WHW RS Sampler Quilt FINISHED!!!

Okay, so this has been finished for awhile now.  I've just been putting off taking pictures.  I now have these two, so we can call this officially finished, right?

For those of you who don't know - back in 2016 I taught a beginner's quilt class to some of the ladies in my neighborhood.  It was tons of fun and I'm hoping to do it again sometime.  Just giving the hubby a little time to recover from all those evenings putting the kids to bed on his own.  ;)

I have an entire page dedicated to this quilt class, with posts and links for every block and every step of the way.  CHECK IT OUT HERE. 

Participants made 12 blocks, each utilizing a different skill which we learned in class that week.  They had the option of making their blocks 12" or 9".  I also wrote up instructions for alternate blocks - different blocks using the same techniques learned that week.

For my quilt, I used a fat eighth bundle of rainbow fabrics from a swap (again through the guild).  There were times when I wondered if all those colors were going to come together in the end, but ultimately I'm calling it a win because it's finished. ;)

I would have arranged my blocks differently, but I REALLY wanted them to be in the same order we made them. 

I made all of "regular" blocks in the 12" size.

I also made all of the "alternate" blocks in the 9" size, for a double sided quilt.  I added the patchwork top/bottom borders to this side to bring it up to size.  I kept the quilting to a simple meander, and bound it with a couple of multicolored prints. 

And there you go!

 Quilt stats:

Started: March 2016

Finished: December 2016

Fabrics: A variety of rainbow prints from a Fat Eighth swap

Batting: Pellon 80/20 Cotton/Poly

Finished size: Approximately 44" x 58"

Recipient: Me.  I'm saving this one in case I teach this class again

Methods used: EVERYTHING!  regular piecing, sliced (disappearing) blocks, strip piecing, HSTs, flying geese, stitch and flip triangles, raw edge applique, foundation paper piecing, EPP, straight line quilting, free motion quilting

Binding: Hand Stitched to the Back

Time to Make: ROUGHLY 20-25 hours?  (NOT including pattern or blog post writing)

Time for Some Catching Up: Smallish Projects of Late

Hi friends!

I've got a few things to share with you, so be prepared for an onslaught of posts from me.  :)

My Etsy shop had a record breaking number of orders in March, which meant that I was pretty busy for the months of March AND April (I even had to close my shop to catch up.  Even now only half of the listings are up).  But I am officially all caught up now and it's time to share a few non-Etsy projects I've finished since... well, December.  ;P

First up are these Vinyl Project Bags. I made these as part of a swap for our Guild back in November.  Check out the tutorial for these HERE:  Thimbleanna Vinyl Project Bag.
I couldn't stop at just one, so I made four.

Funny story - I knew I wasn't going to be able to make it to our November guild meeting, so I dropped these off with a friend to swap for me.  When I went to pick up my new bags from her, I was a little surprised to see one of my own bags (since we were swapping) in my little pile.  I didn't think much of it, though.  I just figured it was because I made so many bags and there weren't a lot to swap around. I was actually pretty happy I didn't have to part with all of mine in the end.  Several months later, I went to use said bag and discovered I had somehow sewn the zipper in wrong, so that the pocket part was completely closed off!  Ha!  I think my friends must have had a good laugh over that one when it came time to swap.  :)  Luckily, this was a pretty easy fix with a pair of scissors.  ;)

Next up is another swap from December.  This time we were swapping Red and Green Mini Mini quilts.  Here is the one I made (if I'm remembering right, it measures about 6.5" square).  I've been dying to try these cathedral windows style hexies for awhile.
I got a cute little wreath shaped Mini Mini in return and I love it. 

My mom has been hinting that she wants a non-Christmasy winter table runner for awhile.  So I whipped this up for her and it was so much fun.   I was inspired by THIS photo on Pinterest, but other than that I just sort of went for it.  This one was a little hard for me to give away...

