A look back at 2010....

Hi, all!


I have really been enjoying looking at everyone's year in review mosaics!  Seeing everyone's lovely mosaics of projects made me want to put one together myself - Lesly over at Pickle Dish was kind enough to share a link for a program that does them, so here is my year in review!


First of all, here are just some of the projects that we finished for our quilt ministry in 2010.... (FYI I made some, but not all of these quilts - lots of them, particularly toward the end of the year, were made in part or in whole by other members of the ministry!)

1. Field of Dreams, 2. Quilts For Kids!, 3. Q4K quilt, 4. Scrappy Quilt for Ireland, 5. Ballerina Love, 6. A Bird In The Hand, 7. Woobie!, 8. Dinosaurs On My Bed, 9. Country Cream, 10. Country Bow Ties, 11. Giraffe Love, 12. Grapevine, 13. Lawson Sister Quilt, 14. Pretty Pastels, 15. Rose Garden (front), 16. Summer Oranges, 17. Kites In The Air, 18. Sparkle Plenty front, 19. Amazed Detail, 20. Caribbean Reflections front, 21. Disappearing 9's (Norris), 22. Flannel Quilt (Streeter), 23. cars baby quilt, 24. Peaceful Paisley, 25. Bayou Dreams Front

1. Thoroughly Modern Millie front, 2. Autumn Days (front), 3. Falling Leaves (Beaty), 4. Baby girl quilt, 5. Baby boy quilt, 6. Flannel Quilt (Price), 7. Not Your Grandmother's Flower Garden, 8. Welcome Home arty, 9. Flannel Quilt (Roberts), 10. Flannel Quilt (Sylve), 11. Garden Stroll front, 12. 1027001424, 13. Fair&Square Artsy 2, 14. Nancy Fricke quilt, 15. Flannel Quilt (Bates), 16. Dr. Seuss front, 17. Cool Greens arty, 18. Renegade Star (Hill), 19. Tisket Tasket, 20. Redux Coins (McKenna), 21. Meghan's quilt 003, 22. Pink & Chocolate (Sowell), 23. Modern Love (House), 24. Square In A Square (Culbert), 25. Two Kids' Quilts

And here are some of the quilts and quilty things that I finished that weren't tied to the quilt ministry!

1. Stained Glass front, 2. Stained Glass back, 3. In Winter Snow 1, 4. In Winter Snow back, 5. Fractured Fibonacci 2, 6. Fractured Fibonacci 1, 7. Ticker Tape Mini Quilt, 8. Seussical front, 9. Seussical back, 10. Seussical closeup, 11. Sail On 1, 12. Corina 3, 13. Even Owls Blush, 14. Even Owls Blush (back), 15. Serendipity, 16. Northwest Passage, 17. It's All About The Math, 18. It's All About The Math - back, 19. Summer Wreaths, 20. Summer Wreaths - back, 21. Springtime Susies 1, 22. Memories of Maui, 23. Auction Quilts, 24. Chocolate On My Mind, 25. Breakout Butterflies 1

(I'm having a hard time getting the flickr links for the photos to go on properly - when I figure it out, I'll add them!)

Whew!  It's a lot when you look at it like that, isn't it?  I'll have to say I've learned a lot about quilting this year, for sure!  I can't wait to see what next year's mosaic will look like.........

Happy New Year!

Sarah


PS - be sure to check out the fabulous giveaway over at Stray Stitches!

2010 Christmas Creativity Recap!

Hi, all!

I wanted to take a few minutes to share all of the goodies I made this year for Christmas gifts - some of them have appeared in my blog, either in full or in teaser form; some of them haven't shown up before at all.  Just bear with me if you've seen some of these before!!

First of all, the quilts!

Here's Lilli's quilt....

Lilli's Dr. Seuss quilt!

A close-up of the quilting...

...and the back!

And what little girl's room is complete without a doll quilt?

Made using Crazy Quilt Mom's Ticker Tape pattern!

