Monday, July 29, 2013

Make-A-List Monday - Still Plenty To Do!


Hi, all!

I hope you all are enjoying the same fabulous weather we are - it's been in the 70s here and low humidity - unheard of in Middle Tennessee in late July!!  Usually we're in the 90s and it feels like you're walking in hot soup when you go outside....  But despite the beautiful weather, I have managed to get some things done on my list!  So let's see how I did...


1.  Quilt two women's quilts for the ministry.
Done!  Both of these have been delivered to their new owners...




2.  Quilt a friend's quilt top.
Done!  She brought us the center piece of this quilt, which was pieced by a family member, and asked us to create a quilt top for her.  I really like the way this came out - and the back has her signature "bees" on it!





3.  Sash the batik top on the design wall.
Done!  I finished the sashing...


...and then we had a need come up for it.  So I spent the last three days doing a custom quilt job on this - feathers in the borders and sashing surrounded by microstippling, a medium random meander in the batik backgrounds of each block, and pebbles in the white.  Whew!  It took forever, but I really like the way it came out!!





4.  Finish sorting through the eight boxes of donations that came while we were out of town!
Done!  They're all put away at church and some of them are even being made into quilts already!

5.  Quilt two quilts for the Rogersville mission trip.
I didn't get to this one, because of the custom quilt job.

6.  Find a pattern for a flag quilt - a young man in our church offered yard and house work in exchange for a quilt - 
what a deal!
Done!  Turns out he really just wants an exact replica of a US flag - and I found the correct proportions on line.  Now to find the fabric!

7.  Friday night sewing with my sewing sisters!
Done!  We had about a dozen ladies there, and we got a lot done!


I also finished a quilt that a lady who comes to our church on occasion asked us to finish for her.  Someone gave her this beautiful hand-pieced scrappy top - it wasn't completed - some blocks were lacking centers, and it was not yet squared off.  I took off the unfinished blocks and added a few in some of the gaps on the borders to make it a complete rectangle.  Quilted it up, rounded the blocks on the sides, and learned how to bind curved edges!  I love the way this came out...




Whew!  A very busy week, even though I didn't get everything on the original list done.  So let's see what's on tap for this week...

1.  Bind the batik quilt.

2.  Quilt a quilt for a young man in our church.

3.  Quilt a woman's quilt for the ministry.

4.  Quilt a man's quilt for the ministry.

5.  Quilt at least two quilts for Rogersville.

6.  Finish up the guest room for my niece's visit!

Tomorrow I get to go to a fabric warehouse with a friend - my first time!  We'll be looking for fabric for the quilt ministry - she can get the wholesale price, so it's a great deal for us.  I'm excited!!  Then I have Lilli and Emmy on Wednesday, and also for a sleepover on Friday night (so their parents can have a "real" date!) Busy week but it's all good!

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Friday, July 26, 2013

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? This Week's Accomplishments...



Hi, all!

It's Friday again, already!  That means it's time to get your whoop whoop on - - - I hope you're ready!  

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Even though I had the little girls for three days this week, I did manage to get some piecing and quilting done this week...


I quilted and bound this pretty scrappy top, donated by Ginette.  It will be going to a young woman whose cancer has returned after four years cancer-free.

 

And I also quilted and bound this colorful top, made with donated pieces (I wish I could remember who donated them!).  It is going to a young woman whose husband, a firefighter, was killed in the line of duty.  She has a five-year old son and is expecting another baby shortly.


I also turned these beautiful blocks donated by Laura into a quilt top!


Isn't that gorgeous?


I love the way the colors glow like stained glass!  It's always a pleasure to work with other people's beautiful blocks, and these colorful blocks were a special treat - right up my alley!

And now, to commemorate my week with the girls...


On Monday we went to see my daughter and husband at work and I got this great pic of DH with his favorite girls...


And then today, I got this pic of the girls playing with blocks together.  Emmy really wants to be just like her big sister!

Lilli starts kindergarten in about three weeks - hard to believe!  She's been staying with me since she was four months old - it's going to be strange not to have her around as much, but I'm sure Emmy will keep me on my toes!

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Now it's your turn!


What has made you dance the happy dance this week?

Remember - it doesn't have to be a finish - just whatever you've been happy to accomplish!

Share with us - we want to dance along!!

The linky party will stay open until Sunday midnight -
Plenty of time to join in!!

Hugs!

Sarah

PS - if you don't know how to dance the happy dance, here's a little tutorial...


Monday, July 22, 2013

Make-A-List Monday - Back to the Real World!



Hi, all!

Home again in Tennessee, and already I'm missing the beach!  But it's nice to be home again in my own sewing space - I've already been hard at work!  So let's see how I did on last week's list...


