These pretzels are making me thirsty!

Seinfeld fans will immediately recognize the quote, "these pretzels are making me thirsty!"  This has nothing to do with quilting or crafting, but I guess it does refer to my tv habit. I have not finished the big 8" square quilt.  I did take the pieces from another quilt, a block of the month, that I did not finish, and assembled a table runner.  I need to back and bind this piece.  The big news is that I did complete a small photo quilt as a graduation gift for my great-niece.  I designed it myself.  Simple blocks, with centers fussy cut out of some fabric with crazy farm animals at a party.  She is going to major in agriculture and wants to own a cattle farm.  She raises pigs, sheep and goats.  I had a hard time finding the farm animal fabric I imagined in my mind, so I found this whimsical fabric and fussy cut the critters out.  After those blocks were assembled I moved on to the photo squares.  I gathered pictures of her with her family, as Citrus Fair queen at the local fair, with her farm animals, and wearing her prom dress.  Once those blocks were assembled I put the quilt together using 4-H print fabric to make borders.  I wanted to back the quilt with pink camo fabric, which I was unable to find.  My daughter was able to find some pink fabric that had a similar look, and I was able to finally assemble the quilt and bind it before graduation. Of course I did some quilting on the piece and decided I did not like the way it looked.  So out came the seam ripper.  I spent one Saturday sewing and one Sunday tearin gout everything I had sewn.  Then came the binding.  I made the binding from fabric my creative daughter found, and sewed it on, realized it was not wide enough and spent the next hour or so with my friend the seam ripper taking it off.  New binding and I was back in business.   Not only did Caroline love it, her sister squealed with delight, and I relaized I have 3 years before I have to make one for her, too. 
It's amazing how wonderful it feels to complete a project.      

And this weekend I pulled out one of my dog earred magazines and started making a purse/bag that I have been thinking about making for months.  I have it nearly done.  I already know I need to redo the strap and make it longer. 
One of the most useful things I learned when I took my first quilt class so many years ago was how to properly use a seam ripper.  That is currently my favorite tool of choice.
Sew on friends.  Sew on.

2013 - the year to finish big

I've decided there are several things that keep me from finishing my projects. The computer (Facebook is evil) and TV (TV is evil). I first of all must say I am not a prolific FB poster, but I am a stalker. One of those quiet people who just views what other people post, and then makes my silent judgements. I do not like FB. I don't like the drama (those people get blocked), the games (those apps get blocked), the political fear mongering posts (deleted), and the bad grammar and spelling are enough to make me cry. I find that I get easily annoyed when I am on FB and yet I can't turn it off. I have excuses for not quitting. "but I have my relatives and how will I ever find them again (whinny sounding voice)" And TV - I turn on the TV and sit and stare at the screen. I watch the same movies over and over. I love to watch Jurassic Park, Anaconda, Arachnophobia,.....those kinds of movies that I can really not pay attention to because I have seen them so many times. Or Monk marathons. Those days are the best. So this year I thought it was time to finish some of those projects I have piled up around. First of all I have decided my little craft area is just too small. When I need to sew I have to go to the kitchen. Yesterday I pulled out the sewing machine and the strip quilt that I cut out several years ago. I decided it was time to put together a quilt top. I managed to sew it all together and lay it across my bed and I did not like it. So off to the kitchen counter I went where I cut the strips into completed square strips. After assembly I had a queen sized quilt top that is 8" squares and very pretty, although I wish I had used Hydrangea and bird fabric instead of the green and butterflies. But it will do. Now I measured it and my next stop will be for backing and batting. BTW I used a pattern out of a magazine for the strip quilt when I started the project (it's long gone - probably one I passed on to someone else) and as usual it called for a lot more fabric than I actually needed. Do I hoard the left overs or pass them on? I think I am going to give them to the senior center for their little craft store. Someone else might want the larger pieces I have left over. With the quilt top finished and being the largest quilt I have ever assembled, I can't imagine how I am going to quilt the piece. I will have to do some research. I have a regular sewing machine. It's going to be a chore, unless I were to pay someone else to do it. But I won't do that, I will figure a way to do it myself. My son just moved out and my daughter is planning to leave. This will leave us with two bedrooms! One will be a guest room, which I will set up for guests. The other will be a work area for my husband and I. We shall share this room. He can have his arrow making gear and whatever else he needs in there, and I can have a sewing area. I have big plans for this year, lets see if I can get them done. So for all of you out there ready to finish a project let's get busy! 2013 will be a productive year!