Friday, November 29, 2019

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? A Finish, and a (Sort of) Clean Studio!

Hi, all!

Friday has arrived in a rush this week, but it's here now and you know what that means - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!    So let's get started...

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Surprisingly enough, even though it seems like it was a VERY short week, I managed to have a couple of finishes!  The first was this pretty baby quilt, actually a memory quilt...


The purple plaid was part of a well-loved childhood comforter and became part of this sweet little baby quilt.


If this looks familiar, it should - it's the same pattern as a baby quilt I made earlier this year.  Mom decided she wanted one for her younger daughter, too, and thus we have sister quilts!


The back of this quilt is a favorite sheet with lavender rosebuds. Sweet!



On Wednesday, I shared this pillow, made with the cut-off corners of the snowball blocks in the quilt - a lovely match!

And then today, while between projects, I decided that I HAD to do something about my workstation!  It was a hideous mess - lots of leftovers from recent projects that I had not had time to put away.  But now...


Empty scrap buckets!


And the other end is cleaned up too!


Of course, just to be honest with you, there's still a LOT of cleaning to be done...


...but there are still projects to be completed before Christmas - so I think I'll just have to muddle along, happy for a clean worktable!

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

And now it's your turn!

What's making you whoop it up this week?


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



Wednesday, November 27, 2019

I May Have a Scrap Problem... Using Up The Scraps!

Hi, all!

Drum roll please...... 

I actually did some scrappy sewing this week!! 

You may remember this quilt that I made earlier this year...


This was a memory quilt for a customer, made from a well-loved comforter for her daughter.  Well, she decided she wanted one for her other daughter...


...so this quilt, also made using fabric from a well-loved comforter, went on the frame today.  I'll share more pictures of it Friday!

But making a quilt like this - a snowball design - results in bonus half-square triangles when you make the snowball corners.   And I just can't let those little bonus HSTs go to waste!  So I made this cute little pillow to go with the quilt...


Isn't that fun?  

So remember, it pays to hang on to those little cut-off triangles!  There's no limit to the adorable designs you can come up with using HSTs, and pillow covers make GREAT Christmas gifts!  

Sorry about saying the dreaded "C" word...

Instead, I'll wish you the happiest of Thanksgivings, filled with family, food, and all wonderful things!


Hugs!

Sarah

Monday, November 25, 2019

Make-A-List Monday - And The Holidays Begin!


Hi, all!

Can you believe it's almost Thanksgiving?  How this year has flown by!  And today marks just one more month until Christmas.  That means it's time to kick into overdrive, all while enjoying the season at the same time.  Trust me, it can be done - it just sounds hard!  

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

1.  Work on the commission baby quilt.
It's still not finished, but the top is!  I had a hiccup when I looked at the photo I took when I first finished it, and saw a mistake, but it has been reworked so now it is perfect!


2.  Prep for a class on Friday.
All prepped, and the class went great! My friend Vicky, who had never even sat down at a sewing machine before, made this beautiful pillow cover. She did great for a first-time sewer!


3.  Keep working on my snowflake quilt.
Unfortunately, with the repair work on the pinwheel quilt, I didn't get to work on this at all.

4.  Make a class sample.
Done, but of course I forgot to take a picture of it before I took it to the store to be put on display!  But it's really cute - a burrito-style pillowcase with a ruffled flange!

5.  Quilt one of the annual quilts.
Nathanael's penguin quilt is now finished, except for the label!  One down, two to go!



6.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.
A quiet week - no quilts were given away!  We are working on a stash of quilts to have on hand over the holiday season as requests come in.  

So all in all, a good week!  I also discovered the wonder of chaffles (cheese/egg waffles) which are keto friendly and a wonderful substitute for bread.  I've made two different recipes, a basic chaffle (good for breakfast sandwiches), and a jalapeƱo popper chaffles, which was amazing with chili!

This week my husband is taking some vacation days, so my schedule be a little more disjointed - but hubby home means going to movies and doing some honey-do's, too!  So here's what's on my plate for this week....

1.  Finish the baby quilt.

2.  Make a matching pillow.

3.  Hit Joann's Black Friday sale for some batting.

4.  Hem some jeans for my husband.

5.  Cook cook cook for Thanksgiving.

6.  Hem up some curtains.

7.  Quilt one of the annual quilts.

8.  Start decorating the house for Christmas.

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

So a busy week ahead of me, for sure!  But at least I won't have time to get in any trouble, right?

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Friday, November 22, 2019

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? A Little Bit of This and That...

Hi, all!

Another week has come and gone, and it's finally Friday again!  And that means it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on - are you ready?  I know we're getting close to the holidays and it may be hard to share, but don't feel like you have to show off a finish.  You can share progress shots if you want!  So let's get started!

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

I've had a busy week, but a real mixed bag of achievements.  Here's a good overview of my week...


How about this?  I got this cool bird feeder for my birthday at the end of October, and the birds finally decided it might be worth checking out this week!  They are insistent little buggers and I've learned to keep the feeder full or they will tap on the window to get my attention....


And this beautiful bundle of Sugarland Park by Amy Smart showed up at my house this week!  Aren't the colors pretty?