Crazy Quilt Mom deserves the design credit for these two quilts; the big one is her Fair & Square design, and the doll quilt is the Ticker Tape design!






















And here's my sister's quilt...

The front of Stained Glass....

....the back....

...and the artsy roll-up shot!

The fabulous Karrie Lyne deserves the design credit for this beauty - it's her Autumn Strings design.  There's a tutorial here so you can make your own!!


Next is Karen's quilt....

In Winter Snows (front)

A close-up of the quilting...

And the back!

This quilt is my own variation of a disappearing nine-patch; I'll probably post a tutorial on it someday soon!

Next, the pillows!

This one is for my niece, Heather....

Beautiful Saffron Craig fabrics!!

And this one is for my niece, Rachel!

Organic colors and prints for my organic girl!

I've named the pattern these two tops are made by "Fractured Fibonacci" - they are made using the Fibonacci sequence (1-2-3-5-8-13.......)  I'll probably do a tutorial on these later, too, if there's any interest!

And last but not least, some miscellaneous craft things...

The journal cover I made for a friend....

A pieced journal cover for a graph paper notebook....

The page markers I customized to match the cover!

And the stacks of mug rugs I've made.....

And last but not least, this little cutie!!

So that's what I made for Christmas gifts this year!  It sure was fun, but next year I'm going to try to get started on all my gift sewing before Thanksgiving - yeah, yeah, I know we all say that, don't we??  But I can always hope I'll actually do it!!

Have you made any brash promises about next year's Christmas sewing??

Later!

Sarah

Just Sayin'.....

Hi, all!  

Let me introduce you to the.......

World's Greatest Husband!

Here he is, girls - and he's mine!

And why, you say, is he the world's greatest husband?  Take a look at what I got for Christmas!!

He had to give up half his man-cave to find room for this!

And not only these, but a Fons & Porter design wall, lots of fat quarters, some templates, and new quilt magazines!  So see - he IS the world's greatest husband!!

Come back tomorrow for pictures of my Christmas projects that I can finally show you!!

Later!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday #27! Can you believe it's the last week of 2010?

Hi, all!

Can you believe it's already the last week of the year?  This has been a year of enormous change for me - I've gone from being a "finish-challenged" person to one who has finished 40+ quilts this year!  Woohoo!! And it's in large part to you, my faithful blog readers, who keep me accountable - thanks again!  

So let's see how I did on last week's list.....

1.  Make some mermaid dolls.

Done - although Lilli wasn't as thrilled with this as I was - so maybe I'll wait until she asks for one next time!  But I think it came out cute...

2.  Make a house block for Beth's challenge/contest!

Done!  And mailed off, too - now I just hope I win!!

3.  Make a baby girl quilt for the quilt ministry.

Mostly done - I've finished the quilting, just need to bind it up!

4.  Begin designing my ALQS5 quilt.

I've got some ideas rolling around in my head - hopefully one of them will make it into fabric soon!!

So what's on tap for this week?

1.  Finish the baby girl quilt.

2.  Finalize design for the ALQS5 quilt.

3.  Work on UFO #1 for the PhD Challenge.

4.  Choose design and fabric for man's quilt.

I think I'm going to stop there, because I have company this week and may not even get this much done - but it's a start!

So...... what are you going to work on this week?

Later!

Sarah

Merry Christmas!!!

Hi, all!

Merry Christmas to each and every one of you!  It's my first Christmas in blogland, and I find myself wanting to send each and every one of you a present to thank you for the joy you have been in my life this year!  Unfortunately, that's not something I can actually do - but please know that the wish is there, even if the ability isn't!!

For each of you, I wish a perfectly wonderful holiday filled with love, laughter, too much food, just the right number of gifts, and enough time to remember the real reason for the season!

"For unto you is born this day a Savior, which is Christ the Lord!"

Merry Christmas!!!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday #26! Breathing a Sigh of Relief....

Hi, all!!

It's the last Monday before Christmas!!  Are you ready yet?  I'm so happy to say that I did well on my list this past week - so let's get right to it...

Here's the recap of last week's list:  

1.  Piece a back for Christmas Gift Quilt #1.

Done!!!  And quilted, too! (See #5 below...)

2.  Quilt Christmas Gift Quilt #2.

Done!!  (I'll have to show you pics later - this one's for Lilli and I forgot to get pictures before she came over!)

3.  Make more mug rugs.

Done!! (But there are still more to make - just luckily not for Christmas!)

4.  Clothes for the naked doll!

Done!  I decided to check out the ones I found her in, and it turned out that they were in remarkably good shape, especially considering how old they are!  So I pressed them up and dressed her in them and I think she looks pretty good for an old gal....

This doll came out of my grandmother's attic.
 The chair she's sitting in was my grandmother's also, when she was a little girl,
and was given to my daughter the year she turned three!

5.  Sandwich and quilt Christmas Gift #1.

Done and done!!

Just a sneak peek on this one, since it's a Christmas gift!

I also made a couple of really cool Christmas gifts that weren't on last week's list, but can't show even a peek until after Christmas....

And now, here's what I'd like to get done this week!

1.  Make some mermaid dolls.

2.  Make a house block for Beth's challenge/contest!

3.  Make a baby girl quilt for the quilt ministry.

4.  Begin designing my ALQS5 quilt.

And of course, finish Christmas shopping and wrapping!!  But those are my sewing goals for the week....

I hope you're having a wonderful week and Christmas season - just remember, no matter how crazy it all seems to get and how stressed out you are, the first Christmas was very simple - no special decorations, fancy food, or electronic gadgets - just the best gift of all, the Baby in a manger.

Merry Christmas!

Sarah

It's not really a party until the cops show up!!

Hi, all!!

Today we had Lilli's birthday party.  Lots of adults and kids crammed into my daughter's living room, kitchen and dining room - kids racing around like looney birds, parents talking and eating - just lots of fun!  But I must say, it's really not a party until the cops show up!!  Imagine our surprise when the police showed up at the door!!  Apparently one of the neighbors was frustrated because she had a hard time getting through the street to her house, and called the police to report all the cars parked on the street - neglecting to mention the panel truck delivering a new refrigerator to the house across the street!  We all had a big laugh, including the police officer.....  Unfortunately I couldn't get to a camera in time to get the actual police officer who came to the door, so Barney up there will have to suffice!

On a whole other front, I've decided to participate in Myra's PhD (Projects Half Done) Challenge starting in January.  I'll be committing to finishing six UFO's by June 30th, starting with the Christmas quilt I began last January.  I'm hopeful that committing to one per month, I'll be able to get those beautiful quilts from the partway finished stage to the "on my bed" stage!!  Myra has set up a blog where everyone can post their finishes as they get them done, so it'll be a great place to cheer each other on, and maybe inspire a little friendly competition!  So come join us!!

I'm still trying to finish up some Christmas presents - are you still working hard or having you finished everything?

Later!

Sarah

Three years ago today......

Hi, all!

Three years ago today, my husband and I were heading out the driveway to church when we got "the call" - our daughter and son-in-law were headed to the hospital, in labor!!!  Later on that day, guess who showed up?

Then about two and a half years ago, when I started keeping her four days a week, Lilli became my near-constant companion.  Here's a pic of her shortly after I got to keep her on a regular basis....

Nowadays, we have lots of fun together "sewing" - she critiques all my quilts, and yes, a couple of them have not been appreciated as fully as I thought they should be, so don't think she's just a "yes man"!!   Since she can't read this (yet!) I'll tell you that she's getting her own Dr. Seuss quilt and a child's sewing machine for Christmas, so hopefully she'll let me have my sewing machine back and make something on hers!!

But maybe that's hoping for a little too much....

