Snow Days Revisited...Again...Seriously!

You will be happy to know that I am working on my Snow Days quilt.  Again.  Seriously!    

For those of you who have not been reading my blog for the past 4 years...here is a quick recap.

Sharon - of MoosecraftUSA blogging fame - and I started a BOM in February of 2011.  Snow Days.  She actually did the BOM thing...where she received a box of fabric from the host shop each month.  I received the pattern for my birthday and bought my own fabrics.  

Here is the pattern cover...

And, here are the fabrics I purchased...

To continue.  I finished stitching all 14 blocks within 11 months.  woohoo!  And, then I did nothing for a year.  In 2013, I pieced all of the fabric blocks that go around the border of the quilt...those that attach to the stitched blocks I had completed.  Since then, I have done very little with it.  So.  Here we are in 2015...I must be able to work on this in only the odd-numbered years.  (huh?)  

Today, I cut stitched blocks to size and sewed them to pieced blocks.  I have four more to go, but I am done for today.

Here are the blocks that are now ready for the next step.  (Ignore the measurements written on the paper tags...those are the sizes I needed to cut the stitched block.)  Without further adieu...

 

There is more stitching to do on some of the blocks.  Extensions of the tree branches.  That will keep me busy in the evenings for awhile.  And, I need to piece all of those center blocks!  I will get this done!  

Hope you're having a pleasant and productive 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

GIVEAWAY!

I did not forget...I promised a birthday giveaway and here I am with it.  Better late than never, I always say.  

I made another double-zipper pouch with Lotta Jansdotter fabrics.  The pattern is by Sweetwater and is so easy to put together...I rather enjoy making them!  This pouch measures ~9 x 7 inches.

For a chance to win this pouch (which I will fill with a few goodies), leave a comment on this blog post.  What would you use the pouch for...sewing supplies, make-up...could be wonderful for almost any use!  

I will draw a winner on Monday morning, March 2.

Here's the pouch...

front

back

Good luck to you 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

One In and One Out...

It is time to say goodbye to Emma, my 16 inch model.  She's been visiting since July and now her mama wants her back home...so off she will go.  Goodbye, sweet Emma!  Thank you, Cathy!

In the meantime, a special someone arrived today...and I am very excited to have her here!  A lot of the patterns I have, and the clothes that I want to make (that I will need to make up my own patterns for), are for 18-20 inch dolls, so it makes sense to have a doll that size to help with fitting and modeling. 

So.  Without further adieu, meet Cassidy Jane...my 19 inch model.

did you see that she has ears?

Here they are together...Cassidy Jane and Emma.  Wow!  There are many differences in these two girls and not just in the size...

I plan to have fun with Cassidy Jane.  I just hope that what is in my head translates to paper and fabric. 

she has big feet!

"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 Made...

In my last post, I wrote that I had made a few things I could not yet show.  Well, those things are arriving at their destinations today, so I am finally able to show you.  Nothing that exciting, mind you...just a few things I made.


First off...linen napkins for Lindy.

Unfortunately, I only had enough of this natural linen to make 4 and she has a family of 6, so when I get more of the natural linen, I will make/send 2 more for her.  I also made her two face cloths...one red and the other green.  Sorry, no photo of them.  

Lindy is my 'almost' birthday twin.  Her birthday is the day before mine (the 15th...and, yes, her gifts were late) and she is a few years younger than I am.  We met on a rug hooking message board several years ago and started exchanging birthday wishes...which eventually turned into gifting one another.  Lindy is the one who gave me the Curio fabric to make this quilt...which, of course, needs to be finished.  This year, she sent a gift card for the Missouri Star Quilt Company!  I had fun spending it.  I bought a layer cake of Denyse Schmidt's Hadley collection, some yardage for binding, needles for Naomi Janome and a package of needles for hand sewing.  Thank you so much, Lindy! 

oh!  I must tell you...dealing with the Missouri Star Quilt Company is a very pleasant experience.  My layer cake was short two 10" squares, so I called them.  Instead of sending two 10" squares, they sent me yardage!  More than 1/2 yard!  Wasn't that nice?  This was not my first shopping experience with them and it definitely will not be my last.  Love to find suppliers that are willing to take that extra step to satisfy a customer!

