Finish it up Friday - the nursery edition...

... everyone relax, it's not my nursery. I'm not pregnant! I'm talking about the gifts i've been making for a friends nursery! She's due to have a little girl the end of January and while i will be making a quilt for her i wanted some things for the nursery that i could give at the shower next weekend. I started with an easy project, Nova's Nesting Fabric Bowls. And i have to say, if ever you need a quick gift for someone, this is it!

They are super easy to make and the instructions are fantastic! I also love that at the end of the instructions she's given all kinds of tips and ideas to change up the bowls. With necessary instructions! 

I kept things simple for my first time around but i definitely want to try some with a bit of piece work... i'm thinking one of AMH feathers wrapped around a bowl or two! Crap now i want to make one for me! No! After Christmas! (but don't be surprised if i don't listen to myself and just go ahead and make one now!) Sorry, i tend to get distracted easily. 

The instructions called for medium weight interfacing for both the exterior fabric as well as the lining. I didn't use it on the lining for the two smaller bowls just on the exterior fabric and i have to say that it worked great! I actually preferred it without the interfacing on the lining. That being said i did use a heavier interfacing than what was called for. Both the larger bowls had the heavier interfacing for both lining and exterior and it was definitely needed to keep their shape, but i think an even heavier interfacing on just the exterior, or interfacing with some batting and quilting would be perfect!

My friend has painted the nursery a pale aqua and is using grey and lavender as accents. And i have to say, when she told me her colour scheme i totally didn't know what to think. I had a really hard time finding fabrics that i was happy with that didn't read as weird. And that's where the Sarah Jane Children at Play print came in. As soon as i pulled it i knew that it was going to be my jumping off fabric. I then chose the Lizzy House Pearl Bracelet in lilac and the Kona Steel, as well as the little blue pindot which was from Connecting Threads. I was lucky to come across the baby newsprint and the lavender stripe while out shopping with my mom. The newsprint is from the Baby Business line by Jackie Clark for Benartex and the lavender stripe is a Stof quilters basic print. All in all i'm pretty pleased with the resulting colour story! And i hope she will be too!

I also finished up the Noodlehead divided basket for her shower gift. I used the same Kona Steel for the outside, and the newsprint for the pocket.

And again, another superbly written pattern with lots of clear pictures! I made this with the same heavy interfacing as the bowls and only on the exterior fabric. I think i would really like this one with a heavier weight fabric or even quilted. Mine doesn't seem to stand up as well as i would like, but i imagine it will when it's stuffed with assorted baby accoutrements! 

The lining is a super cute Little Golden Books print by Quilting Treasures that i thought was pretty great... i plan on adding in some Little Golden Books into the basket! I'll definitely be posting some pics next week with all the goodies added in! I still have a couple receiving blankets to make and maybe some little booties from AMH's Handmade Beginnings book. We'll see!

I also finished up a couple blocks for my Penny Sampler, which is a good thing. We've started assembling some of our blocks this week! Eep! I guess i really need to finish up the blocks i'm behind on! I did take care of my Stacked Pine block, using the same fabric i used for the trees in my Spruce Forest block but with the fantastical Cloud 9 print that the amazing Gina sent me as the background. (thanks Gina!)

And i finished my set of teacups as well. Using the Flight print from Waterfront Park, i plan on matching my teapot to the set as well and i can't wait to make it, though i think i've said that about most of this quilt!

Cute eh! Well i guess that's about it for today, i have some things on the go that i was hoping to share today but i just haven't had the time to snap some pics... next week!

High fives for the weekend!! Hope you all enjoy it!

xo snips

Linking up with Kristy for her Paper Piecing Party, always awesome over there and of course with Amanda Jean for Finish it up Friday!

Wip Wednesday - the "i should be doing this but instead i'm doing that" edition

So, what should i be doing you ask?... well, let me show you!

Working on this cute little set i'm making for a friends shower gift! She's having a baby girl the end of January and i will be making the little gal a quilt but her shower is the first weekend of November and i just don't have time to get it done for then! So i'm whipping up a set of four fabric nesting bowls from a cuppa and a catch up, as well as a divided basket from Noodlehead.

I have one more fabric bowl to make, the pearl bracelet will be the outside and the lavender stripe will be for the inside. And the divided basket is going to be Kona Steel on the outside with that newsprint fabric for the pocket and i found a cute Little Golden Books print that i'll be using for the inside! I'll share more details along with all modifications when i finish up!

