Wednesday, February 12, 2014

WiP - A herd of projects on the go... and a little surprise!

I'm pleased to say it's been a busy quilting week - even with the ridiculous amount of Olympic coverage I've been watching. Thank goodness for live streaming on CBC! If you're dedicated enough to read this entire post, there might be something in it for you!
Much progress has been made on Young B's Oh Deer quilt. Last week, I finished the blocks. I was just having so much fun seeing it coming together that I couldn't stop. I so need a permanent design wall... it's so much more effective than the design floor!
 And all sewn together... chillin' on the clothesline!
When I was cutting the brown strips, I got a little overzealous. All that stuff on the left wasn't needed for the quilt top... yikes!
I don't use much of brown anymore, so I was concerned about having all those strips hanging out in the stash. An idea was born - why not a pieced back? I opted to use the never-ending strip technique that I've fallen in love with lately. It's not the best pic, but it's -24C with windchill today! So cold that my camera battery decided it was done!
 
Pieced backs are so great, if I do say so myself! I have a tendency to hoard fabric left from special projects (aren't they all special?), but pieced backs have me using them for a good purpose. It also means I don't have to spend as much on yardage for the back. Win-win!

Also this week, I finished basting most of my Olympic Diamonds and got to piecing. Quatchi, Sumi, & Miga tried to take credit, but they don't even have thumbs... how could they possibly stitch all those together?! It is nice to have their company while I overdose on luge, ski jumping, and half-pipe competitions.
I also spent some time this week quilting my Skill Builder BOM Ruler block. I have another lesson coming soon, so I wanted to be up to date. Still have the Spool block to quilt, but I'm making progress! First up, I bought a pile of thread...
Then used it to follow the quilting instructions to the letter - I can take no credit for creativity! I do love to pebble!
Then the numbers... I printed them onto full page labels, cut 'em out, stuck 'em on, and quilted around them.
 Next up, wavy lines to fill the yellow. I managed to stop and start very little.
And here it is all finished... out in the snow. Don't worry. It was only there for a moment! But, here's the burning question - can you spot the error? It's okay if you can't... the designer and her two testers didn't catch it before the block went live!
Phew! That's a lot of quilting... and there's some I saved for another day! I did promise you a surprise, didn't I? Well, today is.... gulp... my birthday. Generally, I keep that a secret (something about not liking it when children sing AT me!). But this year, I'm switching it up. In honour of my birthday ☺, you might get a present. Remember these?
If you're observant, you might notice that I made ten of those when I needed only nine for my Bee mates. Leave me a comment telling me what you'd put in it and you might win my first ever giveaway! If you're a no-reply blogger, don't forget to leave me an e-mail address so I can track you down! Giveaway closes on Saturday, February 15th at 8pm Atlantic Standard Time!  Giveaway is now closed. :(

Happy birthday to me!
J

P.S. AND I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced's WiP Wednesday!

15 comments:

  1. Your deer is fantastic, and I love the back as well. (I finished my skull top this week! Good week for Boo Davis projects...) Happy birthday to you! I'd fill that fabulous pouch up with knitting notions for working on the go...

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  2. So many things to say!

    1. Well done on the deer.
    2. A very happy birthday to you!
    3. Pouch - my black and white hexie project I'm just about to start - the colours would be a nice contrast with all the black and white.
    4. measuring tape block errors: I can spot two. It's backwards (most tapes start on the left and go right) for one, and for two, it looks like the '1' is too close to the end. But maybe that one is just me.

    And happy birthday again!

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  3. Happy happy birthday! What a lovely giveaway. I would love to win something you have made. I am having a giveaway on my blog too. Stop by and check it out. You Deer turned out great! I knew it would. The back is awesome too. Your freemotion skills are wonderful!

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  4. Yay! You finished the deer top! It looks so amazing!

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  5. Great projects. I don't know what I'd put in the pouch, but since I already have one, you can exclude me from the giveaway.

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  6. LOVE your blue/brown quilt! The quilting on your little piece is looking mighty nice! Happy Birthday to you!! Great little pouch-I think I'd keep sewing supplies in there to take with me on the go or into the family room where I do hand work in the evenings :-)

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  7. Great job on the deer! If I won the pouch, I the nice coloured pencils I bought just for me - kids are not allowed to touch them! I tried making a roll for them, but it just did not work out and I wasted pretty fabric on the poject. This would make it all better!

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  8. Happy Birthday and the quilting is inspiring, something I need to work on. I just joined a Linky party for the month of March and thats going to be my sewing time. Nice pictures of the quilt in the snow..love it. I would put my cross stitch notions in this bag to remind me to be calm.. thank you

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  9. Everything looks great - and your pebble quilting is enviable:-) No I couldn't spot an error!

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  10. I love the deer but still think one made with a red nose would be fun for Christmas. ;-)

    I was very happy to contribute to the Sochi Quilt and may have more for you.

    The ruler block would be perfect for a leftie. As is, it appears to be the mirror image of the ruler and tape measures I have used over the years.

    As for that bag, I would put my supplies I currently put in a ziplock bag for Q-Squared days. :-)

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  11. I am so excited to see your Olympics inspired creation, and it was so cool to see your deer in person. Fun giveaway. I would stuff that baby with Wonder Clips!

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  12. Love, love, love that deer!! And i think that i may have to see if my library has the book so i can make that one for my dad for Christmas. I think it's time i made him a quilt!
    Happy Birthday to you my friend, hope you had a fantastic birthday!
    Love the zip pouch, but you already knew that ;) Perfect stuffed with hand sewing supplies!

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  13. I'm posting this comment on behalf of my friend, Anne, who had troubles leaving a comment! I'm NOT trying to win my own giveaway!

    Happy Birthday Jenn! That deer is wild . I've been following your blog for months and you're an inspiration. I've started sewing again after a long hiatus. I'd love to have that pretty bag 1) because you made it and 2) my small tools are hither and yon so it would be nice to have them in one place. Pick me! Pick me!

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  14. OK, so what is the error??? You gave away the bag but not the answer.

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