Make-A-List Monday - Break's Over!

Hi, all!

Well, we had a lovely trip last week, in the mountains of North Carolina for a couple of days, and then visiting my father-in-law and other family members in Richmond.  The weather was great and it was a refreshing time away from our usual routine.  But now it's a new week and it's time to get back to work!

So let's see how last week's list (a short one, but still a list) went...

1.  Piece a quilt top to be part of a "What's On The Bookshelf Wednesday" coming up in September.

Done!  Here's a sneak peek - I'm loving the colors!

2.  Write up the pattern for the September 18th "secret for now"  project.

I haven't gotten to this one yet - I was having too much fun with the next item on my to-do list!

3.  Work on Nathanael's stocking.

Done!  I got a lot done on his stocking - it looked like this before our trip...

...and here's what it looks like now!

Hooray for long road trips!!

4.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

Fortunately, we only had one request last week - so this was an easy one.  This quilt is going to a 4-year old girl who was just diagnosed with Crohn's disease.

In addition to all the above, I also made some super cute coasters using a tutorial I found on Instagram!

 So at least I feel like I accomplished a little bit last week!

This week is already stacking up to be a busy one - lots of things that I've got to get started or finished!  So here's the list...

1.  Make a back for the "What's On The Bookshelf Wednesday" quilt.

2.  Quilt and bind the WOTBW quilt.

3.  Write up the "secret for now" pattern.

4.  Pack up and mail the One Million Pageviews giveaway items.

5.  Quilt a friend's vintage quilt top.

6.  Quilt my niece's quilt top.

7.  Pull together all the parts needed for the quilt racks for the September 19th quilt show.

8.  If the fabric arrives, start cutting out the "secret for now" quilt.

9.  Order solids for Emmy's and Nathanael's annual quilts.

10.  Pull fabrics for Lilli's annual quilt.

11.  Work on Nathanael's stocking.

12.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

Well that's way more than enough to keep me out of trouble for a while!  So now the question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? We Have a Winner!!

Hi, all!

Friday has finally rolled around again, and you know what that means - it's time to get our whoop whoop on!  Are you ready?  I am, and I know at least one of you will be whooping too, because I've drawn a winner for last week's One Million Pageviews giveaway!  So the winner of this fun prize basket....

...was chosen by Little Miss Random from among the many many comments and linkups last week.  I have to say, I had a lot of fun reading all your questions, and answering a lot of them too!  It's amazing what people wonder about!  So anyway, Miss Random chose....

Number 104!  Which was SueMac, who said...

Congratulations, Sue!  I'll be contacting you by email this weekend to get your snail mail address so I can send you your goodie basket next week!

Thanks to everyone who helped me celebrate - it was a whole lot of fun!!  And if you didn't win this time, stay tuned - there will be another giveaway on September 18th!  Exciting times!!

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And now a little something I worked on this week on our road trip while my hubby was in meetings...

Check out these adorable coasters made from a quickie tutorial by @kelbysews!!  The tutorial is a very short video on Instagram - you should check it out and be amazed by how easy these are!

I picked up a Honeycomb precut at a fabric store and made these five in about an hour.  I've got to add two more hexies to the remaining five I have left over from the Honeycomb to make one more when I get home, and then I'll have a set of six coordinated coasters!

These would make a great hostess gift, secret Santa gift or stocking stuffer, don't you think?  I can foresee a lot of these in my future.  I love a quick useful project!

And here's a sneak peek of a project I'm working on in conjunction with an upcoming book review - wait till you see the whole thing!  It's gorgeous!!

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 dance a 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

PS - The movie "War Room" opens this weekend - it is a powerful movie about the need for prayer in our lives and our world, by the people who brought you "Fireproof" and "Courageous".  I saw it at a premiere event last week and it is amazing!  I hope you will go to see it.  (And just as an aside, my husband is an extra in the film!  You can see him walking behind the stars of the movie when they are sitting on a bench talking to some police officers....)

What's On The Bookshelf Wednesday - Unicorns, Frogs and Princesses, Oh My!

Hi, all!

Welcome back to What's On The Bookshelf Wednesday!!!  I have had so much fun re-discovering books I had forgotten I had - I hope you're enjoying them as much as I am!

I'm sure we've all got particular fabric designers that we just love - because of the colors they use, or their design aesthetic - whatever it is, most or all of the fabrics they design appeal to us.  When I first started quilting, Heather Ross was one of those designers.  Her fabrics are so cute and whimsical, they appeal to my "silly side".  But oh my goodness - they were so expensive, with people selling fat quarters of out of print fabrics and even scraps from pajamas for ridiculous prices!  So most Heather Ross fabrics were way out of my reach, budget-wise.  But wait - there's hope for us all!

This is our book for the day - "Heather Ross Prints - 50+ Designs and 20 Projects to Get You Started".  

Yes, there is a DVD jam-packed with lots of beautiful Heather Ross designs - there are even her cute mini-bus campers right on it!

Full-size pages of her prints, too, that you can tear out and photocopy for use in different projects...

And lots of great projects to make, 

like beautiful napkins for your table... 

...or personalized notepaper!

The visual index in the back shows 

the designs available on the disk...

There's also a great section on how to digitally design your own fabrics, if you've ever wanted to try your hand at it.  And once you have your own design, you can use Spoonflower.com to print it out!

The only drawback to this book, in my mind, is that there aren't any quilt-y type projects in the book, but the H.R. designs more than make up for that.  Imagine printing some of her darling motifs to use as the center of economy blocks, or in hexie flowers?  Mug rugs, coasters - - - all of these could be done using printable fabric and your inkjet printer right at home.  

And I have a cute Heather Ross story to share with you.  A couple of years ago my daughter was cleaning out her fabric stash, slowly coming to the realization that with two children and a third (adopted) on the way, she wasn't going to have time to sew much in the next decade.  She was handing me pieces of fabric to put into my stash, and setting a few aside to keep "just in case she got time to sew".  She pulled down one print and said, "I just love this print, but I have no idea what to make with it - I think I'll keep it anyway."  I looked, and lo and behold, she had two (uncut!) yards of Heather Ross's Goldfish In Bags fabric!!  

She had no idea what she had until I showed her the obscene prices that it goes for on Etsy and eBay - today I saw a piece 4.5" x 6" for $5!  She finally gave up on sewing with it (about a year later) and now it resides in my stash - where I look at it and pet it and think that I really don't know what to make with it either - but it's so pretty!!

So that's what's on my bookshelf this week.  Have you looked at yours lately?

Hugs!

Sarah

PS:  There's still time to enter my One Million Page Views giveaway - entries close Thursday 8/27 at noon CST.  Click on this link to go to the post to enter!!

Make-A-List Monday - The Tuesday, Poor Internet Service, Version

Hi, all!

Good morning from the mountains of North Carolina!  

Unfortunately, I'm posting this on Tuesday because internet service here was spotty at best (and non-existent at worst) last night, so no blogpost for me!  But it's good this morning - at least so far - so I'm going to write quickly to get this posted!!

So let's see how last week's list went...

1.  Tack down the blocks on the memory quilt.

Done!  I can't show any pics because this one is a gift for someone, but trust me, I finished it!  It's gone and delivered.  I'll blog about it in September sometime.

2.  Make a flyer for the quilt show.

Done!  I had fun making this, and it's been delivered to the local bank that sponsors the show for printing.

3.  Finalize a design for the quilt show racks.

I know exactly what I need to do, I just need to get some hardware to do it with!

4.  Come up with a design for a future (secret for now) project!

Done!  Here's a sneak peek...more to come on September 18th!

5.  Work on Nathanael's stocking.

Done!  Little by little, it's getting there.  Two long car trips in one week really help move it along, although I had to pick out a big section because I miscounted. And get this - I miscounted sitting on my sofa at home, not while riding in a car!  Go figure!

6.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

Done!  We gave away two quilts this week...

This one went to a woman who just had surgery for breast cancer...

And this one went to a young woman with serious kidney disease.

