Sketchy Doodle Potholder

Last week I made a set of potholders, which has inspired me to make a few up for Christmas presents. Oh yeah, it's that time of year again. I talked to my stepdaughter and asked if she wanted to team up. She's a fabulous  baker. I thought that a set of potholders and a loaf of applesauce cake or zucchini bread would make a lovely gift. She can make the sweet treats and I can make the potholders.

I love to doodle, always have, what a perfect way to inspire some new potholders. For the set this week, I thought I would use some of my hand dyed fabric and do a Zentangled inspired FMQ. Are people that do Zentangles all children of the 60's? Sure feels that way to me ;)

 This weeks potholders were stitched with Aurifil 50wt thread. I used a layer of Insul-Bright and Warm & Natural batting.

I'm linking up with TGIFF, Link-A-Finish Friday, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop, Finish It Up Friday and FMQ Mavericks


Color Me Quilty!

Pat 

FMQ Potholder Set Completed

Front

back

I like to practice free-motion quilting, so I decided to have a little fun and create a set of  potholders. I might as well make something useful while practicing. I used two layers of batting, the bottom layer of Insul-Bright and a top layer of Warm & Natural. The thread was a variegated King-Tut, Aurifil 50wt bobbin and Aurifil Invisible thread for the binding.

The quilted designs were just free-form feathers with a lot of echos. Then I just trimmed each one to 9"x 9". Lucky for me, I had just enough leftover binding from another project to go around each one.

I didn't have enough binding to make traditional potholder loops, so I just stitched on a bit of gold ribbon. I think it works.

I think I might have to make up several sets for Christmas presents.

For today though, I'm linking up with TGIFF, Link-A-Finish Friday, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop and Finish It Up Friday


Color Me Quilty!

Pat 

A Little of This, A Little of That...WIP Wednesday

August is sometimes a hard month for me to focus on my quilting. Summer is so short here. But, I did accomplish a few things this week.

I was recently talking to a cousin about making potholders to practice free motion quilting. I realized that I hadn't made any in quite a while and I would love something to play with a little FMQ. Here's one I whipped up last night. I even found some left over binding to use.  I used Insul-Bright and Warm & Natural batting. I trimmed it to 9" x 9".

Front

Back

This is similar to some I made a few years back (click here).

I also started and finished a new purse for myself. I designed it around some cool buttons I got from Joyful Adornments. Click here to see my post on this purse.

I still have a list a mile long, but fall is coming! 

I'm linking up with  Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday!

 

Here are this week's stats:
In-process: (6)
Express Your Love
Humphrey's New Bed
Mod Ovals Quilt
Pantone Quilt 2014
IMQG Block Swap
VFW Scrap Fabric Quilt
 
New projects: (1) 
FMQ Potholders

Finished (1)
Quilty Purse

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Making Christmas Grand Finale!

For most of the Christmas Season, I linked up with the fabulous Janine at Rainbow Hare Quilts for Making Christmas. Today is the GRAND FINALE where we all get to show off just how much we made for Christmas.

17 Christmas Stocking, all lined and with machine embroidered names
7 Machine embroidered hand towels
6 Wonky, quilted potholders
4 Machine embroidered, quilted pillows
2 Machine embroidered, quilted iPad cases
2 Machine embroidered, quilted dog mats
1 Pair of quilted oven mitts
1 63"x 63" lap quilt - the first quilt I ever FMQed!!!!

I think everyone enjoyed their gift (at least to my face)!  Thank you Janine for hosting such a great link that kept me on track and on time!  I would like to think that I will start making Christmas a little earlier next year, but don't count on it!

Linking up with Rainbow Hare Quilts to see a huge Making Christmas Finale!

Just A Little Bit of Wonky!

Okay, I'm getting down to the wire. But I have a last minute guest that I just didn't feel right not having something for them. So, the "Key" to this design was just a little wonky!

Two potholders and a kitchen microfiber towel

Machine embroidered key (Urban Threads design)

I just fell in love with the key fabric.

Inverse colors!

I just have two pillows left to make. Almost there!

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

WIP Wednesday # 7: Motoring Along

If I were ever in a race, I would be the tortoise, not the hare. I did get a few finishes and work on a few more, but I'm moving slowly.

My step-daughter has two little terrier/chihuahua crosses and she does a lot of obedience training classes with them. She wanted some training mats for them, so I have the first one ready for binding.

I had fun FMQing a few flowers.

All ready for binding

 I also started and finished 2 sets of wonky potholders.

 I finished the last 2 Christmas stocking (for my husband and me). Shown here hanging on the mantel with our Corgi's stocking (which was completed before ours). I gave away 14 stockings to family members on Thanksgiving. I made 17 Christmas stockings this month! Phew, glad that's done!

I finished up this table runner, just in time to use it for Thanksgiving.







Sew all in all, a fairly productive week. Now that I have my good machine back from being repaired, I can finish up some quilting.

So the stats for the week:

In-process: (5)
Hip to be Square FMQ sampler (still at 14 out of 30 blocks quilted)
Cubic Rhythm ( still 1/4 quilted)
Purple heart wall hanging (nope)
Expanding Possibilities quilt (nope)
Turtle pillow - (need to quilt and assemble).

New projects in the cue to start: (3)
FLMQG solids challenge crib quilt (Not started)
New Wave quilt (not started)
Friend's baby quilt - fabric picked out!

Projects completed this week: (9)
2 sets of wonky potholders started and completed.
Table runner
Last 2 Christmas stocking completed
Free-Motion practice samples - Superstar- linked up at Fluffy Sheep Quilting this was the last week :(  Machine quilting class at Quilters Corner.

I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday!

Color Me Quilty!


Pat

Making Christmas Progress: Hung by the Chimney with Care!

Oh my, Christmas is coming at high speed, less than 4 weeks. While I still have a lot of stitching to do between now and then, I am making progress on my Christmas sewing list.

Stockings for my husband, myself and of course Humphrey Bogart (our Corgi).

Modern, wonky potholders!

Technically this was for Thanksgiving, but it's still festive!

 The best news is that I may be getting my big sewing machine back from being fixed (fingers and toes crossed)! This will let me free motion quilt a lot of the projects on the list!

Making Christmas List:
1. Quilt and bind my Cubic Rhythm quilt - (4 1/2 more blocks, plus borders) - No Progress this week!
2. Mermaid pillows
3. Purple Heart Wall-hanging - no progress

4. At least 4 Christmas stockings - All 17 stockings completed. All given out at Thanksgiving!

5. 2 iPad covers - 3 Spines embroidered - I work at a Chiropractic College and these are for co-workers - no progress this week

6. At least 6 potholders - 4 completed!

7. 2 doggie mats - embroidered - no progress this week

8. 2 pillows for friends embroidered - 1 pillow top and back ready to quilt. 

9. Several last minutes ideas that I haven't thought of yet! - Table runner for Thanksgiving!

I'll be linking up with Janine over at Rainbow Hare Quilts for Making Christmas List and Megan at Canoe Ridge for Sew Modern Monday!

 

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Working On Wonky!

I think wonky or improv. piecing should be required therapy for all Engineers (especially Quality Engineers)! Okay, so I only made potholders, but I love the feeling it gives you.

 
They are completed with wonky FMQ. The potholders are 8" square with Insul-Bright batting. These cuties are Christmas presents, but I am definitely making some for myself (as soon as I can get some more batting). This project was so liberating and sew much fun!

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Quick, fun project!

A friend was making strawberry jam recently, and my husband is a BIG jam fan. So in order to bribe her for a jar of that yummy concoction, I made up a fun little potholder for her...to help hold on to her hot jam pot! ;) (BTW, she just happens to love mermaids!)

Embroidery design by Urban Threads