Here I am finally getting around to sharing a couple of finished UFO's

A wall hanging designed by Natalie Bird

A DNP made from two Thimbleberries charm packs.

So far I have managed to tick 5 UFO's of my list this year:O) Thank you to everyone for sharing your UFO's too it's encouraging to see such lovely work keep it up!

Blessings 

Michelle

Raggedy Friends # 19

Last year Kaaren at The Painted Quilt gave us Raggedy & Friends as a free BOM... (it is still there on her sidebar) (Kaaren is having a major health issue so if you go by wish her well while you are there)

Two friends were having a clean out of their Country fabrics and I new that was exactly what I wanted for my quilt.  The quilt started and finished as a learning quilt.....

I have long admired redwork stitchery and started doing this BOM as a way of improving my backstitch and also learn to piece smaller blocks......and last week I practiced and practiced my Free Motion Quilting.....

Now there are loads of mistakes.... and I have learnt lots through this process..... but I love this quilt... it is soft and cuddly, warm and snuggly and it's staying at my house.....

There was enough fabric to piece the back

(I made the back in March - and stitched the date into it then)

finished with a scrappy binding using the same fabrics

I filled it with practice FMQ (4 bobbins later)

the quilt measures 142cm x 170cm (52" x 67")

my stitching did improve as I went along.... 

I think this is my favourite block.....

gotta love a rolled up quilt....

This is another tick off my UFO list ...

yay, yay, yipppee yay

I did say it was a learning process..... so some of my lessons:

• Don't use too flimsy a fabric for doing the stitcheries on
• Have one stitch meet exactly at the point of the previous stitch
• Do use a stabiliser on the back (my red threads do show through)
• A loose weave fabric does loose it's shape thus making it hard to have good points
• You can do FMQ on a small domestic machine (I don't even have the longer shaft)
• I still need more practice but I am getting there

An Empty Box!!

I store my UFO's in pretty boxes on the shelves above my cutting table.

I am delighted to be able to say that "One Box is Empty" and I have finished  UFO No 9#

                                                                          Taa Dah!!!

You can read more on my blog  http://maria-lifeontheblock.blogspot.com/

Would be happy for you to visit.

Angels Story Table Runner

Well here it is Finish #3 for me for this challenge, this is the table runner from An Angels Story by Anni Downs.  This wasn't on my original Sew Its Finished list, only because I couldn't find it back at the start of the year to add it to my list!  But now it's found and finally quilted and finished after lurking in a drawer for a couple of years.

There have been some lovely finishes here lately ladies, thanks for the inspiration ............. catch you later ...............

Nicky

http://farmgirlstitching.blogspot.com/

Conquering my fear of Curves!!

Have you ever made a quilt block with curves that ended up looking like a "B" cup? I did. Once. About 6 years ago. And I have not bothered to give it a try since. Until now! I am hooked! At AccuQuilt's Let's Go! Retreat earlier this month in Fremont, Nebraska, USA, one of the classes they taught used the "Drunkard's Path" die to cut out the blocks.

Finally! Smooth cuts, perfect curves, a little notch in the center to line up the pieces, and the blocks nearly made themselves!  (This sounds like a commercial for AccuQuilt, doesn't it?)  In fact, the blocks went together so quickly, that the retreat hosts, Country Traditions, allowed those who finished a quilt top to actually machine quilt them on one of their Handi-Quilter longarm machines there at the shop. I finished my quilt top, (56" x 56"), took them up on their offer, and I machine-quilted it before dinner in time for "Sew & Tell"!  I was able to put the binding on and finish the hand-stitching on the long drive back home from the retreat.  Another UFO down!!  (66 to go...)

I am cured! I love these curves! Everything fits together without hills and valleys. And it appears that the design possibilities are endless. Have you made a quilt with curves? How do you feel about them?  I will definitely try this again!

Quiltscapes Quilting

Finish #1... It Suits Me

I set a goal of Father's Day to finish this commission project, made from the suit jackets and pants of my customer's father-in-law... Full story blogged here.

On to project #2...

A quilt done.... # 18

Sometimes a UFO is a nice quick easy one... and I have managed to get lots of them out the way this year.... this month I finished a bigger project... yay...... skip, skip.....

This is a quilt from a kit using fabric by Robert Kaufmann and a design by Amy Schimler called Animal Junction:

The colours are much more vibrant than it seems in the picture

squares on squares and cutting up a panel of the animal prints

I had fun with the back too 

simple straight line quilting to highlight the blocks....

..... I am very happy with this finish ....



Number 4......so soon!!!!

Here 'tis.....my fourth finish......and I don't know how it happened!!!   I've been in such a drought lately and all of a sudden......finish after finish!!!  I'm loving it!

You can read all about my Vintage Turnover Quilt here.

Hope your week is full of finishes!

