A Lovely Year of Finishes

March – A Lovely Year of Finishes – Participant Highlight

ALYoF2014

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.

Project_Bins_small.jpg
Project_Bins2_small.jpg

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.

TapaStar_solid_small.jpgTapaStar_striped_small.jpg

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
mosaicfd350564eb796477d88828474bdfa6d0bca1f562.jpg

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.

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A Lovely Year of Finishes – Musings

ALYoF2014

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.

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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:

2013 ALYoF - https://test.sewbittersweetdesigns.comThis is just a hair brain idea that we came up with.

We have each other – thankfully! And YOU!

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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.

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

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

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February Winners – A Lovely Year of Finishes

ALYoF2014If the finish is the cake, the winning would be the icing!

Please make sure that you thank all of our wonderful sponsors who make A Lovely Year of Finishes so much fun!  You have until March 7th to link up your goal for MarchShanna and I cannot wait to see what you have planned for this month!

1. $15.00 Gift Certificate to Fat Quarter Shop

Winner: Leanne – She Can Quilt

2, 3. TWO winners each getting to choose one pdf pattern
from Sew BitterSweet Designs ($10 value)

https://test.sewbittersweetdesigns.com/

Winner 1: Jessica – Noguchi Designs
Winner 2: Kathy – Kathy’s Quilts

4. PDF Pattern from Persimon Dreams

Project QUILTING Season 5

Winner: Jannette – Quilting & Cardmaking

5. Quilting Patterns designed by Quilting Lodge

Winner: Cheryl – Meadow Mist Designs

6. Thread Prize from Aurifil

Winner: Deborah – Sunshine Through the Rain

7. Green Fairy Quilts – 3 pdf patterns

Winner: Sherry – Sew Very Sherry (on Flickr)

8. Sew Sweetness – 1 pdf Pattern

Sew Sweetness
 

Winner: Mariana – Coser Teer Crear

9. 1 Charm pack or $10.00 gift certificate to
Stitches n’ Giggles (winners choice)

Winner: Cheryl – Paisley Cheryl (on Flickr)

Have a happy Thursday everyone!

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March Goal Party – A Lovely Year of Finishes

ALYoF2014Welcome to March! Bring on  spring, I am so ready for it! I can already see my tulips that we planted back in October peeking up through the soil and I ready for blooms! Here’s my goal for March:

Blue Lone Star - https://test.sewbittersweetdesigns.comI want to baste, quilt and bind this baby! I have a ton of other projects this month so this will be a big stretch for me to get done, so wish me luck!

What about you? What’s your March goal?

What one item will you choose?

 You have two requirements to be entered into the prizes this month.


1. Link-up {on this post} the first 7-days of the month

 and

2. Link-up in the last 7-days of the month.

Add your blog post or flickr photo (with appropriate descriptions) to the linky party below.

Please grab a button or link back to Shanna and I so other people can join in the fun!

 **Please note, the linky party is the same here and over at Shanna, so there is no need to enter twice **

Here’s what we have for March prizes:

1. Quilting Patterns designed by Quilting Lodge

2. Thread Prize from Aurifil

 

3, 4. TWO winners each getting to choose one pdf pattern

from Sew BitterSweet Designs ($10 value)

 https://test.sewbittersweetdesigns.com/

 5. PDF Pattern from Persimon Dreams


Project QUILTING Season 5

 6. Sew Sweetness – 1 pdf Pattern

Sew Sweetness


7. Thimblepie’s Quilt Supplies – Custom fabric package, 4 yards (worth $20) plus free shipping


8. Green Fairy Quilts – 3 pdf patterns

 

 9. 1 Charm pack or $10.00 gift certificate to

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As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask Shanna or myself!



February Finish – Photo Heavy Post

I finished my February goal and I increased my clothing sewing abilities!  I am super excited about the hoodie I made Anne and the best part is…she is super excited about it too!Giraffe Hoodie 1 - https://test.sewbittersweetdesigns.comI took Anne down by the water in downtown Olympia and we did a little photo shoot. She was shockingly cooperative, so naturally, being the super proud mommy that I am…I took as many pictures possible of her.  She opted not to have ears and horns on the hoodie after seeing it in this state.

Giraffe Hoodie 2 - https://test.sewbittersweetdesigns.comShe got really into posing for me!

Giraffe Hoodie 3 - https://test.sewbittersweetdesigns.comA view from the back.

Giraffe Hoodie 4 - https://test.sewbittersweetdesigns.comShowing off the awesomeness that is her new hoodie!

Giraffe Hoodie 5 - http://blogsewbittersweetdesigns.comDoes it get much cuter than this?!?

Giraffe Hoodie 6 - https://test.sewbittersweetdesigns.comImaginary Balance Beam

Giraffe Hoodie 7 - https://test.sewbittersweetdesigns.comThis is the end of our shoot, I told her we could go ride bikes and she took off running!

Pattern Details: Modified Charlie Tee & Hoodie by Fishsticks Designs
(my modifications include removing all knit fabrics and using fleece only, also, I removed the bottom band to allow more freedom of movement.)

Pattern Sewing Level: Advanced Beginner

Would I recommend this pattern: Yes, a couple steps I had to re-read several times, but I got the whole hoodie together in one day!

Materials – Blizzard Fleece from JoAnns

Model – my precious Anne

There you have it! A completed February Finish – make sure you link up your finish here!

This was one of my goals for the Finish-A-Long Q1 with Katy from The Littlest Thistle. You can see my goals here.

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