These, friends, are chaffles and they are quickly becoming favorites around our house.  Chaffles are made of egg and cheese, plus some other things thrown in, and then the batter is put in a mini-waffle maker.  The ones above have mozzarella cheese, almond flour, psyllium husk and baking powder added and my husband tells me they made wonderful a breakfast sandwich with bacon and cheese.  Tonight I made some with  cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and minced jalapeƱo to go with our chili - and they were awesome!  It's nice to finally have a viable substitute for cornbread...


I also finished Nathanael's annual quilt this week!  I'll share more pictures soon - I didn't have time to take any yet - but it is something I achieved this week and it's good to have one ready to go.  Now I just need to get to the other two!


And this is my first swirl photograph!  I saw someone posted one on Instagram recently, and when I was getting ready to take a progress shot of this quilt top, I thought it might be fun and different.  I really enjoyed setting it up and love having a new technique in my wheelhouse!


And here's a little true life - I was so proud of getting this quilt top finished today, but as I was just looking at this picture, I realized that two of the blocks are out of order!  So tomorrow I will be carefully picking out the stitching and swapping them out so it's perfect....

So (except for the last one!) - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?


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




Wednesday, November 20, 2019

I May Have A Scrap Problem... Time For Some Inspiration!

Hi, all!

I hope you all enjoyed visiting Christina's blog last week - wasn't her tutorial fabulous?  I'm looking forward to making one of my own someday, if and when things ever slow down around here...

While traveling last week, I had a chance to wander around Instagram a while, and found some fabulous scrappy inspiration to share!  


How's this for a little low volume love?  I wish I had such a nice variety of low volumes in my stash!


I've never been tempted to do a Single Girl quilt before, but this scrappy version is stunning...


And sometimes simple can be very effective. Both this quilt and the one below are easy quilts, but if you need a fast way to use up some squares, these are adorable!


Do you have lots of solid scraps, like me?  I think this snowball quilt would be a perfect solution to those scraps! (So maybe I should drag them out and cut them up....)


This next quilt made my fingers itch to get to a sewing machine while in NYC - but I graphed out a new design instead using it as the inspiration!  I can't wait to give it a try and see how it works...


And last, but definitely not least, check out this wonderfully scrappy snowflake tree skirt-in-progress!  


Wouldn't that look wonderful under your own Christmas tree?  I am s-o-o-o-o-o ready to start decorating...

And now that you're all inspired and stuff, go drag out some scraps and play for a few minutes!

Hugs!

Sarah

Monday, November 18, 2019

Make-A-List Monday - Back in the Saddle Again!

Hi, all!

It feels like it's been forever since I've been in my sewing room - our trip to New York was fabulous and we had so much fun!  


We saw three shows:  Hadestown, Dear Evan Hansen, and To Kill a Mockingbird.  


We went to three museums:  the 9/11 Museum, the Museum of Natural History, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  


We ate lots of wonderful food that isn't at all on my diet - pizza, cheesecake, pastries, fried seafood - but wonder of wonders, I only gained a pound and a half!  


We rode the subway, didn't get lost, and even met friends from home that we didn't know were there!  


Now I've got to get back on the wagon, though, and get back to work, too!  

Here's what's on my plate for this week!

1.  Work on the commission baby quilt.

2.  Prep for a class on Friday.

3.  Keep working on my snowflake quilt.

4.  Make a class sample.

5.  Quilt one of the annual quilts.

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

Kind of a short list, but I really need to get the baby quilt finished if possible.  Of course, the stars are working against me - the fabric I ordered was supposed to be in the mail today, but it was delayed.  Hopefully it will arrive tomorrow so I can knock that out this week!   And there's always other stuff waiting in the wings if the fabric doesn't get here....

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Friday, November 15, 2019

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? A Finished Quilt, and More!

Hi, all!

It's finally Friday again!  And you know what that means - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  So without further ado, let's get started...

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

As you read this post, I am currently in New York City, enjoying the sights, tastes, and hustle bustle of the town with my husband.  Which means that I had to write this post on Wednesday as I was sitting in the airport waiting for my plane.  I was wondering what in the world I could write about, since I had not had much time for sewing this week.  But looking back through the photos on my phone, I realized I had accomplished a lot of whoop-worthy things!


First up, keto-friendly chocolate cupcakes!  These tasted really good, although I think next time I will try adapting a whipped cream cheese frosting recipe I have rather than make this buttercream icing again.  It wasn't bad, but a little bit thick.


Then I tried my hand at some yeast-raised keto-friendly dinner rolls.  Here they are after making the dough balls...


...which, miracle of miracles, actually raised!  Here they are going into the oven...


...and here they are coming out!  And they tasted so good!  We took them to a dinner party, along with some non-keto-friendly rolls, and they were just as popular!  I will definitely be making these again - probably for Thanksgiving, so I can enjoy some bread too!


And my stairs!  They are finally completely painted - treads, risers, and trim - all at the same time!  I love how fresh and clean they look.



And this may not look like much to you, but it's huge to me - I photographed and measured all the quilts I would like to put up for sale this season.  Now I just need to write up some posts, either Instagram or Facebook, and get them listed!


And last, but definitely not least, I finished up this pretty quilt - I'm calling it Flight Path!  The pattern, Flight of Fancy, is by Christina Cameli, and I had the honor of being one of the pattern testers.  It's a fun pattern to make!


I had a good time with the quilting, too - it has random meander on the black portions, but a "flight" arrow in each of the triangles.

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

*&*&*&*&*&*

And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?


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