 as one of my ALOYF goals, and I've been making progress in fits and starts.

August ALOYF Finish

This month's goal was a little self-indulgence.  Like I said in my goal post, I've had the fabric and been meaning to get to this little project for two school years now.

Follow the Virtuous Road

Yesterday I picked up Sarah from Girl's Camp.  This was her first year and I was so excited to make her little gifts each day.  (Our Stake has a volunteer who collects "mail" and delivers it each day; the only restriction is that whatever we send has to fit inside a manila mailer.)

August ALOYF Goal

I had a tiny bit of trouble deciding what to make for this month's goal, but I finally settled on this stash ... back-to-school thoughts inspired me =)

I bought these fabrics two years ago with the intention of making a lunchbox for myself.  I think its high time to cross this project off my list.  I might even be able to make a couple ...

Calming August Stash Bee Block

This month Carla is our queen bee and asked for these low-volume blocks with pinwheels randomly placed throughout.  I had quite a time pulling out all different prints.  There's a lot of sand in there =)

July ALOYF Finish

This month I finished my Scrappy Churn Dash quilt top.  For some reason, this just wanted to frustrate me at every turn.

July Stash Bee Blocks

I made these blocks a couple of years ago for Stash Bee, so I was excited to revisit these birds.  Mary asked for some personalization so it was a little different this time around.  I actually made 2 blocks again because I realized my first one didn't meet her request for bright, large scale printed wings.  So, without further ado ...

Kate Spain Christmas Charm Swap

     

Last month I signed up for this charm swap through Michele at Crayon Box Quilt Studio.  This is the 3rd swap I've done through Michele and I know that she is so personable and efficient.

July ALOYF Goal

I thought I'd miss this month since I was at a family reunion with ALL my sisters and their kiddos, but I got back just in time to post =)  My July goal is to finish the blocks for and assemble my scrappy churn dash quilt.

SOSM II, Please

This is a quick post that doubles as my entry to the Super Online Sewing Match that's on over at Sew Mama Sew.  Their first bout was a couple of years ago, which I watched from the sidelines: I was sure I could never sew like that.  I was surprised at how inspired I was by each contestant!  Such great talent and so much growth with each challenge.

June ALOYF Finish

This month I knew I had to get done a little early.  Soon I'll be out of town enjoying some sister time!

June Stash Bee Blocks--Flowering Snowballs

I thought I posted these blocks a few days ago, but I guess I'm just now finding that moment to post them ...  My mom literally nagged me to finish these when she was here last week =)

June ALOYF Goal

I almost didn't post a goal this month.  I know things are crazy, and I wasn't sure I wanted to add to it all.  My mom has been here this past week and been encouraging me to get my bee blocks done.  I finally figured this morning that if I can get those done in the chaos of graduation, I can do this =)

May ALOYF Finish

It's done!  I really can't convey what a truly frustrating experience this dress has been.  Once I got through the straps (which took over a week of fretting and un-sewing and re-sewing ...) I thought I'd be home scott free ...

May Stash Bee Blocks

 This month our queen bee asked for these fun Circles Squared Blocks.  They are pieced together like a 9-patch and I used it them as a leaders-and enders while working on some of my Farm Girl blocks (more on that another time ...)

Blogger's Quilt Festival--Random Bamboo

It's time for the Blogger's Quilt Festival again!  I love this twice a year and Amy is such an amazing host.

May ALOYF Goal

It has been a very long time since I've sewn anything with a pattern ... 

April ALOYF Finish

I got my Hello Handsome quilt pieced together for this month's goal.

Briefly ... a RAD Mom

 Sam sent me this from her snap chat ... a little bit of a stretch.  It was a chilly (4C) morning with a light drizzle that stopped a short time before the race actually started.

I'm a Buzzy Bee

This week I've been doing just a little here and a little there.

April ALOYF Goal

I decided that this month I will finish my "Hello, Handsome" quilt top.  I cut out and pieced all the individual units last year about this time

My February and March

I'm finally sitting down to look back on my February and March ...

March ALOYF Finish!

I finally got to the point today where I could take some pictures.  It's the second day of Spring Break here and I'm seriously underwhelmed.  It's dark and rainy and I wanted to be outside prepping the gardens and taking a couple of hikes this week ...

March ALOYF Goal

Here is the stack of fabric I'll be tackling this month.  These are my blocks from Stash Bee Hive #7 this year.  I was the queen bee in January and asked for Scrappy Hunter's Star blocks.

Stash Bee Blocks--Sister's Choice

Melissa asked us for Sister's Choice blocks.  I really enjoyed this block!  I'm having twinges of regret that I have to send them off.  I guess I'll just have to add this to my someday list ...

NewBees March Block

Welcome NewBees!  I'm having so much fun with this round of Jessica's Bee!  

ALOYF February Finish

Whew!  I was seriously thinking this would not get done.  I realized about a week into the month that there was no way I had the time to do the custom quilting I had in mind, so I went with this loopy all-over pattern.  The texture is so yummy.

Stash Bee Blocks

Here are the 2 blocks I finished for Cyndi this month.  Lining up the strips with each cut was a bit gnarly.  I don't do a lot of improv, so this was a bit of a stretch for me, but it came together pretty quickly.   Sam was watching me at one point and about had a cow when she saw me slice with my rotary cutter and no ruler =)

February 2015 ALOYF Goal

This month will be a do-over for me.  Last October, my goal was to finish this top.  While I didn't finish the project, I did get the backing pieced and the quilt sandwiched.  From there it has been rolled up on my desk.

My January

Nicholas & Wheelie Pete making an alcohol stove

Here's a quick look-back at this month.  Well, maybe not so quick.  This final week is a short week--the end of the semester is Wednesday and the kidlets don't have school on Thursday or Friday ...

January ALOYF Finish--Charm Topper

I'm really happy with this finish.  I started it about a year ago when A Quilting Life posted these pics.  I had a couple mini-charm packs hanging around, but I didn't get it finished in time for Sherri's parade, and it was set gently aside ...

Welcome 2015!

This year is off to a bit of a slow start for me, but I'm rarin' to go!  Looking back at my goals for last year, I did pretty well, but I do need to move a couple of them forward ...

ALOYF--January Goal

Another year, another month, another goal!

Stash Bee Hive #7--January Tutorial--Hunter's Star

Hello, Hive #7!
I'm excited to get to know you guys this year.  You had a quick overview of me in my intro here a couple of months ago.  You can also read my About Me page on my blog if you still want to know more.  I've spent the last couple of months preparing for and taking my teacher licensure tests--in fact, my last three are tomorrow (Jan 2.)