2012 Wrap Up!

Happy Holidays!  Above is a picture of the cornish hens my Mom made for Christmas dinner.  Aren’t they gorgeous?

I am enjoying some wonderful time off.  The company I work for closes during the week between Christmas and New Years as a benefit to their employees, so I am spending some well needed time just doing whatever I want.  I spent the Christmas holiday with my parents at their home, and they are currently in town on their way passing through to Florida for the winter.  This week my parents helped me hang curtains and pictures on my walls of my new place.  It finally looks homey and “together” here at home.

My Mom and I were talking about all the projects I have done this year.  In an attempt to wrap up this year, here is my list of projects for 2012.  Remember, I really only started “for real” quilting this year. 

1. My niece Leah’s quilt

2. My pink lap quilt

3. My Mom’s queen size quilt (top is done, working on the quilting now)–includes shams and 2  12×12 throw pillows

4. My niece Brianna’s quilt

5. My niece Gabby’s quilt (top is done-needs to be quilted)

6. My friend Melissa’s “Believe” quilt

7. My friend Chelsea’s lap quilt

8. My Mom’s Shortcake lap quilt

9. My Mom’s Christmas lap quilt

10. My great-nephew Parker’s quilt

11. My great-nephew Maxton’s quilt

12. My great-niece Baby J’s quilt

13. Several bibs and birth cloths for both Max and Baby J

14. A quilted bag for Baby J

15. My friend Pam’s quilt

16. My Americana quilt (top is done-need to quilt)

17. My Mom’s star quilt

18. The girl embroidery quilt my Mom and I collaborated on (needs to be quilted)

19. My Christmas quilt (top is done-needs to be quilted)

20. My Mom’s purse and sunglasses case

21. My Mom’s crochet hook case

22. 9 ruffle scarves

23. A friend from college lap quilt (top is done–needs to be quilted)

24. My friend Shannon’s lap quilt

WooWee….I think that’s it.  What a list.  As I was making it, I was shocked myself at how much I did.  12 finished quilts, and several others that are done and just need to be quilted.  Amazing. 

I am currently thinking about what projects I want to do this year.  I think I am going to be a bit more intentional about how/what I sew this year.  I am not going to buy any new fabric until my stash is gone.  There are a couple of projects that I want to try or work on…so you’ll see them coming! 

Thanks for making 2012 so great.

And always…always…Keep Simply Delighting!

 

Sundays, Sewing Machines, and Spaghetti

Happy Sunday!  I was having a very productive weekend until today…when my sewing machine, named Gladys, decided to have a temper tantrum and stopped working.  I am hoping to contact the manufacturer tomorrow to get it resolved.  I did get almost 3 quilts finished!  Today I was sewing the binding on the right side of my Mom’s Yuletide Christmas throw and that’s when my machine decided to stop.  But…I made some amazing spaghetti and meatballs for dinner which helped subdue my frustration (comfort food always does!).  I also made yellow cupcakes with chocolate butter frosting.  YUM!

Here are the weekend’s accomplishments:

I finally finished my niece Brianna’s quilt.  I had to baste, quilt and bind it.  I love the way it turned out.

It is on my August WIP list.

This is my Sweet Shoppe and Calico Candie throw.  I LOVE THIS QUILT! 

I had to baste, quilt and bind this quilt as well.  My goal was just to get the quilt top done, but now the whole

quilt is done!  It will be a gift for a dear friend of mine.

I know it’s hard to see (I forgot camera batteries so I have been using my phone’s camera), but the

back is a light green viney/floral print.  Perfect and delicate just like the quilt blocks.

Here’s Gladys.  I hope she gets better soon. 

Friday night, I did work on a new project for another friend.  I can’t talk about it much because I think she reads my blog, but she is an old friend of mine from my college days, and I am super excited to finish up the project and then send it to her.  Once I do, I will definitely post pics and an update.

Have a super great Sunday and make this week amazing. 

Keep Simply Delighting!

WIP Wednesday!!

That’s right!  It WIP Wednesday!!!  And what a productive end of the week and weekend I had!  Before I update my WIP list, I wanted to share a few photos!

 

This is the stack of stash fabric I have to choose from to make items for Baby J.

A bib for Baby J

So on Sunday, I spent the day making items for Baby J, my soon coming great-niece.  Honestly, it is more joy to tease her Mama about what I am doing.  My Mom and I have been talking about all the different things we can make for Baby J, and we came up with a very cool secret project that I know Emily, Baby J’s Mama is going to love!  I can’t wait to get working on it.  Meanwhile, above is a bib I made this weekend. 

Okay, on to the WIP list update for August.  Last week was in blue, this week is pink:

1. Brianna’s quilt.  I am going to finish it this month. I have ripped the outer border off, and have sewn the new border on.  The backing is ready.  I just need to baste, quilt and bind.  This weekend this will be finished!

2. Shortcake quilt.  I think I am going to make a back piece with several strips scraps of fabric I have in my stash (to eliminate some scraps)  Quilt is finished!  Yay!

