Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? A Big Christmas Project Finished!

 

Hi, all!

Well, it's Friday again, and we all know what that means - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  I know the holidays are coming up in a hurry and you may be doing a lot of secret sewing - but I hope you can still find something to share that you feel is whoop-worthy!  Let's get started!

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A few weeks ago, my husband asked me if I had time to complete a special project for him before Christmas - and of course I said yes!  You might remember seeing these on my design wall just before we left for New York City...

Then last week after we got home, I spray basted all of them onto scrap batting..... 

And this week, quilting began!  A simple cross hatch design, marked with a hera marker...

Once I had finished the quilting, I realized that the letters were still going to need to be stitched down, so it was time for a little raw edge appliqué....

That step actually went a lot quicker that I thought it would, and it was time to move on to the next step - backs and binding.

I had a great piece of Christmas fabric on hand that I used to make envelope backs for all eight pillows, and more of the glitter fabric I used for the appliqué to use for the binding. A little assembly line was set up, and binding began...

...and voila, all eight pillow covers are completed!  I'm still waiting for my pillow forms to arrive, but as soon as they do I'll be packaging these up for gifting!

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

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And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

Now that's a blast from the past! 
They're a lot bigger now!

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share! We want to dance right along with you,

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

I May Have A Scrap Problem.... Gratitude is Finished!

 

Hi, all!

I am definitely dancing a happy dance right now, because my Gratitude quilt is completely finished!!!

If this is the first time you've seen this quilt, here's a bit of its history.  I read about Amy Smart's Gratitude quilt on her blog (the pattern is free until the end of November!!) and immediately knew I'd need to make one.  Then my husband gave me a bunch of his old shirts to cut up for the fabric, and an idea was born!  So I gathered up a few more shirts and cut away.  Every piece of fabric in the front is made from men's shirts.....

...and so is every piece in the back!  I used all the extra 10" squares I had cut to make this back, and it really makes this quilt completely reversible!  But even better....

...the backs of two shirts yielded enough fabric to put a scrappy binding on this quilt, too!  So every piece of fabric in this quilt came from men's shirts that would have gone to Goodwill, and I have a big stack of 5" squares left over for another quilt.  I made some adaptations to Amy's pattern, creating a plus block that has four different fabrics in the corners, and I changed my border to the piano key border to utilize the leftover pieces.

So, have you ever used shirts for fabric to make a quilt?  

Hugs!

Sarah 

Make-A-List Monday - Back In The Saddle (Seat) Again!

 

Hi, all!

Wow, it's good to be home!  We had a fabulous time in NYC, came home exhausted but exhilarated, and jumped right back into the swing of things.  Whew!  The holidays are coming fast, and there's so much to do - but first let's take a look at how I did on that list from two weeks ago....

1.  Work on eight more pillow covers that will be Christmas gifts.

Started!  Here are the eight blocks with their appliqués...

I've spray basted all of them to batting - next step will be quilting!

2.  Find a back for the Endless Summer quilt top.

Done!  I love this piece I found at Joann's, and the back is made and the quilt is ready to go on the frame!

3.  Cut some white and beige men's shirts into 2.5" strips for the Gratitude project.

Done!  Here's a progress shot, and I'll be sharing more about this quilt on Wednesday!

4.  Pack for a trip!

5.  Clean up the house so the house sitter doesn't run away screaming!

Done!  We were blessed with beautiful weather, and didn't even need the heavier sweaters that we brought with us.  And our house sitter appears to have had a nice time, too!

Last week ended the 2nd quarter of the Wips-B-Gone Challenge, and I managed to finish three projects in that quarter.  Today I decided on my 3rd quarter goals - the Christmas pillows, finishing the Gratitude quilt, finishing the Endless Summer quilt, and working on my Kaleidoscope quilt blocks.  It's going to be a busy 25 days!

So what am I working on this week?  Glad you asked!  Here's the plan...

1.  Quilt a customer's quilt top.

2.  Finish the Gratitude quilt.

3.  Work on the Christmas pillows.

4.  Clean up the front planters outside while it's still warm this week.

5.  Begin decorating the house for Christmas.

6.  Plan a Christmas party for my quilt-y peeps!

Plenty to keep me out of trouble this week, for sure!  And now, I really need to know - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah