Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? A Little Christmas Cheer...

Hi, all!

As I sit in the waiting room at the windshield repair place, I'm writing this post - we must take advantage of every spare minute this time of year, right?  But when you read this, it will be Friday - and that means it's time to get our whoop whoop on!  Are you ready?  I know I am!

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This week, I am very happy to unveil a quilt that I actually have done several weeks early!  This one will be an early Christmas gift, so I'm tickled to death to have it done well before Thanksgiving!

This is - I think - an original design that I came up with fiddling around on EQ7.  (If the star design isn't original, I beg pardon and please let me know who I need to credit!) If it is original, I hope to write a pattern for this quilt soon.

The fabrics are some old Jason Yenter Christmas prints that I had in my stash - I was glad to make this one from stash, so that maybe someday I can buy some new Christmas fabrics!

I used a close-set soft spiral to quilt this, hoping to emulate the thought of blustery winter winds.

Oops - just noticed my shadow in this picture!  But aren't the fabrics pretty?

And just because it's pretty, here's one more shot - it's a shame there isn't snow on the ground to show up those beautiful Christmas prints, but I guess I should be grateful!  Maybe I could photoshop some snow in there....

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop??

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And now it's your turn!

What have you been whooping about?

What's got you dancing 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

What's On The Bookshelf Wednesday - A Practical Guide!

Hi, all!

Time to get back on track - it's Wednesday, and that means it's time to take a look at the bookshelf again and see what's there!  My choice for today is a great book for both beginners and the experienced sewist...

The Practical Guide to Patchwork by Elizabeth Hartman

Approximately the first third of this book is dedicated to some great basics, written in a friendly, instructive style that makes all seem possible.  Interspersed throughout the pages are tips that are helpful even for experienced sewists and even some that will help with troubleshooting common quilting problems.  

And then you get into the projects - twelve wonderful quilts divided into three categories - 

Projects To Get You Started...

I love this quilt - I'm hoping to use this stack of black and white fabrics I've been hoarding to make this one, but maybe adding a little pop of color or two!

And each design also features a great pieced back design, too!

Then there's Projects For The Confident Beginner...

Check out the alternate ideas for this quilt!

And I love this sweet appliqué quilt!

The last section is entitled Intermediate-Level Projects.  This is one of the quilts from that section, along with its alternate colorways.

This book feels really good, too - it has a matte-finish cover, with fold-over flaps on the front and back to mark your place in the book.  The photographs inside are on glossy paper and are beautifully clear and colorful.  And Elizabeth's directions are well-written and illustrated.

All in all, this is a useful book to have on your shelf.  Great designs, and it's a good one to lend to a newbie quilter who wants a book to help lead her into bigger and better quilting skills!

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And that's what's on my bookshelf today!  Have you taken a look at yours lately?

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Mission Accomplished - And Then Some!!!

Hi, all!

I just realized it's Monday!  My husband took the day off to celebrate his birthday, and my  time sense is all out of whack.  But I've got a lot to report about last week's list, so let's get to it!

1.  Finish the commission t-shirt quilt.
Done!  All finished and ready to be delivered.  I can't show a full pic because it's a Christmas present, but here's a little peek...

2.  Complete a commission quilting job.
Done!  Also finished and ready to be delivered.  This is a beautiful quilt - I'm sorry to see it leave the house!  No full pics because this one is a gift, but here's a peek...

3.  Make the back for a gift quilt for a friend.
Y'all, I not only made the back, but I quilted and bound the quilt and it's ready to be delivered to its new home!!  Just a peek right now - more on this one on Friday...

4.  Write a blog post about my China trip.
Done!  You can check it out here if you haven't seen it already...

5.  Drop off books at Goodwill.
Done, and not only the books, but also a load of kiddie toys that my grandkids are too old for now.  It feels good to clear out old stuff!

6.  Start getting the house ready for Thanksgiving company.

(My daughter usually hosts the combined family Thanksgiving dinner, but she is currently "homeless" as they are living with her husband's parents while their new house is being built.  So I get to host it this year - for about twenty folks!  Time to do some deep cleaning....)
In progress!  Just this morning, I cleaned out three major drawers in my kitchen, throwing away unused or old ratty utinsels and putting in new organizers to neaten things up.  I won't be embarrassed to have people open my drawers now!  Take a look at how pretty they are...

I cleaned all the outdated stuff out of my pantry, too!  It's amazing what accumulates in your cabinets that you completely forget about.  Let's not talk about the oldest items I found in there....

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

Done!  Only one quilt this week, which went to a woman who is dealing with her mother's terminal illness and a lot of other stress in her life.

I also took the picture of the kids with the quilts for Ethiopia...

...and did some more clean-out in the garage!

And then this afternoon and evening while my husband was in a meeting, I pieced and quilted this quilt and finished it up!  This one will be for the quilt ministry. We are making Christmas quilts to be given to shut-ins with their Thanksgiving dinner.

So I think I can safely say I knocked last week's list out of the park!  Feels really good, too.  All the commission jobs and non-family gifts are finished, and now I have some space to breathe!!  But before I get too comfortable, let's see what I need to work on this week...

1.  Work on a new Christmas quilt for myself!

2.  Clean the guest room and get it ready for my niece's visit in a couple of weeks.

3.  Clean out the pots and pans cabinet in the kitchen.

4.  Work on the appliqué for Lilli's annual quilt.

5.  Plan the menu for Thanksgiving dinner and prepare a shopping list.

6.  Clear out the garage enough so we can get a second car in it.  Preferably before there's frost on the pumpkin!

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

I've got the kids two mornings this week, Lilli wants me to pick her up after school one day, and I need to get my windshield replaced Thursday morning (never follow a gravel truck!) so I think this may be all I can safely get done this week.  We'll see!

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

Hugs!

Sarah