Just a little progress this week....

Time is flying by and I'm not getting much accomplished. Does anyone else seem to have that problem lately?
This morning after leisurely having my coffee and breakfast, I ambled over to the window and stood watching the finches on the feeder and the blue birds checking out the bird house. They were probably just snatching up bugs, because it's way too early for them to be thinking about a nest. As I was standing there, a Pileated Woodpecker flew in and landed on the fence. I hustled off to find the camera, all the time thinking he would most likely be gone by the time I got back to the window. But he was very cooperative. It was such a cloudy morning, it is amazing that the pictures came out at all.  He stayed on the fence for several minutes then flew up to a tree. I managed to get another good picture before he worked his way around to the back side of the tree and then flew off.

We have a lot of these woodpeckers around. It isn't all that uncommon to see one. But it is still a thrill.  So, yes, I spent my morning taking bird pictures and not sewing.

Earlier this week, I did manage to get a couple of little things made for my quilt guild. We were supposed to make items with hearts for this months meeting to be sold at the boutique when  we have the next quilt show. I did a set of rug mugs with out of heart print fabric with appliqued hearts and a pincushion from the same heart fabric. They came out kind of cute. I also did two 12" blocks for our children's quilts project, but didn't get a photo of those.

The yellow is a little bright in this photo, but other than that, the color isn't too far off.

I am also working on a new craft for me....WEAVING. I took a class with a friend  last week and we are working on a jacket/sweater. It is made with 9 triangles and 9 squares that get stitched together to make a shrug type jacket. It should be really cute it if comes out anything like it's supposed to.

The yarn is variegated and creates a plaid pattern as it is woven. The photo shows one of the squares completed and a triangle in the loom. I have all the triangles completed, and only 4 more squares to go. Then assembly begins.  Wish me luck!


The husband and I are talking about taking a little get-away to escape the incoming cold front. So it may be a week or so before I can post again. But I will be thinking about all of you!  I can work on the weaving or my crocheting while we drive, but won't be getting any sewing done. Those quilts are just going to have to wait until we get back.

Orca Bay Mystery Revealed

A lot of projects come my way.  Some I choose to do, some I don't; all with varying degrees of like or dislike.  Occasionally, an opportunity comes along that I truly love and am thrilled that I chose to participate.  The Orca Bay Mystery Quilt was one of these projects.  Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville's  Quips & Snips created a fantastic mystery quilt pattern full of interesting, fun blocks.  And let me tell you there were a lot of them!

I was able to follow along and complete each step as it was presented weekly. Although, it was at times a challenge to get it all worked up in a week. Especially since it was the holiday season. But I persevered! If you have followed along on this blog, you got to see the steps as presented as they came together.  Although, the top is not yet quilted, here it is....drum roll please......!!!!!!.....
Presenting my version of  Orca Bay.....!

 Last week, I found and purchased fabric for the backing.   It may not look it in this picture, but the colors are a perfect blend/match for the pinks and purples in the quilt.

As soon as I get it quilted, I will post another photo on this blog. I do my own quilting on a standard home machine, so it takes a little time. And, there is another quilt  in the works ahead of the Orca Bay.

Bonnie.... Thank you for so much fun!!!
You have made me a believer in  scrappy and I love String Blocks. :-)
I can't wait for another mystery quilt!

One more box

I just love the fabric boxes! They are easy and a lot of fun to make; as well as being a good way to use up some fabric buried deep in the stash that might otherwise never see the light of day.
Here is my latest box creation in shades of lavender and polka dots.

This is the Medium Fabric Box from the Fast & Furious Family  quilting as you go book by Gudrun Erla. Calling this "medium" in size is questionable since it measures 8"x15"X10". That doesn't sound very big, but  it is definitely a good size box.

I made this box and the Large Box (see previous post) for use in my sewing room to house my QWIP's (quilt works in progress). With handles on either side, they are easy enough to move around from place to place.

These are excellent storage boxes for kids rooms for toys, or for closet shelves. (I can just envision one of these boxes in the closet filled with socks, or sweaters, etc.) Color coordinate them to match a rooms decor for a functional accent piece. Place one in the trunk of your car to hold small items when shopping. The uses are only as limited as your imagination.

I have fabric picked out now to make the smaller one which can hold sewing notions, thread, etc. :-)
Keep watching....it will show up on a post here eventually....LOL :-)

Have a great weekend, and hopefully that will include some sewing!
Kathy

One project completed...a Zillion to go.....