And finally, I made this football pillow for our family Superbowl Party.  Looking back, I probably should have made the laces much shorter, but there you have it.  My Grandma used to make one like this every year for her Superbowl parties (which were a big deal - Grandma had 7 sons, 1 son-in-law, and a whole lot of grandkids).  Then we would all bet on the final score and the winner got to take home the football pillow.  As luck would have it, I was the winner this year.  ;p

And since I feel the need to document, but not so much the need to take pictures - I want to mention that I also made a few pillowcases (Batman for Jaxson, Superman for Bronx, and Frozen for Adele - the little girl I babysit once a week), a dinosaur crayon roll for Noah, and a car mat (from a panel) for Noah.

The End.  For now.  I'll be back soon with a few bigger finishes.  :)

Finish Along Q2

Woah.  March was crazy busy and most of it has spilled into April.
I closed my Etsy shop in January to recover from the Christmas rush and had SOOOO much fun just sewing whatever I wanted (mostly quilt tops - I wanted to make a bunch of simple quilt tops to practice quilting with my new-to-me quilting machine and frame).  It was a super productive and fulfilling month.  February was nice too.  Until I ran out of money and had to re-open my shop.  ;)
Then, BAM!  I had a record-breaking amount of orders in March and I'm still scrambling to catch up.  Which means most of my personal goals got pushed aside.  But the good news is that I can now buy fabric again (and don't worry. I have...).
SO.  Last quarter didn't go so well on the Finish-Along end.  Even though I made tons of progress at the beginning of the quarter, I didn't actually finish anything.  Remember that quilting machine I mentioned earlier?  Yeah, it sucked up a lot of my time and in the end I've decided it's not for me.  :(  So no finishes yet.  But it's nice to be back to my regular method of quilting and getting things done.  Domestic machine quilting just works for me. 
What I'm trying to say here is that this quarter's goal list looks a lot like last quarter's list.  Ah well.  I'm listing everything here because I don't want anything to feel left out, you know?  Here goes:

Blog/Photograph:

1. WHW RS Sampler Quilt Class quilt.
Guys.  I actually photographed this (baby steps).  Just need to edit the photos and POST IT!!!!  Then it will be truly finished. 

2.  Lisa's Baby Triangle Quilt. 
Just needs to be edited and posted.  :P


Bind:


3.  Sweet Life Kaleidoscope
It's quilted!  I can't wait to show you what I did with it! 

4. Jelly Roll Race in Joel Dewberry True Colors
Okay - I will have something to show from the quilting machine once this is finished.  But it will be donated to Charity.  I couldn't bear to give this to someone I know.  It turned out cute, just with mediocre quilting.  Still needs binding.

Quilt:
Nothing at the moment.

Baste

5.  Moda Row Quilt

6. Do.Good Stitches December Quilt
This one turned out kind of cool.  I think I'll keep the quilting simple.  I just need to finish it!  I REALLY wanted to try this one on my new machine, but it never would have ended well.

7. Do.Good Stitches March Quilt.
We made Pinwheel Churn Dash blocks in Green and LV.  I'm going to make a giant churn dash for the back.  :)

8.  Chunky Windmills in LMS.
This one turned out super cute.  Can't wait to show you pics!  It'll probably get an all-over flower swirl design.

9.  Bargello for NMQG
This one also turned out awesome.  Pics coming soon.  I think I'll quilt it was some graffiti quilting.

10.  Aviator in Up and Away.
An airplane quilt made with airplane fabrics.  Top is done, backing is ready.  It's in the queue.

Assemble:

11.  Churn Dash Swap Quilt
I'm participating in a Churn Dash block swap with some friends.  We are each making 4 churn dash blocks for each member in the group, in their chosen color scheme.  I'm going against my normal bright, rainbow colors (well, mostly) and requested dusty/muted/burnt rainbow/fall colors.  I'm SO EXCITED!  Here is a photo of all the blocks I have made for my friends (mine are the ones along the top row).  We're swapping in February.

