Monday, June 1, 2009

Final Finishes and A New Beginning

The May Spring to Finish is over. Can you believe how the month flew by? It's time to account for our finishes. I have two more in under the wire. The first is my new thread cabinet.
My dad whipped up the cabinet with some scraps from his shop. My task was to find the yardsticks. A couple of weeks ago my hubby (with his eagle eye) spotted these in a local antique store. I used my trusty miter box, saw, and a bit of glue to finish it off. Isn't it the cutest? I love that the yardsticks are such fun colors and most of them are sewing related. My favorite is in the upper left corner that says, "Modern by Every Measure." It's so me!
The last 6 project improv tops are done. Tonight I need to trim a few threads, take a few pictures, and pack them up. I'll let you know when the pictures are posted so you can see your blocks. All of the blocks are now in quilt tops. I'm so happy!
So, my finishes for the month were these:
1. thread box
2. project improv tops
3. jon's graduation quilt
4. heart baby quilt
5. juicy jungle baby quilt
6. aj's quilt
7. katie's graduation gift
8. 3 virtual quilting bee blocks
Eight for me! Not as many completed quilts as I wanted, but I'm happy. I can't wait to hear how you did.
I'll try and get back this week with the winner of the challenge as soon as I can. I'm going to take some time off to try to finish moving. I've got some precious cargo to get to the other house and it's going to take some time to get organized so I can get sewing again.

Thanks for Springing to Finish with me. It's been a blast!

82 comments:

Abby and Stephanie said...

Cute cabinet. Our local antique store has a zillion yardsticks. Love the sayings. Now I'm going to have to pay attention to them. I think somehow I missed you were moving. Good luck. Now you have a serious stash of Flea Market Fancy.

Unknown said...

that sewing cabinet is so cute. I adore it!!!

Thank you for spring to finish, you got me working harder than usual, and totally motivated.
I managed to finish;
leo's rocket quilt
pillow to match the rocket quilt
lap quilt in look and learn and wee play fabrics
stacked coins quilt for my friend's daughter's birthday
8 quilting bee blocks
1 doll quilt
a set of matching coaters to go with the doll quilt

It really has been a blast!

Good luck with the move!

Unknown said...

Wow, you were a busy girl!! I love the cabinet and the fabrics are great! I can't wait to get the PI quilts to quilt up. The last 3 that we quilted will probably be sent back to you tomorrow. They look great! My spring to finish went well. Thanks for the encouragement!

Beth said...

Work got in the way this month -- only two for me!

Erin @ Why Not Sew? Quilts said...

I love your cabinet! It is the best! Wow you were really busy. The quilts are beautiful!

Wendy said...

What an awesome cabinet! I love it!

Kat said...

LOVE the cabinet. I wish my dad could whip up a thread cabinet for me!

shellysquilts said...

Wow! You definitely got alot done in one month! The sewing cabinet is darling. Good luck with your move.

Anonymous said...

I did a lot better than last month!
Ciara's quilt
Ciara's quilted bedhead cover
Asha's quilted bedhead cover
quilted bedroom rug
2 x aprons
breakast table mat
2 x virtual bee blocks
2 x frilly cushion covers
1 x crazy nine patch cushion cover
2 x crinoline lady pillowcases
That's it.....10!!!!.....I think...

Mary P said...

Wow! You have been productive! I finished two baby quilts. I came thisclose to finishing my duvet cover. I guess I will count the coaster set I made yesterday as a housewarming gift. I made four coasters but I only count that as one finish. So I'm in for 3.

Jaime said...

Thank you for the extra motivation!
I finished:
2 skirts (planned and cut in March!)
a skirt and dress for my niece
2 pairs of shorts for my nephew
a tiered skirt for a friend
and....
a quilt top that I start way back in January 2008! No that's not a typo, that was my first quilt and I thought haphazardly cutting and having little respect for exact seam allowances would be OK. Not for a rail fence!

Belva said...

Great cabinet. Thanks for all your inspiration. I have a few finishes this month. Bound the wedding quilt and sent it off to the bride. 1 pillow to match. 1 tote bag and 3 small cell phone holders that turned out much better than I thought they would.

Jane's Fabrics and Quilts said...

Oh I have to make a thread cabinet!!! That is so cute. I love the improv quilts, again wonderful!! Thank you so much for hosting this event, even if I only got one done, it was one that would have stayed in the closet for a very long time. thank you and good luck with the move!

Cheryl said...

I love that thread cabinet! It's great!

My finishes:
1. Birdie Sling
2. Placemat set 1
3. Placemat set 2
4. I got the binding sewn on to the golf pants quilt (just not hand sewn to the back yet). Does that count?

Cynthia said...

I was able to finish three projects this month. 2 baby quilts and one pillow case. Thanks for the inspiration and motivation.

Great cabinet. The neatly folded fabric...ah I can only hope!

jlk said...

I only had 2 finishes. I had planned on a lot more! My excuse is morning sickness, which tends to last all day.

Suzi said...

Great cabinet! Good luck with the move.

I didn't do as much as I wanted but here goes:
1. 2 skirts
2. 1 pillow cover
3. 1 gardening apron

Vivian said...

Cute thread cabinet and with all the reused materials it's "green" too!

Thanks for the "Spring Finish" motivation. I got two quilts quilted this month and I'm sure I'd have put them off if I hadn't been pushed by the challenge.

For all those who apologized having "only" two finishes, remember "to Quilt (or craft) is human, to finish (no matter how many) is divine!

Judy said...

First, I Love those inprov quilts they are so fabulous! I was so happy you extended another month!! I did quite well as some of mine were very large quilts! I got finished:

1. Taupe Tumbler quilt, an older bom from 2006!
2. Four Seasons stitchery Quilt recent bom.
3. Patriotic July 4th Quilt.
4. Mini Easter Bunny quilt.

So that's 4 official finishes and 2 more blocks for my ABC sampler quilt, plus a doll quilt top that I won't count. A very good month for me!

Unknown said...

What a terrific cabinet, the yard stitcks really give it a great finish.
My finishes for May were.
1 teddy bear
1 rabbit
6 bibs
1 appliqued baby blanket
2 baby quilts
2 baby outfits.
All baby related, now that all of those are done I can get back to my regular stitching.

Pat at Bell Creek Quilts said...

Best wishes for the move~may it *go* well!

Thanks again for the extra push...I had 3 quilt finishes during May...you don't need to enter me in the give away as I won last month! may someone else win a special Jacquie prize! :)

Sherry said...

I love the quilts can't wait to see the hole photos of them. I also love the cabinet great job you could seel them. and glad that you got most of you list done.

Christy said...

I had a very productive month, especially the last week! I finished:

- a bright squares quilt for myself (the first big quilt I've ever quilted on a machine!)
- a wonky log cabin quilt in red, yellow, blue and black for a wedding gift
- a quilted heating pad cover in pink, green, blue and Hello Kitty fabric
- and a quilt top for another wedding gift in purple, black and white

Janet said...

Thank you for the inspiration to finish. I love the spool box. It made me a bit teary because this is the kind of thing my Dad use to do. It bought back memories of all the woodworking projects Dad made for me with love.

A Spoonful Of Sugar said...

Love Love Love the thread cabinet!!! Best wishes with the move.

Rebekah said...

your thread cabinet is darling! I love the yardstick edging.

It looks like I have 7 finishes for May...and lots more on the way for June. I'm trying to finish things rather than acquire things and it seems to be working for me :)

Alissa said...

LOOK at that stash!!!! AMAZING! And that's just your Denyse Schmidt fabrics?!? I'm DROOLING!! People would give their right arm for that flea market fancy! Congrats on all your finishes!

Anina said...

Congratulations!
I have to admit that I only had 1 finish for May. Maybe I'll spring to summer???

Bekhy said...

15 finishes:
1-7: baby quilts completely done
8: 56 baby bibs
9: 25 burp cloths
10: 3 sewing machine covers (with selvages!)
11: 9 changing pads
12: 70 pillocase kits (cutting them out)
13: 13 sewn pillowcases
14: 1 checkbook cover
15: 1 additional baby quilt top w/ binding & backing ready to go

silversmith said...

thank you again for the motivation and inspiration! although, i had a buying binge the first week of the month and started a bunch of projects....

my finishes total 4:
-flower skirt
-qov #2 quilted and bound
-qov #3 top finished for longarmmer
-rediscovered scarf at the bottom of my knitting bag finished and fringed.

amylouwhosews said...

Wow! I had 8 finishes! I'm so happy! It's a good think I blog or I would have had a hard time remembering them all! Thanks for the encouragement and inspiration!

Love those quilt tops!

nanann said...

Thank you so much for doing this just so I'd get up and finish some binding on some quilts!

I have 3.5 quilt finishes:
-1 comfort quilt for friend going through surgery for cancer (of course, this HAD to be done this month but still counts)
-2 charity baby quilts that I started 2 years ago. And they're easy! Sheesh!
-0.5: half-finished putting the binding on a little wall quilt for me. Just couldn't finish it yesterday, but I did get started on it which is a HUGE accomplishment!

I did some non-quilty things too, but I won't count those:
*2 dresses for my girls
*1 birthday gift (matching cards) for 2-year-old

Rachel said...

Your quilts are wonderful. I love the color choices. And your thread cabinet in great too. So nice to have people who will help you make stuff like that!

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

I had six finishes for May!! I am so happy I joined this challenge!
* Geese in the Forrest Blocks
* Piper's Swanky Pin Wheel Quilt
* 32 Three by Three Block Swap
* Jordan's Swanky Whirly Gig
* Swanky Spice Cake to quilter
* Turtle Quilt

Busy Little Quilter said...

Wow! I'm drooling here looking at your baksets of fabric. They're beautiful!

The cabinet is so pretty. My husband and his grandfather built me a cabinet many years ago before I started sewing/quilting. Now it's in my sewing room, and I love it.

I only finished one thing in the challenge, but I had hoped to finish more. If you include getting flower beds completed, having 3 garage sales, and the garden planted, then I got more stuff done. However, on the sewing/quilting front I finished a monogrammed pillow to sit in the rocking chair on my front porch.

Thanks for motivating us to finish something.

Kami said...

Whew, Thankfully spring to finish is over because I have been working hard. This month, I finished
1 mini quilt
4 pincushions
2 tote bags
2 humbug bags
4 journal/notebook covers
and I am not sure if they count because I started them in May too,
3 necklaces!

That is 13 plus the 3 necklaces! Thanks for the encouragement. It is so nice seeing an emptier project bin.

Angela Nash said...

I'm not sure the last comment went thru - so I'll try again!

4 finishes:
2 quilts
1 pair of shorts
1 canvas tote bag

Thanks for motivating us all!

jovaliquilts said...

Wow!! You've been so busy, but what a lot to show for it. Can't wait to see all those improv tops!

Doris said...

I believe my final count is five:

1. Dress redo for Addi (2 year UFO)

2. Skirt redo for me (4 month UFO)

3. Oldest UFO completed(10 year UFO)

4. Baby quilt for Raegan(4 year UFO)

5. Liberty Garden quilt (1 year UFO)

I also made one handbag, but that was a new project, not a UFO.

Christy said...

Wow, I was so productive, I forgot one of my finishes! It was a My So-Called Scarf that I made with a beautiful Noro Taiyo yarn.

OK, I think that's it for me now. :)

pippinsequim said...

I managed 4 finishes, plus made tons of progress on my quilt:

3 embroidery squares
1 demin tote

Isa said...

I love the quilts, they are very colorful.

I've had 6 finishes in may:
Juicy squares quilt
figgy chain quilt
Liberty honeycomb quilt
Midwest modern zig zag quilt
Duvet cover
Elephant softie
There's still alot that I want to finish, since I seem to start at least 2 projects for every one finish :-)

Unknown said...

Love your thread cabinet! And to have all the improv blocks into quilts is a huge feat all by itself!!

I finished -
1 quilt
2 bags
1 swap block
1 monster
2 Bible cover and tutorial
1 pincushion

More than I thought :)
How far are you moving??

Sarah said...

Didn't do as well as I wanted this month but I did appreciate the motivation! I had six finished, four of which were planned and two that snuck in.

Rebecca said...

I only was able to finish 2- a dress for my daughter and my knitting needle holder. I was really hoping to get a little more done, but the last week of the month was spent moving! So now I am moved and I can focus on finishing my other projects next weekend! Especially since I just ordered fabric for a new project!

thanks for doing this! It was fun!

Stephanie D said...

I LOVE that cabinet! How clever!

I only had 2 finishes for the month:

HST table topper
HST table runner


But it's two more than I might have had without the push! Thanks, Jacquie!

Amber said...

Look at all that precious cargo - wow! And congrats on all the finishes - that's fantastic. I think you should count Jon's quilt as 2 finishes :-)
I had 3 finishes - all quilts and all long overdue so thanks for the extra push!

Anonymous said...

I love the cabinet!

I have 4 finishes: Purple Fancy quilt, scrap quilt, pillowcases for the boys and a block exchange. Yeah!

two hippos said...

The cabinet looks lovely!

This was a great inspiration to finish, let's see...
3 baby quilts
2 aprons
1 bag

For a total of 6 projects :)

Kristin L said...

Congratulations on a great May. I have made a pitifully small dent in my to-do list, but I love seeing all your happy finished project. the Project Improv tops are gorgeous!!

Trisha said...

What fun this has been! I think I will continue this on my own throughout the summer. I have had 5 finishes. Two baby quilts, two table runners, and a block of the month quilt that is a three year old UFO and I got the top all put together. Thanks again! It has been fun.

MightyMom said...

I want a cabinet like that! but I'd need on 5 times that size! :-) that's what happens when you get Grandmother's stuff! I have thread on WOODEN SPOOLS here! (large AND small)

in other news my May finishes were 3. I only got about 7 of those flowers done. which puts me 1/3 there....does that count? Can I have 3.33333333 finishes??

Just wondering!

Allie said...

Your new cabinet is sooo cool!

Here is what I got fished this month:
2 baby quilts
1 new quilt for my Mom's bed
1 quilt I started about a year ago
2 fabric magnets sets for donation
I also stared quite a few more!;)

Di~ said...

oh dear, May flew by! I only have 4finishes to report. Thanks so much Jacquie. Love the DS fabric you've got there, (but then i love everything you have, do or touch!:) I only ever got the pinks and oranges, would love to have more. By the way, I wonder where she is? Will we see anymore fabric from her? The project quilts are fabulous.

Kritta22 said...

I only had three finishes!

A baby quilt
2 virtual bee blocks

Autumn said...

I got 2 finishes. Not as many as I hoped, but better than nothing. Happy June to you!

Cheryl Arkison said...

Holy crap that's a lot of Denyse Schmidt! Good luck with the move.

Julie @ Jaybird Quilts said...

i love the thread box. i have a soft spot in my heart for old rulers...

Anonymous said...

I finished one quilt, but 7 other projects - 4 prize giveaways, a round robin quilt and three sets of 3 blocks for my birthday blocks club! :)

Allie said...

3 more for me--
I totally forgot to add the 3 skirts I made for my friends daughters to wear to a wedding!

Peg - Happy In Quilting said...

Not sure where May went....that is the best looking thread cabinet...I will have a chat to my son the builder...??? and all your completed quilts are gorgeous.

Amanda Jean said...

i love the project improv quilt tops! they look AMAZING! congrats on so many finishes!

i was able to finish 3 this month. and i'm pretty darn happy with that, considering one was a king. :)

Dresden Quilter said...

I have 2 finishes and many things further alone and almost done. Thank you for the motivation.

Ellen said...

