Make-A-List Monday - Looks Like Spring Has Sprung!

Hi, all!

Monday has rolled around once again, after a busy week!  And I actually did more than just quilting for a change.  Of course, some of it I had to be dragged kicking and screaming into, but it still counts, right?  And spring seems to have finally shown its face - beautiful sunshine and nice warm days - hooray!!!

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

1.  Finish a ministry quilt for a special request.

Done!  We had a special request for a purple quilt, which I didn't think we had - but lo and behold, there was one waiting to be quilted!  

2.  Make heart blocks for the drive for the Christchurch victims (more about this on Wednesday's blogpost.)

Done!  These are so quick and easy, and it appears that they are having a great response from other quilters who want to make blocks!

3.  Work on the vintage quilt.

In progress!  This is going to be a long term project, for sure!

4.  Quilt the solids On-Line quilt.

Done!  This turned out really cute!

5.  H2H administrative stuff - lots of emails!

Done!  I sent out second requests to sponsors who hadn't responded to my earlier request, and an informational email to all the participants who were signed up at the time.  IF YOU DIDN'T RECEIVE AN EMAIL, please check your spam folder first - if it's not there, please email me directly at salliesue57 (at) gmail (dot) com. 

6.  Sort out H2H prizes.

Whooee, the never ending task!  I still haven't made it through all of them, but I'm getting close!

7.  Taxes. (UGH)

Done, done, DONE!  It was a bit more complicated than I anticipated, not because of the taxes, but because I had to upgrade my operating system before I could run the program, which meant I had to backup my drive, which takes forever!  So what I hoped to get done on Tuesday didn't get done until Wednesday, but it's done!

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

Done! It was kind of a quiet week, with only one quilt given away - this one to a woman having serious complications after surgery.

Oh, and I almost forgot - the purple quilt shown in the answer to number 1 - that quilt went to a man whose wife died.  Purple was her favorite color and the person who requested the quilt wanted one that would remind the man of her.  A sweet thought, and I was so happy that we had something that worked perfectly!

I also quilted four more quilts for the quilt ministry, and put binding on those four and one other that another member quilted.

And, in a fit of total insanity, my husband and I decided to weed the  30 foot long front flower bed (which our yard guy, God bless him, had cleaned out at the end of last fall - it was packed full of iris corms, so tightly packed that you couldn't get a shovel into it!)  After weeding, we put down landscape cloth, mulch, and planted five burning bushes in it.  Boy were we sore when we finished!  I still want to add some rosebushes between the other bushes, to give both summer and fall color, but that's for later this week!

So not a bad week at all!  It sure felt good to get the taxes out of the way, and now I can play without guilt!  Here's what I'm hoping to get to this week...

1.  Finish sorting the H2H giveaway goodies and write the "Meet the Sponsors" post.

2.  Quilt at least one more quilt for the quilt ministry.

3.  Write an estimate for a t-shirt quilt.

4.  If approved, order fabrics and make blocks for the t-shirt quilt.

5.  Put together several twin size string tops for the ministry.

6.  Put Gypsy Wife on the quilt frame

7.  Keep working on the vintage quilt repair.

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

It feels like I'm forgetting something important, but maybe what I'm forgetting is to take time for fun!  So I'm glad I've put Gypsy Wife on the list - I'm looking forward to quilting that one!  I've got another wool batt on order (coming in tomorrow) and the back is all made, so I'm ready to get started.

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

Hugs!

Sarah

I May Have A Scrap Problem... Using Your Scraps for Good!

Hi, all!

I really missed doing a scrappy post on Wednesday last week, and I've got TONS of scrappy sewing that I've been doing, but today I want to challenge you with something special.

There is a group in New Zealand called Angels in Gumboots that has set a goal of making 100 quilts using these blocks to be given to the families of the victims of the horrible mass shooting in Christchurch this past weekend.

Angels in Gumboots are collecting 6.5" blocks with green hearts on a white background.  Currently they have all the info in a Facebook post on their page (click here to be taken to that post) but this is the pattern they are using for these blocks:

I know that's tiny, but if you will click on the picture and save it to your drive, you should be able to print it out on a full page.  This is such an easy block, I made six of them in about an hour, including scouting for fabric, cutting and sewing them.  

A few scraps of white fabric, some 5" green squares, and you could make some too!  (There are some print/color combo restrictions, so please check out the info from Angels in Gumboots before making any.)  It's a great way to bust down some of your scraps and do good at the same time.

And as of the time I am writing this, an Instagram friend, @sewing_is_my_therapy (who lives in Arizona) is collecting blocks from the US to send to New Zealand, if you don't want to incur the international postage.  It would be nice if you threw in a buck or two to help her with the postage, but she's not asking for anything to help out.  Message her directly on Instagram (follow her first so she'll get your message!) and ask her for her mailing address.

I hope you'll join me in trying to bring some comfort to a grieving country.  It's wonderful to see people from all over the world working together on a project like this!  Kind of gives you all the feels, as my daughter would say.

Hugs!

Sarah