Where's My Tape?

Back to the Lil Pieces, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

The title of this post is the way to announce that you're coming off break in my family. This ticker tape quilt is one of the projects that I'm working on at the end of 2010. I've reloaded and added a couple of more rows. Between June and December I've created plenty of new scraps to finish this off. Here's the post from when I was last working on it.

In between placing the little bits and tacking them down with the machine, I'm working on some borders, some clean up and some planning for next year.

Final 2010 Finish

Green Fair and Square, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

At least I'm trying to talk myself into this being the final finished quilt of 2010. I don't know if you've realized but I'm a big fan of numbers. And this is my 22nd quilt of the year. I had wanted to do 24 this year and I've got two really close to done. But in the interest of sanity (mine and my poor housebound due to rain puppy) I'm not going to try to finish the other two. I'll just have two early finished in 2011.

Anyway, these are the green squares I won from a giveaway by crazy mom quilts and I whipped up the top in October. The quilting is wavy lines and went super super fast. Then I attached the binding to the front and it languished in the to be worked on pile (on my couch). The flurry of December presents with deadlines took priority over this quilt so I just finished the binding this morning. It's a great lap quilt size and the flannel backing from my stash was perfect.

Green Fair and Square, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

The flannel is super soft and I think it's going to wash up really well.

Green Fair and Square, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

For the MacGuyver portion of the photoshoot, I used a preexisting hook in the wall with a little clip thing that was on the table I keep meaning to clear off. Add one empty wrapping paper roll to extend my gorilla arm and voila, a picture of almost the whole quilt is achieved.

Of course as soon as this was accomplished a friend texted she was coming over so if I had been a tad more patient, she'd have held it up for me outside in the sun. C'est la vie!

Fruitcake Gifted

IMG_1581.JPG, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

Here's the completed quilt for my sister's family. I used a pantograph pattern of bells and holly for the center and quilted in the whole family's names on some of the bells. Should have taken a picture of that for it to really make sense. My brother-in-law kindly held it up for me so I could get a full picture. Then he used it immediately for a nap.

I started out using 2 charm packs but then found that I needed a lot more squares so I got a layer cake and cut it into 5 inch squares. I still have a lot leftover which is nice. I did a disappearing nine patch and this is one of those quilts I liked way better in the pictures than in real life until I got it quilted up.

IMG_1581.JPG, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

Here's the label before attaching to the quilt and yes, after gifting to the family. The binding was finished by my mom on Christmas Day (we open presents on Christmas Eve) while I finished the label by hand.

No Really, By Hand, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

Really, I did the label by hand. Even the tiny binding around the words. I sure hope it lasts through a washing.

Winter Solstice in Purple

Purple Solstice, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

This is the finished just before the deadline and gifted hours before I left for SF quilt. I decided to gift a solstice quilt for a friend of mine who celebrates the winter solstice. She mentioned awhile back that her favorite color was purple so I got a few purple batiks and went to town. I posted about the strips previously here. This was one of those projects that just seemed to be calling to me despite my already over long holiday sewing list.

Quilting on Purple Solstice, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

I quilted with wavy lines which seemed to go well with the varied patterns in the batiks. You can see a fabric or two in the first picture that I would likely have taken out if I'd had more time to worry over this puppy.

Quilting on Purple Solstice, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

The backing worked out really well though (and at 25% off) but since it was sorta plain I went with the lighter thread on the back too so that it would show up better.

I'm trying to be better with listing sizes so this one is about 60 inches x 72 inches. Theoretically. I didn't measure after washing but it didn't seem to crinkle as much as some of the others.

Happy Winter Solstice All! Remember the days only get longer from here!

Bits of Wood

Bits , originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

This is a picture from when I was quilting the Bits quilt. I was basing the quilting on a filler pattern from the Free Motion Quilting blog called Desert Sand but as I was stitching it, I mostly thought of it as Dragon's Breath. Except for this picture which is the strip of brown I added in to make the backing big enough (the bits really added up!). This one is wood grain for sure.

Bits , originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

Here's a closeup of a couple of the squares. I made this with leftover bits of the Bento Box that took years (by not working on it) and started out just sewing as many 3 inch strips together as I could. Then I cut those into 3 inch bits. Then I made a gazillion 4 patches. Then a bazillion 16 patches. Then just started sewing those together. Until I ended up with 952 squares all in a quilt.

I'm happy with the final outcome but don't have any full pictures to include since I finished it just in time to drop it off on the porch for the birthday I intended it for. I hope he likes it. And if not, I hope he lies about it.

Gifts Gone Wild

IMG_1521.JPG, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

I do feel like gift prep has taken over my life but here's one that I gave recently that didn't quite turn out the way that I'd hoped.

Idea: a half dozen photo cards I made in a cute little cupcake themed bag for a true cupcake connoisseur. I hoped she'd use the bag for books or something.

Result: the bag was waaaaaay too small to hold the cards and unless she reads little cardboard chewable books, it won't be much use for that either. Ah well, the tutorial was from Happy Zombie and she does call them Tiny Treat bags so that should have been my first clue.

Calculator

Calculator, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

It's a Festivus Miracle!

I actually have enough fabric to tweak the bindings on this quilt that is no where near ready but is due very soon.

I'm hoping for about 42 more Festivus Miracles this weekend so if you have any extra, please send them my way.

Bits Label

Bits Label, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

First present is done and delivered! Here's the hand stitched label. It slows me down on the part where I just want the project to be over but at least I know it won't fade. And to some extent I can use fancy fonts.

Central Park and Sunkissed

Central Park and Sunkissed, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

Green Fairy Quilts ships fast! These little lovelies were waiting on my door for me to get home yesterday. Shall I do a search on how many times I've said Kate Spain is my favorite? The one on the left is her new Central Park collection and the right is Sunkissed by Sweetwater.

They are both little bits of spring trying to keep me from putting up my holiday decorations. I will finish presents before I open the bundles. . . I will try anyway.

Not What I'm Working On

Not What I'm Working On, originally uploaded by shanleytulip.

But will probably use these next year. Or not, I do have a ton of other fabric calling my name. I'm actually doing some free style quilting right now. At the moment I feel like I've wrecked my quilt top and should start over. Or gouge out the eyes of the person who will receive it so they don't notice that it could have been pretty.

HOWEVER, there is usually a point on every quilt that I make where I wonder what the hell I was thinking and want to dump the whole thing. So I think I shall wait until it's done before becoming violent on someone I normally like well enough to make a quilt.