1.  Finish my vacation quilt top, a Swoon quilt in winter colors.  One block is completely stitched already, and another has all the HSTs and flying geese sewn and trimmed, ready to be put together.  So one and a half down, seven and a half to go!
Partially done.  I got three blocks completely finished and one partially done (I cut the center square the wrong size!) before I ran out of steam on these.  I now understand why it takes folks so long to get these done!


2.  If I finish it, work on Emmy's quilt for Christmas.
Done!  I love the way this turned out...


3.  Do some hand-piecing repair on a vintage top.
Done!  I don't have a picture of this, but it is ready to go on the frame!  Woohoo!!  This one's been hanging around for a while...

4.  If all that gets done, work on my drunkard's path project.
I didn't get to this one - the beach was just too fine!

5.  On Sunday, re-level my quilt frame before I get Jolene back!  (I live in a very old house and the floors shift sometimes.  My frame has gotten a bit out of whack, and this is a great time to get it put back to rights!)
Done!  It wasn't too far out of true and leveled up really quickly!

6.  Pick up Jolene from the shop on Monday!
Done!  She's back on the frame and ready to roll!

So now, let's see what I've got to get done this week...

1.  Quilt two women's quilts for the ministry.

2.  Quilt a friend's quilt top.

3.  Sash the batik top on the design wall.

4.  Finish sorting through the eight boxes of donations that came while we were out of town!

5.  Quilt two quilts for the Rogersville mission trip.

6.  Find a pattern for a flag quilt - a young man in our church offered yard and house work in exchange for a quilt - what a deal!

7.  Friday night sewing with my sewing sisters!

Okay - I think that's enough for this week.  I've got the little girls three days this week, so I may not get this much done.  Keep your fingers crossed that Jolene came back from her week at the spa in the mood to work!  I'm not really too worried but you know what they say about "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"!

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Friday, July 19, 2013

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? A Little Christmas in July...


Hi, all!

It's Friday again - are you ready to get your whoop whoop on?  I know I am!!

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Well, after working a bit on my Swoon quilt earlier this week, today I decided that I wanted to work on something a bit brighter - so I pulled out the fabric I bought to make Emmy's quilt for Christmas.  I remember the day she was wearing an aqua t-shirt with a pair of coral shorts, and I thought "those colors look great on her!"  Then I saw Flirt by Sandy Gervais, and it was perfect!  So I ordered a jelly roll, and recently supplemented it with the pretty panel from the line.  And here's what I put together this morning...


This is the arty shot, but here's a better shot of the top...


It went together pretty quickly, and I've still got some of the jelly roll left to do something interesting on the back.  

I've been making a quilt for each of my granddaughters each year for Christmas since Lilli was two - I didn't quilt before that - and it's a tradition I really enjoy.  They should have a nice stack of quilts to take to their new homes when they get married, many years in the future!  Lilli actually told me that all she wanted from me for Christmas was a new quilt - she counts on Papa to give her all the toys she wants!

And just to prove I've really been working on the Swoon quilt, here's a pic of the blocks I've finished.  There's one more almost done, except I cut the center square a quarter-inch too narrow so I can't put it together until I get home to my leftover fabric...


And that's what I'm whooping about this week!

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And now it's your turn!

What have you been working on this week
that's got you dancing the happy dance?

Do tell - we want to dance along with you!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight - 

Hope to see you there!!

Hugs!

Sarah

Monday, July 15, 2013

Make-A-List Monday - Vacation Quilt Time!




Hi, all!

Hello from the beautiful Gulf Coast!!  Here's what the view looks like from our balcony...


...and here's where I spent eight hours on Sunday!


Totally, wonderfully relaxing!!  But don't think I'm completely wasting my days - I have been working on my vacation quilt, too!

But right now, let's see how I did on last week's list...


1.  Go to church and make up kits for my Sewing Sisters to use next Saturday to make quilts for the Rogersville mission trip in October.
Done! I got ten kits made up, and I think they've all been distributed.  More to make when I get back!

2.  Sash the batiks quilt that is on the design wall.
I didn't get to this one before I left, unfortunately.

3.  Finish cleaning the house.
Done!  It looked really nice when I left!

4.  Pack the essentials - beach umbrella, beach chairs, sewing machine, fabric, cutting tools!  (Oh yeah, I guess I'd better pack some clothes too...)
Done!  So far we've only had a couple of things to pick up that we forgot, all minor.  Whew!

