Make-A-List Monday - Lots done, but lots more to do!

Hi, all!

Boy, last week was a blur!  Does it seem like this year is just flying by, or is it just me?  Fall has arrived with its cooler days and more time for quilting - hooray!!  So let's see what got finished last week, and what I need to work on this week...

Here's last week's list:

1.  Quilt at least five quilts for Rogersville.

Don't ask me how I did it, but when I counted up, it turns out that between 9/19 and 9/26 I quilted 25 quilts!  (And went through an entire 25 yard bolt of batting!)  Here's just a few of them - the ones I took to church for binding last Sunday...

2.  Make quilts for a husband and wife who are in the hospital for a kidney transplant; she donated a kidney to her husband.

Done!  We pulled two from the stash of finished quilts...

Hers...

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...and his!

3.  Make a quilt for a woman just diagnosed with cancer.

Done!  Also pulled from the stash of finished quilts...

4.  Make more aprons for the craft show.

I didn't get to this one, unfortunately!

5.  Make more first aid kits and journal covers for the craft show.

I didn't get to this one either.  But since I think we're finished making quilts for Rogersville, I'll be working hard on craft show stuff for the next few weeks!

6.  Keep up with any new ministry needs that arise.

Done!  We are up to date.  Whew!

This quilt went to a teacher at the local high school who was just diagnosed with cancer.

7.  Start working on a commission t-shirt quilt.

I've been thinking about it really hard!  (Does that count?)  I should be able to get started this week sometime.

8.  Create a mini-size pattern for a pinafore for Emmy.

Done!  I just need to find time to cut it out and sew it up!

 I did get a lot of craft show items cut out and ready to sew up, too. And I found this great rocking chair at a yard sale...

...and guess who just LOVES it??

So even though I didn't get everything on the list done, I had a very good week!

But that was last week - time to see what I need to do this week!

1.  Sew up all of the craft show items already cut out.

2.  Make up some more aprons.

3.  Start deconstructing t-shirts for the commission quilt.

4.  Check through all the Rogersville quilts for labels; take photographs of all of them.

5.  Mail my father-in-law's quilt to him.

6.  Cut out pinafores and ruffled pants for Emmy.

7.  Sort through the Traveling Stash box and replace items; write a blog post and give it away!!

Yes, that's right - I'm the lucky recipient of another Traveling Stash box and soon one of you will be too!  I'll be posting about it sometime later this week, so keep an eye out!

8.  Cut out 112 charms from some of my Kate Spain stash for a Kate Spain Charm Swap!  

Michele over at Quilts From My Crayon Box is hosting this fun swap - she's limiting participation to 54 people, so if you're interested, join in quickly!  I'm hoping to make a Kate Spain quilt for my bed, and what a great way to get a wide variety of beautiful fabrics!  I can't wait to get started...

9.  As usual, keep up with any ministry needs that arise!

So that's my list for this week.  Probably not completely do-able, but something to shoot for!  

Oh, and I just wanted to share this great link...

A Martha Stewart recipe for One-Pot Pasta that I found on Pinterest.  This stuff is amazing!  You cook all the vegetables at the same time and in the same pot as the pasta, stirring frequently.  The cooking water is mostly absorbed, and the stirring makes the pasta super-creamy, almost like risotto.  I added some sweet Italian sausage I browned in another pan just before serving. It was wonderful!  I love Pinterest - it has really expanded my cooking horizons!!  This is definitely one to try if you like Italian food - it was easily as good as anything I've had in a fancy restaurant.  And it only took about 20 minutes to make!

Ok, enough of that.  Now the question is - - - what are you working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? It's the LIttle Things...

Hi, all!

Here it is, Friday again - can you believe it?  The weeks go by so fast!!  I hope you're ready to get your whoop whoop on!!

I've mainly been working on quilting tops for the Rogersville mission trip - nineteen in a week - so I haven't had much time to work on anything else. But I did get a few little things done...

I made my first dresden plate block...

...then appliqued it to this cute little apron I made!  

I've got plans to make an apron with pockets and a dresden plate - can't wait to see how it comes out!  

I also made this one using some orphan blocks!

My friend Donetta made her very first quilt top, and I think that deserves a big whoop whoop too!

And while we're talking about Little Things, here's what else I spent time with this week...

I'd put in a picture of her big sis, too, but big sis hasn't wanted her picture taken lately.  Hopefully I'll catch one soon!

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And now it's your turn!  

What have you been working on this week?

What has made you dance the happy dance?

Let us know - we want to cheer you on!!