Piece:
12. Summerfest Hexies
I started this one on a long road trip and now it is my long term slow-stitching project.  But I really love it, so maybe it won't be so slow...

13. Swoon in Blushing.
Just in time for the #swoonalong on IG!  I'm about halfway through making these blocks.  :)

14. Be My Neighbor in B&C Basics.
I really wanted to participate in a quilt-along this year, but none of the current quilt-alongs appealed to me enough, so I picked one from 2016 that I never had time to join.  I'm using a bundle of B&C basics I won from Happy Quilting on Giveaway Day.  I'm shooting for two blocks a month.

15.  Criss Cross in Summerfest.
I've got half a jelly roll left over from my hexie project and I'm going to see how many of April's Criss Cross blocks I can get out of it.  :) It's all cut out and waiting! 



16.  Ombre Gems QAL. 
I'm making Emily Dennis' Ombre Gems quilt using these Pie Making Day fabrics.  I signed up for the quilt along back when I had nothing better to do (ha!) and now I've got two blocks finished.  ;)

Cut:

17.  Ombre Diamonds in the Deep.
I had so much fun making my Orange Diamonds in the Deep, I immediately went out and bought some ombre fabrics to make another one.  I have big plans.  I just need more time!

18.  Moroccan Tiles.
I'm thinking of using  one of these groupings a got in a destash from a friend.  Also - I purchased this pattern as part of the "May is for Makers" campaign (back in May).  Did anyone else participate in that?

19.  Goody Goody Binding Kit.
I NEED ONE OF THESE!  Who wants to make me one?

20. Easy Charm Quilt for the shop/quilting practice.
I keep collecting these charm packs (not pictured: Prairie) and they are begging to be used.

21.  New Quilt for the Bed.

We need another quilt that is big enough for our bed. 
I just ordered a bundle of V and Co Simply Color and I'm planning to make Emily Dennis' Triangle Hexie Quilt.  I know this will be on the back burner for awhile, but it's going to be fabulous when I get to it!

AND NOW.  Not only do I have crazy ambitious plans in my personal sewing life, I have plans for my Etsy shop.  This year I am going to focus on preparing one specific line of products roughly each quarter.  Most of these product lines will be old things remade, and some of them will be new.
For the record, here are my plans:

February:
Quiet Books (at least 8)

April:
Card Holders (12)

June:
Bibs (birthday, boy, and girl sets - about 18)

August:
Quilts (puff, charm, whatever I can get finished - hopefully 6-12)

August:
Stockings with plain cuffs for personalization (10)

September 
Rummy Mat Gift Sets (9)


OKAY!  Enough of this!  I've got some sewing to do!

Linking up:

2016 Recap :)

It's still January, so I'm going to go ahead and post a recap for last year.  OKAY then.  Without further ado, here are some numbers from 2016:

Quilts made:  12
(5 baby, 4 lap size, 1 twin, 1 queen, 1 king)
(2 were given to charity, 3 were sold, 4 were given to new babies, and the rest are still with me)
(Listed/Linked here in no particular order)

Puff Quilt in Hello Bear
Quilt Class Sampler Quilt (finished photos coming soon)
Puff Quilt in Bump to Baby
Diamond Ripple
Emily's Picture Perfect
Abecedary in Mint
ABC Improv
Carpenter Star
Diamonds in the Fire
Maggie's Charm Quilt
Do.Good:  Humility
Do.Good:  Believe Diamond Kites

A few smaller things I made last year (in no particular order):

Hot Pads for a wedding
Winter Table Runner for Mom (post coming soon)
Baby Quiet Books
Fabric Photo Book 
Red/Green Mini Swap
Vinyl Project Bag Swap
Microwave Bowl Cozies (custom order from a sweet and loyal Etsy customer - now I want some)
Hot Pads for a church service auction
Pin cushion thread catcher for a friend
Tons of new baby girl bibs
Cathedral Windows MINI mini swap

For those who have been to my blog once or twice, you may have noticed that 2016 (at least from the blogging side) was pretty much dominated by the Quilt Class I taught.  Here are the 12 sets of blocks.  Someday I'll show you the finished quilt!