These two little floor pillows have taken way too long to get completed....after all they were supposed to be a fairly simple project. And there is still one to go!
The first challenge was finding pillow forms the right size.
Then it was waiting for them to go on sale! Those things are not cheap!
Once the forms were obtained....thanks to my friend Michelle, who caught the sale and picked them up for me.....it should have been a simple next step.
Humph!
Changed my mind as to design and construction.
Then changed it again and decided to ADD the red strips ....FORGOT to deduct this extra 2 inches the red strips added from the total length!
DUH!
 Didn't realize that until I started to put the backs on....AFTER already attaching the cording to the front pieces. Yes, you read that right...pieces....plural....both of them....rip, rip, rip, rip.................
Yeah, attaching the cording to the front was supposed to make it easier to handle when sandwiching the pieces together. You know, to avoid slippage, secure the corners for a better fit, etc. All of this was probably for the best anyway. Because after taking the cording off, removing an inch from top and bottom and re-adjusting the cording piece to fit, I decided to round the corners. That cording is fairly large and just did not make a pretty corner. At least I couldn't make it make a pretty corner. That's probably more accurate. The curved corners are a nice effect  don't you think? . And no square corners to poke the little boys in the eyes when they decide to have a pillow fight, right? :-)
Anyway, they finally turned out really cute. I  have one more to make for a granddaughter but need some additional fabric to finish it off. She gets ruffles instead of the cording. Just thought the ruffles would be more girlish. Then there are all the rest of the grandkids that need something....have to keep it fair after all. Most likely, they are just getting a cute monogrammed pillow case. Those should go well. Uh, huh....I heard that. LOL
Well, here are the long awaited pictures...front and back of course:

The pillow forms are 24"X24".
That is a good size for a child's floor pillow.
The boys love their cars!
They also like to snitch their mother's pillow off the couch to lay in the floor and read their books or watch their favorite movie.
These will be perfect for "pajama day".

Not sure how well it shows up in the photo, but there is a fold over flap on the back top of the pillows that covers the zipper. This way the covers can be easily removed for washing. Or to change them to another theme such as during the holidays or for special occasions like their birthdays. Their mother has thought up lots of variations for the pillows. Good thing she has a sewing machine and knows how to use it!

Well, that's it for this post. Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend with lots of sewing projects to keep you company.

Kathy

This and That in the Sewing Room

It's been awhile since I've written anything on here and that makes me feel like such a slacker, although most of my time has been spent in the sewing room working on various projects. It just seems like there is never enough time in the day to get it all done.  And that's inexcusable because we are retired and I really have no obligations...other than cooking, cleaning, laundry, and walking the dog....It has become evident that I need to learn to prioritize my time. So in my evening 'down' time which is and has always been devoted to reading or crocheting (Yes, I do that too, and will eventually get photos up on this blog.) I'm reading a self help book titled "The Willpower Instinct" by Kelly McGonigal, PhD. My hope it that it will help me learn to be more focused in accomplishing  my goals. I'll keep you posted on progress.... Now on to what really matters on here....SEWING!

Several people have been very kind in their comments of my tote bags and that is extremely appreciated. Thank you! Tote bags and hand crafted purses are one of my favorite things to make. Most of the bags I have made are for gifts, but on occasion one is just for me. As in this "Professional Tote".

I absolutely LOVE this bag! In fact so much so, I have purchased fabric to make another one in dark (Purple of course!) colors for fall and winter use. This is the perfect travel bag. On the next one I make, the handles will be just a tad shorter with an adjustable shoulder strap added. These handles are long enough to go over my shoulder, but not in a comfortable way. And I'm "vertically challenged" so making the handles longer isn't an option, because then the bag would drag on the floor.

BUT all this isn't what this blip is all about today. What I really want to share is the label I made for this tote. Since this bag was made for me by me I wanted the label to reflect that. So here's a photo of the label:

What I originally wanted to print on it was:

 Hand Made 

by

"The Old Bag"

for 

"The Old Bag"

By Me for Me

 (Kathy Biggs)

2010

....but decided I wasn't really an old bag... not yet anyway.  (Uh...the real reason I didn't print that is it made the label too big/long for the space available.) :-)
The label is printed on inkjet printable iron on fabric.
Anyway, this makes me officially one of the "bag ladies" of our time!

This week project is in line with the tote bags, but not exactly. It's a fabric box. Yes, BOX. To be used in my sewing room to hold my QWIP's (quilt works in progress). Isn't it cute?

It really is square, the photo angle makes it look out of lopsided. The box is 10 X 10 X 10. Here is a peak down inside.

This is made using a pattern for the "Large Fabric Tote" from the Fast & Furious Family book by Gudrun Erla. There are two other size patterns in the book and I already have fabric picked out for them. Just not sure I  have enough stabilizer on hand for both. These boxes are really easy to make and go together quickly. It takes longer to cut them out than to sew them up.
Like I said previously, I love making totes and this tote type container fits right in.

Have a SEW great day everyone!
Kathy

Almost There....

Happy New Year Everyone! May your 2012 be filled with health and happiness.

I have decided to take things much easier this year. No hurry, no fuss, no muss, no stress! Yeah, right, we'll see how long I can manage that. But, so far so good. I mean it's already day TWO....so for me that's a good start.

Mr. B and I had a very quiet New Year's Day just chilling out with him watching football and me sewing. Made sure we had our traditional blackeyed peas with dinner and a yummy apple pie.

And, yes that is a bite already missing BEFORE I took the picture.
I couldn't resist any longer.

