Make-A-List Monday - And Away We Go!!

 Hi, all!

Well Monday has rolled around once again, and not just any Monday - it's the week of our trip to Italy!  We are so excited but I am working hard to make sure we have everything we need with us (and nothing we don't!)  But before we get to all that, here's how last week's list went....

1.  Continue making blocks for Lilli's annual quilt.

Done!  Check back on Friday to see what happened - but I'll tease you with this cute block!

2.  Remind Emmy to make me more drawings for her quilt.

Done, and she assures me that she has it all under control....

3.  Bind a quilt for the quilt ministry - the last one for our current project.

I didn't do this one, because my friend who's making it had unexpected company and didn't get it finished yet.

4.  Write up my packing lists for Italy.

Done!  Or at least started - I imagine I'll be adding to them for the next two days as I get everything completed.  

It's funny - I have a list app on my phone that I use constantly, but for trips, somehow putting all the things down on physical paper clears my mind so I can concentrate on the task at hand.  Is it like that for any of you?  

So for this week, my list is very short and sweet....

1.  Pick out a hand project to take on our trip.

2.  Write two blogposts - this one and one for Friday. 

(That will be all I will post until we get back on 9/10.)

3.  Prep the house for our trip.

4.  Pack!

I don't think I'll have any time to spare for the studio this week, but if I do, I'll probably cut up some of the scraps I generated last week.  I've been good about keeping up with the new scraps, even if the old ones are still stagnating in boxes under the quilt frame.  Baby steps, right?

I plan on taking lots of pictures of Italy to share with you when I get back, along with eating LOTS of good food!  

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? It's Crunch Time!

 

Hi, all!

Friday is here once again, and we all know what that means - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  I hope you are ready - so let's go!

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It's been a busy week in my sewing studio, as I buckled down to start working on the first of three annual quilts for my grandkids.  I'm happy to say I found the perfect quilt for Lilli this year - Crunch Time by Kelli Fannin Quilts.  

So I got started this week making the cookie blocks - they went so quickly!  Kelli really writes excellent patterns.

Once I got all of those done, I needed to make the specialty blocks.  The first was Cookie Monster - lots of tiny pieces but still easy to assemble....

Cookie was immediately followed by the milk block, which was significantly simpler....

And then last, but not least, the crumbs block! 

And with that, all of the blocks were complete!  I've laid it out on my design wall with the vertical sashing pieces....

...but tomorrow I will make the horizontal sashing pieces and assemble the top!  It feels so good to know that I have one of the three quilt tops this close to being finished...

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 - Progress and Distractions!

 

Hi, all!

Welcome to another week of fun and games!  Our trip to Italy is just around the corner and it's starting to feel really real now - we booked the trip about eight months ago, and back then it felt so far away!  But now it's only a week and a half away.  My Italian feels so inadequate, but at least I'll be able to understand a little bit of what they are saying, and Google Translate can take care of the rest.  

In between thinking about what we need to do before leaving, I did get some of the things on last week's list done....

1.  Complete the vintage block top.

Done!  It turned out so cute, and went in the mail to our cousin today.

2.  Pull fabrics for Lilli's annual quilt.

I not only pulled them, but I cut out the pieces needed for most of the blocks, and today I made two of them!  This pattern is Crunch Time by  Kelli Fannin Quilts.

3.  Choose solid colors for Nathanael's annual quilt.

I went to the store and bought a few colors that required large quantities; the rest I will try to fill in out of my stash and scraps, only purchasing if I can't find something that will work.

4.  Clean up some in the studio.

Well, I did clean up a little but the stuff I didn't get to seems to have spread.....

5.  Work in the front flower beds (if weather permits).

I did it!  We had an easy cool morning, and I waded in - I wish I had taken a "before" shot, but you'll just have to take my word for it - the grass and weeds on the left side of the flower bed were about waist high.  I filled up three contractor bags with lawn waste, and could probably have filled up three more with what was under and behind the cherry tree, but I ran out of energy and it was starting to get hot.  So the rest will happen another day!

I also did a little baking today - I found a recipe for a blueberry ricotta galette that is so easy and so delicious!  Galettes are simple - you just lay out a round of pie dough (I buy mine ready made!) and top it with fruit mixed with sugar and seasonings and a little corn starch.  This one has a layer of ricotta underneath the fruit.  Then you fold up the edges, brush them with egg, and sprinkle it with a little sugar.  Thirty minutes in the oven at 400 degrees and you've got a simple but delicious dessert!