Next up...more kleenex cozies.  Apparently, there are more people in the state of Maryland who have yet to receive one.  My sister, Joyce, is determined that everyone she meets receive one...so, of course, it is up to me to supply them.  ~grin~

fronts

backs

And, that is all I have done!  Well, I have been planning things, too.  That takes up way more time than it needs to most days.  But, you know, it has been so cold and gray...definitely saps any energy I may have.  Spring is not far off.   

Yes, I had a birthday.  And, the federal government honored my birthday by giving federal employees (at least some of them) the day off.  Nice!  ~grin~

One of the things I bought with birthday money received was...you guessed it...fabric!  I wasn't going to buy any fabric, but then decided that if I was going to, it would be better to spend birthday money than to take money out of my budget.  HA!  So, I ordered a fat quarter bundle of Anna Maria Horner's Folk Song!  It arrived today and I am in love!  Her fabric is so wonderful...the colors and the feel/drape of the fabrics are just something else!  When I made this quilt  back in September...

Pretty Potent by Anna Maria Horner

I fell in deep, deep love.  

So...want to see what I received?  

Folk Song by Anna Maria Horner

Oh. My. Gosh.  I love these colors...they are so vibrant!  There are only 14 fat quarters in this collection, but if I pick up a few of the coordinating solids, I will be able to make a very nice sized quilt!  Not any time soon, though.  It's going into my 'someday I'll make a quilt with this' container.  

Yeah.  So.  My birthday.  In honor of me, I am having a giveaway!  Not today, though.  Check back in a few days.  I need to decide what to give away.

In the meantime, stay warm and safe!  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

Scraps...

I played with scraps today.  That was not my intention when I started going through my tote full of miscellaneous fabric...I just wanted to sort it out so I would know what I had in there.  But, while sorting through everything, I decided to take out the pieces that were small (as in less than an eighth of a yard).  I ended up with quite a pile when I got done...

this is just a small portion of the pile

I set some of the pieces aside to use for doll clothes.  The rest was cut up into strips...

1.5", 2.5" and larger strips

  and squares...

2.5", 3", 4" and 5" squares

There is another container that holds 6" squares and larger pieces that I did not want to cut up. The containers measure 12 x 6.5 x 4 inches...and, with what I put in there today, they are full!  

I only started dealing with my scraps this way about a year ago.  Before that?  I put my scraps in two 16 quart enamel pots that I had once used for dyeing wool...and boy, they were stuffed full!  The last time I went through my stash, I gave away most of what was in those pots, as well as other fabric pieces I knew I would never use.  My neighbor was very happy to receive LOTS of scraps and pieces of fabric.  

I have done a bit of sewing this week, but am unable to show you tonight.  I'll be getting a few more things done this weekend, so will be happy to share it all with you next week.

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TAG!

 Today is Tag's birthday!
He is 13 years old.

He is...

my rock.

my helper.

my laughter.

my craziness.

my goofy boy.

my brown dog.

my cuddle buddy.

my constant companion.

He has more blog post labels

than anything else I write about.

He is...all there is. 

Happy Birthday to you, Tag E Butt!!!  

I love you beyond forever.

"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

Good Grief...

It has been two weeks since I sewed anything.  What's up with that?  I have no clue.  Just no desire to sew.  I did some stitching and some reading, instead.  

I was absolutely determined that I was going to sew today.  I knew what I wanted to make and I knew what fabrics I wanted to use.  

Sewing has always been easy for me.  This pattern from Sweetwater offered no problems in the construction of the bag.  It was using directional prints that was, apparently, not so easy for me.

Right off the bat, I was in trouble.  Not only did I cut my first fabric in the wrong direction, but then I repeated that mistake when cutting my second fabric.  Boy.  What a dunce!  I ended up using one of the pieces, anyway.  It wasn't too big of a deal.  But, the big deal was that I then needed to piece the back of the bag.  It's okay...all is well and good.  The functionality of the bag was not compromised.  It's just that every single time I look at it, I know it doesn't look the way I wanted it to.  ~sigh~  It just bothers me.  Ya know?  

So, here it is...

 

See the gray paper clip fabric?  It should be orange paper clip fabric.  And, see the direction of the paper clips on the front...where they are going sideways?  Not supposed to be that way.  duh.

One thing that was kind of fun to see, though...the paper clips on the orange fabric almost exactly match up with the paper clips on the gray fabric!  It just worked out that way. 

 

I really like this double-zippered bag.  I will make another one (or more), but be assured that I will not be using any directional prints! 
 
If you'd like to order the pattern, it is available here.
 
Enjoy the 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