 And now for this week's list.  It will be much shorter, because we are traveling to visit family so not much time for sewing!  But I did bring a sewing machine with me for the days my husband is in meetings.... ;-)

1.  Piece a quilt top to be part of a "What's On The Bookshelf Wednesday" coming up in September.

2.  Write up the pattern for the September 18th "secret for now" project.

3.  Work on Nathanael's stocking.

4.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

I don't think there's anything else I can do while traveling, but that should keep me from going nuts, at least!  And speaking of traveling, I saw this great picture on Facebook last week and think it's a fabulous idea!  Don't you?

My husband seems a little hesitant about putting one in the front of his car.....

Just a reminder, too - I'm having a One Million Page Views giveaway this week!  Entries close Thursday at noon, so there's still time to enter.  Click on this link to go to the blogpost for entries!!

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? A Big Milestone, and a GIVEAWAY!!

Hi, all!

Here it is, Friday again - and time to get our whoop whoop on!  Are you ready?  I certainly am - I've been waiting for this day for a long time and can't wait to celebrate with all of you!  So let's get started!

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A few weeks ago, I noticed something on my blog statistics, and started keeping a close eye on some of those figures.  Then just the other day, I saw what I had been looking for....

One Million Page Views!!!

How cool is that?

And not only that, but this week I passed 300 followers on Instagram!  

I think all that deserves a celebration!

So let's have a giveaway!!

One lucky person will win this one-hour basket full of all kinds of quilt-y goodies...

And here's all you need to do to enter!

For one entry, leave a comment on this blogpost.  Just to make it interesting, answer the question of the comment before yours and leave a question for the next commenter.  I'll start it off for the first commenter with this question - Mac or PC?

For additional entries, you can do any or all of the following:

Link up with Whoop Whoop Friday below!

Be or become a follower of this blog.

Be or become a follower of @fabricaddictquilts on Instagram.

Share on your own blog or Instagram about this giveaway. 

(leave a link to your post or your Instagram handle in a comment.)

Leave a separate comment for each entry (except for linking up - I'll get those entries from the linky list).

You can enter until Thursday, August 27th at noon EST, and the winner will be announced next Friday, August 28th.

Who knows - maybe it will be you!!

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And now it's your turn!

What's making you whoop it up this week?

What's got you dancing the 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 Thursday 8/27 at noon -

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

What's On The Bookshelf Wednesday - Do You Need a Laugh?

Hi, all!

Welcome to What's On The Bookshelf Wednesday!

I'm sure you all have had those days - you know, the ones where nothing goes right - you're using your seam ripper like it was your best friend, those fabrics you thought would look fabulous together just aren't playing well together at all... and you just want to sit in a corner and cry.  This week I have a book to share with you that will give you something better to do than cry - laugh!!

This is Megan Dougherty.  If you aren't already familiar with her, she blogs over at The Bitchy Stitcher, with the tagline 

"Sass * Snark * Occasional Quilting".

How can you resist a blog with that title?  I first discovered her blog after reading an article in Quilters Home magazine called "A Quilter's Survival Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse".  The article had me hooked - I love sass and snark, and Megan's blog and humor are full of both!  Her blog can be a bit raunchy at times (what else would you expect with that name?) but her humor is unendingly funny.  A couple of years ago she self-published her first book, "Quilting Isn't Funny", a collection of threadful humor.

As I was reading the copyright page to see if I needed to do anything special before reviewing this book, I found the following:

"All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form...without permission in writing from Megan Dougherty, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. So, you know, don't be copying this on the Xerox in your office and then handing it out at your guild meetings, because I'll find out and tell all my Facebook fans about it and, believe me, 

those people like to get nasty." 

"All works contained herein are fiction and any similarity to persons living or dead, including your mom, are purely coincidental.  Please note that the author assumes no liability if your ass does indeed fall off while laughing."

Just a sampling of titles from the book:

Urban Legends of Quilting

How to Talk to your Teenager about Quilting

Zen and the Art of Crappy Quilting

How to Put The Spark Back In Your Quilting

There are no pretty quilt pictures in this book, but there are a whole lot of belly laughs as Megan satirizes and lampoons all those traditions we hold most dear - quilt police, tutorials, quilt guilds - just about anything you can think of!  I highly recommend this book as a wonderful way to forget your seam ripper woes for a few minutes and discover that there is life on the other side of that quilt that is driving you insane!

