June "Lovely Year of Finishes" project

I wasn't sure that I was actually going to get my quilt top done in time for this month, but I managed to pull it off!  We'll just ignore the fact that I (almost) had to pull an all-nighter to do so....!
I really loved the fabrics in the Simple Marks - Summer charm packs that I used, but choosing a fabric for the border was a little challenging.  My LQS had ordered the turquoise solid that was part of the line, but when I stopped in to buy the fabric, the turquoise hadn't come in yet (probably about 6 weeks after the rest of the line came), so I ended up going in a very different direction, and chose the orange solid.  Part of that choice stems from the fact that I have a really cute backing (and binding) fabric for the quilt, and it has a few greens, and some red and yellow and orange....  I thought that the red as a border would be too strong for the rest of the quilt.  I think that the orange is really stunning! and I may use it to bind the quilt too, instead of using the backing fabric for the binding.
So, here's the completed quilt top:

(The pattern is a freebie - you can find it here: http://www.modabakeshop.com/2012/03/on-go-baby-boy-quilt.html).

I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with this quilt - there are no babies or little ones in our lives, but I loved the pattern so much, and just had to make it.  Since then, we've received requests from a number of different groups to make and donate quilts to folks that have lost everything in the on-going floods in Alberta.  I'm thinking that this quilt would make a child forget about some of the tough things they've had to deal with recently, and give them some joy instead, so I'll be quilting this quilt, and a few more for my July project, and have them ready to send out west in September.

I'm hoping to post my July challenge tomorrow or Tuesday.

Squeaking in just under the wire!

I just realized that today is the last day to post my June Project for the "Lovely Year of Finishes" challenge, and I have to post my project NOW!  I took a pic of it the other day, just haven't had a chance to post it yet - so, I'm going to do that now.
This is going to be a large-ish baby quilt, and there's no recipient for it just yet, but I've been wanting to do it for a long time, and I finally found the right fabrics for it.

The quilt is called "On the Go" (a freebie from Moda Bakeshop), and the fabric is "Simple Marks - Summer" by Malka Dubrawsky.  The pattern is composed of two sizes of arrows, and I have most of them assembled.  The smaller ones have sashing attached.  Now comes the task of figuring out a layout - boy, do I need a design wall!  In it's absence, I'll use the living room floor (My knees are complaining already...).  It's a good thing that I have the balance of the month to get this done - I have an urgent knitting project to finish by the 16th, so that will be occupying most of my time for the next week and a half.  I may even slip in a card or two as well.  

Keep an eye on this space to check out my progress!  And, as always, thanks for stopping in, and especially for leaving comments!

Finally - a card!

Yes, I know - I haven't posted a card in quite a while, mostly because it's been a while since I've had time to make one!  But, as the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention, and when I really need a card, I can scrounge together 15 or 20 minutes to make one.  I have a great collection of cards for all occasions pinned to a board on Pinterest, so it's usually pretty easy to pull a card together.  The funny thing is, it takes just about as long to make 4 cards as it does to make one, so why don't I just make four while I'm at it?  Usually,  it's because I'm making cards waayyy past midnight, and the thoughts of making even two just seems to make bedtime seem ever-so-far away....
So, a friend and her husband just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, and I wanted to make a special card for them.  I'd seen this layout used on a card on someone's blog and I thought it would be perfect.  It really doesn't show up on the picture, but the word "Congratulations" is embossed in silver.

I hope they had a special day together!