The party will stay open until Sunday night - 

Hope to see you there!!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - is it really only three months until Christmas???

Hi, all!

I love it - the first day of fall was Sunday, and Sunday night we had to add a second quilt to the bed.  The best days are those when it's not cool enough to turn on the heat but you need a little more warmth at night - perfect!!  There's nothing else quite like snuggling warmly under the weight of several quilts....  But of course, the coming of fall means that Christmas isn't far behind.  Just three months away - can you believe it?  Time to get cracking!

It was a busy week last week - I had company until Wednesday morning, and Emmy all day on Wednesday, so I did most of my crafting from Thursday to Saturday.  Whew!!  It was a real marathon.  Here's how I did on my list...

1.  Finish off the quilt that's on the frame right now.

Done!  This pretty little twister quilt will be available at the craft show - something that had been languishing in my UFO pile, but now that I know how to do borders properly, it's become a nicely finished quilt!!

2.  Quilt at least five quilts for Rogersville.

Done!  I actually spent Thursday morning making nine quilt backs and then Thursday afternoon, Friday, and Saturday afternoon quilting eleven quilts!  Jolene and I had quite a workout.  And it looks like something out of The Princess and The Pea!

3.  Quilt one ministry quilt for a woman with cancer.

We actually pulled a quilt that had already been finished for this woman...

4.  Quilt a ministry quilt for a man who had a stroke.

...and another one for this gentleman, so that we could get them delivered as soon as possible.

5.  Help set up the quilt display for Gladefest.

Done!  There weren't a lot of quilts (it's a very small town festival) but it was pretty!!

6.  Work on craft show items.

Well, I didn't get to much on this part of the list, but I did make an apron today...

Do you have any idea how hard it is to take a picture of yourself in an apron?  Good thing I have long arms!

7.  Make dinner for a shut-in couple at our church.

Done!  I love Pinterest - I made... 

Slow Cooker Parmesan Honey Pork Roast, and...

Parmesan Baked Potato Halves, both excellent recipes!!

8.  Keep up with ministry needs as they arise.

Done!  We had four other needs arise that were filled with quilts that were already finished, thus the need to quilt as many as possible last weekend to "refill" the pile of quilts for Rogersville!

So that was last week.  It felt good to get so many quilts quilted - even if I forgot to take pictures of each one individually!  The other ladies in the group are taking them off to bind, so they'll be back soon and I can get some good pictures.

Here's what's on tap for this week...

1.  Quilt at least five quilts for Rogersville.

2.  Make quilts for a husband and wife who are in the hospital for a kidney transplant; she donated a kidney to her husband.

3.  Make a quilt for a woman just diagnosed with cancer.

4.  Make more aprons for the craft show.

5.  Make more first aid kits and journal covers for the craft show.

6.  Keep up with any new ministry needs that arise.

7.  Start working on a commission t-shirt quilt.

8.  Create a mini-size pattern for a pinafore for Emmy like this one...

This little pinny starts at size two, but Emmy's not quite there yet - so I need to do a little creative design!

And I think that's definitely enough for this week!  If I manage to get even part of this list done, it will be a miracle... I will be getting my hair done this week, too - time for a cut, color and highlight again!   And just in case anyone's interested, I've lost about fifteen pounds on the Fast Diet - this is definitely something I can live with!!  I do feel like I'm eating better on the days I'm not fasting, too.  That's definitely a good thing!

So enough about what I'm working on - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Quilt Bloggers Are the Most Generous People I Know..;

Hi, all!

As I said, quilt bloggers are the most generous people I know, so I know that you will all want to check out this post at Green Fairy Quilts.  Many of you may already know that Judi and Clint Madsen, the owners of Green Fairy Quilts, go on a mission trip to Romania each year, giving quilts, food, and school supplies to street orphans in Bucharest.  However, this year there is a greater need for food than anything else, so they will be focusing on that.  They travel over there at their own expense, and rely on donations from all of us generous quilt bloggers (and others, I'm sure!) to help fill the needs of these children.  

You can read more about their charity on Judi's blog site (click the link above) and I hope when you do, you'll consider donating to this worthy cause.  This cause has been near and dear to my heart for a while, as Judi helped sponsor our very first Hands2Help Charity Quilt Challenge. That year, 61 quilts were sent to Romania as a result of the Challenge.  One hundred percent of your donation goes to purchase food and other necessities for these children.  They are also hoping to be able to leave some money with their contact in Romania for future food purchases

You can donate by adding any amount to your payment for an order from Green Fairy Quilts, too!  Just think - fabric and helping others at the same time!

