Working on Button

I am working on a new button for next year.  The first step is always to publish a copy of the image online.  You would think that after all of these years it would get easier.  Each time is like learning to ride a bike again except that I have forgotten how to ride the silly bike.
Later addition to post: I think it is working now.  The first "Grab my Button" generator sight wasn't working very well, but I found another one here: http://codeitpretty.net/grab-button-builder/.  That seemed to do the trick.  For my own future reference, the photo is 140 by 140.  If someone could try the button for me and let me know whether or not it is working, I would appreciate it very much.  You should be able to just copy the code in the box below my button in the upper right hand corner and paste it into an html widget box on your own blog.  I hope the sizing is right.  Please let me know if it looks too large or too small.  As I said, I do this exactly once each year, not quite enough to become fully competent. 

Last Finish of 2017

The binding to be sewn stack is empty -- just in time for the new year!

This quilt started as a preprinted panel.  I don't remember anymore where I got it.  A simple border was all that was needed after that.  We are all hanging out together as a family eating appetizers and watching movies to bring in the new year.  We lost Ryan to video games in the toy room.  Anna is having a sleepover before doing volunteer work with a friend tomorrow.  We've still got Sydney though.  

Racing to the Finish

It is turning into a binding day for me.  The outer edges of this quilt took just a bit longer than Guardians of the Galaxy 2 to finish.  The blue pinwheels were the bonus blocks leftover from a Pineapple Blossom quilt I made for me nephew Zac when he was a baby.  the inner blue border is made from pieces I cut for a Bonnie Hunter mystery which I ultimately decided not to do.  I've got one more quilt to bind, Rouge One awaits!  Netflix and I have a busy afternoon ahead.  

Odds and Ends

I try to keep handwork ready to go in case a long car trip is planned.  We ended up going out of town on Christmas day and with the hectic holiday schedule I hadn't taken any time to get ready.  Fortunately, there were some handy WIP bags with various bits and pieces that could use some work.
 Kurt's father decided that he was going to have a gathering to mark the first anniversary of his mother's death last Christmas.  It was mostly local friends, but his brother's family and ours both came in from out of town as well.  Since we were doing a long driving trip to the great wintery wonderland on North Carolina, we combined the trip with a couple of days skiing and tubing with the kids.  Everyone loved the tubing.  Sydney is our little daredevil, and she thought skiing was just about the best thing ever.  So between the various bits of visiting we had a solid 28 hours of time in the car.

 I counted out these baskets which have been ongoing for far too long.  Just 4 more will give me enough for a nice on point setting.

 This Dear Jane border triangle was partially complete via English Paper Piecing.  I haven't quite mastered the technique, but I'll keep trying.  I think it will look better after pressing and trimming.

These Christmas blocks took up most of our time in the car though.  All the pieces were cut long ago, so I worked on prepping them for applique and arranging them into blocks.  It would be fabulous to get this one done before next Christmas.  

 It is lovely to be back at home again now, and I am busy taking stock for the new year.  I have 6 quilts in the almost completed stage, each with a handy note explaining what needs to be done next.  I think there might be one or two more waiting for binding.  After that I will go and check out the bins of blocks in progress.
My first priority for the day though will be to finish up plans for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2018.  Mari and I have worked together to plan a lovely sampler quilt, I'll have a full post on that tomorrow for the first day of the new year.  I'll also make a button for those who would like to share it on their own blogs and make a tab at the top specific to this year's challenge.  It sounds like rather more typing than sewing, but hopefully it will set me up for a productive year of scrappy Saturdays.

For today, I'm linking up with Slow Stitching Sunday as well as Oh Scrap!.  It is always so much fun to take some time on Sunday to enjoy inspiration and progress from other quilters around blogland.  Take a few minutes to enjoy a few posts before you get busy with the rest of your day.  

Last ScrapHappy Saturday of 2017

The end of the year is officially near.  Next Saturday will be part of a brand new year.  Now is the time to share your finishes from this year or your plans for the next.   We are on the road this morning, so my main list of accomplishments will have to wait just a bit longer.  I am not planning on too many new projects this year, but there is one that I am excited about.  Mari at Academic Quilter has proposed a collaboration project.  It will be a sampler quilt with 5 patch blocks.   I will do a much better explanation as soon as we are home again.  We drove part of the way home last night from North Carolina.  That should get us back in time to pick up the dog from the kennel before they close at 4.  So far the free WiFi has beheld out,  but I don’t want to press my luck. I hope to be able to check in from the road, but if not, everything will get easier once we are all home again.

ScrapHappy Saturday - Counting Down

Just one more Saturday left in the year after today.  Hard to believe that another year is ready to get wrapped up.  For some that means a frantic race to the finish, but there is also the fun of planning projects for the new year.  They go together nicely, don't they?

ScrapHappy Finishing Fiesta

It's been so much fun seeing all the finished quilts start to pop out.  Finally, I'm happy to post one of my own.  This was part of the hurricane quilting frenzy, but I didn't finish sewing the binding until Thanksgiving.  It was too cold to go out this morning to get a photo, so Kurt was kind enough to stand in front of the tree to hold it for me. 
Is any last minute finishing happening at your house, or is it all about holiday craziness?  Semester exams start for us on Monday, so the end is in sight.  Just a few hundred multiple choice questions between me and Christmas break. 

Wrapping Up

The end of the year is near.  It is definitely time to see what you can cross of the list to make room for new projects next year.  Or just start thinking about all the new projects you want to start next year.  Why is it that planning new projects is so much fun? 

Winding Down

It is hard to believe that December has already arrived.  It is officially time to start finishing up.  If you can't finish it up this year, then feel free to carry it in to next year.  Hopefully though, crossing things off the list will make room for new projects in the new year.