Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Janie's Amaretto Cottage


 up on the design wall in my studio.
We arranged all of the pieced blocks
with the medallion center in a final layout
along with the setting triangles we cut today.
Wonderful colors and fabrics
Janie took them home to piece the blocks and triangles. 
Next will be the borders and then... 
quilting a finished top. Yea

Completely off my goals from January. Didn't set any for February and ended up spending three of the weekends on new projects. Love the bags Beckie and I made and finished. Over the weekend Steppin' Up the Squares, a last minute decision to join in a guild workshop with Mary Kay Davis the first weekend, that quilt top is quilted. Getting back to Amaretto Cottage, that fits into my goals. Yep, happy!

Enjoy whats left of the week and month
Tot Ziens, Jo

Monday, February 16, 2015

Finished bag


My Favorite Bag with the sash finished this evening

Lots of pockets too
inside and out

Enjoy your week!
 jo


Our Favorite Bags

Check out what Beckie and I made this weekend!

 This is Beckie's finished bag
(the bag in the background is made by Stephanie ;0)

My bag in progress

Almost finished, here adding the grommets. This bag ended up so thick that, even with Micheal's help, we had trouble snapping in the grommets. The pattern calls for 8 total and a sash gets threaded thru them. 

Beckie's went on in a snap, literally :0) The little round ones were not so easy and they cracked so I stopped at two. It was really scary cutting holes in the bag at this point and there is no going back! Still have the sash to finish once I decide on the grommet situation.

The green is the fabric I will use for the sash.

The bag has lots of pockets, outside and inside too! Everything has a layer of batting sewn into it so it holds it's shape. Inside looks like a Bucket Boss with 6 pockets. Pattern called for 6 on the outside as well but Beckie and I both decided that 4 large ones would be better for us. Pattern is "The Little My Favorite Bag" by Kati Cupcake. Beckie and I found it last Fall while we were on our own little shop hop visiting Friends Around the Block in Colusa, CA and then Sew So Shop in Yuba City (also my Innova dealer). Pattern for our bags and our fabrics were purchased at the Sew So Shop. 

Love how the two bags look so different from the same pattern, just like quilts. Beckie's leather look fabric that she found in the Sew So Shop made a very classy bag! Mine will be a project bag to hold quilting tools and supplies for workshops.

We had the best Valentine's weekend, sewing a project start to finish, we went out for lunch and Micheal made treats for us plus chocolate! We meet for lunch every Monday along with Donna, Nancy and occasionally more sewists join us. Beckie and I will be sporting our new bags today! Enjoy your day, especially if you have the day off :0) 

Me, off to finish that sash and load a quilt.

Enjoy your President's Day!
Tot Ziens, Jo

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Happy Valentine's weekend

Wishing for all, a lovely long weekend
with lots of time to spend quilting or a project you love

and a Happy Valentine's Day
to spend with the person you love :0)

Groetjes van Jo

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Steppin' Up the Squares finished top

 Steppin' Up the Squares
Top is a finish :0)

Quilting yet to be done and I have some good ideas for this one.  Hummmm... a label and binding. OK technically it's a UFO. Still, happy that the top is completed! This was a fun fast project made in a workshop with Mary Kay on Friday. If you like fussy cutting and a quick project, check out Mary Kay's other patterns as well! Well written and illustrated. We all purchased more :0) What impressed me the most tho, was Mary Kay's challenge quilts. Wow, they are gorgeous! Check them out :0)

Update... Mary Kay posted a pic of my top on her Quilt Friends page of her website!!!
Fun! Thank you Mary Kay
Happy with the mitered borders. Most of the fabrics are a collection by Andover purchased at a quilt store in Genoa, Nevada when I lived in South Lake Tahoe many moons ago!


Earlier I watched a program on PBS on Quilts ~ Why Quilts Matter. This episode was from 2011 about quilts in museums. Some wonderful old quilts and they mentioned Gees Bend. Off to watch some of the Grammy's and then Downton Abby.
Enjoy your week
Tot Ziens, Jo

 "We will be known forever by the tracks we leave."
Native American Proverb