2014 NewFO Challenge

Well, Barbara @ Cat Patches has decided to be our 'Enabler in Chief' for a new year.  What is NewFO?  Well, you have permission and encouragement to start a new project - no pressures, no finish - just start something!  And your choice of whether it is something new monthly, semi-monthly, or however you would like to work.  Visit Barbara and see what I mean and then I am sure you can put together a list of NewFOs you would like to start in 2014.

I have decided I am going to skip the year long BOMs and QALs - Oh, I will still keep things updated with buttons on my sidebar as there may be something that interests others.  But I have a collection of books that I JUST HAD TO HAVE and haven't touched.  

You know the ones, usually it was the cover photo quilt that caught your eye.  Well, I want to challenge myself to grab a book and make a quilt in it.

And that other shelf - it's time revisit some of these and others haven't been touched.

Yes, all those cross stitch books.  I slipped away from this and really want to get back into a schedule of handwork.  I have been stitching this month with my sewing machine off to the SPA - and it really has been a pleasure.

I bought this in the middle of the year and have been slowly gathering the materials and think all is in place for this to be a highlight piece in 2014.

And I need to dedicate time to learn this - setting time each week to learn a new step each month.

  

This arrived in the middle of our snow storm - now that's service!

2014 is going put this girl thru her paces.  I am letting her sit for 24 hrs after her long, cold travels and then reading thru that thick manual and testing every part of her before putting her to work.  No, I don't name my machines - they are either a him or her.

I will be taking part in the RSC14 to clear that bin of strings, I do like to particpate in some of those challenges, an occassional Hop, and the short term QALs do appeal to me. The Monthly Doll Quilt Swap group is always fun as well as the small 'friends' swap group (semi-monthy).  And I have three quilt shows I plan to participate in, too.  Sounds like a full year.

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

Christmasl QAL & Challenge Finale

Our venture began back in June with the lovely Joanna as our first hostess and Hazel was our alternating months hostess. And it was nice that they ran the QAL for the weekend so you could join in either day. We also got the big Challenge given to us by the spearhead of this venue - Sue @ Quilt Times.

The Challenge

Make a quilt on the theme of Christmas without using the colours red or green.

The small print:

·         The quilt may be any style, as long as it has two layers of fabric enclosing wadding, secured by quilting or tying

·         It may be any shape, but must measure no more than 96” around the outside edges.  ie, it could be a square 24” x 24”, a rectangle  8” x  40”, a triangle measuring 36” on each side,  a circle with a diameter of 30”, or any other shape you can think of, as long as the total outside edges do not add up to more than 96”

 ·         If the design is not your own, you must credit the original designer

 ·         It must be completed, including binding, in time for your final photo to be included in our grand parade in December

·         You will be asked to send one photo of your finished quilt with a ruler along the longest edge to prove it meets size restrictions to your hostess  in December

·         To be eligible to win the prize you must have joined at least three of the Quiltalong Linky parties with a post during the weekend showing what you are working at that time.



Now I am not a huge fan of Christmas print fabrics, and I do love working minis - so this challenge was really easy for me and scraps were pulled out for play.

They became the base for my project.  If you are familiar with the 'twister' template, this sqaure setting makes sense to you.  Yep, lots of scrappy 2.5" squares, then a solid border - waiting to be chopped up!

With the mini Twister only 1.5" square, I bought the small rotary which made it much easier cutting these.  No room for error inbetween those cuts as you can see - as well as that project really shrank down once cut and re-sewn.

All cut and re-sewn for a mini tree - ready for decorating.  Yes, that border fabric had a silver 'sparkle' to it - not the easiest fabric to sew thru.  And there are some really heavy seams to this, so it is going to have to be finished by hand.

Lots of tiny beads and buttons (no red or green) and metallic threads in siver, gold, and blue - all hand tied.

I went thru that package of beading needles.  As they got more and more bent, they eventually broke.  I made it thru the project and one (bent) needle left.

Since we need to show the size meets the challenge - a photo with tapes.  Finished at 12.5" x 14".

And I made sure there was no red/green on the back either.

So I present my piece for the Challenge - please be sure to visit Sue and see what others have completed for their challenge.  I, also, find it funny that this QAL/Challenge started with a tropical storm - Andrea (boy it rained) and ending with our first major winter storm (at times we are to see 1-2" an hour). And boy it's cold!!  Looks like a blue and white Christmas for us.

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

Friday the 13th Winners

Winners of the $50 Certificates

USA WINNER

 barb said...

i was in a serious accident a few years ago and one of the injuries was a severe trauma head injury and i suffer from short term memory loss, so i am always misplacing things. yesterday, a friend took me to the store and one of my nessities was toilet paper. well today i was looking for it and it was nowhere to be found. that is until i went to get some milk from the refrigerator. yep, there was my precious toilet paper sitting on a shelf beside the milk. thank you for a wonderful giveaway.

December 6, 2013 at 8:39 AM

OUT OF STATES WINNER

Deb said...

Ooh lucky you Sharon. I would love to get a new machine. Not that there is anything wrong with my one, I just love new toys!

I found $5 in my jeans pocket the other day. No idea how long it had been there as I haven't worn those jeans in ages. And you know I am in NZ 

December 6, 2013 at 11:05 PM

Congratulations ladies and thank you to all who commented

Baby It's Cold Outside

I know most of us are cold and some snowy, too.  We are having a bit of a white out tonight, but warm inside.  Although we may curse out the window at it, it does add to the charm of the season.

This Saturday we will be linking up with Sue at Quilt Times for the final Christmas QAL & Challenge.  It will be fun to see how everyone did on their challenge piece - no red or green and less than 96" total around the outside of the finished piece.

Luckily Tuesday was a lite snow so we could hold our Quilt Guild meeting/Christmas party.  A soup, salad, rolls and tons of deserts night with some great quilters.  Instead of exchanging gifts we do pillowcases for a local children's hospital and new this year - made placemats for Meals on Wheels for their Christmas dinners delivery.  We also donated food and personal items to one local pantry and money to another.  

Our program committee had us bring one FQ to win a raffle of bundled FQs and an ugly FQ which was put in a papersack - we got one to take home with the challenge to make something with it and bring it back next meeting .  I won one of the bundles and the bright is my ugly.  I also won a pointsettia plant on one of the tables, but gave that to my Mom.  

My BIG box of thread came - rather jumbled in it's travels, but what fun to sort thru this and put all those colors in place.  AND I can't wait to use them!

My brother & SIL took Mom into the city shopping for the day, so I was home alone (sort of) to watch the shop.  And with no sewing machine, pushed the Bah-Hum-Bugs into the closet and decided to do a little decor.  It was a little difficult with this helper claiming everything in the tub as his own.  Bella hates anything 'different' , so hid upstairs in the spare bedroom.

So the tree is up and I only put my blogger swap ornaments on it.

And the mantel with just some of my snowmen along with my Dec 2012 Doll Swap.  That poor empty table  is where my New Home machine should be.
And the new machine hasn't arrived yet.  There is a long story on that whole mess for another time, but there is one on it's way.

I will be making changes on the side bar - QALs and hops and events that finish up and adding new items as I come across them.

 Just remember with the hustle and bustle of the Season - take time to breath.  See you Saturday.

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon