2014 Accomplishments in my Sewing Room

Well, 2014 is now done and over. Sometimes it just seems like the days go by so fast, it seems it was just last week when I had the summer days with my grand kids! But.. they say the older you get, the faster it goes..so...I guess I'd better get used to it!

But.. I look back to see what I did this year..and I think I got a good year's worth of use! IN addtion to everything else I do in life.. I did alot in my sewing room!

Here are just a few of the things I did and love sharing with you!

After being WIPs for 2 years... I finally got the quilts for my 2 kids done. For my daughter, I did a "Pretty In Pink" bargello ... she loves pink and I thought I loved bargello, but realized I do love the design, but making it, let's just say I didn't love it but will probably do it again...sometime! It is 65"x80"

This is the label I put on the back. It is part of the lyrics to "I Hope You Dance", by Leeann Womack. It still makes me tear up when I read it! But it is right down her alley, so it fits perfectly.

Then, I finally finished the Civil War quilt I made for my son. He was a huge Civil War buff in high school and carried on with his education of it to this day. He is a Deputy Sheriff getting his degree in Military Science and planning on teaching in the police academy. This quilt measures 65"x85" and I used invisible thread on the top. Worked very well! Blocks are 12"x12"

I put a poem I found on the label on the back.. forgot to take a picture of it, but it is about a mother praying for her son...saying he is her hero. The memory that supports for me (and will for him) was when he took me to the doctor to get results about a MRI to see if I would live or die.. and he was there for me when I needed someone.. and he didn't blink, he talked to that doctor and asked all the questions that I wasn't able to because I was in shock with the results. He was my rock.. my hero. Hold on a second, I need to wipe my tears.

I made  back packs for my 3 grand daughters....McCalls pattern and really cute! They loved them! I made each girls favorite theme. This is Lily and she liked Dora the Explorer.  You can read about them and my interesting use of metal washers, here.....Can You Say, Back Pack?

 And recently, I was asked to make some tote bags for the kids at church for their sunday school things... so I made 30! They are 12x12...lined and have crayon slots on the front. Some boy theme, some girl theme and some "either/or" and oh yeah, one that is a little bigger..for the teacher! I hope they like them!

A few more to mention.....a tooth fairy pillow for my little 5 year old grand daughter...who loves super heros.....Wolverine being her favorite. Read about that HERE

And my 13 year old grand son...loves football so for his birthday I made him a quilt of his favorite four  NFL teams...and I learned to make/use the "snowball" block. It is 60"x60". I used fleece for the back.. he loves it and you can read about it here..... NFL Quilt with Snowball Block pattern 

I  had the sudden inspiration to make a quilt for my brother.. he and I just kind of rekindled our sibling friendship...just so easy to drift apart! But he is a guitarist since high  school when he started playing and hasn't stopped for 50 years now! He puts Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana to shame! But I just decided to make him a quilt about his love of guitars...

It is 70"x70". I search the internet to find  guitar theme fabric that had guitars that looked real (no cartoony images) and found three different prints, each with different style guitars. The fourth fabric is other musical things..he plays nearly every instrument you can think of..piano and Saxaphone being his next favorite ones! Then I just made some strips of the gold and blue that I pulled from the prints and a brown sashing to calm the multiple prints and all the colors. The back I used flannel of musical notes in black and white and a very thin batting. He said it is great..warm and cuddly. Only he said it was to nice to "use and wear out and nobody see" so he had it mounted on the wall over his bed!  I made it for him to not only remember and honor  his passion, but to remember his sister too, so I guess I am okay that he wants to display it instead of use it!

And one more thing that I just loved making.. and the kids loved it too... was the I Spy quilt.  Lot of work, but I enjoyed making it! And they enjoy playing it!  Read about it here ..I Spy Quilt.  Here is what it looks like... the images to "spy" are 3"x3" and the quilt is 65"x65". Plus, I made another one with smaller images - 2.5"!

And I'll stop there.. I have to admit, I did get alot done this year. I never think I do, but then if you put it on paper...you really see that you did get alot done! (Can you tell what century I am from...I put things on PAPER!)

Oh, wait! I just have to mention this one... A quilt I kind of did for myself. I have a guest room and I promised my grand daughters I'd make it a room for them when they spend the night. I wanted it to be a "garden" theme kind of room...white furniture, flowers and twinkle lights etc. So.. I created this 

"Picket Fence Garden Quilt. 

 It was a WIP for about 2 years also.. but I finally was able to get it all together this summer and finished it and got it on the bed and the headboard (made out of a wood garden trellis) decorated with flowers, tulle and twinkle lights (looks great at night!)... and a few family mementos...like the lamp, 2 pictures and a unique "old fashioned" looking telephone clock that were my mom's who we had to put in assisted living this year due to dementia. So she is always in the room too! I have recently replaced the green dust ruffle with a white eyelet dust ruffle! Looks alot better! Fence is made out of 3x3" squares! This is more a bed spread, than a quilt... just made the same! The pillows I also made 15"x15" out of the same fabrics as the spread, and just made quilt block patterns and added ruffle!

I did so many more things this year.....If you want to read about them...(and there are quite a few!) and maybe get some inspiration to start new creations for yourself.... CLICK HERE    It will take you to my main blog page and you can just scroll through and see what pops out at you!

Good luck to everyone in your sewing endeavors for 2015. Never think you aren't making memories with every stitch of the needle...you are... for others as well as for yourself!

And don't forget to join the Grow Your Blog blog hop! The banner is over there on the left side  of the page...click on it and it will take you to the host site...if you have a crafting blog...you can participate! If you dont' have a blog, you can still participate and follow some blogs of your own interest!
 
Thanks for stopping by and...keep on sewing those memories!