I've Been Working...

But not on the railroad! 

I've been working on the wonky charm quilt.  Made lots of progress, but then had to wait for some fabric to arrive.  I am making two sizes...the larger blocks measure 6.5" and the little ones measure 3.5"...aren't they dang cute?  

I also started working on something for the brown dog.  Here's a peek...

I think it's a bit too girly for him, but Tag is fine with that. 

So.  That's what I've been doing.

I am 3 for 3 for my picks on my fave shows this season!  Caleb Johnson won American Idol, Meryl and Maks won Dancing with the Stars and Josh Kaufman won The Voice...congratulations to all!

 
 
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

What I Did Today...

Just a few thoughts and photos to share with you today.

This first one is of a setting at Hobby Lobby...I was there to pick up some muslin and Kona solid in Bone...always fun to see what is new.  The shelf and table are shabby chic and those chairs!  Well, they don't have a place in my living space, but they are fun, aren't they? 

This afternoon, I made this 12" pillow cover that will reside on my summer bed.  Which, of course, isn't ready to be shown.  Rearrangement of my bedroom and spring cleaning need to be finished before I have it all set to show anyone.  I am working on it, so it shouldn't be long.  If you recognize this fabric, you'll have an idea of what I plan to do with my summer bed.

 

 

Nothing random about the placement of those squares, either.  Intentionally arranged the way they are.  ~grin~

The envelope back is almost as attractive as the front, don't you think?  I gave some thought to using this fabric/layout to make another pillow cover and would have then used a solid color for the backing, but I decided to use up all of my creativity (and scraps) on one cover instead.

 

I was ever so tired of looking at this sofa cover...and, I gotta say,  straightening and re-tucking it every day was a huge pain in the you-know-what!   

before

after

So, I changed things up a bit.  And, now I can use two of the pillows I made awhile back (talked about here and here).  Course, there is the ever-present sleeping brown dog in the photos.  ~grin~  This isn't exactly what I want, but it's a small step in the right direction. 

That's about all I did!  Course, I made sure to watch the Kentucky Derby...always an exciting few minutes!  Congratulations to California Chrome!  

Have a great rest of the weekend!!!



"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Sunkissed Revisited!

Remember back here, when I made

the Sunkissed quilt for my lqs?

I've been visiting it on a regular basis...

waiting impatiently for it to come home.

Well, it finally did!

YAY!  I love this quilt!

Not sure what I'll do with it, though.

For now, I will admire it.

And, my goofy quilt holder

(aka sister Julie, aka J3)...

when I say, "turn, please"...

this is what she does. 

I have several sewing projects 

planned for this weekend.

How about you?

What are you up to?

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

SUNKISSED! Giveaway...

Comments are closed.

Thank you!

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I think I mentioned not too long ago that

I was going to do a giveaway.

I am finally getting to it.

Here.

Today.

(mostly cuz I don't have anything to show you.)

Remember Sunkissed...the fabric?

And, S*U*N*K*I*S*S*E*D,

the quilt I made as a shop sample

for my lqs (seen here)?

With some of the scraps, I made a small quilt.

A very small quilt...it measures 12.5 inches square. 

It is dang cute, if I may say so myself.

Would you like to have this?

All you need do is leave a comment on this post.

Please make sure that I have a way to contact you.

I'll close this giveaway next Friday,

September 23, at noon.

Good luck, all!

Snow Day...Again.

Not complainin', mind you.

Even went out in the freshly-fallen snow

to get additional photos to show you this...

S*U*N*K*I*S*S*E*D... 
the sample quilt for

Saving Thyme Quilt Shop.

(click on the photos to enlarge images)

And, more photos to better see 

prints/colors...so soft and sweet!

The scoop:

Sunkissed fabric by Sweetwater for Moda

(as if you didn't know)

Perfect Ten pattern by Swirly Girls

Started on February 20,

finished on March 9.

Size after laundering 57 x 68 inches.

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Progress on Snow Days block one...

Trying to decide if I should

cut into my fabric, make the blocks

and piece this entire section...

or just move on with more stitching.  

In any case, I'll need to trace out

block two in the next day or so.

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Nothing else going on.

Car is still broken.

Hate depending on others for rides.

Hope you're having a good day!

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. - Ecclesiastes 9:10

Sunkissed, Birthday & Snow Days...

The weekend is about over...darn.  I had plenty of time to get a few things done today that I really wanted to, though, so it's all good.

I got the Sunkissed fabric cut for the sample quilt for my lqs (Saving Thyme).

I prepped fabric and traced a pattern for a huge project.  Did I tell you about this?  Sharon of MoosecraftUSA & I are embarking on a project.  Together but separately...each will have our own finished product.  But, across the miles, we will be here for each other as we work our way through this project...and try to not become overwhelmed by the immense amount of hours it will take to complete it.  (Me Mum predicts that it will take 194,000 hours to complete it. Sharon did the math and it comes out to be 12 years...24/7.  ha!)

It all started when Sharon mentioned 2 BOM's that she was starting this year.  Applique/quilting projects.  I looked at the patterns she was doing (they're so cool!) and looked further and saw one that I was completely taken with.  If you're a regular reader of my blog, this will sound familiar to you.  That's cuz I wrote about it here.  Sharon and I emailed back and forth about this quilt and we were both so excited...she finally could no longer resist and joined the BOM for that, too!  YAY!  So, my plan was to cheer her on with it.  But, surprise, surprise, she decided to send a pattern of my own to me.  Happy Birthday to me from Sharon!  Thank you so much!  (ohyeah, more about my birthday in a bit.)  So.  We are in this together.  I think she just really wanted someone to feel the pain with her.  This pattern calls for 16 skeins of floss...of the same color...2 strands used for the stitchery.  Look at how gorgeous this variegated floss is...

