Make-A-List Monday - Wow, Am I Out Of Shape!

 

Hi, all!

Ouch!  I have definitely gotten out of shape in the past year - dragging Christmas boxes out of the attic has worn me down to a nub!  But I have crushed my exercise minutes every day this week, so there's that. Let's take a look at last week's list...

1.  Quilt Lilli's quilt if the batting arrives.

The batting came on Saturday, but I didn't have a chance to load the quilt on the frame yet. More about that below!

2.  Keep working on the scrappy ministry quilt top.

Done!  This one is ready to be quilted too.

3.  Keep cleaning up the studio.

Still a work in progress. I'm not sure it will ever be completely finished!

4.  Package up some Christmas gifts for my sewing sisters.

I've got all my parts for this project in place, just need to sit down and assemble the packages!

5.  Pull out the Christmas decorations and start setting them up!

Oh my, have I been working on this - and I am sore sore sore!  Let me explain...

Remember the beautiful tree we got at the tree farm?  Well, I spent a good day decorating it to the nines, and here's the result...

Isn't it beautiful? All that hard work was so worth it - and we enjoyed it for that evening and most of the next day.  So imagine my surprise when, while I was sitting in the den recuperating from dragging tubs of Christmas crap downstairs, I heard a horrendous --WHOMP-- in the living room!  I rush in there, only to see....

...the tree had hit. the. floor.  We have no idea why it fell down - Bree was outside in the back yard, and no, there wasn't an earthquake - but we proceeded to mop up the water on the floor, get a new and larger tree base, and put the tree back upright.  So then I spent another day RE-decorating it, swearing that if it fell down again, I was going to just chop it up for firewood!  My husband wired it to the wall, though, so I think we're good now.  But oh my gosh - that's the first time in 43 years of marriage that I've had a tree fall over!

With all the drama, I haven't taken too many pictures yet, but I did get a nice one of our nativity set.  I've got the artificial tree set up in the den, and a box of decorations all ready to go on it after I finish writing this post, so maybe this will be my whoop whoop for Friday - finishing the decorations!  We shall see....

So now, here's my list for this week...

1.  Finish the inside Christmas decorations.

2.  Decorate the front porch.

3.  Quilt Lilli's quilt.

4.  Package up those Christmas gifts for my sewing sisters!

5.  Make port pads for a local oncology office.

Definitely enough to keep me busy and more than busy!  If I get all this done I'll be tickled pink!

Oh, and I did one more thing today - built a piece of furniture - and I had a supervisor.  She was definitely way more help than I needed or wanted, but it's so much fun to see how curious she is!

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Stuffed to the Gills!

 

Hi, all!

Friday has rolled around once again, and we all know what that means - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  Let's go!

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As I sit here, it is Thursday evening and I am in a near-turkey-coma, trying to figure out what to write about.  I haven't really had any new finishes this week, although I am pretty chuffed about this pretty scrap top that I finished yesterday...

Sometimes things just come together well!  But it still didn't make a dent in my scrap stash.  Oh well, guess I'll just have to keep on plugging away!

Other than that, I didn't really have a chance to work on much else.  It's been a strange week, with my husband taking a few vacation days. We did see an interesting movie, though - The Menu.  It wasn't exactly what I expected but it certainly held my attention!  If you're looking for something a little out of the ordinary, it's worth checking out.

So, even though it was a quiet week without much accomplished, 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... But Now A Little Less!

 

Hi, all!

It's been a hot minute since I posted about my scrappy endeavors, but since I hadn't had much time to work on anything scrappy, I didn't have anything interest to share.  But today I have a flimsy finished!!

Here's what it looked like Tuesday night when I shared it with my sewing sisters at church. But it was still a hair small for what we needed.

Here's a close-up shot - I took it on an angle and it looks really different here!

I found a beautiful green Modernist print by Joel Dewberry in our stash at church and added those borders today - now it's all ready for quilting!  Maybe I can get to it sometime this weekend....

Also, just for inspiration, aren't these stars just fabulous?  I saw this on Pinterest and tucked it away in my folder for this post.  I think I have the design for my next scrappy quilt!

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend (if you are here in the States) and find some time to do some scrappy sewing of your own!!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - How Can It Possibly Be Thanksgiving Already???

Hi, all!

Oh my goodness - how is it possible that this Thursday is Thanksgiving??? Time sure flies when you're having fun!  But it's time to put the pedal to the metal now, because Christmas is just around the corner....

Let's take a look at how my list from last week went...

1.  Quilt Nathanael's annual quilt.

Done!  It's so nice to have two of the annual quilts finished and ready for labeling.

