Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Two Down, One to Go!

Hi, all!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, isn't it?  I do love the holiday season, even though I spend a lot of it feeling rushed.  But when I take a minute to stop and enjoy, it's just wonderful!  

Wednesday night my oldest granddaughter Lilli had a mini-concert at a local mall, and we had a fun time watching her play the steel drums!  What do you like to do to slow down a little during the holiday season?

It is Friday again, though, and that means it's time to slow down a little bit and do a little whoop whoop, right?  I hope you've got something you're able to share - it's hard around the holidays but if you can, please do!  Let's get started!

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Once again, it's time to share another annual quilt!  If this is your first time here, I make my grandkids a quilt each year at Christmas that tries to reflect the past year.  Last week I shared Nathanael's quilt, and this week, it's Emmy's turn!

This is our Emmy!  She is six (about five months younger than Nathanael), just lost both front teeth (we're still trying to teach her the song), and it's really a shame she doesn't have any personality!  Actually, she's a little entertainer, always with a song, dance, or something that makes us laugh.  If you ask her what her favorite color is, she says rainbow; if you ask her what she is, she will alternate between a mermaid and a unicorn.  So this year, her annual quilt is a unicorn!

This is such a great pattern, by Lorna of Sew Fresh Quilts.  Super simple, but a great design - with lots of space for fancy quilting!  

I've been doodling calligraphy in the evenings, and I managed to turn it into a quilted design!!  It's not easy to see, but here's Emmy's name on her quilt.

Some pretty doodle quilting.  If you ever want to try this, I highly recommend Christina Cameli's class, Wild Quilting, on Craftsy.  I think she also has a book.  She makes it easy!

Of course, a unicorn has to have silky fur and a flow-y mane!

Pebbles take a lot of time, but they give great texture!

I always imagine unicorns as having curly manes, don't you?

Here's a shot from across the room - it really highlighted the quilting well!  I never have gotten the knack of taking good pictures of quilting.

And here's the label for Emmy's quilt this year.  Each child's label tells something about their year, and I love thinking about their children reading them someday and realizing their parents were kids just like them!

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

I May Have a Scrap Problem... A Very Special Project!

Hi, all!

I have something really special to share with you today - a project our quilt ministry has been working on for about eight months now!  But first, let me introduce you to some of the group...

Here you can get a glimpse of our workroom at church.  The quilt frame is behind the two ladies on the left (that's Piper in green and Rita, the Quilting Queen).  Mary is standing at an ironing board in the window, and Twyla is looking for a quilt back to her right.  Lisa is standing where she often is, cutting scraps into usable pieces, at the cutting table.

Back in April, I had a wild thought to make quilts for all the teachers at the local elementary school, which is a couple of doors down from our church.  We have partnered with them over the years, offering space to them for conferences, sending teams over to work on their playgrounds, and the quilt ministry even fulfilled a teacher's wish by making book pockets for the backs of her classroom chairs.  

We quickly realized that we couldn't make the number of quilts needed by the end of the school year so we took it on as a summer and fall project.  And so we set to work making lots and lots of scrappy quilts!  Some of them were made from tops sent by some of you, others from orphan blocks.  We made lots of jelly roll race quilts and charm square quilts.  Scraps were our friend!!!

And here's a picture of all the completed quilts, all stashed away and hidden from public view so we could accumulate enough.  

Here's a picture we tried to take showing all the quilts to a little bit better advantage, along with some of the ladies who helped create them.  Rita decided to get under the table for some reason!

Of course, it's always more fun to sew with friends, so Piper and Lisa joined her on the floor.  We really have a lot of fun with this group of ladies!

We delivered 51 quilts to the local elementary school this morning, enough for every teacher, two vice principals and the principal.  We made the principal cry!  It's wonderful when we can use our gifts to make a difference in someone else's life, isn't it?  

And FYI, it didn't make a dent in our scrap stash!!!

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How about a little inspiration now?

I love this idea - little nine-patch blocks surrounding a large star on point.  Simple but oh so effective!

I really like the look of this quilt!  So many places to look and for the eye to roam...

And isn't this a gorgeous pillow?  It could really put those solids scraps to good use!

Have you made friends with your scrap monster this year?  I really think I have - scrappy quilts rock!!!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Sunny Skies!

Hi, all!

Monday is here, and I am feeling good!  I made a lot of progress last week, and I see sunny skies ahead!!  Isn't it wonderful when everything falls in place and stuff gets done?  Let's see how it went last week...

1.  Finish a special ministry quilt top for a photo shoot.

Done!  This probably won't get quilted until after the first of the year, but the top is finished.  It won't be needed for a couple of months, probably - it's for a young man who's being adopted from China!  His mom wanted to take a picture of his new room to send to him.

2.  Quilt another of the annual quilts.

Done!  I finished Emmy's quilt...

...and then... I finished Lilli's too!

And they are really finished - labels and everything!  I'll share full pictures of Emmy's this Friday, and Lilli's next Friday.

3.  Finish the Christmas decorating.

Done!  I'm loving how this all looks with the new paint...

4.  Quilt the bunk bed quilt top.

Done!  I'm happy with how nice and bright this quilt is!

And it's even up on the bunk, ready for an overnight guest!

5.  Get my Christmas gift list organized.

Hallelujah, this is done!  I've only got a little bit more shopping to do, and a lot of that I can do on-line.  But then there's the wrapping...

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

We gave away a few quilts this week...

This quilt went to a family who lost their 4-year old son to cancer this week...

...and this quilt went to a woman who lost her mother this week.

This quilt went to a woman who is in a coma following complications from surgery...

...and this quilt went to a woman whose adult son died unexpectedly.

It's been a difficult few weeks at our church, with funerals it seems like every weekend, and a tough year, with several young adults who have died unexpectedly.  Let's hope that 2019 will be better!

So all in all, a really spectacular week!  I love it when everything on the list gets done, plus some!  And in addition to all of the above I managed to put bindings on four more quilts for the ministry.  The ladies have been awesome in cranking out the quilting, and since I like to bind I've picked up that part of the process.

But there's no rest for the wicked, right?  Lots to do in the last few weeks before Christmas.  So here's what's on my plate for this week...

1.  Work on a special project (that may or may not get done by Christmas).

2.  Assemble three quilt cabinets (gifts for the grandkids).

3.  Bind four more quilts for the quilt ministry.

4.  Deliver 46 quilts for a special Christmas gift! 

(More details to come soon!)

5.  Wrap Christmas presents!

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

So that's my list for the week.  I bet it looks a lot like yours!  So now I have to ask - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah