Work in Progress Wednesday

Another week....another project not finished ..haha!!

But it has been a busy week, on lots of different fronts. But I did manage to get some quilting time too.

The magic 4 patch is still in the works....

I really love these colors. They are so soft and pretty.

I spent some time working on the free motion quilting for the "Kiss the Frog" that I made just for me...
 I only have enough pins to baste 2 quilts, so that forces me to get busy and do some quilting !!  So now only  the binding left to do on this pretty little one!

I also have another tote bag in the works. This one is bigger...called a Day-tripper bag. Also a pattern from a magazine.(Izzy & Ivy Design)  Also made from home decorator fabric. I love those heavier fabrics for tote bags, it gives them a bit more durability.This one is quite stiff, and has Buckram instead of batting in the layers.

Now I need to find some pretty large buttons for the closure loops....maybe I will go check out Button Mad, they have such cool handmade buttons there.

Projects that are still sitting, and waiting patiently are "Java" and "Daydream"  But...
I had to buy (yes..I had to!) some more fabric. I ordered from 1 choice 4 quilting.com.

They had some good sales on, and were so friendly to deal with. Now I am watching my mailbox!!

My Lady's Slipper

No, not a glass slipper, a little yellow Lady's Slipper.....it is actually part of the orchid family. When I was a little girl I used to see these growing wild in a valley near our farm. So when I saw this in the garden center a few years ago I had to have one.   OK $17 is outrageous to pay for a little 2" bedding plant ...I know! I did it anyway.

I have been pampering this little thing along for 3 years now....well, trying...my DH dumped a wheelbarrow full of dirt on top of it last year....but I was very quick to dig it out! And it appreciated the effort, because it survived. I am always amazed that anything can survive over winter here...it went down to minus 51 degrees last winter (with the wind chill...and only briefly !!) but it survived that too.

And now.....

isn't it beautiful? So worth the $17!!

I think Miss Piggy is watching over it now!

gathered bag

This week I took a break from finishing up quilt tops ( I know..another break!!) and made a fun bag. It was a pattern from a magazine. (designed by Laundry Basket quilts)

It went together very quickly too. I used heavier upholstery fabric. The local Fabricland has a whole wall of end of the roll sale fabric, and it is very wide, so great for larger projects. This bag is about 18" wide, so a good size.

The only thing I would change if I made this again is the way the lining was finished...
The pattern said to quilt the layers first, then cut it out. But of course I cut out the pieces first and then quilted then together because I didn't read the whole instruction page first !  But anyway, I got to the same place : )
Then after you sew the bag together you use bias binding to finish the seam on the inside. It looks OK, but not  finished as smoothly as I would like (coming from a clothing background I guess) but ok for a tote bag.

There is also a finishing touch of a little gathering on the front. I used a coordinating piece of cording, which of course presented some challenges. First of all it was like trying to push a wet noodle through that little pocket! Secondly, I tried to melt the ends with a match because they were unraveling...  warning....do not try this at home....it doesn't melt, it lights on fire!!!  So once I stomped out the fire (kidding) I wound the ends with crochet cotton. Hope it holds!

Work in Progress Wednesday

Another Wednesday already !!

Time is just flying by.....and although I seem to have been busy, I really haven't accomplished a whole lot.....or maybe I just can't find it!!  And yes, that is a golf club you see there.. I have to add some elastic to the Sunflower cover because it keeps falling off when I am walking the golf course!

I know, I have to clean up my sewing room! But it is an organized mess, really!
What is under there? Well, Daydream is basted and ready to quilt, you can just see the orange colored backing in there somewhere. It is a big quilt, so I need a good stretch of time to start quilting this one.

You may recognize the "Kiss the Frog" quilt....well, I liked it so much I have made one for myself! This one to keep! There are a few changes, but pretty much it is the same quilt.
(can you spot them ?? sort of like trying to find Waldo, right??)

I have also started the "Magic 4 patch" quilt kit made from Buttercup by Moda.  Now I need to cut this all up into pieces and sew it back together again! Love these soft colors!

Wow what a giveaway!

Well, my "operating system" seems to have found its way home! Not sure what that was all about, but needless to say I backed everything up on an external hard drive........  Which I know you are supposed to do regularly, but I seem to only do it when I get a scare that something is going wrong! Oh well, maybe this was just a reminder glitch.

Speaking of finding...I found an amazing giveaway at 1 choice 4 quilting.  You really have to check this one out....it is a whole bag full of goodies. And they have a big fabric sale too.

 I mentioned this blog last week when they were doing a giveaway...and I actually won a jelly roll of "Warm Memories" from Kansas Trouble Quilters by Moda.

I have just the quilt in mind for this little baby...stay tuned.  Meantime, I am going to browse around the sale at 1 choice 4 quilting!! I know that I need to finish other things, but really, once I am finished I will need something to work on, right???

What does that even mean??

When I got up this morning and turned on my laptop, it told me....

"Operating System Cannot be Found"

what does that even mean.?????..except that it is Monday morning, and seems to be off to a good start!!
It cant be good, that's about all I can say!

So I shut my laptop down, and went to work! I will see if it is in a better mood when I get home.  Keep your fingers crossed that it can find its way to the operating system by then!

Batting scraps

I know most quilters have trouble throwing out any scraps...I even keep scraps of batting !!

But I have found that they work great for making bags...small bags..
I have made a lot of these Buttercup bags....

It is a free pattern from Made by Rae. Really cute, and very easy. I added a zipper closure to mine, though.
I love these because they are great for fat quarters...one for the outside of the bag, and one for the lining.

I find that those scraps of batting are great for these....I sew it to the lining...and those long skinny bits are great for the handle straps..

It is also a great way to practice some free motion quilting...

and really....doesn't matter if you make mistakes here because it is going to be covered by the pocket on the inside anyway : )  Really !

And now I have found a new favourite bag....

It is another free pattern called the Phoebe Bag....by Rebeka Lambert over at Artsy Crafty Babe ...which is a very fun blog too!
I love this bag! It is even easier than the Buttercup, so goes together really quickly, and is a bit bigger. (although I think that the Buttercup bag comes in a larger size as well) My daughters, who each have a few of the Buttercup Bags, are already putting in requests!!  Great bag..thanks Rebeka!

..and if you look closely you can see one of those great buttons from Australia  (from Jan-Maree at Cherry Red Quilter) on this bag...perfect !!