Surprise Gift and OPAM December 2015

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday Season. For us, it was quiet and nice. 

I didn't do much sewing last month. Dear 'Nina' acted up and refused to sew. About 3 months ago 'Nina' was in for a long overdue service and there were no reason for it to act up. Horror scenarios was the mother board had to be changed and that costs money!  The Bernina guy did some service tests and didn't find anything wrong. The day we picked it up, I did test sewing and it worked perfect. No clue what the problem was. One suggestion is the high humidity here or dust / lint on a sensor... It has behaved after the trip to Port Louis, so perhaps it just needed a 'city dose'! Who knows?! :) 

I'm so flattered! One of my returning customers on Etsy is so happy with the custom orders I made for her that she sent me a hand warmer mug as a 'thank you'. 

The mug rug is one that has been sitting here F-O-R-E-V-E-R waiting for the binding to be hemmed. 

This mug rug is MINE and only MINE! LOL Most of the items I make are for sale in my Etsy shop and I seldom make anything for me or our home. 

I've never seen a coffee mug like this before. 

Not the right time of the year for a hand warmer mug, but I will definitely use it during 'winter'.

Couldn't resist making some nurse mug rugs! 

These are perfect gifts for a nurse. 

I finished a table topper too. I had some leftover fabrics from table runners I made earlier and what I had left was just enough for this table topper. Love this pattern! 

We are already a couple of days into 2016 and for me that means it is time to attack UFO's! I have pulled them out already and it looks like I have to buy more fabrics to finish some of them. I don't make New Year's resolutions, but I hope to stay on the fabric diet. I forgot all about fabric diet and bought way to many fabrics at the end of 2015! Shame on me! 

OPAM November

HAPPY DECEMBER!

We are already one day into December... Soon it's Christmas! Yikes! 

Have you started preparing for Christmas? I've done some house cleaning and putting up Christmas wall hangings. Living in the tropics, I'm not going to make '7 varieties' of cookies! :) My favorites are gingersnaps and Norwegian dough nuts, so IF I'm baking, these will be the two varieties I will make. 

November kept me busy making items for my Etsy shop 

I love this Advent Calendar! It's so cute!

Advent Calendar, sold to the US 

A custom order to the US; two mug rugs

I've had some Christmas stocking panel forever and why not turn it into a wall hanging? :)

A cute Santa mug rug. 

Actually I made two... One is sold and off to the US

I've been working on the Postage Stamp Quilt - see my previous post - and I'm happy to say I have a flimsy! :) I don't have backing for it, need to get something on sale. I won't have time to finish it this month so it will be a UFO next year! :) 

I'm currently working on some nurse mug rugs for my shop, hope to get a few listed one of the first days. 

OPAM finishes for June

HAPPY JULY! 

June passed as quickly as the other months. 

I've been busy quilting and have some finished items. I made some Christmas items, but ran out of fabric and batting and finally got it earlier this week. The batting should be in this week. 

While waiting, I made some mug rugs from Christmas scraps. It feels good to use up those small pieces of fabric as well as batting. 

I've had this piece of fabric forever. Finally decided to fussy cut the houses and couple and made them into a set of 4 coasters. 

A piece of lobster fabric was just sitting there from the others I made earlier.

I made a bigger trivet of what was left. 

'Had forever fabrics' turned into a table topper. 

Nifty Nurses mug rugs 

I love making these mug rugs.

Actually I'm working on a custom order of 6 nurse mug rugs. Four of them are almost done, and I love the personalized look. Photos of those will be later when all are finished.

Vote for Quiltsy Team Kaleidoscope Challenge - My UFO finishes for May #part 2

WELCOME JUNE - my birthday month! 

Again I should not ask 'where did May go' , because that seems to happen every time I do a new blog post. Even if the intention is there to blog more often, I get busy with other things and it fails every month.

Being an Etsy seller, a lot of time goes into making new items for my shop, different team activities and promoting. 

Recently, the Quiltsy Team on Etsy, decided to have a Kaleidoscope Challenge.  9 talented members participated and now it's time to vote. 

Go to the Quiltsy Team Blog and vote for your favorite. 

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I have been busy sewing and most important is I have finished all my UFO's for the 

Quilts Quilts Quilts Team Challenge!  Here are the UFO's I entered for the challenge. 

