Greetings friends!
I had a very reasonable Q2 Finish Along list, I really did!
But I did not finish a single item on it!
Because at the end of March, my Dad requested and provided a trip back to Indy, which took place the week of 6 June!
Which in turn sent me into a frenzy of gift making for several family members.
All of which had to be made in the few scattered weeks of April and May in which I was actually home from a remodel job my husband and sons started in April across the state!
Nice view, eh? The house is on the banks of the Missouri River!
A refreshing change of scenery for all of us!
But that is a whole nother post!
I knew I would be staying at one of my sisters' house for several of the days I was back, so I wanted to make her a couple of roses, her favorite!
I found the exact kind of rose I was looking for after an easy google search...but it was paper pieced! Yikes! Up until this, I had only barely paper pieced, a tiny log cabin block, a couple years ago!
Well, the pattern was a free one on Craftsy, "Rose" by Jitka Designs, Inc, so I jumped in, why not? After all, it was EXACTLY what I wanted!
So I made 2!
And she loved them!
Feeling confident from this first real foray into paper piecing, I thought I might actually be able to tackle my next proposed project, an ambitious one for such a beginner!
The pattern was gifted to me by the wonderful Christine at Triangles and Squares!
And while the idea of it was very daunting to me, it really was perfect for my Mother, who has long loved dragonflies and happened to be moving to a new home shortly after my trip back!
So how could I not at least try? For my Mom!!!
Going with mostly solids really helped me in choosing my fabrics, and the six prints were chosen based on their "wing-like" qualities!
Luckily I was home alone while I made this, because it required every shred of concentration I could muster! It wasn't that it was a difficult pattern, but the technique of paper piecing itself was just so new to me that it just took all the focus I had to establish the right procedural steps and routine...do you paper piecers know what I am talking about?
In fact I would highly recommend Dragonfly Dance! As a beginner, armed with just a basic youtube understanding of FPP, and the 2 Roses under my belt, I was able to make THIS:
Talk about confidence building! After finishing this mini quilt, I feel like a quilting rock star!
Using Aurifil Mint Ice for quilting, I outlined each dragonfly, then used the width of my presser foot to quilt concentric lines from the center out.
It was as much quilting as I have ever put on anything!
I scored a dragonfly print for the back, and bound it in a light blue crosshatch by Quilting Treasures.
My Mama loved it!
With those 2 gifts done, there was a tote to be made!
A Level Two Tote, by Krista/Poppyprint, to be exact!
Another of my sisters, who loves elephants, had sent me a vest a year ago, with the plan of turning it into a cushion or something for her. When I received it, a cushion did not seem "the thing", so I let it hang until the right "thing" came along. Which it did, as soon as ever I laid eyes on that Level Two Tote!!!
This was another daunting undertaking, as my bag making skills are virtually nonexistent, although I have made several various zippered pouches!
But again, it was worth the effort because it was the perfect "thing" for this vest, and my sister!
Again, I highly recommend this pattern! I slowly and carefully followed all the clear and thorough instructions and it turned out beautifully!
And my sister loved it!
The last item I was frantic to make was what I lovingly call my "Ipad/Magazine Cross Body Travel Bag/Purse"!
Armed with new bag making skills, I actually designed exactly what I wanted and needed for my trip!
The main sleeve is flannel lined with a plastic zipper, for my ipad:
The front zippered pocket holds my bare necessities: cash, cards/ID, chapstick, pen/pencil.
The back slip pocket was intended to hold the quilt magazine I bought specifically for travelling with, but, alas, I did not allow quite enough width. It held my planner and travel documents great though, and I just carried the magazine in the elephant tote!
I really love it!
The trip was a wonderful success! A week of seriously quality time with my Dad, all of my 4 sisters, and my Mama! I flew to Indiana, but returned to Montana by train, accompanied by one of my very favorite friends, Terri, who stayed out here with us for another week! All in all, an epic June for me! It really deserves a post of it's own, but I don't know if I will get to it, so I will just tag on a few highlights here at the end of this one!
Last evening of our epic adventure!
See you soon with my Q3 Finish Along list!
Also, quick side note: I am now selling my quilt pattern(s) on Craftsy! Link is on my sidebar!
