Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Triangles for Baby!

Hi, all!

Another week has flown by, and it's Friday again - and that means it's time to get our whoop whoop on!  Are you ready?  I actually was ready early this week - a miracle, I know - so let's get started!!

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Here is my newest quilt, a simple triangle quilt made using the colors in the curtains of my great-niece's future bedroom!  I'm really thankful for that little color strip on the selvage of fabric and my Kona color chart....

I used the leftovers from the front to piece a scrappy back...

...and it shows off the diamond straight-line quilting really well! It's hard to see, but I used a variegated purple and green thread for both top and bobbin.  I love it when I have the perfect match in the stash! 

And here's one last shot of it, just for fun!  Most of my pictures were horizontal - it was very windy - but this one just shows a gentle breeze!

And it's done before the baby is born!  Hooray!!

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

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And now it's your turn!

What's making you whoop it up this week?

What's got you dancing 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

I May Have A Scrap Problem... March Report and April Goals!

Hi, all!

March definitely came in like a lion, with the goal of sorting through this abomination...

...and create a quilt out of the contents.  I have to say, this was a true learning experience!  The best lesson I learned from this is - - - do NOT store scraps in enormous tubs!  It was very daunting trying to get through this entire tub, and in the end, I had about 20% of the tub that I just pressed, folded, and put into the appropriate smaller tubs that sort by color.  But I did cut a LOT of squares in varying sizes, and since the majority of them were 2.5" squares, I decided to make a postage stamp quilt as my March project!

This quilt is really large - about 80" square - and I may add another row or so to make it a bit bigger.  

I was a little bit worried about all the scraps working together, but of course, as usual, it looks wonderful!  Scrappy really is best, isn't it?

I had a hard time getting a "stained glass" shot because it was so windy, but you can see how the colors glowed in the sunlight...

And I'm very proud of the back side of this top - I was very careful about how I put all my squares together, and every seam goes the right direction and all the intersections "spin"!  This top should be a cinch to quilt!  I've got a special plan for this quilt already, and will need to finish it up soon - but not this week.  I've got a couple of commission quilts that need to be done next!

And here's what I drew as my April goal...

As you can see from the picture below I have plenty of HSTs in a wide variety of sizes, so I should have lots of options - now the problem will be deciding exactly what to choose!  Plus, having all of them trimmed to size will make it easier to use them in quick projects in the future.

So that's my progress report on March's goal, and a preview of what I'll be working on in April.  It's hard to believe that we're already a quarter of the way through the year, isn't it?  But I think, at least for me, it's been a very productive quarter.  I've developed new (good) habits and plowed through a lot of scraps!  That scrap monster is becoming domesticated.... good thing!

I hope you'll link up below and share your own progress - it's good to see what all of you are doing, too!  

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Time for No-Guilt Sewing!

Hi, all!

Oh happy day - I have finished my taxes and filed them, so now I can sew without guilt!!!  Am I alone in feeling that way?  Surely not!  But boy, do I have a lot of sewing to do!  

First, let's look at what I got done last week...

1.  Make a back for the baby quilt and quilt it.
Done!  We haven't had any pretty weather yet to take pics, but I'll be posting about it on Friday with lots of pictures!

2.  Keep cutting scraps and working on the March scrap project.
Done!  The "C" tub is empty, and I'm halfway through piecing a great big scrappy top with the contents!

 3.  Start deconstructing that old quilt top.

Started!  Today this top went from this....



...to this!  A pile of 20 blocks just waiting to have the turtles salvaged from them.  The rest of the quilt will be replaced.

4.  Mail the H2H sign-up giveaway swag!
Done!  Terri is in possession of all those gorgeous blues!

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

Done!  Only one quilt went out this week.  This quilt went to a young man whose house burned down last week.  He lost everything, but we're hoping that a little quilt-y hug and comfort will help him get through some dark days.

And, I got the taxes done!  The dogs still haven't gone to the vet for their shots yet, but I've got that scheduled for this Thursday, so we'll be good!  It's spring break for the kiddos, so I'll be spending a couple of days with them too.

Here's the plan for this week....

1.  Finish the scrappy top.

2.  Start deconstructing the turtle blocks.

3.  Cut out a commission quilt.

4.  Take pictures of all the H2h giveaway items and write the blog post for Sunday.

5.  Finish a "guy" quilt for the quilt ministry.

6.  Pick out a vacation project.

7.  Mail the triangle baby quilt to my niece!

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

It's also Easter week, so I'll have to pull together three Easter baskets for the kiddos - that's always a lot of fun!!  I try to find things a little "out of the box" because they also get baskets from their parents and the other grandparents.  This year I'm thinking I need to look for some books they would like!

