Five Shadows

I’m late, I’m late for a very important date!

Actually, I’m not THAT late  …   yet! I offered a Generosity Project on my blog back in June and I stated that I would make a gift before the end of the year! I never thought I would procrastinate on this! But here it is, just days (2!) before the end of the year and I have my projects ready to mail!

Here is a sneak peek:

and here:

I wonder what they are?! I’ll reveal as soon as I hear they have reached there destinations!

Hi Lenna! and Melissa!

Here is my fourth Block of the Month (BOM) for the program sponsored by 3 Creative Studios. I like this block! But I fussy cut the center piece to show off the butterfly instead of cutting and piecing 4 pieces. I’m sticking with the same color-way and will have a nice set of block for a quilt top once this BOM is complete!

If you are not familar with 3 Creative Studios check out their website! They are offering word prompts, BOM, quilt challenges, free projects, classes, and more!

While cleaning out my sewing area - not hardly a studio! But one can dream!  - I found several forgotten unfinished projects. Some dating back at least 12 years! That was my big stitching phase. Big stitching is where you quilt using Chenille needles and floss or Perle Cotton. The stitches are big - 1/4″ or less in length. I’ve decided that I must finish up these quilts!

Yesterday I completed the big stitching on the quilt below, a Fons and Porter pattern. The picture is of the quilt as I found it, can you see the threads hanging in their uncompleted stage? I use a 22″ round frame on a stand. The quilt has to be shifted to complete the quilting as the flags are larger than the 22 inches. It is now stitched and binding is attached, waiting to be stitched down on the back. This quilt is lap size. The rest are wall hanging size - I think there are five more to complete. The plan is to complete these quilts in the beginning of 2010.  I feel a New Year’s Resolution coming on!

is having a giveaway this week! Go check out Judi’s blog for details. She does lovely longarm quilting, designs patterns, and has an online store. She has Hello Betty Retro line of fabric and one of her new patterns, Flower Patch, in her current giveaway!

Have you heard the news? Terry and Sue over at 2 Creative Studios have just expanded by adding Vicki to the team and they are now 3 Creative Studios! All the more goodness to prompt us on to be all the more creative!

I’m taking part in their Block of the Month (BOM) and here is my third block. Go to their website if you would like to join the BOM, or to check out their on-line classes, or their free projects, and the new quilt challenge they are hosting starting in January 2010!!

and not one picture to show!

The once-a-month quilting group I attend just finished up 12 baby quilts. We meet at a church free of charge. The only request is that we make a few baby quilts for charity for the church to donate as they see fit. This time we did whole cloth, panels, & pieced tops. Then we did the pillow top method with tying the quilts instead of binding them. We had a great time working together on these projects!

Oh my goodness!

My studio is a shared space set up in a room we call our “Library.” We have our computer desk with two chairs, filing cabinets, two large book cases (oak! built by my husband!) a love set, an antique tool chest that serves as a coffee table, and two built-in closets across one end of the room. To this mix, I added an antique desk (given to my son from his Great Grandparents - it will move with him one day) which my sewing machine sits on, a 25″ x 60″ cabinet that stores my quilting goodies and counter top that serves as my cutting area. AND until just recently - boxes and boxes of fabric! Ladies, I kid you not, when I say looking through those boxes had become a PAIN whenever I wanted to locate fabric!!!

Here is the last project I created from my stash - after several hours of frustration, I might add!

The black is the background it was photographed on. This is my new Fall Table        Runner. So, after digging out this fabric and taking it to my Thursday Night quilting group to assemble, I came home to a sewing area where I could not even reach my sewing machine, or cutting table for that matter! And there are NO pictures of the mess, because I’m too ashamed to show you! It was time to do something! I went to a used furniture store and found two wood look bookshelves. All the boxes have been empty by color onto the shelves and they are looking pretty nice! I have been sewing again because I can once again reach my sewing machine! But! I’m still cutting fabric on my kitchen counter because my cutting area is still piled high with mess! That will be the next area to organize and clean.

And now for more quilts completed! This was a UFO I dug out in January and completed the top. It has been back from the long-arm quilter for a while and now is completed with binding. The pattern is called Union Star. I used all reproduction fabrics.

This next quilt is a Buggy Barn pattern. I have a thing for hearts, stars, and baskets. So this pattern was a fun find with the hearts and stars. It’s all quilted and bound and ready for my living room.

All this cleaning has not only made me a more happy quilter - I don’t work well in a mess - it has also unearthed some UFOs I had totally forgotten about! But with the Christmas Season upon us, I think I’ll just have to move them on to next year’s to do list!

Blessings All!