Hands2Help Comfort Quilt Challenge Week #7 - With Our Next Guest Blogger, Kathleen!

 

Hi, all!

Welcome to week seven of this year's Hands2Help Comfort Quilt Challenge, and the beginning of the second half of the Challenge!  That's right, we're halfway through! It's hard to believe the time has gone by so quickly.  I hope you are all enjoying the great guest bloggers we've already had, and prepared for even more to come!

Today we are welcoming Kathleen of Kathleen McMusing.  Kathleen always has something interesting going on, like her Fab Farm SAL that is happening right now, or her Tips and Tutorials on the 22nd, which is a monthly link party to share quilting tips and tutorials.  I just love the title of that one!  Today she has something really special for us - not just a cute quilt, but a quick dinner idea - something that should really come in handy for those super-creative days when you don't want to stop!  So take a minute and head over to her blog and check it out.  You can get there by clicking on the blog title at the beginning of this paragraph.

Bree says howdy, y'all!

And make plans now to come back next Sunday for our next check-in, another giveaway, and another great guest blogger!

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? Life is Good!

 

Hi, all!

It's hard to believe, but another week has come and gone and Friday has rolled around again!  And we all know what that means - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  Are you ready?  Then let's go!

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I've had a good time this week, with several projects coming to fruition...

My first peony bloom of the season...

...and the planter and pots are all done!

I delivered this finished customer quilt - I don't want to show the front because it will be a gift, but the texture on the back is amazing, isn't it?

I put the binding on four quilts, and finished a quilt top and back for a baby quilt (with the shower coming up in a week!)

Deb S. sent progress shots of the three baby quilts she's made for Hands2Help (*so far!).  She says these are going to go to Little Lambs Foundation of Utah.  I know they'll love them!

And very best of all, our church quilting group finished up and delivered fifty-one quilts to the teachers and support staff at our local elementary school.  Here you can see part of the quilting group and the huge stacks of quilts we finished for them!! These ladies are the best, folks - this was a huge project and they worked so hard to get it done by the end of the school year.

So, as Bree will attest, life is good when everything is where it should be!  In her case, that means when Mom is sitting in her chair so she (Bree) can sleep properly cushioned, propped up and snuggled in.

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

Make-A-List Monday - Oops!

 

Hi, all!

Well shut my mouth if I didn't JUST discover that I failed to write a post last Monday!  My husband reminded me that we were attending the grand opening of his company's new work space, so I had a valid reason, but I can't believe I didn't remember and write one on Tuesday!  Oh well - looks like I got a little while longer to work on that to-do list!  Let's see how it went...

1.  Finish up the cleaned out planter (while the sunshine is with us)!

It's done!  I added a sweet little Japanese maple tree, some butterfly bush starts, and some day lilies that a neighbor was clearing out of her yard (lucky me!)  Now if the weather will just warm up and stay warm - I had to cover up the plants last night, as we had a frost warning!

2.  Quilt the customer quilt.

Done!  I'll be delivering it this Wednesday, and I'll see if I can share any other pictures on here.

3.  Quilt ministry quilts.

In the last two weeks, I quilted several (we'll let this one stand in for all the ones I forgot to photograph!)...

...and I put borders on several small quilt tops, like these two!

4.  Keep working on the fabric re-organization.

I've been slowly plugging away at this, trying to clear off the stack of "weird" folded fabrics that I had stashed - that had large chunks cut out, or were leftover from the end of a quilt back, etc. 

And I've also started on a baby quilt for a friend...

I think this is going to turn out nicely - I've fussy cut some of the motifs from the large-print Far Far Away II fat quarters, and chopped the rest up into 2.5" squares.  I also threw in some vintage linen in two different shades of natural.  I'll be sewing this together this week!

And here's what I'll be working on this week....

1.  Assemble the baby quilt.

2.  Mail out giveaway goodies from Sunday's giveaway!

3.  Pull weeds in the front flower beds.

4.  Work on a design for another baby quilt.

5.  Keep working on the fabric organization.

I feel like I should have something else on that list, but I can't think what right at the moment.  No worries - if I remember, I'll just do it and tell you about it next week!

And how about the cutest picture of the week?

The other day, while I was busy sewing, Bree decided the very. best. place. for her was directly under my sewing table, between my feet.  She's a silly mess, but she's definitely getting good at giving me time to sew.  Hallelujah!

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Hands2Help Comfort Quilt Challenge Week #6 - Meet Our Next Guest Blogger, Bonnie!

