The Week That Was...

What a week this has been!

I have spent hours and hours on the phone each day...wasn't sure I would get anything accomplished in the way of sewing.  Not that I need to...but, well...yeah, I need to.  You know?

I was so looking forward to using the prints I had collected...Vintage Happy and Bake Sale by Lori Holt of Bee In My Bonnet, along with some basics by Michael Miller.  Let me tell you, I was not disappointed.  These are lovely fabrics...and they all played well together.  Here's what I did with them...

I made the first block last Saturday...and then there were several days when I did nothing on it.  But, I managed to get the blocks done one by one.  Not that it took much time at all to put together a block, mind you.  These blocks are so much fun...rather addicting, for sure!

I spent a bit of time yesterday and today working on the layout and sewing it all together.  I think I like it!  Sixteen large granny square blocks with sashing.  I need to add a small border, yet.

I had mentioned to Sharon (you really ought to visit her blog to see the summer block of the week she is doing with Temecula Quilt Company) that this was the second to last quilt I was making and I think she about fell off her chair laughing...in fact, she may have gone into hysterics.  I just meant until I got all those flimsies quilted!  (see my sidebar)  Since then, I had another shot of inspiration.  Yeah, where is it when I want it and why is it overwhelming me when I have a bazillion other things to do?  ~sigh~  It has to do with this bundle of fabric...

 

I received this wonderful gift of Bali Handpainted Batiks (named Coconut) from Kim over at My Field of Dreams in December of 2010 and thought I knew what I wanted to do with it.  Until today.  I saw a photo of a quilt that totally captivated me and is now what I think the perfect design for these fabrics!  So, perhaps I need to do that one before I put a halt to the ever-growing pile of flimsies! 

I know, I know.

Only time will tell.     

"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...a Finish!!

Nope, not me!  Sharon finished her Snow Days quilt and she did an absolutely awesome job with it!  I am so proud of her.  If you recall, we started this project back in 2011...and I have a long way to go on mine before it's finished.  Please take a moment (or several) to visit Sharon's blog (click here) and see what a beautiful quilt she finished.  I can only hope that I finish mine mine looks as good as Sharon's...whenever I get it finished.  Here's a peek of Sharon's quilt...but, seriously...click on the link and visit her blog so you can see the entire beautiful piece of work!!

In the meantime, I received a belated birthday gift from my bff, Janer.  I asked for dish towels and she found the perfect ones...and sent along a pair of slippers! with them  She also sent a few toys for Tag (photos are too blurry to show).  Thank you, Janer!!

I guess I best get my butt in gear if I have any hope of getting my Snow Days quilt done by next winter.  Unfortunately, other things distract me and keep me busy, but I am now a bit more motivated.  ~grin~

It's Friday!  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

And, She's Off!!!!

I have been off my game these past days.  Not sure what's going on...not really sick sick, but certainly not feeling well.  I feel okay today, though.  And, I am happy about that, for sure!  I did manage to eek out a few hours of sewing here and there.  Doing things that took little time, energy and brain-power.

I bought a new doll dress pattern, so I did some sewing on two outfits...

need to make bloomers, yet

mottled pink will be bodice.  need to make panties, too.  see the birds?

I quilted 4 pillow covers...

quilted on each side of horizontal and vertical seams

quilted on each side of horizontal, vertical and diagonal seams

quilted in diagonal lines inside and around middle piece

quilted on one side only of horizontal and vertical seams

I need to buy backing fabric and pillow forms, yet.  I didn't go much of anywhere this past week.  Am hoping to get to Hobby Lobby sometime in this next week.

Sharon (my cohort in quilting the Snow Days quilt), has been hard at work piecing her stitchery blocks to her pieced blocks.  If you have a moment, you really should pay her a visit and see how wonderful her quilt is looking!  As for me and my Snow Days quilt?  I have some serious catching up to do, as there is nothing going on with that right now.  It's at a point where I need to think...and we all know that there are days when thinking is really difficult for me!  ~grin~  Besides, I am totally distracted with/by a few other projects right now.

And, that's about it.  No knitting, no quilting, no nothing else going on.

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Did you sign up for the giveaway?  It ends tomorrow, so you still have time to enter the drawing!  Find the post 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

Coming and Going...

I sent out two packages last week.  They were delivered, so I get to show you what I sent.  ~grin~

I sent one package out to Jody, who lives in New Mexico.  She is my godchild and niece...her birthday was July 30.  I actually had these done the day before her birthday.  Why, then, weren't they mailed until August 29?  Oh, who knows...I'm just slow, I guess.  Two face cloths.  This is a new yarn I'm working with (I may have mentioned it before)...a blend of cotton and linen.  Perfect for face/wash cloths.  Color is Clementine.   

The other package went to Maine.  To Julie of Dog Trot Farm.  I adore her...and she adores her one year old grandson, Travis Lloyd.  He, in turn, adores tractors!  Whilst going through my fabric in this most recent destashing, I came across some tractor fabric.  Not sure what I had originally planned for it, but as soon as I saw it, I thought of Travis and knew what I wanted to do with it.

I made this bag for him to keep little stuff in.  Tractors, perhaps.

I love drawstring bags.  I made them for my sons when they were toddlers.  They carried toys to and from Gram and Grandpa's house in them.  Course, they weren't quite as fancy as this one (or the one I made Riley shown here), but they were completely wonderful and served their purpose(s) well. 

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I love sending surprise packages in the mail.  And, almost as much even more, I love receiving packages!  One came in the mail today...from Sharon, my 'snow days' compatriot.  Just look!!