And now for this week - here's what I plan to be working on....

1.  Continue making blocks for Lilli's annual quilt.

2.  Remind Emmy to make me more drawings for her quilt.

3.  Bind a quilt for the quilt ministry - the last one for our current project.

4.  Write up my packing lists for Italy.

I'm going to keep it short and sweet this week because I'd really like to make some serious headway on Lilli's quilt - it would be wonderful to have one of the annual quilt tops finished before I leave - and honestly, my mind is so distracted with things I need to do!  I'm hoping writing lists will get it out of my head and onto paper.  Then I might have some brain power left to do other things!

And here's a special request - you know I mentioned Kelli Fannin Quilts earlier?  Kelli is dealing with a cancer diagnosis right now and is currently going through treatment, and could really use all the prayers, positive energy and good thoughts we can send her way.   I've tested some quilts for Kelli and made several of her designs and she is just the sweetest - the world is a better place with her in it.  So send up some good vibes, will you please?

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Vintage Made Modern!

 

Hi, all!

Wow!  Is it Friday again already?  Well, we all know what that means - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  I'm ready, and I hope you are too - so let's go!

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I think I've mentioned that my husband's cousin sent me some vintage embroidered blocks - I say vintage, but they are really only about 28 years old.  They were made for a baby quilt for her son, but circumstances arose and the blocks got put away without being used.  Her son is all grown up now, but the blocks are still in really good condition, so she asked if I could do anything with them.

When I received them, it turned out to be thirteen blocks I could square up to 8.5", and one block that would square up to 10.5".  Fourteen blocks was a conundrum - how could I turn this into a quilt?  There was no logical way to turn it into a symmetrical quilt, and I sat at my worktable staring at the blocks and wondering what to do with them.  Then I saw a jelly roll I bought a while back - The Lookout by Jen Kingwell - and noticed that the colors in the jelly roll echoed the colors in the embroidery really well. I contacted our cousin and showed her what I had and she gave me the go-ahead to do whatever I thought best.

Now I will admit to having had a shortage of quilting mojo lately - quilting what I needed to, but not really feeling it.  But I got an idea for this quilt and grabbed the graph paper....

...and here's what I came up with!  I planned to border each of the embroidered blocks with 2.5" strips, then lay them out with continuous strips behind them so that they appear to be "floating" on the stripes behind.  

And I'm so happy to say that it worked!  I love the way this turned out - bright and cheerful and just a little modern.  You can see the pretty embroidery in the following close-up shots of each quarter of the quilt....

I had a lot of fun with the quilting, too!  I wanted to do something different, so I did pointed swirls with flower petals (thank you, Christina Cameli!) in the striped areas, and smaller pointed swirls in the background of the embroidered blocks.

...and after a good productive morning spending quality time with Jolene (my quilting machine), I finally put in the last stitch!

I always love to see the quilting on the back, too...

Such lovely texture!  And now it's all ready to go back to our cousin to be loved and cherished!

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 - The Mojo Is In The Building!

 

Hi, all!

Monday has rolled around once again, with all the promise of a new week and a clean slate!  Do you feel like that about Mondays too, or do you find it hard to get back into the swing of things?  

Let's see how last week's list went....

1.  Quilt and bind three full size quilts for the quilt ministry.

Done!  It sure felt good to get this one off my plate!

2.  Work on the annual quilts for the grands.

Well, I located my patterns and found some more little drawings for Emmy's quilt - does that count?

3.  Quilt a baby quilt for the ministry.

Done!   This was a fun little panel quilt, and went quickly!

4.  Clean up the studio a bit.

I started, but then got caught up into another new project - one step forward, two steps back!

5.  Look at some vintage blocks sent to me by my cousin and see what I can do with them.

Oh, have I been having fun with this one!  I can feel my creative mojo juices flowing again, which is wonderful!  Here's what it looks like so far...

