I finished the 20 blocks of the crosses. It's the only sewing I got accomplished in the last week, but I should be thankful I got that done. It's been so busy with work and outside activities. I could say I did more if you count going to my second block of the month club and buying fabric as sewing. (The block of the month is actually a row of the month and I have 8 blocks to do for it..oh my) I bought a really cute charm pack to use to make my mother-in-law a quilt for Christmas next year. I figure if I start now I might actually get it done. I also had a gift certificate I received for helping do our ASG program this month and I redeemed that for some material to use in finishing this cross quilt and for the next one. On the work table: two pairs of pants to hem for some one, 8 blocks for the newest quilt, 1 blogger BOM, 16 more blocks for the blue cross quilt, charms to begin a quilt for my mil, material to start another cross quilt, and wool plus lining to make me a new skirt. No pressure here...hahaha.

Sew Long For Now!

I signed up to take two block of the month classes at a local quilt shop and the first one that has met so far is the "Color Me Happy" class and I came home and did the first block, isn't it pretty in the batiks.
The middle section of my cross quilt.

The top and bottom sections of my cross quilt. It is coming together. Maybe by next week I will have all the cross squares put together.

I am taking another block of the month class this coming week, I am so excited! I want to make a skirt by the end of Jan. with some pretty patterned wool someone gave me. I just need to pick up some lining material.

Life here is a whirlwind of activity as usual with all the families outside activities. I am trying to stick with my plan of sewing a little each day. It has made a huge difference in getting the cross quilt done.

Sew Long for Now

I am working hard on the cross quilt. I finished 80 of these point segments this week.
I went on to complete 80 of the corner units. Now I just need to press them out. After pressing all the units I will piece the 20 cross squares. I am so excited. I have tried to work on the quilt at least 1 hr everyday. Unfortunately, last night I wasn't able to. I hope to get in some pressing or sewing today before our group meeting tonight. Tomorrow night is our ASG monthly meeting so I will probably have no time after I get off work and get ready to go there.
I hate to miss 3 days in a row when I have been doing so well.

I love Youtube. I hate altering men's suit jackets and I seem to do more than I care to. My husband wanted me to shorten the length of the sleeves on his tuxedo jacket and I had put it off for a month because I just dreaded it. Finally, on Monday I had to do it because he needed it that night. I decided to look on youtube for any video that might help me review what to do and give me some great way of doing it painfree. I found this great video series of a lady doing a tuxedo jacket. She really gave me the confidence to tackle it. It still had to be done all by hand and it still took the whole afternoon, but the results were wonderful. The nice thing about this series was that she broke down each step into bite size pieces and it really looked easy this way.
Sew Long for Now

Last week we went to the annual Vintage Ball. I had been asking my daughter what she will wear for months and she never would give me an answer. 4 days before the ball she came to me with a dress I had previously made for her wanting me to alter it. I spent the next day, all day, trying to alter it and it just looked worse and worse. That evening I sat down with her and my dh and discussed what to do. We went through my stash and came up with some pieces big enough to make a long dress. Of course I had to alter the pattern and I tried to make it as simple as possible. The result was ok, but I told her next year we HAD to start a lot earlier.

I have completed the 4th block in the blogger block a month project.

I have made it a plan for the New Year to work on my sewing a little bit every day. I have been working hard on my cross quilt. I have divided the big 20 blocks up into segments. Of course I finished the biggest segment last fall. Now I am working on the segments with the points of the cross in it. I pieced two rows, the first has 5 parts and the second also has 5 parts. Now I am sewing those two rows together. Hopefully, I will finish that this afternoon. There are 80 of these segments. Next I will make the corner segments the each have 8 parts and there are 80 of those. When I finish that I will be able to attach these segments to the main block and get those finished. Then there are 16 other blocks to put together.
I have also been working on piecing the flannel blocks together in rows, and when I finish I will sew the rows together to make a top.
I have also signed up with a friend to do two block a month clubs at a local quilt shop.
I want to make 2012 a year of sewing!
Sew Long for Now!