TGIFF - Bags for a Friend

You may have seen over on Instagram that recently I got a little sidetracked making a bunch of Lined Drawstring Bags by Jeni @ In Color Order.  This is an amazing pattern, and I can't wait to try the expansion pattern.

A friend loves the Toronto Raptors basketball team, so I whipped up a bag to send to her.

And I also love the Open Wide Zippered Pouch tutorial by Noodlehead.  So I made one to go along with the drawstring bag.

I hope she enjoys them.  They were fun to make.

I'm linking up with:

Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday @ Simply Crafting

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Finished or Not Friday @ Alycia Quilts

Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation

Brag About Your Beauties @ From Bolt to Beauty
Friday Foto Fun @ Powered by Quilting

PHD in 2020

Gail @ Quilting Gail is hosting PHD 2020 -- an opportunity to finish those Projects Half Done and to complete projects started in 2020.

I have 13 quilt tops siting around waiting to be quilted, and my goal is to get them all quilted before the end of 2020 (preferably a lot sooner than the end of the year).  I have measured all the tops, and I'm going to search my stash for backings. 

In no particular order, here is my list.

2019 Monthly Color Challenge
I pieced this top on December 31, 2019.  This was a monthly BOM hosted by Jen @ Patterns by Jen.

37 x 49 inches

Beothuk Star QAL
I finished this top back in June 2019.  It was a QAL hosted by Sandra @ Musings of a Menopausal Melon.  

43 x 43 inches

Hand Pieced QAL

I finished this hand pieced top back in April 2019.  This QAL was co-hosted by Patty @ Elm Street Quilts and Kristin @ Simple Handmade Everyday.  I have plans to hand quilt this top.

34 x 34 inches

Jenn's Quilt
This is top that was pieced by a friend.  She received the blocks as part of an online Bee.  She was not happy with the top, so I rescued it to donate to charity.

39 x 53 inches

Mosaic Mystery QAL
I finished piecing this top last week.  This was a mystery QAL hosted by Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs.

53 x 65 inches

Penguin Party
I pieced this top back in November 2019 at Sewtopia.

49 x 49 inches

Saltwater Taffy
I tested this pattern for Becca @ Pretty Piney back in September 2019.  The pattern has now been released, and you can purchase it here.

53 x 53 inches

Tiny Quilt QAL
This was a QAL hosted by Teresa @ Sewn Up.  The blocks are paper pieced and finish at 3 inches.

14 x 14 inches

Common Ground

I tested this pattern for Andrea @ 3rd Story Workshop.  The pattern has not been released, so I've blurred the photo.

49 x 61 inches

Pattern Testing

I tested this pattern for a fellow blogger back in 2018.  The pattern has not been released, so I have blurred the photo.

37 x 37 inches

Diamond Run
This is a pattern I tested for Jen @ Patterns by Jen.  This pattern has not yet been released, so I have blurred the photo.

41 x 41 inches

Medallion Magic QAL
This was a QAL hosted by Leanne @ Devoted Quilter.  I finished the top back in August 2019.

62 x 70 inches

Plus Sampler
This was a QAL hosted by Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs and Paige @ Quilted Blooms. 

62 x 78 inches

Let the quilting begin!

Project Quilting 11.1 - Notably Numeric

Have you seen the Project Quilting challenge hosted by Kim @ Persimon Dreams?
This is my third year participating.

Each season consists of six challenges.  The theme is released on Sunday at noon, and you have until the next Sunday at noon to create something to match the theme.  Then there is a week's break before the next theme is released.

This week's theme was Notably Numeric:  the project must feature numbers, counting, or mathematics.
I decided to make something practical and made a counting toy for my nieces.  It finishes roughly 17 x 21 inches.

The girls can move the beads up and down the ribbon.  I took inspiration from a photo I saw online.  I didn't have a plan when I sat down to sew, so there are a lot of changes in the construction should I make another one in the future.

I forgot to add a closure, so I had to unstitch part of the seam to add some elastic.

I hope the girls have fun playing with this.

TGIFF - Tote Bag and Pouch

This is a tote bag and zippered pouch I made for a friend for Christmas.  My fabric pull was based on the chocolate canvas I used on the bottom of the bag.  My friend loved the colours, and so do I.  I'm hoping I have enough fabric to make at least another zippered pouch.

I love the plastic so that you can see what's in the pouch.  It was hard to gift these -- you all know how much I love orange.  😉  Although this is more coral than orange, I still love it.

The tote bag is on the small size -- need to read the pattern more closely next time.

I'm hoping to make more gifts for Christmas and other special occasions.  It's a way to work my way through my stash and to reduce waste in the world.

