Organize With Ikea Shoe Boxes

Isn't organization an ongoing project in your sewing and crafting space.  On a whim, I purchased a couple of packages of shoe boxes from Ikea, thinking I could use them to organize something.  I hate to have too many unfinished projects because they tend to get lost in the chaos.  I pulled out my UFO's and put them in these storage containers, front and center, so I don't forget them.  The speak to me every day, "finish me, finish me"   

Linking to:  Friday Favorites, 

Weekend Finds

It was a rainy cold weekend and I decided to stay home.  I continued to work on my strip donation quilts.  Two have been delivered and three more (the ones on the right) are ready.  The three on the left have batting and the backing and quilting is happening soon.  My goal was to have these done in 2 months.  I'm on track.  Find the story about these quilts HERE.

In addition, I bravely opened my tub full of UFO's.  I really hate to have UFO's so I attempt to finish everything I start because if they go into the UFO tub, they may never see the light of day again.  I wrote a post about this a couple of years ago HERE.  So, I am committed to finishing these projects.  Hold me accountable please.

#1  I think this is a quick finish

#2  One of the three patterns from Wildfire Designs on my list.

#3  I started this about 15 years ago.  I keep putting it off.  I really like the pattern and I still like the fabrics so.... I'll try to finish the top.

#4  A quilting project

#5 I took the class for this lovely at the 2018 Road To California Quilt Show.  I really love it and would like to finish it, the top and the quilting. 

 #6  Another Wildfire Designs Pattern.  

#7 A wall quilt from Wildfire Designs.

# 8  I only finished 8 Splendid Sampler blocks.  I need to figure out what to do with them.

I'm giving my self 6 months but I give myself permission to extend the goal date.  

Linking to: Design Wall Monday,  Linky Tuesday, Let's Be Social, Midweek Makers, NTT,

Quilting: It's A Process

This week I worked on two quilts.  I was hoping to get the Quilt for Eric finished so I could show and tell, however, the quilting part took a little longer than I expected.  It is completely quilted and ready for the binding.  I used my walking foot and straight stitches for this quilt.  There was a lot of stopping and starting, which is time consuming.  I like the stitch my walking foot makes.  I am not confident with free motion.  I guess that means I need more practice...right.

 A couple of years ago I attended a mystery class.  I picked out In The Beginning fabrics by Jason Yenter, which I loved but it turned out that they didn't necessarily work for the mystery.  After I pieced the top, I quickly put it together with a backing and started quilting, using a quick and dirty spiral.  I wanted to just get it done.  I quilted about a quarter of the piece and then put it in my UFO pile.  You know how it is when you spend time on something and you still don't like it.  It just gets tedious and it's easy to move on to something else.  Well, this week, I took that quilt out of the UFO pile and took the quilting out.  I like the fabrics in this quilt.  It's so muddy, you really don't see any pattern at all.  I think with a little quilting, the pattern may emerge.  I am going to attempt making something of this quilt.  I'll keep you posted.

Linking To:
Craftastic Monday Link Anything Goes Monday #73 Sew Cute Tuesday Linky Tuesday Fabric Tuesday WIP Wednesday Let's Bee Social #33 I Quilt Needle and Thread Thursday Link A Finish Friday Can I Get A Whoop Whoop Fabric Frenzy Friday #27 TGIFF Weekend Link Party

Finished UFO: A Quilt for Sophie's Sister

Two weeks ago, I did a little post about my lost and found UFO's.  I gave myself until the end of June, a sort of random deadline, to finish these UFO's. This is my first completely finished UFO.  A super special friend is coming to visit me next week before she flies South to be with her daughter when she has her second child.  This quilt is for her new granddaughter.  

I absolutely LOVE to make quilt tops.  I don't love quilting however.  I always think I am going to try a fun quilt pattern but end up stippling.  I stipple because it's quick and forgiving.  I use a BSR on my Bernina 430 to do free motion quilting.  While quilting this piece, I struggled with skipped stitches.  After cursing my BSR and changing my needle to a new needle and changing the bobbin thread, I did a Google search to help me solve the problem.  After reading lots of advice in many different posts, I went back to my to machine test some theories.  I changed my quilting needle to an 90/14.  The larger needle doesn't move away from the bobbin hook.  I also changed my bobbin thread to a lighter weight thread.  It was like magic.  I had changed my needle and thread in an attempt to stop the skipping but I had not changed to the right needle and thread.  If you have trouble with skipping stitches, this might work for you too.

