Category Archives: Quilts & Quilting

12 for 2012 and 2011 UFO Recap!

For the last couple of years, I’ve started off with a recap of my UFOs from the last year and how far along I got with them. While I set general goals for myself, I have never done anything quite as organized as 12 for 2012.

With that in mind, I’d like to recap my 2011 UFO list and share my goals for this year! It makes for a big post…I hope you enjoy!

For your convenience, my own version of these definitions:

UFO = UnFinished Object – a project that has been set aside and allowed to collect dust. Chances are it’s existence has been forgotten until it’s pulled out of whatever dark hole it was stuffed into. While there, it probably multiplied like Tribbles, leaving many more UFOs than you remember putting there in the first place.

WIP = Work In Progress – Always in danger of becoming a UFO, a WIP is a project that is currently being worked on, and will hopefully become a…

FO = Finished Object – What all projects dream of being. The object of much blog activity and excitement and a good source of personal pride. The Ultimate Destination of a UFO and WIP.

See my 2010 UFO list and the follow-up post.

See my 2011 UFO list.

The date in parenthesis is the birth year of each project.

Quilts

Christmas Quilt, aka “Homes for the Holidays” (2009)

2011 status –FO – This quilt started the year as a UFO pieced up to the black border. I added the piano keys at during my bee’s annual quilt retreat. Quilting was completed by Rock Creek Quilts and I had it bound in time for Christmas.
Blogged

Bear Paw Pass Around Blocks (2008)

2011 status – WIP – Started as a pass around project with my bee in 2008, these blocks languished in a box until March of 2011. At my bee’s annual retreat, I made several more blocks, pieced the top and added a border. Backing fabric and batting have been acquired.
2012 Goal – FO – Quilt and bind in January and have ready for my hubby’s birthday Feb. 8. This will be his first “just for him” quilt from me.
1/12 (January)

InuYasha Quilt (2010)

2011 status –Still Collecting – I started collecting for this quilt for my daughter in 2010. I have all the fabric and with the help of friends, have collected enough InuYasha t-shirts.
2012 goal – FO – I’d like to get at least the quilt top completed by her birthday, but my real goal is the entire project completed by the end of February.
2/12 (February)

Project of Doom Signature Quilt (2011)

2011 status – New – Signature quilt blocks collected in 2011 from participants in the Project of Doom (see below).
2012 goal – FO – I want to have this project completely done in time to show in the fall quilt show put on by AAQG.
3/12 (March)

Granny’s Signature Quilt (2010)

2011 status – WIP – I continued to hand quilt on my grandmother’s signature quilt off and on during 2011.
2012 goal – FO – Only one more row of blocks to go! I’d like to finish this one for my birthday in April.
4/12 (March)

(2010)

2011 status –WIP – Designed in 2010 and hosted on Harry Potter Paper Piecing, The Project of Doom was my big project for 2011. I shared 30 blocks over 30 weeks, plus layout suggestions at the end. This was my last big offering to the Harry Potter quilt fandom and my goodbye to Harry Potter Paper Piecing as all my fandom patterns were moved to Fandom In Stitches.
2012 goal – FO – Currently at the quilter. Once it’s home again, I will add a sleeve, label and binding. I’d like to show it at the AAQG’s quilt show in the fall.
Pattern Archive; also available on Fandom In Stitches
5/12 (May)

Embroidery BOM (2011)

2011 status – NEW – I learned to embroider in 2011 in order to complete my Project of Doom blocks. This was my practice project. Blogged.
2012 goal – FO – Combine with bright colored fabrics into a quilt top. Possibly send out for quilting.
6/12 (June)

New York Beauty

2011 status – UFO – Made as class samples in 2010, I didn’t touch these blocks in 2011.
2012 goal – WIP – Finish piecing the blocks and go from there.
7/12 (July)

5 @ The Hive (2011)

2011 status –WIP – My first BOM to participate where I didn’t choose the fabric. I have quite a few months worth of blocks still to make.
2012 goal – FO – I’d like to get this to the next step and get all the blocks pieced. This may make an earlier appearance on my calendar and go to quilt retreat in March.
8/12 (August)

Vintage Quilt Top (2010)

2011 status –UFO – An anniversary gift from my husband in 2010. This stayed on my shelf in 2011.
2012 goal – FO – Baste, quilt (possibly by hand) and bind.
9/12 (September)

Hand Applique (2010)

2011 status –WIP – From a beginning applique class I took in 2010. I finished stitching all the pieces in 2011. Definitely not my thing!
2012 goal – FO – I’d like to hand quilt this, possibly to be gifted.
10/12 (October)

Harry Potter/Magical Swap blocks (2007/2008)

2011 status –UFO – Despite laying these blocks out, hanging them on my design wall and thinking about them way too much, I did not do a darn thing with them.
2012 goal – FO– I’m saving this for later in the year because I have no idea where to go with it. I need it off my plate, though, so on the list it goes!
11/12 (November)

Churn Dash/Snowball (2011)

2011 status –WIP – I lucked into a set of vintage churn dash blocks last year just a few weeks before going on retreat in March. I picked up vintage reproductions of creams and red on our mini shop-hop on the way to retreat. The snowballs were pieced and assembled, then the top pieced, at retreat.
2012 goal – FO– Add a border with more of the repro fabrics I’ve collected. Possibly flying geese? Possibly hand quilt.
12/12 (November)

There and Back Again (2011)

2011 status –NEW– There and Back Again is a BOM hosted on my other website, Fandom In Stitches. The BOM will finish up in November of this year. All patterns are free. Designs by myself, Michelle Thompson, Lilja Björk Sigurdórsdóttir and Schenley Pilgram.
2012 goal – FO – but I’m not including it in the 12 for 2012. I have no doubt this one will get done!

Half-Square Triangle Exchange (2010)

2011 status – UFO-ish – These blocks were plundered for several projects, including making more Bear Paws. I still have tons of these.
2012 goal – Undecided – These are going to remain in my UFO pile for now.

Well, I think that’s it. I decided not to include my crochet list from last year, though I did finish the Black and Red afghan.

This is not even remotely everything I worked on in 2011, but it is a good solid list of my personal projects!

You can find all my for sale designs in the Sewhooked Shop. There were several newbies last year, including Aces High, Two Little Hooters, Fairy Tale Femmes and Turkey Talk! I have more fun designs up my sleeve!

What’s your UFO list look like for 2012?

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Workshops are open!

Register Now!

Homes For The Holidays

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It’s raining in Austin.

Beautiful, wonderful, life-giving rain. After a year of drought, it’s a magical sound.

Rain is not, however, conducive to taking quilt photos. I love photographing my quilts outside. This so-so photo was taken in-between showers. It’ll have to do for now because I will trade good photos for rain any day!

“Homes for the Holidays” started as a pile of cottage blocks from a 2009 swap on the now defunct All About Paper Piecing (the site is still there, but deactivated). I free-hand designed the paper pieced trees and just kept adding until the quilt top was a nice lap size!

This project made my UFO to do list for two years running: 2010 and 2011. It’s good to move it to the “completed” list!

Blocks made by me for the Christmas Cottage Swap on All About Paper Piecing, 2009.

Pattern by Tina Reed.

Quilting Detail: Custom Quilting by Rock Creek Quilts

My family always holds off on decorating for Christmas until after my son’s birthday on December 2. We had a house full of boys last night and this morning the celebration is officially over.

We’ll be decorating tonight after I spend my afternoon at Honey Bee Quilt Store for Open House for January – May classes and then “Homes for the Holidays” will officially be in circulation!

Happy Sunday!

Add your Sewhooked-related photos to my flickr group and you might be featured in a future post.

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Registration is open!

Making The Best of It

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Oh my, have I ever been sick the last couple of days!

A stuffy nose crept up on me Thursday evening and by Friday morning, I was a sick mess. Stuffy nose, fever, aches and pains.

How fun!

In an effort to not spend my long weekend as a complete lump, I pulled out a hand quilting project I started ages ago. I had to go all the way back to my 2010 UFO list to find where I first started talking about this quilt.

Really? 2010? Come on Jennifer, get a move on!

This is my granmother’s signature quilt, before quilting and before I added the border.

This quilt inspired the Extra Credit block for the Project of Doom.

You may remember that I’ve worked on other quilt tops that came from Grannie’s house after she passed away.

Grannie’s Trunk Quilt

Grannie’s 9-Patch

I did, apparently, at least get the borders on Grannie’s Signature Quilt and start quilting in 2010, as evidenced by my 2010 UFO Round-up.

I’m keeping the quilting super simple. Grannie was not fancy and everything she did or made was practical and frugal, and I’d like the quilting to reflect that. I’m planning to bind the quilt in muslin.

It sure would be nice if this quilt did not make it to my 2012 UFO list!

