Dead after this week, but still have a finish

I decided to take the Mercy Ships job, but I haven't started yet.  I've been busting butt in the frame shop all week (I think I'm at 40 hours already, and I'm about to go in for another 8-hour shift.)  Anyway, as a way to wind down after work, I've been working on my hand quilted QST table runner that has been a WIP FOREVER.

I finally finished it! Just in time to move into the new house and Thanksgiving.  This weekend I get to sew on Sunday, and I'm very thankful for that.  (I guess I should also squeeze a painting in there). 





In other news: I won a little giveaway a few weeks ago, and got my package in the mail from Alyssa at Pile O'Fabrics from participating in her weekly stash share.  The very same day I received my muffler mat from sending a photo of myself holding the most recent Fons and Porter to Arrow Sewing Cabinets.  Here are the things I got in the mail :)




Thanks for reading!
Cassie

Progress...

I have been dragging this one out.. but it's coming along!  I'm hand quilting it, and during my down time at the flea market that I helped my parents with last weekend, I sat in the shade and quilted.  It was amazing how many people came up and wanted to admire my work and give me compliments for being a "young quilter."  It makes me proud to know that I am taking up an art and past-time and making it mine.  

Stitching the squares together on my machine.

The Quilt Sandwich.


In the hoop.

So now, I might not be done with it this week.  Especially since my fingertips are complaining!  I think I might go back to piecing something for a while..  thinking about doing the Craftsy BOM 2012 series - better late than never!  I'll share that if I decide to get started on it.  By the way, if you haven't already, check out Craftsy - they have tons of free patterns and the awesome BOM classes (one for last year, and one for this year.)

Addition to my sewing/craft studio.  :)

I love my mom.   She is always giving me things - I try to do the same for her (Something I think will be easier after I start getting paid!).  Last week I gave her a rotary cutter and mat - she had been eyeing them for a while, so I made the buy for her.  :-)  I got her a nice little Fiskars set:
Cutter (came with a bonus pair of scissors!)
Self-healing Mat
Since her sewing room isn't as big as mine (how did I get so lucky?) I gave her the 18"x 24" mat.

Anyway, this past weekend I helped them do a flea market type sale (that I was talking about above..)  My parents are something of a pair of pickers.  So they had tons of treasures to take to the sale, I'm thinking if my back was crying this much afterward, I feel sorry for my dad's back!  In the sale, she had this fantastic table that I had my eye on for a new pressing table for my sewing room.

 

I think that it didn't sell because it has this crack in the top.  Something I wasn't so worried about, since I'm covering the top with layers of batting and fabric to create my pressing surface.  Planning to make my first tute over this as well - repurposed table.  I just need to decide which type of fabric I want to use - I'll be looking at it nearly every day, so I want to love it! - SUGGESTIONS?

That's all for now!  

Cassie

Life.. happens

A LOT has been going on in life lately. I have redone the kitchen floor, finished texturing and painting my living room, reorganized my studio/sewing room, begun work as Director of Marketing for my father's insurance agency - that's a full time job, AND interviewed for a position as Curriculum Designer for Mercy Ships, a non-profit Christian organization that delivers medical treatment all over the world (I think the interview went well..) On top of that I've been nominated as the Volunteer Coordinator for our town's Art Walk.  We put on 3 art walks a year. 

So, that means that I have had very little time for sewing or quilting. I have decided that I am going to finish my table runner (at least the top!) that I posted about last week before Friday. I also want to do a small challenge here Eyeglass Case Challenge from Arrow Sewing Cabinets just for the fun of it.  I have had an idea that I want to apply to a small project, and I think this might be just the thing.

I'm thinking about taking a rest day today and moving my machine to the living room and watching some TV and sewing.  Anyway, I'll share photos when I get the runner closer to finished. 

Table Runner - In Progress!

I decided to give QST (Quarter Square Triangles) a new try for my table runner.  I modified my design from a piece I found in a magazine I bought from the dollar store (Quilt It Today).  My modified design matches the accent wall in my living room, and is a bit longer because we have an abnormally large coffee table. You can see a little snip-it of the pattern to the left there in the photo. 

So here are all the little QST's  and HST's waiting to be turned into Quarters for my runner. 

Here you can kind of see the design starting to come together.  I still have a ways to go. 

I think the colors are nice, and there's a nice mix of patterns.  Planning to hand quilt this one - bought my little hoop yesterday.  Hopefully I'll finish it soon. 

My other big project is texturing and painting my living room.  My husband and I live in a 103 year old home in Tyler, TX, and it was in desperate need of some TLC when we moved in.  Two of the walls in the living room were suitable for paint right off, but the other two had some cracks that needed repair.  We did that, and now I'm to the texturing part.  I have to do it in small bits, as it's 100+ degrees outside, and our A/C struggles as it is.  (in other words: it's HOT!)

I really cannot wait until our house is finished.  Next thing I'm tackling after the living room is the kitchen.  Right now, I'm thinking open shelves up top, and I have some really nice cabinets that I'm going to refinish for the bottom.  We're doing a retro theme.  It'll be nice!

Lastly, a little painting I've been working on since I was featured in the Downtown Tyler Art Walk back in June.  I started it as a demo for mixing paint from primary colors.  This is how it has evolved since then.  I still feel like it's a WIP. 

Well, now you all know why I have cut back on my sewing/quilting the past few days.

Linking up with Lee over at Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday - Freshly Pieced