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Hands2Help - It's Tips, Tutes, and Tasty Things Week!

Hi, all!

Welcome to one of my favorite weeks of each year's Challenge, when we share our favorite tips, tutorials, and tasty things!  Each year I discover some really great ideas and recipes - things that make my life so much easier and quilting more fun - so let's get started!!

First off is a tip.  This one seems kind of silly, but it certainly made my life much easier when I was working on my Long Time Gone quilt...

Washi tape saved my life while I was doing my first paper pieced blocks, keeping the piece of fabric in place when I flipped the paper over to stitch on the lines.  It didn't leave any residue on the fabric, and was easy to take off and use again on the next piece of fabric.  Priceless!!!!

And here's a great and really useful tutorial, written to help you know how many strips you need to make a specific sized jelly roll race quilt!  Most of us have made them, because they're so quick and easy, but what if you need a bigger or smaller size?  This tutorial is quick and easy and can help you make everything from a baby quilt to a king size!  

And here's one of my favorite recipes, when you need a little summer even when it's cold outside!  We got some great peaches and blueberries last year, and I froze a bunch of them when I had a bumper crop.  This peach and blueberry pie is the bomb!  

So those are my own tips, tutes, and tasty things - it's time for you to share your own!  Link up below to share.  You don't have to write a new blogpost, although you an if you want to.  You can just link directly to someone else's post if you want to!

Be sure to come back next week, when we'll be revealing the sponsors and giveaway goodies for this year's Challenge - you won't want to miss it!!

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Under The Sea...

Hi, all!

The days have flown by so fast, and it's finally Friday again!  And that means it's time to get our whoop whoop on - are you ready?  Let's get started!

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Welcome to springtime in Tennessee!

Where if it's not raining, it's so windy you can only get horizontal pictures of quilts on the line...

But out of the fifty or so pics I took, I did manage to get a few that showed most of the quilt.  This quilt has a very funny story behind it....

Remember the pillowcase dresses?  I took one with me when I went to pick up Emmy (who's nearly six) along with some fabric I had bought to make a dress for her.  I showed her the pillowcase dress, which of course she loved, and told her I could make her one with the fabric I brought.

As you can see, there are mermaids all over this fabric, and it immediately reminded me of her.  She looked at me and said, "No, Nana, it can't be a dress!"  I asked her why not, and she insisted that it was a "bwanket" - the word quilt is very hard for her to hear properly, so she doesn't try to say it very often - so I gave up on making a dress out of it.

Then I saw this beautiful quilting by Christina Cameli of A Few Scraps on Instagram...

And I knew what I would do with that fabric!  This quilting design looks so much like water to me, the perfect accompaniment to those lovely swimming mermaids!

All that wavy quilting is really hard on the body - I was totally whupped by the end of the quilt - but so worth it!  

The front of the quilt is whole cloth - just one piece of yardage - but I pieced the back from several pieces I had on hand.  

Two of the pieces were a bronze-y gold on white, and the other was a floral print from Joel Dewberry's Modernist line. The binding is another print from Modernist.

We'll be celebrating Emmy's sixth birthday on Easter Sunday, and I hope she'll like her "bwanket"!!

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?

via GIPHY

What's making you do 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

PS Our dancing T-Rex team this week is in honor of my niece's birthday - happy birthday, Heather!

I May Have A Scrap Problem... Two-patch, Four-patch...

Hi, all!

I have a new rule - never store fabric scraps in enormous tubs!  I don't think I'm ever going to get to the bottom of that big "C" tub - but at least I'm making a dent in it!  And I started on a project using the squares I've been cutting from that tub...

Lots of chain piecing commenced...

...and I'm not joking about LOTS of it!  2026 2.5" pieces sewn together into two-patch blocks.

After a monster pressing event, I had two boxes full of two-patch blocks ready to be turned into four-patches!

Monday I loaded up my instant pot with ham and beans so I could sew all day, and managed to get all the four-patch blocks sewn!  I still need to press them, but at least I can see progress!

And in my few uninvolved minutes, I found some awesome inspiration on Instagram...

Am I alone in having a ridiculous stash of black and white fabrics squirreled away in hopes of a black and white quilt someday?

And isn't this an amazing color study?  I may need to check out the solids bin to see if I have enough for this one...

And now some fun non-quilty scrap-busting items!

 

A beautiful table runner - so cheerful in sunny yellow!

Zipper bags are so useful - and how much better if you use up scraps to create them!

And now, the one that appeals to my gypsy/hippy/bohemian heart...

Is that not the most gorgeous scrappy thing you've ever seen?

Happy Scrapping, Y'all!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Sewing through the Storms!