You can purchase your own copy on Amazon or through Megan's shop, Clever Notions!

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I received another book in the mail today - one I'm really excited about....

Guess where I'm going in October!  How cool is that?

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So that's what's on my bookshelf this week.  Have you looked at yours lately?

Hugs!

Sarah

PS - Be sure to stop back by here on Friday, when I'll be whooping it up for sure - and there may even be a giveaway involved!!  You DON'T want to miss this!!

Make-A-List Monday - Best Laid Plans Seldom Work Out...

Hi, all!

Monday has rolled around again, and caught me completely off guard!  Last week was hectic, and it seems like I should have gotten more done, but it is what it is - so let's see how last week's list went....

1.  Tack down the photo blocks on the commission memory quilt.

Not done, but I have made a template and plan to start working on this tonight.  If I don't finish it by Thursday morning, I'll take it with me to Atlanta and work on it in the car while we drive!

2.  Piece the signature quilt.

Done!  Here's a pic of what the top looks like...

3.  Piece the back for the signature quilt.

Done!  I love how colorful the back is, in contrast to the front.  Lots of 5" squares and strips of one of my favorite DSQuilts prints.

4.  Work on making racks for the quilt show.

This is still stuck in my head.  I have GOT to get on this one this week!

5.  Create a flyer for the quilt show.

Also still in my head.  Hopefully this is something else I can work on in the car while riding to Atlanta...

6.  Quilt the signature quilt (if time allows).

Done!  I'm glad to have this one off my plate - it was really worrying me that it wouldn't be finished in time!

7.  Work on Nathanael's stocking.

I did get to this one - at least a bit.  It's something I like to pick up in the evening when we're watching tv.

8.  Pick up more of the kids' quilts and sew the labels on them.

I didn't have a chance to get the quilts from my daughter, so this one is still on the list!

9.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

Done!  We only gave away a few this week, which I guess is good, considering!

This quilt went to a woman in our church who is living with lupus. The beautiful top was donated to us by our wonderful friend, Gayle, who sends us several tops at a time.

This quilt went to a woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer this week.

This quilt is for a new baby girl, the granddaughter of one of our church members!

We also gave another quilt to a woman who was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but I forgot to take a picture of it! (Boo...)

OK, so I didn't do so well on last week's list - maybe I shouldn't say that there are things I absolutely have to get done again!  This week is a short week for me - my husband and I are going to Atlanta for the premier of the movie War Room on Thursday!  So here's what's on my list for this week...

1.  Tack down the blocks on the photo memory quilt.

2.  Make a flyer for the quilt show.

3.  Finalize a design for the quilt show racks.

4.  Come up with a design for a future (secret for now) project!

5.  Work on Nathanael's stocking.

6.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

Fortunately, some of this can be done while riding, so I'll be working on this list hard this week!

And now, here's a life lesson/warning for all of us...

My mailman left this box on my porch chair this afternoon.  I have to say, he came up quietly, left it and didn't ring the doorbell.  (New mailman - my old one was great!)  When I went outside to get it a few minutes later, the underside of the box was soaking wet.  It had apparently been dropped in a puddle and allowed to sit there for a while.  I opened the box (with my thumb, rather easily because it was falling apart) and pulled out the contents.  Fortunately, there was a large ziploc bag of blocks in the bottom of the box, which protected most of the contents.  A flimsy on top of that bag was a little damp, but a run through the dryer took care of that problem.

My life lesson/warning?  Always put fabric in a plastic trash bag before you put it in a box you are shipping - you never know when that box is going to meet up with the elements!  I was lucky with this one - I think he just dropped it today.  If it had been dropped in water earlier in its journey, the fabric would probably have been moldy/mildewed and possibly ruined.  And that would have been a tragedy!

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

Hugs!

Sarah

PS Be sure to come back by here on Friday - I'm doing a lot of whooping and celebrating, and there just might be a giveaway involved...