In the End...

It's been a very busy year.

Lots of sewing has been done.
Surprisingly, more 'other' stuff
than quilts, though.
Interesting, hey?

Lots of starts and
lots of finishes
(gotta say, though...
all the things started in 2011 were
not finished and all the finishes 
were not of things started in 2011...
know what I'm sayin'?)

Tote bags, doll quilts, baby quilts,

lap quilts, sampler quilts, sleeping bags,

coin purses, kleenex cozies, dog/cat mats,

and other miscellaneous items.

Here are some of my favorites...

If you'd like to see everything
I finished in 2011, click on the
'2011 Finishes' tab just under
the header photo.

I still have many works in progress....
mostly quilts that need

quilting and binding.

Wouldn't take much to get them done...
just to pick one and get going on it.

Perhaps a plan is in order.

To finish one from my list of wip's

for every new one I start!

Sound good?

Okay.

Like my friend, Kelley,
I have a huge stash of supplies...
cotton fabric, 
thread & floss,
batting,
books & patterns.
Also like my friend, Kelley,


"I don't need a thing but
time to use it up." 
(well said, Kelley!)

That's the second part of my plan...
use from what I have.

How about you?

What is your plan for the new year?


I wish you all a very 
Happy & Healthy New Year!

"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

Snow Days Continued...

Here is the completed block 10

for my Snow Days quilt.

 Only one more block to go.

Then, to start piecing fabric blocks.

woohoo!!

After that, more stitching is done.

This is going to be so awesome...

and it's all Sharon's fault.

{grin}

I have several projects with

deadlines to work on.  

I'm hoping to have lots to show

you by the end of this 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

Winner, Winner!

Congratulations!!!

The winner of the charm pack giveaway is Ann who wrote "...My favorite memories are of going to 11:00 pm church service. I played in the youth bell choir and we worked for months to prepare HARD pieces to play for Christmas eve service...."

A notification email has been sent.

Thank you to all of you who entered...I wish I had a charm pack to send each of you.  



"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

The Day After...

How was your weekend...your Christmas?  

I had a lovely Christmas Day.  I did nothing special...I had no company...and I went nowhere.  Still...a lovely day.

Julie, Tag and I opened gifts in the morning...we all received some wonderful gifts.  Tag LOVES his snowman from Aunt Jill!    

Spoke/texted/emailed with all of the important people in my life.  

Puttered around all day.  I traced out the final block of Snow Days, did some stitching on block 10 of Snow Days (am about 1/2 hour from being finished with it), did some reading, took a nap, made another dozen kleenex cozies for sister Jill, watched 2 episodes of Flashpoint (on dvd) and that's about it.  A very lovely day.

I have today off work.  My goal is to clear off my sewing table and do a bit of organizing in my sewing room.  Ya know, to get ready for all of the upcoming projects.  Many fun and exciting projects coming this way!  

How about you?  Are you out shopping the day after Christmas?  Are you back at work?  Are you sitting back and having a relaxing day after all of the hub-bub?  

However you spend this day, I hope it's a good one for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh!  If you're looking for the giveaway - today is the final day - go here. 

"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

Objects of Desire...

The giveaway is here...
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I finished Maureen's quilt

and took it to work today.  

She loves it and cannot wait

to give it to her granddaughter.

You've seen pieces of this here and here.

Here it is completed,

but not yet washed and dried.

Meaning, that it's not yet crinkly and soft.

 And, here it is all crinkly and soft...

 

I used a jelly roll plus yardage

of 'objects of desire'.  

Also, Kona solid cottons in

Peridot, Melon, Mango,

Butter and Lagoon.

It measures

- after laundering -

~ 54 x 66 inches.

"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

Giveaway!!!

{comments are now closed}

Okay, here it is.

Finally. 

A giveaway!

One charm pack

consisting of 42 five inch squares.

Dang cute!

You know what to do...

just leave a comment on this post.
No need to jump through hoops.
However, if you would like to

share something of yourself...

I would love to read it.

Perhaps a Christmas memory.

I'll draw a name on Monday...

the day after Christmas.
Good luck!

"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

Distracted...

I was busy minding my own business...
quilting on Maureen's quilt.

Then, I got distracted by this news...

Mark Wahlberg 
in 

Contraband 

Coming soon to a theater near me!

"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

Quick Gifts...

Baby sister Jill needed 

gifts for her coworkers.

