Finish It Up Friday

Just a quick share for today....finished the Single Girl wall hanging.  I love the quilting!  I can't wait to make a great big quilt using this pattern :o)

I'm linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday!!  Take a look at some other great finishes :o)

WIP Wednesday

Wednesday again??  Where does the time go these days??  Last week was spring break for my girlies, so I didn't get a whole lot done with regards to quilting.  We had a great week, even though I still had to work most of the week.  It was nice not having to chase after school papers, homework, lunches, deadlines, study for upcoming tests, and all that *fun* stuff!

So, last night, after the girlies were in bed, I went to my sewing room to start working on a few things!  I FINALLY got my Swoon quilt top put together...that sucker is a monster!  With borders, it's 90 inches square and fits my bed perfectly!  I think I am going to be using Bamboo batting on this one since it's going on my bed.  I know it's a little more expensive than cotton, but it feels SOOO much better and if it's going on my bed, I want a squishy quilt :o)

I have made SLOW progress on my EPP.  I think I am up to 49 stars, with 6 more waiting to be attached.  I draped it over my bed....it's still only 1/2 way done, I think.  I'm not getting tired of it, but just would like it to go faster!

These last 3 I am planning to work on for the Siblings Together camp program.  They were just random WIPs...the last 2 have been completed tops for well over a year just sitting around doing nothing!  This hexagon top would be a fun quilt for an older girl.  Anyway, if you haven't seen what Siblings Together is all about, head on over to Lily's Quilts to check out the details! My only question is can I deliver these in person, lol!

This is my quilting buddy :o)  She does not let me out of her sights for long, so I put her bed in my sewing room and she will come in there and sleep until I shut down...it was so sweet!

Linking up to Freshly Pieced:

Why Do You Quilt?

I have been wrestling with this question lately...I LOVE to sew, LOVE to quilt, LOVE fabric.  But sometimes I feel like a hoarder...gathering fabrics, quilts stacking up in the corner living room basket and linen closet, making wall hangings and table runners to decorate the house.  I was reading a well-timed post today over at Lily's Quilts.  This post just spoke to my heart.

A little about me...my siblings and I have had a rough childhood.  My older sis is 15 months older than I, my half-sis is 8 years younger, and my half-brother is 10 years younger. I haven't seen my brother since he was 3...20 years now.  Breaks my heart just realizing how long it's really been.  My little sister and I have re-connected, although it's still awkward.  My older sister is my best friend, we can finish each other's thoughts.  But I moved away in 9th grade...we have spent so many years apart.  I hope I'm not rambling too much, but it just takes a toll on a person emotionally.  The years apart have definitely left holes in me.  I have regrets, too.  I didn't fight harder to not be sent away.  Not sure that would have mattered at all, but I should've tried.  I hope that one day I will be able to re-connect with my brother.  I know this might be hard for some people to understand, especially since some just don't have the same baggage.

All this to say....what a wonderful opportunity to send quilts to this organization, Siblings Together, who seeks to offer a positive environment for siblings who have been separated by the care system to re-connect.  They provide camps for these sweet little ones, who have been bounced around in the care system.  I think my quilts would have a lot more meaning going to one of these kids than being just another one on my Finished List. I am so excited to be a part of this!

Do you have quilt tops just hanging around, piling up on the WIP list like I do??  Would you consider joining in the fun??  I hope you will consider it, join the flickr group, and become part of something worthwhile!

Sock Monkeys and Bow Ties

I feel like the title of this post should be a song in "The Sound of Music"!!  Anyway, I have been making some random projects lately.  My girlies are on spring break this week and Thursday we spend a good 2 hours making sock monkeys!  I bought these funky striped knee socks last year on clearance for about a dollar per pair.  I had intended to make the sock monkeys for Christmas...but time got away from me (typical).  But you know, it was much more fun making them together...my girlies are so proud of them!  I did the sewing and they did the stuffing (which is why no 2 body parts are equally stuffed, but adds to the charm!)  They are so very much NOT perfect, but we had a blast making them :o)

I am also super late getting these bow ties finished up for my sweet nephew who just turned 9. Boys in bow ties are just adorable...gives them the perfect Dennis the Menace quality!  And bow ties are just perfect for spring!

Nothing quilty to post today...although I sure was hoping to have some more finishes to show.  I have been engrossed in my EPP project.  The going is slow, but I am determined to see it finished soon!

WIP Wednesday

I've been working on a few things this week...not as much as I would like, but I spent most of my Saturday deep cleaning my living room.  I hate to clean, but it had to be done!  I'm trying to deep clean one room a week, just a few hours of time, and then I can start summer with a sparkly house :o)

I decided to turn my scrappy giant hexagons into a wall hanging for my sewing room.  I got it quilted last night and now just need to figure out how to bind it??  I think I need to use a bias binding, but I have never done that before.  I'm going to try to get that done this week!

Cute little hands holding my project....love her!

I also played around with more of those pretty giant hexagons.  I found this Sugar Pop layer cake on clearance at my local quilt shop...so I thought I would try to make my hexagon quilt with it.  It took about 30 minutes to cut out, and 2 hours to piece.  Not gonna lie, for the size, it is a little time-consuming to put together...but soo worth it!  I really like how it turned out!  I don't think I am going to square it off...what do yall think?

Sugar Pop Hexagon quilt measures about 45 inches by 60 inches

Lastly, here is my EPP progress.  I'm up to 42 stars now!  I still feel like I have a ton to go on it.

See what others are working on at Lee's at Freshly Pieced!

 

Giant Scrappy Hexagons

I have oodles of scraps...like almost everyone else who sews!  I have a love/hate relationship with them though.  I hate the thought of throwing them away but I hardly ever use them.  I almost always use new cuts of fabric for new projects.  However, I LOVE scrap quilts ~ string quilts, postage stamps, you name it.  I love them all, admire them, pin them to my Pinterest boards for future reference.

So, I think I found something I would actually like doing with my scraps!  I bought this great hexagon template from Tabslot a while back...Jill designed it just for me *smile*  I wanted a hexagon big enough that I could use it to cut layer cakes without much waste.  So this baby measures 10 inches, point to point.   It's huge...and what a great way to use up some scraps!  So I sewed some strips together and started cutting...this is what I have so far!

These puppies are entirely machine-pieced...and I was too anxious to try this method that I only made 7 hexies!  The best part of this is that this 7 piece unit measures about 24 inches across and 30 inches down the center!  Not bad for only 7 pieces.  After seeing how easy it was to do, I cut an entire layer cake that I have been dying to work with...as if I needed another WIP on the list.  I am planning to have that one sewn together tonight and will post pics tomorrow for WIP Wednesday...hopefully I can have a Finished Friday post sometime soon...sheesh!!

FMF Fat Quarters Winner!!

Thank you for all who participated in my very first giveaway!!  

I will be contacting you today!  Again, thanks to all who participated!!

Flea Market Fancy ~ Giveaway

I am excited to have my first giveaway today!! I have been in love with Denyse Schmidt's fabrics ever since FMF came out.  So glad they re-printed some of that line for us!  I am giving away 5 fat quarters!!  One of the prints, the pink floral, is currently out of print and was not part of the re-printing, sad to say.

Enter to Win!!

Here's how:

1. Simply leave a comment here in this post telling me which is your favorite FMF fabric.

OPTIONAL SECOND and THIRD ENTRY:

2.  Become a follower and leave me a comment telling me! 


3.  Share about this giveaway on your blog, facebook, twitter, and leave me a separate comment telling me! 
That’s 3 possible entries! Enter now through Tuesday morning, March 20th. A winner will be selected using random.org and will be posted on Tuesday morning!
 
This giveaway is open to EVERYONE! If you're a "no-reply" commenter, please include your email address in your comment so that I can contact you should you win! International folks are welcome!!
 

Good Luck everyone!!!

March Madness - College Tuxedo Bow Headband Tutorial

Don't know about yall, but March Madness is an exciting time in the South!!  It's fun to fill out brackets and try to predict the winner...my hubs and I have filled them out every year we've been married (almost 14 years!)  The first few years, I had no idea who anyone was...and I always chose the best bracket :o)  We are NC State fans and getting into the Big Dance doesn't always happen...SO glad we got in this year!!

One of the headbands I make for Sweet and Sassy are these college hairbows...and I love them!

Materials:

hot glue gun
heat sealing tool (lighter, wood burner, etc)
needle and thread
3/8" grosgrain ribbon to wrap your headband
7/8" grosgrain ribbon of alternating color for bow
college ribbon*
1/4" plastic headband*

*I get asked a LOT where I get my college ribbon....eBay.  I have bought 99.9% of my college ribbon from eBay.  Not all colleges have ribbon available, some are pretty funny about copyrights.  I also buy my plastic headbands from eBay as well.  They also sell toddler sized headbands, which are about 12 1/2" end to end...perfect for little heads!

Here we go!

1. Wrap your headband with the 3/8" grosgrain ribbon.  I always start it at an angle and just wrap around.  Heat-seal each end and hot glue one end of the ribbon to the headband.  I leave a tail, as this will wrap around the end of the headband once I am done wrapping the whole thing.

 Wrap ribbon around the headband on an angle

Heat-seal the ribbon end before gluing it around the end of the headband.

2.  Cut a piece of your college ribbon that includes the mascot and the logo about 1 inch away from each of the printed squares.

3.  Heat-seal each ribbon end and fold ends toward the center.  Sew together as shown.

4.  Take an 8 inch piece of your 7/8" grosgrain ribbon and heat-seal the ends.  Sew together the same way as the college ribbon.

5.  Stack the college bow on top of the color bow and glue together.

6. Put a bead of glue on the part of the headband you want the center of your bow.  Press your bow into place onto the headband.

7.  Use a small piece of 3/8" ribbon to wrap around the center of the bow...starting at the back on the headband and wrapping all the way around to the other side.  Make sure you heat-seal each end of the ribbon, and don't accidentally burn a hole in your bow!  Been there, done that :o)

Finished!  I hope this was a helpful tutorial for you to show your team spirit!