And if you are unable to donate anything at this time, or for that matter, even if you can donate, please consider spreading the word through your blog or Facebook as soon as possible.  Judi and Clint will be leaving in just a couple of weeks, so act now, please!!

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Some more pretties...

Hi, all!

It's Friday again - - - and you know what that means!  It's time to get your whoop whoop on!!  My week was full of company and not much sewing time, so I've got some highlights from last week to share with you....

First off is this beautiful "one-block wonder" quilt from Pat at Bell Creek Quilts.  Isn't it gorgeous?  It just says "fall" to me!

Then there's this bright beauty from Christa over at Christa Quilts. The quilt is designed by Lee at Freshly Pieced and is featured in the October issue of Quilt magazine.  Christa has kits in her shop!

This lovely star quilt was posted by Marie at Quilts With Personality, and made by her friend Elizabeth.  You really should check out the post - the back is just as gorgeous as the front!!

And Missy over at Missy's Homemaking Adventures shared a very timely tutorial on cleaning your old sewing machine!  Since I'm getting ready to clean up a very dirty, rusty Singer 201, I paid close attention - thanks, Missy!

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And now it's your turn!

What are you whooping about this week?

What's made you dance the happy dance!

Share - we want to join in the fun!!

The party will remain open until Sunday midnight - 

Be there or be square!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - A Clean House, But Not Much Else!

Hi, all!

I hope you had a good and productive week!  It seems like a long time since I last posted a to-do list, but it's actually been less than a  week.  A strange week for me, because there's been a lot of cleaning and not much sewing!  I miss my sewing machine....

Here's how I did on last week's list - 

1.  Finish up the guest rooms so they are warm and inviting!

Done!  How do you think I did?

2.  Put away the stacks of stuff that have accumulated around the house.

Done!  I found countertops that I hadn't seen in quite a while!

3.  Clean the house until it shines!

Done!  Very  shiny!!

4.  Bind two quilts for the ministry.

Done!  I finished these two off...

5.  Make a back for a ministry quilt.

6.  Quilt and bind a third ministry quilt.

Done!  A friend brought by a quilt with back just before I sat down to make a back for another one, so I popped it on the frame instead!

7.  Keep up with any other ministry needs that come up!

Done!  We ended up giving away seven quilts last week - fortunately we had some already made up but now those have to be replaced....

I also realized that I forgot to give you all an update on the little sewing machine that my friend found for me at an estate sale...

I bought it based on the above photo, otherwise sight unseen.

When I actually got my hands on her, I was astonished!  She was clean as a whistle, and ran perfectly.  She stitches as well as my Juki - beautifully balanced stitches, perfectly consistent stitch length.  I was trying to decide what to name her, but hadn't come up with anything.  When Lilli saw her, her first question was, "What did you name her, Nana?" I told her I hadn't decided yet, so she told me I should name her Leah, and then she could call her little Janome Leah's daughter!!  So I guess this is Leah!  I need to clean up her case a bit - I think I'm going to strip off the old coverings and recover her with a nice laminated fabric.  Unless someone has another suggestion?

OK, enough of that.  Now it's time to come up with this week's list...

1.  Finish off the quilt that's on the frame right now.

2.  Quilt at least five quilts for Rogersville.

3.  Quilt one ministry quilt for a woman with cancer.

4.  Quilt a ministry quilt for a man who had a stroke.

5.  Help set up the quilt display for Gladefest.

6.  Work on craft show items.

7.  Make dinner for a shut-in couple at our church.

8.  Keep up with ministry needs.

I don't know that I can get all this done - I've got company until Wednesday morning, then Emmy all day on Wednesday - but my hubby will be helping a friend move some furniture across the state on Saturday, so I'll have all day with no responsibilities.  If I've got the tops and backs ready to go, I'll have to see how many quilts I can quilt in a marathon session!

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Amazing Inspiration!!

Hi, all!

It's Friday again - are you ready to get your whoop whoop on???  I've had a busy week, but not much to show for it (other than a clean house!) so I've picked out some great eye candy from last week's links!

First off, this beautiful braid block by Janet at Simply Pieced...

And here's a great line of quilts on their way to Wrap-a-Smile to be given to children undergoing surgery for facial disfigurement, courtesy of Kate at The Quilting Professor!

Next up is a great quilt by Kelli at Seriously...I Think It Needs Stitches (and she has a pattern for it too!)

Here's some beautiful quilting by Mary at Addicted-to-Fabric...

