Some Santa Sewing

I have been busy in my sewing room sewing lots of holiday gifts for friends and family.  I thought I would start sharing a few with links to the patterns/tutorials if you want some last minute ideas.

I can only reveal those gifts that I have already gifted, shipped, or know that the recipients don't read my blog.  I will share more in the coming weeks!

Here are a couple of the microwave bowl cozies I made.  I use this tutorial as a guide.

They can take a bit to make - especially if you make just one at a time.  There is top stitching so thread color becomes an issue.  Of course all of my fabric choices means I can only make two at a time.  But they are a great way to use up some of your stash.

Smart people would choose fabrics that the same color thread can be used and make them in a production line.  You could probably make quite a few in an afternoon!

Warning - you just really want to be sure and use microwavable batting.  

I used Pellon Wrap N Zap.

These bowl cozies are always a hit.  It is one of those gifts that people don't know they need until they get them and find out just how nice they are!

More gifts to be shared soon!

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My Quilt Infatuation (Needle & Thread)

Confessions of a Fabric Addict (Can I get a Whoop! Whoop!)

From Bolt to Beauty (Brag about your Beauties)

Alycia Quilts (Finished or not Friday)

***This post contains affiliate links.  I appreciate the support!

Oh Scrap! : Lots of Distractions

I have been finding myself a little lost lately without any specific scrap projects to work on.  So every time I get a few minutes in my sewing room (that I am not sewing holiday gifts), I find myself hopping from bin to bin and creating a mess.

I did start a project I have had in my head for a bit.  After I made my Improv Garden, I kept thinking it might be fun to use the same technique to create lights in a midnight sky - they could be thought of as stars or lighting bugs.  I finished one 12" block - next I think I will make some smaller blocks and see where my scraps lead me.

The other mess I have is my orphan block suitcase.  There is no way to get it closed anymore so I need to think about making even more quits from all these odd blocks.

(I recently made 5 small quilts.  You would think that would have made a dent.)

Are you curious to see some of the silly things I keep?

Here are a bunch of odd shaped large blocks that are all kind of in the same color scheme.  I am sure there are a bunch of little bits in the suitcase that could go into a quilt with these blocks.  There is definitely some possibilities here.

I have quite the collection of items with Kafffe Fassett fabric in them.  I also have a big scrap bin full of his fabric so the potential for a quilt is here too!

And here is where it gets really crazy - what a hodge podge of bits!  When I was pulling items, I just went with anything that had bright colors and anything with black/white.

I just threw the bits up on the wall - but I kind of want to just sew it up like this!

I am intrigued by the color placement.

And I also ask myself - Is it really necessary to save all this!

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Now it is time to link up and share what scrappy projects you have worked on this week.  Here are the details for linking up:

• This linky party is for any scrappy project - It can be in-process or a finished piece.
• You can link up your blog post (not your homepage please) or Instagram photo from the past week that features your use of scraps.
• If you are linking to a blog post, I ask that you link back to my blog somewhere in your post. So if you are writing about scraps, just get into the habit of including a link as there will be a linky party available every week!
• If you are using Instagram, please use the hashtag #ohscrap.
• This is a party so remember to socialize and comment on the posts of others.
• Following my blog is not necessary but it sure would be great if you do!

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So if you love scrappy projects, feel free to grab my button for your sidebar or posts and get ready to share all your wonderful projects from scraps.  And if you have a great idea for using scraps and would like to be featured, feel free to contact me.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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Linking Up:

Love Laugh Quilt (Monday Making)

Trash into Treasure

Even though I have had little time to sew, I have been trying really hard to finish up as many UFO projects as I can by the end of the year.  So any spare moment I have is focused on completions.

This week has been all about holiday gifts - but I did get one little quilt finished.

This one actually started out as a stack of orphan blocks and some coordinating scraps.

I used some darker gray, made more HSTs and then made these fun 9' blocks.

I really like how the two colors of solids look - I will have to remember this for the future.

There really weren't a lot of fabric to make a lot of blocks from so I decided to use what as I had as the outer border.  When I was trying to figure out what I wanted to put in the center, I came across a Jen Kingwell scrap whose colors worked perfectly.  Rather than make more blocks, I decided to just use it as the focal point.

In fact, the scrap was rectangular shaped so I decided to just use it that way!

I really like this plum, gray and yellow combination.  I decided to use the piecing in the blocks to mark my spacing for crosshatching in the center.  The rest of the quilt received some continuous loops in a gray thread.

The quilt finished out at about 35" square.  It has no home but it was fun to see those leftovers that would have otherwise gone in the trash to be transformed into such a treasure.

I even pieced up a bunch of odd shaped leftovers for the backing.

As I was putting the one block I ended up not using into my orphan block suitcase, I realize it is already overflowing and doesn't want to close.  As I travel and teach, now that people know I love these orphans, they bring me little treasures from their projects.

Looks like there will be more of these quilts in my near future - Or I need to buy a bigger suitcase!

