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Friday, December 31, 2010

Ugh

cooking mishap = third degree burns... yuck!

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas Every One!

Thank you Tiny Tim. Just a quick post to say the have the happiest of Merry Christmases ever. It is 5:30 am here and in about an hour I will start cooking. Other than brief breaks for eating, candlelight service, sleeping and opening presents, cooking is all I will be doing for the next 3 days. Hugs to you all. See you soon.

Christmas

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Brown Bag Challenge

Hi Everyone,

Over at Stash Manicure what seems like a year ago (but wasn't) a brown bag chalenge was issued. My partner is a wonderful lady in Australia and she sent me some challenge fabrics to make a quilt from... I have to use 90% of what she sent in one quilt. I took the challenge to mean they all had to be in the top of the quilt but it doesn't say that anywhere in the rules, I don't think. Anyway, here is a picture of the fabrics and postcards she sent, as well as my Material Obsessions 2 book:

It is quite a mix of colors and styles as you can see. The chartreuse batik was the one that really had me stumped. The book is a great inspiration tool. The way those two take challenges and make them their own is wonderful. I took this picture way back when the fabric first came I don't know why it never made it into a post. All of the fabrics are cut up and ready to be sewn together... actually the center (about 30" square) is sewn together already. The quilt will be a mixture of piecing and applique. It will be completely different from almost anything I have done and I think that was what this challenge was about. I got to use my Sizzix cutter for the applique pieces. I am enjoying it more and more as I use it. This challenge is a great way t o make me step out of my comfort zone as far as technique and color choices. Even the different styles of fabrics are a challenge... I never would have thought to put batiks with the other prints here. I just hope the quilt comes out presentable :)

Talk Soon!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Still looking for one more Round Robin participant

Hi Everyone,

I am still looking for one (maybe two) more round robin participants. It doesn't start until late January or early February so it won't interfere with the holidays at all. I am thinking carefully about what I want to make for the center of mine already. What I know for sure is it has to come from my stash. Check out this post for info Round Robin.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

My 2011 Crafting Resolutions..

I probably will not have any time in the next two weeks to post... I might up until Thursday of this week but then family and our son get here and all bets are off... so if I don't make it back... Merry Christmas, dear friends.

Here are my crafting resolutions for the new year month by month (including UFO finishing). The biggest one is not to buy a ton more fabric. I have enough to last the year. I know I will buy a little, especially since I have already seen some spring lines that I can't pass up. I want to use up a lot of my fabric this year.

1. Finish Tic Tac Toe quilt donate to girl's home in Sacramento. Finish Charity quilt for BAMQG. One new thing for Quilt Hope In. Work on hand quilting Erin's hope chest quilt. Work on mom's quilt.

2. Finish Pinwheel quilt donate to girl's home in Sacramento. One new thing for Quilt Hope In. Work on hand quilting Erin's hope chest quilt. Work on Mom's quilt.

3. Finish basket quilt. One new thing for Quilt Hope In. Finish Mom's quilt for her b-day on the 20th. Finish Erin's hope chest quilt.
 
4. Finish Layer Cake quilt for MIL's B-day. Finish pumpkin quilt and donate to Quilt Hope In.
 
5. Finish Plume Quilt. Finish fall quilt. One new thing for Quilt Hope In.
 
6. Finish tea party quilt. One new thing for Quilt Hope In.
 
7. Start Christmas presents. One new thing for Quilt Hope In.
 
8. Finish tesselating stars and houses quilt. Work on Christmas presents. One new thing for Quilt Hope In.

9. Finish Jell Roll quilt. Work on Christmas Presents. One new thing for Quilt Hope In.

10. Finish hexagon quilt. Work on Christmas presents. One new thing for Quilt Hope In.

11. Finish Christmas presents and ship Canadian ones. One new thing for Quilt Hope In.

12. Work on last minute Christmas gifts (there are never enough) One new thing for Quilt Hope In.


I also just got my swap pillow from my partner for the Pillow Talk Swap Round 4



Isn't it cute?

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Going Green or else....


My city is making news today. Last night the city council voted to outlaw plastic bags. Here is the article from the local Newspaper http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_16859889?source=most_emailed . We are a large city (more than a million resedents) so I guess that is big news. You know what you will be seeing once a month on the blog from me now? A new grocery bag a month is my goal for 2011 then we won't be caught un-prepared in 2012.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Last of the Christmas Sewing

Hi Everyone,

I am done! I have been almost done for a week or two.... I just had to get motivated to do the hand work on the last of it.

Did you notice anything different around here? I changed my name to match  my etsy shop name...and it really fits me better anyway. On with the show....
Some scarves I started a while ago... I call them infinity scarves but Anna Maria Horner is selling kits that make the same thing and she calls them figure eight scarves... same thing different name. Wouldn't you know it I bought the fabric to make them from her as well...voile and flannel.