...and my absolute favorite, this beautiful double wedding ring made by Denice at Pieced Brain!  I love the print fabric background - so different from the traditional muslin!!

So many beautiful things linked up last week - so sorry I haven't had time to see them all!!  Keep up the good work!!

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And now it's your turn!

What have you been working on this week?

What has made you do a little whoop whoop?

Share - we want to whoop right along with you - 

And it's always more fun to whoop in a crowd!!

The party will remain open until Sunday midnight - 

Be there or be square!!

Hugs!

Sarah

Revisiting Hope for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Hi, all!

That beautiful smiling face up there is Savannah, who in 2006 was diagnosed with Stage IV Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma.  Since September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, I want to share an old blog post with you - the story of the quilt we made for Savannah.  

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This quilt has a great story.....  A couple of days after Christmas, I received a package of blocks from Diane over at Life Scraps containing some pretty pink and green blocks and block kits, and some purple scraps that she was donating to our church's quilt ministry.  When I e-mailed her to let her know they had arrived, she told me that the purple scraps were originally intended to be made up in another rendition of this quilt, but she decided she didn't want to make the same quilt twice.  So I put the scraps in a bag with the intention of making up her pretty squares quilt sometime in the future.

Cut now to the second week in January.   I got an e-mail from a friend at church asking us to make a quilt for Savannah, a ten-year old girl with cancer - she has been battling it a long time and just got some unfavorable test results.  Anyway, I e-mailed her back and asked her if she knew anything about the Savannah's color preferences or likes and dislikes, and she told me she'd see what she could find out and get back to me.  

The next morning, we woke up to lots of snow and no travel because the roads were so bad.  Faced with a toddler-less day and a sewing machine, I headed upstairs to my studio to work on some old projects!  After I finished one, I checked the computer to see if my friend had e-mailed me with any more info on the little girl.  Nothing there.  So I decided to go ahead and work with the purple fabrics, and if it didn't work for Savannah, we'd just give the quilt to someone else.  I worked on it all afternoon, adding a few purple fabrics I had and some white fabric, and got 30 blocks done for the center of the quilt.  

Still no information from my friend, but it occurred to me that Savannah might have a Caring Bridge webpage, so I checked, and lo and behold, she did!  I went in to her photo section to see if I could tell anything about her favorite colors - - - and her entire bedroom is decorated in purples and apple green!!  So I went ahead and finished the quilt top, knowing that this little girl's quilt had been determined long before I even heard about her!  

I even found a piece of white and purple print in my stash that would work, colorwise, with the front of the quilt - but I was worried about it being too traditional compared to the contemporary front.  I took it to church to show some of my fellow quilters to get their read on it, and happened to run into Keri, a good friend of Savannah and her family.  Keri saw the fabric and without my even mentioning it, asked if it would be part of her quilt - because it had butterflies on it, and butterflies are Savannah's favorites!

I named this quilt "Hope" - and the name is worked into the quilting on one of the blocks.  Our prayer was for it to bring Savannah hope every day!

But working with our quilt ministry, one of the hardest things we have to accept is that sometimes the recipients of our quilts don't survive the illness that brought them to our attention.  It's so hard - even if we don't know the person personally, they become part of our own little world as we make the quilt for them and pray for them.  See that beautiful smile right over there?  Sweet Savannah went home in March, and is dancing with the angels now.  She touched so many lives while she was here - there are green bows all over town in her honor, put up months ago in support of her fight against cancer.   

Recently a group of us were sewing on some quilts, and one of the staff members at church came in to tell us that when hospice was called in, Savannah asked that the quilt we made be put on her bed.  She also asked that the quilt go with her body to the funeral home when it was time.  Her family brought the quilt home after the funeral, and hopefully it will continue to provide comfort for many years to come.   

The fabric for this quilt was donated by a fellow quilt blogger.  Unknowingly, she sent the perfect fabric for this little girl's quilt at just the right time.  Thankfully, we have a Father who watches over us all the time and provides for our needs.  Every day, working with this quilt ministry, I am reminded of that fact.  I'm grateful to have been a small part of Savannah's story, and I'm grateful for what she taught me about God's love through her life. 

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I never met Savannah in person, but she changed my life.  I now know that God cares about even the little things.  I learned this week that Savannah's middle name was Hope.  God knew that writing "Hope" on her quilt would mean much to her and her family!  I am forever indebted to Savannah for the lessons I have learned through her life.

Thank you for allowing to share her story again with you.  Help spread the word that we need to work for the cure for childhood cancer!!

Hugs!

Sarah