3. My Americana charm pack quilt (at least the top) Top is finished!  Yay!

4. Sweet Shoppe and Calico Candies charm pack quilt (at least the top) Top is finished as of tonight. Hopefully going to baste, quilt and bind this weekend.

5. My Mom’s quilt.  Baste, quilt and bind. No progress yet

6. Gabby’s quilt.  Baste, quilt and bind. No progress yet

7. My Mom’s Christmas charm pack quilt top No progress yet. Quilt top is done, hopefully going to baste, quilt and bind this weekend.

8. My Christmas charm pack quilt top. No progress yet

9. Start cutting some hexagons for my hexagon quilt. I have the hexagon template, I just have to pick out the fabric!

10. Work on my difficult Americana quilt that I keep putting off because I am such a whimp and it’s too hard and I am scared to take it. No progress yet

11. Practice free motion quilting with some easy peasy projects like pot holders etc. This weekend! Yes, hopefully this week!! 

So…we’re making progress.  It was a pretty lofty list for August.  I have 5 of the goals done so far, and if I get those 2 quilts completely done this weekend I will have gone above my goal for those, so I am feeling pretty good! 

What are you working on?

Keep Simply Delighting!

Shortcake and more!!

I spent yesterday doing something  I love!  Quilting!  I originally thought I would be finishing my niece Brianna’s quilt so I can give it to her today at her sister’s baby shower, but the batting I had left was not big enough.  However, the batting was big enough to finish my Shortcake quilt!  As I shared before, this is a patter by Cluck Cluck Sew.  It is written for a jelly roll, but I used all scraps from my stash.  Every single piece of fabric was left over from another project….even the back pieces.  I am so proud of how it turned out and also how the quilting turned out.  I am very inexperienced with quilting and honestly it gives me fits.  It is definitely not on my list of favorite things to do (neither is basting), but I love the feeling of finishing a quilt.  So…without further ado, here is the finished picture:

The picture isn’t that great (I apologize) but I love it.  I just quilted simple X’s over the squares, and it turned out great.  I used the white fabric for binding and a fuchsia thread to quilt and it looks so sharp.  This week I will mail it to my Mom.

I also spent the evening working on a few little bibs for my niece Emily’s baby.  She found out this week she’s having a little girl, and I must say, this Great Auntie is very, very happy.  Emily is my sister’s daughter, and she and I have always been close.  It’s hard to believe she’s 25 and gonna be a Mommy.  She has her name picked out, but it’s not 100% set in stone, so I call her Baby J.  I have lots and lots of pink scraps in my stash and this is a perfect time to use them up.  So last night, I made Baby J some bibs:

And, I can’t wait to give them to her.  I will be taking them with me today to the Baby Shower for Baby Maxton! 

I also received a couple goodies (non fabric) in the mail this week.  I received a bobbin case to store my bobbins, and also a free motion quilting foot for my machine.  This is super exciting and I am really looking forward to practicing my skills.  I also ordered some hexagon templates!  That is really what I am sooo excited about, and honestly, I am holding myself back from starting a project them.  Here is the set I purchased:

I got all those templates for something like $15!!  I was can’t wait to cut into some fabric!!

This week my plan is to work more on some charm pack quilt tops waiting to be sewn together in my WIP box.  Also, I want to make some burp clothes for Baby J.  And this weekend, I will be finishing Brianna’s quilt.  Lots to do!!! 

Be Blessed today!

Keep Simply Delighting!!

“The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”  Psalm 119:130

Sewing Saturday!

Today has been such a great day.  After a week that seemed like it would never end, I spent the ENTIRE day just sewing.  I finished up a few projects on my WIP list and organized my stash.  It felt sooo good!!  So….here is what the day consisted of:

1. Chelsea’s Charm Pack Quilt–this project almost was a no go.  Last night I added the sashing around the sides and quilted it but made a major error (which I will spare you the details) because I am such a new quilter but this morning, I started the day off determined to salvage and conquer the project.  And, I did.  And I love it, flaws and all, and Chelsea, one of my best friends, will too.  Take a look:

The finished size is 58 x 38. 

You can see the beginning of this quilt in the post A little of this, a little of that.

2. I finished 2 bibs and 2 burp cloths for Baby Maxton.  I think they turned out great.  Here they are:

Bibs

Burp Cloths

3. I also finished Baby Maxton’s quilt but haven’t posted any pics…so here are some:

Front

Back

Finished Size is 54 x 54.  You can see the start of the project at my post Burmuda Monkeys!

4. I started a new project with one of the charm packs I received the other day.  Check out the original photo in my older post This and That.  Here is a photo of the start of this project…I just sewed all of the squares together in twos:

5. I started working on again on my Shortcake quilt, using strictly stash fabrics.  One of things I dislike about quilting is cutting, and so after a little bit of frustration, I decided to call it a day and start fresh tomorrow working on that WIP. 