And of course, here are my 12 bee blocks.  We started the year with one block in my old group before we were disbanded and dispersed into new groups.  :)



2016 Sep-Dec was also a very busy time for my Etsy shop.  I introduced a new quiet book in 2016 (check it out HERE and HERE by the end of February) and it (plus several of my bigger books) really took off during the Holiday season. 
p.s. If you go and check it out, just know that it's pretty sparse right now while I work on restocking it again on my own timeline.   :)

Because I spend so much of my sewing time working on things for my shop (which is the only reason I am able to keep my hobby fully funded), I have to document some of those numbers here too.  To prove to myself that I really did accomplish a lot last year.  ;)

Also - I tried out Amazon Handmade last year.  I like it, but once my free trial expires I will probably not continue selling on Amazon. :(  The fee schedule just doesn't work for the type/amount of products I create.  Etsy is still working great for me and keeps me JUST busy enough.  :)  For the record, about 15-20% of my sales in 2016 came from Amazon.

2016 Etsy/Amazon Shop Stats:

Total Orders:  81
Quilts: 4 (!) (2 puff quilts, 1 baby quilt, 1 custom order queen quilt)
Rummy Mats:  7
Patterns:  18
Baby Quiet Books:  27
My First Book of Colors:  7
Other Colors Books:  8
Other Quiet Books (Shapes, Letter Names):  9
Letters Quiet Book (all 26 letters):  1
Stockings:  2
Bibs:  9
Fabric Photo Books: 2
Microwave Bowl Cozies (custom order): 3

Most popular items based on views/faves:  Colors Button Book, My First Book of Colors, Shapes Book Pattern

One last thing - my most popular blog posts were these:
Quarter 1 Project List
Quilt Class Block 7: Flying Geese
Emily's Picture Perfect Baby Quilt
Diamonds in the Fire


You guys.  2017 is already turning out to be AWESOME.  I've created plan for keeping more on top of my shop this year during the slow months, and I've got tons of fun (and QUICK) quilt projects planned.  Plus, I'm going to teach myself a new skill this year - long arm quilting.  Wish me luck!!!

2017 Q1 Finish Along Time!

Hi friends!  I still need/want to write a 2016 year-in-review post (I think it was a pretty good year - very busy for my Etsy shop in the last quarter, although I still have SO many quilts still waiting to be made).   But for now I'm enjoying my new-found free sewing time (YAY no more orders!).  I would much rather be sewing than sitting here at the computer!
But since I've got all these new projects on the brain, I figured I could take a minute to write up a list and link up with the FAL.  :)  I have so many plans!

SO.  Here is my current list. I am making monthly goals on Instagram (find me at @tiffsewinsomethin), which so far is going super well.  But THIS.  This is my master list.  I have organized it according to level of progress:

Blog/Photograph:

1. WHW RS Sampler Quilt Class quilt.
It's finished!  YAY!  I finished binding this two days ago, but we can't call a quilt finished unless it's photographed and blogged, right?  (What do you think, hosts - can I still count this one?)

Bind:

Nothing in the queue at the moment.  Whew!


Quilt:

2.  Sweet Life Kaleidoscope
The SID lines are finished, I just need to figure out how to quilt it.  It's a little strange to think that this might be one of the last quilts I quilt on my domestic sewing machine!  (Oh!  Did I mention I scored a used quilting machine/frame for Christmas?  It's not as fancy as you think, and the machine is in the shop at the moment, but I'm excited to see if I can get it to work!)

Baste

3.  Moda Row Quilt

4.  Purple Runner
I don't really like the way this one turned out, but I might stick it on the aforementioned quilting frame for practice.  Do charity organizations accept table runners?

