2012, A year of changes....

Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations. ~Faith Baldwin


The time has come to make a change. My company is relocating our office to Reno, NV. I am actually excited about this change however it will be a difficult next few months. I have lived in the same house (give or take a few years for college) for the past 21 years. The same Northern California town for 33 years. In my heart I am ready for this, yet my brain is hurting thinking about all the work that needs to get done.


So this year my blog is going to be a little more about our new adventure and how I am going to reduce my stash and scraps. I'm promising my husband that I will not move crap from one state to another.... which means I either have to sell it, use it, give it away or throw it out.

I've had this post written since January and have yet to post it... Until today. I don't know why it has taken me so long (maybe the long hours I have been working) or maybe the denial/dread of making this move....

Whatever the reason, today I start posting to this blog again.

Happy Monday everyone!

The Holiday Planning Binder!

Check out my guest post and tutorial over at The Project Girl.

I absolutely love this Christmas Fabric called Holly Jolly by Jen Allyson of My Minds Eye for Riley Blake. The Gray Damask is lovely enough to use year round yet adds a touch of class to the Holidays.

Keep checking back because I will be posting more binder cover options here at The Sunflower Crafter.

The Project Girl, 2011 UFO Challenge and "The Big Dig"

I'm very excited to announce that I have been chosen to be on "The Project Girl Contributor Team!!!" Starting in October you can find me (and 6 other fabulous ladies) at The Project Girl blog sharing some great projects, tips, inspiration and craftiness. Below is a sneak peak at my first project... Holly Jolly by Jen Allyson of My Minds Eye for Riley Blake.

Speaking of projects.... I finally got a start on my craft room (husband calls it the crap room). Talk about a work in progress. One of the first things I wanted to accomplish is to get my computer and printer set up in the room. This way it forces me to enter the room and work on it a little each day. I think I filled up 3 large trash bags of just trash that had accumulated in the room. Then I pulled out all the empty boxes. My first idea was to box everything up and move it out of the room to paint but I found that I was just jumbling up the room instead. So this project is being called "The Big Dig." I am digging through the stack of stuff (crap) that has accumulated in the center of the room. I am tossing stuff that I don't need, donating stuff that is usable and not feeling guilty for the years it has sat untouched.

I also finished a UFO this last month and finally got a picture of it. This is my 30's Brown and Teal lap quilt. Just in time to start the decorating for fall.

Fall is just around the corner...

I love the crisp fall weather, the smell of baking with fall spices and of course nightly fires in the wood stove. But this also means the Holiday season is upon us. School has started, Halloween is only weeks away, yikes! I have to have a plan in order to make it work so I am posting this plan hoping it will keep me on task. :) (I will be sharing a super sweet Holiday Planner soon)


September will be simple gifts, pot holders, cloth napkins and simple half aprons that are easy and quick to make. They make excellent last minute gifts or hostess gifts.


In October I will make full aprons, dish towels and Kitchen Aid mixer covers. (I have a special order already for one but have yet to make the pattern.)


In November I will get started on my decorations, filling in where I left off last Christmas. New stockings are in order for myself and my cousin who recently got married and has a baby due in November.

UFO Challenge: CathyO Mystery DONE

This was an interesting finish for me. I started this quilt back in 2009 when I was just starting to quilt. (Do you see where I am going with this...) I can really appreciate how far I have grown after working with this one!


Here are a few things that I have learned since this quilt:

1. The most obvious is the color combination. I still like the fabrics and the colors but just wish I had used a white or dark chocolate to contrast the blue and green.



2. When sewing a ton of little pieces an accurate 1/4 inch is a must.



3. While many will tell you to only press seams to one side, again because of all the little pieces and seams, I should have pressed everything open. (I now press most of my seams open.)
   I have been trying to get all these UFO's done and out of the way so I can make new and exciting things.... I will be working on 2 more this weekend. Hopefully I will have some new pictures to share by Monday.
   
   

UFO Challenge: Dan's Quilt DONE

I finished another UFO in May/June. Dan's quilt started as a sketch during one of my more boring classes when I was attending grad school. My classmate Dan thought I was crazy. I love the way it turned out. I love the colors, the design (super simple half square triangles) and the modern guy feel to it.
Again taking advantage of my Parent's ranch for the awesome pictures. I was getting tired of my backyard fence.

A June finish... Picnic Scraps

I'm taking full advantage of my Parent's ranch. I love my Mom's swing as a picture prop. This quilt was donated to the St. James Episcopal Church for their summer fundraiser. I love how it turned out and see many more in my future. In case you are wondering... the inspiration for the block came from Miss Print and this wonderful tutorial. I wanted the blocks to be big enough to see the design so I enlarged the blocks to 10.5 inches unfinished. So 4 single blocks across measure 40.5 inches. I used a thin muslin for a foundation so it was nice and sturdy. The center string consists of scraps that I sewed together and trimmed to 2 inches. The side white strings were cut to 1.5 inches. Then I just kept adding strings as usual to the sides. I finished this quilt in about a week.

I had debated using paper foundations but I like having the stability of the muslin foundation when I was piecing these big blocks together. I used Warm and Natural batting and had no problem free motion quilting this on my little Janome. I see a much larger version in my future for our queen sized bed. Lord knows I have plenty of scraps to use up...