September Finish Travis Star

Another mid september finish (I had ALOT of time on my hands in september!)

I started this around christmas time so its about time i finished it. I carried it around with me for a while, but we were busy at work and I never got time to finish the binding. Yep... the binding has held me up forever!

This quilt is for Travis, one of Ralph's sons. It is from his mom and dads plaid shirts and I think the simple big star is perfect for travis!

The star is actually the back and the front is denim. I have 6 of these i have either finished or am in the process of. One for each of ralph's sons (and son-in-laws) This is finish # 4 of the 6. The denim is from jeans they gave me and jeans of their fathers. They are stained and i used those stains on purpose. This is a hard working family. Ralph horseshoes, Travis, Buck and Jonathan are linemen (repair electrical lines for the electric company) Chris is a helicopter mechanic for the coast guard, coleman at the time was in the coast guard as well (hes a college student now) Jess was in the army and now he paints houses. These were for them and i wanted the denim side to show their hardwork.

wow this camera pic is the ONLY pic i have of the star and ive already given it to him! again going to have to get better pics next trip home.

I really think this star is my favorite. They all were "experiments" or me trying to be creative and step outside of my comfort zone in my learning process. What i expect them to use these for is to take the kids to the pond fishing with them, keep them in their trucks for kids baseball and softball games... things like that.. to be used.

Another finish - baby boy quilt

I decided one weekend to try making something to sell. I made the quilt but i decided half way thru that i didn't want to sell it. I hated making something that i didn't know who was going to get it and i hated not "loving it" which being "generic" for someone to buy seemed unloveable to me.

I decided to donate it at the time... which made it loveable and i could finish it... lol update though, i actually kept it and it covers an old trunk in our bedroom so that Duke the dog can use it to jump up on the bed. Its perfect and goes great in the bedroom. I will have to make another for donation.

It is made from recycled striped shirts. I used the really soft yellow sheet that i love for the back (im almost out of it!) I decided not to donate it because after washing there was a small tear in the sheet and i had to patch it.. i couldn't donate it then! But i do  I love the softness of the colors with the dark blue pop.

again... bad pics but posting it "for the record" I have lost the camera cord in the move (again) and i cant charge the camera to take better pics! part of why i haven't blogged for the last month and a half... well that and we opened a restaurant... thats been a little crazy.

My Flower Garden Finish

I wrote this blog at the begining of september and was going to post it once i took pics... lol but i never took the pics. I am posting it now for "the record"

This one is finally to the owner. I had to talk ralph out of it but it now belongs to Adrianna our daughter-in-law. They just moved in with their grandfather to take care of him and they needed a nice quilt to make the bedroom theirs.

the funny thing is i didn't take any pictures of my finish! so ... im posting unfinished pics.

Next trip up i will see if we can get it outside and take some pics... because i would like them for my sake!

I kinda felt like singing pomp and circumstance the whole time i quilted it. It feels like i "graduated from beginning quilting with this quilt. My seams match, my quilting doesn't have puckers. I "designed" it myself and i think my construction method was pretty smart. (not pattern needed ingenious, but more tutorial because there is a really easy way to make it)

It is scrappy but i actually "matched" fabrics for this one... and i did have a theme, all the fabrics were from my stash and they were botanical. It is a perfect quilt for fat quarters. There were some value decisions as well to maintain the Irish chain through it.

I did do two borders on this as well, a mustard and then a blue... it was really pretty but i dont have a PIC!

I did stall on the process because i wanted to piece some of my floral sheets together for the back, i do not like sewing big chunks of fabric together... if its more than 10 inches of fabric i just have no idea how to cut it square and straight and sew it together without it being crooked. So... the back isn't perfect. I guess the back is the one area where i got a C on my final grade... but i did make it how i wanted and i did pass the beginner class!

Just Three September

Ok, two posts in a month is pretty lame and i will try to post more since i have been working more on sewing.

