Owl and Stars Rag Quilt

Today we would like to show off the newest Rag Quilt.  It is a cute and simple quilt made out of owl's and Stars.  The star's are ones we have used in a few different quilts we enjoy them much.

The back is a pretty blue Tie-dye that also has been used many times.

New Year 2014

It seems that another year has come and gone and I am now starting my 3rd year of quilting.  So many things have happens to me and my family over the last 2 years.  The first is obvious we have more quilts then we know what too do with and for gifts I get fabric rather then items.  Funny how that is.

This is my list of goals from last year

Goals for Richard

1. Learn to Paper Piece.
1. Sword & Shield's Quilt
1. Quilt that James and I plan to make
2. Charity Quilt that I want to make with blocks others make.
2. Temple Paper Pieced Pattern (I have 2 of them, one I won and one I bought) I currently lack the skill to complete them and would like to build up to that skill.
2. Sew Curves
1. I got a Drunkards Path template that I want to make at least one quilt out of it.  (Oh wow did this one)
3. Go Big with my quilts.
1. I would like to make at least 2 queen size quilts for my bed.  (As seen above I have the center to one but 2 did not get done)
4. Go bigger making more twin size quilts.  All my kids think they need more quilts and I never did finish  my older daughters that was planned, but never finished for Christmas last year. (Oh look Finished Rebecca's and made one for James, Yes its not finished guess he hast to wait)
5. Go all Orange
1. My wife hates orange and I think that this more then anything else, spurs me to make more of them.  I have plans for at least 3 orange quilts for this year, maybe more. (Yea can say I made more then 3 orange things this last year)
6. Go more modern
1. I belong to a modern quilt guild and its been pointed out to me, that I don't do much modern, so I need to make some more modern quilts. (This I can say is a success some what James quilt is modern,  I made a table runner or 3 that also could fit this mold)
7. Enter a quilt or 10 into competitions. (I had 2 quilts hang a HMQS so this is a success)
8. Make more patterns and custom blocks. (This has been a great success follow my pattern link above to see all the patterns I have made and sold or given away many of them)

Goals for Tanya

1. 2 Puzzle quilts.
1. Jared's School (done)
2. Just Because (done)
2. Rainbow Quilt with Ticklish (Many ticklish things accomplished)
3. Tanya's Mom's Pinwheel Quilt. (This is a sad failure it should have been last year OK 2 Christmas back but still not done)
4. Finish the blue and brown hearts quilt for our bed. (Crash and burn here, Tanya did make a baby quilt of some though)
5. Two lap size plus quilts, one out of Twirl, and one for Jared in Greens and Oranges (his request, he liked the quilt James got for Christmas, but didn't like the one he received). (I believe this was a fail?)
6. Learn to be more daring and quilt some of my tops.  I have quilted mini tops and one baby size.  (still totally avoiding quilting.  She has done a few more table runners and hot pads though,  3 baby quilts quilted by Tanya, but bound by Richard)
7. Learn to bind a quilt instead of having my "Binding Fairy" (Richard) do it.  I think I will start small with the unfinished 12 day wall hangings for next years Christmas.  (Binding Fairy is on strike and she still has not done  Oh well a great goal for a new year, 1 wall hanging and 1 hot pad bound by Tanya)
8. Make a pieced rag quilt.  (I will have to check with Tanya but I believe she did this)
9. Make a couple of lap quilts for friends (hum I think we blew this one off) We finished one, and have a top for another.
10. Have fun instead of major rush to finish for deadlines ie Christmas. (Last minute rush to finish pillows for Christmas and James quilt a week over due)

New Goals for 2013

Richard Healey

1. Complete 100 items
1. This can be quilts or table runners or hot pads (expect to see a rush of hot pads at end of year lol)
2. I need to learn FMQ to up my quilting game.
1. Quilt some hot pads and table runners to start with.
2. Take a class
3. Meet new quilters
1. I have become disillusioned with my modern quilting guild.  It has been a year and a half and I still don't feel like they want me at their meetings.  I would like to find a new guild or 3 to visit this year and learn more things.
4. Be a better blogger.   The end of 2013 I would go weeks with having nothing but LAFF.  I need to do better.  This means quilt more, blog more, visit more blogs, comment on more blogs and to giveaway more stuff on my blog.  Bring the love back to my blog.
5. Quilting Ideas
1. Create new Quilt patterns
2. Try new colors, shades, maybe even solids
3. Make more variety of items, quilts, table runners, hot pads, wall decorations, etc.
4. Be bold and do what I like and not be dictated by others of what is cool or correct to do.
6. Quilting Business
1. Get organized
2. Get Logo, Business Cards, Banners, etc to sell at events
3. Track the income and spending of all my quilting to track what is going on.
4. Make a Business plan and then follow it.

Tanya

1. Organize sewing space.  It was moved 3 times last year and stash and other supplies all over house.
2. Stop being scared and try to sell some items locally, even if a complete failure.  
3. Get business cards that have my Names on as well.  Print up banner we had designed.  Change our blog page to match design found on etsy.
4. Do my moms quilt, stop being scared.
5. Use up some the stash we have and not buy so much fabric.  Make at least 10 baby size quilts with 75% or more of fabric come from stash instead of buying more.  

Over the last week I have gone though the blog and done some house keeping the biggest of which is that I put the tag "2012 Complete", "2013 Complete" etc on each post so I can do 2 things first figure out how many complete items I have for each year.  Numbers are misleading as they are posts not items but hey who cares so if you count each hot pad etc it is a little higher and 2 times we posted 2 quilts in a day.  Also added "Pieced Quilt", "Rag Quilt" on those by that type also did some things like "Table Runner"

So Totals ending 2013

2012 - 95 Completes

2013 - 70 Completes (I went down some, but still impressive)

LAFF - 97 weeks and counting

Pieced Quilts - 86 

Rag Quilts - 65

Table Runners - 7

Hot Pads - 7 (this is number of posts I have made 20 or so)

So I have a lot to live up too this next year.

A Cat and a Creeper

In our home I can not tell if it is the toys (creepers in this case) or the Cat's keep the attention of the kids more then the other.  Jared who received this pillow for Christmas is a fan of Creeper's for those that dont know what a Creeper is it is a monster from a game called Mine Craft it is one my son likes a lot.  He even Dressed up as one for Halloween and mom made him a costume of it.

Here he is just after he opened his present Christmas Morning.  

Here is a closeup of it on the couch.  This pillow was not washed yet (mom was afraid he would see it before Christmas) it will get a washing soon enough as Jared seems to get things dirty fast like most boys do.

Tanya for Christmas made many of the neices and nephews pillows for Christmas as the weeks go on I will try to make sure each of them get a posting.

Perry Rag Quilt

Tanya found some cute Perry material while visiting the LQS and she just had to make her self a Perry Rag Quilt.  Me I am not so much a fan of Perry but my kids do love it and it looks like Tanya is kind of Pro Perry also.

She used some cute Turquoise and Gray Minkey along with the Perry Material (which is cotton)

I really do enjoy the gray and turquoise though as they blend together well.

Quilt in Progress Update

Over the last month or so I have been working on this large Twin Size quilt for my son James.  It is from a pattern called Winter Windows Quit in the book Quilting Modern by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pedersen.  I love this book and am inspired by the neat modern designs in it.  I have been going to the Modern Quilt Guild for over a year and half now and this is the most modern attempt to date to be a modern quilter.

As you can tell this quilt is not finished yet.  I have now completed quilting about 2/3 of it so it wont be long tell its done.  After all it was my son's Christmas present so yes I need to finish it sooner than later.

And of course who cant resist seeing a cute kid in her brand new snow boots.