I'm linking up with:

Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday @ Slice of Pi Quilts

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Finished or Not Friday @ Alycia Quilts

Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation

Brag About Your Beauties @ From Bolt to Beauty
Friday Foto Fun @ Powered by Quilting

WIP Wednesday - Mosaic Mystery Quilt

And just like that...I have a finished quilt top.  I've been sewing along with Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs for her mystery QAL -- Mosaic Mystery Quilt.

January's instructions are to piece all the blocks into a quilt top and add two borders.  The first is a small border of the background fabric.  The second is a larger border of the fabric that happens to be my yellow print.  I did not want a yellow border.  So I considered one of the other fabrics.  And then the light bulb clicked on...I don't need to add a second border.

I probably could have skipped the first border, but I like that I won't lose my points during the quilting and trimming process.

Here's a close up of the centre of the quilt.

There's still time to join in if you want -- head over to Cheryl's blog (Mosaic Mystery Quilt) for details.

Now to get this quilted so it doesn't join the pile of unfinished quilted tops.

Linking up with:

WIP Wednesday @ The Needle and Thread Network

Midweek Makers @ Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss @ The Inquiring Quilter

TGIFF - Christmas Drawstring Bags

In an effort to make it easy for my two little nieces to open their Christmas presents (they're 2 years and 1 year old), I decided to remove some of the packaging and tape, etc. before wrapping them.  The tea set had so much plastic and tape (even the tea cups were taped to the plates), there was no way she'd be able to get into it.  So thanks to the idiotic packaging by big business, I had to make drawstring bags at the last minute to hold (and store) their presents.

I love the Lined Drawstring Bag pattern by Jeni @ In Color Order.

I purchased the expansion pattern and am looking forward to trying out the different options.

I don't wrap a lot of presents at Christmas.  But I think I'm going to start making bags to use (and maybe for birthday presents as well).

I'm linking up with:

Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday @ Devoted Quilter

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict 
Finished or Not Friday @ Alycia Quilts

Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation

Brag About Your Beauties @ From Bolt to Beauty 
Friday Foto Fun @ Powered by Quilting

WIPs Heading into 2020

2019 has come and gone, and we are now into a new decade.  I took some vacation time during the Christmas holiday to spend time with my nieces who were visiting; to relax; and to sew.  As it turned out, I was not very productive in my sewing or blog reading, so I am heading into 2020 with some WIPs.

Progress has been slow on my Temperature Quilt 2019 -- 1-inch EPP hexies.  The months January to September are all pieced together, but not yet pieced to each other.  I thought I was doing a good job piecing each month separately, but now it's cumbersome to sew the long sections together.

I'm currently working on October to December, but I'm attempting to piece from left to right.  That meant digging out a small table to lay out all the pieces in the correct order.  We'll see if this makes piecing easier.

I haven't linked up with One Monthly Goal for the past few months -- I keep forgetting to link up at the first of the time by the deadline.  If you don't know about OMG, head over to Elm Street Quilts for the details.  My January goal is to get my Temperature Quilt pieced.

My list of WIPs includes 12 quilts that need to be quilted.  Even though they are not finished projects, I don't consider them to be true WIPs because the piecing is all done.  😊

I did not finish my Summer Sampler 2019 blocks.  I still have the last 7 blocks (out of 21) to piece.

And I have three extremely old WIPs:

• Stellar Stars BOM - This was a 2018 Block of the Month hosted by Purple Daisies Quilting.  I still have several blocks to piece, but I need to buy more of the background fabric.  I was fortunate enough to win both the pattern and the monthly fabric kits, but there wasn't enough Art Gallery Snow included to finish all the blocks.

• Sewcial Bee Sampler Sew Along - This was a block of the week Sew Along from 2017, but I didn't start making the blocks until 2018.  I think I have half of the blocks made.  I just need to focus and get the rest of the blocks pieced.

• Milky Way Sampler - This was a 2017 Quilt Along hosted by Blossom Heart Quilts.  It was easy to let this one slide because it's all paper pieced blocks.  But now that I am more comfortable with paper piecing, I'm going to try my best to make progress on this WIP.

Here's to a productive 2020.

Linking up with:

Let's Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts
WIP Wednesday @ The Needle and Thread Network

Midweek Makers @ Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss @ The Inquiring Quilter

Final Sewing of 2019

As we wind down to the final hours of 2019, here is what I accomplished today.

I pieced the last four blocks for the 2019 Monthly Color Challenge hosted by Jen @ Patterns by Jen.  This is the December block.

Since I wanted to limit the amount of WIPs going into 2020, I skipped the sashing and pieced the blocks together.  To save time, I pieced the blocks in the order they were released.  It will make a colourful baby or charity quilt.

Here are the December instructions for the Mosaic Mystery QAL hosted by Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs.

I pieced the final two blocks for the Tiny Quilt QAL hosted by Teresa @ Sewn Up.  Those paper pieced blocks finish at 3 inches.