 I actually completed both of the quilts.  I sell quilt tops HERE.  I love to make tops but really don't love to quilt.  If you love to quilt, or need a quilt and have a favorite long-arm quilter, this might be just the thing for you. Both quilts have lovely '30's reproduction fabrics and two different white on white fabrics.  There is a white on white rose print and a white on white swirl print.

Linking To These Wonderful Parties:

Fabric Tuesday#191 Linky Tuesday I Quilt Thursday Needle and Thread Thursday Link A Finish Friday 124 Can I Get A Whoop Whoop Sew Darn Crafty Linky Party Weekend Link Party #12 Free Motion Mavericks Link Up #4 A Round Tuit #212 Anything Goes Mondays #70 Sew Cute Tuesday Whatever Goes Wednesday #229 Let's Be Social #27

Sash As You Go

I am making some headway with the UFO's I happened on a week or so ago.  I think I had planned to make a baby quilt with these blocks, but after laying the blocks out, I decided it would be too large for a baby quilt.  Actually, there were enough blocks to make two baby quilts.  This blog is dedicated to how I sashed these sweet blocks.  But before I begin talking about sashing this quilt, I am going to talk a little bit about self sashing.  Self sashing is not a real quilting term, I just made it up.  It's what I call it when you add sashing as part of your quilt block.  When I made my Tulip Quilt Pattern, I self sashed it.

The directions for the quilt give you a block that looks like this.  The sashing is included in the pattern of the quilt block.  You can see it here on the right side and the top.

When the sashing is part of the block, you don't have to sew all of those pesky sashing strips.  You only sew two sashing strips, one for the left side and one for the bottom.  

So, that is self sashing and sash as you go is quite similar.  Sash as you go is another one of my made-up terms.  Since my blocks were already made, I couldn't sew the sashing as I made the block.  Instead, I sewed the sashing to each block and then sewed the blocks together.

I sewed a 2-1/2" strip to the bottom of every block.

Then I sewed a 2-1/2" square to the end of my remaining 2-1/2" strips.  I sewed these strips to the left side of each block.  I had 24 blocks that looked like this.

When you sew the blocks together, they are sashed!

When you have finished sewing your top, you just have to piece two strips, one for the top and one for the side to finish your sashing.

And, you know, if you add a strip of sashing to the un-sashed side of each set of blocks before you sew the strips of blocks together, you only have to make one sashing strip for the top.

 Maybe next week, I'll have a couple of finished quilts to share.

Linking to these wonderful parties....
Lovely Lady Linky #40 My Quilt Infatuation Lets Be Social #25 Inspire Us Thursday #19 Handmade Hangout #1 Can I get a Whoop Whoop Say G'Day Linky Party #92 Pin It Party #53 Creative Sparks Link Party #7 Saturday Sparks Link Party #68 Bouquet of Talent #94 Share It Sunday #33 Nifty Thrifty Sunday #151 WIP Wednesday 

Lost and Found UFO's

I was looking for some fabric to make a quilt and in my digging for just the right fabrics, I found a forgotten project box with a few unfinished projects.  I pulled the forgotten projects out and decided it was time to finish them.

This is the remainder of a Layer Cake I used to make a different quilt.  I vaguely remember making these blocks with the leftovers when the other quilt was done.  I got to work, sewing these blocks onto a quilt top.  After I was finished, I remembered that there was a particular way to sew these blocks into rows and I hadn't done it right.  Oh well, I liked this way.

The top little small so I found a few pieces of fabric that would work borders and then I went to the fabric store where I had purchased the Layer Cake and they actually had some yardage left.  

This was the second UFO in the box.  The entire piece was done and I had enough blocks to make one more row so I sewed them together and made a small lap top.  I will need to put a border on this.

The hidden box also contained this stack of blocks.

And these left over blocks from my Tulip Quilt.  I think they will make a fun Spring table runner.  If I finish it now, it will be ready next Spring.  My goal is to finish these projects by the end of June....

Linking to these lovely parties...

Inspire Us Thursday Create It Thursday I Quilt Thursday's  Needle and Thread Thursdays Catch A Glimpse Linky Party #186 Fancy This Friday #180 and Features Creativity Unleashed Linky Party #24 Freedom Fridays with my Bloggy Friends #42 Weekend No Rules Blog Hop #24 No Rules Weekend Blog Party #89 Pin Me Linky Party 89 Best of the Weekend Week 57 Say G'Day Saturday Linky Party #91 Can I Get A Whoop, Whoop Sewjo Saturday Boquet of Talent Linky Party #93 Sew Many Ways Share Your Creativity  Sew Cute Tuesday WIP Wednesday Let's Bee Social #25