First let me say I went to my first ever Quilt Guild meeting. It was the Tri County Quilt Guild (NW Harris, Montgomery and Waller Counties) I decided to go to this one because it is just down the road and well, their meeting was in 1 hour (lol i was looking yesterday after work for guilds in houston!)

I took my flower garden quilt to work on the binding which i didn't do because when i got there they ushered me thru signing in and what everything was and it was a "oh you brought show and tell" i said no, i brought it to finish binding... they said you HAVE to show it in show and tell!! (not like legally but as in please, we would love it if you did) so i did.... i was really nervous about this since i had to talk in a mic and i have no idea what i said when i said it... i STILL hate public speaking even with all the radio we did. People said nice things about it. It was bigger than most quilts in show and tell! lol I do make BIG quilts. 

I also won a door prize (no pics but it was a pin cushion and some fabric)!

I have wanted to join a guild for a while now for a few reasons. First like minded people, Second to learn new things and expand my horizons and finally... the charity work. I do like making my charity quilt each year and in a guild that is one of the things they do. 

I took a pillowcase kit and a quilt kit to finish (back, front and binding, they just need someone to finish it) for their charity quilts and pillow cases. 

I finished the pillowcase last night:

The quilt will have to be over a weekend

So... August Goal Check In... hmmm

1. finish the three quilts i brought to finish. Travis' star I haven't touched. My flower garden I finished all but about 3 ft of binding (it was the one i took to the guild meeting to finish!) and my granny squares... nope... no progress.

2. finish squaring up the blocks for soar! YES YES YES i am finally finished on this one and if its just a throw and not a bed quilt so be it, im not making any HST's for it anymore! lol.

3. Organize the sewing space. I did buy one bookcase and i get to buy the other two after we open zippys but there have been some delays on that.... I think it looks pretty good for how much stuff i have!

Now i did get sidetracked. It was almost as if i needed to start something to motivate again so I started You Are My Sunshine and the Striped Baby (both flimsys now)

September Goals:

1. Lets try it again but make it a bit simpler. Finish My Flower Garden and Travis' Star. All i have is a little binding on each and ive been working on them in bed before i go to sleep. I should be able to knock that one out!

2. Finish Landon's Paw Paw Kisses (I am actually almost done quilting this one) the baby quilt  and the charity quilt kit (These are both flimsys that have backs and are ready)... should be easy peasy. I can finish binding them in bed if i just do a little each night!

3. Ok, the harder one. I have You are My Sunshine (needs a back), Trevors Paw Paw Kisses (needs a border) and Granny Squares (needs a border and a back) I would seriously like to have all three of these ready for quilting by the end of the month (id like to have one of them quilted but im not pushing my luck... although i do have time this month we are still waiting for permits... so maybe!!)

LOL...how bout if i say this. I also have Dallas' Soar that if it distracts me im not going to stop it. I would love to finish it too!

one more.... i have a quilt in my head dying to get out. It is inspired by the folks who make western music, by mine and ralph's relationship, and a song by Wylie and the Wild West called True Love Travels a Gravel Road and the phrase in it "cotton dress world." I do love that phrase because i think i mentally live in a "cotton dress world" alot... that place where life is simple and innocent. (the more complicated harris county gets in this process of opening a restaurant the more i escape there!) The phrase just brings to me an image of this calico cotton dress i used to wear.  I am trying to figure out how to use a bunch of my small floral calico prints (me in my cotton dress) and some plaid (for my cowboy) Ive pulled my fabrics and they are lovely and it really took a bite out of my big chunk drawers so yeah... getting rid of stash!! I know it will be called Prairie Waltz because its dancing in my head but i cant seem to make the two elements dance together!! BUT... if i work it out i wont stop it either.. im going to run with it.

Sorry about the pic quality. they are from my phone, i cant find the charger to the camera I think we left it in east texas??? But i need to find it to take better pics.

I am linking up with Traceyjay's Just Three where you pick three goals for the month! Go check out the other pretty works!!

