working off depression

Ever get to a point where there doesn't seem to be any joy going on?  Well, that is what is happening here and I'm trying my best to work through it.  What did that get me today?  A mini migraine.  I stopped the full blown, but didn't get anything done today.
I really want to sew.
I am appliqueing a turtle onto the blue background.  Trying to focus and do that does not help lots when things are blurry.  But, piecing is not going to happen.  Maybe a photo later.

I finished my applique of the Hawaiian Turtle.  I think this is going to be framed in brown and then it is going in my bathroom.

Merry Christmas

I'm so thankful to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas! 
I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas!

It has been a family day.  I came upstairs a bit ago to clean up the wrapping station and put it back into a sewing studio mode.  :)
My desk is cleaned off.
My pressing table is cleaned off.
My cutting table needs a little more work.
My floor needs vacuuming.
I would like to load a quilt tonight to start on tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow is a full day of sewing for me.  No more cleaning and all focused on family and sewing.  Mostly sewing.  :)

I want a couple more finishes this year, so I start my UFO list off a couple smaller.  Right now, I have 126 logged items.  I finished 34 UFOs in 2012.  I must admit some of those were only 1 on the list, and became 3+.  LOL  But, that feels good to know.  I didn't think I had done that much this year.

Have you been thinking about New Years Resolutions?
I have a bit.
1.  Continue to reduce my UFO listing
2.  Work on something I want -- DIP (Dreams in Progress)
3.  Use up more batting pieces so I can see out of my side window.
4.  Learn more about my embroidery machine.

Not sure if those are all, but those are the key ones at this point.  I'll have to focus and make sure to focus on them.

Have a wonderful rest of the day and year!

No more sewing before Christmas

I feel good this year.  I am not working on something at the last minute.  I have not had any planned projects that are not done.

I made this one for DD's band director.  she loves pink, so I had to add tht in.  In the future, I will be careful to have darker fabric hear the center.

15 minute table runner.  I have 2 of these.  The other one is red in the center.  They are quick, but I think I am going to put batting in the next one.  Flimsy without it.

Made about 20 of these embroidered towels.  Gave them away as fast as I made them, so I didn't get the photos.

What are my plans for the rest of the year?  I hope to work on this tessellation quilt and finish it soon in 2013.  I am also working on cutting out the 2.5" squares of baby clothing.  That project has been on-going for years now and I am making progress, but not quick enough.

I do hope to work on the picking up and cleaning of my studio.  This place has been hit by a bomb.  The wrapping bomb, the completing bom, the put everything in there that doesn't have a home bomb.  LOL

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Working on Christmas gifts

I don't know which person this is going to, but I like the way it turned out.  This was a UFO with only 5 blocks.  I used the 3 here and then below

I used the 2 extra ones and the Jo's club applique.  This was my first applique, so I'm keeping this one.  The echo quilting is the first time I've done that.  It's in our family room on the coffee table.

I have so many Christmas scraps leftover that I decided to make some simple quilt as you go table runners.  I have this one done and the second one almost ready to trim and bind.

Here is the other UFO that was a rail fence.  The problem, the amount of fabric in the bag was not enough to make it a lap quilt.  As it is, it is not all that big.  A nice car quilt.  I used scrap blue fabric for the inner border and then used the Christmas scrap bin to make piano keys that are not the same sizes.  I bound it in the blue.  Not bad for a scrap quilt.  This is for another teacher.

Pillow time

Needed Christmas gifts for DD's teachers.  I had this snowball Christmas quilt started that was from a swap and in order to use it I needed to make more blocks.  But, I decided I didn't like the way they were looking, so I made them into pillows.

I kept this one.  :)

All her teachers have gifts now.  I have a couple other items to make for other folks, and special teachers, but I have the majority of things done!

Yeah me!