Isn't fall gorgeous? The leaves here in Middle Tennessee have been just glowing with vibrant oranges, golds and yellows. Not much red yet, but that will come! And the weather is starting to cool off - the very best days to work on quilts!! I love this time of year!
I read an interesting post and loads of comments over at Katie's blog, Swim Bike Quilt, yesterday. She was asking for blogging tips and what folks like to see in a blog. It was enlightening, to say the least! And so, as a result, I want to thank you for putting up with my to-do list every week - it fills a huge need for me (accountability) and helps me keep on track and get things done. See, I used to be really "finish-challenged" - my daughter wouldn't ask me to make things for her because I'd start and never finish them! Thank you for helping me correct that character flaw!
So let's get to it and see how last week's list went…
1. Quilt at least five quilts for ministry needs.
It was so busy I am having a hard time counting, but I think we finished about a dozen quilts last week! Here are a few of the quilts we sent out last week...
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| This one went to a lady in Alaska with breast cancer... |
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| This one went to an older woman who has just been told she has only about six months to live. |
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| This went to a local teacher with Stage 4 colon cancer. |
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| The two above went to a brother and sister whose mother died very unexpectedly. |
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| This went to a gentleman about to have surgery to remove one of his kidneys. |
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| This one went to a breast cancer patient. |
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| And this one went to a woman in hospice care. |
2. Make Emmy's Halloween costume.
Done! She doesn't always like to stand still for pictures, but here's what we got…
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| Emmy as one of Merida's little bear brothers from "Brave"! |
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| Look at that face! Ain't she cute? |
This was an interesting project - because of the cochlear implants, Emmy can't wear fleece on her head - too much static electricity. So I had to line the hood of the poncho with cotton fabric. I think it worked pretty well!
3. Make a pillowcase for Emmy's bed.
Done! I made this with the leftover panel from the quilt I'm making her for Christmas, so it will match!
4. Quilt a top for a friend.
Done! Here's a pic of my friend and her boyfriend with the quilt. He's in the military and will be going overseas very soon - she wanted the quilt finished so he could take it with him. She did a beautiful job with this quilt!
5. Write up a price quote for a commission quilt.
Done! I hope I get to make this quilt - it's a baby quilt in one of my favorite patterns, Amanda Jean's chevron quilt pattern!
6. Cut charms for the Kate Spain Charm Swap.
Done and in the mail! I can't wait to get my charms back - I want to make a quit for my bed with them and some more cut from my remaining stash of KS fabrics!
7. Make some items for small custom orders from the craft show.
Partly done - I cut out a set of elephants for a 'Bama fan, but I've still got to cut out the pieces for another item and get them both sewn up. Hopefully tomorrow!
8. Start working on an antique quilt repair job.
Started! Here's a pic of the quilt…
…and a close-up of some of the damage I need to repair...
…so you can see this is going to be quite a job! There are ten of these stars that need to be replaced - the fabric is just in shreds. Can you see the signature blocks in the picture? Some of them are dated 1938, so I know the prints in this are probably feed sack, and the border is made from sugar sacks - you can still see the printing some places. There's a huge chunk missing in one of the borders that I need to replace. I'm hoping to come close to matching the border color with a muslin, and I have an antique quilt top made with big pieces that I can use to fill in the stars - fortunately the pieces are large enough to cut enough star pieces for each missing block. So I'm hoping it will still look appropriate for the age of the quilt when I've finished the repair. I'll keep you posted as I work on it….
9. As always, try to keep up with any additional quilt ministry needs that arise.
As listed in #1 above, we did about a dozen quilts, and I actually got caught up for two days with no new requests, which was nice…
because…
I also managed to get Lilli's quilt for Christmas cut and pieced! I have to say that's quite a relief - it was stressing me out that I didn't have this started, but now I can breathe a little easier!
And take a look at what my hubby put together for me…
I told him all I wanted for my birthday was a bookshelf to fit in a certain spot that could hold my antique sewing machines - and look what I got! Isn't it great? I love having the machines out on display - they are so pretty!
And here's what I need to do this week…
1. Make a quilt for a 5-year old boy who needs a heart transplant.
2. Make a quilt for a man with Lou Gehrig disease.
3. Make a quilt for a teenager dealing with some severe emotional problems.
4. Finish the small custom items.
5. Make three butcher aprons for a friend.
6. Begin repair work on the antique quilt.
7. Make orphan block challenge kits for our monthly meeting.
8. Make a Christmas table runner.
8. Keep up with any new quilt ministry needs that arise.
Wish me luck - I'm really hoping to get to all of the things on this list! I may be over-reaching, though. Time will tell!!
So now the question is - - - what are you working on this week?
Hugs!
Sarah
