25 March 2013

more drawstring bags

I love these drawstring bags.  I made several back in April and I adore them.  They're the perfect size and I use them all the time.

In November, two of my favorite people had a birthday.  I decided that they needed a drawstring bag.  They are sisters - twins - but oh, so wonderfully different.  It was so hard picking out fabric.  I wanted them to have fabric that matched their beautiful personalities.  (Their Mom told me I got it right.  yea!)

Grey with pink flowers for one.  The lining is a coordinating print with little flowers.


A wild pink/turquoise/lime print for the other, lined with a Kona solid in blue and a hot pink tie.


I didn't quite get them finished in time for their birthday, but it was close!


Stats:  all fabric from JoAnns; 11.5" tall, 8.5" wide, and 4" deep; 1/2 yard of fabric for outer and lining work perfectly.

22 March 2013

The almost never finished quilt.

Hello, little blog of mine.  It's been a long time since I've updated.  Not because I stopped sewing - I was just too lazy to post.  :)

My latest finish is also my longest 'work-in-progress'.  I started this quilt a few years ago.  (uh, at least 7 years.  Quite possibly longer.)  I fell in love with it at a quilt store and bought a kit.  It was originally part of a 'mystery quilt'. 


The plan was that this would be the quilt for my bed.  But I would either need really big boarders or more fabric.  The fabric line is called 'gatherings' and in 2007, I was able to find a fat-quarter bundle of it on-line.  But then I needed to find cream fabric that matched.  I couldn't - so I finally settled for something that would work.  I cut enough fabric for 21 more blocks - and put it all in a Rubbermaid bin.

Fast forward to February, 2013.  I pulled out the bin and I'm seriously questioning my tastes.  Uck.  My fabric tastes have changed and my skills have definitely improved.  (Nope, no close-ups of those points are going on the blog.)   But, it's unfinished and I can't bring myself to throw out fabric.  My plan was to work on it for two weeks and see where I got to and evaluate how much more work I wanted to put into it.

At the end of the two weeks, I had 21 more squares finished to add to the existing 20.  I laid it out on the living room floor and had the realization that I needed twenty-two more blocks to add another row of blocks all the way around the quilt.  I was one short.

Nope.  Not doing it.  I'm not sewing one more block for this quilt.    Two throw size quilts would be perfect.


(But, I will be undoing it to fix the one block that has a piece sewn on backwards.)

I have enough fat quarters left over in cream/tan/yellow to piece backings.  Then these lovely quilt tops and backs will be donated.  I'm hoping there is someone out there who will still like these colors and use these quilts.

I'd like to think that I've learned my lesson about finishing my projects in a timely manner.   Let's get real here - it only took me 2 weeks to piece the blocks and then a Saturday afternoon to sew all 40 squares together.  Two weeks.   I could have found 2 weeks 6 years ago.   Or even 5 years ago.

Oh well.  At least I can say my longest work-in-progress quilt is done.  
stats:
fabric moda "gatherings"
size: 60" x 75"
pattern:'The Journey Home'