Make-A-List Monday - So Much To Do, So Little Time!!

 

Hi, all!

I hope you've had a great week and weekend!  It was my birthday weekend so we celebrated all day on Saturday - and then my husband came down with a cold which, it turns out, is covid.  Quite a disappointing end to the weekend, but he's not deathly ill, so hopefully it will be a quick bout.  He still has his sense of humor, and we text each other a lot from different parts of the house!

Meanwhile, I did get to some of the things on my list from last week!  Let's check and see, shall we?

1.  Find red fabrics for Emmy's quilt.

Done, although I didn't take a picture (drat!)

2.  Make the center medallion for Emmy's quilt.

Done!  And I did get a pic of this...

3.  Start making the 25-patch blocks for Lilli's quilt.

Well underway!!  This is the last picture I took of the blocks, but I've made more and put together five rows of seven blocks each.  I've got two more rows to make, then I'll assemble the rows and have a finished top!

4.  Make a back for Nathanael's quilt.

I didn't get to this one this week, but I have the fabric on hand so it shouldn't take very long!

5.  Set up the front porch for Halloween!

Done! Because we have covid in the house, I've given Jake (my skeleton) a big bowl of candy to share with the neighborhood kids. So far, they're doing well and not taking too much each time!

Bree has had a mixed week as far as behavior in the studio goes.  Mid-week last week, she got so "used to it" that she grabbed her favorite towel and settled down for a nap.  

But Saturday we were gone off and on most of the day, and she got a little bonkers.  Sunday when I was sewing, she stole so. much. fabric. that I took away her studio privileges for the day.  Today she did much the same.  It's a delicate balancing act with an active dog - you have to give her enough activity to keep her mind occupied, and then she'll rest when you want to do your own thing.  

And here's my list for the upcoming week!

1.  Keep the dog active and occupied!

2.  Finish the blocks for Lilli's annual quilt.

3.  Cut the remaining pieces for Emmy's quilt.

4.  Start assembling Emmy's quilt.

5.  Finish assembling Lilli's quilt.

6.  Make a back for Nathanael's quilt.

7.  Bring in Jake from the front porch after his Halloween duties!

Plenty to keep me busy!  And I need to make some serious headway on these projects because I took on a very special commission that needs to be finished before Christmas (against my usual commissions deadline of October 1st).  So much to do, so little time!!

And now I really want to know - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Because Christmas is Getting Closer and Closer.....

 

Hi, all!

It's Friday again, and we all know what that means - - - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!!  I hope you've had a fabulous week, with something to whoop about, so let's get started!

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As I said in this post title, Christmas is getting closer and closer - only eight more Fridays after this one!! And Christmas presents need to be started, and finished, so the clock is ticking! 

As most of you know, I make a quilt for each of my grandchildren each year, and this year I've got good starts already...

Nathanael's Dragon Dreams top is finished, and ready to be quilted!

And I've made good progress on Lilli's quilt - shown above is more than half the blocks I'll need for her quilt!

I've picked out fabrics for Emmy's quilt (I've added some reds to this stack too) and I'm ready to start cutting it out!

I'm behind for a normal year, but I think in light of the past year, I'm way ahead of the game for this year!  

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 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

I May Have A Scrap Problem... How About Some Inspiration!

 

Hi, all!

Well, it's been a really busy week working on annual quilts for the grandkids, so I haven't had any time to do anything scrappy.  Although I will say in my defense that I did use up a fat quarter bundle that's been sitting in my stash for.e.ver.  So there's that!  But I do have some scrappy inspiration to share with you...

First of all, a disclaimer - none of these are my own work. And they've been sitting in my digital files for a while, so I don't know where to attribute them to, either.  But you should enjoy them - I know I do!!

My stash of black and white prints is screaming "THIS ONE!"

And if, like me, you have an overabundance of blue scraps, isn't this a great solution??

I absolutely love the use of "made fabric" in this sunburst...

And here's a great way to put old flannel shirts to use!

And for those tiniest of scraps, isn't this glorious?  I love the unifying solid alternating blocks that set this true postage stamp quilt apart.

Remember, there's an incredible amount of potential in your scrap stash!  Whether you leave it in raw scrap form, or cut it down to usable sizes, there's loads of "free" quilts in those scraps!!

So - - - have you been doing anything scrappy this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - It's Been A Good Week!

 

Hi, all!

It's Monday once again, and I can honestly say I had a very productive week last week!!  Here's how everything went...

1.  Start assembling Nathanael's quilt.

No only start, but FINISH!!  Isn't this cute?

