Valentine's Day Quilt

Today I participate again in Lit and Laundry's Finished for Friday with my completed...

Valentine's Day Wall-hanging. 

I started this project at a class at the Jinny Beyer studio a few years ago when I still lived out in the Washington, DC area.

The goal of the class was to learn how to do foundation piecing, as the hearts are all foundation pieced. 

I pulled it from my box of UFOs to work on in January, as I thought it would be the perfect project to complete before Valentine's Day this year.

The completion of this project also had a few other firsts for me (in addition to the foundation piecing).

First, I made my first mitered corners!!! One of them with a Jinny Beyer border print! And I didn't even have to call the Momcat for back up.

Woohoo!!

Second, I did free motion quilting in the sashing, and around the design in the border. 

I use plain ole stitch in the ditch for the hearts and to anchor the piece. 

 

This is the first of hopefully many UFOs that I hope to complete this year, and a step towards one of my New Year's Resolutions!

This is also my first finish for Gran's Ten n Ten challenge. 

Finished for Friday/Challenge Quilt

To play along with Lit and Laundry's Finished for Friday, I proudly bring you....the Challenge Quilt!

The Momcat and I committed to  this project back in April! When we went to Paducah for the American Quilter's Society Show (our first year!), we each got 10 fat quarters of the same fabric. The challenge was to use these fat quarters, plus one additional fabric to make a lap size quilt top. It had to be completed by Christmas, when we would reveal the quilts to each other!

Here's what the Momcat came up with. 

She's named it "Insanity!" I really like it, and think she should be quite proud.

And here's mine.

I used an Ohio Star pattern and did random strips of the colored fabrics for the sashing.

Here's a close up where you can see that a bit better. 

I can't believe how different the two quilts look! When we did the big reveal over Christmas break, I think we were both surprised at how the same fabrics could look so very different when matched with the two different fabrics and put together different. I never even thought about using a dark fabric, and the Momcat said she didn't think about using a light one.

Overall I think we were both very happy not only with how the two quilts turned out, but also with the overall process. We look forward to repeating the challenge this year, as we're going to Paducah again in April.

So what have you finished lately?

Hockey Night!

Christmas Break came to an end just like I like it... with blood and violence!!

I'm talking HOCKEY of course!

The family all went into Chicago to see the Fighting Irish (Go Irish!) compete in a two day Hockey tournament. 

My parents have always been huge hockey fans. They went to lots of games together when they were in graduate school, but didn't start attending again until just a few years ago. Then they started going to the University of Nebraska at Omaha games (Go Mavs!) and took the N-boy and I along with them. Since the N-boy grew up in Minnesota, a love of hockey is in his blood. BabyBrother, of course, has been brought into the hockey loving fold as well.

Daddo, Momcat and BabyBrother looking festive!

The Mavs (Mavericks) always have lots of cowbells at their games, and I have a very nice one with a picture of a bull and lots of sparkly ribbons in the team colors. The Irish also seem to be fond of cowbell, as they were handed out for free at one of the games the N-boy and I went to.

BabyBrother felt this was wrong, and stole my cowbell!

 Daddo and the N-boy show a fear of being seen in the same group as us, I think. 

Although really, Daddo has no room to talk. He always participates very flamboyantly when they play the YMCA song to embarrass BabyBrother. 

Way to go, Daddo!!!

And last, but not least, our beloved Irish!

Who won the tournament!

Christmas Vacation Projects

A busy Christmas vacation, the Momcat kept me on my toes with different projects up in my office/studio. 

In addition to getting the final supplies to get several projects wrapped up and my supplies a bit better organized, we also got two projects started AND finished!

First, we turned an old bulletin board into a fabric colored French board. 

We used fabric we got from the Discount Table at the LQS, magenta gross grain ribbon, an old roll of polyester batting, and brass thumb tacks. I'm super happy with the way that it turned out, and can't wait to use it! We hung it up on the wall that is directly behind the chair at my sewing machine in the little sewing nook in my office.

The second project we worked on is a baby quilt for a friend. I found the cutest little charm pack at the LSQ from the Moda line "Love U."

Following the instructions from CrazyMomQuilt's Tutorial for a coin quilt, we put it together!

It went together super fast, and we're both very happy with how it turned out. We found the blue and orange solids in my stash, so we decided to use two different fabrics since I didn't have enough of the blue. The only thing I have left to finish on the top is to sew a border of the orange fabric on both the top and the bottom.

Here's a close up of the fabric line. Aren't those owls and snails the cutest!!

Christmas Traditions

My parents and baby brother came out to Indiana-land for Christmas this year, our first in the new house. One of our big family traditions is the annual sugar cookie baking and decorating on Christmas Eve. A mandatory family activity, it has become more entertaining now that all family members are old enough to consume more festive beverages.

Each person in the family has assigned tasks. The Momcat rolls out the cookie dough and supervises me and BabyBrother while we take turns cutting out shapes. In addition to the traditional cookie shapes, we also have special items such as the Christmas duck, Christmas elephant, and Christmas upper peninsula Michigan. Really these are just normal items, but we get away with making them by adding the word "Christmas" in front of them. I think we started doing them just to bug the Momcat, but now they are an engrained family tradition.

This year Daddo took the lead on adding the food coloring to the frosting.

He clearly took this assigned task very seriously. 

Finally, Daddo, BabyBrother, the N-boy and I sit down to decorate the cookies. I make cute little snowmen, and happy angels and pretty Christmas tress. Daddo makes axe-murder snowmen and incandescent light bulbs. Sigh.

The only rule is that they all have to be decorated before anyone is allowed to quit. 

I have pictures of the finished cookies. But I've decided that they are too disturbing and un-festive (see note above on axe murdering snowman) to post.

 So instead, I will end with pictures of me and BabyBrother with our cousins son, who is the cutest little almost three year old! 

Welcome 2010!!!

I've always been a sucker for New Year's Resolutions, and this year is no different. The N-boy encouraged me to get them written down, as he thinks that will help me to keep them!!! So this will be a text heavy post, really put up for me to get this out there so I don't forget what I'm supposed to be doing! In the next month I'll put up pictures from our Christmas adventures and some of the projects that the Momcat helped me to finish up in 2009!!!

2010 Resolutions

1. Run a 5k

    ---Sunburst 5k on June 6??

2. Post 125 blog entries

3. Piece the following projects:

  -Mystery quilt

  - Teacup quilt

  - Challenge quilt 2

  -Valentine's Day foundation piecing

  -Limeade

  -Over the Rainbow

  -Six more projects!!!

4. Quilt the following projects:

  -Cat practice panel

  -Serenity

  - Freddy's quilt

  -Challenge quilt 1

  -Valentine's Day quilt

  -Teacup quilt

5. Write Grandpa 1 time a week, and write 52 other letters to people

6. Keep a book log of books read (I've always wanted to do this. This is the year!!)

7. Attend Mass/church 25 times

8. Control Journal/Flylady

9 Attend NAMI support group 20 times

10. Redecorate one room in the house

11. Plant a garden

12. Scrapbook 50 pages

Each month I'll make out a list for that month with my one goal for each item.

January

1-Work out twelve times

2-12 blog entries

3-Finish piecing valentines quilt

4-John Flynn practice and cat panel

5-Write Grandpa four letters, and write four other letters

6-Start the book log

7-Attend Mass 2 times

8-Revamp Control Journal and Routines

9-Attend support group 2 times

10-Declutter the bedroom

11-Step by step plan for the garden

12-Scrapbook 5 pages