Saturday, January 3, 2015

With the busy holiday season finally over, I can now focus on the year to come!  One of the Etsy teams I'm on, Quilts!Quilts!Quilts!, is having a contest to see who can finish the most UFOs (unfinished objects/projects).  I went poking around in my sewing room and discovered I had more than I thought!  So I thought I'd share them here, you know, to keep me honest!

This is my favorite quilt and I'm probably going to keep it for myself.  I did buy more fabric to make another one for me, but that never actually happens, so I think I'm going to spoil myself by keeping this one!  I have been thinking long and hard on how to quilt it, and I'm still not sure if I want to do an edge-to-edge design, or something more fancy.  Hmmm, will still have to ponder a bit more...

Granny Square Throw Quilt
 
This next project is a Christmas table runner I got pieced, but then had foot surgery and wasn't able to complete it before Christmas.  But, hey, there's always next year!
 
Flaky Snow Pals Disappearing Four Patch Table Runner
 
 

This little table topper was made from the leftovers of a larger table runner.  I have never bound odd angles before, so am deciding if I'm going to learn how to on this one, or just turn and burn!  I bought backing fabric for it awhile ago, but can't remember what that was, or where it is....yes, my stash is out of control!
 
Sunflower Table Topper

 
I've had this one in the drawer for quite awhile as well.  I still need to put on the borders.  I was thinking of trying to do ruler work on this one with the long arm, but am not sure if I'm feeling that ambitious.  Another one to ponder...
 
Tonga Batiks Chevron Throw Quilt
 
Yet one more I have been mulling over how to quilt.  This is a bed runner for my king sized bed.  My Golden Retriever, Maggie, is always laying at the foot of the bed and she is drooly and dirty!  I figured a nice dark colored runner would be easier to wash than my king quilt.  This one has a folded border (dark brown), so that kind of stumped me as to how to quilt around that on the LA, but I think I've got it figured out now.
 
Bargello Bed Runner for Maggie
 

This set of blocks was to be my daughter's first quilt that she made.  She got all of the blocks made until the last one, then quit.  Really?  Who does that?  So I finished the last block for her and told her I would finish the quilt for her.  I was going to have it done for her birthday in November....well, 2015 looks to be a good year!
 
Chain Reaction Throw Quilt
 
 
And last, but not least, this is a Christmas quilt I was so eager to make...got about halfway through making the blocks and life called.  This is one where you sew, then cut it apart, rearrange the blocks, sew it together, cut it apart again, rearrange the blocks and sew the final arrangement.  It turned out to be a bit tedious.  The block on the right is the only finished block--the stack of hourglass blocks still need to be cut apart one more time and sewn back together to make the final block.  Then, of course, they all need to be sewn together to make the quilt top.  This was a great tutorial I found on the Missouri Star Quilt Company's website, and I think it will be really pretty when finished!
 
Christmas Throw Quilt in the Making

So you can see that I have a lot to accomplish before the end of the contest in June!  And that will not include all of the other things I am constantly sewing for my shops.  Wish me luck!


Saturday, October 11, 2014

It seems like everyone has a blog these days, so I decided to try my hand at one.  The Good Lord knows I love to talk, so this shouldn't be much different, should it?

My name is Phyllis Pharis and I am a quilter, crafter, artist, potter, jewelry maker and any other artsy type of labels you might want to apply!  In short, I love to create.  I have two shops on Etsy:  Jambearies and TheTamedTowel .

My Jambearies shop sells all of my quilted and sewn items, as well as fabrics, patterns and notions.  Here is a Christmas table runner in one of my all-time favorite Christmas fabric lines--Moda's Winter Elegance from Sentimental Studios.




My TheTamedTowel shop sells all of my towel-related items: hair wraps, hanging kitchen towels and flour sack towels.  Here is an example of a hanging kitchen towel in another of my very favorite fabrics--Splendor from Lila Tueller for Riley Blake Designs.




Having two shops really keeps me busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way!  I finally have a job that I'm eager to start when I wake up.  It took me 30 years to figure that one out!

Now that I've introduced myself, I will leave you to wait with anticipation for my next post.....thanks for stopping by!