2.  Quilt Lilli's annual quilt.

Not done - but for a valid reason!  I was ready to load it on the frame, but realized I really wanted to use a wool batt, and of course there aren't any in town, so I have one on order.  Hopefully it will be here this week!

3.  Start cleaning up the studio before my quilting sisters descend on my house for our Christmas party in December.

A work in progress!  And no, I'm not sharing pics of the mess....

4.  Pick up and set up our big Christmas tree!

Done!  Lots of pics below...

5.  Start piecing a ministry quilt top from my scrap stash.

Oh, I'm having fun with this one!  I've got about two thirds of the blocks done, plus a lovely stash of 2" HSTs piling up! (Ignore the Postcards from Sweden at the top - that's a work in progress too!)

And now, here's the skinny about our trip to the tree farm!  Our friends built a fabulous, HUGE barn/event center on the property, and they had all of their Christmas sale goodies inside.  It was sent up so beautifully!

There were trees with ornaments...

Lots of pretty decor items, and food too!

And look!  Even more!!

We picked out a beautiful tree for us (and one for our daughter, too!) and a couple of wreaths for the front doors, and the guys helped us load them into the truck.

And now Bree wants to know why we have a tree in the house!  I haven't decorated it yet - I'm waiting for the branches to relax a little bit - but it's going to be gorgeous!!  I'll share more pics when I get all the downstairs decorations in place.

Now it's time to figure out what I need to do this week - a strange week, because my husband is off for the week and hanging around the house.  We'll probably go see a few movies, too!  But here's what's on my to-do list for the week...

1.  Quilt Lilli's quilt if the batting arrives.

2.  Keep working on the scrappy ministry quilt top.

3.  Keep cleaning up the studio.

4.  Package up some Christmas gifts for my sewing sisters.

5.  Pull out the Christmas decorations and start setting them up!

I can't wait to put the Christmas quilt on my bed later this week - I'm trying really hard to wait until after Thanksgiving, as my husband really prefers that for all the decorations.  And I've got enough to do this week to make that work!  

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Two Down, One To Go!

 

Hi, all!

Wow, can you believe it?  Friday has rolled around once again, and we all know what that means - it's time to get our whoop whoop on!!  I hope you're ready, because I know I am!  Let's get started...

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I'm very excited to tell you that...

...yesterday, for the first time in almost a year, I fired up Jolene and we did some quilting!!

And then I jumped over to the Juki and we did some binding...

And look!!  Dragon Dreams is finished!!!

Isn't he cute?  I think Nathanael is going to love this little guy.  Of course it doesn't hurt that there's so. much. green. in this quilt!  The pattern is called Dragon Dreams, by Apples & Beavers (wouldn't you love to know the origin of that name?) and I did make it a little larger by adding a narrow stop border and a wider outer border.  It now measures about 50"x60".

And now I have finished two of the three annual quilts for my grandkids.  The last will have to wait until the wool batt I ordered arrives, but hopefully that will be here next week (fingers crossed!).

While I was quilting, Bree kept watch in a patch of sunlight on the upper level of my studio...

See? She CAN be a good dog when she wants to be!

And I really have to share this with you...

I think anyone could win an ugly sweater contest with one of these!

So now - - - 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

Make-A-List Monday - A Little Pressure Released!

 

Hi, all!

Another week has flown by!  Why does the time seem to go so much faster towards the end of the year?  The days seem shorter too, with the dark falling so early.  But it's the time of year for crock pot meals, stews and soups, so cooking is a little bit easier.  

I had a bit of the pressure eased last week when the commission job that I took on after my usual cut-off date fell through.  So whew!  I can breathe again!  Here's how my list last week went...

1.  Quilt Emmy's quilt.

Done!  It turned out really cute.  Simple cross-hatch quilting, and the binding is done too!

2.  Spray baste Lilli's quilt.

I didn't get to this one!

3.  Load Nathanael's quilt on the frame.

Done!  This was the first thing I had loaded on the frame in about a year, and I am happy to see that muscle memory took over!  I'm still trying to figure out exactly how I want to quilt it, though.

4.  Finishing putting the front flower beds to sleep for the winter.

I didn't get to this one, and I think I'm going to regret it, because now it's cold!  But I did have a valid excuse - my first (and hopefully only) case of shingles made it rather uncomfortable to move around! PS it's better now....

5. (Bonus) If I manage to finish all that, quilt Lilli's quilt.

I didn't get to this, because I didn't spray baste it. But I may just load it up on the frame and knock it out, once I figure out how I want to quilt it!

Today, I tried out a new recipe for shells and cheese (lots and lots of cheese!) and it turned out really well...

...so pretty I had to take a picture before we dug into it!  It tasted pretty good, too!

