Arcadia Avenue

I have to admit that I started a new project! I started the Arcadia Avenue Block of the Month Quilt Pattern by Sassafras Lane Designs. The quilt is beautiful. It's made up of 12 paper pieced kaleidoscope blocks.

I bought the book which includes the patterns for all 12 blocks. There are different settings of the blocks as well as different colored background fabrics.  I'll choose that when I get closer to completing the quilt top.

As you can see, I only made 3 wedges so far. Each block is made up of 12 wedges. I love the directions supplied in the book. They are very concise and so helpful. They even tell you what size to cut each fabric segment so you're sure to fill the intended area properly. So far, so good! I think this project will take me a long time! I'm really enjoying it! Can't wait to finish up my first block!

Bulky Cowl

I just finished this cute little cowl today. It was quick and easy and very practical right now. I woke up to a temperature of -9 degrees this morning. I wore this cowl to the grocery store and it worked really well! I found it warmer than a scarf. Once you place it over your head, it's there for good and doesn't get to move around.

I found the pattern in this book. I used bulky yarn and a simple lace pattern. I used yarn I had left over from an older project.

I've been busy finishing up projects thanks to the cold and snow. I'm hoping the weather begins to improve. I can put some of my projects away for a few days. I heard it's going to be in the 30's tomorrow! Heat wave!!

Reversible Tote

I found a very neat pattern for a Reversible Tote at the Very Shannon website. I had never been to this site before and loved what I saw! Lots of great patterns. I decided to make the tote bag. I thought if I was successful, I could make these as gifts. I loved the idea that the tote was reversible and that the whole look could be changed. 

 

I decided to use batting and machine quilt the fabric instead of using interfacing. It really worked out well. I used two different fabrics that coordinated well. The fabrics I chose are from the Persimmon line by Basic Grey.

 

 

This is one half of the bag. I love this floral print.

My daughter loved this fabric. It sort of looks like arrows.  (Ignore my slippers!)

This was the hardest part for me. I had to topstitch the two layers together. It's only 1/4". Next time, I would make that a little bit wider. I had stray pieces of fabric peeking out. I tried topstitching a second time but would have preferred not to do that. 

I thought you might like to get a look into the inside of the tote. Of course, it's different depending which side you're using!

 

Such a fun project! Very quick! Think of all that fabric in your stash that could become an adorable tote bag!

Another Project Done!

The monster quilt has been finished and delivered to my mother! She put it on her bed as soon as I gave it to her. I finished it this morning. It was actually still a little damp when I brought it to her house.  It's a little big for her bed but that's okay. She's going to use it like a bedspread and fold her pillows in it.

This binding is the best one I've ever done! It was nice and straight. I really love sewing a 3/8" seam allowance instead of 1/4". It just seems more sturdy somehow.

Here's my label. It's nothing fancy. I just use the letters available on my sewing machine. It's amazing how quickly you forget what year a quilt was finished. I always try to add a label when I finish any project. I've also signed the back and added a date as well.

 Here's a little sneak peek to my next machine quilting project. I was sort of disappointed. The kit for the wall hanging included a backing. When I went to layer it with the batting and quilt top, I found it was way too small to use. I have plenty of other fabric but I thought it was sad that the supplied fabric couldn't be used.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I found this adorable picture on Facebook and just had to share it! Isn't this the cutest kitty??

Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

The snow is already falling here. I worked until 3:30 and couldn't wait to get home. My husband wants to go out to eat but not sure we're going to leave the house!

Stay safe during the storm. The winds are supposed to pick up and I'm afraid we'll lose power. I'll be back when this storm leaves the area!

Applique Kitty!

My applique wall hanging is almost done! I still have to add a few embellishments. I have to make whiskers on the cat. I also have to embroider a needle on the sewing machine. Once the embroidering is complete, it will be all set to machine quilt.

This is the picture on the pattern. My fabrics are a little different as well as the placement of some of the items. However, it's very similar over all. I think this will make a nice little addition to my sewing room. Hope my two cats like it too!

Monster Quilt!

Thanks to the bad weather, I finished machine quilting my mom's quilt today! My pictures didn't come out very good. Unfortunately, this quilt is too big to capture. I stood on the coffee table in my family room and I still couldn't get the whole thing!

I stood on the hassock for this picture. Anyways, you get the idea! I must admit that it's nice and flat. The meandering brings a little more cohesiveness to the entire quilt. I used two different variegated King Tut threads. My mom is already looking forward to putting this on her bed. It measures 95" by 105".

I already started making my binding. I'm using the backing fabric as the binding. It's from Connecting Threads. It's a nice blue denim color. (Can't tell that in this picture either!) I think it will complement the quilt top very nicely.

Another snowstorm is coming. This one is supposed to be a long duration event. In other words, it's going to snow until Tuesday morning. That's okay. I have plenty to do! Hope everyone stays safe and warm through the storm!

Downton is Done!

I finished my Downton Abbey quilt top! I've had the last few days off and the snow storm kept me indoors. That was the combination I needed to get myself moving and finish this up! I don't mind bad weather if I can stay indoors and work on my projects. Actually, I sometimes like it!

This was as far as I got yesterday. I only had 3 more rows to go! I pieced the last 3 rows last night. This morning, I sewed the 3 rows together and then added them as one unit to the quilt top!

Voila! Done! It measures 72" by 85".

I've also been working on my other projects. I'm almost done with my Sewing Kitty wall hanging. I just have little blocks left to applique. And, my mom's quilt is very close to being completely machine quilted. I'm hoping to post pictures soon. However, I have an appointment early tomorrow morning and then will be working for a few days. I might have to wait until next week to finish up both projects.

Hope you've all made it through the bad weather. (If you got the same storms!) I heard more snow Thursday???