So what have i been working on? Trying to get caught up with my Penny Sampler! I'm five blocks behind on the precise piecing portion of the class and i now need to make two paper pieced teacups and a whole whack of "Penny Squares", little squares that sit above my top row of diamonds as well as being scattered around the quilt in threes.

So i've been in fabric pulling mode! I think i may have already mentioned that i'm super excited to have started the paper piecing portion of this class, but really... how awesome is that little teacup! And how awesome is it going to be made with the gorgeous birds from Waterfront Park! Who wouldn't want a tea service in those birds? The other stacks are for my whirl block and my stacked pine blocks. Now to figure out the fabrics for the rest!

High fives for doing what i want! 

(you know, around the normal quadrillion things i have to do on a daily basis!)

xo snips

Getting my link on with Lee over at Freshly Pieced as always... it's where all the cool kids are!

A little bit of my week...

My main WIP for this week was turning this little stack of lovely...

Into this!

The top row of diamonds for my Penny Sampler! Thanks to everyone last week for your input! The yellow has been switched to shades of blue with a little pop of yellow!

I like them! And i loved making them! It's nice to have moved into the paper piecing portion of this class, i've been eagerly anticipating it!

Here they are in position on my Penny Sampler...

Perfect! (Well, i still need to shift everything over to the left now to fill that gap! The diamonds should be right up against the heart quartet block.) I'm still 5? blocks behind, and i was hoping to knock them out over the last week but that didn't quite happen. I'll get to them soon! I did however get this top finished off...

This one is a commission and not quite my usual fabrics. Don't get me wrong, the Take a Hike line is cute and i do love the prints with the little raccoons but as a whole it's a bit too outdoorsy for me. We're not big on camping over here! But paired with all the grey and in a modern D9P pattern i think it works. Though truth be told, i blindly paired all the blocks together for the whole process then just grabbed and stitched the  rows together. And after seeing it as a whole there are quite a few blocks that would have been better spread out! Oh well, live and learn right! I'm hoping to get the backing for this one made up this weekend, some modern maples will be going on the back... and then to figure out the quilting! Not looking forward to that, this one sizes up at 75" by 105", eep! I hope my little old Ken is ready for this one, time to bust out the crowbar!

I've also managed to finish up all of my little Sarah Jane Out to Sea churn dashes, 

And have begun fussy cutting filler prints for around the churn dash blocks. They all vary in size with the largest being an 8 inch block and the smallest being 3 inches. I was hoping to have this little top finished up this week as well but some things are just way more important! 

 

 Know what i mean?!

You may have also noticed that i've added a new button on my sidebar!... um, yeah... about that, I've decided that one teeny tiny little project added to the list won't really hurt will it?! We made some Penny Patch blocks for our Penny Sampler and as soon as i saw them i new i would eventually like to make a whole quilt out of them. Then when Rachel put together the Penny Patch QAL i thought, hey, why not! Plenty of time to add another to the list! 

So remember the stack i put together for my two little guys birthday quilts? 

Well, i've added in a few more prints and will probably add some more low volumes and make the Penny Patch quilt for Max! (i'll still be using half the stack for Sam's tumbler quilt!) 

So that's that! I think i have just enough time to link up over at Amanda Jeans for Finish it up Friday, and i'm happy to be able to link up something again over at Kristy's PPP!

High fives for getting through a week of high fevers (Sam), barf at the end of my bed (Sam again), learning the word MINE!! (that would be Max), and countless renditions of Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, MOMMY!! (mostly Max, but also Sam... perhaps a couple of them were mine as well, ha!) 

xo snips

Finish it up Friday - the Penny Sampler/ Q4 FAL list edition!

Well now, i'm about to start in again on my Q4 FAL list... do i need to ask if anyone needs to grab a snack, or go pee? I'm pretty sure you all know the drill by now. Though don't be alarmed when you get to the bottom of the list and realize that it's not nearly as long as my Q3 list, this was in fact intentional. There have been a few items that have repeatedly shown up for every list and still have not made it to the finish line. They will not be rolling over this time around. There are also things that i would like to be adding to this list, but with Christmas around the corner, most of my sewing time will be focused on getting gifts made! So without further ado, may i present my Q4 list!

#1.

This lovely Fusion Star block is going to be a nine block quilt... i'm still hoping to get a post of it's own up at some point, so stay tuned for that!.. next week?

#2. DONE!

This stack is for a commission, something quick and easy... and has been sitting for over a month now. I've cut one fat quarter and that's it! My original plan was to do a simple turning 20? pattern ( i have no idea if that's the right name or not) but i just haven't been feeling it. I'm now thinking about using a D9P but with larger starting squares. In this one i started with 5 inch squares, so for this lovely stack of Take a Hike, i'm thinking of starting with a nine inch square and seeing how it goes!

