Melissa Dunworth – Page 61 – Sew Bittersweet Designs

Week 12 Goals

11 Comments / Goals / By Melissa Dunworth

This week I have no sewing related goals. If sewing happens, woohoo! If not, I will get over it.

On Saturday night Anne came down with a fever and ended up being admitted to the hospital with a kidney infection. Fast forward to last night when we came home. We are all exhausted. I spent both nights in the hospital with her and my amazing husband only left late at night to return early in the morning with supplies like clean clothes and my toothbrush. Lucky for us we already have a kidney appointment scheduled on Friday at the Children’s Hospital so we will be following up there.

I hope everyone else had a significantly better weekend than we did!!!

I will be back tomorrow with Wordless Wednesday. I was supposed to have a tutorial for Kim at Persimon Dreams, but I have rescheduled because I just can’t write a tutorial and take care of a sick Anne. Kim is amazing and totally understanding, but make sure you head over there tomorrow and check her next tutorial for the 52 Traditional Twisted Quilt Blocks! Also, if you follow Project Quilting (which I sponsor!!!) the final challenge for Season 5 was announced on Sunday, make sure you check it out! If the timing of everything had been a bit different I would totally be participating in this one!

March – A Lovely Year of Finishes – Participant Highlight

13 Comments / A Lovely Year of Finishes, Fiber of All Sorts / By Melissa Dunworth

Happy mid-March! Shanna and I hope your finishes are coming along beautifully! Are you having March showers? Here is Washington we are definitely getting our fair share of rain. Today we have a wonderful participant highlight for you. Michelle @ Squeek Crafts has been participating in A Lovely Year of Finishes since we started just over a year ago.

Make sure to take a moment and visit our wonderful sponsors who make this whole endeavor a lot more fun!

Quilting Lodge
Aurifil
Sew BitterSweet Designs
Persimon Dreams
Sew Sweetness
Thimblepie’s Quilt Supplies
Green Fairy Quilts
Stitches n’ Giggles

Michelle from Squeek Crafts

Photos provided Michelle @ Squeek Crafts

Blog name: Factotum of Arts

Blog address: https://factotum-of-arts.com/

Name you’re known by throughout quilting world.
Michelle @ Squeek Crafts

What’s your ALYoF goal this month?
Finish the X & + quilt top
X&+Blocks_Week1_March_small.jpg

How do you approach your sewing goals?
I have a lot of unfinished projects that I have accumulated in my first year of quilting. So, I have become super organized this year. This was my plan at the beginning of the year, and each month I adjust as I need to. I use link-ups to keep on track – A lovely year of finishes, Finish along 2014 (http://the-littlest-thistle.com/p/finish-along-2014.html) and this month 30 /30 Sewing Challenge (https://www.berrybarndesigns.com/3030-sewing-challenge.html)

I am also using these free monthly quilting project sheets from Taryn @ from pixels to patchwork (http://www.pixelstopatchwork.com/2013/01/quilt-project-sheets.html)

How do you organize/prioritize your projects?

I have several project bins with each of my projects materials and patterns etc all contained in that bin.

What is your current favorite project that you are working on? Will you share pictures with us?
My favorite project, at the moment, are my Tapa Star paper piecing pattern which I am making into cushions for my mum.

What is your dream project to work on?

I have two projects that I would put on my dream list – the Amy Butler Weekender bag, like the one Elizabeth Hartman made, and then the Tula Pink Butterfly quilt.

What is your favorite time of day to sew?

I really only get to sew during the weekends, and I love working in the afternoons but would sew all day if I could get the chance.

What is your favorite quilting/sewing accessory?
That is my small seam ripper (or in NZ lingo that would be a Quick’n’Pick)

What is your number one quilting/sewing goal for 2014?
I would like to finish at least 2 quilts per quarter

What is one technique you really want to learn?
I would like to learn how to use design software, so that I can create designs for fabric

Thank you so much Michelle for joining us today!

Keep up the great work on your one goal for this month – you can do it!

The finishes link-up starts the last 7 days of the month and will end before the month is over.

A Lovely Year of Finishes – Musings

13 Comments / A Lovely Year of Finishes / By Melissa Dunworth

A Lovely Year of Finishes

The past 15 months have been so amazing!

You have seriously blown Shanna and I away with all of your talent, creativity and general awesomeness!

You help catch our mistakes and point them out kindly.

You help us by choosing one distinct project when you may have a longer list.

On the finishes party you’ve even pointed out your original goal post and some of you even list the # you are on the link up. Seriously makes our life easier.

We are so happy to be doing this.

We get to channel fantastic sponsors directly to you.

Did you know that we aren’t being compensated for ALYoF .. at all.

Definitely a bit jealous of all the amazing prizes that we give away each month, but so happy for the winners!

We only highlight sponsors as part of the ALYoF link-up’s. We aren’t compensated to do any extra posts on our blogs.

The only compensation we have is the finishes we have completed. Here is a collage of mine from last year:

This is just a hair brain idea that we came up with.

We have each other – thankfully! And YOU!

Thank you for linking up with us. Sharing your projects with us and others.

We love to have comments on the things we all make.

As always. If you have any questions email Shanna or myself.

Make sure you come by tomorrow and check out our March feature!!

Craftsy Class Giveaway

10 Comments / Craftsy, Giveaway / By Melissa Dunworth

Do you take classes on Craftsy? I have been taking them now for over a year now and I have to say, I am completely sold!

I have learned how to use my serger – which has always intimidated me. I even learned how to thread it!!! Beginning Serging has been such a fun class!

This is one of my projects from the serging class – a boxed bag; the zipper and everything were all done on the serger. My pull tab was a bit off when I took this picture, but it was quickly fixed before I sent it off to its final destination!

I have learned some fantastic quilting tips, tricks and techniques from Leah Day

I am also learning all about Crazy Quilting and so much more!

This week is National Craft Month and Saturday, March 15th is National Quilting Day! In honor of all of this, Craftsy is generously giving away a free class to one of my readers!

To enter, all you have to do is click on this link. If you are not already a Craftsy user, registering is easy, and if you are a Craftsy user all you have to do is log in and you will be entered!

Enter to win a Craftsy class!

Make sure you also check out my sidebar Craftsy Craftlet, where you can easily get to my patterns for sale!

Good luck! This giveaway will close on March 19th. Craftsy will notify the winner directly by email.

These are sponsored links but the opinions and views expressed are mine.

Wordless Wednesday – Caption It

17 Comments / Wordless Wednesday / By Melissa Dunworth

Yesterday I was going through my scraps looking for fabrics to add to my Value Quilt. When it suddenly dawned on me that I had the makings for a really pretty picture of my scrap collection. In case you can’t tell from the picture, I sort by color.

Caption it!

Make sure you come by tomorrow, I will have a special giveaway up that you do NOT want to miss out on!

Author name: Melissa Dunworth