Three flannel finishes

I was approached last October by a friend that had recently lost her father to cancer.  She wondered if I would be able to make quilts from his shirts for her sons.
On every special occasion over the years she would buy him an Eddie Bauer flannel shirt.

In June she came with a bin of more than 20 shirts,.   There was a great assortment of colours, solids, plaids and checks.  They were all size XL tall.  There is a lot of useable fabric in an XL shirt.

First up came the deconstruction of the shirts.  Cuffs and collars removed, plackets torn off, leaving lots of fabric.

Then came the cutting of squares.  I chose to cut 6" and 12" squares maximizing every bit of shirt.  I was just going with squares randomly placed.  I used the 6" squares on the front and 12" for the back.  So it was like getting two quilts in one.  I even used strips of shirts for the bindings.

Progress was slow over the summer with other pressing project deadlines, vacation, start of school etc.  But I did manage to complete them by the middle of Sept.

back

back

front

She is thrilled with the quilts and has saved them for the grandsons Christmas present.  There is even a picture of the boys and Opa on the label.   

Ok say I said there are three finishes.    Here is the third.  After these two quilts were done I still had squares and shirts pieces left over.  Further cutting into 4.5" squares (this time using my Accuquilt Go). I knew the squares wouldn't like up row by row, but I was ok with that.  Sadly not quite squares enough for back this time.  This quilt was going to be for Oma.  I chose a bright cheery pink with tiny floral for the back.  Kind of a'His and Hers' quilt.

More on how I finished these quilts in my next post.

I am so glad to be finished these quilts to work on some of my own projects.

Are you happy or sad to be finished a project?

Happy Stitching

Lee

P.S. linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts' Finish it up Friday. 

More finishes to share

again my apologies for my lack of blogging.  spring is always a hectic time of year in our house hold.  Lots of celebrations in a short amount of time.

Mother's Day

Father's Day

Son's Birthday

Anniversary

Daugher's birthday

Jr High Graduations ceremonies

Year End Dance Recital

Visitors (oldest daughter was home)

Start of Gardening Season

See, it was a busy time.  

Now that school is finished, activities are winding down and garden established I have found a bit more time for sewing. 

Here are a few recently completed projects:

Notebook cover and pouch for a teacher gift

 Cupcake banner/bunting for my nephew's girl friend's booth at a Farmer's Market. 

A pillow for me,  just because

Nested Churndash table topper or wallhanging for a good friend.  

Lily always has to get in on the action. 

These spools of thread will go in my friend's new sewing studio.  (I am terribly jealous of her set up!)

I have a few new projects started.  Which I will share later.

Hope you are getting some stitching time in this summer.

Happy Stitching, 

Lee

p.s. linking up to CrazyMomQuilts Finish it up Friday

Happy Easter

I hope that everyone of you has a happy and blessed Easter Weekend.    I finished this table runner for a friend/client just in time for it to grace her beautiful large dining room table. 

Poor Lily had to go to the Vet yesterday for some skin irritations.  The Vet tech had fun decking her out in Bunny Ears.

Happy Easter!

Thanks to all that have entered the giveaway for the Basic Rain FQ bundle.   

Have a great weekend with your family and friends. I hope you can squeeze in some stitching too.

Happy Stitching

Lee

Linking up to CrazyMomQuilts Finish It up Friday

OMG

Has it really been almost another month between blog posts?  Where does the time go?

I have been busy sewing and running the house!  I made a few quick projects.  

A new pencil box pouch for my daughter.

 A huge box pouch for my toiletries

A welcome spring front door hanger

And also this springy table runner

Can you tell we are just itching to have some spring like weather around here.

I did manage to get some much needed vitamin D with a quick trip to Florida to visit family and Mickey Mouse over spring break.

stay tuned for a sponsored giveaway coming this way soon. 

Happy Stitching

Lee

Behind again

I know when I am behind with blogging when my mother sends me an email telling me so. (Hi Mom)

However if you are on Instagram I am keeping up over there all the time.  Come look me up lalaslovleys.

What have I been up to:

finished this cute little rag rug

a quick embellishment of a tea towel 

pieced and pin basted these blocks together. I have also started FMQ this. 

choose fabrics from my stash for a new quilt project

On the home front:

• attended an out of town hip hop convention with daughter #2
• drove and watched many of her basketball games. They lost in semi-finals.  What a great season!
• took a day trip to the mountains
• attended a few National Lacrosse League games
• welcomed daughter #1 home for a week for her Reading week. Loved having her home
• baked, cooked, cleaned, laundry, shopped.... the usual
• working out; increasing my time on the stationary bike and weights in my arms!

So needless to say I have been busy, just not always quilting.  The weather has been so cold and we are now heading into our snowiest month.  yuck

Have you been keeping busy?

Happy Stitching

Lee

Friday Finish

I am pleased to say that my Celtic Solstice quilt is complete.  I really enjoyed working on this quilt, from gathering the fabrics, to using new to me rulers and learning new techniques.  I love the pattern that evolved.  Cirlces, stars and squares intertwine to make a beautiful quilt.   I had the opportunity to long arm quilt this with my friend Andrea at Urban Quiltworks.  She is a relatively new long armer, but she has an amazing natural talent and patience for a newbie.  Go check her out.  

I haven't been able to take pictures of the completed quilt outside as it has been too frigid, maybe on the weekend.  For now these will have to suffice.

loaded

Used Filigree panto, edge to edge quilting

completed

pieced back

binding happened at a hip hop convention

Celtic Solstice and Orca Bay side by side

Love that these two Quiltville Mysteries are sitting side by side on the couch.  

Do you have any finishes?

Happy Stitching

Lee

p.s. linking up to Crazy Quilt Mom's Friday Finishes

Celtic Solstice Top completed

At last the borders are on and the top is completed for the Bonnie Hunter's 2014 Mystery Quilt, Celtic Solstice.  

A few things about this quilt and its making:

  I haven't worked with this colour combination before

I learned what a very accurate 1/4" is

I used Tri Rec rulers for the first time

I still can't follow a pattern to a T ( I changed the borders a bit)

I spy my inspector, do you?

Time to get the back together and off to a long armer (Urbanquiltworks perhaps)

If you are having another snowy day, stay warm under one of your wonderful quilts.

Happy stitching

Lee

Celtic Solstice Mystery quilt up date:

I am so sorry for not blogging much lately.  If just seems to take extra effort to blog.  So I have been using Instagram and Facebook more often. If you use either of these check in with me there.

I have been extremely busy on the home front.  DD# 2 is on the basketball team which has had me running to 8 games last week and a few the week before.  Not too mention all her dance classes too.  Any spare time has gone to running the house and working on my Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt, Celtic Solstice.  I am so happy to say as of today my top is finished! (but it was dark out when I finished so no completed pictures yet.)

Here are some progress pictures

blocks coming together

asked IG and FB friends what I should do

Bed fitting before last border

I'll get some completed top pictures tomorrow. 

What have you been working on?

Happy Stitching

Lee

Celtic solstice quilt

I'm slowly but surely getting this quilt together. 

I am at the assembly of blocks stage now   .   Maybe by the weekend I'll have a row or two together. 

I have been learning lots in the process. Getting my confidence up to tackle other quilt patterns with new to me techniques.

Did you join in on this mystery quilt?  Have you done others?  

It's been fun. Happy stitching

Lee 

  

Happy New Year

Wishing you and your family a wonderful, happy and healthy 2014.