I have made PSQ's earlier, but this is the very first one where I have used charms from different swaps, hosted by Mary over at The Curious Quilter. If you want to participate, there will be a another swap in September.  

I'm pleased with how it turned out and especially I love the border. I also love the crinkled look after washing. 

Another big UFO I have finished, is my scrappy green log cabin quilt.

It was put on hold because I couldn't decide on how to quilt it. It ended up meandering.

I love log cabin quilts and I'm very pleased with this one. 

I had a lot of green 'old' fabrics in my stash and this is a great way to get use of it. 

Here's my other log cabin UFO! Haven't touched it this year. I think I should give it a go while the fabrics are still available, not sure I have enough. 

OPAM finishes for May 2015 - Part #1

Enjoying cuppa #2 while doing this blog post showing off my May finishes. 

Most of them have been laying around waiting for fabrics to finish them. 

I'll start with some table runners & toppers

I've had these Faye Burgos pansies fabric forever and didn't know what to do with them, until I decided on a table runner. 

Using up bits and pieces; the starting point was the pink/green floral stripe (leftover from other projects) and pink fabric. Added green and yellow to pick up the colors in the stripe, another table runner was born.

The last of the Faye Burgos fabrics; a table topper. 

These squares were leftover from another UFO I've finished (no photos yet), added a border and voila; a table topper. 

Placemats

Set of 2 placemats where I have used fabrics from the 'Summer Breeze' collection. 

Love the combination of blue and yellow. 

A set of 2 placemats with matching double napkins in pink and grey. 

Looks like I'm heavy into pansies these days! Love them though! 

Set of 2 country inspired placemats in rust and country blue.

 Set of 4 placemats (Faye Burgos) in dusty sage green and lavender.

Set of 2 placemats in blue and yellow from the 'Summer Breeze' collection.

These are sold and off the the US. 

Mug Rugs

I had bit and pieces of some gorgeous sweet pea fabrics.

The pieces were not big enough for anything but mug rugs. 

Sold and off to the US. 

I've always loved sweet peas and its flowers. Beautiful fabrics these are. 

These are my OPAM finishes for May and most of them are available for sale in my Etsy Shop. 

Accumulation of quilt tops and a win

How many quilt tops do you have that is waiting to be sandwiched?!

Just say it - I know you have some, don't you?! :))

I have too many at the moment! By "too many" I mean four that are done (the tops);

1) Split Hourglass quilt

2) Hello Betty

3) Marion's quilt

4) Mystery quilt

5) Pinwheel quilt*

6) Polar Bear quilt*

Those marked with the *, the tops have yet to be finished.

These days I'm working on the Polar Bear quilt. It's a challenge, because the blocks are four different sizes, and if that is not enough; the fabric is limited and I don't get more. I had to purchase approx 0.50 yards of some of the fabrics that are still available. Hopefully I'll get it at the end of this week...

My intention is to start sandwiching one of these quilts already this week...

I should not be tempted to start another project before at least half of these tops are quilted and finished!!!! :) If I do - please remind me - lol! :)

This is how it looks like now... I have added together some of the blocks. I'm not sure how to proceed, need to take the fabric into consideration...

I fell head over heal for this design!

A while ago I bought a layer cake and jelly roll; "Evening Mist" by Sentimental Studios (Moda). It has bothered me - lol - that I didn't find a suitable pattern for it, but some days ago the pattern was just there, in front of my eyes - in a magazine.

This is just part of the quilt. I had to purchase fabric for the inner- and other border, so this one is "on hold". :)

While waiting for the purchased fabrics, I hope to get my *** moving and start sandwiching - the most boring part of finishing a quilt - isn't it?!

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I never win - and I'VE WON!!!!

I'm the OPAM 2010 winner for the month of July!!!! :)))

OPAM - One Project A Month - is hosted by Kris and Peg.

Peg sent me a Timeless Treasures charm pack; "Hampton Blues" and a darling

Lynette Anderson pattern; "Beehive Home". I LOVE IT ALL!!!

Peg, how did you guess my favorite color is actually blue?! :)

Thanks a big lot!!!

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Yesterday I made yummy carrot- and ginger bran muffins....

Yes, I was greedy; had three of them yesterday itself - and more today! :)

Interested? Click for the recipe here.

Love the taste of ginger!