Since she appears to have claimed squatter's rights on my Christmas present....

But how could you say no to this face?  Happy Third Birthday, Lilli!!

Later!

Nana (aka Sarah)

100 Quilts For Christmas - OK, I lied, here's a few more....

Hi, all!

In case you haven't seen it anywhere else in blogland, there is a great charity event going on out there called 100 Quilts For Christmas.   I found a few more quilts that can be included in this great drive, and I wanted to show you pictures of them!

This beauty was made from blocks donated by Megan of Crooked Seams and some stash fabric, and went to a gentleman in the hospital with heart issues.....

And this quilt, made by Ann of Renegade Quilter and donated to our quilt ministry to be used where needed, went to a lady who had surgery for Crohn's disease and then developed an infection and had to stay in the hospital longer than expected.....

More blocks from Megan - after one of our quilters put these together in a beautiful quilt, it was sent to a woman in Boston who is suffering from cancer and is far from her family....

And this sweet baby quilt, made from leftovers from our other flannel baby quilts, went to the baby of a young woman our church is ministering to.

So that's what we've been doing for the past month!  I can't wait for next year and the Second Annual 100 Quilts for Christmas Drive!!


Later!


Sarah

Make-A-List Monday #25! Can you hear the sleigh bells yet??

Hi, all!

I swear I can hear those sleigh bells sometimes - it seems like Christmas is just rushing upon us so fast!  But I printed out a poster I saw on someone's blog this week that says "Keep Calm and Quilt On" - my new mantra for the week!!  I have managed to get a lot of stuff done this week - not everything on my list but that's not completely my fault - we had some stuff come up this week for the quilt ministry, and I "had" to make a little gift for a friend....

So here's the recap for last week.....

1.  Finish the flimsy for #3 Christmas Gift Quilt!

Finished the flimsy..... here's a pic of all three!

2.  Prepare quilt sandwiches for all three Christmas gift quilts.

I managed to get two of the sandwiches made....

3.  Quilt #3 Christmas Gift Quilt.

Done!  And it's a beauty....

This is "In Winter Snows"...

A closeup of the quilting...

And a shot of the back!

4.  Put hair (and hopefully some clothes!) on Dolly.

Well, she has hair, at least!

5.  Work on #4 Christmas Gift (no, this one's not a quilt!)

This one is done and ready to go in the mail!  Sorry, no pics yet - once it's delivered I'll show you!

6.  Make more mug rugs!!

I only made one more this week, but it was for a special friend of the quilt ministry...

The front (guess which team she cheers for?)

...and the back!

In and amidst doing all this, I also had to put together a quilt for the quilt ministry - I pieced the top from donated blocks and stash fabric, then gave it to another ministry member to do the actual quilting.  Here's the end result...

And I also made a set of mother-and-daughter aprons for a friend of mine who lost a really cute apron after a heated battle at a Dirty Santa party....

So that's what I did last week.  Whew!!  But even good little elves don't get a breather....

Here's my list for this week!

1.  Piece a back for Christmas Gift Quilt #1.

2.  Quilt Christmas Gift Quilt #2.

3.  Make more mug rugs.

4.  Clothes for the naked doll!

3.  Sandwich and quilt Christmas Gift #1.

That's enough for a start - since it'll probably get stuff added to it, just like last week!

And for a shot of humor, I thought I'd show you some pictures of something that got delivered to my house last week....

This was outside my door - I wonder what it is?

Apparently, someone else is checking it out too!

...staking a claim...

...and settling in for a long winter's nap!

Unfortunately, when my husband got home, this box disappeared - and don't think my little elf hasn't asked where it is!!

So - - - what are you working on this week?

Remember - keep calm and quilt on - and remember the reason for the season!  

Later!

Sarah


PS - Head over to Cut to Pieces and check out her fabulous giveaway (and her cute little girl!)


And while you're entering giveaways, check out P.S. I Quilt's giveaway - more Kona solids!