Something I could sew.

Something quick and easy.

I made a dozen of these for her...

kleenex cozies.
The tutorial is here...

I've made these before...

most recently for sister Joyce.

I blogged about it here.

Quick and easy. 

Takes just minutes to make one.

Big plans for the weekend.

Not sure I'll be able to 

show anything, though.

All in due time.

"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

Coming Next Month...

I am in the beginning process

of collecting fat quarters of these colors.

Remember them...orange and aqua.

And, this word - SWOON.

 

 Another fabric collection to remember.

Poppy by Laura Gunn...

Big plans for these!

  I am very much looking 

forward to next month.

Are you?

 
 "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

How Many Days Until Christmas?

Christmas is coming really fast.  Seems to come faster every year.  But, remember back in August, when I had pneumonia and had nothing but time on my hands?  For 7 weeks?  When I declared 'Christmas in August'?  When I thought I had gotten a lot done.  

Well!  Here it is, 17 days before Christmas and I have a ton of stuff to do!  How can that be?  I'm in the middle of two projects...and I need to start another.  Then, there is the one project (sorry, coworkers) that I decided could be put off until right after Christmas.  

I'm just happy that I am not giving all handmade gifts this year.

Even though it's been over a week since I last posted, I have not accomplished that much.  However, I did manage to finish up the bee blocks I had waiting...these are string blocks made into half square triangle blocks.  For Jill in my Aqua and Red Bee.  After making these, I know a string block quilt is in my future.

 

Here's a sneak peek at something I have been working on...

Tag is good.  His Aunt Julie takes him walking, which he rather enjoys.  No fun stories of late.  Sorry.

I've been reading...on my Kindle.  I once said, "but I like the physical act of reading...holding the book, turning the page..."  Not so much anymore!  I am in love with my Kindle!!!  And, did you know...at the beginning of the year, I set a goal for myself.  Of how many books to read this year.  I knew reading one book each week would not be difficult, so I set the goal at 80 books.  That works out to about 1.5 books each week.  Every week.  There was a period this summer (pneumonia August) when I read 15 books in 30 days.  That's a bit unusual for me.  However, it helped me get to where I am now...within 3 books of reaching my goal.  Not sure if you've noticed, but there is a widget on the sidebar, showing thumbnails of all the books I've read this year.  I'm pretty excited about this.  I am sure I've read 80 or more books in a year before, but keeping track makes it seem like a huge deal! 

Also.  I've been stitching on my snow days block 10.  I only have this block and one other to finish.  woohoo!  I wasn't going to stitch on it at all in December, but I decided that I still need something to do when I'm watching tv.  And, there isn't anything else to stitch on right now.   

ohyeah...and then there was the giveaway I was going to have.  hmmmm...will think about that and get it going.


 



"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

More Blocks...

Dancing with the Stars is finished.

Reruns are showing on tv.

What does that translate into for me?  

Extra time to spend at the sewing machine!

What did I do with that time?

I finished the blocks for

the 'barter with Maureen' quilt.

I have 11.

Not 12 as I should have.

11.

Not sure how I messed

up one block, but I did.

So, 11 it is.

That's actually okay.

I came up with a good plan

the other day.

It doesn't really matter

if I am one block short.

(Do you think that is like

'one brick short of a full load'?

{grin}

I surely hope not!)

Here are the 7 blocks...

 

If I did this pattern again,

there are a few things

I would do differently,

but this is fine...

especially considering the

new plan I have for them.

Doesn't hurt to take a different path,

you know.

I hope you are having a good week. 

"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

Pinwheels...Everywhere!

In my Aqua and Red Block bee,

Karen asked for pinwheels...

lots of them.

This was the specific block

she asked for.

We could either do the block

with 16 mini pinwheels,

or a combo of mini & larger pinwheels.

I opted to make one larger

pinwheel with 12 minis...

I really like how it turned out.

And, I believe that I

mentioned this before...

Maureen (coworker) and I bartered...

hours of cleaning for a quilt.

I started on the quilt today.

She is going to give it to her

15 year old granddaughter.

I think it is going to be awesome!

I love how this first block turned out...

makes me excited to do more!

Going to take a little break now...

figure skating is on.

Edited to add:  got 4 pinwheel blocks done and am calling it quits for the night.

Have a good and relaxing Sunday evening.

"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

First Things First...

There are times when one must

do what really must come first.

Stop.

Change direction.

To me, this really did come first.

Before everything else on my list.  

I needed a cover for my Kindle Touch.

So, I made one.

I used some fabric squares
and a neutral fabric (that I wish I had yards more of!).

Kashmir III is an older fabric...

one of my absolute faves!

Kashmir is also the name of a
Led Zeppelin song that I absolutely love!

Now that the cover is done,
I will move on.

Hope you're enjoying the day.

"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

Something Fun...

Remember yesterday I wrote

that I felt the need to 

"just spend time doing something fun"?

Well, here is the 'something fun'.

It's just 10 inches square... 

which means each half-square triangle

finishes at just over an inch.

I made a mistake with one of the hst's...

and now I just discovered another mistake!

ha!

Guess that serves me right for

shirking my responsibilities, hey?

{sigh}

What's a woman to do.

I never showed this.

Finished it last week...

block twelve of my 'snow days' quilt.

This is the quilt that Sharon is also doing.

Only two more stitchery blocks.

But, there is a lot of stitching to do

on fabric blocks once they're all put together.

I'm getting excited about putting this

together, but it's not going to

happen until well after the holidays.

And, just for something fun...

look what arrived in the mail today!

Kindle Touch.

I am so excited I can barely contain myself!

And, ecstatic that it's the weekend

so I have time to play with it

(once I get it all figured out!).

Have a good 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

A Day For Giving Thanks...

Today is a quiet day for me.

After having 2 meals of turkey with

all the trimmings in the last 5 days,

and now that me Mum has left,

I am using today as an extra day...

one to do something fun.

I have a quilt to start,

gifts to sew for my coworkers...

and bee blocks to catch up on.

But...you know what?

I'm going to do none of those.

I feel the need to just spend

time doing something fun.

Not yet sure what it will be.

But, I will be sure to show you!
{grin}

For some reason,
I didn't take photos while
me Mum was visiting.
Except this one...

She brought me a very
special birthday gift.
Oh, not to worry...
you didn't miss my birthday.
This gift is very early.


There is a story involved
with this beautiful needlepoint
that I will share at some other time.
For now, just know that it is very special to me.

It has now fallen to me to finish it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today is a day of giving thanks.


Among many other things,

I am thankful for all of you and

I wish you all a Blessed Thanksgiving!

"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

Days Gone By...

I have a bazillion things on my list.  I bet that you do, too.  Don't you?  Among other projects, I need to make a quilt for someone else to give as a Christmas gift.  Before I start on that, though, I need to sew a few other things.  A scrub top, a remote holder, and a coin purse.  None of them are any big deal for me to make.  I just would rather make the quilt.  I keep thinking about it and looking at the fabrics.  But, I know I cannot begin.  So.  Instead of getting the 3 small projects out of the way, I do nothing.  Why is that?  It's not as if I have oodles of time.  Right?  {sigh}  I will get at them.  Everything always gets done.     


Did I tell you that me Mum (well, she's Julie's Mum, too) is coming for a visit?  A nice long visit...9 days.  She'll be here later today.  It will be very nice to have her here. She loves to play cards...dimes, shit on your neighbor (or, in this case, daughters), and cribbage.  I'm hoping, though, that I'll have a bit of time each day to work on my projects.


Knowing that company is coming gives me just the little push I need to get a few things done that I just haven't gotten around to doing.  One example...I finally hung my 2Sheep hooked rug on the wall.  It's been rolled up in a towel since I finished it almost 9 months ago.  

 

Here's a closer look if you've not seen this before.  Click here for the quick story.

I like it on the wall.  I like being able to see it as I walk through the house.  I smile at it.  Making this rug was a long process and I am very happy to finally enjoy it.  


More later.






"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

Name Change...

No, not me.

Though, that'd be kinda fun, don't you think? 

Actually, my new etsy shop changed names.

And, why not.  

I ask you.

Why not have it be something more fun?

Like...TheChocolatePuppy.

That's what it is now.

You can get to it here.

I added one new item, too.

A baby/snuggle quilt I made last year.

I love this quilt, 

but it's not big enough

to do anything with around here.

I'm not getting much sewing done today,

though the day is not over.  

So, who knows?  

All I've been doing is housework.

Straightening.

Cleaning.

Drudgery.

Ugh. 

OH!  I did whip up something last night.