The worst part is it was too cold and windy to walk after dinner, so that little piece of pie just got to sit there and not get burned off!

Saturday was planned a my major sewing day to end the year 2011. I got a good start on the Orca Bay Mystery quilt Step 7 as you can see here →

All was going along great. I got the little "bat wing" pieces all sewn on to the right sides of the string triangles ready to iron. Took the whole group to the ironing board, got about half way through ironing them and my iron decided to bite the dust and me as well. It started leaking and spitting and spewing water and the next think I know, I'm jumping up and down going "ouchie" shaking my hand where it had actually shocked me.  It wasn't a bad shock, but a decent "zap" non the less. It just put a little slow-down to my progress.  I went ahead and added the "bat wing" to the left side of the pieces that were pressed. Then proceeded to cut the white triangles and start sewing on some of those. I worked some on it yesterday as well.
Today started out with a "civilization" run to purchase a new iron! Since we really do live out in the middle of nowhere (to quote my youngest daughter, we live "beyond bumble"...not in bumble mind you, but WAY "beyond bumble") it was a 40 mile ONE WAY drive just to buy an iron. That's why I really do buy so much of my quilting fabrics and notion ONLINE!

Anyway, this is about the extent of my progress on Step 7 so far.
That big pile is the "other half" finally ironed and ready to be cut apart and the left side "bat wing" sewn on.  Hopefully, I can get all of the units finished today and start the final assembling .

It is amazing how fast some people got theirs together.

Hopefully by the last link-up next Monday, my top will be all together and I can have a picture up for you all to see. I really do like the design and hope this finishes out as pretty as I think it will.

So, until next posting....lets all get 2012 rockin' and rollin'!

Sewing...sewing....sewing

......................well, at least that's what should have been going on all week..............................

But....other things just got in the way...
 Like baking a big batch cookies using Bonnie's recipe.  They do look yummy don't they?  

Cookies?

Did you say COOKIES? 

What do you mean I don't get one!

*footnote* Mr. B just ate the last cookie tonight!!!

  

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. 
Our weather was delightful. Not a chance of a "white" Christmas  this year; but we did get up on Christmas Eve to a really heavy frost. Murphy dog had a lot of fun sniffing the air and rolling around on the frozen ground. At least I hope that's all he was rolling around in; but out here you never know what other creatures have been wandering around in the yard.

 I had a really good picture of him rolling in the frost, but somehow managed to permanently delete it. Oh, well.....

Since it was just Mr. B and myself here for Christmas this year, after dinner we went up to the golf course and played a round  or I guess I should say 'played at a round' of golf. It was sunny and 55° by mid afternoon...great weather to be outside. Definitely not typical for this time of year here. We got home around 3 pm and went down to the dock for a few minutes. Of course the fish weren't biting, but it was nice and peaceful. We only stayed there about half an hour.      No sewing at all!

Since the Orca Bay Mystery Quilt Step 6 came out a day early (thank you Bonnie) I thought I would get ahead, but that didn't happen.  I got the center squares all cut out on Thursday, but didn't start sewing on them until Saturday.

Here are the "dark" block units  partially assembled and paired up ready to finish.
     
They went together quickly done in an assembly line type of sewing.

The units for the "light" blocks are
all piled up in a big mess and patiently
waiting for the assembly line.

Here are some of the finished blocks lined up on the cutting table. This group is a fairly good representation of all the blocks in general. Some of them I really like and some are just so-so.   lol
Mr. B walked by and stuck his head in long enough to say... "oh, that's really pretty". I think he though this was the layout of the finished quilt.
I tried explaining that this went with all the other pieces in the plastic tub in the corner, but he just looked at me like I was speaking some foreign language and walked on into the other room.  Men!
His chair was calling his name....you know how that goes.

Here are a couple of  close ups of  some of my favorite blocks in the group.

 

                                             

 I have plenty of other sewing to do while waiting for next Friday and the next step. I'm down to just needing to add the top and bottom drop on our bed quilt. I had to make 6 additional blocks to finish the drops. But those are done, and all I need to do is sew them all together and on. 

I also have a pair of pj's that are in serious need of new elastic in the waist band. If they weren't so darn comfortable, I'd just throw them away and go buy some new ones. 

And on a side note....someone made a comment a few weeks ago about liking my yellow cutting mat. Well, thank you.  Here's the thing with the yellow mat....When I went youngest daughters for the birth of her 2nd child (a year ago last May) I had to take the Monkey Tummy Time Quilt pieces (for the expected baby) to her house and finish assembling there and on her machine. She did not have a cutting mat at that time so, I bought the yellow Fiskars mat. It was all I could find there at the time as we had not located all the quilt stores in her area ....yet. (I already had a green Olfa and a blue June Taylor Quilting Mate at home.)  Anyway, the yellow mat is GREAT for visuals. It is so much easier for me to see the edges of dark colors  than on the other two mats, that I use it almost exclusively now.   And in the year and half since then, my daughter has taken up quilting and bought her own mat. lol

Have a great week! Hope you get a lot of sewing time. 

Kathy