Finishes and New Fabrics

Sure feels good to have some Finishes once in a while!  Like everyone else, I have way too many WIPs, but it is hard not to start something new.  I often think I can "finish this in no time" but it soon becomes a WIP as I find yet another project that I want to start........... One reason I attribute my "Finishes" to is that I have become rather addicted to audiobooks!  The cd player is in my sewing room so I spend more time than usual here as I am eager to hear more!  Just finished "Atlas Shrugged" (50 discs!) and before that "George Washington" (30 discs), and now I am listening to "Anna Karenina" which is also 30 discs........I like the Unabridged versions....don't want to feel like I am missing anything!

I joined the worldwide craze of making little 3" paper-pieced houses....goal was to make one a day for 365 and this is how far I have gotten!  I really like making these scrappy little houses but they are not FAST....at least not for me!  I may make some hand-piecing templates for pickup work, but what I Really Should do for that is to get back to making Jane Stickle Civil War blocks!  And, little 3" Posey Packet blocks from Froncie Quinn's reproduction of a Florence Peto quilt!  Both projects are neatly packed in their little boxes waiting for me!  I like "containers".......my Jane blocks are in a tortoiseshell plastic box in which my father got cigars in the 1950's......on the top is written  "For My Sewing" with various sewing implements pictured.   The little 3" Florence Peto ninepatches with alternating applique blocks by Froncie are in a little lunchbox sold by Moda a few years ago.  I'll take photos so you will see what I am talking about.......you know how a picture is worth a thousand words!

 This is a little (about 9" x 16")  runner I made to demonstrate to customers that you can create your own projects without patterns.....just make blocks (mine are 3" Shoofly, but make whatever block you like in whatever size you need!), put together with sashing (or not!), add a border (or two!) and bind!  I made this for the shop to show off 3 brown/pink fabrics from the "Addison" line by Nancy Gere for Windham.  The green sashing is by Jo Morton....was at a loss for a fourth fabric so decided to go completely different!  Have always loved brown and green together!  Actually like brown/pink, brown/blue and brown/red too!!!

After about two years of working on this Applecore Tablerunner, it is finished! Completely finished!  I absolutely love it!  There are 7 rows of 21 applecores.....147 total.....all Moda except for two.  Made from Cindy Blackberg's rubber stamp, I hand-pieced the top, hand-quilted inside each little applecore and then hand-basted the bias binding.  Went back and machine stitched the binding on and finished by hand on the back.  

Closeup of the quilting......I didn't mark any quilting lines, preferring to just "eyeball" the 1/4" and it is sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less, but I don't care.  I am such a slow quilter that I need to skip any steps I can!

This was just a little fun project I did when I needed coasters for my coffee/tea mug.....tired of using a napkin or paper towel!    I did make a log cabin block a while back to use as a coaster, but could not bear for it to get dirty with use so I handquilted it and it is now a Christmas tree ornament!   As you know from previous posts, I love Cheater fabrics and this one (I think the line was called Acorn from Moda a couple years ago) seemed to be just the right size for small coasters (about 3-1/2").  Because there is no separate binding, they go together quickly!

Well. it seems the photo of the Coasters did not come through!  Could have sworn it was there last evening!  Back later!

Here is the photo promised of the finished little coasters for my coffee mug....quick as a wink to make and most useful too!  

Will leave you with one of my new fabric deliveries, "Warmth", the new Collection for a Cause from Moda!  Took photos of what came in this week but the camera I used wasn't cooperating so will retake those ("Toasted" by Jo Morton, "Dancing in the Rain" by Edyta Sitar, "Double Chocolate" by 3 Sisters, and  "Metropolitan Fair" by Barbara Brackman) tomorrow with a different camera!