Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

Hi, all!

Surprise surprise - it's Friday again!  Where oh where did the week go?  But since it's Friday, we all know what that means - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  I hope you're ready, because I know I am!  Let's get started...

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If you're on Instagram, I'm sure you've seen plenty of quilts made by Amy Smart's Pine Hollow Patchwork Forest pattern. For the past six weeks, she has been hosting a quilt-along and all the different interpretations of her quilt have been amazing!  I'm excited to say that I made one of my own, and it's completely finished...

I have to say it was quite a challenge to get pictures of this quilt, as the wind decided to kick up at random times...

...but thanks to my brand new photography assistant a/k/a vintage clothesline, I did manage to get some nice close-ups!

This quilt offered good opportunities to do some fussy cutting, and it was fun to find sweet images in the Heather Ross fabric I was using!

Such as trimming the tree...

...or ice skating!

And I love the fabric I found for the back - it's hard to tell in this picture, because the sun is shining through, but it has a light cream background and sparkles like snow!

And to make it even better, I won one of the giveaways that Amy had associated with the quilt-along!  Woohoo!!

And one more thing I'm whooping about this week - here are my three students from class at Joann's this week, with the potholders they made as they learned how to do both quilt-as-you go piecing and machine binding!

We had such a good time learning together!  And I think they deserve a huge 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 - Time to Re-group!

Hi, all!

Monday is here again, and I feel the cold wintry draft caused by people putting up their Christmas decorations - do you?  My husband is adamant that we not put ours up before Thanksgiving, but all around me I see them going up, and when I was in Target today, they were putting out trees and Christmas decorations.  So like it or not, we're moving into the holiday season!  I'm trying really hard not to feel too rushed with everything I want to get done, and my list always helps with that, so let's see how last week's list went....

1.  Quilt the dresden plate quilt.

Done!  Of course, I haven't taken pictures of it yet, because it's been cloudy around here, but here it is on the frame...

2.  Make progress on the My Small World quilts.

Done!  I've done the larger sets of flying geese, shown below, and I've made and tested a paper piecing template for the smaller ones.

Nathanael's....

Emmy's....

...and Lilli's!

3.  Make a back for my Patchwork Forest QAL quilt.

Done!  I not only made a back, but I finished the whole quilt!  Unfortunately no pictures of the finished quilt, but here's the top for your viewing pleasure...

4.  Quilt one customer quilt.

Done!  This is a real beauty, and hopefully the weather will cooperate tomorrow for some full-length shots...

5.  Quilt at least one quilt for the quilt ministry.

Done - sort of!  We had a big pile of quilts that needed binding and washing, and I did that in lieu of quilting another one this week.

6.  Start prepping for the quilt ministry Christmas party - a special sewing day as we all work on our own Patchwork Forest quilts!

Done!  We've got a huge pile of fat quarters cut and pressed, but there's still plenty to work on this week.

7.  Start deep cleaning the house before upcoming Christmas parties (oh how I hate cleaning!).  I should probably start by making a list - and checking it twice!

It was a good weekend for it, so I started my Christmas preparations by painting the risers on my stairs, which had been looking pitiful. See, when I painted the treads right after Christmas last year, I put painter's tape on the white risers - and when I pulled it off, several layers of latex paint came off with it, revealing the oil based dark brown paint underneath.  So two layers of primer and a layer of semi-gloss, and they look so much nicer now!

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

No quilts were given away this week, which gives us a good chance to catch up a little bit!

So a good week all in all, with lots accomplished!  Good thing, too, because there's so much more I want to get done!  Here's my list for this week...

1.  Bind my Flight of Fancy quilt.

2.  Take lots of quilt pics when the sun shines!

3.  Make some class samples.

4.  Make two pillow covers for a quick commission job!

5.  Write up an estimate for a new commission.

6.  Make progress on my Birch Bark quilt.

7.  Make progress on the My Small World quilts.

8.  Put one of the annual quilts on the frame (maybe?)

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

Definitely more than enough to keep me out of trouble, right?  And so much more I could work on, but I'm trying to reward myself with little "me" moments too.  And I've already got my next one planned out - I'll fill you in on it if I find the time for it this week!

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Halloween Is Coming!

Hi, all!

Here's Monday, all bright and shiny and ready for all kinds of new mischief!  I do love the feeling of a fresh start, don't you?  But before we look at new projects, let's see how last week's list went...

1.  Work on (and hopefully complete) a commission t-shirt quilt.

Well, I didn't complete it, but the top and back are ready to be sandwiched and quilted later this week!

2.  Bind and wash three quilts for church.

Done!  And of course, I forgot to take a picture...

