Productive and FUN!

This past weekend I went to Quilt Camp in Michigan. It was a really fun weekend with great classes and a lot of interesting projects and fabric to look at! As I had hoped, the ladies were all friendly and there was a lot of sharing, positive commenting and suggestions. Lots of great finished tops too!

  (I LOVE this one!)

 

(and THIS one above - made from thrift store men's shirts!)

 

I participated in all of the classes and learned something new in each one. We started out with Faith's Poinsettia paper piecing project. This one was a detailed project, which challenged me! I knew I had to complete the piecing before I went home, or it would be one of those WIPs that would sit in a box and I would have to really push myself to complete. So I pieced, and I worked, and I pieced and I worked some more! It took me a lot of hours, but it was so worth it! Here is my WIP pillow:

Then we all made bags from Jeni's drawstring bag pattern. I ended up making 3 bags with Hanukkah fabric which can be re-used night after night for those little gifts. Very eco-friendly!

Next, it was improv with Heather. This was a fun and freeing class. I completed a wonky log cabin block that will end up being made into a Christmas wall hanging. Yes, it's confusing - we celebrate both holidays at our house! Mine is the big one at bottom right in Red/green and white:

And finally, Brenda held an English Paper Piecing Class. I was interested to see how it's done, but I did not actually spend any time giving it a try. I wanted to complete that Poinsettia pattern!

I also worked on putting together my Bow tie blocks from a Flickr swap this summer, and also on a low volume quilt that I designed. All in all it was a really great time. Working in the midst of some very creative ladies, stretching your skills, and getting to know some new friends is so refreshing!

Now, on to the last of the holiday craziness...

Something to show

I feel like I pushed myself out of a slump this weekend! YAY! All of my guys were off Saturday for the annual Boy Scout Troop recruiting campout. It's kind of like rush week for 10 year olds! So, it was just me and the dog for 24 hours which left me a lot of time to work on sewing projects that had been half done or not started.

I got my London bag finished up for my mom's Christmas gift. She is a London fanatic, so I know she will be happy!

I can show it here as she does not read my blog! I have some London Underground map fabric that I need to make her a little zip pouch or glasses case that can go inside. Haven't gotten to that one quite yet, but I am very happy with the bag! I used a nice heavy cotton duck as the body of the bag. The london fabric makes a large pocket on either side of the bag, so she can organize her stuff.

I also tackled Shirley's choice for the December Liberty and Justice Bee. She used the tutorial from Faith at Fresh Lemons here, which has very clear instructions for paper piecing. Yay, because this was new to me. I only had to pick out one seam, so I managed pretty well. Hope she likes them.

I made a little zip pouch that turned out OK. Just OK. I think this one may end up staying with me rather than being gifted. I think my next try will probably work out better.

And, I worked a little bit on a pillow with left over Grinch fabric to go on my sofa with the Grinch quilt. Simple and fun! A good way to end my Sunday afternoon.

Off to pack up for Quilt Camp later this week!