5.  Drop off some donation books at the library.
Done! They were happy to get them, too!

6.  Take Jolene to the shop for a "spa day" (a/k/a tune-up) while we're on vacation.
Done!  I had a very interesting conversation with the two gentlemen who will be working on Jolene - they thought it was funny that I named her, but promised to take very good care of her while I'm gone.  Unfortunately, they won't open up on Sunday so I can pick her up early, so Bill's a little worried I'll go into withdrawal.....  ;-)

I also finished off two quilts for ministry needs last week...


This one went to a woman with terminal cancer...


...and this one to a woman with uterine cancer.

And now, even though I'm on vacation, I've got a few things I want to get done before next Monday.  So here's my list for the week!

1.  Finish my vacation quilt top, a Swoon quilt in winter colors.  One block is completely stitched already, and another has all the HSTs and flying geese sewn and trimmed, ready to be put together.  So one and a half down, seven and a half to go!

2.  If I finish it, work on Emmy's quilt for Christmas.

3.  Do some hand-piecing repair on a vintage top.

4.  If all that gets done, work on my drunkard's path project.

5.  On Sunday, re-level my quilt frame before I get Jolene back!  (I live in a very old house and the floors shift sometimes.  My frame has gotten a bit out of whack, and this is a great time to get it put back to rights!)

6.  Pick up Jolene from the shop on Monday1

So that's my list for the week - definitely not written in stone - because if I don't get to items one through four, it will be because I'm enjoying the beach too much!  

And now the question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Friday, July 12, 2013

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Look At All The Pretties...



Hi, all!

Well, it's Friday again!!  As you read this, I'm on my way to the beach - definitely a whoop whoop!!  I hope you're ready to get your whoop whoop on too!

I don't have anything major to show you this week (other than a clean house!) so I thought I'd showcase some of the pretties that were linked up last week in case you missed them...

Check out this beautiful Aunt Millie's Garden by Carol at Attic Window Quilt Shop...


...and this pretty Carnaby Street quilt by Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation...


...and this amazing piece that started out as practice by Maartje at Quilting In Amsterdam!!


Thanks so much to each of you for sharing your beautiful creations - I try to get by to see each one and leave a comment but don't make it every week, unfortunately.  But it's always inspiring to see what everyone is working on, and I hope you each try to visit some of the other links for the inspiration!

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And now it's your time to shine!

Link up and show us what you've been working on!

Happy dancing IS allowed!!

The party will stay open until Sunday night...

Hugs!

Sarah

Monday, July 8, 2013

Make-A-List Monday - Getting Ready For Sand Between My Toes...



Hi, all!

Well, it's almost that time again - time to park myself on the beach under an umbrella and enjoy a good book and spend some time with my husband!  But of course, I can't go that long without some sewing, so I'll be taking my sewing machine and a couple of projects along, too!  But there's still plenty to do this week - including spending some fun time with this sweetie...


 while her big sister is off at preschool camp!  

First though, let's see how I did with last Monday's list...


1.  Take lots of pictures of the Helping Hands quilt!
Done!  You can see them here...


2.  Finish a man's quilt for the ministry.
Done!  And already delivered to its new owner...


3.  Finish a woman's quilt for the ministry.
Done!  This one has been delivered too!


4.  Put together the modern top on the design wall.
Done!  I really like the way this one looks!


5.  Start getting the house ready for vacation. 
(Oh how I hate housework!)
Definitely started, and almost finished, thanks to my wonderful hubby who pitched in to help!  (Of course, it didn't hurt that it rained all weekend - 9 inches! - and we were so stir crazy that even housework looked like fun!)

6.  Work on organizing the ministry's quilt patterns.
Done!  After three years of piles of patterns, pictures and scribbled notes, they're all organized into notebooks!  Woohoo!




7.  Keep up with any other ministry needs that come up.
Done!  Fortunately it was a quiet week!

So quiet, in fact, that I not only pieced this top for 100 Quilts For Kids, but wrote a tutorial for it!  


If you're interested (it's super simple and very fast - 3 hours from a pile of fabric to finished top!) you can check out the tutorial post here, or just request the pdf version in a comment!

And here's what I've got to work on this week...

1.  Go to church and make up kits for my Sewing Sisters to use next Saturday to make quilts for the Rogersville mission trip in October.

2.  Sash the batiks quilt that is on the design wall.

3.  Finish cleaning the house.

4.  Pack the essentials - beach umbrella, beach chairs, sewing machine, fabric, cutting tools!  (Oh yeah, I guess I'd better pack some clothes too...)

5.  Drop off some donation books at the library.

6.  Take Jolene to the shop for a "spa day" (a/k/a tune-up) while we're on vacation.

I think that's all I can count on getting done this week, and maybe not this much - but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

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

Hugs!

Sarah