2.  Continue making Lilli's strip sets.

The strip sets are completed...

...and also cross-cut!

And if I needed a sign that this will be a good quilt, I got it!  I made this from a stack of fat quarters that I had been holding on to forever, and I'm not even sure how many were in it exactly.  I cut them all into strips and sewed them into sets of five, and only had one strip left over.  Then I counted the number of strip sets I had (35) and how many cross-cut units I could get out of each (7).  A little quilt math...

...and it turned out I have exactly the number of strips I need to make forty-nine 10" blocks, for a 70x70 quilt!  Now, I call that a sign!!

3.  Choose fabrics for Emmy's quilt and start cutting.

I think I have all the fabrics together, but haven't started cutting. (Oops, just noticed I don't have any reds in this! Back to the scrap bins to see what I can find....)

4.  Move fabric from 15 cubbies in my Kallax shelf

into new storage bins.

Done, thanks to my wonderful oldest granddaughter!  

Didn't Lilli do a fabulous job?

And to top it all off...

Whew!  What a week!  And here's my PSA for the week - if early voting has begun in your area, take time out to vote now!  It's a lot easier to fit it in early than rely on being able to fit it in on Election Day.  

And here's what I hope to work on this week...

1.  Find red fabrics for Emmy's quilt.

2.  Make the center medallion for Emmy's quilt.

3.  Start making the 25-patch blocks for Lilli's quilt.

4.  Make a back for Nathanael's quilt.

5.  Set up the front porch for Halloween!

An ambitious list, but I feel like I'm on a roll, so let's make hay while the sun shines!!

And now I really want to know - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Here There Be Dragons!

 

Hi, all!

Wow!  It's Friday again, and we all know what that means - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!!  I hope you've had a good week, with plenty of time to do whoop-worthy things you can share!  Let's get started!

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Last week I reported that I had cut out all the little pieces for Nathanael's annual quilt, Dragon Dreams.  Wednesday, while Lilli was over doing some work for me, I started sewing those pieces together.  I had a bit of a hiccup when Lilli looked at the fabric I had chosen for the background, and informed me that it was "totally NOT Nathanael"!  So she helped me pick out something more "appropriate" and I cut all those background pieces out one more time.  Then sewing commenced!

The end of the afternoon saw this cute little face emerge!  I'm totally in love with this little guy....

Then Thursday afternoon I sat down to work on the dragon a little more.  While listening to my Audible book, a Preston and Childs called The Cabinet of Curiosities, I knocked out the second section of this drowsy dragon!

It turned out that I had a little more time to sew before I had to go assemble a lasagna, so I hunkered down at the machine and knocked out the third section too!  Isn't this the cutest???  I can't wait to get more of him done tomorrow....

And what, pray tell, was Lilli doing at my house on a weekday?  Her school had a teacher in-service day, so she was at loose ends, and as she texted me, she was poor, so could she come work for me?  Of course!  Nana always has things that she doesn't want to do herself!  And here's what she did for me....

I ordered those see-through bins in the lower three rows of cubbies from Amazon last week, and I'm pleased to say they are a perfect fit for my Kallax (from IKEA) shelf units!  They are also perfect for keeping Bree out of my fabric - and I love them so much I ordered enough to use on the upper two rows!  Lilli took all the stuff in the lower cubbies and put them in the bins and replaced them on the shelves. She also put my big messy pile of patterns into clear plastic sleeves in notebooks, AND sorted my huge messy pile of scraps by color and put them in the correct scrap bins.  See?  Lots of stuff Nana didn't want to do herself, but was happy to pay a poor teenager for!

And is this not the cutest thing ever?  I found this Wednesday night when I went into my bedroom - my cleaning ladies did this after vacuuming and dusting in our bedroom.  I never would have thought of doing that with a quilt, but it sure is cute!  Totally made my day!

And while Bree is a total wild child much of the time, occasionally she just collapses, like this.  Wednesday she went to doggy day care and played for most of the day with her doggy friends.  She came home and after a few minutes of manic running around in the back yard, collapsed for the rest of the evening.  I'm glad she loves playing with the other dogs so much!

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

Make-A-List Monday - Turtle Not Rabbit!

 

Hi, all!

Well, this week I was more of a turtle than a rabbit - I'm not sure why, I've got plenty of energy, but I didn't do a whole lot on my weekly to-do list.  I think it's because I'm not back in the habit of going to my studio every day and doing work work work!  I'll get there again, but I'll have to re-train myself, just like in doing these blog posts.  Here's how last week went....