Back to my tissues…and my hand quilting.

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Heart With A Cause

The Face of Quilting

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Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that non-quilters can’t help but generalizing about who quilters are.

I think I’ve read one article too many that puts quilters exclusively in the “50 plus” or in the “retirement home” and maybe, just maybe, had one too many people mention that I’m too young to be a quilter, or, another favorite, that quilting is “a dying art.”

Not in my world, bucko.

My mother quilts, her mother quilted, my dad’s mother quilts. My great-grandmothers quilted. I have friends, young and young-at-heart, from every demographic and from different geographical locations around the world that all identify themselves as quilters.

So why the pigeon-holing? Does the non-quilty world really think that only one type of person is a quilter and that quilting is really, truly dying?

My name is Jennifer.

I am 38 years old and I am a quilter.

I have been sewing and crafting my entire life. I learned to use a needle and thread when I was a child. Craftiness of all kinds carried over into my adulthood, and by my late twenties, I was quilting.

I would like to challenge you, my quilting friends, to show your face.

We Are The Face of Quilting.

We are all ages and come from all socio-economic groups, religious backgrounds and political demographics. We live in all countries of the world and we are connected by quilting. It brings us together and gives us common ground. These are our faces.

Take this message, We Are The Face of Quilting, and write about being a quilter. Share it on your blog. Add your photo to our flickr group and tell the world: I am a quilter.

Grab this to share on your blog:

<a href="https://sewhooked.com/2011/11/08/the-face-of-quilting/" target="_blank">
<img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6238/6325665113_06a0e380bb_m.jpg" width="240" height="240" alt="We Are The Face of Quilting"></a>

Use it anywhere you share your quilting story. I’ve set comments for this post to allow trackbacks and pingbacks, which simply means that if you link to this post, it will show up in the comments. It’s a great way to meet new quilting friends.

What will I get from this? Nothing other than the satisfaction of seeing your faces and the affirmation that what I believe is true: quilter’s faces are like quilts themselves. They come in all colors, styles and sizes. They are from all over the world and they are timeless.

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P.S. I love You

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ASL “I love you”

Free 6″ paper pieced pattern by Jennifer Ofenstein

The free pattern that I have received some of the most heart-felt emails and comments about over the years is the original 5″ “ASL I Love You.”

For some time, I have been thinking I’d like to update that pattern. For one, I never gave the original a thumbnail, which kind of made me crazy. Details count, you know? I also though this one pattern should be a wee bit bigger.

I present it to you today, version two of ASL (American Sign Language) “I Love You”. This is a 6″ (6 1/2″ unfinished) paper pieced pattern, in both color and black and white for your printing convenience.

You know I can’t play with a pattern without creating some fun layouts in EQ7! What’s a girl to do with spiffy quilting software if not share ideas with her friends?

The cornerstones above were inspired by Cat Magraith’s free heart pattern.

A simpler layout, with the block as the center piece. I really like this one. I think it would make a great cushion cover!

More Free Patterns

Add your Sewhooked-related photos to my flickr group and you might be featured in a future post.

Have a very happy Saturday!

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Feeling Harvesty!

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Feeling Harvesty quilt layout created in EQ7

Some days, I just want to try something new.

That, my friends, is what free patterns are great for!

The “something new” in this case, is pattern presentation.

Generally, my free patterns are individual blocks presented as a 5″ pattern. 5″ patterns are easy to fit onto one page and they are easy to enlarge or shrink, if that’s your fancy. I’ve been designing 5″ patterns since the very beginning of my paper piecing adventure.

Most of my patterns are also in color because I like working with colored patterns and it’s simple enough for you to print in black and white if that doesn’t work for you.

So here’s the new part…

I have two free patterns for you today, one brand new, one an updated version of an older one. Both are presented in black in white, using texture instead of color to represent fabrics. In addition to that, each document includes 3″, 5″ and 6″ versions for creating different sized blocks.

Hey, that’s fun!

I can’t promise I’ll do this to all of my patterns, or that I’ll even do it again, but it was a fun little experiment for me and I’d love your feedback on pattern size, color and what you like best.

As ever, my free patterns are for your personal or non-profit use. Please enjoy!

3″, 5″ and 6″ Maple Leaf Paper Pieced Pattern

3″, 5″ and 6″ Pumpkin Paper Pieced Pattern (updated)

Original Pumpkin Block and pattern

The same blocks as a wall hanging.