Hi, all!

Monday is here once again - and with it, some of our typical Tennessee spring weather!  Thunderstorms today, dropping temperatures tomorrow - never a dull moment around here!  But funky weather means more sewing time, so it's all good!  Let's see how last week's list went...

1.  Keep cutting up scraps and working on my March scrap project.
Done!  Well, the scraps aren't all cut up yet, but I've started working on a scrappy quilt with some of what I've cut...

My table kind of ran over with chain piecing today!  2026 2.5" squares that will soon become a really big quilt!

2.  Write and photograph a tutorial for the pillowcase dresses.
Done!  The tutorial for this cute little dress can be found here!

3.  Make the t-shirt quilt blocks.
Done!  They are interfaced and cut - but unfortunately this project is on hold because the main background fabric I ordered hasn't arrived - it's on back-order (boo!)

3.  Sandwich and quilt the special occasion quilt.
Done!  I love this quilt!!

4.  Administrative work on Hands2Help!  More about that in a minute...
Done!  We've had over 150 people sign up so far (but it's not too late if you still want to join in!) and I've added them all to an email list.  That's a good start!

5.  Cut out a new baby quilt (once the fabric arrives!)
The top is not only cut out, it's put together!  

6.  Start deconstructing an old quilt top to be remade for a friend.
I haven't started this one yet, ran out of time this week.

7.  Clean up my studio a bit.  (I just saw films of a hoarder's house that burned down nearby and I am convicted that I need to clean up some of those stacks!)
I forgot to take a picture of it, but I relocated eight plastic shoeboxes out of my window and cleaned up a stack of bags and stuff from the floor below the windowsill!

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

Done!  An easy week this week, only two quilts given away.

This quilt went to a gentleman going through chemo...

...and this quilt went to a young father who has just found out he has stage four brain cancer.

So with the exception of one thing, I managed to get everything done on my list for last week.  And here's what's on the schedule for this week...

1.  Make a back for the baby quilt and quilt it.

2.  Keep cutting scraps and working on the March scrap project.

3.  Start deconstructing that old quilt top.

4.  Mail the H2H sign-up giveaway swag!

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

I'm keeping this list short, because I've also got to work on that dreaded spring project - income tax!  I've put it off as long as I can, but it's time to get it off my plate.  I've also got to take the dogs to the vet for their annual shots, so it's going to be a busy week!

Enough about me - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Hands2Help - Sign-Up Winner, and Answers to Some FAQs!

Hi, all!

Oh my gosh, you guys rock!!!  As of the time I'm writing this post, 159 people have already signed up for the Challenge!!!  That is AMAZING!  Now, if you're just now seeing this, it's not too late to sign up, and there's still lots of giveaway goodies to be had at the end of the Challenge - so in the theory of "better late than never", hop over here, read about the Challenge, then if it appeals to you, sign up and join in the fun!

For those of you who have already signed up, as promised, this beautiful fat quarter bundle is ready and waiting for one of you...

...so without any further waiting, let's pick a winner!  I've enlisted Little Miss Random to help out...

...and the winner is...

Congratulations, Terri!  I'll get your package out in the mail to you today!!

Many, many thanks to all of you who helped promote the Challenge - spreading the word has definitely contributed to the record number of people who have already signed up!  Let's keep spreading the word on social media by using the hashtags #h2h2018 and/or #hands2help2018 and also by tagging your quilt with the charity you will be sending it to - @littlelambsfoundationforkidsut, #quiltyhugs or #victoriasquiltscanada.  I'd appreciate it if you'd tag me too (@fabricaddictquilts) so I don't miss any of your posts!

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And now, I thought I'd answer some Frequently Asked Questions!  It seems like every year we get the same batch of questions so this seemed like a natural fit.  Of course, you should never hesitate to ask a question if you have one, as I learn more with each one!  So here goes!

This looks like fun - but I'm not experienced (or good) enough to make a quilt...

Honestly - what better way to get experience than to make charity quilts?  There is no greater joy in the world than to see the look on someone's face when they receive a quilt of their very own - and I can testify that they aren't looking at the quality of the piecing or quilting, but they are looking at the love and warmth contained in that quilt.  Don't pass up a chance for that feeling by downplaying your skills!  And since practice makes perfect, the more quilts you make, the better you get....

I don't have a blog of my own.  Can I still participate?

Absolutely!  The only time you need a way to link up is for the progress check-ins (4/15 and 5/6) and the final link-up on 5/20, and that can be done from Instagram or Flickr.  If you're not on either of those social media platforms, you can email me pictures of your quilts and I will link them up for you!  So see, no excuses!

What size quilts are needed?

