At Long Last!!

Getting my "Loper" on    :D


Later Addendum: In February I received my bound copies of my thesis!

BOMs Away - another border for Ruffled Roses! & Clue 3

Welcome to the Link-Up for BOMs Away Mondays! 

We'd love to see the BOM you're working on lately. 

This week's link-up is at the bottom of the post.

Woohoo!  Getting there with my Ruffled Roses!  :D 

It snowed all day long today, which made for a perfect lazy sewing day. I got the basket borders trimmed up (an exacting, time consuming job), and the math done for the blue floater border. Then I got all the baskets attached!

I need to make 8 more lavendar berries to put on the bottom branches of the cornerstone applique where they kiss the seams with the basket borders. 

I also put together the final trio of piano-key swag border blocks - which means next month I can start the Very Last Part.  :D

I'm glad I made the decision to take the time to do this quilt's applique by hand. It's really nice this way, and I don't regret the extra time it took one single bit.

  I just looked back, and I began work on this BOM as an on-again, off-again applique project in my travel tote back in the middle of 2011. It got an official one-Sunday-per-month slot on the BOM rotation January 13, 2013. So, apparently it took a year and a half to applique that center medallion when the only stitching time I really did on it was while waiting at appointments, etc. And it will have taken just over 2 years to piece it when the only sewing time has been however long I've worked with it on 2nd-Sundays, and applique work has happened a couple times a week during evening TV time with my Honey if I haven't had bindings, labels, or hanging sleeves to work up. It's never held the priority spot for attention, and yet, soon I will have an amazing quilt top at full flimsy status.  :D

(Linking this up at Slow Sunday Stitching and Hexie Weekend) 

. . .

And! I got all my strips cut out for Clue 3 of Bonnie Hunter's 2014 Mystery Quilt: Grand Illusion. (That one green just refuses to photograph in correct color. That really intrigues me!)

As per my intention leading into Christmas, I only sewed one set of strata and put together a unit so I make sure to do everything properly when this gets a priority piecing spot after Christmas.

Linking this up at Bonnie's Mystery Monday Link-up

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How are things at your place? With Christmas getting closer, have you done any BOM work lately? Maybe you've snuck in some sanity time to put a block together, or maybe you've started assembling one you've worked on all year? Or maybe it's just too crazy a time to do sewing and you're enjoying the holiday and your family?  :D

WIP - Laurel Burch Christmas fun

Quilting this right now!

(pieced Christmas 2012)

{Addendum: In answer to a visitor's question, this pattern was a freebie. It is "Holiday Celebrations," designed by September Olson for Clothworks and the Laurel Burch Holiday Celebration fabric collection. It's still available at this link.}
http://www.clothworks.com/media/productmedia/2081/holidaycelebrationsquilt.pdf

Finished all the walking foot work - (have yet to damp-wipe the chalk off the 7 ornaments  that have been done with this foot)

Everything's stitched in the ditch for stability, plus a little gold work on the ornament holders. I worked up the ornaments that I wanted to use accent lines and specialty stitches from my machine on. The 5 remaining ornaments will be done with free motion work. The background fill on that red will be the very last task.

The first FMQ work, though, is the easy-peasy! FUN outlining on the border stripes:

I really love how these reindeer are turning out!

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linking up at Let's Bee Social and WIP Wednesday