The pattern calls for over 40 different fabrics, but I opted to cut that number down to 26.  I went to the lqs close by my work (Stitcher's Crossing) and Julie gave me outstanding customer service with help in selecting fabrics.  In fact, she ran around with a skein of the floss and chose fabrics...all I had to do was stand there and decide which ones I could not live without.  There are several batiks...soooo gorgeous!  Lots of textures.  And, of course, all more gorgeous than they show here.

I tend to watch a lot of tv in the evenings...especially now with American Idol on and Dancing With the Stars due to start soon (March 21).  If I have some handwork to do...it's all a good thing.  Keeps me from thinking about smoking and eating.  This project will definitely keep my hands busy!

So.  My first block of stitchery is ready to go.  YAY!  The stitching is all done in backstitch, so it won't be at all difficult.  The challenge is the detail in the stitchery blocks.  

That being said, it is going to be one gorgeous quilt when finished.  Since Sharon's BOM is 14 months long...and I'm not going to rush to get done before her...we should have these ready to cuddle up with for the winter of 2012-2013.  Course, it's always possible that after all of our work, we will opt to hang them on our walls!! 

(you'll have to click to enlarge to see this and even then you may not be able to see it very well.  I would like to point out that this block has the least amount of detail of all of them!)

 

 Wish us luck!

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Yup, I had a birthday this past week.  I think I forgot to mention it.  No big number/milestone...this year.  It was a quiet birthday...nothing special going on.  All of my coworkers brought food...can you say sugar overload?  I received many phone calls & emails,  2 virtual floral bouquets, several happy birthday wishes on Facebook and some very nice gifts.  Thank you all very much!

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I have been thinking about doing a giveaway.  The only reason that I'm not announcing it right here & now is that I haven't made up my mind what to give away.  Any suggestions?

Have a great work week!

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. - Ecclesiastes 9:10

Sample Quilt Fabrics

What fun to go into my lqs, select fabrics and leave.

With no money exchanging hands.

Seriously.
What could be better than that?

I picked out my Sunkissed fabrics.

(oops, one is trying to hide)

I'll show you what I'm doing as it gets done.

I have a deadline.

That makes it sound official, doesn't it?

{grin}

Sew on!

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A Happy Birthday to my friend, Lindy.

She's over at The Gingerbread House.

She hooks rugs and sews quilts.

And, fixes up her old house.

She's amazing!

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. - Ecclesiastes 9:10

Breathe In, Breathe Out...

While taking my break at work this morning, I sat and read my favorite blogs.  As I usually do.  One of them being Jaybird Quilts.  Julie is an amazing woman.  She has no clue who I am, but I am a faithful reader of her blog.  

Yeah, so I was reading her post about her pattern development process...and, let me tell you, I was very impressed.  Like her, I have received many patterns over the years that have left a lot to be desired.  It surprised me not at all that she has very high standards.  I got to the part where she mentioned her 'pattern testers' and instantly thought, "ohhhh, I wanna do that!".  Not actually for her (well, I would if asked, but I'm being realistic), but to do that for someone...how fun would that be?  

Okay, so my break was over.  Then, work was done.  Bye everyone!  Made a few stops on the way home and then decided to stop at my lqs to pick up a piece of fabric I need to finish a baby quilt.  Gloria (owner) and I chatted...and I looked at the new fabrics she's been getting in...Habitat, Sunkissed and Dilly Dally to name a few.  Gloria's daughter, Jennifer, was there and they had a discussion about a sample quilt Jennifer had made, and also about the 1/2 yard cuts she had taken of the Habitat fabrics to make a quilt with. 

When her daughter left, I said to Gloria, "Would you please adopt me (gloria is actually younger than I am) so I have access to lots of fabric?"  Gloria told me that Jennifer was going to make a sample quilt for the shop with the Habitat fabrics.  How fun is that!  Can't wait to see it!  

Then...and THEN she said, "would you like to make a sample quilt for the shop, Jacque?"  Ohmygosh, I about passed out!  Me!?  Make a sample quilt for a shop!?  Heck, yeah!  (I've taken several of my finished quilts in to show off her, so she knows my work...case you're wondering.)

We talked about it a bit and Gloria sent me home with some patterns and pattern books to decide what quilt I wanted to make.  And, guess what fabric I get to use????  SUNKISSED!  YAY!!!  She doesn't have the entire collection, but certainly enough of them to be awesomely fun!!! 

I will have a say in what pattern I want to use.  But, as the owner of the shop, she has the final say.  So, I'll browse the patterns/books and choose a few that I really would like to work on and fly them by her.  

Ohmygosh.  Can you believe that?

So, if she's happy with my work, I'll have the opportunity to sew more sample quilts.  Not all right now, but over time.  You know.  How fun is that...to play with awesome fabric!  With no guilt over the expense!

Breathe, Jacque.  Breathe.

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And, just to make the day even better, my 'snow days' pattern arrived...ohmygosh!  It will be amazing!  More on this later.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. - Ecclesiastes 9:10