 

Hi, all!

Wow!  You guys are blowing me away with your progress reports from last week - it's thanks to generous quilters like you that this Challenge is such a great success every year.  And I love seeing that you are finding local places to donate, also!  It's amazing to know that your     quilts are helping others, isn't it?  

This week we have another great guest blogger - Bonnie from Institches With Bonnie.  Bonnie always has something fun going on in her studio, like this beautiful scrap quilt....

I'm looking forward to reading her post about her ideas for charity quilting, aren't you?  You can get to her post by clicking on the name of her blog at the beginning of this paragraph.

And now I'm sure you are all excited to hear who won the Your Nest Organizers we shared last week, so without further ado, here's the list...

Elizabeth K.

Teri L.

Karen C.

Vicki S.

Ann D.

Condy B.

Kathleen McC.

Sue T.

Erin D.

Mary Ann G.

Kat P.

Judy B.

Pat P.

Sandra W.

Congratulations to all the winners!  I'll be prepping these to mail out this week - if your address has changed since you signed up for the Challenge, please email me directly at salliesue57 (at) gmail (dot) com and give me your new snail mail so I can get your goodies to you!

Keep up all the good work with your beautiful quilts - isn't it wonderful to know that there are people out there who need them, and will love them as they deserve?

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? A Little Help From (And For) My Friends!

 

Hi, all!

Wow!  Another week has passed by, and Friday is once more upon us! I hope you all are ready to get your whoop whoop on - let's get started!

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I don't have a whole lot (in pictures) to show for this week, although I'm whooping over several things - we have finished all the quilts needed for our two big quilt projects, and I have finished cleaning out and planting in my little back garden!  I've also got a quilt loaded on the frame and ready to quilt tomorrow, which took me giving procrastination a kick in the seat of the pants.  And I made homemade Spanish rice tonight fore the first time ever - it was awesome!

But just because I don't have any pictures of my own whoops doesn't mean I don't have anything to share today - I've received pictures from several Hands2Help participants this week who don't have blogs, and I promised to share them!

First up is Erin D., who made this wonderfully scrappy quilt and gave it to her mail carrier in thanks for all her hard work and commitment...

Next up is Ila M., with whom I have two interesting connections:  we share a birthday, and she is the only other person I know, other than my grandmother, with the name Ila!  She made this adorable quilt...

...made even more adorable by the use of this fabulous quilting design!  I've never seen anything like this, but I love it!

And last up, we have these two pretty quilts made by Linda M.  I love the way changing the direction of the blocks give the second quilt a whole different feel!

So - - - can all these wonderful H2Hers 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

Hands2Help Comfort Quilt Challenge Week #5 - Another Guest Blogger, Time to Check In, and A Giveaway!

 

Hi, all!

Five weeks in!  Can you believe it?  Seems like we just started this year's Challenge, but things are rolling right along.  We've got several things going on this week, but let's start with the most important one first. 

Today we are welcoming another guest blogger - Nann from With Strings Attached!  Spend just a few minutes on her blog and you'll realize she's a prolific quilter - but she's also a librarian.  Librarians have a special place in my heart, especially these days.  Some of my best times as a child were spent in a library, and many wonderful times at story hour with my grandkids since then.  Nowadays I use the library digitally more often than not, but I appreciate the work that librarians do even more nowadays.  So hop over to her blog and check out her post for today (and take a look around, you'll see what I mean about prolific!) and then come back for the other important things!  You can find her post by clicking the name of her blog at the top of this paragraph.  And guess what - - - Nann has a giveaway too!

Now for the second important item!  Today is our first check-in date, which gives you a chance to show off your progress, even if it's only a picture of your fabrics, or your pattern/design!  You can link up below to a blogpost or Instagram photo, whatever your heart desires.  If you aren't able to do that, leave a comment below letting us know how it's going.  We all want to cheer each other on!

And now for the third item - let's have a giveaway!  The wonderful folks at Your Nest Organizer sent me fourteen of these awesome organizers to give away!

Look at how much that holds!  All those little things that get pushed around on your workstation, now all corralled in one location.  Imagine how easy it will be to find them now....

And it comes in lots of gorgeous colors, too, each one named for a different bird.  (Birds have nests, yes?) You can see more about these great organizers on the company website or on their Instagram page, @yournestorganizer.