Lastly, I have a confession.  I mentioned in my post This and That that I was making a declaration that I was not going to buy any more fabric (unless it was for a WIP) until all my WIPs were finished.  Well, I was on the phone to my friend Josh and mentioned that I found this fabric on sale and couldn’t resist and he busted me.  So…I promised him I wouldn’t buy anymore.  Then today, I get an email from Craftsy that had charm packs closeouts for $3 and I couldn’t resist.  So, once again…I am not making any more purchases until my WIP is done!

Stay tuned tomorrow for an updated WIP list and a yummy recipe. 

Remember that you can sign up for email updates to Simply Delighting and be sure to follow me on Twitter.  You can do both of those things by checking out the links on the right!

Keep Simply Delighting!

This and that…

It feels like forever since I have sat down to blog…even though it’s only been a couple of days!  I forgot how much I loved to blog.  I wish so much that I could have salvaged all of my posts from the other site.   I had probably over 50 posts of different recipes and lots of great pictures…namely of the Great Cookie Bake of 2010 with my Mom.  That was the year that we made over 65 dozen cookies in a little over 4 days.  It was crazy!  I am sure a lot of you can relate to the feeling of a never-ending to do list.  Well, I confess that I struggle greatly with balance in life.  Sometimes when I go quilt crazy I neglect my home and it turns into a disaster area.  When that happens, it’s so hard for me to relax and I end up feeling guilty for doing something that I love (quilting, cooking, baking, blogging, etc) because I feel like I should be cleaning and straightening up.  So..these last few days, I have done just that.  I am sure I am not the only person that struggles with this issue….so please, if you do as well, leave me some feedback and we can keep each other accountable!

I have a couple little tidbits to share, although like I said, I haven’t been doing much sewing or cooking.  It’s been crazy hot here again and so cooking goes out the window.  I did manage to sew a little tonight.  I started out making a changing pad for Baby Maxton out of the left over Urban Zoologie fabric I have, but it didn’t look quite right so I ended up making a pillowcase out of it…which turned out super cute.  Check it out:

Also, I received a nice surprise in my mailbox today.  I have recently become a great fan of charm packs.  Craftsy has great deals all the time.  If you haven’t checked out their deals, do so!  This is what I happily received today:

Benartex Crazy Daisy Fabrics

Benertex Sweet Shoppe Calico and Candies by Michele D’Amore

I have a couple of people in mind for this fabric to make throw size quilts.  But, before I do, I must finish my other projects.  I am making myself…starting right here, right now, that I am not buying any more fabric unless it is to finish a project already started, and I am not starting any new projects until all of my WIPs are done.  You all are my witnesses! 

I have fabric for a couple bibs cut and ready to sew, and it’s my plan for this week to finish up Chelsea’s charm pack quilt (need to add the sashing, baste, quilt and bind) and give it to her next week.  She is one of my best friends, and I can’t wait for her to see it.  Along with that, I am going to keep working on odds and ends for Baby Maxton. 

Lastly, I have been asked by some of my readers that followed me way way way back when I first started Simply Delighting in 2010 to include more food posts.  I am going to post a poll and let my readers decide.  Do you want more food posts?  Are my posts too much about quilting?  You decide, and then I’ll decide what I want to do!

Be blessed!

Lofty Ambitions

So I feel like it’s confession time. 

The truth is that I have only ever had one real quilting lesson, that lesson was about cutting fabric and piecing.  That’s it.  Anything else I have learned about quilting, binding, fabric, patterns etc…it’s been from you tube videos, blogs, Google searches and magazines.   Add to that my limited amount of knowledge about sewing, and sometimes the outcome of a project…well..let’s just say my lack of experience shows. 

Example…yesterday.  I made a baby bib and threw it away.  It. was. awful.  There were so many mistakes and it just was awful.  I have never thrown away a project EVER…quilting or otherwise.

But, the good news is…I have made some other super cute things!!  I made 2 cute bibs and a burp cloth.  Check them out!

I am pretty pleased with how those projects turned out. 

Today, I am hoping to start quilting Baby #1’s quilt.  We found out Thursday that my niece is really only having one baby.  I am also going to look at my collection of stash fabrics to organize/prioritize my WIP list…AGAIN. 

Be blessed today!

 

WIP List Update

Sooo…today is the big day that my niece finds out what Twin Baby #2 will be!  Accordingly, I need to adjust my WIP list for July.  But first, here is a picture from this morning.

My cat Milly, ready to help cut some fabric!

Updated WIP list for July (Updates in blue):

1. Twin Baby #1 quilt–quilt top done, just need to baste, quilt and bind!

2. Twin Baby #2 quilt-as soon as we find out what the gender is, fabric will be ordered!

3. Bibs for Twin Babies-new addition to the list!  Some bibs have been cut, just need to sew and quilt and finish, and then make some more!

4. Chelsea’s Charm Pack quilt-need to get the neutral sashing and backing and then add sashing, baste, quilt and bind

5. Brianna’s quilt-need to seam rip the outer sashing and find  and add new sashing, which will also be the same material as the backing and binding…then baste, quilt and bind

6. Finish Shortcake quilt-this is a long shot…we’ll see if there is time.

Be looking for more updates this weekend!  I plan to finish at least one of these WIPs this weekend!!!

Be blessed today!