Sew many sugary hugs

XX Wendy :O)

Finish Number 3

I'm a little slower than a lot of you, but I'm using my knee as an excuse!!!  ( and I'm sure I'll find many more of these when I go back to work!!! ) LOL
I'm still really pleased though that I have another UFO ticked off my list.....slowly but surely they say.....and it feels like such an accomplishment to watch them float out of the 'pile'!
I hope you like my 'Hydrangea Heaven' Table Runner, that I had first begun as a kit in late 2009, as much as I do.   

You can see more photos of it on my blog -  http://sugarlanequilts.blogspot.com

Now, it's on to thinking about number 4!!!

Sugary hugs
Wendy :O)

Finally finished another project

Ladies, please add another number to my slow growing list. It's taken me 3 years to complete this very pink quilt for my daughter. She now has the pleasure of being snuggled underneath it tonight.
I've backed it in Polar Fleece to save money and to keep it warm for winter.
Of course it needed a label to remind us how LONG it took me and also to cover a small flaw in the fabric.

Thank you to everyone for your lovely posts that helps encourage me to keep trying to make time to complete my UFOs. Now what else can I complete off my list?

One Quilt finished, One Bear Finished

Beatrice Bear is finally completed.  She has been on my list for some months, but something always got in the way of working on her.  Finally she has become part of our family.  Designed by Debbie Magee of Always Stitchin' - just love her dolls.  Here she is:

On the weekend I put together this Shaggy, Scrap Quilt.  It was a quick one to do.  Had the squares cut out some months ago.  Decided yesterday to get going on it and I managed to complete it.  I was watching the Dvd of To Kill A Mockingbird and managed to get all the edges cut.  It is now in the dryer getting "fluffed up"!!

So two more finishes for 2011.  Yeh!!

Cheers

Marg

Second finish

How long has a WIP got to be stashed away for it to become a UFO? I suppose as long as it is stashed away for a while then it adds up to the UFO list. Back in March, I started a purse for Big Boy. And although I made good progress and it came along quickly, I didn't finish it there and then. I only had the binding and zip to sew on for it to be finish but I didn't. Maybe because I am always slightly nervous when it comes to the zip. Anyway I promised myself that Big Boy would have his purse to buy his Father's Day present at school so I had to finish it this week-end. I got it out last night and finished it before going to bed. And the zip wasn't so difficult to add in the end!

Big Boy was very happy with his new purse when I showed him this morning!
Celine

A PIF giveaway!

Just wanted to let you all know, I'm having a giveaway on my blog.......I figure I can tell you about it here because it started with my SIF partner Dawn, who Paid It Forward to me and now it's my turn to PIF (pay it forward)

If you'd like to enter.....or just want to know what I'm rambling about!!!......come visit me here.

There are some rules to follow, but they're not too hard and you'll get a great giggle out of it if you 'win', I can assure you!  Just remember, you can only enter via my personal blog.

Competition ends next Friday 10th June AEST
Good Luck!

Sew Many Hugs
Wendy :O) X

Teddy Bear Quilt

I just completed this adorable Blue Teddy Bear quilt. It was a kit someone had sent me and was a breeze to make. The front is just adorable and the back is covered with more Teddy Bears!

I have decided to sell this one on Ebay and list it in my Zibbet shop. A portion of the sales of this in Ebay are going to Victory Junction Gang Camp for terminally ill children.

The proceeds from the sale will go into my postal fund for charity quilts!

#9 Finished!!!!

Yay!!!!!!!!!! I thought it would never get here for awhile there.  With all the work outside now; this took forever to finish...but here it is.  I think I must like green.....lol.  This top has been around for 4-5 years waiting to be quilted. The plain blocks are unbleached cotton; which I love to hand quilt...so easy to work with.  Anyway here are the pic....front, back, and close up of borders and patchy binding...

  

A Soldier's Star

Finished a little table-topper this week - my 19th finish!

A Soldier's Star Table Topper, 22" x 22"

It started as a design for a quilt inspired by my son serving with his army unit in Afghanistan.

I entered it into the AccuQuilt Barn Quilt Design Contest; and it actually won 2nd place in the contest (happy dance)!

Met the great folks from AccuQuilt at Spring Quilt Market held in Salt Lake City, UT last month, where they helped me to spend my winnings on a new Go! Cutter.

Next week AccuQuilt will host an unveiling ceremony where the top two designs will be displayed for the next year on their company headquarters in Fremont, Nebraska. Quilting icon, Eleanor Burns will be there to give a lecture on Barn Quilts in the USA and promote her new pattern book.

It's pretty exciting, and I hope to be able to make the 13-hour drive to attend the unveiling and hang out with Eleanor!

I think it will make a great quilt for my soldier when he returns home!  Now to get busy...

Quiltscapes Quilting