Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Summer Sunshine!

 

Hi, all!

Hooray, it's Friday!  And we all know what that means - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  Are you ready?  Let's go!

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A couple of weeks ago, I finished a quilt!  But because other things were going on (H2H, maybe?) I didn't have a chance to really share it with you.  But tonight as I sit under this lovely summer weight quilt I decided it was time to show it off!

I made this as part of an Instagram quilt-along held by These Clever Hands (@thesecleverhands) using her pattern Me Sew Happy.

This beautiful quilt used so many of my favorite bright scraps!  And truly scraps - I dug through the pieces I had already cut that were the right size, then hit the scrap bins for the other pieces I needed.  

I found pieces in my scrap bin that I didn't remember I had - like a square from the backing of the very first ministry quilt we made, pieces from clothing and quilts I've made for my grandkids, bits and bobs from other quilts that I remembered as I put this one together.  It was quite a walk down memory lane!

When I got ready to quilt it - on the spur of the moment - I wondered if I had anything appropriate to back it in my stash.  I went to look and found the perfect fabric - but is there enough?  YES!  There was just the right amount for the back of the quilt.  Hooray!

Then after quilting I looked at it and thought, "Wow, a striped rainbow binding would be perfect for this quilt!"  Went to check in the stash, and amazingly I found just the right binding fabric - and just the right amount of it for this quilt!  I must have been living right!

And one last shot, just because it's an awfully pretty quilt!  Oh, one more thing - I tried a silk blend batt for this quilt and I really like it!  It felt like a cotton batt while I was quilting it, but after washing, it has a beautiful soft drape and it's very light.  I definitely would use it again in summer weight quilts.

And in other news....

...this represents two good days of work by my granddaughter Lilli and me!  Five bags full of H2H thank you gifts are ready to go to the post office!  I guess I know where I'll be spending some quality time now...

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

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And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share!  We want to dance right along with you,

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-a-List Monday - It's Gonna Be A Busy Week!

 

Hi, all!

Mondays are so much fun, aren't they?  The fresh start to a brand new week, all full of potential!  Who knows where the week will take you? Monday is my day to take care of some weekly chores, like paying bills, doing laundry, and grocery shopping. That way the rest of the week is free for other things!  

And here's what I did with that "free" time last week...

1.  Meet with a woman about a quilt for a little girl with cancer.

Done!  Such a sad story - a 7-year old diagnosed with cancer, and getting ready to begin treatments in a few weeks.  Her mom wants a quilt for her to wrap up in and feel encouraged by during her treatments.

2.  Get as much done as humanly possible on that quilt this week!

Done!  Lilli and I laid out the quilt and graphed it out on paper, then I started making the individual blocks.  Once those were done, I assembled the sections, and you can see them all laid out here.  I still need to finish assembling the top, but I'm pleased to have gotten this far!

3.  Work on a special blogpost for Scrappy Wednesdays.

Started!  I've gotten this far on this project - I still need to finish off this strip of blocks with a setting but other things have to take precedence this week, probably.

4.  Keep up with the counts for Hands2Help as people link up their beautiful quilts this week!

Done, and WOW!  What a great final number...

...and the count actually has increased since I created this graphic, and is now 1,044! That's a new record, all thanks to an amazing group of quilters!

I also took a little time to flex my own baking muscles (not too much, it's just a no-knead bread!) by making this lovely thing!

This was my first foray into really experimenting with the basic no-knead bread recipe, and I added sugar and cinnamon into the basic dough in the first mix.  Then the next morning, I turned it out onto a floured board and patted it into a rectangle, then topped it with a mix of cinnamon and brown sugar.  I rolled it up, tucked the ends underneath it, and put it in a preheated dutch oven to cook.  Fresh hot cinnamon toast bread for breakfast!

And I finally got a picture of the house with the solar floodlights!  The house has wired lights for the front, but they are controlled by a switch outside, or via remote which we can't figure out how to make work - so this was our solution!  I think I paid about $15 each for the solar lights, and they work great, even on days that don't have too much sun.  I don't have to turn them on - they come on at dusk and run until they run out of power.  This was taken at ten at night, so any time after this is just extra!

Enough about last week - here's what's on tap for this week!

1.  Finish assembling the t-shirt quilt top.

2.  Quilt and bind the t-shirt quilt.

3.  Divvy up the thank you gifts for Hands2Help, and then contact the sponsors who will be shipping directly with contact information for the recipients.

4.  Package up all the rest and get them in the mail!

Lilli and her organizational skills are sure to come in handy with the last two items - she's a hard worker!  I've been waiting for years for her to get old enough to help.  It's also good for her to see what's involved in a big project like this.  I'm hoping she can help me come up with some new ideas that make it run more smoothly!

So that's what I'll be doing this week, and now my only question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Hands2Help 2021 Is In The Books!!

 

Hi, all!

We've made it!  Thirteen weeks ago, the Hands2Help Comfort Quilt Challenge 2021 began, and since that time, an amazing effort has been going on to spread comfort across the world!  By the numbers, quilters from 45 U.S. states, four Canadian provinces, and one Australian territory participated.  Isn't that incredible?  And here's another number...

195 fabulous quilters completed

this year's Challenge!!!

But that's not the best number from this year...

Because you all set a new record!!!

That's right!!!  This year you all made and donated 1,034 quilts, 

the largest number of quilts ever donated through Hands2Help in one year!!!  

You. Are. Amazing!!!

And now for an update: those numbers are light!  197 participants and 1044 quilts!!!

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Can you tell I'm a little excited?  I was hoping we might hit 1000 this year, but as I started to total up quilts as they came in earlier this week it looked like we would come up just a little short.  You can imagine my happy dance when the numbers ticked over that magic number - and then kept rising!

And a funny story - this morning when I had breakfast with the grandkids, I asked Lilli to guess how many quilts had been donated through the Challenge.  She thought about it for a minute and said, "Three hundred!"  I said, "Nope.  1034."  Her response?  "HOLY COW!!!""  My thoughts exactly!

So what happens now?  Well, for those of you who already have your quilts shipped off, you get to sit back and relax.  Those who still need to ship, you have your task in front of you!  And me?  Well, Lilli and I will be getting to work over the next two weeks divvying up thank you goodies and getting them packed up for shipping, and contacting sponsors who will be shipping directly with contact info.  Hang tight, y'all - everyone gets a little thank you for participating in the Challenge!   You will be getting some happy mail from me, either by email or snail mail, in the next two or three weeks if my luck holds - I really want to get it all done by vacation!  NOTE:  If for some reason your address has changed since the Challenge started, be sure to email me directly at salliesue57 (at) gmail (dot) com right away and let me know!

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And now, from the bottom of my heart, I say thank you!  

You are the heartbeat of the Challenge, 

the reason it happens every year.  

You bring joy and comfort to so many people 

across the world, and change lives for the better.  

Never underestimate the power of a quilt!  

I wish I could make each and every one of you a quilt - 

you are MY Hometown Heroes!   

Hugs!

Sarah