But, I cannot show it.

Yet.

I got this via email the other day...

 My nephew, Jon, with his wife, Minerva.

He's in the army...

they were at the Military Signal Ball.

Don't they make a handsome couple?

I hope you're working on something fun!!

"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

Couple of Things...

First...I have a new etsy shop.  It's in my old name...one I used when I sold rug hooking paraphernalia.  But, the logo is new...a brown dog with sewing needle and thread, which I thought very apropos.  {grin}


At this point, I only have 2 items listed...the doll sleeping bags I finished this past week.  The widget is in my sidebar...or just click here.  The shop isn't completely set up...will get to that soon.


Second...there are times when I am so overwhelmed with the people in my life.  Cathy did it again.  She cleaned out her sewing room earlier this summer and asked if I wanted what she didn't.  Course, based on previous experience with her, one would have to be a fool to say no to that offer.  So, I said yes.  I received the box Thursday.  Can you say, "WOW"!!!  I sure did!  It was full of fabric and a few miscellaneous items for purse/bag making.  About 27 different pieces...yards and yards and yards of it.  The generosity of this woman...well, it absolutely blows me away!  Thank you, Cathy!

Now.  I am totally feeling the need to pay this forward.  So, I'll get a giveaway going here very soon.  Not sure when...or what, for that matter...but keep checking back so you don't miss out!


In the meantime, have a great 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

Sleeping Bags.

A little bit of sewing...

This is the size large sleeping bag,

which measures 12 x 17 1/2 inches.

Aubrey is a 14 inch doll,

so she has plenty of room.

  

This is the size small sleeping bag, 

which measures 8 x 12 inches.

I have no other dolls,

so nothing to put in it.

That's all I have for tonight.

Time for 'Dancing With the Stars'!

"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

Snow Days Block 14

 Lest you think I have been slacking off...

 

{grin}

here is block 14...

all done!

I have 3 blocks to go...

& I'm right on schedule.

This quilt won't be getting done

until sometime next year.

Which is fine.

"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

No Time for Sleeping...

Well, ya know,

I was looking for something to do.

My friend, Cathy,

from Quilting on Turtle Hill,

sent the pattern to me.

To make some of these.

In various sizes.

For dolls.

Or stuffed animals.

So, I did.

I made a sleeping bag.

For Aubrey.

What do you think of that?

This is a Flossie Teacakes/Made by Florence pattern.

"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

Bloggers' Quilt Festival :: Fall 2011

It's that time of year again!

Each spring and fall,

Amy hosts the festival...

a fun time for all blogging quilters

to share a special quilt and its story.   

It is so much fun to visit all
of the blogs to see everyone's
entry and to read all the stories...

and comments! 

Click on the button to check out and

be inspired by all of the special quilts.

I had a difficult time choosing which

quilt I wanted to showcase here.

In the end, I chose the one

that was made for a

very special friend of mine.

The 'sunshine' quilt, as I like to call it.

The one I made for Doreen...

because she has lung cancer...

because I wanted to show my love for her...

wrap her in it, so to speak.

Doreen has been a very best friend

of mine for almost 40 years.

I love this woman so much...

she is one brave woman.

So far, she is holding her own. 

So.

This is the quilt I made for her. 

Sunshine Quilt.

Thank you for visiting...

have fun checking out all 

the other quilts in the festival!

Meet Miss Raina...

The food was eaten,

the gifts were opened...

a  good time was had by all.  

Meet Miss Raina...

the recipient of the Baby Lattice quilt.

Isn't she adorable?

The quilt was well-received...

I was assured that it would 

be much loved & used for many years.

What more could I ask for?

edited to add:  Baby Lattice quilt pattern found here.

"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

Baby Lattice Quilt...

This is the baby quilt for the coworker who just became a foster parent - along with her husband - for his 9 month old niece.  We're having the 'shower' tomorrow at work.  Cake and other food stuff.  Balloons.  Decorations.  Gifts.

 

 

I just pulled it from the dryer...it is so crinkly and soft!  I saw the pattern at the Moda Bake Shop...'Baby Lattice Quilt', found here.  I added a border all around to make it a bit larger...it measures 37 x 44 inches after laundering.
 

I used a Lily & Will charm pack, plus yardage from that collection.  And, I used Kona solid cotton in Natural.  I love how soft the colors look!  

I'll take photos tomorrow. 



"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