What I've Been Sewing

First I wanted to let you know one of the reasons why I have not been posting as much.  I've started a new excerise training program at our local Fleet Feet store called No Boundaries.  Between dealing with my type II diabetes and the effects the medicines I take for it, I have lost the will to move.  I have always been such an outdoor person that I decided I needed to do something.  Through better regulated eating I have been slowly losing weight, though still have about 50 pounds to go.  Now I have a plan to get me to the activity level I need to do every day.  Plus there is daily guidance.  Mondays and Thursdays we meet at 6pm, all 150 of us, and run (though I walk) the prescribed distance and then we stretch together.  Im loving it!  I have always loved to walk but now have constant encouragement-there are 20 plus coaches/mentors.  My goal is to get in shape and continue to lose weight so I no longer need the medicine that has given me such bad side effects for the last couple of years.

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So back to sewing.  Tuesday is Triad Modern Quilt Guild and as swap Mama I am hosting a Travel Pillow swap.  Here is the pillow I created for my secret partner.  

I used my EZ Dresden ruler and pulled out 20 + scraps from my special scrap bin, so each blade is different.  

I offset them on a Kona Ash background. 

 I freehand quilted in 5 different pearl cottons.  I did not plan out the design but just let the color and the space dictate the design.  I put in my first hidden zipper on the side and it was simple!  I can't find the link I used, but Design Sponge has a good tutorial doing it the same way.  

So here again is the finished pillow!  I love how it turned out!  It look nice on my studio chair.  I may have to make one for myself!

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I'm also making a pillow for the Pillow Talk Swap.  Here are some of the fabrics.

I love using instagram on my iphone for quick pictures.

And have started to play with the design.

Can you tell that they will be Polaroid pictures?  I still have fabrics to play with.  I plan to piece the whole top and then use my embroidery machine to add captions to the photos.

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I forgot to blog about Superbowl Sunday.  Not so much about the game as I am not that into sports.  But I usually hang with mom and dad and make some good finger foods.  Mom supplied veggies & dip and chips & salsa as well as shrimp.  Dad vetoed the usual favorite of pigs in blankets.  So I decided to make Pioneer Woman's Spicy Whiskey BBQ Sliders. 

They were easy to make!  I halved the recipe and made 6 sliders.  

 Don't look too hard at my messy presentation.

They were very good!  Everyone loved them including me!

 I also whipped up a batch of PW Strawberry oatmeal bars for dessert.  Yummy!  

And Dad agreed!

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Today I'm working on basting two tops.  First my red and white challenge quilt.  I kind of got sidetracked on this but need to step it up. I will use more of the Bliss red and white for the binding.  I'm entering this in the quilt show and only have a month to quilt it.

backing

Second I finished up this quilt top.  I'm also entering this in the general quilt show.  I will straight line machine quilt this.  I have to get one small piece of fabric because I ran out of  the Jay McCarroll and used up the Freespirit Dogwood Gray for the backing.  I will put a scrappy binding on this.  

This was a project from the Modern Quilt Guild challenge.

Keep dreaming...Colleen

I received this in the mail.  My prize from #talknt twitter chat party.
Moda was the sponsor and I received a bag full of mini charm packs and a United Notions pouch!