Final countdown - friday 3 pm

2 days until we head to Arkansas and then on to Tennessee.
4 portfolios ready to go.
5 table runners completed and ready to go.
5 pillow cases made and hidden away.
1 baby quilt quilted and bound!
1 table runner still waiting to be quilted.
1 baby quilt waiting its turn on the machine. -
1 portfolio in pink needing to be made.
1 table runner in need of binding !
1 last minute special request that is not getting done!(Sorry mom!)

Can I somehow add more hours to my days?

Here's hoping you are getting all your holiday sewing done!
Merry Christmas!

Sunday stash report

I never got around to posting last week's progress so I will combine the two.

Last week I made a total of 5 of the small portfolios. And I finally got around to taking pictures!
I still have one more pink one to make for a certain favorite niece.

5 portfolios x 3 fat quarters per portfolio = 15 fat quarters of almost 4 yards of fabric used!

This week - although I got a lot of sewing done (including through my finger - see previous post) - it was all bindings and therefore very little fabric. Maybe 1.5 yards total. I have 5 of the table runners bound and ready to go! I managed to get a small solid inner border put on the baby quilt and will get the final outer border on tomorrow. My MIL's table runner is on the quilting machine and has to be quilted this week too! Better go to sleep so I can get up in the morning and get busy!

It was bound to happen someday....

Yes, today I sewed through my finger - the tip of my middle finger on my right hand. Still not sure how it happened. Maddie was sewing right beside me on the featherweight and I was using the newer Singer. I had to reach around with my left hand and crank the wheel up so the needle would come out. Then there was the matter of the thread that seemed to have no end - just running through my finger. By this time I am beginning to panic and have to call Maddie back into the room to clip the thread - she had run out when it happened! It only bled for about 1 minute. It still isn't very sore. Nina should be proud that I didn't faint! I remember when she sewed through her finger.

When I called to tell my mom what I had done, she said she hoped that her Christmas gift was already finished! Ah, can't you just feel the love!

Time to go get back on the horse!

Sunday's stashbusting report

This week I was not inspired to work on the bindings on all of those table runners. So what's a girl to do? Start on a new sewing project - a mini-portfolio I found over at Craft Apple (the orange one in the bottom picture). I bought this pattern several months ago and never sat down to do it. Thursday, because I was avoiding cleaning house, I sat down and made one of these - in about an hour and a half.

Each portfolio uses three fat quarters. You can squeak out various additional pieces with careful cutting. The pattern calls for two pieces of cardboard from a cereal box, glued together, as reinforcement for the notebook side of the cover. Because I wanted a little more stability and wanted to be able to wash the cover, I have replaced the cardboard with a piece of plastic canvas on both the front and back sides of the cover. You can buy a 11x15 piece of plastic canvas at Hobby Lobby for about 29 cents.

I have made three complete covers in the last few days and now both of my kids want one. So now I have pieces for about 6 different covers in various stages of completion. I decided if i am going to make one for Maddie and Ian , I might as well make one for my niece and nephew too!

I would like to make several more for Christmas gifts - but we will have to see what the schedule allows. I will try to post a picture soon.

This week's stash busting: 27 fat quarters.

Look, Ma, I can sew!

There wasn't anything I wanted bad enough to get up at 4 a.m. - but I did manage to get up around 6:30. As I was headed towards target and Best Buy, I drove through downtown Auburn to check on some friends who were setting up for tail gating for the Auburn/Alabama game tomorrow. I timed it just right - they were across the street, in line to get some breakfast! So I stopped and ate with them and then finally headed out to Best Buy. Packed! They were already sold out of what I was looking for (Band of Brothers - bought it on-line later today) - but the check out line was at least an hour long - so it is just as well! I came on home and was hit by a slight desire to actually quilt. I have managed to get two of the table runners quilted today. Would have gotten another couple done but my nap was calling too loudly!

I have estimated that each table runner uses about 1 yard of fabric for the front and another yard for the backing. And the backing doesn't have to be pieced! So far I have made 6 table runners for christmas gifts. That totals about 12 yards gone from the stash. A very small dent, but a dent none the less!


I also went online and ordered Maddie's Christmas gift - a Janome Sew Mini. Isn't it cute? It does a straight stitch and a zig-zag. It is not a toy but a small regular sewing machine. All the reviews I could find were very positive. Anyone else out there own one? What do you think of it?

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

The turkey is in the oven and the dressing is sitting on the counter waiting for the broth and some more sage! I am also making pineapple casserole, green bean casserole and Sister Schubert's yeast rolls. For dessert we will have the ever traditional Key Lime pie! DH is the only one who likes pumpkin pie so we came up with an alternative. What is on your menu for today?


I got my MIL's table runner pieced. The blue and the purple are hand dyed by me and Nines. My FIL is very into coffee so I thought the focus fabric was appropriate! Now I need to get started quilting all of these table runners! And Brady's baby quilt!


Hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! And don't eat too much!

I gave up...

I gave up looking for more of that brown fabric. several people found it for me - in other colors. One even found it online in the right color - in California. When I called the store on Sunday afternoon to make sure it was really the right thing (the picture on-line was tiny and could not be enlarged) - the poor sales lady could not find the fabric anywhere. So close!

So this morning after finishing up the second red, white and blue table runner, I gave up and pieced together all the leftover brown scraps and came up with enough for the borders. Hopefully all the seams won't be that noticeable after it is quilted.

I have some fabric picked out to make one for my MIL. Right now I have to go rescue the kitchen so thanksgiving dinner details can get started! Have a great weekend!

Naomi - no peeking!

Now it is my sister's turn not to peek. I think I am safe because I don't think she checks this blog very often.

Here is her table runner. I have the pieces for its' twin all cut out and the pieced blocks are pieced. So maybe that one will get pieced tonight! Two more things made entirely from the stash!! Thanks to Judy for encouraging us to use up our cherished stashes!


Time to get my act together and hit the grocery store - trying to beat the crowds. I am probably too late for that! Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am thankful for all of my new quilting friends that I have met through blogging!

Mom - you'd better not be peeking!

I have warned my mom not to peek at my blog until after Christmas. So if you see her peeking around here, please notify the authorities!

Here is the latest table runner. And yes, it is for you-know-who! Don't tell.

I am thinking about trying a square table topper in this same pattern. My sister has a huge square dining room table. Now I just have to find out what color her dining room is - she just moved into a new house.

How are every one's Christmas goodies coming?

Help!!!

Help!!! Anyone out there recognize this fabric? It is chocolate brown with darker brown leaves and stems. The leaves are a little less than 1/4 inch. I need about 1/2 a yard to finish up the second table topper. I have enough that I could piece together a couple of the sides but I don't have enough for all four sides.

If anyone knows the brand of the fabric, let me know. Or if you even have half a yard you could part with, I would be willing to pay for it or send you some fabric in trade! Thanks for the help!

A good math day!

This morning I was sitting on the couch, surfing the net as usual, when I was struck with the idea of making some table runners as gifts for my SILs and maybe my MIL. I found this pattern online and set about to figure out the math. I had the whole top pieced in about an hour and a half. And it's all from my stash! Do you think the color combination is alright?

Found it!

In case anyone else is looking for some great home-made gift ideas (besides quilts of course), here is a link to the page I was looking for earlier!

More Denyse Schmidt

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I am a big fan of Denyse Schmidt. I love her fabrics as well as her quilt designs. I used her fabrics for my nephew's baby quilt. Susan was kind enough to send me a quilt top she had made using Denyse's fabric - she had somehow fallen out of love with it! Good luck for me! This is one of my favorite quilts! It is on my couch right now, being cuddled under my my son. I have also made wall hangings for my sister and for me using her fabric.

Anyway, the point of this link-heavy post was to say that I found another quilt to fall in love with. It even uses the same fabrics from my nephew's quilt.

The kids have no school today for Veteran's Day. We are in the middle of being very lazy! I am hoping to get to quilt some later. How did it get to the middle of November already? Next week is Thanksgiving. How did this happen?

On to the next baby quilt!

Here is a small preview of the next baby quilt I am working on. (The colors are much more accurate in the top picture.) It is for my sweet neighbor across the street. Unfortunately her baby shower was last Sunday and of course the quilt was not done. Oh well - it will be done before Mackenzie arrives in February.

April was telling me the other day that she doesn't think she go all the way to February. Her son was born - supposedly a month early - and weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces. The doctor induced her because he was worried about the baby getting so big! I think someone was a lot off on their dates! So maybe I should plan on getting this quilt done by early January!

Tired of looking at those EQ quilts

It is time for a new post, if for no other reason than I am tired of looking at those challenge quilts I drew up in EQ. I haven't been quilting much lately - life has gotten in the way. My husband is an architect and has been renovating his new office since July. They were able to move in at the beginning of October, but lots of details were still not done. He finally got around to planning an open house for last Tuesday. So for the last two weeks we have been working non-stop to get everything in order. We were up there every night until about 8. Last Saturday we were there all day. Every thing finally came together on Tuesday morning -about an hour before the guests arrived! Here is a picture of one part of the space:




The space behind the wall where the printouts are hanging is a closet. Then comes a small kitchenette. And then on the end is the bathroom. I keep thinking this would make a great space for a quilt store. Actually there is another space, right next store that is about 500 square feet larger! A girl can dream, can't she?

While I haven't been getting much time to sew, I have been adding to my list of quilts I need to make! We found out on Tuesday that Maddie's teacher is expecting her first baby in June. While this wouldn't normally require me to make a quilt, we also go to church with her and her husband, so now she gets added to the list. After I finish up my nephew's quilt (who made his appearance on Monday!) - then it will be three baby girl quilts and then this newest addition to the list.

