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 I finished up my personal sewing project for the month!

This is what I chose for the lining.

I filmed the process of actually sewing the bag and currently am offering the pattern I wrote for this bag for FREE. Click the link below and use the code FreePatternValentine2025 to get a copy for free through Thursday February 13, 2025 at 6pm Mountain Time USA.

Basic Zipper Bag PDF Pattern

To view the video you can watch it embedded right here or click the link below the video to go to it directly on my shop YouTube Channel. If you ...

 As most Sue Spargo projects are, this one took quite a while. I've been working on this for about four years. The hand quilting alone took a little over two years, but I really only got to work on it on Thursdays during the hand sewing group at my shop.

I included lots of close up shots of the finished quilt below. 

The pattern is called Crimson Tweed by Sue Spargo. The pattern book is discontinued and I have already sold my personal copy of the pattern to a customer who wanted it. An internet search might turn up ...

Happy to have finally finished this quilt this year. I loved quilting it and the texture it created is wonderful. It’s really gorgeous and I’m so pleased with it.

This is a shot of the rear to show the quilting. It’s actually white but appears purple in the late afternoon light.

Triple irish chain is now a finished UFO quilt from my 5 quilt project. I started this in 2012. The top just needed borders in 2017, and, then, has waited it's turn on the longarm. I really like 30's prints and colors. I think that is what drew me back into quilting. Around here, 30s quilts were mostly what we could find at antique stores.  When I was a young quilter, I admired the work and dedication to make quilts during such a difficult time period.

84 x104 = 24 yards

Rectangle wrangle is finished. I brought it out of the ufo closet in May 2023. I made progress through out the year. I started assembly in July. It was a top in August. I love how it looks and feels. Shirt fabrics are very forgiving, and, so fun to use. Only a few of hubby's old shirts are in this one. The rest are recycled form thrift stores. I see more light than I was expecting while I was making this. I guess that is the magic of using shirt fabrics.

90 x 102 = 27 yards

 For this rug I used 9 yards of fabric. It finished at 26" by 36" but as expected the size shifted after washing and drying. It's now 24" by 37".

I have enough strips cut to make another rug using these exact same fabrics. For that one I can't decide how I want to order the six different fabrics. Should I use all of each fabric so the stripes are wider or should I pick a fabric order and use one strip of each so that the fabric changes every 6 inches or so? I'll think about ...

last report July 19,2023

I try to work on these 5 quilts until they are done. Their turn in the UFO closet is over, and, they need to be finished one way or another. 

There has been some rotation of projects as I have finally finished a few. I look forward to new Ufos that have come out to play with me.

1. wensleydale a jen kingwell pattern - twosies have turned into foursies. I have not taken this quilt out to social sewing. I feel it requires more focus. But, it takes longer.

2. Block of the month UFO ...

 I received a really lovely fabric collection recently called In the Garden. The collection includes two convenience fabrics - one is a panel and the other is yardage. They are both featured in the shop sample.

Above is the front of the quilt. It features the printed block panel. These blocks are about 20" by 20" and look like I did a lot of work to make them, but I didn't. It's printed just like that! Other uses for this fabric is to use one of two of the blocks as the outside of a tote bag, use one ...

 I started this older ufo in February as a side project for the rainbow scrap challenge. The color of the month was pink. I made it this far by the end of February, and, decided to use it each month, if I finished the regular color of the month projects. I had rows by the end of March. I had a top by the end of June.

It is finally quilted and bound. 

46 x 50 = 7 yards

TGIFF different   

please consider ...

 I have my lucky stars done in red for the rainbow scrap challenge. July is red month. I only need 2 more colors for this project and I will be ready to start the assembly process.

And just a happy coincidence, I finished Saturday soire quilt this week which happens to be a red and white quilt. 

This older block of the month is finally finished. Saturday soire is an older ufo from 2013. I added it to the 5 quilts list in April 2023. The 12 center blocks were already done, and, I had to make the 3 setting kits, and assemble the top. The setting kits were much more intense than I expected. I have only made two block of the months. This one does not disappoint. The fabrics are beautiful. 

82 x 100 = 23 yards

I am linking ...

 last report june 23, 2023

I try to work on these 5 quilts until they are done. Their turn in the UFO closet is over, and, they need to be finished one way or another. I decided that for 2023, rather than work a little on each one at a time, I would concentrate on just one. I still use the list to plan and look ahead. 

I feel like I have cheated on the 5 quilts, and, dabbled too much with new shiny projects. I played with my hsts drawer for sugar grove, I played with fractured squares ...

I have a finish for Friday. My trip a around the world baby quilt for charity is quilted and bound. I taught a workshop for this quilt for my guild.

45 x 64 = 12 yards

I am linking to:

 last report May 29 2023

I try to work on these 5 quilts until they are done. Their turn in the UFO closet is over, and, they need to be finished one way or another. I decided that for 2023, rather than work a little on each one at a time, I would concentrate on just one. I still use the list to plan and look ahead. 

I have made more progress than I thought I had this last month on my 5 quilts. Progress seems small, as there are so many steps to each one, and I may ...

When Bonnie Hunter was doing quiltcams, she introduced this quilt, as she was working on it. I really liked it, and, started making a few blocks along with her in 2012. It languished in the ufo closet for awhile and then I managed to complete the top in 2017. Then it languished in the "to be quilted" closet until It had a turn as one of my 5 quilts project. I had an empty longarm for a moment, and, now, I have a wonky wishes finish.

It was fun to revisit it, and, all the scrappy fabrics, I used to ...

 This one took me a while to quilt. I used rulers for the whole thing. It took so long because I didn't get a chance to work on it for over a week. Too busy with other things at the shop!

Here is another photo of it without shadows.

The pattern is called Boxed Up. Its a Cluck, Cluck Sew pattern - which means it is a good one. This is the crib/baby size and finishes at 48" by 58". The fabric collection I used for this is called Swatch.

Here is a close up view so you can ...

My April goal was to clean the sewing room floor which took until middle May to finish. A by product of that cleaning, was to clean the cutting table, too. This is a Friday finish with great benefit. 

It went from this....

embarrassing

to this...

tada

By cleaning this, my scrap management just improved. And, I am working diligently on my ironing room in May ( and probably June) When I run into a stack of mess, I have this lovely table to sort and cut. yipee. I have been very careful to clean it every night, to keep it that ...

 last report April 28, 2023

I try to work on these 5 quilts until they are done. Their turn in the UFO closet is over, and, they need to be finished one way or another. I decided that for 2023, rather than work a little on each one at a time, I would concentrate on just one. I still use the list to plan and look ahead. 

Ok, confession, I have not stuck to my 5 quilts very well, I have continued to work on them, but my resolve to stick to them only has not worked. I have ...

I can't believe it, but my sewing room floor is clean and as tidy as it is going to get.  It went from this

embarrassing

to this. 

I spent 6 weeks sorting through procrastinated messes and organizing better. I tried to remove as much as possible by donating or gifting. There is still too much packed into the room. I also tried to locate often used items closer to me.

These were all over the room wherever I could lean them

scrap bins

 still more to go

cutting table

I decided my ...

I made this as part of the rainbow scrap challenge in 2018

It was an oh Franson pattern. I used a 2 inch square interfacing and ironed the squares by color on the fusible side. I could then fold along the strips and sew the rows together. It was a process. As each color of the month was chosen, I would add that color to all the squares that would need it.

It is Tokoyo subway by Elizabeth Hartman.  I downloaded mine from her website when it was free.

60 x 60 = 12 yards

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