And today brings the end to the 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge.  This is my 16th blog post for the month of December, which is 50 percent.

I'm going to spend the evening working on my 2019 temperature quilt.  Time will tell whether I am awake to see the arrival of 2020.  😊

2020 Monthly Color Challenge - January Block

The 2020 Monthly Color Challenge is being hosted by Jen @ Patterns by Jen.  Head over to Jen's blog for details on the challenge and to sign up to receive the blocks by e-mail.

January's block was released a day early.  The monthly color inspirations are based on birds.  January is Finch, yellow.  Click here to see Jen's versions of the block.

I used Oval Elements by Art Gallery Fabrics and Kona Daffodil.

Here is my January 12.5 inch block.

The January bloggers are:

Kathy - Kathy's Kwilts and More

Kathy - Penny For My Thoughts

Joanne - Everyone Deserves A Quilt

Sarah - The Quilted Diary

Willow - Bear Paw Stitch and Design

2020 Monthly Color Challenge

Have you ever participated in the Monthly Color Challenge hosted by Jen @ Patterns by Jen?  I'll be sewing along with Jen and other bloggers for the 2020 version.  (It's very hard not to type colour -- with a letter u).

Jen has lots of information on her blog.  Click here for the blog post that lists all the colours for 2020.

You can find a list of the participating bloggers here.

There will be prizes given out every quarter (April 1, July 1, October 1, and January 1, 2021).  Click here to read all about the wonderful sponsors.

Tomorrow, Jen will be releasing January's block early.  Make sure you head to her blog to sign up for the monthly e-mails.  The blocks will be free for the current month.

I hope you choose to sew along in 2020.

31 Day Blog Writing Challenge

Glue vs. Pins

I'm pattern testing for Andrea @ 3rd Story Workshop, and there are a lot of HRTs to make.  I often use glue when piecing small pieces or pieces cut on the bias.  But I've always wondered how much more time it takes to glue pieces rather than pinning them.

So I decided to time myself today.  I made four HRTs using glue and another four HRTs using pins.  I timed how long it took to glue the pieces together and then sew the seams.  It took 2 minutes 32.36 seconds.

And then I timed pinning and then sewing (removing the pins as I went).  It took 2 minutes 54.42 seconds.

I was surprised as I thought it would have taken longer to glue the pieces.  But you actually save time during the sewing process as you don't take time to remove the pins.  The pieces below on the left were glued, and the ones on the right were pinned.

The only downfall to using glue is that you can't press your seams open.  This is only an issue if you want to press your seams open to reduce bulk if your quilt top has a lot of seams.

I'm hoping to finish making all the HRTs today, so I can start piecing this week.

I've been  participating in the 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge.  But I have not succeeded.  I like the idea of the challenge, but December is not a great month because it's so busy for the holidays.  As well, my nieces were here twice this month, and I drop everything to spend as much time with them during their short visits.

TGIFF - Island Batik Ambassador 3D Challenge

Note:  All products in this post were given to me by Island Batik as part of their Ambassador program.

This is my final project as an Island Batik 2019 Ambassador.  It has been a great year working with Island Batik fabrics and the products of their sponsors, Hobbs Batting, Aurifil, and Accuquilt.

The theme of this month's challenge is:

Explore the world of 3D using your creative talents for this month’s challenge. Bring your inner artist out by using optical illusions, textures, trapunto, or whatever else will make your quilt pop into life!

I decided to use Island Batik solids in white and black.  I used an optical illusion pattern by Debby Kratovil Quilts:  Modern Vortex.  It is easily made with a Dresden ruler.

I used Sprinkles neutral fabric for the setting triangles.  It didn't have as much contrast as I thought it would, but I still think it makes the centre pop.

I used my favourite Hobbs Heirloom Premium 80/20 batting.

Piecing and quilting was done with Aurifil #2024 White.  I didn't have a full plan in mind when I started quilting.  I quilted one section and then made a decision on the next section.  And then it was finally done.  I always struggle with how to quilt projects.  I used a combination of free-motion quilting and straight line quilting with a walking foot.

Being an Island Batik Ambassador this year has been a great experience, and I encourage you to look for the fabulous projects to be created by the 2020 Ambassadors.  I still have some Island Batik fabrics, so stay tuned in 2020 for some projects showcasing them.

I am hosting Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday for the final link up of 2019.   If you have a finish from this week, please link up your blog/Instagram post showing your finish by using the linkup below.  Don't forget to visit a few blogs to spread some quilty love and encouragement.  Please include the TGIFF button or a link to the TGIFF blog in your blog post so your followers can also view all the great finishes.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Here are some other link ups to showcase your finish:

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict 
Finished or Not Friday @ Alycia Quilts

Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation

Brag About Your Beauties @ From Bolt to Beauty 
Friday Foto Fun @ Powered by Quilting