A Lovely Year of Finishes - May Goal

It's that time again... goal setting for May's A Lovely Year of Finishes.  

This month's goal is easy.  Project Quilting bonus challenge, Tradition Times Three, is due at the end of this month and well, I haven't started it yet, haha.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute to start.

I will be turning this awesome bundle picked out by Kim and sold at Fat Quarter Shop to make a traditional block in three sizes with a modern spin.

And what better day than today to re-read through my quilt block books looking for a block while I recover from another nerve block.   

Thanks Em for the great book!

There is also the Off Season Project Quilting challenge, Pantone Color Pallet quilt.  I am planning something fun for that.  I think  may be out of my sewing slump.  

Can't wait to see what everyone is working on this month, maybe it will be all colorful and springy since I think it finally arrived!

Project Quilting Off-Season April

Project Quilting is hosting off-season challenges and that are really fun.  Last month it was based off your sign.  I'm a Pisces and I love the water.  Seriously, if I could spend all day every day in the water I would be happy.  So they say that a Pisces is the chameleon of the zodiac.  A pair of fish represents Pisces which suggests that they "go with the flow" and they "don't make waves".  Generally I am like that but lately I am fighting back.  Pisces also like to immerse themselves in creative outlets.  And to top it off, they like to relax by participating is sports, water sports specifically.

Well hey, here I am, I love anything that has to do with water especially kayaking.  I am a happy beach and river girl and I have to say the more waves the better.  And I love to be creative so I guess you can say that I mostly fit in the Pisces mold.

So I thought and I thought and changed my mind quite a bit.  The only thing that remained the same was I wanted something to do with kayaking in my little quilt.  I was looking at finishing piecing my kayak blocks that I designed but I hit a slump this month and had other things come up.  Then when looking though some boating pictures the Pyranha brand was popping out of each picture, what could be better!?!

So here is my Pyranha mini quilt.  You might be thing, only one fish?  Well, although I usually go with the flow, lately I have been fighting back and I will swim as hard as I have to to get back to where I was.

I printed the Pyranha onto a light blue batik and framed it with other bright batiks that represent me.  I backed it with a pieced back representing my boat with the red, the water with the blue, and stormy way I have been feeling and fighting with the swirls.  

It is bound with the blue I used in the front and I even hand stitched the binding (gasp!).

I will celebrate like this again someday!

April Goal - A Lovely Year of FInishes

Here we are at the end of another month and here are my goals that I planned on finishing.  I completed one quilt that I plan on donating to Hometown Heroes for hurricane Sandy victims entirely and I have the top together of the second.

I quilted this with a squiggle all over the quilt and bound it in the same white that I used as the border on the front.

I forgot to take pictures of the other top and well, it is upstairs and I am downstairs and I am being lazy at the moment.  I promise to take a picture to share soon.

I am calling this goal pretty much complete.  This has been a trying month so here is to starting fresh in May.

Yay Fabric Mail

You ever have one of those days where things are just not going your way and you are stressed and sad and then something happens that makes you smile?  Well today was one of those days.  This morning was rough but when I came home there was a package on my front porch.  Polly at Helping Little Hands recently hosted another I-Spy fabric swap and I jumped in and signed up for double spots.  Polly has made some amazing quilts and projects with hers and it has been inspiring me.  Well my squares arrived today and she included something extra and it made me smile.

Now, I will have to bring all my squares to my nephews and let them help me sort them.  It is so much fun to hear how they think we should group each square.  And it always makes me laugh when the 3 year old, Christopher, tells me that a fabric is gorgeous  haha.  Thanks Polly for making my day :)

And just for fun... a picture of Christopher riding his bike and Matt in his go-cart.

New Napkins and an Update

Wow, it has been a little while since I have written... oops.  I have been doing a lot of sewing.  I made some baby shower gifts and some little things that I still need to photograph so I can talk about them.  Today, though, I am sharing a new set of cloth napkins that I made.  I used a pretty print on one side and then a solid on the other.

 I picked up the print and solid from JoAnns, and love how they are bright, fun and cheery.  They are a quick turn napkin and I top stitched around the entire perimeter to close the opening and to make it look pretty.

 They measure about 11.5" x 11", good for lunches or everyday.
 

I made them while I was watching this super fun guy.  He is the most well behaved dog and such a sweetheart. 

New York Beauty Trunk show

Over the weekend I was able to attend a trunk show at my LQS, Quilting Possibilities.  Linda Hahn, author of New York Beauty Simplified and New York Beauty Diversified was in the store showing off the quilts from her newest book New York Beauty Diversified.  Of  course I bought the book and had it signed by not only Linda Hahn, but by a couple quilters in the book.

Debbie's quilt (She is on the right) 

It was great to see the quilts in person.  Now that I have the books and the special templates that she has had made to go along with her books I am going to give the NY Beauty block a try.  I am still thinking about taking her workshop in a couple weeks.

And I just wanted to share the lamb cake from Easter Sunday.  I wasn't sure if it would get done because my knee and back weren't feeling the best, but I finished it (with Mom's help).

April - A Lovely Year of Finishes

It is time for the April linkup of A Lovely Year of Finishes.  I had to think about this one.  You see, I have an ever growing pile of unfinished tops and quilts in progress but I couldn't decide until I picked up a quilt I pieced last month, backed, and basted it.  It then got pushed aside because I got distracted.

I pieced this quilt from a book panel I have had in my stash for ages.  I framed out the pages with a fun alphabet print also from my stash.  I want to finish this quilt for my April goal.

I am also planning on piecing and hopefully finishing another quilt made from another panel that I had in my stash.

Once these two quilts are finished they will be given to Hometown Heroes , a great organization that is working with families here on the Jersey Shore to Restore the Shore.  They have replaced furniture, paid bills and security deposits, and just done so much to help the families displaced by the storm.  They are still receiving applications for help from families.  My local MQG is also working on a donation quilt for this organization.

So here is to a great month of April and getting these two quilts finished.