Bonnie Hunter Give-Away!

Bonnie Hunter is having a give away!
http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2012/02/are-you-on-track.html
I would love to win a copy of the On Track Magazine. Bonnie has an article in the issue titled "Using Up Your Stash."  I know I need great ideas for using up mine and am sure that some of you could use the ideas also.
Jump over to Bonnie's page and enter to win.

Mallory's Quilt

Simply Scrappy Sensational, a Debbie Caffrey Mystery

I finished the quilt for my cousin Janie's daughter, Mallory, and had it quilted in January so I could deliver it on my trip to Missouri this month.

Quite awhile back I asked Janie for colors for each of her girls and she told me Mallory likes blue and purple, so off to work my brain went with ideas for a blue and purple quilt. I actually designed a different one using an app I have on my phone, but then discovered this one started in my stash and I knew that this one was perfect.  I finished it up and sent it off to be quilted last month.  My request was to have it done by the first Friday in February, so I could get the binding done and deliver on my trip to Missouri this last week.
The quilter, Linda, delivered as requested and she did a beautiful job on the quilting.

I love the hearts and swirls.
I quickly pieced and attached the binding to the front and started in with the hand sewing to finish the binding. I worked on the binding on the plane and once I arrived at Janie's. Mallory attends a nearby college, so was not at home.  I finished the binding and the next day we delivered the quilt when we stopped by the college so I could see Mallory and her sister Lindsey.

Label

 You will notice I signed the quilt "Aunt" Wanda.  Janie told her girls to call me that, and I also learned that in El Salvador that is what nieces and nephews call their aunts.  So, I am "Aunt" Wanda. I am also rather short next to all three of Janie's girls.

Mallory liked her quilt, see her beautiful smile.

Mallory and I with her quilt.

She had no idea she was getting it until we arrived at her work site on campus. Janie called her and told her to come outside to get her quilt, so it was a nice surprise for her.

I love giving a gift to someone who appreciates it.  Mallory sews and is minoring in textiles or something along those lines. She is also a wonderful artist. I saw some of her work at Janie's house.  Someday we may be sewing with fabrics she has designed.

UFQ Progress

I found my list of unfinished quilts (UFQs) from last year and up dated it, then found more that were not included from last year, and added those I started last year.  I will include the list at the end of this post, but first I think I should CELEBRATE, my progress this first month of 2012.
This month I feel I have made a good start on my UFQ list. 
 I sent four quilts off to be quilted, and finished the top of one, as well as working on a couple other quilts.  See previous post:  http://quilted-hearts.blogspot.com/2012/01/ufqs-making-progress.html 
I can now move them from the to be quilted list to the need to be bound list, or from the UFQ list to the topsville list.
More to come as I keep working on moving more things off the UFQ list and to topsville, or from topsville to the need to be bound list, and then off the list all together.

I even actually started a top and finished the top all in one month.  Now that is an accomplishment for me as usually I end up with it taking at least a couple of months for a quilt to move from pieces to topville.  That quilt is actually at the quilters as we speak. So it will be ready to quilt as soon as she finishes it.  She has four quilt tops at the moment, as she returned one to me and I gave her the New Year's Day 2012 mystery to quilt the same day.  

NYD 2012 Mystery.  There is one more border on this quilt, but I can't find the picture, so this one will have to do.

Now if I can just keep up this pace, I might actually clear out some more UFQs by the end of the year.
Stay tuned for the next update.

Wonderful DIscoveries

I found some wonderful things while going through magazines.  I discovered quilts by Pat Sloan, in several magazines that I did not realize I had. They date back a while, and I am keeping them as some are ones I am thinking I need to make. I also found several other patterns in magazines that I would love to make and am keeping them as well.
I also found some fabric that I forgot all about. It is beautiful and new patterns and ideas are flooding my mind as I type this.
Backings were discovered as well. I have several fabrics that I seem to have bought 6 yards or more of, and that makes them perfect as backings for quilts.  I love it.  I just need to piece them to make them wide enough and I can back a few more of my flimsies (quilt tops) and either quilt them myself or send them off to be quilted.
I am still working on the sewing and am sure there are more treasures to be found as well as tons of things to send out the door as I continue to work on cleaning out and organizing my sewing room.
Keep your eyes posted as you never know what I may discover hidden in the depths of the closet which is next on my list of places to dig into.
When the room is all together I will post pictures for all to see, until them I am keeping the room under wraps.

What to do with the things I am Sending out the Door.

I feel like I am making some progress in clearing out fabric that I will never use and fabric that is so thin I can read the can of Scotch Guard across the room.  I cannot believe how thin some of my fabric is.  It is wild.  I mean when you can read the label on a can that is across the room, you know that the fabric has to be way to thin to hold up. I am talking several pieces of fabric. I and giving them to my dear husband to use with his art students, so they are going to a good cause, just not into my quilts.
I keep looking at the shelf of magazines and patterns and telling myself, "you need to go through those and get rid of the ones you know you will never make."  I did that with my clothing patterns this weekend, but quilt patterns are harder to let go of.  I kept the clothing patterns for jackets, as I do make quilted jackets and bags, but sent the skirts, and most dress ones out the door. I kept that few that are jumpers that I do like to wear and may make a few more of, but most of those patterns are in the bag for goodwill.
Now, what to do with all the quilting ones? I am thinking this weekend would be a good time to take them with me to the quilt store to let others go through and see if they find treasures in my trash, so to speak.  First off I would rather they go to a good home than to the thrift store, and secondly, I know I could try selling them online and will consider that options over the next few days. The draw back to that is that I then have to take the time to photograph and post them, list prices, and then make the trek to the post office to mail them.  Plus set up a Pay Pal or some other account in order to receive payment. I think I need to sleep on this for a few days before deciding what to do.
Looking in my sewing room and seeing the mess it is at the moment with things here and there and everywhere, I wonder what I was thinking when I decided to tear it apart and start reorganizing and cleaning.  I know I can do it, but at the moment it looks overwhelming.  "Tomorrow is be another day" to quote Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind, and I know things will look better in the morning when I am not so tired.