Thursday, May 17, 2012

Pay It Forward! 365 Days!

365 Days! I'm very excited! I signed up to participate in Pay It Forward and one day in the next 365 days I will arrive home to a crafty gift in my mail box from Jennie of Clover & Violet.


I would love to Pay It Forward and send YOU a crafty gift...so, I'm asking three of you to sign up too...here are the details, please read the rules carefully before signing up! International quilters are welcome.

1. I will make a crafty gift for each of the first three people to comment on this post. This little gift is a surprise, and will arrive to you anytime within the next 365 days.

2. To sign up to pay it forward, you need to commit to the project yourself... so you can pay it forward too! Just post this, or something similar on your blog so others can get involved.

3. You need to have an active blog of your own...{or some other way to post up your PiF info like a flickr, pinterest, or facebook account. Basically you'll need a place to announce your own PiF and to post some pics of the process.}

4. After commenting on this post, post something similar on your blog...so you can spread the pay it forward love. I will email you asking for your mailing address {and the online address where you are posting} so I can get your little treat in the mail. {Please make sure that your email address is visible on your profile or leave it in the comment.}

Looking forward to some fun!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Santa Sack Swap 2012

I joined the Santa Sack Swap being hosted by Cheryll, who set up a special blog just for the swap - Santa Sack Swap. Go check the blog out. Who knows you may want to join us? I find the swaps to be great fun.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Until Next Month

Here is a quick look before the top goes on to keep the block away from Ms Cha Cha's paws until next month. I got the 100 HSTs squared up. The process, though time consuming, went very well. My Quilter's Magic Wand has much improved  my HST seam lines. And, I'm thinking, perhaps my rotary cutting accuracy just might have improved also.

Mother's Day was quite a pleasant day. Mom and I went to Church. I had worked on squaring up the HSTs a couple of times before Church and finished afterwards before my Sunday afternoon nap. We had a lovely family dinner tonight.

Ms Cha Cha and I are going to wind down with a serious cat scratching sessions - she does so love being the center of my attention.

HAPPY QUILTING TO ALL!

Saturday, May 12, 2012

That's All She Wrote

My nap was wonderful! I needed the down time before tonight's family dinner. All of us together can be overwhelming especially for me. Dinner was good. When i got home I squeezed in a bit more quilting time and got 50 of the 100 HSTs pressed. I'm planning on finishing in the morning and squaring up on and off during the day. We will see. For this evening that's all she wrote!
Sharon of Vrooman's Quilts was a super hostess today. Thanks Sharon!

I am getting extremely curious on the finished mystery quilt Sue of Quilt Times designed for us. The not knowing is far, far, far out of my comfort zone! I am surprises at the FUN I am having working on this "wonder what it will look like?" quilt.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY
MAY YOUR HAVE A WONDERFUL, SPECIAL DAY SUNDAY!

HAPPY QUILTING TO ALL!
AND TO ALL A GOODNIGHT!

Nap Time!

I chain stitched one seam my HSTs, spent 4 hours at the mall and chain stitched the other seam on the HSTs. Here the pretties sit waiting for me to heat set the seams with the iron before I cut them apart ....

But First .... NAP TIME!

HAPPY QUILTING TO ALL!

I have DRAWN the LINE


I drew 100 lines to be exact. 

Today is the Christmas Quilt Along. Come join us! Sharon of Vrooman's Quilts is hostess for the day and Sue of Quilt Times has provided the latest installment to the mystery quilt.

I used my much loved Quilter's Magic Wand for line drawing. Now I am off to sew while I can today. My parents are visiting and there is a shopping trip planned for a bit later.

HAPPY QUILTING TO ALL!

Friday, May 11, 2012

Tomorrow.....

Tomorrow we get the next installment on the Christmas Mystery Quilt designed by none other than Sue Abrey of Quilt Times - author of "Pick Four". I'm ready. Are you?

This month's party will be hosted by Sharon of Vrooman's Quilts. What a great day awaiting us. Come join in the fun!

This is not finished. Why I haven't even pressed it properly. I just had to try my rail fence (anything to avoid the iron - lol!). This has been a fun, quick, get back to the sewing machine project and I'm liking the way it looks on my table ....

Hope to see you for the Christmas Quilt Along tomorrow. I will be in and out of the fun - my parents are visiting from Mississippi.

HAPPY QUILTING TO ALL!

Monday, May 7, 2012

Nostalgia

Wikipedia defines nostalgia as a yearning for the past. Well, believe me nostalgia was the feeling I had for sitting at my sewing machine. A month - a month went by without a stitch at this house. We are in the busy season at work and I come home totally wiped out. Some people say sewing relieves their stress. Not me. Sewing when stressed brings out my crazy "perfectionism," raising my stress level. I find reading (and I have been reading a lot!) the best stress reliever for me.

Sunday found me full of nostalgia. I wanted to sew and sew and sew and sew. The problem was I did not want to measure and cut or do any time consuming prep. I wanted to sew. Bummer! - Until my eye caught the Honey Bun Rooee of Rooee's Confetti sent me in the Christmas Sack 2 swap at the end of last year. Rail fence - simple rail fence - my mind shouted. I could be sewing in no time. Oh, yeah!

 
 Fifteen strip sets later and I am well on my way to a pretty rail fence table topper. Such fun! The amusing thing is the Honey Bun fabric designed by April Cornell was so appropriately names - Nostalgia.

Kim of Kim's Big Quilting Adventure had a giveaway recently. Look what I won! Thank you, Kim.  Kim has one of the most entertaining blogs I have found. Go check her out and tell her i sent you to visit.

I love Carrie Nelson's Schnibbles. The patterns are newly available in pdf Carrie's website -Yes! 

I told Kim I was planning to make this quilt tropical - as in Sunrise Sunset Batiks by Holly Taylor. I had fallen in love with the fabric earlier. Unfortunately, I had failed to purchase. Why do I do that? What not make the purchase when I fall for the fabric?

Now I know Kim will not travel across country to "strangle" me should I use a different fabric. I, on the other hand, had my heart set on Sunrise Sunset Batiks, which was mostly sold out at my go to Internet shopping spots.  An extensive search finally found all the fabric I needed at Cabbage Rose Quilting and Fabrics. Ordering was painless. The mailman will bring my goodies soon.

HAPPY QUILTING TO ALL!