Starts, Progress & Finishes for Jan 2013

A lot of 'shuffling' went on here in January.  Both my son's were home over Christmas, so, nothing got sewn while they were here.  When my youngest son went back to college, I took over his room.  I've never had a sewing room before (still don't, technically).  I'm only getting to use his room until the end of the semester.  He 'says' he's coming home, we'll see if he does.  Till then, my biggest 'Start' (NewFO) of the month is moving into his room, and starting to get my sewing stuff organized for the first time EVER.  I'll be nice and NOT show pictures of my stash/sewing stuff in the basement.  OH MY!  It would scare the pants off you, it's such a disaster!  I've been organizing in this room ALL MONTH long, off and on. 

my new sewing space (borrowed from my youngest son)

I've been 'improving' the area all month long.  I added a cabinet and plastic drawers, to hold scraps, in the last week.

scraps for my next major project (and a few others, too)

scraps in the cabinet

Now, most of these 'scraps' are fat quarter size to half yard sizes.  NO, this is not all of my stash.  My stash won't fit in this room.  I have buckets of fabrics and projects in the basement.  I just wanted to get these ready for my next major project that starts TODAY, the Harry Potter Project of Doom paper pieced quilt from Sewhooked. Terri, from over at QuiltNCards, and I will be working on this project together. 

Early in the month, I took these pinwheels

pinwheels for Sarah's quilt

sewed and made these mini pinwheels

mini pinwheels for Sarah's quilt

and turned it into this

Sarah's pinwheels quilt top (so far)

I still have to figure out borders for this quilt top.  I have extra pinwheels of both sizes left over, and I'm thinking I'll use them, with yardage, in the borders.  I just need to sit down and design the rest. 

While going thru some of my buckets of fabrics and projects in the basement, I found an almost finished top for Quilts of Valor.  Oops!  I'd brought it home to add something to either end of the top (to make it long enough) and somehow it got set aside and forgotten.  Well, I finished it, and will hand it over shortly to be quilted. 

top for Quilts of Valor

The center was already finished, but, I added the stripes at the top and bottom, using 'leftovers' that were cut away.  This is an X Block quilt.

I also found a mini flag quilt, that I'd quilted (by hand), but had never made binding for.  Well, it is now finished, too.

mini flag quilt

you can see the hand quilting on the back

I've made several of these flag quilts over the years.  The first flag quilt, was my 2nd quilt ever made.  It is framed and hangs in my hallway.  My mother has one, my aunt has one and hubby's aunt has one.  This one is for another of his aunts. 

I also finished the embroidery for the last mini wedding quilt.  There were 3 weddings last year, my mother's (her's was the first, and made ontime), then our friends who got married during my father-in-laws heart bypass crisis last fall.  I'd been working on the embroidery on it, then just stopped.  I did work on it at the hospital.  Then, some other friends decided on a date, and boy, did they move quickly.  We were only given a month's notice.  So, I started the embroidery, but, just now finished the embroidery this week.

These will wind up looking like this when they are finished (hopefully in February).

mom's quilt

 I know I'm forgetting stuff, but, oh well.  February is already over scheduled, so, we'll see how much I get done.  I need to go practice my paper piecing again, so that I can start the Harry Potter quilt.  I also need to work on Connor's quilt, and finish that top.  Still not sure what I'm doing with it.  It hasn't been a year since he and Sarah graduated, so, I've still got time, right???  Gee, I'm so far behind...... but hey, I can blame it on age, can't I?  Does it improve after 50?  I'll see soon enough (Sunday).