Make-A-List Monday - A Whole Lotta Sewing Going On!

Hi, all!

Well, I'm writing this on Monday evening, but because I've hit my data cap, I can't load pictures!  So I'll write tonight, add pictures in the morning, and post a day late.  Bummer!  I love living in the country, but internet access sure can be a problem....

It's been a good week, all in all, though - I made some good progress on last week's list!  Let's see how it went...

1.  Work on a scrap quilt from the blue tub.
Done!  I cut some 1.5" x 2.5" and 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles and added them to a stash I already had cut and made this cute quilt.  I got several comments that it looked like the gum wrapper chains we used to make as kids, so that's its name - the Gum Wrapper Quilt!

2.  Quilt a top for a Hands2Help participant.
Done!  Danice made this sweet little quilt and it was a pleasure to quilt it for her!

   

3.  Cut out a dress by the Lady Skater dress pattern.
Done!  I love the internet sometimes - I located this pattern on-line, bought it from the UK vendor, and had it in my inbox five minutes later!  It took lots of taping and matching to get the pieces together, but not very long at all to cut it out.  I can't wait to make this dress!

4.  Make a journal cover as part of the book review blogpost for this coming Friday.
Done!  And FYI, the book review post also includes a giveaway of the book Crafted Appliqué - and there's still time to enter in!  Click here to read more and throw your name in the hat!

5.  Start working on a set of these for my grandkids!  I figure they'll be great scrap-busters... and help them learn their letters!

Done - or at least, started!  I started sewing the letters and cutting them out this afternoon, and I've finished maybe eight of them.  It's fun!  Hopefully I can finish the rest tomorrow...

6.  Start on a skirt for Lilli and a dress for Emmy, both made from Shopkins fabric (their current favorite vice!)

Done - not only started, but finished!  I can't wait to see how they look - and how the girls like them!

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

Done!  We gave away five quilts this week...

This quilt went to a local elementary school principal whose house burned down while she was on vacation during spring break...

This one is going to a teacher in Texas who has been diagnosed with cancer and is going through treatments...

This quilt went to a woman whose husband died on Mother's Day...

This pretty bright quilt is going to a 9 year old girl whose cancer has returned...

...and this one is going to her mom, who will be attending cancer treatments with her daughter.

OK, so all in all, not a bad week!  This week promises to be a busy one, as I finish up some of the things I started last week... here's the plan!

1.  Quilt the Gum Wrapper Quilt.

2.  Quilt a baby quilt I made at church Wednesday night.

3.  Finish the alphabet letters for the younger grandkids.

4.  Make my Lady Skater dress.

5.  Quilt an H2H quilt for a participant from the UK.

6.  Pick a winner for the Crafted Appliqué giveaway!

7.  Organize the prizes for H2H and get ready for the final week!

8.  Camp on someone's internet and write a few blogposts...

9.  Start working on a new commission to make a t-shirt quilt.

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

Definitely enough to keep me busy, and then some!  But that's how it goes - sometimes it's an easy week, others, you just have to keep paddling!

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Grow Your Blog!!

Hi, all!!

It's finally here - Grow Your Blog day!!  A chance to find some new or new-to-you blogs and make some new friends.  I hope you're as excited as I am!

For those of you who are new to this blog, my name is Sarah and I live near Nashville, Tennessee.  I have two beautiful granddaughters…

Emmy, on the left, is almost 2, and Lilli is 6 and in kindergarten.  You'll see pictures of them frequently on the blog!

I'm a fairly new quilter and blogger - both habits started about the same time, four years ago. 

My stash four years ago - I'd be embarrassed to show what it looks like now!

This blog initially started out as a way for me to be held accountable for using my fabric stash.  (I though it was an enormous stash then - but looking back, it looks pretty sparse…) When I started this blog, I wouldn't call myself a quilter - but boy has that changed!  I now work with my church's quilt ministry, which started just about the same time as this blog.  From very humble beginnings, we have now given away 690 quilts in four years, and are hoping to give away 1000 by the end of 2014!  The ministry has its own blog now, under the name Piece*Love*Quilt. 

I hope you'll stop over and visit there - it's part of today's Grow Your Blog hop too!  There you can find out more about the quilt ministry - how it started and some of the great stories that go along with the quilts.

I love blogging because it has introduced me to the world of quilting and quilt bloggers - a wonderful group of folks who are invested in the idea of making the world a better place, one quilt at a time!  

Every Friday I host "Can I Get A Whoop Whoop Friday" where you can post a link to your own blog post about your accomplishments for the week.  It doesn't have to be a finish - just something that's got you dancing the happy dance!  And even if you don't link up, you ought to stop by and check out all the great projects that people are working on.   You can check out this week's Whoop Whoop Friday here!  I hope you'll join in the fun!

And coming up in just a month or so, we'll be starting the Hands2Help Charity Quilt Challenge 2014!  (Looks like I need to make the 2014 button!)  The Challenge started in 2011, with 47 quilters donating 60 quilts.  2012 saw 55 quilters and 94 quilts going to charities, and last year we had 65 quilters giving away 127 quilts! There are wonderful sponsors who donate prizes to help thank each participant for joining it, too.  It's a great way to help out in a larger cause and make a difference in the world.  You can read more about the challenge by clicking the button in the bar at the top of my blog, or sign up to follow this blog and you'll be sure to see when we start up again!

So that's the skinny on my blog - I hope you'll take the time to look around a little bit and see some more!  I'm a firm believer in eye candy, and try to have great pictures to inspire others.  If you leave me a comment, I'll always try to respond (unless you're a no-reply blogger!) because that's the best way to get to know you!  But if you feel more comfortable "blurking" (my personal term for those folks who blog-lurk!) that's fine too!

Hugs!

Sarah