October ALYoF goal achieved!

Yesterday I finished my table runner, which I have called the 'Not So Bewitched Runner' due to the fact that in the pattern it was all in Halloween colors, but I decided to make it in a color scheme that could work all year round.

It is always fun to display a finished project in a not so likely spot, but what is better than this car in the playground? The lighting is also good to show off the quilting.

The hood of the wooden car is a perfect spot for stretching out the runner. The dimension is 18" x 54". The print fabric is from the line Birchtree lane by Connecting Threads.

A playground is the perfect place for a photo shoot. I used Britten Nummer by Ikea for the backing. The binding is a grey/black print I bought at Hancock Fabrics a few years back.

I love how the crisp white background enhances the prints, and together with the colors of the slide it makes a perfect display.

The last picture is taken on my deck. It was an overcast day today, great light for photos.

This concludes my ALYoF project for October, and it is also my second goal for the 2015 Finish Along List for the fourth quarter.

Linked up to ALYoF post over at Sew BitterSweet Designs.

Progress on the Bewithced Runner

I have made good progress on the Bewitched Table Runner, designed by The Cozy Pumpkin. I chose to make it it in non-Halloween colors, so that it can be used all year around.

Here is a progress picture after quilting of the background is completed. I did straight line quilting with white thread on the solid background, and will use colors that blend in on the Birchtree Lane fabric.

My plan is to finish this one by the end of the month, and I think I will be able to achieve that.

Linked up to WIP Wednesday and My Quilt Infatuation.

New Table Runner to be made

Last night I cut the pieces for a new table runner that is to be gifted to friends. The fabrics are three pretty subtle prints from Birchtree Lane by Connecting Threads and a white solid in addition.

I think these colors will be good for a fall inspired table runner. This is also my ALYoF goal for October, so it is about time I started!

Linked up to WIP Wednesday and Needle and Thread Thursday.

My Star Bright Quilt

Once again I needed to make a quick gift for a newborn baby. A little baby girl is going to get a quilt to use and cherish. I chose the free pattern Star Bright Quilt  by Katie Blakesley at SwimBikeQuilt.

I brought DS2 with me as the quilt holder. It isn't a big quilt so his arms got a pretty easy job this time.

The pretty fall colors complement the baby quilt. The finish size is 39" x 44" before wash.

I just HAD to take a picture next to the plastic covered hay bales; my family call them "Tractor Eggs". There was a "nice" odor of fermenting grass next to the stack. My original plan was to drape the quilt over one of the "eggs", but they were moist and smelly, so this picture would have to do.

Today was the day to find interesting photo spots for quilt pictures, and thanks to DS2 it worked out perfectly. This picture shows off the quilting very nicely, just double click to enlarge it.

The colors are lovely this time of year, lots of leaves of all shades cover the ground. The quilt adds to  the palette with the 6" squares in different colors and bright white star in the middle. The quilting is done with white cotton thread all over, straight lines in the white star, and FMQ of with stars and loops in the background squares.

The backing is an Ikea fabric with lots of raspberries. This makes the quilt two-sided, and perfect for a little girl. The green print is a perfect binding for the colorful baby quilt.

The last picture puts a nice end to the photo session. The slide on the playground depicts my intentions for this quilt: I hope that the baby quilt will be well loved and played with over the years to come.

This is my first finish for Q4 2015 FAL.

Keep on quilting!

A little sneak peek

Here's a little sneak peek of my latest finish: Star Bright baby quilt. More on this one later.

My Finish Along List for Q4 2015

It's that time of year again: October has started and the fourth quarter is here and it is time to state which projects I want to finish during the last three months of the year. Last quarter I managed three out of four, not bad with 75%!

This quarter I have set 4 goals, and I know that there will be several projects that pop in between and just HAVE to be done. Anyway, this is the list I have for now with my four projects:

I won this Patchwork Napkins pattern from Anne Marie at Gen X Quilters some time ago, and my goal is to make a set of four napkins for my family.

This is one of those projects that just 'popped up': There is a little baby girl that needs a gift, and what better for a quilter than to make a baby quilt! This design is from SwimBikeQuilt, and should be fast enough to accomplish.

This is 96  4.5" squares that together with 96 four-patch units will be made in to a charity quilt for the children's ward at my local hospital. It is good to use up some scraps and stash! The design is Scrappy Summer by Cluck Cluck Sew.

My fourth and last project is a table runner from the Cozy Pumpkin. I will make this in colors that will work all year around, not necessarily just Halloween.

Keep on quilting!

ALYoF Goal for October

I am on the "Table Runner Trail", so my goal for this month will be to make my version of the Bewitched Table Runner, designed by The Cozy Pumpkin:

This is very suitable for the season, and I need one (or two) runners for gifts, and this design seems like a quick and easy one to make.

My Dog Gone Cute

My first finish in October is this cute little Dog Gone Cute mug rug. Lorna over at Sew Fresh Quilts is hosting the quilt-along. I don't intend to make many of these dogs, because I am really a cat person. But I needed a mug rug to show off next week, so I thought of this pattern.

In the original (small) block pattern provided by Lorna, the dog block is 6" x 9". That's a little big for a mug rug, so I decided to make it half size. My dog block is approximately 3" x 4.5", and the whole mug rug is 6" x 9", a perfect size.

I quilted the mug rug with vertical lines, and avoiding the cute puppy face. That makes the face stand out from the mug rug. Due to the small size of the pieces, I had to embroider the eyes and nose, otherwise the fabric would have disappeared in the seam allowance.

I turned over the backing fabric for binding, and I think the pink/purple colors goes very well with the front of the mug rug. Isn't my little puppy cute?

(And, if you wonder: The mug will go on the right side...)