#3.

Kinda forgot i was making this Noodlehead Super Tote, i need to find it and finish it!

#4.

I've had these fabrics pulled for a project since before last Christmas, this year it's getting done! Can't say much about this project except it will be soft and squishy and not a quilt!

#5.

Throwing my little churn dash baby quilt into the running... it's going to finish up at only 36" square and i've almost finished the churn dash blocks so it should be a breeze right!

#6.

This was the very first quilt top i ever made using HST's, long before i realized the importance of squaring them up before sewing them all together! I think i may have just assumed that my cutting and piecing skills were just so phenomenal that everything would line up perfectly! I've never been more wrong. Seriously click the photo and get a good look, i don't think there's one point that lines up to where it should be! I briefly considered taking the whole thing apart and squaring up all the HST's but just couldn't bring myself to do it! I think i'm going to try a bit of FMQ on this one and see how it looks!

#7.

And how about a matching pillow for the previous quilt?!

#8. DONE!

Then there's this little stack. I've had Noodlehead's Divided basket pattern for quite some time now and still haven't gotten around to giving it a go. Now's the time. The fabric has been cut and i'm ready to give it a try, without interfacing... or should i use it? Could i use canvas instead, with a bit of spray adhesive? Anyone ever make one of these before?, tips greatly appreciated! This stack is also going to be used for a set of Nova's Nesting  Fabric Bowls along with some other bits and bobs for a friends nursery.

#9.

And finally something for me! If i can stay on track with my Penny Sampler i should be able to finish it in time...

And that my friends is my list! Easy peasy! Excuse me a second while i wipe the sweat from my brow...

You'll notice that my two biggies over the last few months are absent, Christmas Stars didn't make the cut this quarter, nor did my Indian Summer. No time, Christmas gifts take priority, though if i can squeeze in any time on them i will!

So my finishes for the day are surprise, surprise... blocks for my Penny Sampler! Which i desperately need your help with! Pretty stuff first though!

My Ribbon Square block... love this one and i think i'll be using this block pattern for an up coming project!

 My Jewel block is probably one of my new faves. I just love the colours in it!

I also managed my Hourglass Stacked block.

Which is destined for the seam ripper, along with a few others i might add! Don't get me wrong, i love this block but i didn't fully think through where it was going when i pulled the fabrics for it. It falls between the spruce forest block and the vines block, which is also white. Not working, take a look.

I think i'm going to take out the domino dots and replace them with the grey pearl bracelet from this block... which is also getting the seam ripper, eep! I think the darker grey in between the light grey and white will balance it a bit better... i hope.

This block is under the ripper to get rid of the solid cream patches. Kona Putty... i thought it was going to work with my Penny Sampler but the more i look at it the less i like it.
I've already removed my mitten block which was appliqued onto the same Kona... and i might actually just remake the whole thing. Only time will tell!

So here's where i need help. My Penny Sampler has taken a giant shift from the mood board i created. It's taken on a decidedly more wintery feel and i love it! But now i'm not sure where to go. Here's my original mockup.

All of my diamonds were to be yellow, now i'm not so sure it's going to work with my new crisper, wintery theme. The left hand side diamonds have already been made and i have no problems what so ever taking them apart. I'm thinking the diamonds there need to be a mix of grey and white. Along the top and bottom i'm using Kona PFD for the background and i'm wondering about using blues for the diamonds now. I've also removed the small scale floral print that i was going to use for my teapot and cups, i just don't like it with the new look. It's been replaced with the Flight pattern in luna from Waterfront Park.

Here's where i'm at as of this morning, sorry for the washed out photo! We're about to move into the paper piecing portion of the class and some of the diamonds are the first to make. Do i stick with yellow or change it all? Help!!

Linking up with Amanda Jean and Kelly this week, as well as adding my link into the mix for the Q4 FAL over with Leanne!

High fives for the start of the Q4 FAL!
xo snips

And just because...

And another one done!

Whew, that makes six finishes off my third quarter FAL list! And i have to say, despite starting with a list of 18, having six done is feeling pretty great! So without further ado, here's my 6th Q3 FAL finish!

 This finish was a long time coming (especially considering it was only a little 16? inch pillow). It started with an idea based on the rockets from one of Sarah Jane's Children at Play fabrics, definitely one of my very favorites, The Rocket Launch Club. This print was the jumping off print for both my boys quilts and if i had of been smart i would have ordered yardage of it to make them sheets as well!

