Blue and Brown Whirlygig

I'm thrilled to show you another completed UFO! This one was started 2 years ago for a friend's wedding present. 




 

  Obviously, I am not opposed to sending late gifts. My mother causally suggested that I might consider sending some nice pottery the next time I get invited to a wedding. My husband agrees - he strongly encourages me to make small projects because they actually get finished.

This one is a good twin size. I forget the actual dimensions, but honest, it fits a twin bed perfectly.

Okay, back to the quilt. My other friend and I decided the we would each make half of the blocks in a variety of blues and browns. (I blatantly stole that idea from Amanda Jean...this quilt of hers was the inspiration. Here are the template measurements). All of my friend's blues and browns coordinate perfectly, while mine were much more scrappy. Together I think it is a great mix.

Ahhh...I love to see those KJR fabrics in an actual quilt instead of just on my shelf.

Since we don't live in the same town (or at that time, even the same province), she mailed me her blocks and the backing, and I sewed all of the lovelies together. I quilted it with a simple stipple. Say that three times, Simple Stipple, Simple Stipple, Simple Stipple!

The back...I'm loving a pieced back these days. We decided on a tropical print since they got married in Hawaii.

There was a point in the last two years that this quilt sat in my pile of UFOs that I really hated it. But now that it is finished, I'm really happy with the final product. My husband suggested that we keep it. While I was pretty tempted, I didn't...I dropped it off on my trip to Vancouver earlier in the month.

It feels great to check another one off the list!

New Year Resolution Complete!

As I've stated over and over again, I really wanted to finish some UFOs in 2011. Especially with a new baby on the way.  With only 3 months to go, I'm ready to make some gorgeous baby stuff. (Like all of the gorgeous things Ashley has been making lately).

So here is UFO finish number 1.  I'm actually quite proud of this one. It's big. It's huge. And I made it all by myself.



A Quilt for my Sister.



Although there are no designer fabrics in this one (I pieced the top before I became a fabric snob), I still love it. The pattern was originally from McCalls Quilting and called Roots. (sorry, it doesn't seem to be online anymore).

Almost all of the quilt.

I was going to call it "Nobody is Perfect" because it really, really, really isn't perfect. The quilting is crooked, the star points don't match, and there is a bit of a ripple in the border. But since it is for my sister, I figure she might take offense.

Outdoor photo shoots are trickier than they appear. Especially with 3 feet of snow in the backyard.

Any ideas on a good name for this one?

It is now raining here in Prince George, so I thought I'd share some photos of the weekend. It was gorgeous, warm and sunny and we had so much fun skating on our community outdoor rink.

My daughter wearing my sunglasses.

My son really only wants to play hockey...it's time for some 'real' skates.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Checking In

I had two major sewing/quilting goals for 2011. I thought in the interest of full disclosure I should give you a quick update.

Goal #1: Finish some WIPs and UFOs. Here's a shot of my oldest living UFO. In truth, I wasn't even going to post about it since it really doesn't represent my style anymore (and the craftsmanship is terrible). But it is taking up so much of my time, I thought I'd give you a glimpse.

Long dead, and now resurrected UFO. It will get done, it will get done, it will get done.....

It is big. A Queen. And for some stupid reason, I decided to quit it myself. Lets just say that it is crooked, there are puckers and you can't look at it up close (I won't let you). Not if you have any quilting experience anyway. But I made this flimsy back in 2005 or 2006 and it needs to get done. And I'm giving it to my sister who loves traditional quilts and who may or may not have got married way back in September of 2009. 2009! I just have to quilt the border, bind and label this baby and she is done!

Goal #2: Fabric Diet/Use up Stash. It turns out I'm as bad at fabric diets as food diets. The first week I bought some Kona White to finish up my Colour Wheel Quilt. Never mind that I 'added' in a 1/2 yard of yummy Innocent Crush (I had to see it for myself) and found a new to me Canadian online shop that has Kona Cotton Solids for $7/yard.

Stalled progress on Colour Wheel Quilt. More Kona White just arrived...

Week 2 I resisted. But now we're in Week 3 and I had a major cave. I couldn't resist buying some new fabrics for my Spicing Up the Kitchen Partner. And my fellow Canadians know how it goes, right? I had to fill up the envelope to justify paying the shipping from the US. You understand, right? Right???

How are you doing with your resolutions? Are you like me...or can you stick with them? I'd love to hear!