Any week where I wake up on Monday morning itching to get back into my studio is a good week!  And this project had me zooming through my Monday chores so that I could play at the sewing machine again.  It's a lot of precision cutting, where I can't make an error in cutting because each jelly roll strip has to go all the way across the quilt.  If I goof, I've got a problem!  I had to add three strips from my stash, both to fill in three rows that took more than 42", and to fill in so I had enough to complete the top, but I think they blend in pretty nicely.  The jelly roll I am working with is by Jen Kingwell, called Lookout.  The colors work beautifully with the vintage embroidered pieces!

So here's what's on my plate for this week...

1.  Complete the vintage block top.

2.  Pull fabrics for Lilli's annual quilt.

3.  Choose solid colors for Nathanael's annual quilt.

4.  Clean up some in the studio.

5.  Work in the front flower beds (if weather permits).

Not a long list, but I really need to work on those front flower beds, and according to the weather app, it's supposed to be 75 and sunny tomorrow - the perfect weather for working in the garden!  So I'll be out there first thing in the morning and will work as long as my body lets me.  Getting old stinks!  But the next three days are supposed to be cooler, so hopefully I can get it all done before it heats up again.

And because I haven't posted a picture of Bree lately, here she is with a new toy I got her today.  And wonder of wonders, she still hasn't killed it, ten hours later!

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? The Decks are Clearing....

 

Hi, all!

It's Friday!  I know my grands are definitely ready for the weekend - the first week of school is always a hard adjustment.  But it's been a good week for sewing for me, and maybe for you too - so let's get our whoop whoop on!

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I had a very productive week, which started off with a bang.  My husband had to be at church very early Sunday morning, so I went with him and did a little work in the quilting room.  I took this stack of fabric...

...and turned it into all these beautiful cut and folded pieces!

But that was just Sunday!  Next up was finishing the t-shirt quilt, and I'm pleased to say that it is done!

Next on my list was the three full-size quilts that needed quilting and binding for the quilt ministry.  Despite having Nana duties Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday after school, those three went on the frame and are all finished!  

Thursday I did some errands in the morning, but had time to quilt in the afternoon, so I threw this cute little baby quilt on the frame.  A quick quilting, binding, and it's all done too!

But my biggest whoop whoop this week happened on Thursday, when I stopped by our local antique store to check out something I saw on their Instagram feed.  I am a sucker for oatmeal glass, amber colored in particular, and I thought I saw a piece in a photo they shared.  So I dropped in, hoping it would still be available, and lo and behold, it was!

Isn't that pretty?  It will join my large platter, medium size deep bowl, and punchbowl and cups, to be brought out and displayed as we get a little closer to fall!  But after finding that beauty, I turned around and spotted a pile of vintage quilts - and one of them was something special!

This is made of feed sack fabrics (in the fans) and is in near-perfect condition - no tears and only a couple of minor stains.  And it was marked at a ridiculously low price, so I snapped it up too!  I didn't dare look around any more, afraid of what else I would find, but I think I had a pretty good haul - what about you?

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 - Progress, and Giveaway Winners!

 

Hi, all!

School is back in session, so I've lost all my excuses for not finishing things! Here are two of my three grandkids (Lilli is WAY too grown up to stand still for "first day of school" pics) this morning as they got ready to go...

Middle school!  How did that happen?  By the way, Emmy is only wearing computer glasses because she thinks they make her look cool.  And Lilli is a sophomore, and so grown up.  I have a couple of days of Nana responsibilities this week while my daughter is out of town, but after that my days will be a lot less full of grandkids.  I'm going to miss them!

Here's how last week's list went...

1.  Deliver the two t-shirt quilts I finished last week.

Done!  My customer was happy with the results, and that makes me happy!

2.  Complete another t-shirt quilt commission.

Done!  If you saw my blogpost last Friday, you know I ran into some problems with an over-protective dog when I tried to get ready to spray-baste this quilt, so it took a little longer to finish than I planned.

3.  Quilt and bind three full size quilts for the quilt ministry.

I didn't get to this one, but it's top of my list this week!

4.  Determine the colors I need for Nathanael's annual quilt.

I didn't get to this, but I did find two pieces of Pokemon fabric that will help me choose colors.

5.  Pick out the fabrics for Lilli's annual quilt.

I didn't even think about this one!

6.  Determine the dominant color for Emmy's annual quilt.

Or this one.  Bad Nana!

