back in the freezer

Here is my progress on my IsaV Marquior.  Each of the six sections is made up of nine blocks.  One and three quarters done of this section.  Now to decide how much I want to complete.  A good girl would do an entire section.  Not sure how good I feel this week.  ;-) I was having more fun with my etui. 

Other wool project in the finis column.  I hooked this little pillow last year and finally pillowized it.  I actually have quite a collection now of pillows completed - eight or so with several more waiting to be hooked.  I think it's time to move onto a rug but I can't afford an entire rug all at once.  I wish I could find a store that does what quilt store do with blocks of the month.  Then I could afford it. 

And speaking of blocks of the month, here is my current block of the month project up to date (as of today anyway - I expect month four tomorrow).  Seven inch blocks - 12 out of 52.  These are all civil war prints. 

Stay warm!

finis!

I finished up the Ellen Chester side of my etiu last night.  This side is my favorite and not because Ms. Ellen herself has been gracing my blog with her comments.  This is my favorite needlework saying of all the saying out there that I have found. 

 I don't think I ever posted a good photo of the first side I completed last month. 

So pretty!  I love that I'm making good progress on this one.

 

I'm going to put the etui down a bit and work on another WIP.  I think the IsaV Marquior is up next - I only have two sections (out of six) to go and I'd love that put that one if in the finis column this year.  I'll post a photo with progress soon.

 

I've always been a lover of Judith Leiber bags.  My sister is a HUGE fan and owns many.  She surprised me last week with this cute pug bag.  Not in the usual pug colors but cute nonetheless.  The bag is surround by some of the little Judith Leiber scent boxes she has been buying for me. 

chilly and snowy

So far this winter has been snowy and really cold!  Like the winters used to be.  Here is my progress on my Etui.  I love how this side is shaping up.  I wish I was farther but a combination of weather and opportunity has allowed me to work from home more than usual.  And I've only been stitching on the train. 

 

 Speaking of working from home, here are my coworkers gathered around the space heater in my office.  Seriously, it's not that cold in here!  LOL!

A couple more little finishes

I've been busy working on finishing up old projects.  I managed to get to the quilt store for the border fabric for my 36 inch wall hanging.  I love how it turned out.  It will be a while though before it hits the quilting machine - my sister did a ton of work on her house and the sewing room is still a mess.  I have to go and get it all together again before I can start working on quilts in there.

 

This is a little 12 inch quilt who's kit I purchased last spring or the winter before even.  Super quick - I did it in just two days.  The plan is to have a ton of these little quilts so I can change them out monthly.

This little pin cushion was a test block of a quilt that I've been working on for years.  I have to be in the mood to work on paper piecing and the wall hanging quilt has been just sitting in a box.  But I saved the first test because I knew it would make a great little something.  And it did!

This pin cushion is a kit from Just Another Button Company.  I've had the kit for a couple of years but the instructions had an error and I never got around to emailing them for the correction.  Well I finally did on Monday and finished this up last night.

And lastly and hard to see what it is, is a table runner I quilted on the quilter two Christmases ago.  I need a quick gift for my nephew and niece so I made them each a table runner.  I did a test first using metallic thread but it didn't work out that great so I redid theirs using cotton but hung onto the test.  And finally bound it.  As long as you don't look to closely you can't tell that the thread broke a million times. 

I've also been stitching on my Etui but no current progress photos and working on finishing up more blocks from blocks of the month quilts.  I really have a bunch.  :-)  And I finally looked in my quilt kits box.  Oh boy, do I have the projects to get to.  :-)

Quilting time

 Since my last update I've spent my crafting time quilting.  And I've been very productive!  Below are three little paper pieced pictures that I've completed.  It's a series of six but so far I've only acquired three.  Now I want to buy the other three.  I pick these up at quilt shows so I might resort to an online order if I can't wait that long. 

 I also finished the piecing of a small quilt for my wrought iron mini quilt holder.  I actually cut this out around 13 months ago planning on it being on display two Christmases ago.  Didn't make it again this year but will no doubt be in place this year.  I've got a ton of mini quilts to do and I'll put them on the machine quilter all at the same time some time this summer. 

 

Lastly I finished piecing another smallish quilt 36 x 36.  Love this one - its from the book, Civil War Legacies - Quilt Patterns for Reproduction Fabrics.  It's still missing the last 3" border though, I bought a kit from my favorite quilt store way over a year ago and it was missing from the package.  Bummer but a good excuse for a trip to the store today. 

I've also been doing a little more but no photos yet.  I'm working on a quilt of the month quilt called Hampton Bridge.  Another reproduction fabric quilt and so far I'm keeping up with it.  Well actually I just got caught up as we were just sent month three.  :-)  Before going back to work on Monday, I hope to do some work on a log cabin that I've had in the works for way over two years.  It's made up of random light and dark reproduction fabrics cut into super small logs.  Each log will finish at a half an inch!  And I hope to piece month five of another block of the month I got way behind on called Civil War Tribute.  I haven't worked on this one since April 2010. 

What are my craft plans for the year?  I want to finish things.  I've got a ton of stitching WIPs plus even more quilting WIPs.  I want to complete a ton before I invest more $$ on new stuff.  There a are several wool rugs (all pillow size still at this point) I want to finish - love rug working but I never purchased a frame I really like yet and it's still hard to settle in.  I also need to get going on my Cabinet - the second online class starts in March and I'm in this so deep in regards to money at this point I need to keep going - way over $2,000 I estimate at this point with at least $3,000 to go. 

Also have a ton of travel planned for this year.  A short cruise in Caribbean, a longer Disney cruise in April to Mexico with my sister and her kids and grand kids but the big trip of 2014 is a cruise and some land travel in May to Asia with my sister!  I'll start planning that soon so stay tuned for that.  We thinking adding on a three day Beijing land tour to the cruise.  And of course maybe Africa again in early winter - just a mission trip this year.  My nephew Larry and I plan on taking more climbers to Kili in 2015.   My attendance on that depends all on if I can raise the funds again.  I won't need as much as my trip in 2013 but I don't want to ask too much from friends and family if I want to try again in 2015. 

No major home improvement plans on tap this year - my travel plans this year will take all my extra funds so no big money available for that and I need to pay down my debt to get ready for a home equity loan I want to take out for the roof and siding I need.  I'm putting in a new hot water heater for sure and I'm hoping to purchase more hardwood for my floors (just to have on hand, no money for installing it this year) and changing out windows starting with my bedroom.  It's still cold in there despite my gutting the room and putting in insulation in the walls, getting insulation in the attic and putting in an all new heater and ducts!  Like five degrees colder than the rest of the house so at this point it can only be the bad windows.  I'm also (even though I swore I wouldn't do this) planning on cosmetic work on my kitchen.  I didn't want to spend money twice but I just can't stand it anymore and it's going to be at least a decade I'm thinking before I can do what I want to do with the kitchen.  I purchased an island several months ago and I love it.  I've already purchased a kit to paint the cabinets a cream color and plan on antiquing them darker.  I'll put in new counter tops and a back splash in slate tile.  If I can find the cash, I'll put in a new sink (I really want a hammered copper farmhouse sink and can use in the new kitchen someday so I really won't be wasting the $$) and a new oil rubbed bronze faucet as it's the only piece of metal left in  the house that doesn't match.

Thanks for stopping by!