Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? One Final Quilt For The Year...

Hi, all!

Welcome to the final Whoop Whoop Friday of 2016!  It's been a great year, with loads of inspiration linked up each week - and I hope you're planning to help it go out with a bang!!  Link up those secret projects you had to keep hidden during December and inspire us all to greater accomplishments next year!  I'm ready to get my whoop whoop on, and I'm sure you are too - so let's get started!

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A few months ago, my daughter started selling LuLaRoe clothing.  She loves it, and it's been a great experience.  

Last month, she sent me a picture of the LuLaRoe logo painted on wood, and said, "Wouldn't this make a great quilt?"  (Hint, hint!)  Well, she was absolutely right - and so I ordered the fabric to make one!  It didn't arrive in time to make it for Christmas, but I finished it this week, and I just love it...

Beautiful, bright Kona cotton colors against Kona white...

...with lots and lots of straight line quilting!

Just look at all that beautiful texture!

If I only had time to make one more quilt in 2016, I'm glad this was it!  It's bright and cheerful and represents a lot of good that happened this year.  And it represents hope for a great 2017!

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?

Happy Dance courtesy of my granddaughter Emmy this week!

What's making you dance a little 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

Best of 2016!

Hi, all!

Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs is hosting the Best of 2016, encouraging us to list five favorites:  blog posts, finishes, tutorials, whatever you want to highlight from your year.  Sounds like fun!  So here are my five favorites:

My Big Project!

This year I made and donated sixteen quilts to my doctor's office in celebration of my five-year checkup.  They are being used in the infusion center - one for each chair in the center!  You can read more about them, and see the quilts in detail, on this blogpost.

My First Time Hosting a Quilt-Along and Blog Hop!

This year I threw caution to the winds and hosted a 12-day blog hop! Twenty-five bloggers shared great ideas for Christmas sewing in July to give us time to actually make things before the Christmas rush.  And I also shared daily tutorials for a quilt-along to create this quilt...

...in about an hour of sewing a day for twelve days!  It appeared to be a big success, and it looks like we'll be doing it again this year.

My Money-Making Gig!

This was definitely the year of the t-shirt quilt!  I made at least eleven of them, and while they're still not my favorite type of quilting, they do go a long way towards helping support my quilting lifestyle.  And it's kind of fun to figure out how to incorporate everything the customer wants in their quilt.  I also learned how to use a spreadsheet program to design them, which was definitely a bonus!

Hands2Help Reaches New Heights!

2016 saw the highest number of participants (106) and the largest number of quilts (198) donated to charity since H2H was started six years ago.  That is SO AWESOME!!!  We'll be doing it again this year - come join in the fun!!  

Artisan Fabric Release!

One of the highlights of my year was being asked to help with the release of Kaffe Fassett's new line of fabric, Artisan!!  It was such an honor to be asked, and I hope I did them proud - I had a blast creating lots of fun pieces with these beautiful fabrics!  In fact, there were so many pieces I spread them out over three blog posts. You can see all of the pieces here, here, and here.

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Wow, what a year!  2016 was amazing in so many ways, and I'm super-excited to see what 2017 has in store!  Starting in January, there will be a series of posts similar to the Sweet Sixteen and Nifty Nines series called Stunning Stars, featuring simple quilts with star motifs.  These posts will lead into Hands2Help 2017, which will run from March until early June.  Then in July, there will be another installment of the Twelve Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop.  And that's just the things I know about!  Who knows what else will come up?  I hope you'll stick around and be part of the fun!!

Hugs!

Sarah

I May Have a Scrap Problem... The Year in Review!

Hi, all!

As we draw closer to the end of the year, I think we all want to think about what we've accomplished for the year.  So today, let's look back at what's happened since I acknowledged I have a (serious) scrap problem....

I think this is my favorite scrappy creation of the year - it is the annual quilt I made for my eldest granddaughter, who, at age 9, wanted a photo quilt so she could remember what she was like "when she was little"!

I also made four of these beach blankets using the leftover t-shirt pieces from t-shirt quilts.  And I sold all four of them!

I made this quilt using Lara Buccella's Crafted Appliqué method...

...then used the leftover orange peel pieces to make this one!

I raided the green scrap bin and added some vintage linen for this quilt...

...raided the orphan block bin for this one...

...and raided the leftover binding bin for this one!

This quilt was made with 1x2 and 2x4 bricks.

 

I've got a stack of string blocks waiting for some friends to join them so they can be made into a quilt top.

I made a set of letters for my grandkids, and another set for a friend...

...a chair pad and pillow from my plaid scraps...

...and these placemats from my black and white scraps!

Oh, and here's the first scrappy quilt I made as part of this project - my scrappy bow ties!

It's been a fun project and definitely one I'll keep up in the coming year.  Even though I didn't get all my scraps cut up and organized like I planned, I certainly made a dent in them!  And I've also gained a more scrappy mindset - I find I'm less likely to buy new fabric because I know I have so much waiting to be sewn up already, and I'm enjoying using my scraps to make new, fun creations.  So I'm calling it a success!

How about you?  Are you feeling better about your own little scrap monster?  

Come back next week and share your scrappy goals for the year!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Reviewing and Dreaming!

Hi, all!

Whew!  Christmas is over and life can now return to normal, right? Well, that's the aim, anyway.  I love to use this week between Christmas and New Year's to review the past year and look ahead to the next, and I'll probably be doing some posts to that effect this week.  But first, let's review last week's to-do list and see how it went!

1.  Quilt and bind the three commission quilts.

Done and delivered!  Which is why I'm free to work on some other things this week...

2.  Wrap up all the Christmas gifts.

Done!  And needless to say, they are all unwrapped now!!

I got really good pictures of Lilli and Nathanael opening their quilts...

...but unfortunately Emmy was just too mobile and I missed hers!  Maybe I can get one later this week...

3.  Plan a Christmas Eve brunch as we start a new family tradition!

Done!  A beautifully decorated table...

...and Southern Bennies that will slap your mouth silly!

Because I know someone will ask, a Southern Benny is Eggs Benedict, southern style - biscuits topped with bacon or country ham, slathered with sausage gravy and topped with farm eggs cooked sunny-side up or easy over.  Yum!!

4.  Keep working on designs for this year's pre-H2H event, Stunning Stars!

Folks, I am having so much fun with this!  I can't wait to show you the designs - lots of fun ways to make simple quilts with stars!

5.  Pull together info and bloggers for next year's Twelve Days of Christmas in July blog hop!

It's coming together - I've already got a great list of interested bloggers and I bet they're coming up with some fabulous ideas for 2017's hop!!

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

Fortunately, a pretty easy week - we gave away two quilts, but unfortunately I didn't get pictures of either one.  The first went to a woman in a nursing home, and the second went to a woman who went into the hospital for a simple procedure that turned into something life-threatening.

Hooray!  It was a moderately easy week but everything got finished and I'm not stressed out!  Here's what I'll be working on this week....

1.  Make a quilt for my daughter - a special design that she requested!

2.  Start a new "secret" project to celebrate the release of a new fabric for Free Spirit Fabrics!

3.  Straighten up the studio.

4.  Figure out why our quilting machine at church is acting up.

5.  Visit the new Memphis IKEA with my daughter!

6.  Continue working on the designs for Stunning Stars.

7.  Learn how to use my new Instant Pot...

8.  Re-load EQ7 on my laptop.

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

A busy week ahead!   Plus I want to take some time to review last year as part of the Best of 2016 link-up hosted by Meadow Mist Designs and do a little looking forward to 2017...  This is definitely enough to keep me out of trouble!!

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

Hugs!

Sarah

The Star Still Shines Brightly....

As you go to sleep tonight, instead of thinking of hooves on the rooftop and a jolly old man saying “ho ho ho”, think of this….