3.  Continue working on the special request quilt.

Well on the way to being finished!  I still need to appliqué the circles on the centers.

4.  Make progress on the Patchwork Forest Q/A quilt when the prompt comes out on Wednesday.

Due to a failure to correctly read the instructions for the week, I more than made progress on this project - I finished all the blocks!  And then I couldn't resist laying it out!

5.  Prepare for, and teach, my first Joann's class (if enough students sign up!)

No students signed up for the first class (not surprising since they haven't had any classes offered at my Joann's in quite a while) but I do have some signed up for one this week!

6.  Make progress on the Birch Bark quilt.

I cut the strip set into blocks and rectangles, but I haven't had a chance to sew them together yet.

7.  Make progress on the My Small World quilts.

All my orange peel blocks are sewn together! Aren't they cute?

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

Done!  We gave away a few quilts this week...

This quilt went to a woman recently diagnosed with cervical cancer...

...and this quilt went to a woman who is a paraplegic, living alone without family.  She loves butterflies and bright colors, and I'm happy to report that this quilt has both!

And how about sweet baby quilts for two new babies?

Lots accomplished last week, but there's still lots to do!  But isn't that true for all of us this time of year?  And Halloween is just around the corner, which means I need to prepare for Trunk or Treat too.  Here's what I'll be working on this week...

1.  Quilt and bind the t-shirt commission quilt.

2.  Paint a backdrop for my Trunk or Treat display.

3.  Sew the centers on the special request quilt.

4.  Make progress on the My Small World quilts.

5.  Prep for my Joann's class this week.

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

Plenty to keep me busy there, but if I get all that done, I can always work on the Birch Bark quilt or start assembling my Patchwork Forest quilt!  So many options, right?  Ah, but life isn't boring, that's for sure!

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Some People Never Learn....

Hi, all!

Welcome to Friday - the best day of the week, right?  The weekend is just around the corner, and we get to look back and do a little celebrating over what we did during the week!  Are you ready to whoop it up?  Let's get started!

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Just last week, my daughter and I had a talk with Lilli (my oldest granddaughter) sharing our experiences with following directions, talking about how we had learned the hard way to read the directions carefully, yada yada yada.  Which was about the reaction we got from Lilli.  Smart girl!

Because Wednesday, when the directions came out for the next week of the Patchwork Forest Quilt Along, I jumped right in and made these...

As I was making the star block, I wondered if I was supposed to make the medium star or the large star, and when I went to check Amy's blogpost....

This week your assignment is to make 4 Medium-size and 1 Large-size wonky star blocks.

Oops!  How did I manage to miss that?  Guess I should have 'read the instructions carefully'!  Oh, the shame.....

So Thursday I grabbed my fabrics and made the blocks I was supposed to make this week....

Aren't they pretty?  So not only do I have this week's blocks finished (all the star blocks), but I have also finished next week's blocks too!

So the silver lining to all of this is that I have ALL the blocks for my Patchwork Forest quilt finished!  I'd love to start laying it out, but I have a commission job I need to work on first.  I can't wait to see what it looks like all together, though, so I may take a few minutes tomorrow to lay it out on the sly.  

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

PS Please, no one tell Lilli!

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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 - So Much to Do....

Hi, all!

The weekend is over, fall has finally shown up in Middle Tennessee, and the realization that Christmas is just around the corner is starting to sink in!  Time passes so quickly - so let's make the most of it.  First of all, a look at last week's list...

1.  Make progress on the My Small World quilts.  This week it's tiny orange peel blocks....

I have all the blocks (for three MSW quilts) cut out and prepped for raw edge appliqué, just need to sew them down.

2.  Make progress on the Birch Bark quilt.

No sewing progress on this one this week, I'm afraid!  But - here's a funny story - I did figure out that the random pieces of muslin I found that I couldn't remember what I bought them for, were for the backing of this quilt!  That had been driving me nuts for a week, so I guess that's progress of a sort!

3.  Make progress on the special request quilt.

Done!  We made great in-roads on this quilt on Saturday - many hands make light work!

4.  Make progress on the Patchwork Forest Q/A when the next prompt comes out Wednesday morning.

Done!  I've now made the 27 small trees and the 23 medium sized trees.  Can't wait for the next prompt!

5.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up this week.

We gave away four quilts this week...

This quilt went to a gentleman who dealt with severe medical problems for several months, and while he was hospitalized, his wife died.  He is struggling now and our prayer is that this quilt will remind him that he is loved!

This quilt went to a gentleman just diagnosed with prostate cancer...

...and these two are going all the way to Buenos Aires, to be shared with two sets of new parents at a church we partner with there.  It's always fun when we can share with folks in other countries!

