Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? It's Fall, Y'All!

Hi, all!

It's finally Friday!!  And not just Friday, but the first full Friday of fall!  

Have you done anything you're whooping about this week?  Think hard - there's always something!  Remember, it doesn't have to be a finish - just something you're happy about.  Let's get whooping!!

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First, let's start with an inconsequential but still happy-making thing....

This showed up in my driveway this morning, and when it left, I had a whole new view...

It seems like a silly thing, but living out in the country, that driveway gets muddy after a while, and a new layer of gravel is SO nice!!

And then I got  busy today and set up my photo shoot for the Free Spirit Fabric project!  

It's always fun to find props for a photo shoot.  In this case, I was aiming for a vintage/antique look, so I pulled out the small sofa my great-grandfather used in his law office, and the small boot chair that we think dates from revolutionary times.  Lots of old metal hanging on the smokehouse and sitting on the ground, too!  I'll have to do some careful editing of pictures to take out some "non-vintage" things, but I think it's do-able!  

The post will go up this coming Tuesday, introducing Free Spirit Fabric's new line, Boston Commons.  I hope you'll stop by!

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And before I show you my final whoop for this week, I want to share something I saw on Instagram this week...

This week I am just bowled over by how much good you all have done!  Wednesday night we packed up all the pillowcases and quilts we have received for A Heart For Texas so that the mission team can take them when they head out on Sunday.

Those are two enormous tubs (I think you could put a person in each one!) and they are jammed absolutely to the brim with pillowcases.  I lost count, but I'm pretty sure there are more than 600 pillowcases in those two tubs.  (Thankfully they are on wheels or they'd be too heavy to move!)  And the two spacesaver bags on the shelf contain 23 quilts!  You are all so awesome!!  Keep up the good work - let's change the world one quilt at a time!

So I'm going to give you all a great big 

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 - Waiting To Get Caught Up!

Hi, all!  

I'm happy to say I survived the weekend, and the local quilt show is behind me now!  That's a huge load off my plate, but now I've got more projects to concentrate on.  I don't know about you, but the fall is such a busy time for me!  Sometimes it's hard to wrap my brain around everything that needs to be done, but my Monday list really helps!  So let's see how last week's list went.

1.  Put maker/state tags on all the donated pillowcases and quilts as they come in.
Done!  At least, up to today's mail, which I haven't picked up yet.  The current count is over 400 pillowcases and 9 quilts!  A lovely group of ladies from Crossville, TN drove over Friday to deliver 102 pillowcases they made. Isn't that amazing?  Six more boxes came in today, so that number should rise dramatically tomorrow after I check them in. 

2.  Make pillowcase kits to be used on Wednesday night and at our hands-on ministry area at our small-town festival this weekend.
Done!  We had a great time in our hands-on area, even though it was quiet because the weather outside was so good.  Here's a pic of one maker with her pillowcase.  It was her first time at a sewing machine, and she loved it so much, she and her mom were going to go find her one to use at home!

3.  Finish preparations for the quilt show this weekend.
Done!  Unfortunately, I was so busy Saturday I didn't get any pictures!  Bummer....

4.  Finish piecing the quilt top for the Free Spirit Fabric project.
Done!  And not only pieced, but completely finished!  Here's a teaser shot - the full reveal will be on 10/3!

5.  Quilt a top for a friend.
Done!  

6.  Quilt tops for Stash Builder Box's September donation.
Done!  These three tops were all pieced by Joyce L., a fellow Heart Builder!

7.  Quilt tops for the quilt ministry to replenish our stock on hand.
I didn't get to this one, but after all, there are only so many hours in a week!

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

Done! Only one this week - this one is going to a gentleman suffering from multiple health issues...

So that was last week.  Let's see if I can wrap my brain around what I need to do this week...

1.  Finish three more pieces for the Free Spirit Fabric project.

2.  Make some pillow covers for a project for church.

3. Keep working pillowcases for A Heart For Texas.

4. Photograph, count and tag donations for A Heart For Texas.

5.  Quilt a special quilt for the quilt ministry.

6.  Work on replenishing the stock of finished quilts for the quilt ministry.

7.  Start work on a new commission t-shirt quilt.

8.  Make a donation block for Michael Miller Fabrics.

9.  Start planning the photo shoot for the upcoming Free Spirit Fabric post.

10.  Start posting some quilts on Facebook for The Great Quilt Destash!

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

See what I mean about it never slowing down?  But at least the push of the quilt show is out of the way.  I made some good progress on things today and have a nice quiet week to knock some things out this week!

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-a-List Monday - What a Difference a Week Makes!

Hi, all!

Wow - hard to believe that a week ago I was at the beach.  And hard to believe that just over a week ago, I posted about our quilt ministry making pillowcases to send to Texas.  

A Heart For Texas was born out of that, as people wrote to ask if we could pass on their pillowcases too.  With the blessing of our church, we became a collection point for pillowcases and quilts that will be distributed in Texas to Hurricane Harvey survivors.  Eleven pillowcases came in on Friday. On Saturday, our group met, joined by the quilt ministry members from another local church, and made about 75 more cases.  

The pillowcase stash as of Saturday noon...

Today, this was what the mail looked like...

Those open boxes and piles represent 86 more pillowcases and 3 quilts, all for A Heart For Texas.  That effectively doubles the number of pillowcases we have - and it's only the beginning of the week!  I can't wait to see what else this week holds...

So - since I haven't had a list for the past two weeks, let's start fresh and see what's on tap for this week...

1.  Put maker/state tags on all the donated pillowcases and quilts as they come in.

2.  Make pillowcase kits to be used on Wednesday night and at our hands-on ministry area at our small-town festival this weekend.

3.  Finish preparations for the quilt show this weekend.

4.  Finish piecing the quilt top for the Free Spirit Fabric project.

5.  Quilt a top for a friend.

6.  Quilt tops for Stash Builder Box's September donation.

7.  Quilt tops for the quilt ministry to replenish our stock on hand.

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

Busy is good, right?  It certainly keeps me out of trouble, at least!  And I love being able to stay busy doing something I love - the best of both worlds!!

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Quilters Are Generous People...

Hi, all!

Here it is, Friday again - - - can you believe it?  It's been such a tumultuous week that it seems like a long time since last Friday, but we're here again, and I hope you've got a little time to do some whooping with me!  Let's get started!

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Last Friday, I mentioned that our church quilt ministry would be making pillowcases to send to Texas for Hurricane Harvey victims. Well, the idea took wing and people started asking if they could also send pillowcases to us to help - and so A Heart For Texas was born!

For details on the pillowcase drive and how to participate, please check out this post.  We'll be taking pillowcases at least through the end of September (maybe longer depending on Hurricane Irma!) and may have a quilt drive in October.

So today I spent some time making pillowcase kits for our monthly sewing day this Saturday (I've got plenty more to make tomorrow!) We'll be using this tutorial to make ours, although there are a lot of great tutorials out there.  And we'll be hosting a hands-on activity at our local fall festival next week, getting the community involved in making pillowcases for Texas!

 And today, the pillowcases started rolling in!  These came from Jan of The Colorful Fabriholic - aren't they beautiful!  And there are two more packages already at church that I haven't opened yet.  I'll add pictures from those two packages later on Friday after I've checked them out!

Today I made labels to be pinned on the pillowcases, which will be filled in with the maker's first name and location.  My hope is that this will remind the recipient that people all over the country are thinking about them and praying for them!

So - - - can we all 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 dance 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

I May Have a Scrap Problem... Progress on Gypsy Wife!

Hi, all!

As I sit here writing, I'm looking out at a beautiful view of the Gulf of Mexico. We leave for home tomorrow, and while I've had a great time on vacation, I'm ready to get home to my own studio!  I've got a massive short term project coming up and it's been hard to coordinate long-distance - I'll be glad to get to where all my things are again.  More about that project in a few!

But for right now, here's the next block for my Gypsy Wife quilt...

This one is called Crazy Anne.  I didn't make mine quite as crazy, because I really liked the look of the big fat spinning pinwheel.  So this is my own personal little "sparkle" in this quilt!  Once again, these fabrics are from Kate Spain's Latitude line of batiks.

And as promised, here are all five of the blocks I've made together in one place!  I really think I'm going to love this quilt!!

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And now for that massive short term project!  Somehow the idea of our quilt ministry group at church making pillowcases for Texas has morphed into a pillowcase drive, which is awesome!!!  I've been blown away by how many people want to help, and thankfully our church is GREAT about accepting the many ways our members want to minister to others, so they are helping us get them distributed in Texas!  So if you want to help with the drive, go check out the details in this blogpost.  It's a great and really easy way to help someone in need, and it's also a great way to use up some of that stash that's been hanging around!  Each pillowcase takes slightly more than one yard of fabric, and I don't know about you, but I've got a bunch of pieces that will be perfect for this!  

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Keep plugging away at those scraps, and I'll be back next week with a more normal scrappy post!  See you then!

Hugs!

Sarah