A brisk cold winter’s night, the air so cold it chills all it touches.  Sheep drowsily resting on a hilltop, watched by equally drowsy shepherds.  Silence spreads across the landscape, but there is an air of anticipation in the silence…

And in the town below, in a small stone stable, a young woman labors to give birth.  The animals surround her with the low sounds of chewing and breathing, a gentle background to the sounds of pain as she struggles to bring forth her child.

In the heavens, all of the angels are watching and waiting for the fulfillment of the promise made by God over the centuries.  Watching to see what will happen in the tiny town of Bethlehem….

And then they hear the tiny cry of a new born babe!  Unable to contain their shouts of joy, the angels burst forth in song, praising the Glory of God born to set man free.  All of creation joins in the song that cannot be silenced, the song that still goes on today - for the work of that tiny babe has been completed on the cross, and mankind has been redeemed for all time. 

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? Cue The Hallelujah Chorus!!

Hi, all!

May I be the first to wish you Merry Christmas this morning?  It's hard to believe, but it's almost here - just a couple of sleeps left before the big day!  I hope you're ready to get your whoop whoop on - I know I am - because I HAVE FINISHED MY CHRISTMAS SEWING!!!  So let's get started!

In truth, these three quilts were not due until January 1st, but my Christmas present to myself was to finish them up before Christmas so that I had the week between Christmas and New Years to do whatever I wanted - clean up my studio or start a new project or just whatever!  So this week I did a lot of quilting (thankful again for my Hera marker!)...

...and made a mess of binding (this is only part of it!)...

...and finally finished them!

These two are very much alike - they are for twin boys who played on a lot of the same baseball teams when they were growing up.

And this one is for their younger brother, who is more into gaming and superheroes!

They were a lot of fun to make, and really expanded my t-shirt quilt design skills to create something that used the shirts provided and met the size the client requested.  I'm thankful to have learned how to use a spreadsheet program to diagram these quilts!

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop??

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After posting the Quilter's Night Before Christmas poem on Wednesday, Material Girl sent me another version that was too good to keep to myself, so I'm sharing it here...

'Twas the night Christmas, I'm glued to the tree,

I'm wondering what Santa brought just for me.

Could it be fat quarters or a pattern or lace?

Or a quilt kit, I said with a smile on my face.

And that's when I heard him, "Hi, Santa," I said.

"You know...good little girls should be in their beds!"

"I know I should, Santa, and now I've got caught.

But I was just so excited to see what you brought."

"Well, let's take a look in this room where you work."

He shook his head quickly and left with a jerk.

I heard him exclaim, as he put it in gear,

"You've got enough crap, I'll see you next year!"

 Can I get an amen???  LOL!

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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 little 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 and Merry Christmas!

Sarah

I May Have A Scrap Problem.... A Smile for Christmas!

Hi, all!

Well, I still have a scrap problem, but I've enjoyed working on it this year!  This week is really taken up with finishing projects for Christmas, but I wanted to share a fun little poem I came across that kind of sums up this time of year for me... and maybe for you too!  

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'Twas the night before Christmas,

And the quilts were not made.

The threads were all tangled, the cookies delayed.

The stockings weren't hung, the pantry was bare.

The poor weary Quilter was tearing her hair.

Stacks of fat quarters tipped over in streams,

Visions of Log Cabins had turned into dreams.

When what to her wondering eyes should appear,

But a bus full of quilters with all of their gear.

They went straight to work with just a few mutters,

Sorting and stitching and brandishing cutters.

The patterns emerged from all of the clutter,

Like magic the fabrics arranged in a flutter.

Log Cabins, Lone Stars, Flying Geese and Bear Tracks,

Each quilt was a beauty - even the backs.

Her house, how it twinkled!  Her quilts, how they glowed!

The cookies were baking, the stockings were sewed.

Their work was all done, so they folded their frames,

And packed up their needles, without giving their names.

They boarded the bus, and checked the next address.

More quilts to be made, another quilter in distress.

She heard one voice echo, as they drove out of sight,

Happy quilting to all, and to all a good night!

Author unknown...

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So hang in there, fellow quilters - the end is in sight!

Merry Christmas!

Hugs!

Sarah