Assemble:

5. Do.Good Stitches December Quilt
All blocks have been received!  I'm planning to slice these blocks into quarters and stitch them back together into a quilt top.  I just need to decide if I want to slice vertical/horizontal or diagonal...

6.  Churn Dash Swap Quilt
I'm participating in a Churn Dash block swap with some friends.  We are each making 4 churn dash blocks for each member in the group, in their chosen color scheme.  I'm going against my normal bright, rainbow colors (well, mostly) and requested dusty/muted/burnt rainbow/fall colors.  I'm SO EXCITED!  Here is a photo of all the blocks I have made for my friends (mine are the ones along the top row).  We're swapping in February.

Piece:
7. Summerfest Hexies
I started this one on a long road trip and now it is my long term slow-stitching project.  But I really love it, so maybe it won't be so slow...

8. Swoon in Blushing.
Just in time for the #swoonalong on IG!  I'm about halfway through making these blocks.  :)

9. Be My Neighbor in B&C Basics.
I really wanted to participate in a quilt-along this year, but none of the current quilt-alongs appealed to me enough, so I picked one from 2016 that I never had time to join.  I'm using a bundle of B&C basics I won from Happy Quilting on Giveaway Day.  I'm shooting for two blocks a month.

10. Jelly Roll Race in Joel Dewberry True Colors
I've always wanted to try a Jelly Roll Race quilt and I figure this will be the perfect quilt to practice quilting with my new machine.  Fast to put together, with lots of busy prints to hide quilting, and lots of straight lines to divide the quilt into sections for practicing different designs. Here's my progress after one hour:

Cut:
11. Noah's Growth Chart.
Maybe I'll make him one for his 2nd birthday.  :D  I've got some Mixed Bag scraps set aside and the background is even already cut.

12. Apron for me.
Someday?

13.  Chunky Windmill in Little Miss Sunshine.
Again, I'm looking for a fast quilt I can practice quilting on.  I've got a layer cake of Little Miss Sunshine just begging to be made into THIS quilt.  I like that the blocks aren't set into a "background," making it easier to hide quilting mistakes.  :)

14.  Ombre Diamonds in the Deep.
I had so much fun making my Orange Diamonds in the Deep, I immediately went out and bought some ombre fabrics to make another one.  I have big plans.  I just need more time!

15.  Criss Cross in Summerfest.
I've got half a jelly roll left over from my hexie project and I'm going to see how many of April's Criss Cross blocks I can get out of it.  :)

16.  Moroccan Tiles.
I'm thinking of using my Pie Making Day bundle for this.  Or maybe one of these groupings a got in a destash from a friend.  Also - I purchased this pattern as part of the "May is for Makers" campaign (back in May).  Did anyone else participate in that?

17.  Triangle Quilt.
I've always wanted to make a random scrappy 60 degree triangle quilt.  Well, I got the ruler for Christmas, now I need to decide which of these bundles (or which of my many charm packs) to cut up.

18.  Goody Goody Binding Kit.
I NEED ONE OF THESE!  Who wants to make me one?

19. Easy Charm Quilt for the shop/quilting practice.
I keep collecting these charm packs (not pictured: Prairie) and they are begging to be used.

20. Quilt for Lisa.
A friend of mine is finally having her first baby and we are SOOOO excited for her!  As soon as I can figure out her color scheme, she's getting a quilt from me. :)


AND NOW.  Not only do I have crazy ambitious plans in my personal sewing life, I have plans for my Etsy shop.  This year I am going to focus on preparing one specific line of products roughly each quarter.  Most of these product lines will be old things remade, and some of them will be new.
For the record, here are my plans:

February:
Quiet Books (at least 8)

April:
Card Holders (12)

June:
Bibs (birthday, boy, and girl sets - about 18)

August:
Quilts (puff, charm, whatever I can get finished - hopefully 6-12)

August:
Stockings with plain cuffs for personalization (10)

September 
Rummy Mat Gift Sets (9)


OKAY!  Enough of this!  I've got some sewing to do!

Linking up: