Commissions and orphan blocks

Last year I made this queen-sized quilt for a gift.   I pp'd the flying geese used in the stars and the pinwheels.......and as a result ended up with a lot of bonus triangles that I had just put into a ziploc bag and then set aside.

Once set aside they became orphan blocks / UFO blocks because I just ignored them instead of doing something with them.   So now I'm putting them to use to make up commissions (so things to sell).

 These are the ones that were in the true blue color range - meaning no turquoise, teal, aqua or so forth.  I'll be working with those colors at a later date.

I trimmed the middle pile on the top, and the bottom stack to 2.5" unfinished.  The other two stacks will be trimmed to 3" unfinished I think, maybe 3.5" unfinished.

And while not a great picture, but here is "blank" that I'll be cutting a Christmas stocking front out of.  I'll be doing some quilting on it at some point as well with a light weight batting of some sort.

I have a commission for two Christmas stockings in true blues (all shades) and creams or whites due later in the summer.......so this will be one of the ones that I let my customer choose from.

Gratitudes: 

1. Warm weather!  (In spite of all the allergy stuff now in the air driving me crazy.....)

2. For having been paid for this last finished commission....and the possibility of another one coming soon.

Final commissioned totes completed!

This weekend I finished off two commissions.   The first one I don't have pics of - two pairs of pants were hemmed for a friend at church.   Nope not something that I normally do, but he's a good friend and had given me a mower last year so that I wouldn't have to buy one.  So I didn't mind doing them for him.

The other commission that I finished up was the big one that I'd been working on the first three months of the year.   The last bit were these 5 small totes, and 7 denim heart ornaments.

Three totes, pieced from smaller sections of the overalls and denim shirts.  All have pockets added to the front of them.

 Backing of the three totes.   Straps on the top two were the straps on the final pair of overalls.

 These were made from the seat section of the final pair of overalls.   Because of where the brads fell on the top of the backs I ended up facing the top of the denim with extra wide, single-fold bias tape.








Backing of these two totes.


Gratitudes:

1. For this commission and all that it has enabled me to pay off.

2. For the new commissions that are coming in.

Final Stockings Finished

Finished up the remaining stockings for the big commissioned order that I've been working on since the first of the year. 

One stocking featuring a pocket from the overalls and part of the bib section, another one that was pieced with the flap portion of where the zipper was located, a grey knit one with a pocket from the overalls, and three that were pieced from the larger sections of denim from the overalls and shirts.

Pieced stocking featuring one of the pockets from the overalls, and three stockings using up the remaining corners of one of the bandannas.




















5 stockings using up the final bits of 2 different bandannas and one that was pieced from larger sections of denim.

Gratitudes:

1. For savings when payday comes late.

2. For my job even when things are frustrating there.

Balance

Balance - we all need this and it's one of the things that seems to be missing right now in my life, especially in what i need to be getting done when I'm not at work.

While I've got the blog postings to keep track of long-term and immediate goals for the year in a variety of areas, I wrote down everything on paper that is in more immediate need (as in the next 4-6 weeks) of being worked on and/or completed.   Sigh, was rather eye-opening because most of it is commissioned work or not for me (whether for me or for a gift).   

Now one of these items should be done tonite.....and I'm aiming to get two more of them done by the time the coming weekend is over with, and once done then I'll be paid for the jobs.....but still.....sigh.

Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for the work that is brought my way because it's helping me pay off debt.  But it would still be nice to have time to work on something for me.....or get ahead on gifts....and thinking of gifts, it's time to start thinking about BD gift(s) for my mom....lol.....

Gratitudes:
1. The end of the overall commission is in sight!

2. Got to leave work early yesterday

MQG Riley Blake Fabric Challenge - Spring 2019

Last week I'd received an email from UPS telling me that they would be delivering a package from UPS on 4/1 and that the sender was Riley Blake Designs............well I knew I couldn't figure out what it was.

It arrived yesterday evening and after opening the package I found these lovely fabrics.  All are fat-Eights (9" by 22") in size....  All but the middle fabric were in the challenge.  The solid blue is an extra piece.

Thankfully we can add any other Riley Blake fabric we want to instead of being limited to only certain lines.   Now I need to figure out a design so I can get any extra fabric needed.

I had tried to sign up back when they first opened the challenge but the website had given me a message saying that too many had signed up and I was out of luck......hmmmm, not quite true....lol.

So now there's another thing on my to-do list to get done in the next 6 or so weeks.

And nope, I don't know what I'm going to do, but do know it won't be something big.  I do have some sanity left....lol.

Gratitudes:
1. That I like challenges

2. For savings to cover the bills when payday comes and goes w/o getting a check......

Weekend Hodge-Podge

Worked on a variety of things this weekend....first up was the snack mat made from the mystery fabric talked about here..

Then I made this little minky blanket for a commission.  It is 24" square and is for toddler to drag around.   This only used half of the fabric, so I have a second one in process.

















5 Christmas stockings for the large commission were put together.  Only 16 more stockings to go along with the 5 totes that are also needed.  =)  The end is in sight for this commission.










Next commissions to be worked on -

-- hemming two pair of pants for a friend (overdue on this one)

-- pillows from a wedding dress (same customer as all the denim and t-shirt stuff)

-- 2 pieced stockings w/names added for a friend

-- and finally, for a couple of months from now, a quilt along the lines of this one posted on FB by APQS this past weekend.  To be customized and planes used that correspond to what the recipient works on for the mission (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) they are a part of.


Gratitudes:

1. For my knee being better even though it has been a pill this past weekend.

2. For friends who do canning and then let me take home the leftover pickles.