Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

Geez.  I have been MIA, haven't I?  I'm sorry about that.

Merry Christmas!  Happy 2015!  I trust everybody had a nice holiday?  I did.  12 days off from work.  Relaxing, sewing, and hanging with my Punk.  Today was rough, getting back into our morning routine.  Give us a week, we'll get it down pat again.

I had to look back to see where I've stopped with my updates.  Ah.  Swaps.  Okay, let me show you what I gave (and received!) in the couple of swaps I participated in over in Instagram-land.  AND I joined another one that starts at the end of this month for Spring.  Can't wait for my partner assignment. I already have a few ideas brewing.

Okay, here is the mini that I made for my partner.  She liked purple and rainbows.  I've been wanting to try this block style and tried to figure out how to do it in a rainbow fashion but it would not work.  So I stuck with purple and green.

I did my best with the quilting.  I did some straight line and echo quilting in places.  Here are the extra goodies I included.  I made her a rainbow Dresden mug rug, thread catcher and a few other odds and ends.  It was well received.

I received this:

I happened to be paired with the swap organizer.  Or should say, he was paired with me.  My partner made his and I made for my partner.  It was a triangle swap.  LOL.  This was his own design and foundation pieced.  It's all dotty goodness and I love it. I watched his progress on IG during our creative time and never thought it was coming to live with me. I also got a bar of genuine Cadbury chocolate from the UK but I've been nibbling on it.  :)

Ellyn and I did our own personal swap.  I was whining that I was seeing all the swaps happening over in IG-land but was always late to the party to sign up; I was itching for swap.  It's been some time since I was part of one.  She took pity on me and we did a personal swap, just the two of us.  LOL!

This is what I created for Ellyn:

Mini version of the Moda "Love" layer cake quilt.  I love it and I bought the layer cake in "Horizon" for myself to make. I even shamelessly copied Kate Spain's layout of fabrics.  That's how much I loved what she did. I will make my version as soon as I bulk up on my white solid. I ran out right before Christmas.

Since this was a mini-mini, I added another mini for Ellyn:

She can use it as an overgrown mug rug or hang it on her wall. I think she hung it.  Thread catcher, matching half Dresden pin cushion and other odds and ends.

Ellyn made me and I love it!:

Hand quilted too!  Isn't it fab?!  Someone need to teach me.  I want to learn so that I can be cool and creative and hand quilt a mini or two.  I was sent extra goodies but I can't find the picture I took!  And she blogged about our swap too!  I've been very lax in my blog reading.  I will get back on it in the evenings again.

I have more to talk about but I will save it for another post.

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

I went with the lime

I apologize for being gone for a little over a month.  Lots going on here.  I have been busy sewing and working on getting my swap items done.  I joined 3 swaps on Instagram; 2 group and 1 personal and they are all due at the same time!  What was I thinking?!  I am in good shape but I had a little lack of sewing for about 9 days or so.  Playing catch up now.  And I was asked to make two more personalized pillows and I need those both done by next week too.  UGH.

I had some surgery at the beginning of November so I spent some time in the hospital.  Never had surgery before.  My c-section doesn't count.  I had no choice in the c-section.  Before surgery, my mind was elsewhere and once I got home, I was so wiped out. I had no desire to sew for about 9 days.  I have never been under anesthesia before.  Instead of being wake after an hour in recovery, it took me 2.5 hours to come awake.  My husband was a bit concerned for sure.  The pain meds they gave me in the hospital knocked me out too so once I was home, I slept for days and had no energy.  Surgery is behind me and I'm all recovered and feeling great.

I did finish my navy dresden and I went with the lime accent.  I love it!

I did a simple echo straight stitch for quilting in all the negative space.  I am going to make one for myself.  Either turn it into a pillow or mini wall hanging.

I hate to give it away.  I hope my swap partner loves it as much as I do!

To those here in the U.S. - Happy Thanksgiving this week!  Eat lots and lots of turkey!  Gobble!  Gobble!

Enjoy your day!
Jen

More Minis

I've been working on bulking up my "mini" wall.  I made a "J" for Jen, of course.  I need to now make an "A" for Amelia.

This one I whipped up the day after we got back from Disney.  Just to ease back into everything.  I need to quilt it.

Cute?  I think so.  I have been focusing on getting some backings ordered and created to get some quilts quilted.  Mary quilted some wall hangings for me but I need to get some bigger lap quilts done.  My banister is pretty full of everything.  Some things just need to get addressed.  So I have yardage coming for backings and 1 that I need to sew up and I will be getting them out there to get done.