So even with shingles, it was a pretty good week!  And here's a PSA - if someone offers you a shingles shot, quit thinking you can't be old enough for that and take them up on it!  I sure wish I had...

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

1.  Quilt Nathanael's annual quilt.

2.  Quilt Lilli's annual quilt.

3.  Start cleaning up the studio before my quilting sisters descend on my house for our Christmas party in December.

4.  Pick up and set up our big Christmas tree!

5.  Start piecing a ministry quilt top from my scrap stash.

It's hard to believe that it's time to set up the Christmas tree, and it IS a little early, but we get ours from a local Christmas tree farm and it opens this coming Saturday.  It's run by one of my husband's co-workers, who started it many years ago as a way to pay for his kids' college educations.  They are all graduated now, but he keeps doing it and it's a really nice day trip!  They not only have trees, but wreaths, arrangements, and some fun Christmas decor, too.  I'll try to take some pictures while we are there so you can see all the beautiful stuff!

And while I don't have a picture of Bree, who is currently doing her imitation of a cockroach in the chair next to me, I do have a lovely picture of my daughter and her family that was taken a couple of weeks ago. Aren't they all beautiful?

Time sure flies when you're having fun - Lilli will start learning to drive this year!  And the littles aren't so little any more - Emmy is ten, and Nathanael just turned eleven!  

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? One Down, Two to Go!

Hi, all!

Wow! Another week has flown by, and it's Friday again - and we all know what that means, right?  It's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  So grab your camera, take some pictures, and show off for us!  Let's get started....

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I am so very happy to say that one of the annual quilts has moved from this....

...to this....

...to this!

And this week, I did the quilting and binding!!

I did have a binding "assistant"...

When I first looked down and saw her there, her nose was millimeters away from the white end of the binding strip (I was sewing it onto the quilt at the time) and it took quite a bit of talking/threatening to convince her that it would NOT be a good idea to grab that end and head for the hills!

But then she settled down and took a nap while I finished the quilt, and I can now say one down, two to go!! The other two are ready for quilting, I just need to decide exactly what I'm going to do on them.

And in other news, take a look at the gigantic mum I bought for the front porch this week! I went to our local nursery when I saw a Tiktok where they were advertising $10 mums, thinking I would get three of them for the front porch, but they were so big I just got two - one for my daughter and one for me.  I don't think I could have even put another one in the back of my car - it was jammed full!  I'm hoping I can kept alive through at least part of the holiday season, and they should look really nice with my front porch decorations.

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 - Winter Is Coming!

 

Hi, all!

We survived covid!  All is back to normal at our house, and being stuck inside helped me make progress on my on-going projects, so all is well!  Here's how last week's list went...

1.  Keep the dog active and occupied!

Bree actually did very well, and we had some fun frisbee sessions.  She actually caught the frisbee twice by jumping up over three feet in the air!  It was a sight to see, for sure!

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

Finished!  More in a minute...

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

Done!  More in a minute on this one too...

4.  Start assembling Emmy's quilt.

Completely assembled, AND the back is made, AND it's spray-basted and ready for quilting!!

5.  Finish assembling Lilli's quilt.

Done!  And I've made the back for this one too.  I would have spray-basted it, too, except I ran out of spray.

6.  Make a back for Nathanael's quilt.

Done, and ready to go on the frame!

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

Done!  Jake is now back upstairs in the attic and I'm starting to think about Christmas decorations...

It does seem like Christmas decorations go up earlier and earlier every year, doesn't it?  But as my granddaughters tell me, I have so. much. Christmas. crap. that it takes a few weeks to put it out properly!  So I will start sorting it out in one of the upstairs bedrooms and maybe wait until the week of Thanksgiving to start putting them out - maybe!

And here's what I'm going to be working on this week....

1.  Quilt Emmy's quilt.

2.  Spray baste Lilli's quilt.

3.  Load Nathanael's quilt on the frame.

4.  Finishing putting the front flower beds to sleep for the winter.

5. (Bonus) If I manage to finish all that, quilt Lilli's quilt.

I did work on the flower beds out front last week, and I learned just how out of shape I really am!  I only managed about half the job before I decided I'd better quit before I couldn't move at all.  I'm hopeful I can get the rest of it done this week!

And take a look at the white mums I bought today!  I thought I'd get three (they were on a fabulous sale - two for $20!) but this one was so huge I think it's big enough.  If I can manage to keep it alive, I think it will be pretty with my Christmas decorations, too!  I bought one for my daughter, too, so it will be a competition to see who can keep them alive longest - and then we will plant them in our yards after the flowers die off.

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

Hugs!

Sarah