January Goals

I am a goal setter, list maker type of person. I love the beginning of the year when we think about what we want to accomplish this year. I have some attainable goals and some pretty lofty ones this year. I decided to share them with you to help me keep accountable. But I have broken some of them up into monthly goals - cause then the time frame is so close, it makes me want to get them done!

1. I have plans to finish this quilt. The top is done, and I just bought the backing this week. So my plan is to get it all quilted up before the end of January. This one I am sure will get done because my boy keeps asking me when I am going to do it!

2. I want to get my Kaleidoscope quilt top sewn together.  I have all the blocks done and trimmed just need to sew them together. I hope to have this done by the end of January.

3. Another January goal is to finish my Sugar Snow quilt from my new Vintage Quilt Revival Book. I have most of the star blocks done, but I need to get some more backing fabric. I am doing a post about them later this week. You've probably seen photos of these on Instagram.

4. This last one is a year goal. I having been saving all the money that I get from doing alterations and other sewing for people to get a long arm quilting machine. I have quite a bit saved up, but still have a long way to go! But I want to get better at my machine quilting. I got these books for my birthday and christmas this year, I have been practicing on my home machine for now.

5. I want to make more quilt for others this year. I have plans for a wedding quilt for my sister and if I can a baby quilt for another sister.

These are my goals for January and the year as far as sewing goes. I have some other personal ones like eating better, and spending more time with my family.

What are your big plans for the month or for the year? Anything great you want to accomplish?

Enjoy!

Christmas Tree Runner

Today I have a special treat for you! This super cute Christmas Tree Table runner. I am still trying to decide if I will keep this or sell it. Decisions, decisions!! And yes my table is super glossy!

I got the idea from Pinterest, of course! I didn't really need a pattern, I just cut some trees out of green and then the trunk out of brown. I appliqued them onto cream and sewed the red strip around it. Then it sat in my sewing room for a couple of months. We all get projects like that right?!

But once December hit, I busted it out again and added the final cream border and then quilted it up. I absolutely loved quilting this - I think that I could machine quilt all day long! I did pebbles under the trees - kind of like rocks, and then swirls in the middle, with lines on the outside. Simple but perfect!

I think I have mastered the swirls, but those pebbles were a little bit tricky at first, but overall I really like how it turned out!

And all beautiful with my ornament lantern in the middle of it.

I even love the back. Oh, and I quilted straight lines on the trees to just give them a little something extra. I wanted the straight lines to offset all the swirls and pebbles.

And isn't it just beautiful?! Really I do love this, but I don't have a need for it so I will probably list it in my Etsy shop. That is if I get any free time before Christmas!

I hope that you are all enjoying this season, I am off to bake some more cookies for my kids school parties tomorrow!

Enjoy!

Patriotic Table Runner - Done!

This year I am trying to give the gift of handmade for Christmas. I already posted about the Happy Birthday banners that I gave most of my siblings. (I already gave it to them and some of their kids opened it - so it will not be a surprise!) Today I have a table runner that I am giving to my military neighbors. I have shared the top before, but now it is all done and fabulous!!

I have been practicing my free motion quilting - in hopes that someday I will have saved enough to buy a long arm! Here is is:

I made up the pattern off of something I saw on Pinterest. I didn't get my measurements quite right, but it still looks great I think! Here is a close of up one of the smaller stars. I did kind of a echoing star pattern on them.

I did the figure 8 motion on the stripes and kind of a wave pattern on the cream border.

On the back it looks a little crazy! But when will you see the back!?

Here is one of the two big navy squares. This is where the echoing star pattern looks really good. I started this and had to unpick half of it before I figured it out - not the funnest thing I did!

And then the pinwheel. I did a zig-zag kind of thing in the navy and then pebbles in the white and red parts. I really like the pebbles. They look great, but take a little while!!

And then one last view of this beautiful quilt before I wrap it all up to give to my neighbors!

Off to do some more sewing and crafting before the kids are on their Thanksgiving break!

Enjoy!

Modern Peas & Carrots

Here is my latest quilt. I really love this one! I will be listing it in my Etsy shop today if you want to make it yours!! I will also have the pattern available by the end of the week - hopefully!! ;)

I am calling this Modern Peas & Carrots.

The fabric comes from the line Peas & Carrots that is a couple of years old. And a few other pieces I used to add to the orange variety! Which really gives the quilt that extra pop! In those orange areas I did these figure 8 sort of things when I quilted it.

I alternated using blue and green blocks, which I really loved! When I quilted it I did a swirl design (you might have seen upclose versions on Instagram). I became very good at those swirls!

I used Kona cotton in cream for the sashing. I quilted it with triple bubbles. Not sure how I feel about them, but they work well for the space they are in.

For the binding I looked for what seemed like forever to find something and everything I bought on line just was not right (now I have quite the stash of different kinds of orange!). But then the other day I was at JoAnn's and found the prefect one!

For the back I used some long measuring tape prints from the line on either side with the cream in the middle. I have never done something besides plain on the back of a quilt and I have to say I love it! My husband even commented on it, that he had not seen me do something like this before and he liked it too!

All folded with a back view.

Here it is all folded waiting to go to its new owner!

And just one more view of it because it is so pretty, and because my husband was so nice to hold it up for my on his lunch break in the wind while I tried to get a good picture!!

Again I hope to have the pattern for you by the end of the week, but if you want you can get this quilt here.

Enjoy!

Free Motion Quilting

I finished my first quilt that I did free motion quilting that was not a stipple pattern! I tried out swirls and some new loops and I am pretty happy with the results! I will have more pictures later this week, but I just had to share this with you today I was so excited about it!!

I ordered this book and I have loved it! It gave me confidence to try something new on my latest quilt. And I have to say it turned out wonderful! But I do miss the ease of quilting on a frame. Makes me more determined to save more for my long arm!

If you are thinking about getting this book, I highly encourage you to do so. It will help you take your quilting to the next level. And she explains everything very well and the illustrations are fabulous!

I just finished sewing the binding on this quilt and I hope to have the pattern up for you on Friday! so be sure and check back for it!!

AND do forget to go and comment on my other post for a chance to win the traveling stash!

Enjoy!