And just how do you enter the giveaway?  I'll be choosing fourteen winners from the people who have signed up to participate in the Challenge.  You also get your name in the hat an additional time when you link up your progress or leave a comment on this post or Nann's post.  (When you leave a comment, please add your first name and last initial at the end of your comment so we can definitely identify you!) 

I'll leave the giveaway entries open until midnight on Friday, April 21st, and announce the winners next Sunday, April 23rd.  

Now link up and show us your progress!

Hugs!

Sarah

PS - If you still haven't signed up, and want to, click here to go to the sign-up post!

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

 

Hi, all!

Friday is upon us once again, and we all know what that means - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!!  Are you ready?  Let's go!

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With the sun finally making an appearance this week, and warmer temperatures with it, I had to split my time between quilting and yard work.  Let's start with the quilting!

These two quilts bring us within just a few quilts of our big project goal - just a few more to do in the next week or so!  Both of these have been bound, washed and dried and are ready to go on the shelf with the others.  

In between doing those two quilts, I did some serious weeding and cleaning in my back flower bed....

...and two huge bags of trash later, I now have a nice clean flower bed!

I used to have a huge butterfly bush in this planter, but it didn't survive our weird winter, so I pulled it out.  It's not in this picture, but I planted a pretty japanese maple that I'm hoping will do well there.  It's listed for full sun, so it should.  We shall see!  I've also started spreading mulch, but my back will only take so much of hefting the large bags, so it's slow going.  

The day after I got the bed cleaned out, I treated myself to a trip to the local plant nursery and raided their perennials section!  I got more butterfly bush starters, candy tuft, yarrow, bee balm, delphinium, columbine, a peony, and a small rosebush.  

All those plants, except for the butterfly bush starters, have been planted in these pots, which I picked up on a 75% off sale last fall.  (Ignore the random red plastic pot - I'm not sure why it was there!)  I ordered some plant stands to raise them up to different heights.  

And I bought new bird feeders!!  I'm happy to say the birds appear to be appreciative, too.  These are a beautiful design - a scrollwork canister to hold the seeds, and a solar top so at night, they light up!  

I'll try to get some better pictures of the whole setup when I finish it this weekend, but I'm so happy with it!  

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 - Distractions!

Hi, all!

It's Monday, it's spring, and I have been so distracted!! Actually, last week was pretty loaded up with outside appointments and other various emergencies (nothing major!) and I didn't get a lot done on my list.  The rainy weather would have been good for sewing, but alas, I spent a lot of my days last week running around.  

So let's take a look at that list...

1.  Keep working on ministry quilts.

I got this one quilted and have two more ready to go on the frame.

2.  Quilt a customer quilt.

I didn't get to this one yet.

3.  Work on clearing out a planter in the yard. (It's spring, y'all!)

I did work on this yesterday and today - some of the first warm sunny days we've had in a week!  The planter is cleaned out and ready for new mulch and maybe a plant or two.  This flowerbed also holds my bird feeders, so I usually like to put in plants that will attract butterflies and hummingbirds.  Unfortunately, my butterfly bushes didn't survive the winter this year!  So I'll be looking for replacements...

It sure felt good to get rid of two big bags of weeds and dead bush, though!  This poor flower bed was neglected last year when I was sick, so it's long past due for a clean-out!

4.  Keep plugging through the last of the fabric organizing.

I'm still working on this, but it's getting better!

5.  Make the back for the hexie quilt.

I found a huge piece of linen I had left over from a Pottery Barn duvet I picked up on a great sale.  It's easily big enough for the back, but I haven't had a chance to do any spray basting because I have a table loaded up with fabric that needs cutting in the middle of the floor!

Oh, and I did make a poundcake!  I've been trying to replicate my grandmother's pound cake recipe for years - a tough task because she used 4X powdered sugar in hers, and I can't find it anywhere!  I used 6X powdered sugar for this one (found it on Amazon) and it's close - now I just need to work on fine tuning it.  But my family wasn't complaining!

And here's my list for this week....

1.  Finish up the cleaned out planter (while the sunshine is with us)!

2.  Quilt the customer quilt.

3.  Quilt ministry quilts.

4.  Keep working on the fabric re-organization.

I guess it's a case of "second verse, same as the first"!  But whatever works, right?  I'm going to have to work on the work/reward system - do something I have to do, then allow myself to do something I want to do.  It's what got me through the weeding and clearing out today!  So tomorrow morning I will treat myself with a trip to the local plant nursery, then it will be back to work again!

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

Hugs!

Sarah