I did have a lot of fun spending time with the kiddos several days last week, which cut into my sewing time.  But it's a great trade-off, and one I wouldn't pass up for the world.  So here's what I hope to get done this week...

1.  Quilt and bind three full size quilts for the quilt ministry.

2.  Work on the annual quilts for the grands.

3.  Quilt a baby quilt for the ministry.

4.  Clean up the studio a bit.

5.  Look at some vintage blocks sent to me by my cousin and see what I can do with them.

I'm going to stop there - I don't think I can get to all of that, but it's an aspirational list, after all!  

Now some fun things that happened last week...

Kate, who did a stop on the 12 Days of Christmas in July blog hop, sent Bree two of the Christmas bandanas she did a tutorial for, and Bree loved them!  It was also very exciting for her to get her own mail!

And it has been so hot here - as it has almost everywhere, it seems - but combined with the humidity, it's been so hot Bree didn't even want to spend time outside.  Today, though, after a super windy thunderstorm blew through, the temperatures dropped and so did the humidity, making it tolerable outside.  Bree spent a lot of time rolling the grass, laying in the sun, and unfortunately, cooling off in a nice deep mud puddle that turned her dark brown all the way up to her belly!  But it was hard to blame her, and she had so much fun!

But I know you want to know who will be receiving the kits I had to give away.  There were 64 comments - what a great response!   Oh, and for those of you who asked for Lilli's recipe for the hand pies, I did say that she works without a recipe.  So she said that she guessed it was "start watching cooking shows when you are four and experiment a LOT"!  I did find what looked like a good recipe on the internet, though, and very similar to what we made.  

But those winners!  The random number generator chose commenter #1 (Julie in GA) and commenter #50 (Rebecca Grace)!  Congratulations, ladies!  I'll reach out to you via email but if you don't hear from me (salliesue57 at gmail dot com) email me directly so I can get your kits sent to you!  

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? Progress, and a Giveaway!

 

Hi, all!

Well, it's Friday 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!

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

Summer is drawing to a close - the kids go back to school next week - and soon we'll be hot and heavy into quilting season!  I'm busily trying to finish up some things so I can move into the next season with a clear conscience.  

I started out this week working hard on this t-shirt quilt, a commission for a local elementary school principal.  I got the borders on it, and had planned to spray baste it Thursday afternoon.  But first, I needed to vacuum the floor.  As soon as I started the vacuum cleaner, Bree came rushing upstairs to give that nasty machine a piece of her mind!  And then when I finally finished vacuuming, dodging her all the time, she decided to stay upstairs and protect me from the wicked thing.  Which meant I couldn't lay the quilt out on the floor to baste it, because she would have been all over it trying to see what I was doing!  

So then I moved on to this - my second go at the wall-hanging size of this year's 12 Days of Christmas in July quilt.  We made these at our sewing day last Saturday - eleven of my sewing sisters got together before we start up again for our quilt ministry, and this was our project.  I was helping teach people some of the new techniques and didn't get all my blocks finished, so when I couldn't baste that quilt, I made the last two blocks and assembled the whole top.  it's ready for quilting now!

Then I took a cute panel I found at church on Tuesday and turned it into a little baby quilt.  Fortunately we had a great teal at church for the outer border, and I had a gray that matched perfectly for the inner border.  And after I left on Tuesday night, Piper found the perfect piece for the backing.  I'll share a picture after it's finished!

Wednesday Lilli came over and spent the day.  She pressed some scraps for me to cut up, and then we spent most of the rest of the day making fresh peach hand pies!  I say we - what I really mean is that I watched her perform magic in the kitchen without a single recipe.  Don't they look wonderful?  She also made this delicious spiced caramel from scratch, and it was so good I didn't even remember that I had bought vanilla ice cream to go with the pies!

And now - would you like something to whoop about?  I've got a couple of extra kits made up for the Christmas tree wall hanging and I'd love to give them away!  

I will draw two winners from the people who comment on this post.  The kit contains all the pieces cut to make the top that I showed above, and a copy of the instructions.  There's also a candy cane to get you in the spirit!  So leave a comment and be sure to leave your email address in the comments just in case you come through as a no-reply blogger.  (You can list it as "name (at) domain (dot) com" to avoid getting spam.)  I'll draw two winners and announce them next Monday, so don't delay in leaving a comment!

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