PQ 11.5–Give It Away!

This week’s challenge from Kim at Project Quilting was a timely one.

PQ 11.3--Put a Heart On It

I had visions of turning this into a baby quilt.  But I had to get real.  I'm working on another, very large quilt that has priority right now. So I finished my first block into a simple pillow.  I was even pleasantly surprised to find this fun hot pink heart fabric in my 5" strip stash that was the perfect compliment to the bold colors on the other side!

Project Quilting 11.1~~Notably Numeric

This weeks project idea came easily to me for once. Which was awesome cause the simple execution turned out to be quite a pain. I actually ended up doing the stippling three times before I called it good enough.  After changing the needle, the thread and the tension, I gave up and took my machine in for servicing, so the binding I finished by hand--which I really did enjoy.

OMG—Words for March

This month I was inspired to pull out my Words to Live By quilt.  Moda’s latest challenge stems from their Spell It! alphabet. It originally debuted several years ago and there are lots of gorgeous versions for inspiration.

OMG--2 of 6

Yay!  I finished my January goal.  I am absolutely floored with how many little pieces I'm actually dealing with.  I mean, I knew.  But taking the time to press each one and then seeing them stacked up so neatly really brought it home.  It's gonna be quite a task to get it all back together.

Project Quilting--Hope Springs Eternal

I was excited to see the first prompt for this year's Project Quilting challenge.  It is one of the few times I've had an idea right away.  Last week I went to Los Angeles with Sarah for the annual IMTA Convention.  There she competed in several acting and modeling categories hoping to catch the attention of talent managers and agents =) We had so much fun!

One Monthly Goal—January

I'm working on getting back in the saddle this year.  I missed my OMG most of last year!  The first week of this month I'm out of town with my Sarah, so I really only have 3 weeks to work on this month's focus goal.

Still in Process ...

This was going to be my big finish post for the year, but I'm still not quite there.  Here are some progress photos.

Project Quilting: Time is Up!

And JUST before Time is (Really) Up ... I bring you my version:

The final challenge for this latest season of Project Quilting (season 8, challenge 6) is "Time Is Up!"  I must say, this finish isn't at all what I started out to do ...

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 =)

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.

NewBees March Block

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

Blogger's Quilt Festival--Compass Rose

I hadn't originally thought to enter this quilt into BQF, but this is truly my favorite quilt to date.  My original blog post on this quilt is here and I talked a little more about it here, too.

Blogger's Quilt Festival--Boo2U2

Welcome!  I'm glad you could stop by for my little corner of the Blogger's Quilt Festival.

A Little (late) August ALOYF Finish

My August goal here was to finish the Nautical Quilt in the Sewvivor Sew-along.  I did finish it ... but not until September 4.  Oh, well.

This is my favorite quilt to date.  I had a really difficult time folding it up to give away at a baby shower, but I did it knowing that the recipient would truly appreciate it.

ALOYF August Goal

This month I want to sew along with the Sewvivor group.  I have a couple of projects that I can work on that follow along with the stated themes.  The biggest of which is a nautical-themed baby quilt ...

Sewvivor - A Reformed Heath'n - Heather Karr

I was so excited when RachH announced that this year's edition of Sew-vivor is for quilters.  I've only been quilting since 2012, but this is where I've found my creative outlet.  I still enjoy myriad other crafts, but they've definitely taken a backseat to my love of fabric and quilting.

ALOYF June Goals

Last month I got back on board by working on a couple of small finishes languishing on my side table.  Since summer is a time for being more outside and less inside, I think that this month I'll continue with that pile.  Next on my list is a mini top that I finished and sandwiched almost 18 months ago now.  I wasn't sure how I wanted to quilt it until I saw all the beautiful spiral quilting like here and here.  I figure a mini is the perfect place to practice.

So ... My goal for June is to finish this mini ... that means quilting and binding.  Bonus would be to quilt and/or bind the other two minis on my side table ... then it would be totally cleaned off and ready to re-purpose.

ALOYF May Finish!

Before I really get down to business, I want to say Happy Memorial Day.  I truly believe that this day is a day to honor all those who fought for the freedoms we enjoy today.  My paternal grandfather, Alma Fife Heath, fought in WWI as a medic and my maternal grandpa, John Elvin Bennett, was on the Enterprise in WWII.  Currently my brother-in-law, Jared Himmighoefer, is in the Army and has already served two tours overseas.  I am so proud of these men and all the other men and women I know who have served so selflessly.

Star Light Star Bright Top

I've had a rough couple of weeks!  Although I haven't been working too much during the day, there are so many other things cropping up to keep my mind, body and emotional cups full to the brim.  Without going into details, I had one child home for almost a week, one car accident and another fender bender 10 days later (both times our car was rear-ended), and several back-to-back appointments for several days in a row.

By some miracle, I've managed to stay somewhat on top of things at home and also with this quilt along.  I finished this top this afternoon just as another storm is rolling in and it got dark and windy outside.  Not the best for pictures, but this is too big to even attempt to get a picture inside the house.  I love the size and can't wait to get going on the quilting.  I've drawn out what I want to do for each of the nine blocks, but the sashing is stumping me a bit.  I guess I'll have to see what I end up with ...

And here is a quick peek at my  ALOYF progress for this month.  I still need to press, trim and sew.  It's a good thing I don't have any other plans for spring break :)