April 2015 Lovely Year of Finishes

Yippee!!  I am so glad I finished my quilt this month!  This quilt was made by a group of quilters in my little town.  Our challenge last year was to make a row quilt.  We got to choose our own fabrics and make the first row to determine the width of the quilt, then passed it along to the other ladies for a month so they could make a row for our quilt.  I chose to try a low volume quilt using creams and tans with a pop of color using sage greens and burgundy.  It was made with a very special friend in mind, so it matches her living room. 

Here it is hanging in my local quilt show that happened last Friday and Saturday.  After the show was over, I took it to my friend to "show" her.  She loved it and then I had to show her the back and then had her read the label which showed that it was hers.  She was so surprised and cried.  Best reaction EVER!!! 
I am linking up with Fiber of All Sorts for this Lovely Year of Finishes!

I've Been Busy Getting Things DONE!

I am expecting a grandson soon!  My husband's oldest daughter and her husband are adopting a little boy who is due at the end of the month.  I am so very excited for them and can't wait for him to be born!!!  Jamie is decorating his room in grays with a pop of teal with an elephant theme (I wrote about it here).  Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts was kind enough to create the pattern, Elephant Parade, and put it out there for FREE!!  Talk about perfect timing for me!  Well, I'm finished with the quilt except for quilting a label on the quilt when I find out his name and birth date!

 And here is a close-up of the quilting

I made up a block for the center that I am calling Exploding Pinwheel (because I started with a pinwheel and just kept cutting and sewing)

I made this little wall hanging with the three extra elephants I made (yeah, I can't count!) and a block I made with the trunks I made incorrectly for the little elephants!!

With the wonderful Minky fabric that I used for the backing of both the quilt and the wall hanging, I made a little blanket and pillow for the little guy.

I did quilt the blanket after I had sewn all the sides, just to keep everything together

I can't wait to give them to Jamie!!  But the quilt is going to be in my guild's quilt show next week, so it will have to wait until the end of the month to be sent on to its new home.

Then I made something for me!  I have long wanted some sort of organizer for all the stuff that sits in front of or around my sewing machine, so today I made myself one today!

I had already cut out the material when I decided to have some fun quilting it on my longarm, so I played with feathers.  I used some scraps of batting and I think it turned out cute!!  It rolls up with all the goodies inside when I want to pack up to go traveling or on retreat.

Doesn't it look cute under my sewing machine?

It feels so wonderful to be so productive!  I have also finished my April goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes, but I will save that post for later this month because it will be in the quilt show as well and I can get some good pictures of it hanging there before I give it to my dear friend!

I Was THE Lucky Winner

Not so long ago, Melissa Corry at Happy Quilting had a giveaway and I was the lucky winner!!  Now, I am a thread snob when it comes to the thread I use on my longarm, but when I piece, I kinda use what I have.  Well, I won this awesome box

and it is filled with

twelve!!! of the most lovely Aurifil threads from The Fat Quarter Shop!!!!!  Aren't they just perfect???  I am so excited because I will get to try them out putting the binding on the quilt I am just about finished quilting!!  I'll let you know how I like it, but I'm sure I'll be happy because of all the fabulous reviews from other quilters about Aurifil thread.  Thank you, Melissa and The Fat Quarter Shop for such a generous giveaway!!

April Goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes

Since it appears that I need a deadline to get anything of mine finished, I am joining Sew Bitter Sweet this month for April.  This is a row quilt that was made with a group of quilters in my little town of Odessa.  We got to choose the fabrics and the size of our rows, then every month another quilter had our fabrics to make a row for our quilt.  It was lots of fun and not one pattern was duplicated by the quilters!  I really want to get my low-volume (first time trying this - love the result) row quilt finished this month, all the way to the label!  If I can get this one finished this month, I'll still have over 50 quilt tops that I need to quilt *hangs head in shame*, but I always seem to put customer quilts ahead of my own quilts - that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!!

This lovely, calm quilt is on my frame...do you think I can get it finished by the end of the month?  I HATE hand work and this one will really need the binding finished by hand...my hands ache just thinking about it!!!