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Linking Up:

My Quilt Infatuation (Needle & Thread)

Confessions of a Fabric Addict (Can I get a Whoop! Whoop!)

From Bolt to Beauty (Brag about your Beauties)

Alycia Quilts (Finished or not Friday)

Oh Scrap! : Strings

As I wrote this post, I realized that today is the first day of December....YIKES!

Maybe I should start working on those holiday gifts :)

But no...my brain is just too tired so I have been playing with strings.  Nice mindless String Blocks.

I started out with these 10.5" yellow blocks.

I moved onto my orange scraps next.  I finished these four blocks and plan on making more.

But next I need to at least make a list of items to make.

We shall see how far I get after that!

Are you making gifts this year?

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It is now your turn to share what you are making with scraps.  Here are the details for linking up: 

• This linky party is for any scrappy project - It can be in-process or a finished piece.
• You can link up your blog post (not your homepage please) or Instagram photo from the past week that features your use of scraps.
• If you are linking to a blog post, I ask that you link back to my blog somewhere in your post. So if you are writing about scraps, just get into the habit of including a link as there will be a linky party available every week!
• If you are using Instagram, please use the hashtag #ohscrap.
• This is a party so remember to socialize and comment on the posts of others.
• Following my blog is not necessary but it sure would be great if you do! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Follow Me on Bloglovin'          Follow Me thru Email          Follow Me on Feedly

Linking Up:

Love Laugh Quilt (Monday Making)

So Scrappy for RSC19 

A Finish from the Back of the Closet

First, I hope all of you from the states had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I was thankful for all my great friends and that I didn't have to drive anywhere!

I don't think I have ever shared any in-process photos of this triangle quilt I finished this week.  This was a project one of my clients asked me to adopt.  She had all of the triangles cut but didn't find sewing together all those triangles together was very much fun.  It has been stored in the back of the closet for months.  I thought I would get it out and finish it this year.

I think her plan was a bit different for this quilt.  But I didn't like how it was looking so I simply laid these triangles in the above random layout.  The fabrics are neon bright and were fun to work on.  

I took my quilting inspiration from the black fabric - I simply quilted in a traveling loop horizontally across the quilt.

She gave me all of the fabric she had purchased for this quilt - so I used all the leftover pieces on the backing and the binding.  

Next time I see her, I will offer it back to her all finished up.  This is a nice napping sized quilt and she has a houseful of teenagers!

A big Thanks to all of you who follow along on my quilting journey.  

I really am very grateful!

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Linking Up:

My Quilt Infatuation (Needle & Thread)

Confessions of a Fabric Addict (Can I get a Whoop! Whoop!)

From Bolt to Beauty (Brag about your Beauties)

Alycia Quilts (Finished or not Friday)

...and if you are going to be making any purchases from any of my affiliates, I would appreciate using the below links.  There are some great deals to be found!

Connecting Threads is a great place to pick up fabric for backings, thread, batting, books and notions.

The Fat Quarter Shop is having a sitewide sale!

Lots of great deals at Accuquilt - whether you buy a new system or purchase more dies for your machine.

***This post contains affiliate links.  I appreciate the support!

Oh Scrap! : Buried Treasure

After finishing a few quilts, it was time I straighten up my sewing room this week.  I try to keep all the fabric together for a project until its completion - or I will inevitably use the needed fabric on something else. 

I admit there is a LOT going on in my sewing room right.  There are piles and stacks of projects everywhere.  As I was moving things around, I found buried one of my last orphan block stacks I was planning on making into a quilt.  I had completely forgotten about it!

I didn't have any of the light gray in my stash so I used a darker gray and turned all the orphan HSTs and leftover bits into these fun 9.5" blocks.  

I was only able to make 12 blocks.  Rather than use them as the center of the quilt, I am thinking I might use them as an outer border and do something with this dark plum fabric in the center.  Hanging to the right is the print I will probably put on the back.  It is a narrow strip of an extra wide print so it will require quite a few seams.

This one might be in the "thinking stage" until I get my next inspiration.  I am sure it is buried in my chaos somewhere just waiting to be found!

So I am curious how many of you build your quilts as you go on a design wall/floor.

I rarely know what direction my quilts are taking until the bits start going on the wall!

*********************************************

It is now your turn to share what you are making with scraps.  Here are the details for linking up: 

• This linky party is for any scrappy project - It can be in-process or a finished piece.
• You can link up your blog post (not your homepage please) or Instagram photo from the past week that features your use of scraps.
• If you are linking to a blog post, I ask that you link back to my blog somewhere in your post. So if you are writing about scraps, just get into the habit of including a link as there will be a linky party available every week!
• If you are using Instagram, please use the hashtag #ohscrap.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Follow Me on Bloglovin'          Follow Me thru Email          Follow Me on Feedly

Linking Up:

Love Laugh Quilt (Monday Making)

Em's ScrapBag (Moving it Forward)