Three .... sort of ...

I have been plugging away on my UFOs to try to finish some from my posted list of 10 for the Finish Along group and for my local groups that are also hosting UFO challenges ... as of today, April 1, I've only finished three so far ....

First up:  I finished my Owl pillow repair and it is now living proudly on my couch ... though I have notice another pillow seems to have a damaged (puppy-chewed?) corner now .... finish one UFO only to discover a new one?  Is that fair???

 poor pillow in need of loving repair ....

to begin, must first remove the mangled face ... 

one happy owl-pillow repair is complete! 

For more about this pillow's beginnings click here or to learn details of its repair, click here.

Second, I've finished one of the Silk Tie pillows, and have prepped most of the ties to slice, dice and stitch up into new pillows.

 I love this classic design (one of my own creations!)

Now I must stitch up several more -- but using square and triangular pieces.
Click here for more about this pillow.

Third, and my favorite of all, I've made four more blocks for the original 12-block Drunkard's Wife QAL and have stitche the 16 blocks into a top!  I hope to piece the back and get my favorite long-armer quilting on it soon-ish.

This is pile shows the first six blocks that I pieced.

Ten more blocks were completed, plus embroidery "Oopsie Daisy" was embroidered to the top block.

 A peek at my title block -- "Oopsie Daisy"

and some of the other blocks

and a full view of Oopsie Daisy

This quilt is PINK! and it is for me, me, ME .... (I think).

Here are some links to some of the blocks (how-to's) that are in this funky quilt:  Click here to learn how to use Thangles to make two of the blocks.  Click here, here and here to see more of these blocks.

This very pink quilt that I am making just for me is the #346 linkie of all the finishes that have been posted for this first quarter of the Finish-Along 2016.  Click here for a link to get you to all the linkies that have been shared.

Three completed UFOs ... out of ten on my official list of UFOs 

for the first quarter of the 2016 Finish Along.  Click here to see my complete list of UFOs.

Now to ponder which to finish next .... and how many other UFOs I should list on the next quarter!

These are such lofty and important decisions.

Hopefully it will get me blogging more regularly too ... could happen...

My lil owlie pillow

I spent the evening repairing this little pillow.

Lil Owlie - after the attack

As you can see,  my lil owlie has suffered a vicious mauling by our puppy when he (the puppy) was still new to the family (he's a little older and wiser now).  I've tucked the damaged pillow away for over a year or maybe closer to two years.  I loved it too much to toss it and yet hadn't decided how to repair it (especially the lower right corner - can you see that the corner is missing?).

I made this pillow using an owl from my toddler class bulletin board (in 2011-12, my co-teacher and I decorated our classroom with these owls).  I made two owl pillows, trading one in Another Little Quilt Swap (in the 7th swap) and keeping the other one (the one shown above) for my home. I especially love the background of this as my friend Liz B painted, over-dyed lightly, and enhanced it.  Click  here for more information on this pillow.


Meanwhile, on Instagram, The Cloth Pocket is hosting a WIP contest tonight.  I immediately grabbed this damaged owl and determined to fix it ....

Lil Owlie in need of new eyes and a beak

First step:  Carefully remove the damaged, half-eaten eyes and beak.
Next:  Stitch two black yo-yos, attach to white circles and stitch in place on the owlie's face.
Next:  Make the new beak and stitch it in place too.
Last of all:  Mend the dog-chewed-and-eaten corner ....

Lil Owlie ready to party again!

Ta-dah!
I've finished!

This marks my second finish in the 2016 Finish Along for the first quarter.  Do you like my creative patch to mend the lower right corner?  This little sleeping owl is appliqued in place and matches the fabric on the pillow back.  Click here for my original list of UFOs to finish for this quarter.

My lil owlie pillow is #345 of the official Q1 finishes for this first quarter.  Click here to see it and other amazing finishes.


Thank you to @TheClothPocket and also to the many hostesses of @FinishAlong  #2016FAL; #finishalong2016  #theclothpocketwipcontest #wipcontest

My first tie pillow

I am working on a special project -- making memory pillows using the shirts and ties once worn by a dearly loved gentleman.  The pillows are for his children and grandchildren, something to keep the memory of his love in their daily lives.

Here is pillow number one.  It uses six ties that have been appliqued onto a shirt and is an original design that I came up with while playing with the pretty silk ties.  This may be a fun project!

The back of the pillow is made from the shirt's button front.  The buttons open to reveal the custom made pillow form inside.   The pillow measures approximately 12" by 18" in size.

As seen in this detail view, I quilted the front and back pieces of the pillow to add to its longevity.    

This pillow is my first completion in the 2016 finish-along challenge.  Click here to read more about the finish-along challenge where you will see my full list of 10 projects I hope to complete by March 2016 as well as links to more details about this challenge.  I do excel at beginning projects, but this year I plan to finish many too.

My first silk tie pillow is entry #344 of the many finishes that have been posted for the first Quarter of the official Finish Along.  Click here to see the many links.


Time to dream up the next pillow ....