I made these mittens for gift card holders. You can get the fabric (quilters cotten) from Connecting Threads as well as the free mitten pattern. I love how it looks just like knitted mittens. Even close up.


And here are some improv trees for the Block Lotto . I was happy that I got my "have to(s)" done so I could get some "want to(s)" done


So I think the Christmas sewing is done unless I decide I need to make some Dalliance Gloves too :) I might... I just might!

Talk Soon!

PS... sorry for the kitchen table pics... my sewing space was invaded by the Christmas tree.

PPS still looking for one or two more people to do a round robin in Jan/Feb see older posts for info.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Sometimes I wish....

I owned more than this little scrap of the net. Sometimes something comes along that I want to throw my whole world into and I want others to come along and do the same. I wish I could get the word out to a million people.



Some of you may know Traceyjay she has introduced me to The Hendricks family and Heartline Ministries . I want to do so much for this organization but I am not rich. I wish I could give them everything they need for the Teen Mom Home but I can't. What can I do? I can make things for the Quilt Hope In etsy shop (check). I can adopt a room, taking it on faith that God will help me find the funds (I am trying to adopt the pink bathroom) (didn't get a bathroom am sending funds instead).  I can tell you all about it, and hope that you get involved too (check).

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Still need some round robins... and some things I have been working on.

Hi Everyone,

We are still in need of a couple of people to participate in the round robin I posted about here. It doesn't start until January or early February so it won't interfere with your Holidays :)

Go check out Quilt Hope In to see a post about the women and children we will be helping.

Here are a few of the Christmas presents I have been making:

For my Niece a Cosmo Bag from Amy Butler's new book Style Stitches ( I design my own most of the time but I couldn't resist this book)

I love how this turned out and the covered button! I will never make one again. It has 50 or more pieces ... took forever to cut out :)


Another Amy bag... they were special requests. This one for my Aunt:


And this one for my cousin:


Here is a gratuitous picture of my animals... just because.

Aren't they cute? Doesn't it look like they love each other? This is really what they are thinking:








Thursday, December 9, 2010

Let's have some fun and do some good

Quilt Hope In - Quilts for Haiti

Hi Everyone,

I have been thinking on this for a while. First of all have you all met TraceyJay? Tracey is heading up a campaign, Quilt Hope In, to help orphan children in Haiti by making quilts to auction to raise funds for Heartline Ministries there. I have already donated fabric and have pledged to make items for the etsy shop. Here is my idea for us:

1. Let's do a round robin quilt swap (a few more details below)
2. Let's make an item for the etsy shop of Quilt Hope In (this can be your round robin quilt or another item I am not picky :) )

Whaddya think?

More about the Round Robin to start in January/February:
 FYI: It is early in the morning and I don't know (or can't think straight with half a cup of coffee) all of the details but the bare bones are:
1. Make a center square for your quilt any size you like
2. Choose some co-ordinating fabrics 1/4 yds or 1/2 yds depending on how big your center square is.
3. Get a list of swappers (I will keep it to 4 members per group, hopefully we will have at least one full group)
4. Send your center and co-ordinating fabrics to the person in the list after you.
5. Each swapper adds at least 5 inches to the height and width of the center block. This can be done in a variety of ways. Adding at least 2 1/2 inch borders, five to the top and one side... etc... But be creative, plain strip borders would be a little boring...
6. Expect to use some of your stash to supliment whatever the owner sent.
7. You have one month between switches (super important to be on time) then you send it to the next person in the list.
8. When you receive your quilt back you can either finish it and donate it to Quilt Hope In or make another item for their shop (Or you can make an item anytime the more the better)

Please let me know if you would like to join. I would like to have at least one reference from another swap if possible only because this is a bit of an outlay for us all and it would not be good to have things go missing.

I am going to post on flickr about it too.

PS: Tracey is giving away a Go cutter on her blog check it out :)

Friday, December 3, 2010

Winner and winner... chicken dinner...

Hi Everyone,

Today we have the winners of my scrap giveaway. I put you all in order by time that you sent a comment and which stack you chose. Then I used random.org to pick the numbers.

For Gobble Gobble:

 
Peaceful Piecer who said: what fun! I'm a huge fan of Sandy Gervais so that's my pick. Thanks for a chance to win

For the Authentic:
Duff who said: The authentic has my vote! I do not know of a specific charity, but the church by me takes fabric to make quilts that will be sent overseas. Perhaps a church in your area does the same?



Thanks to everyne who entered. I will get these in the mail as soon as you send me your mailing info.