1.  Finish cutting out Nathanael's quilt.

Done!  So. Many. Pieces.  But I love making these pieced picture quilts, so the construction will be fun!

2.  Choose final fabrics for Emmy's quilt.

I didn't get to this one yet. (Hangs head...)

3.  Start assembling the strip sets for Lilli's quilt.

Done!  I've made 21 strip sets so far (although there's still a lot of strips to put together...)

4.  Put borders on the hexie quilt.

I didn't get to this one, and won't until I've made more significant progress on the annual quilts!

5.  Choose a back for the hexie quilt.

Done!  I have a beautiful piece of linen left over from a Pottery Barn duvet cover that I bought (on sale) just for the fabric in it.  I think it will be perfect!

So the week wasn't a total washout, but I didn't get to everything I thought I might.  Oh well, it's better to have grand plans than none at all, right?  So here's my grand plans for this week!

1.  Start assembling Nathanael's quilt.

2.  Continue making Lilli's strip sets.

3.  Choose fabrics for Emmy's quilt and start cutting.

4.  Move fabric from 15 cubbies in my Kallax shelf

into new storage bins (see below!)

I'm going to stop at that - and then maybe I can get all of this done!  So here's the story about the Kallax shelving. Remember that I had to do this to it to prevent Bree from stealing folded fabric off the shelves?

Well, that worked great for keeping Bree out of the fabric, but it kept me out of it too, which just wasn't working for me!  So I did some searching (Amazon is my friend!) and found these....

These should be just the right size for my shelf cubbies, AND they have a clear window on the front so I can see what's in them!  Lilli texted me asking if she could come work for me on Wednesday, because in her words "I am poor and I need money"!  So this will be the perfect job for her - she loves to organize!!

Oh, and my week wasn't a total waste - remember those special sales that Amazon had this week?  Well, I lost my mind and bought myself an electric pressure washer, and had the best time cleaning my back patio and the front steps!  

Those are both "half-done" pictures so you can see how badly both areas needed to be cleaned!  It took the better part of two days to do that, and I paid the price in sore muscles, but it feels so good to have them nice and clean!

So now, I really want to know - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Progress Is Good, Right?

Hi, all! 

Friday is here once again (hallelujah, right?) and we all know what that means - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!!  Just as a reminder, it doesn't have to be a finish (good thing!) it can just be whatever is making you do a little happy dance this week!  So let's get started!

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This week I've started a whole lot of things, but haven't finished much - - well, unless you count sewing the last hexie on this top!

I've still got to add borders and do the quilting, but it sure felt good (and a little strange) to sew on that final hexie!

Next up, progress on the annual quilts.  Nathanael's Dragon Dreams quilt is finally all cut out (so many little pieces!)...

...and I started sewing the strip sets together for Lilli's quilt.  I've got 21 sets sewn together already, and hope to finish sewing the rest together by Monday.

And then, in other (non-quilting) news, I made some pan-fried dumplings!  Nathanael and I share a deep love for dumplings, so I cooked up a huge bag full of them and we ate dumplings until we almost burst!

And this tree makes me whoop it up every time I see it out my studio window!  It turns such a beautiful shade of red, I don't mind having to rake up the leaves later on in the year!

And finally, how about a whoop for Bree? While she's still a wild child, she's a very good car rider!  She cracks me up, looking so serious as she sits there....

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

I May Have a Scrap Problem - But I've Also Got Hexies!

 

Hi, all!

I am over the moon happy to be able to say that I have sewn the final hexie onto my hexie top!!!

If my math is right, there are 1428 hexies in this top, each one hand basted and then sewn together by hand.  This made a relatively good dent in my 2.5" square scrap bin, although I've probably got at least this many left!  

Today I went up and dug through my stash, hoping that I would have some of my grandmother's vintage Irish linen left in a color that would work as a border, and lo and behold, I found this beauty!  There's plenty to make borders to appliqué the top onto.  That will increase it's size just enough to make it the perfect size, AND will wash up lovely and soft!

And look what else I found!  This is a huge piece of linen that used be part of a duvet cover that I found on sale at Pottery Barn.  I used part of it as a back for a quilt several years ago, but it looks like there's enough to back this quilt too!  I can't wait to see (feel?) how soft and cuddly this quilt will be once it's finished....

So that's what I've been working on in the scrap arena this week.  How about you?  Is it time to bring one of those "squirrel" ideas floating around in your brain out into the light? There's no better day than today!

Hugs!

Sarah