So that's how last week went!  I made a few more samples for the classes I will be teaching (hopefully) at Joann's in the next few months, too, which is why I didn't get to work on the Birch Bark quilt this week.

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

1.  Work on (and hopefully complete) a commission t-shirt quilt.

2.  Bind and wash three quilts for church.

3.  Continue working on the special request quilt.

4.  Make progress on the Patchwork Forest Q/A quilt when the prompt comes out on Wednesday.

5.  Prepare for, and teach, my first Joann's class (if enough students sign up!)

6.  Make progress on the Birch Bark quilt.

7.  Make progress on the My Small World quilts.

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

So much to do, and so little time!  But boredom is NOT a problem around here!  I love what I do, and that I have the time to do it.  

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? The Forest is Getting Deeper....

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!  I know that as the fall progresses, it gets harder and harder to find things to post, as we work on Christmas presents.  So I'm thankful for quilt-alongs that allow me to show progress!  Just remember, it doesn't have to be a finish you're whooping about - it could just be progress on a project!!  Let's get started...

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As you may remember, I am participating in Amy Smart's Patchwork Forest Quilt-Along, and this week's prompt was to make the 23 medium trees.  Thursday morning, after the grandkids were back at their parents' house, I brought out my fabrics and started making little (ok, medium size) trees...

One cute little tree on the wall!  OK, that was easy...

And then there were four!

I love the color combinations in this line of fabric, and the trees work up so quickly!

After my haircut and errands, I came back and made a few more...

...and then even more!  Amy's pattern is great - it looks like it would be a hard quilt to make, but I'm so excited with how fast it's going together.  I can't wait until we start assembling all the sections!

One last glamour shot of the pretty trees...

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 - Fall is Here!!! (Finally...)

Hi, all!

Hallelujah for cooler temperatures, even if they are accompanied by rainy weather (which we also needed!)  I actually put on a SWEATER today - hooray!!  It's fall break for my grandkids, and it looks like that's just what fall was waiting for, because we're supposed to have lovely cool temperatures all week.  About time!

Let's get started with a look at last week's list...

1.  Make progress on the annual quilts - just Emmy's and Lilli's this week, though.

I actually made progress on all three!  Emmy's drama llamas are set in their background fabric...

...and Lilli's top is assembled, and ready for trimming to square...

and I even made a back for Nathanael's quilt!

Now I can relax a little, knowing that I could finish all three in the week before Christmas if I needed to wait that long

2.  Make progress on the My Small World quilts.

Done!  I think I'm about halfway through the blocks for 10/15-11/14, so I'm ahead of the game (a good place to be!) You can see the blocks I've made over the past weeks on my Wednesday posts, but here are the ones I made this week...

Nathanael's...

Emmy's...

...and Lilli's!

3.  Make progress on the Birch Bark quilt.

Done!  I finished sewing the third strip set, which is now ready to cut into pieces to be combined with the others I already have to make the second side of the king size quilt (try saying that three times fast!)

4.  Make progress on the Pine Hollow Patchwork Forest Quilt Along! (In the future, to be referred to as the Patchwork Forest Q/A to save my poor fingers!)

Done!  I made these 28 cute little tree blocks that comprised the first step of this fun quilt-along.

5.  Make some flannel receiving blankets for a local NICU.

Done - sort of.  I took time at church last Wednesday night to cut a bunch up, then pressed the hems in while a friend stitched the hems down.  It was a joint effort, and I think we finished four and got another four partially done.

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

Thankfully, it was a quiet week that gave us a chance to catch up!  No quilts given away this week.

In addition to all of the above, I started a new project for our church ministry group to work on - a special request...

...and I made some class samples for when I start teaching classes at my local Joann's!

This one's finished...

...and this one's still in progress, because...

 ...look who's come to stay for a few days!

My daughter and son-in-law are taking a well-deserved break at Disney World to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary, and the grands are staying with us until Wednesday night.  Which will explain why I have a very short list this week!  My time will be taken up feeding this group of bottomless pits and keeping them in crafty supplies as they try to decorate the whole world!

That being said, I do have a few things I need to work on this week...

1.  Make progress on the My Small World quilts.  This week it's tiny orange peel blocks....

2.  Make progress on the Birch Bark quilt.

3.  Make progress on the special request quilt.

4.  Make progress on the Patchwork Forest Q/A when the next prompt comes out Wednesday morning.

5.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up this week.

I'm sure that other things will come up this week (they always do, don't they?) so I may not make as much progress as I hope to, but any progress is good, right?

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

Hugs!

Sarah