2015 Here I Come

I have so many projects planned for 2015 it isn't even funny.  I found some amazing train fabric and I am going to design a wall hanging for my Uncle Jim.  I found some beautiful Christmas fabric on sale Friday and I purchased a lot of it.  I plan on making a place setting of eight dinner napkins.  I'll make more if I have enough fabric.  I have at least fifteen paper embroidered patterns that I have picked out to create for friends this year.  I am part of a wool applique group at out The Christmas Goose Quilt Shoppe here in Las Vegas and I still have ten squares to finish from, "Summertime."

 

These are just the things I can come up with off the top of my head this afternoon.  I've been in my sewing room all morning and I'm finding more and more things I want to get started on.  Don't even get me started on all the things I have to finish....the pair of socks I'm making for Abby's father.  The Featherweight Top Down Cardigan I've been knitting for myself for months and months.

I also plan on completing these wonderful paper pieced squares.  If you do not already subscribe to Jennifer Ofenstein's blog I suggest you do so.  The purchase price for this monthly pattern was insanely affordable and beautiful.  Just go to www.sewhooked.com.

I have also joined Fandom in Stitches, The Project of Doom.   It is a Harry Potter Bookcase  Quilt Along.  I am not a Harry Potter fan but I'm not a hater, either:  I just never read the books for saw the movies.  I do, however, love the paper pieced bookcase quilt.

So, as you can see I have lots of plans for this year and I intend to try to keep current with all these projects through, "A Lovely Year of Finishes."

The End of 2014

 

I have been very busy over the past few months.  I made a Valor quilt for my brother who is a USMC veteran who served in the Gulf War in 1991.  I finished a pair of socks for my sister-in-law that were started by her mother before she passed away in July 2013.  I also had some of the sweaters her mother was working on completed by a local finisher.  They came out beautiful and all were given to Abby for Christmas this year.

Front of Sean Michael's Valor Quilt

 

Back of Valor Quilt

Laurel's Socks




 The bear below is wearing one of the sweaters Laurel started and I had finished for her by a wonderful finisher here in Las Vegas.



Laurel's Bear Cub

 I also designed and made the quilt below for my boss.  Her father was a minister and she is a very active member of her church and sings in the choir.


Denise's Christmas 2014 Quilt



 

Holy Purse Strings Batman!!

I have been working on this purse for so long now I honestly don't know for sure when I even started it.  The purse is finished now and it turned out lovely.

The Hitchhiker: Finally Finished

Well, it only took me all summer to complete a scarf that truly could have been finished over a long weekend.  But it is finished and it is lovely.  This is going to be a Christmas gift so I cannot give too many details but I hope she loves it as much as I do.  Aside from the shape, which is very different, I love the colors in this piece.  I wish I could find another Uberball in this color as I would make one for myself.

Sorry, nothing funny to report today.  We are renovating our master bath, ourselves, and my little Vanessa is quite ill.  So, there is a vet visit in our immediate future.

Completed October Goal - The Hitchhiker

Third Time is a Charm (if your glass if half full)

Well, I have entered this scarf twice now as something I will complete and each time, obviously, I have not.  So this time I mean it!!  I am going to complete this scarf before the end of October: No ifs ands or buts!

This is not a hard pattern.  It is an extremely easy pattern and I have knitted it before.  The designer, you can find her on Ralvelry, is fantastic.  I don't want anyone to think it has anything to do with the designer, it is all me.  And I have no idea why, I love the yarn I chose so it isn't that.  I'm at a loss.

Having said that, I WILL FINISH THIS SCARF BY OCTOBER 31, 2014!!

The picture to the right was the first time
I had this as my goal.

The picture above was the second time I had
this as my goal.

The next time you see this scarf it will be
completed!

Ta Da!!!!!!

I finished Mr. Chillingsworth!!  I mean completely finished.  It is quilted, thank you Jacque.  The binding is completed.  I have even wrapped the gift as it is a Christmas gift for my son.  Not that anyone will believe this but I actually finished it almost two weeks ago but I just kept forgetting to update my post.

I love the spider web quilting done by Jacque (you can see it in the second photo).  She does a fantastic job on all my quilts.

Excuses, excuses, excuses...

It seems I've always got an excuse as to why I haven't completed a quilt or a knitting project.  I NEVER miss cleaning something or putting something away.   I have friends who tease me and say my house is like the house of the guy from, "Sleeping with the Enemy."  I need to try to make myself stop with the compulsive cleaning and put some of that energy toward the fun things that I love to do.

Having said that I am going to make my goal for September a small one.  My goal for September is to finish the binding on this wall hanging for my son, Michael.

 

I was having problems with my flying geese so I only put them on one side of the panel.  I have already completed that part and I have already had the piece quilted.  Miss Jacque quilted spider webs into the piece and they look fantastic.  I will be doing the binding in a plain, solid black.








I did start another item while I was in Idaho visiting my brother and his wife, Abby.  I made a project bag which only needs to be bound and it too will be completed.  And then when I got back I attended a, "Sew-in" with friends and I completed an apron made out of old blue jeans.  The apron is actually complete if you can believe it.



Project Bag

Blue Jean Apron