And while this is not exactly what i started out to make i'm pleased with how it turned out! The pattern is of course by Kristy of Quiet Play and can be found here in her Craftsy shop. And i thank you again Kristy for designing this awesome rocket for my little guy, he loves it! (and has gone to sleep with it clutched in his hands on his tummy the last two nights!) (and thanks to you too Gina! If it wasn't for you i wouldn't have the pattern!)

My original plan involved his name being worked in there somehow and i just couldn't get it to work the way i wanted. So while sewing up a storm on Saturday i came to the conclusion that i didn't want anything to take away from the cute rocket and it would be best to keep it simple! So that's what i did! A couple of borders around the rocket and an envelope back and done! Now to make a paper airplane pillow for Max!

Well that's it for my FAL list for this round, you know unless i can finish something today... ha just kidding, that's not going to happen!

So for all that missed it, here's my list for this quarter. And here's what i managed to finish off!

Three quilts...

And with Sammy's new rocket pillow that makes three pillows done as well! 

Links for all the projects can be found in my original Q3 list post as well as the tabs up top. Quilts in the quilt section and the pillows fall under the category of "non quilty", which i think i should rename. Any ideas for a short name for everything else i make that isn't a quilt?

Some of the rest of the list will inevitably roll over to Q4 and some i may just back burner until motivation strikes. I have enough wip's on my list that i would like need to get taken care of without stressing about projects that i know i'm not going to get finished!

I have a lot this week that i need to post about, my Q4 list needs to be finalized, i have some Penny Sampler progress and questions that i'm hoping you all can help with but at the same time we're moving into the pre Christmas crunch time where i need to get my "to make" lists finalized and start getting some projects done! So i'm not sure how much i'm going to be able to share around here, unless my family can take a break from reading?! I'll figure something out!

Thanks to Leanne at She Can Quilt for hosting this years Finish A Long, it's been fantastic to have some motivation to help to get these projects finished up! Pop on over to see her finished Orb quilt and her fantastic Granny Squares quilt, both are just gorgeous! And while you're there hit up the links and see what everyone else managed to get done!

High fives for getting some of my wip's finished, 6 down and only 6 hundred to go ;)

Have a great week all! 

xo snips

Take that Q3 FAL list!

That's right i finished up another on my FAL list! My Mom's Road to Tennessee is done and delivered!

And i have to tell ya folks, i'm glad it's done! This one has been back burnered so many times i started wondering if i was ever going to finish it! ( i think my mom had started wondering as well, sorry mom!) I spent so much time worrying about how hard it was going to be to quilt when in reality the quilting was a breeze compared to the binding!

My biggest concern was the floofyness of it. I had picked out this brown Kaufman flannel for the back and my mom had requested a double layer of batting so it would retain the floof. Well i spray basted the crap out of it and i'm happy to report that i didn't have one single pucker or fold! Now i will say that had i of quilted across my vertical lines it would have all gone to pot! So it's a good thing i only planned on doing the vertical quilting. It's the same quilting i did on the last RtT quilt i did and i just love the look of it on the back!

Enough quilting to hold everything together but not so much that it looses the puff, exactly what my mom wanted!

There were a couple of moments during quilting when i thought the pry bar was going to be needed! But i managed to jam it through and i'm quite pleased with it :)

And of course what's a quilt photo shoot without a photobomb!

The minute i spread the quilt out on the ground Max came running and thought it was the coolest thing in the world! And who am i to deny such cuteness a play on my mom's quilt!

Quilt Stats ::

size - forgot to check

fabrics - the solids are all Kona, no idea which ones though.

          - the brown for the diamonds and the green print are from my stash and i've forgotten what they are.

          - the light brown print is a linen cotton blend by Melissa Crowley for Robert Kaufman, i'm pretty sure it's called Floral Outline.

          - backing is Robert Kaufman flannel in solid brown as is the binding (Which was beastly to put on! Sewing through two layers of flannel binding, flannel backing, two layers of batting and the top... needless to say my walking foot was used on this journey and there will be some minor binding fix ups where i didn't quite catch everything when stitching it down!)

So... i guess that's all! I'm hoping to be back again later once i finish up a little paper piecing project.

Until then i'll be linking up with Amanda Jean and perusing all the lovely finishes over at crazy mom quilts!

High fives for a quilt finish! (i'm hoping to get a post up with my full Q3 finishes this weekend, i have until Monday to link up and you never know i may get another one off the list! ha! *snort!)

Happy Friday!

xo snips