I try to find charities each year that request a variety of sizes, so that there's a little bit of something for everyone.  This year, you can find the specific requests on the Hands2Help 2018 page at the top of my blog, listed under each charity's information.  

I like to piece tops, but don't quilt. Is there anything for me?

This year, we are featuring a charity that is requesting tops ONLY - Victoria's Quilts Canada.  They are looking for 50" x 70" quilt tops made of 100% cotton.  The postage to Canada is a bit more than in the US, but tops weigh less and think of what you're saving on backing, binding and batting!

Can I donate more than one quilt, or to more than one charity?

Oh my, yes!  The more the merrier!  Many of our participants over the years have chosen to donate one quilt to each of the charities, or multiple quilts to just one.  It's completely up to you!  We keep track of the number of quilts donated (just for fun) so be sure to list a total count of the number you donated in the final link-up post on May 20th.

Does the quilt have to be made by just one person, or can a group make and send a quilt?

I think this is such a fun way to make a quilt - with friends!  Last year, Staci over at The Confused Quilter did a "cross-country" bee quilt with some of her quilting buddies and donated their creation to International Institute St. Louis.  You can read more about it here.  And say, you like to piece but can't quilt - pair up with a friend to complete a quilt!  Julie from Pink Doxies did a guest post in 2016 about working with friends to make quilts for the Challenge that's well worth reading - she also talks about challenging yourself even if you don't think your work is "good enough" for charity quilting.  

I'm ready to mail my quilts. Where do I find the addresses for the charities?

Due to privacy reasons, I don't post the addresses on the blog.  I will be sending them out in a group email in the next week or so - as soon as I get all the email addresses into the computer - but because it is a large group, your email provider may bump the email into the spam folder.  Be sure to check your spam folder for my email address (salliesue57 (at) gmail (dot) com) and mark it as "not spam" so you receive any emails I send!  And you can always request the addresses at any time, directly from me at that address.

I love that other H2H participants are donating prizes for the event. How can I help?

We have always been blessed by H2H participants who want to help give all our participants a small "thank you" for joining in.  And it's been wonderful that because of those folks and our generous corporate sponsors, we've been able to give a little "thank you" to each of the participants every year since the first year!  If you want to help out too, you can email me at salliesue57 (at) gmail (dot) com.  After all, happy mail is the best, right?

I know about a great small charity - would you consider them for an upcoming H2H Challenge?

Absolutely!  I'm always looking for lesser-known charities, both to help them collect more quilts, and to give them some publicity so that more people become aware of them.  It also inspires others to start their own charity quilting groups, which is a GOOD thing!!  We usually have two to three charities each year to choose from, so it's helpful to have assistance locating those that are in need of what we can offer.  Just email me with your recommendation and any contact info you have!

Can I donate locally?  

Yes!  I get this question frequently, for various reasons. Some folks can't afford the postage to mail quilts, but still want to participate.  Others know of a great need in their local area, or have a very specific charity they want to support.  The biggest idea behind Hands2Help is the "help" part - using our skills to benefit others!  Of course, I love it if we can use those skills to benefit this year's charities, but if you need or prefer to donate locally, that's fine.

I don't quilt - but really want to help.  Is there any way I can join in and help out?

This year we have a unique opportunity in working with Little Lambs Foundation For Kids.  This is a group that collects items to go in backpacks and other containers for children in the foster care system, emergency shelters, and hospitals in Utah, including hygiene supplies, comfort items, handmade stuffies, and other similar items.  Their website has more information on what they need.  And if you're already sending quilts and want to add in some other needed items, I'm sure they won't object!  TIP:  The dollar store is a great place to find many of the requested items...

Can I take my quilt donation off my taxes?

If the charity you are donating to is a 501(c)(3) non profit corporation in the US, then you can request a charitable donation letter from them for tax purposes.  This year, Little Lambs Foundation For Kids fits that description.  The letter will simply state that you made a non-cash donation to their non-profit.  It will be up to you to assign a value to that donation for tax purposes.  You should enclose a note with your quilt requesting a tax letter and providing (very legibly) your name and mailing address.  A self-addressed stamped envelope would probably win you brownie points!

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I think I've hit on the most commonly asked questions from the past years, but if you've got another one, list it in the comments and I'll add it to the list and answer it there!  

I'm so excited about this year's Challenge - and I have a feeling you all are too!  I've already had some people requesting the mailing addresses for the charities (but don't let that put you off - many folks start their quilts right after the previous year's Challenge ends!)   Be sure to check in next Sunday to see the great array of giveaways for this year's Challenge - there's some wonderful things that have been donated, and I'm finding out about more all the time!

Hugs!

Sarah