Layout created in EQ7.

Sewhooked Coupon Craziness…good through Nov. 1!

Holly Jolly for 1/2 price – CELEBRATE
10% off your entire PDF order – QUILTOBER
Free U.S. shipping on etsy – HAPPYHALLOWEEN

Add your Sewhooked-related photos to my flickr group and you might be featured in a future post.

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Let’s Talk Turkey

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It’s time to talk turkey, specifically about Turkey Talk!

So, there’s this idea I’ve had for a long, long time. It didn’t really start to take shape until after I learned to embroider for The Project of Doom. Before that time, the design was never quite right.

And then, inspiration!

My turkey was too quiet.

It was simple. He just needed a few words.

Words are a miraculous thing. Once added, I couldn’t wait to get this wall hanging made to share with you!

Turkey Talk on Craftsy

$8 – PDF Instant Download

paper piecing, strip piecing and embroidery

French Knot eye…see that embroidery is coming in handy!

Gobble Gobble? That’s what he said!

Quilting close-up. Done on my Babylock Quest

And, from the back. Guess who forgot to add a hanging sleeve? Dang it.

Why does this turkey make me so darn happy? I couldn’t say, but he really, really does!

Add your Sewhooked-related photos to my flickr group and you might be featured in a future post.

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Livin’ La Vida Linus

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Marie was my helper for the day!

Have you ever had one of those days where you just really, really needed to get things done? Not a “I have to get this done” day, but a “oh, no, I’m running out of time, I HAVE to get this done!” day?

I had one of those yesterday.

You see, The Linus Connection meets on Saturday, and until yesterday, I did not have one quilt completely finished.

Enter the next five quilts.

I free-motion quilted the two Stars For Linus quilts as well as the blendy floral quilt that I’ve dubbed “Oh no, not *that* quilt.”

I bound those three quilts as well as the other two shown below.

Today? I can barely raise my arms after all that free-motion quilting. Who says quilting isn’t exercise?

Stars For Linus Quilt #1

Stars For Linus Quilt #2

A close-up of my free-motion. I fought with my machine all day yesterday, changing needles, thread and changing my bobbin to get this done. I’m still not great at free-motion, but if I can find the right mix to make my sewing machine (and by default, me!) enjoy it, I think I could get better.

The label I put on each of the Stars For Linus quilts. After all, it was a group effort!

Stars For The Linus Connection

a free 12″ pattern

for best results when printing, set scaling to “none”

Remember, I’m also accepting Wonky Stars…if you’d rather! Please makes sure they are also 12″.

Oh no, not that quilt! I still can’t decide if I like this one or not… Experimentation with fabric samples and the 10 Minute Block.

Zeppelin Threads orphan block quilt. The two house blocks were donated by Cat and Pren. I pieced the rest and did the straight line quilting a couple of weeks ago.

I love how the quilting worked out on this, though you can’t quite see all of it. There’s a lot of stitching in the ditch. I tend to do a lot more straight line quilting because my sewing machine behaves better when I do.

Quilt top donated by JoAnn M. Quilted by my friend Marge, bound by me…yesterday. This was the last quilt I worked on last night before giving up for the day.

Close up of Marge’s quilting, done on a Handi-Quilter.

Today, I am giving myself the morning off to spend with my bee. I’ve worked extra hard every day this week and am in need of a respite!

Add your Sewhooked-related photos to my flickr group and you might be featured in a future post!

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Hello, Sue!

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by liljabs

Sweet Sue has been popping up on flickr, and that makes me one happy girl! I love seeing the different fabrics everyone is using for their quilt-along!

See the original Sweet Sue Tops The Tree post

Pattern link:

–> Sweet Sue Tops The Tree – a free 12″ paper pieced pattern <–

For best results, print with scaling set to “none.”

New to paper piecing? Visit my Paper Piecing Resource Page!

See this block on Quilting Gallery.

by accroquilt

by tiny1949

by k9toyweaer

Did you see my newest pattern set?

Fairy Tale Femmes, now available from the Sewhooked Shop!

Remember, in honor of my participation in the Quilting Gallery’s Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along, right now through November 1, get Holly Jolly as an instant PDF download pattern for half price using coupon code CELEBRATE or get 10% of your total Sewhooked instant download purchase instead with coupon code QUILTOBER!

Add your Sewhooked-related photos to my flickr group and you might be featured in a future post!

Thank you to everyone that has made Sweet Sue so far.

Happy stitching!

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