WOW! 8 finishes . . . that's amazing! I only have 3 (but that's good for me, I'm a starter, not a finisher!)
*Miles' Monkey Quilt
*Mother's Day Pillows
*Mother's Day Bag

I was SO CLOSE to #4, but . . . poof! It's June!

Thanks for doing this for us!

Rose said...

I got 4 finishes off my list of 10 done for this month... I finished my nieces tutu for her birthday, I crocheted myself a new pair of slippers, I finished my daughter's pregnancy journal (she's only 8 months old!) and I cleaned my fish tank, which hadn't been done since before I got pregnant, so over a year! So while none of them are sewing related (some on my list are but I didn't get to those ones) I am really glad I got these ones done, and this was a great kick in the butt to get some long awaited tasks finished. Would love to continue this into June! Thanks for the inspiration :)

Solidia said...

I finished the following:

1.My Mom's quilt
2.John Deere toddler bed quilt top
3.Peas/Carrots baby quilt top
4.4 Bee blocks
5.My nieces pink dis 9 patch top

Melanie said...

Woo! I actually finished something this month! I had two finishes in this whirlwind month that has just gone by and I am incredibly happy to have done them! Thank you so much for the challenge

em's scrapbag said...

My finishes were:
Grandma's Mothers Day gift
Wonky log cab
Friday Block Party quilt
Scrap Baset in Bubble Gum
30's scrap basket( I got off the computer and did get it quilted and bond.)Thanks for the motivation! Your fabrics looks so yummy.

connie said...

My finish were not much.

Apron
Celtic knot

I spun my wheels a bit this month. Lots of company and fun though.

Thanks for the motivation and I just love your thread box.

Ashley said...

The month sure did fly by! I did better this month - my total is 4 (better than the 1 I managed last month!) Thanks for providing motivation to get them finished!

Project improv quilts look great - can't wait to see them all finished!

Anonymous said...

Those quilts look lovely! Can't say I was as accomplished this month.

AnyoneCanQuilt said...

Wow! You have really finished a lot! Of course everything is so gorgeous. And I am in LOVE with your new cabinet. It is so cute! I can't believe you found those great old yardsticks. They're perfect! xo

bellsjo said...

Good luck with the move! I am really pleased to be able to declare some finishes this month - last time I hadn't got anything done!
I finished the boys orange spot quilt, two dolls quilts and pillowcases, lots of taggie blankets for various babies and some raggedy hearts. so I am calling it 5 finishes.
Thanks for the motivation!

Liz said...

Very cute cabinet and you got so much done! Way to go.

Unknown said...

I just finished one more for May, I was way too busy with end of school year stuff to worry about,

bonnie said...

great finishes. you were able to complete a lot. i also just love the cabinet.

Nanette Merrill said...

Look at you with all your finishes. I love your little fat quarter bins. I have similar storage bins I got from the container store. How do you keep yours looking so nice? How do you fold them. Your fabrics look like jewels.

sewtakeahike said...

ok Jacquie, you've got me all twitterpated over your photos in this post! Love the cabinet, the yardsticks are perfect around the outside! And the quilts and the fabrics just look so pretty all hung and folded. Nice!

Artfulife said...

Love your new cabinet! It is sew cute! Well I didn't finish as many as I had hoped either. But here goes::

6 different paintings
1 paper illustration
1 painted shelf

Thats 8 finishes for me. I had hoped for so many more. I had a lot of projects started but this month has rally given me some lemons. I still managed to make lemonade ;) Thanks for letting me play along!

XUE said...

Oh my goodness! All these lovely colours are making me so wonderfully gizzy (my daughter's word for giddy & dizzy all at once!).

susan said...

i lurve that thread cabinet!! such a clever/cute idea to use the rulers. lucky you to find ones with sewing verbage on them! great job cutting out the mitered corners and angled sides!
i just might have to make something like this in the future. as usual thanks for the inspiration

Anonymous said...

The quilted tops are STUNNING!!! What a great idea for the fat quarter bins!!