My in-laws are coming new weekend to see the new office. That means that some serious house cleaning is in store for me this week.

What are you up to?

Judy's challenge

Here are a couple designs I was playing around with in EQ5. Two Christmasy ones and two patriotic ones. I ran out of time before I got to adding fancy borders.

Smile!

Shelina has been kind enough to nominate me as one of her choices for a "You Make Me Smile" award.

Bridget over at "and miles to go before we sleep" created this award and wrote the following ......
The thing that I love most about blogging is that I learn so much about a person just by reading their blog. I have met MANY wonderful people with wonderful stories to tell and I am grateful every day for each person that I have the pleasure of crossing paths in life with.I wanted to create something special for the top ten people who have inspired me through their blogging; the stories they tell and the lives that they lead with grace and dignity. I visit their blogs for inspiration and encouragement.Although there are MANY people I want to give this award to at this very moment, I am going to choose ten bloggers:Please grab your badge and wear it proudly, and pass it on because you inspire and encourage me, thank you."

Complying with Bridget's wishes, Shelina presented me this award. And, in turn I would like to pass the award along to the following who have touched me in so many ways, lifted me up and made me a smile. Thank you Shelina!! I am going to cut my list down to 5.

My dear Nina - you inspire me to be a better me.

Ree - a modern day pioneer woman with a camera and a awesome sense of humor.

Judy - I love your machine quilting and your quilt patterns!

Heather - never fails to make me smile (or think!)

Geninne - beautiful artwork - makes me want to learn to paint!

Have you made someone smile today?

A good day!

First of all - before I forget! - I have updated the previous post to include some pictures of my purchases.

Today I got to sew!!! Yay! For about an hour! I got the rest of the nine patches put together and got the alternate blocks pieced. Now to get the rows sewn together. Time for your opinions please. Is this quilt boyish enough? Several of the fabrics have flowers but I don't think they are overly girly. What do you think?

I have been acquiring "ART" lately. This print came from Thea over at Colors on my mind . She of course has an Etsy shop . She had asked for suggestion on some of her jewelry and then gave everyone who made a suggestion a free print. I bought the great shadow box at Ikea.

My next piece of art came from Geninne. This is a print of one of her watercolors called "Neighbors". I thought houses were appropriate since I am married to an architect! Geninne also has an Etsy shop where she sells prints of her great artwork!

This is the fabric for the girly baby quilt for my neighbor. The colors are a little off. The fabric on the left is a soft sagey green and the purple isn't really that bright. I showed April the fabrics and she loves them!

These three fabrics just jumped into my arms when I was picking out the fabrics for April's quilt. They screamed "Buy Me!" How could I say no?

I guess I should feed my children and get them bathed so I can send them to bed! Plus I need to go watch the Gators beat Auburn! Go, go Gators!

Supporting the little (wo)man

Although I haven't got to sew much this past week, I have been busy spending some of my button money on crafty items on ETSY. Their theme is 'Your place to buy and sell all things handmade'. Here are links to my latest finds.

I bought two pieces of vintage fabric from FeminineAddictions. They arrived super quick - all the way from North Dakota. She even included a cute handmade bookmark and a lovely handmade thank you note. You can check out her blog here.




I also ran across this blog and was drawn to it because she (and her twin sister) lived in New York City. DH and I lived there for three years while he went to grad school. How can you not love a blog whose banner features a beautiful picture of her Featherweight? Anyway, she also has an Etsy shop and sells her hand made note cards. I bought two sets - one with magnolia blossoms and one with a great geometric design.




Another one of my favorite daily reads is Craft Apple. She has designed a cool mini-portfolio that holds a 5x8 note pad.

I am working on the quilt for my nephew. I have made 15 out of 20 9-patches. Maybe this weekend I will get to sew some. October is almost here and that means November is just around the corner!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Yes, folks, I have sewn two days in a row!

After a month and and a half of absolutely NO sewing at all, I have spent about a half an hour sewing on each of the past two days! And yesterday I also got to drag a non-quilting friend into a quilt store in Montgomery. I was able to find the fabric for the purple and green quilt I posted about a few days ago. Yesterday in the mail I received my order from The Quilt Asylum , Susan's quilt store in Texas. I ordered several charm packs of Denyse Schmidt's new line of fabric called Katie Jump Rope. This fabric is what I am using for my new nephew's quilt.

This EQ5 drawing gives you the general idea for the quilt. I have got about 6 nine patches made and about 12 more sets of the single rows of the small squares. Did that make any sense? I am hoping to sew a little bit tomorrow. Then on Thursday I am off to the beach for four days - without my family!! Me and some girl friends are the house guests of a friend who is celebrating (mourning) her 40th birthday. Her husband was sweet enough to rent her a huge house on the beach for an entire week and is keeping the two kids at home. Us girl friends are coming in and out at various times this week. Fun for everyone!! OK - whose 40th is next summer? (Nope, not me!)