2013 NewFO Challenge - November Update

I have decided to make some shopping bag for my NewFO this month.  I am making the shopping bags out of Christmas fabric and will use them for wrapping presents.  Then, instead of throwing away paper, I'll be reusing them for shopping!  This wasn't my idea originally, it was the Green Bag Lady's idea.  I volunteer with the Colorado Chapter of the Green Bag Lady project and when we met last time, Teresa had us working on shopping bags that were made with Christmas fabric.

I had be busy preparing for Thanksgiving and trying to get some of my sewing done, so my sewing area was quite a mess!  I'm also preparing our condo for a new couch and love seat that my sister-in-law is giving us.  They are redoing their family room and decided to do it with several recliners instead.  Yipee for me!

Well, now that Thanksgiving is over and the new furniture is here and settled in, I've finally gotten a chance to do some more sewing.  I had planned on making some snowmen mug rugs but that didn't work out.  I did however get my Christmas bags made.

I think this is first NewFO project that I started and finished in the same post.  Maybe I'll squeeze those snowmen mug rugs in before Christmas after all.

If you want additional information about Green Bag Lady, check out the following links:

New to Green Bag Lady? Click HERE.

Like Green Bag Lady on Facebook HERE.

To make your own bags, this is a super easy pattern HERE.
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Visit Barbara over at Cat Patches and see what others have started this month.  Happy quilting everyone!

Free shopping bags anyone?

                          Shopping bag giveaway is over!  

Follow Green Bag Lady on Facebook for next giveaway.

Yes?  Then you should hop over to my sponsors at Green Bag Lady because they are having a huge giveaway running until Wednesday, where you can be the winner of one of 50 reusable shopping bags!

Help us save the environment by using reusable/fabric bags instead of paper or plastic. All the time!

Here is the pile of 50 bags.  All are lightweight and can be folded small enough to fit in your purse or pocket so you will always have it with you.  No excuses.

Picture courtesy of Green Bag Lady

On top of that they are giving away 3 prize packs for those bloggers and posters who send over the most people to sign up for the giveaway.  If you join their shopping bag giveaway after finding out about it through this post, mention that Tami sent you!
                                           
All you have to do to enter to win a bag (open to everyone, world-wide) leave a comment and include your email address so you are entered in the freebie right HERE!

Good Luck!  Tami

2013 NewFO Challenge - October Update

I ran across a picture of Tumbling Leaves that I really liked.  It reminded me of all the colors of the hardwoods back east in the fall.  I'd like to make a wall hanging to hang above our love seat.

I found the pattern for it in allpeoplequilt, however, I didn't follow the pattern because I planned on using fabric from my stash, that was already cut into strips I wanted to use.  So I started to work on the leaves.

I put them all together and added a narrow inner border, but haven't decided on a border just yet.

While trying to decide what fabric to use for the border on my leaves wall hanging, I decided to finish up the work on the tote bag designed by Gudrun Erla of G.E. Designs, that I had started last month.

It turned out a bit bigger than I thought it would, but I really like it how it turned out with the Riley Blake Snug as a Bug fabric.  I'll be able to stop carrying multiple bags when I go out!   Visit Barbara over at Cat Patches and see what others have started this month.  Happy quilting everyone!

2013 NewFO Challenge - September Update

I needed a new purse as mine was not large enough to carry all the things I wanted to carry.  I never am able to find one that I really like that fits my needs so I started looking for one that I could make.  I never realized that there are so many purses and totes out there!  I finally ran across a really cute tote that hit my fancy.

It was posted in the Facebook group Ozark Fabric and other Fun Stuff! by Yvonne Ginter Thompson.  I asked where she got the pattern, and it ended up being a designer I already followed, Gudrun Erla of G.E. Designs.  The book was called Fast & Furious quilting as you go and the pattern is Strip to the Beach Bag.

So, I ordered the book and started looking for the fabric I wanted to use.  I loved the orange batiks that were used for the one I found.  But I didn't want to copy hers and that wasn't something I had in my stash so I thought I might do it in reds.  I picked reds from my stash, but that didn't pop like the oranges did.  Then Ozark Fabric had a new Riley Black design for sale called "snug as a bug" and that caught my attention.

So, I am going to try Gudrun's quilt as you go method!   Visit Barbara over at Cat Patches and see what others have started this month.  Happy quilting everyone!

August NewFO Challenge

Well, I have finally gotten around to making a new table runner to replace the one that ended up at my daughter's house in Tennessee.  This was my original table runner.

And this is my new one.  I made it a little larger because I decided to put this one on our sideboard.  I'll probably make another one for the table behind our couch.

I have also been working on my Miss Rosie's Toulouse.  I have all of the blocks finished now and have them sewn together into rows.  Now I need to sew the rows together.  Then I'll be working on the border.  I'm liking how it is coming together.

Visit Barbara over at Cat Patches and see what others have started this month.  Happy quilting everyone!

July NewFO Challenge

This month I started another project that I saw on Ray and Jeanne's blog called Crazy Eights.  It was done completely from their stash and I'd like to do that as well.

I've only got two of the blocks finished so far as red and green are my favorite colors and I have enough of those colors to cut 32 unique squares out of my stash.  I didn't want to have any duplicates.

My version of Crazy Eights will have to be a work in progress for a while until I have enough of other colors to cut 32 unique squares.  Don't tell my DH, but this will mean purchasing more fabric!  I did have help working on my blocks!  Popeye got pretty lazy while I was working on the red block.

I have finished my Birdhouse pillow that was my New FO that I had started back in May here after finding Leisa's Whimsical Birdhouse pillow.

I had won a bag from the Green Bag Lady back in May and was asked if I wanted to be part of the Green Bag Lady Colorado Chapter once she moved to Colorado.  We have our first meeting in a couple weeks! For the Fourth of July, our family got together for a barbecue at my sister-in-law's house.  I decided to give some bags away that I had made using the Green Bag Lady pattern.

Visit Barbara over at Cat Patches and see what others have started this month.  Happy quilting everyone!

June NewFO Challenge

I was browsing the blogs and ran across something that really caught my attention.  It was from Carla of Cora Quilts and was her American Jane 9 Patch Baby Quilt:

I'm not sure what it was about her baby quilt, but I knew I needed to make one.  So, I went digging through my 2 1/2" blocks to gather a variety of fabrics and started putting together some happy blocks.  They weren't as happy as Carla's and I might just have to do this one again using the fabrics that she used which was ABC 123 Charm Pack by American Jane for Moda Fabrics.  Here's my top put together:

I've also made a couple of pillow cases.  I originally made them for a charity give away, but when I showed them to my daughter, she fell in love with them.  Maybe she'll forget about them before I have a chance to mail them to her.

I've been sort of busy this month.  I have finally got my Sister's Choice blocks put together into a top.  I first posted about this quilt in March and am now on the search for a border for this:

I'm happy with how it has turned out.  There are so many different fabrics that have been accumulated over the years as well as some that were given to me by friends and family.  There are lots of memories here.  I look forward to having this one live on my bed.

To see what everyone else is doing for the 2013 NewFO Challenge for this month click here.