Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? It's The Little Things....

Hi, all!

How in the world can it be Friday already?  This month is flying by - and I've got so many things in progress, but I haven't been able to finish anything this week!  So this week I'm going to celebrate the little things...

.....like the two quilt backs that I made.  Those quilts will be straight-line quilted on my tabletop machine, so they're waiting to be sandwiched....

...and the Christmas trees that Lilli and I decorated this week!  It's so much fun doing things like this with little ones - I had forgotten!

...and the quilt top I cut out this afternoon during naps...

Mine is much prettier, with
rainbow colored drawers!

...and the new UFO sorter I got at Joann's for a steal last week and finally assembled this afternoon!

So those are just a few of the little things I'm whooping about this week - in between working on Christmas gifts and cleaning house for a pair of Christmas parties at my house on Saturday!  (Oh, how I hate house cleaning - it just gets dirty again, and no quilt to show for it!)

So what are you whooping about today, just three and a half weeks until Christmas?  (EEEEEK!!!)  Share - we all want to know we're not alone on the good ship Freak Out!!  The party will remain open until Sunday night, so share what you can!!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Don't Hurry Down That Chimney Yet!!

Hi, all!

Wow - are you still as full of turkey as I am?  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, full of food, family, fun and shopping!!  And plenty of sewing, too.  I hope you had just as much fun as I did!

Less than a month until Christmas - can you believe it?  I've been working really hard on my gifts, so let's see how I did on last week's list...

1.  Quilt and bind the four ministry quilt needs.

Done!  I'll be delivering these to church this week...

2.  Quilt the modern grey quilt.

Done!  I love the way this turned out... but I haven't taken pictures yet... so I'll show it off later!

3.  Sew together the southwestern quilt.

Done!  I'm so happy this one worked out well...

4.  Sew Emmy's stocking together.

Done!!  Tomorrow Lilli and I will be hanging all the stockings!

5.  Start working on a super-secret Christmas gift.

Done!  Can't show it yet, though....

6. Decorate the house for Christmas!

I've started, but there's a long way to go!  Good thing Lilli likes to help put out all the "Christmas clutter".....

Hey, it's a start!

And here's what I need to be working on this week...

1.  Quilt the southwestern top.

2.  Make Lilli's nightgown.

3.  Cut out a gift quilt.

4.  Make the back for Emmy's quilt.

5.  Decorate the house for Christmas.

6.  Start wrapping Christmas presents.

7.  Prepare for two Christmas parties at my house this Saturday!

(Urk - cleaning!!  But it's for a good cause!)

And that's what I'll be working on this week, in between playing with those sweet babies!

So now the question is - - - what are you working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

PS - In the spirit of Christmas and giving, the new owner of 1Choice4Quilting is having a great giveaway!!  Check out this blogpost to learn how to enter - lots of ways and lots of chances!!

(Plus you can always get to 1Choice4Quilting by clicking their button on my top right sidebar!)

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? The Better Late Than Never Version...

Good morning, all!!

Yes, for a change, I'm actually writing this post on Friday - because I completely lost track of my days yesterday, plus I fell into a tryptophan-related coma last night - so better late than never, right?  

First off, I promised a winner for my 500th post giveaway - someone will be receiving this....

....an absolutely awesome Ott Light!!  I have really enjoyed mine, and I'm sure that our winner will love hers too!  So I asked my personal Random Number Generator.....

...to choose a number between 1 and 99, and he chose #78....

78 

tink's mom said...

Congratulations on all of the milestones and especially on giving kathy the incentive to prove herself. What a great quilt she made.
I have too much quilting to do to shop on Black Friday. Seriously, I buy very few actual presents in stores any more. The kids in my life would much prefer cash and I'm the aunt who does not disappoint. Mj Wants an annual pass to Disney world and my sister is getting an airline ticket for a cool trip to Florida in January. All of which gives me a guilt free sewing day on Friday.

November 18, 2012 4:36 PM 

Selina, who blogs over at Selina Quilts!!  Selina has been a great friend to our quilt ministry, and is a two-year participant in the Hands2Help Charity Quilt Challenge.  Congratulations, Selina!!!  I'll be shipping your loot out to you sometime this week....

*^*^*

And now, back to the regular purpose for Friday - time to get our whoop whoop on!!  Here's what I'm whooping over this week - something I made a few weeks ago, but couldn't show off yet...

I made three of these great pillowcases for my (adult) nieces and my sister - just so they could have "visions of sugarplums" dancing through their heads up until Christmas!  (There's a reason they call me Wicked Auntie!)  The girls stopped by on their way home from college for Thanksgiving, so I got to see the expressions on their faces when they opened their little early gifties...

Here's Heather - I'm pretty sure she'll use hers...

And Rachel - who may be a little too embarrassed
to use hers - but I hope not!!

I didn't get to see my sister open hers, but Heather promises to send me a video she took...   A BIG THANKS to P., who showed off this fabric on her blog - I had no idea there was such delicious Christmas fabric available at Joanns!!

And something else I've been working on - this isn't finished, but I've made it through the hard part.  It may not look like much, but this represents some mind-bending math, a lot of prayer and finger crossing, and a tiny bit of cursing and seam-ripping.....

This is the center of a quilt I'm making for a Christmas present - for someone who doesn't read my blog, thankfully, so I can show it off!  I think the rest of it will go together pretty easily.  I got my inspiration for this quilt from this pretty little mini - but taking it up to lap quilt size from a photograph was an exercise in brain-stretching!

*^*^*

So that's what I'm whooping about today!

How about you?

What have you been working on?

Share - we want to cheer you on!!!

The party will remain open until Sunday night - 

so there's plenty of time to join in.

Be there or be square!!

Hugs!

Sarah

To Those I'm Thankful For....

YOU!

Hi, all!

On this Thanksgiving Day, I just want to say that I am so thankful for each and every one of you!!  My life is made brighter and richer for knowing you, my on-line friends!

And our quilt ministry is richer for those of you who have joined in our efforts in the past three years!  Yes, it's been three years this weekend since we made what became the ministry's first quilt (you can see the story of that quilt here) and since that time, many many of you have sent donations of fabric, blocks, UFOs, and finished quilts.  I am amazed at the generosity of quilters each and every day!  There is absolutely no way that we could have reached the 400+ people who have received quilts through the ministry without your help!

I have a small favor to ask of those of you who have assisted our ministry in any way in the past three years.  I really want to make a quilt to honor and memorize all those who have worked with the ministry, and I have an idea that you can help with.  I would love for each of you to make and send me a 10" block with a representation of your hand on it - drawn, embroidered, appliqued, paper pieced, however you choose to do it - and your first name, last initial and home town.  

I think by next May or so, the ministry will reach the 500 quilt mark - and I would really like to have a quilt finished to hang at church to memorialize all the hands that have helped touch all those lives.  Will you help me?

I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving holiday - eat too much, play too much, love on your families and sew sew sew!!!

Sarah

PS - There's still time to enter in my 500th Post Giveaway - I'll be drawing a winner and making the announcement in this Friday's Whoop Whoop post - so if you haven't entered yet, jump over here and leave a comment!  There's a great Ott Light up for grabs!

Make-A-List Monday - Still Plugging Away!

Hi, all!

Monday again, and another week closer to Christmas!  Ack!!  I'm still working hard on that gift list, but ministry quilts are being requested and that's keeping me busy too....  So let's see how I did on last week's list...

1.  Bind the three ministry quilts that are ready to go.

Done!  These have been delivered to their new owners - a woman battling colon cancer, a young boy facing open heart surgery, and an older woman with recurring brain cancer.

2.  Finish assembling the modern grey and yellow quilt top.

Done!

3.  Start sewing the southwestern quilt together.

I started this one last night - but no pics yet!

4.  Finish putting borders on the ministry quilt top.

5.  Make two quilt backs for ministry quilts.

6.  Quilt those two ministry quilts.

Done!  These have already been delivered to their new homes - a young father who had a leg amputated and a young mom with a diagnosis of cancer.

7.  Make a back for Emmy's quilt.

Haven't started this one yet...

8.  Put Emmy's stocking together.

...and while I've blocked the cross-stitch piece and picked out the backing, I haven't had a chance to put this together yet!

It's been a busy week with ministry quilts - the five above, plus we delivered another one this morning and I have four more on the list!  So here's what I've got to do this week -

1.  Quilt and bind the four ministry quilt needs.

2.  Quilt the modern grey quilt.

3.  Sew together the southwestern quilt.

4.  Sew Emmy's stocking together.

5.  Start working on a super-secret Christmas gift.

6. Decorate the house for Christmas!

I don't know about you all, but here at my house we don't start decorating for Christmas until after Thanksgiving dinner is cleaned up.  Makes for some fast decorating, but that's ok!  It's kind of nice to have a clear break between the two holidays.  

That list should keep me busy, even over the holiday weekend - it will be good to have a couple of extra days to quilt!  Maybe I can knock a few more projects off my list.....

Oh  - - - a quick reminder - there's still time to enter into the fun of my 500th post giveaway!  Hop over HERE and leave me a comment to be entered to win a great little Ott Light!

So now, the question is - - - what are you working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? A Giveaway and a Special Whoop!!

Hi, all!!

Well, the day is finally here - the day I write my 500th post!! And as promised, there will be a giveaway - - - but more about that after I share my whoop whoop moment for the week....

I am such a proud "quilt-mama"!  This is my friend, Kathy, with the quilt she designed and made, from start to finish, for her father-in-law.  When I met Kathy nearly three years ago, she told me that she would love to come sew with us, but that she had been told by a professional (!), that she was totally unable to sew.  I am happy to say that we have proven that so-called professional totally wrong!  This is probably Kathy's sixth or seventh quilt, and it is amazing!  Take a look at her quilting...

....words even!!  She did an amazing job with this. Chose the fabrics and colors, designed the layout, did her own quilting and binding.  Awesome work, Kathy!!  One last shot...

My favorite block on the quilt.  Kathy's father has Parkinson's disease, and he will be undergoing surgery next week.  I can't think of a better verse for him to keep in his heart!

And another big whoop whoop this week for the quilt ministry - we gave away our 400th quilt last night!  The quilt ministry and this blog are just about the same age - not quite three years old.  And both have added so much to my life - and that's worth a whoop whoop too!!

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

And now - it's time for - - - the giveaway!!

I caught a great sale recently, and thought about this moment...

...and picked up one of these just for one of you!!

It's an OttLite High Definition Creative Series Task Lamp in Going Green!  I absolutely love mine - it gives me

just the right amount of light to do handwork!

So what do you have to do to get in the running?

Just leave me a comment!  Let me know if you're going to join in the Black Friday madness, or if you're just going to sit at home and enjoy the peace and quiet...

I'll draw a winner and announce it next Friday, just to give someone else something to whoop whoop about!!

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

And now it's your turn - 

What are you whooping about this week?

(Hopefully you can show what you are working on!)

Do tell!  We'd love to whoop right along with you!!

The party will remain open until Sunday night...

Be there or be square!!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - A Return to Sanity!

Hi, all!

I definitely got a reality check last week about how much it's possible to accomplish while taking care of two sweet little girls!!  We had a lot of fun, though - check out what Lilli and I did together....

She's using her new sewing machine, a Janome 11703 Sew Mini Petite.  I absolutely love this little machine - it sews just like a real one, but slowly, and is sturdy enough that it doesn't feel like a toy. I think she'll be able to use it for many years to come!

So now, let's see how I did on last week's (ridiculous!) list....

1.  Cut out two quilts.

Done!  Here's the kit for one...

A southwestern-themed quilt...

...and I've actually started assembling the second one!

2.  Cut out and make four pillowcases.

Done - but I can't show those to you yet.  Soon, though!

3.  Cut out the nightgown and the messenger bag.

Oops - didn't get to this one!

4.  Make the scarf.

Done - but I can't show this one yet either.

5.  Sandwich the wall hanging.

Nope.  Didn't get to this one...

6. Make a back for Emmy's quilt.

...or to this one!

7.  Take care of any ministry needs that arise.

We had six requests for quilts last week.  I finished and delivered one, quilted three tops that still need binding, and I'm putting the borders on another.  Two backs to make and some quilting and binding, and we'll have those needs taken care of!

8.  Finish stitching Emmy's stocking.

Woohoo!!! I did get this one done, feverishly stitching while my hubby drove us to and from Birmingham last weekend!  

Now I just need to turn it into a stocking!

9.  Bind Lilli's quilt.

Done - but no pics yet.  I had to stash it away so little eyes wouldn't see it early!!

So this week, I'm going to try to be a little more reasonable with my list.  Even so, I bet it will be long!

1.  Bind the three ministry quilts that are ready to go.

2.  Finish assembling the modern grey and yellow quilt top.

3.  Start sewing the southwestern quilt together.

4.  Finish putting borders on the ministry quilt top.

5.  Make two quilt backs for ministry quilts.

6.  Quilt those two ministry quilts.

7.  Make a back for Emmy's quilt.

8.  Put Emmy's stocking together.

Told you it would still look bad!  But I think this is a little bit more manageable than last week's list.  I'm childless tomorrow morning, so hopefully I can knock the first two items off the list then!

Speaking of the modern quilt top, Lilli saw the pieces I had up on the design wall - just a couple of strips of the print and the solid - and I asked her what she thought.  She said, "It's pretty - - - but it's kind of boring, isn't it?" She cracks me up!!  It's hard to explain to a child that sometimes a modern quilt is quiet rather than bright or busy.  Just shows that she's a lot like me, though - I really like bright and loud too!!  I think that quilt's going to be pretty amazing when it's done, though.  It's a gift, so I'm going to enjoy it while I have it...

So now, the question is - - - what are you working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

PS  -  Big news!  Friday's post will be my 500th post - and you know what that means - a GIVEAWAY!!!