The reward of unpacking...finding all the UFO's

Unpacking my quilting stuff sure has given me the opportunity to go through all my drawers of UFOs and fabric.  It's been fun and a bit surprising to find things I had completely forgotten about. 

Since Judy at Patchwork Times is sponsoring a UFO Challenge, I thought it would be a good opportunity to take inventory and join in. 

Here's my list of UFOs that I hope to finish in 2011. 

1. Snowman Placemats-Finish off the set of six.
2. Blue and Yellow Mystery Quilt Top
3. Pink and Brown Quilt Top
4. Twist it table topper-Not started, but should go fast.
5. Black, White and Red Quilt Top
6. 30's Buck-a-blocks
7. Americana Table Topper
8. Birdies Layer Cake Top
9. Black and bold blocks
10. Heart Table Topper
11. Squared Charms Quilt Top
12. Paper-pieced Table Runner

I am ashamed to say that I thought I didn't really have very many UFOs and that I mostly finished what I started. This was a very sad reality when I got to 12 and still had more to add to the list. I guess that makes me a true quilter, right?


Since I'm on confessions, I have to admit that I did cheat a little this month by peaking at what number January was and picking an easy project.  I feel this is justified given that my sewing room is still partially in boxes from the move and I didn't want to set myself up for failure from the start.

Some of these are rather large undertakings, but it will be nice to have some accountability to finish a few projects this year.  Now to get started on the challenge!

Merry Christmas...a few days late!

Christmas came a few days late to our house this year.  So in belated spirit, Merry Christmas!

Our move into our new place has gone rather smoothly, but has been a lot of work.  The moving company moved all the boxes in just a few days before Christmas, so the past week has been a flurry of unpacking.  On Christmas Eve, I did manage to get a few Christmas quilts our of storage to decorate our new place.

This little wall hanging is the very first applique project I ever made and I think he is still my favorite.

I thought I would share these old projects since nothing new is going on in my new sewing space for now.  At least until the boxes are finished being unpacked.

 I love the red velvet border on this snowman panel.  It was one of my first free motion projects.

I got my  little "kitchen" tree up.  I love having a tree covered with cakes and cookies.  It puts me in the baking mood.  Last year I found the gingerbread fabric and made the little tree skirt which made it complete.  At our house at Christmas there is generally a plate of cookies beneath it, but there are none left for me to include in my picture today.

I do LOVE my Christmas present though!  Don't you love this fabulous blue cookware.  I'm making homemade lasagna sauce for our lasagna tonight!  I can't wait!  The house smells amazing and is starting to feel like home! 

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

When life gets you down...make dresses!

The closing on our new condo has been delayed multiple times at this point.  It's been more than a headache to say the least.  We thought were were going to close last week, but no.  And just when we thought we finally got everything together to close today, the bank lost our mortgage.  Not the paperwork, the actual money.  Honestly, how does a bank loose a mortgage?

After several hours of work today we think that we have found it.  Instead of transferring the money to the title company, they sent it to the sellers bank and since this happens to be a foreclosure, the sellers bank is the seller.  We have been waiting for them to sign the papers to close on the property since Monday and since Monday they have had all our mortgage money.  No wonder they weren't signing the papers!  I'm beginning to wonder it if is all really worth it and then I go back and look at the pictures of my soon to be sewing room and can't wait for this to be over.

After three very stressful weeks I'm starting to go through sewing withdrawals.  The fact that all my stuff has been sitting in boxes for over two weeks now is not helping either.  My one saving grace this week was that my sewing machine is not packed, so when the ladies from my old church were looking for volunteers to help with their mission trip to Haiti later this month I was so there!

We spent a good five or six hours making pillowcase dresses for them to take with them.  It was so much fun and we completed over 200 of them.  If you've never seen these pillowcase dresses made from new or gently used pillowcases, then you are missing out.  They were so cute, and supper easy.  Sorry, the pictures aren't the best.  I forgot my camera, so took these at the end of the night with my cell phone.  Isn't this one with the buttons adorable?  I can't wait to make some more of these for my friends' little ones.

My parents are in town, so no sewing this weekend.  They were suppose to be here to help move us into our new place, but since clearly that isn't going to happen we will be going to plan B and headed out sightseeing for the weekend.

Taking a break for some sewing...

We've been in full blown moving mode for two weeks now.  We've had a yard sale, packed boxes and boxes of book and decorations and more.  The living room is a disaster and there is still two weeks before we close on our condo.

Needless to say the last thing I have wanted to do is pull out my sewing machine and make more of a mess, but in honor of the Friday Night Sew-In and my need for some down time I did just that. 

A couple weeks ago I was looking through an old magazine and found this tree quilt pattern.  I pulled out my scraps and found enough to put these three blocks together to make a wall hanging.  The garlands are all glass beads that I've had a fun time putting on at night, without making any more of a  mess of the house. 

Last night I got the binding attached and sewn.  This has to be the first project I have finished in ages.  I'm next going to work on getting the flowers hand appliqued onto my pink and brown quilt.  I must say moving is helping getting some things finished!