Want a closer look?  Okie dokie.  First up...scarlet pumpkin hand soap.  ohmy...the smell is soooo yummy!!

 

And, this candle...I could eat it up, it smells so delish! 

Embroidery needles...one each of sizes 7 through 11.  

I am always misplacing my scissors...seem to never have them on my side table when I need them.   Now, I have a pair that I will keep right there!  And, look at how cute they are, too!

This.  I cannot believe this!  It's a divided container for small things.  Every time I have gone to the temecula quilt co website, I have almost ordered this.  Not kidding.  Since back when Kelley Girl first introduced me to this website, probably at least 4 years ago.  So.  Thank you, Sharon!!!

WOW!  What a fun package to open! 

Thank you, Sharon...everything is perfect!  And, thanks for making today a fun mail 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

How I Spent My Week with Pneumonia...

A huge thank you to everyone who has commented here and emailed me with get well wishes, good thoughts and prayers.  I am on the mend and feeling a bit better each day.  I've been taking lots of meds, (antibiotics, 2 inhalers, cough syrup and steroids) and they are doing what they're supposed to be doing.  YAY!  I go for a recheck on Monday.  

I've been reading and napping and watching tv (last weekend's Lucille Ball marathon was totally awesome!).  

And, I've done a bit of sewing.  Mind you, I do about half an hour of something and then I get tired and need to rest.  So, the progress I've made on these projects has been slow...but that's okay. 

So.  First up.  I finished this Christmas table topper.  It is for me Mum to give to a friend.  Fabric is Jovial for Moda by Basic Grey.  It measures about 23 inches square and went together very quickly.  Last seen here, I added the borders, quilted/bound it.

Second.  Here's what I have done thus far on my doll quilt swap quilt.  Last posted about it here...it's been waiting for borders...been very undecided about them.  I finally made a decision and put them on last night.  It measures 17 inches square.  I am a little behind...but I think I'll get it into the mail by the due date (August 16). 

Third.  Remember the Sunshine Quilt for Doreen?  Well.  When we met for lunch, Doreen  showed me a picture of Jerry, her miniature dachshund.  She absolutely adores him.  I mean...she is over the top in love with him.  (nothing wrong with that...just sayin')  He is pretty cute...but I am not a huge lover of small dogs.  So, I was a bit less effusive with my adoring praise than she thought I should be about him.  {grin}  He is pretty cute.  I guess.  So, now every time I talk with her, she asks me if I don't think that Jerry is just the cutest dog ever!  I decided that - because of his adorableness factor - or was it to do with how much my friend loves him - he deserved his own little quilt.  I had more than enough fabric scraps from her Sunshine quilt.  So.  I did what any other quilter would do.  Made Jerry a quilt.  Here's a photo of the finished top, which measures 15 x 18 inches.  I made a simple patchwork quilt with squares.  The borders are the same as the borders on Doreen's quilt.  Refresh your memory here.

And, fourth.  This is, after all, 'Christmas in August' for Sharon and I, so I am working on a Christmas gift.  I started this last Monday evening...and have made some good progress.  I'm using two basic stitches...stem stitch and back stitch...with twelve colors of floss.  It's much different than working on the 'snow days' blocks that use only the one variegated floss.  I'm trying to be fairly relaxed about color placement and so far, I'm happy.

Must go rest now.  I'll keep you posted on my pneumonia progress.  Please keep up the prayers and good thoughts.  Thank 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

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

Rag, Leaves, Mini, VIP...

First of all, cuz I know you're all wondering, Allegra is doing fine. Same, in fact. Though, she does seem to be eating better...could be the prednisone is working...or it could be the fact that I have found the correct size of meatballs to feed to her. No, not meatballs like with spaghetti, but small pieces of canned food rolled into a ball. Much easier for her to eat.

Second, I had a crappy a** week. Worried about Allegra, then my car broke. Thank goodness it was just the battery, but I still had to go without my car for 3 days...and rely on others to take me to work and back. What a pain. For them, as well, I am sure. So, when I went out to get the mail and found a large package waiting for me, I was amazed. Who was sending me something??? I knew it wasn't my quilt from the doll quilt swap...the box was too big. And, heavy. Well...I tell you...I cried my eyes out when I opened the box. Sharon, a friend from a wonderful group called An American Primitive Gathering, sent me this kit to make my very own rag quilt! How totally awesome is that! Thank you so very much, Sharon. You are so very generous! This was exactly what I needed on that day. (the colors are much richer...cannot get a good color for some reason)
Sharon also sent along a magazine, "American Patchwork & Quilting". In it was this quilt pattern. Isn't it lovely??

I walked into my LQS yesterday to pick up my next BOM kit and saw bolts of these luscious leaves...had to buy some fat quarters to use for the leaves of the aforementioned quilt!
Third, here is the mini quilt I received from my partner in the Doll Quilt Swap 7! Anna saw that I, too, was a Christian, so she wanted to make something with a verse. This is what she did. Isn't it just the perfect mini for me? Totally AWESOME!!!

Anna wrote, "When I found this verse I just thought of how we always focus on our flaws & not the beauty in us. So I made the quilt kind of wonky & with some wrinkles as a reminder that no matter how many flaws we may focus on, we are God's amazing creations."

I absolutely love it! My first doll quilt swap was so much fun...the next one doesn't start until the New Year. Thankfully, I have a ton of things to get done by then...so the time will go fast.
I am working on a very important project...hoping to get it done this weekend. Here's a sneak peek:
Hope you all have a great weekend!