Work in progress Wednesday

I had to start something to get motivated. This could be very dangerous in that it makes that WIP pile grow but this time i was feeling sooo stuck on what i had to work on and so frustated with some houston setbacks i decided to just start something fresh.

I did get half way thru it (fabric cut and most of the snowballs made when i felt the urge to piece the back and quilt the flower garden quilt.

Gonna try on my phone to link to Lee's WIP wednesday

bookcases for my stash

I let Ralph pick out the bookcase since its going to be showing off my fabric in our dining room.

My husband has good taste... usually his taste is much pricier than i feel comfortable spending on myself....

lol... i was perfectly happy with the billy shelves but he picked this:

with the promise that we would get one of these to go on each side (after we get zippys open)

(yes i cheated and used ikeas photos)


but here it is... built and starting to collect my fabric...

I really do love it and he really did spoil me with this one!

I picked this up at a yard sale for 30 bucks last weekend!! I love it and this is one heavy peice of furniture. I bet it weighs more than the bookcase from ikea! It is now my dresser in our bedroom! I also got a desk that is in the living room now for 7!

I would be really happy with how our apartment is coming together if i had a couch, but... we haven't found one we both agree on that we want to spend the money on. '

Now... that pic of me.. since 2 weeks before the wedding, i have put on 25 lbs. We stopped working 14 hr days, we are on our butts all day mostly and we are eating out like there is no tomorrow!

Today we hired a personal trainer for the two of us and we start tomorrow at 7 am! We don't want to be heavy like this and i dont know if i COULD pull a 14 hour shift with this extra weight!

Just Three

Tracyjay Quilts has started Just Three, a linky thing where you can pick just three goals for the month, blog about them and check in next month to see how you did. Well since im too busy for much sewing and have not been checking in with WIP Wednesday... let me get a restaurant open and I might go back to that too... i do think i can pick three goals for 1 month!

So... this month my 3 goals are (I promise to get better at picking just three, this month it was really tough so i kinda lumped some together to make one goal!)

1. finish the three quilts i brought to finish. Bottom: (Travis' star)I just need to hand sew the binding and i have been watching enough tv this should be done! Middle: (Flower Garden) I need to quilt it and bind it and i can send it off to who its intended for!! Top: (Granny Squares) borders, quilt and bind but this is Ralph's favorite so far (and i love that he says "so far" knowing that im going to make more that he loves) and he has asked several times when im going to finish it so we can use it.

#1 is pretty intense... so the other two goals are kinda minor.

2. finish squaring up the blocks for Soar. I hate this part of the process and i just have a small pile left to do. Don't tell me that im going to have to make more blocks after this and do more!! (I think I am... when will it ever end??)

Everytime i slow down and want to stop working on this i lay out some of the squares and fall in love again... Hopefully finishing this one will make next months goals!

3. organize the sewing stuff. I have decided that the wall in our dining room is going to be the fabric and sewing storage space. I want to buy bookcases with doors on them. (for now im just getting the bookcases and as i figure out what doors i want i will get them!

I want this from Ikea (and omg... im so excited i live in Houston now and can go to Ikea!!)

cant you just see my stash in the cd part of this bookcase with books and decorative things in the bigger spots???  I may put doors on the bottom half of it so i can hide my not so pretty storage stuff!  I think this will work. Then i want some kind of coffee table with storage. I am going to have to use that for my vintage sheet collection. We have enough room in our walk in closet to hang my plaid shirt collection!! so yeah, the sewing room will be scattered around the apartment but when im creating my sewing is scattered around the apartment!

The next two months will be interesting as i try to stuff our 2500 sq ft house into our 1200 sq ft. apartment. We have decided we will be in Houston for a couple years and we are going to rent out the place up there (most likely for very little rent to one of his kids) so I have to move everything down here!


Here is Tracyjay's linky thing... be sure to go check out other folks progress and goals! I actually missed the party this time... but i will be sure to catch it next month!