I also joined a mini quilt swap out on Instagram and I'm doing a private mini quilt swap with Ellyn.  Both of those need to be completed by early December.  I have an idea for both of them.  I need to dig in the stash or do some real shopping.

My Nested Churn Dash too.  Blocks are done.  I'm working on getting it into rows.  Who am I kidding?  I have one more row (there are only 3 in the darn thing) to sew and the top will be done and I'm ignoring it all.  LOL.

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

Contractor must have been a bit tipsy

Finished my first mini.  Dwell is what I worked on.  Looking at it, I have a couple crooked houses.  I must have had a bit too much beer when I was sewing.  ;)

Eh.  It is what it is and it's done.  I added another round of borders because I'm trying to use my stash.  Backing is from my stash too as well as my binding.  I had just enough binding leftover from another project.  That made me happy.

My lone mini:

I need to make some more.

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

Boo Crew Mini

Sew Lux Fabric posted a very cute mini quilt in their blog last week using the mini charm pack of Boo Crew from Sweetwater.  I thought it was adorable so I ordered a reasonably priced kit and patiently waited.  It showed up late last week and I went to town on Sunday afternoon. I got it pieced, quilted, and bound... all in one day.  Record timing for me!

Isn't it cute?  It's the size of a place mat so I'm not sure of where I'm going to use it just yet.  Probably on my breakfast bar in my kitchen with the couple of Halloween Longaberger baskets I have.

I would like more quick patterns like this for those mini charm packs.  I'm collecting quite a few but for now, they just sit.  I hate to just use them randomly.

On the memory quilt front, my threats of "no pictures, you're out of the quilt!" worked and I got a bunch.  I started weeding out and scanning and I need to weed out again.  I have an album from my aunt that I haven't even gone through and I'm up to 54 blocks if I use what I've decided on right now.  Soooo.  I will be paring down the pictures once more.  The initial thought of this project being a wallhanging is just laughable at this point.  I just can't decide on the pictures.  We were all so cute when we were younger!  I found a GREAT picture of my brother at the age of 5 or so with my Grandmother in Disney World.  They both look miserable.  THAT picture is going into the quilt!  I laugh every time I look at it.

I did get 5 more pictures printed on the fabric paper and trimmed for blocks.  Did a little sewing yesterday afternoon and managed to get 2 more blocks done before I had to go to Punk's school for her Open House.  I'm down to 1/2 yard of fabric now so I can only get a few more blocks done.  Tomorrow starts the bi-annual CT Shop Hop.  I will be hitting the fabric store this weekend and stocking up on more yardage.  Can't wait to show you more of my progress soon!

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

Mini Quilt Swap

Kris hosted a mini quilt swap and Sinta and I were partners.  She has received my mini and I received hers on Monday.

This is what I made for Sinta

Of course with a couple of little extras

After I took the pictures and sent my mini off to Sinta, I stared at the pictures and noticed a big mistake.  Take a good look... do you see it??  Maybe not so much a mistake but it bothers me.  There are 2 gray centers on the top and 2 orange centers on the bottom.  But that wasn't my intention.  I was doing an "AB/BA" pattern based on the fabric pattern.  The bottom left should be the top right.  What a dope.  I really wasn't pay attention.

I received Sinta's on Monday.  Oh how I love it!  It matches my sewing room perfectly.  I need to go to Target this Friday for a birthday gift and while I'm there, I will pick up a curtain rod with clips so that I hang it in my sewing room.  Sinta added a cute pattern and a pair of embroidery scissors too.  I haven't looked a the pattern yet.  I don't need the extra temptation right now.  ;)  Thank you Sinta!

Kris had an extra incentive to be an early bird sender.  The swap was sponsored by Sew Lux Fabric and Gifts .  Send early to your partner and win a secret prize.  There were 2 winner and I was one of the lucky ones.  My prize was in the mail too on Monday.

I haven't busted it open yet but I will.  Soon.  :)

Enjoy your day!
Jen

My Mug Rugs

The newest craze out there in blogland are these mini quilts that people have called "mug rugs".  It's a giant coaster.  Enough room for your mug and a snack.  I finally caved and made up one for myself and Amelia liked it so much, I made her one too.

Mine came out bit long and skinny but it's fine.  I really like them and would love to make them for gifts this Christmas but I pushed that idea out of my head.  Not going to do it.  At least not this year.

I busted open my Moda Sampler box and used "Spring Fever" for my mug rugs.

Amelia's is the pink binding, mine the purple.  I like the checkerboard look and I will make myself another with just the mini squares.  They are cute, aren't they?

Enjoy your day!
Jen