May's Finish

I've finally got a few minutes to post my finish for May for the Year of Lovely Finishes - I know that I'm too late by a day or two.  The last week has just been too crazy - I haven't had time to read or comment on anyone's blog posts, or check out what's going on in the Facebook world....  The worst part is, that I got my May project finished on the 30th, but had no way to post it then - c'est la vie...
I can show you anyway - I'm really pleased with the way this quilt turned out!  I found the fabric strips that were missing, so I was able to get the two borders on.  I found the perfect fabric for the backing, and there was just enough fabric on the bolt to make the backing, and it was on sale!  Now I know that I said I'd find a tall person to hold the quilt up so that I could get a good picture of it, but that tall person never got here, so I ended up draping the quilt on my living room couch - and I managed to get most of it into the pic - and here's the proof:

I'm glad to be putting this quilt on the completed pile - so now there are only 8 or 9 uncompleted quilts left... that should keep me going 'til the end of the year!  But, I have a little girl's sweater to knit first, so it's a good thing that June's project is well on it's way to being finished already!  Check back here in a day or two for a card or two (gasp! a card!  Yes, I still make a few!), and then I'll post my June "Finishes" project.

Mid-month check-in for May

How can it already be May 21st?  I must be getting old, 'cause time really seems to be flying by!  I sure don't seem to be getting any more work done.
Of course, the following picture is proof that I am getting something done - at the beginning of the month, I had a pattern and a pile of blocks, and now I have most of the quilt top assembled.  I would maybe even have a finished top, if only I could find the fabric for the inner border of this quilt...
At any rate, I have the proof - I tried 5 times to get a pic of the whole top, but suffice it to say that one short person cannot take a picture of the entire top of a 60" square quilt when it's laying on the floor - there were no tall people available to hold the top up either, so you'll have to use your imagination to envision the whole thing - and I'll "book" a tall adult now, to make sure that the finished picture is more complete.  So, you'll only get to see part of it now, but the 16 blocks are all there!  Here's the picture:

 And now I'm off to bed - tomorrow's looking like a very long day, and I need my beauty sleep!

...and it's May..... (my project for the month)

I'm sure that you're hearing the refrain that's common around around here - "It's May already?  Where has the time gone?"  I'm one of the folks saying it, because I plan my sewing and quilting (and knitting and crocheting!) projects for the week, only to find out that even though it feels like only a day or two has passed, actually the whole week has flown by!  Some weeks I seem to get something done, but other weeks have come and gone with little or no evidence of anything important happening.  Part of it is because my 84 year-old widowed father has recently given up his driving license, and that means that I can add chauffeuring duties to my list of activities.  Throw in a funeral and there goes another week...
At any rate, I do have a project for my "Lovely Year of Finishes" to share with you: it's my Reveille quilt top from the Schnibbles people.  It's fairly quick and easy, especially if you read the directions carefully! - but I got most of the blocks assembled, and then ran into a fairly big problem - the blocks have to be trimmed down to 17", and I had no way to do that.  I think that I finally have a way around that, so I'm good to go with that project.  I bought a layer cake of Vintage Modern from Bonnie and Camille for this quilt, and love every fabric in the line!

Once I get the blocks trimmed, I can assemble the top, add the inner border, and then the outer one - simple, right?  I sure hope so, because all sorts of other things are starting to pop up, like, the garden and yard work.  Our church craft group will be taking a few months off soon, as will our quilt guild, so I may gain an hour here or there, but then canning and pickling and freezing produce will take their place.  All too soon, I'm sure we'll be exclaiming, "September?  Where did the summer go?"  It happens - just wait and see!
I'm off to post my pic on Melissa's site!

Slipping in a card!

I'll be posting my next quilting project for the "Lovely Year of Finishes" tomorrow, but I did want to post this card before I get into all that quilting stuff.
I recently got an order from Stampin' Up - every year they have an event that they call Sale-a-bration, and you can get free stuff if your order exceeds a certain amount.  Mine did, and I got a package of Designer Paper - and when I get new "stuff", I just have to try it out!
I've already posted 1 card that I made with that paper, but it's kind of bold and "in your face", which really isn't my thing.  I saw this card idea on Pinterest (where else?  LOL), and loved how soft and gentle it looked; I didn't get it exactly like the original, but that makes it MY card - and here it is:

I didn't have the same colour for the ribbon, but it's close enough for me.  I have a few friends that are facing difficult days, and I needed a card to say Hello, and to let them know that they are in my thoughts and prayers.  Now that I've posted the card, I can send it out - I hope that my friends are encouraged by it!