A Year-at-a-Glance in a Year and a Half

 

It’s time for a celebration!  I finally finished my Year-at-a-Glance quilt tonight!  That’s right, finished!

 

The fabric and pattern were a gift for my birthday back in the summer of 2009.  (Remember this post?  or this post?)  Tonight, I finally tacked down the last two feet of binding. I rarely ever finish anything this big, and  I had to pinch myself to relinquish my disbelief.  Now, I just wish I had somewhere better than the bedroom curtains to prominently display it.

 

With every beautiful quilt, there’s a beast.  Not to be nit picky, but the appliqué patterns were all backwards.  And as adorable as this quilt is, this takes the cake and makes this pattern a solid D.  The sashing measurements were all off!  I had to calculate them and re-cut all the pieces.  That includes the outer square border, folks.  Pain in the …

I was forced to conquer a new technique on this quilt: hand embroidery.  I treated myself to a crash course in embroidering techniques via the internet, and with great success, I do think my lazy daises turned out perfectly.  That’s why the May block is my favorite!

Three Down, Ten to Go!

A Photo Finish

 

Last weekend, I was enthusiastically ready to tackle some new sewing projects and some much needed shop updates.  With the best of intentions, I spent Saturday morning painting my front porch.  On Sunday, I shopped for carpet and moved furniture.    Away from my sewing machine all weekend, I enjoyed my finally finished front porch renovation!

It started with a leak in the roof…which turned into a new door, floor, floor joists, light fixtures, drywall and lots of insulation.  And did I mention painting??   A race to the finish over a year later…well, not a quick race…but I am so happy with the way it turned out!  I can always sew tomorrow.

4 Bean’s Clutches

It’s been a busy, yet productive evening!  I finished up four Bean’s Clutches which have been cut and ready for production for at least two months.  Now it’s time to get them into my shop before I’m off to dreamland!

Watch out Barcelona!

 

Barcelona, Spain

Because I finally finished my Amy Butler Barcelona Skirt!  Naturally, I should take to the streets of Barcelona, and show those Spaniards the glory of my stitches!

Okay, so I’m a little overly excited that I actually finished this project.  My next, not to mention first, trip to Barcelona is not in the forecast-able future, so I’ll just have to show off this sweet summer skirt in the suburbs of Philly for the remaining, and altogether waning, days of summer.

This is the first article of clothing I’ve ever made for myself, and I am beaming with pride!  I think it turned out very well, and I don’t want to give all the credit to Amy’s well written pattern; after all, I am the one who sewed it together. 

I was really impressed with my seams matching up and the  invisible zipper skills that I didn’t even know I had.  This skirt came out much better than any of my quilts have recently.  I can’t wait to run it through the wash a few times for the unfinished edges to get their frayed texture…then I’ll really be ready to take it to the streets. 

Don’t worry, I’ve since hemmed the bottom.  I’m off now to find my next project…or maybe I should could finish an old one…