Monday, January 30, 2012

Make-A-List Monday #80! A Quilting Fool....


Hi, all!


Well, it's Monday, the sun is shining, and the Internet is cooperating!  Woohoo!!!  I had a good week last week - so much quilting that my husband called me a quilting fool!!   But that's ok - I can think of worse things to be called!  


So here's how I did on last week's list....



1.  Finish piecing the flying geese top.
Done!  And not only pieced, but quilted!  Here's a sneak peek - I'll show the finished version on Wednesday in the ministry update...



2.  Quilt at least two more quilts for the ministry.
Done!  These three were quilted this week, 
and one was completely finished and delivered...



3.  Cut down more scraps.
I did a little bit on this, but not nearly enough!

4.  Try to dig through and store the fabric in piles in my studio!  (Find the chair again!!)

This is the view from my sofa seat - I think I see 
the chair under there, but it's still buried!!  
I think we can call this a fail....  ;-)

So that's how I did last week.  Not perfect, but pretty good considering how many quilt requests came in!  Here's my plan for this week...

1.  Finish hand-stitching the bindings on 
two of the quilts from last week.

2.  Add borders to a donated pieced top for a ministry quilt.

3.  Quilt that finished top.

4.  Make another chevron quilt for the quilt ministry.

5.  Find that chair!!

I think that's enough to keep me busy for the week!!

And now, I've got something I hope you'll put on your to-do list for the week!  I hope you saw my post last Wednesday (but if not, you can see it here) and will join in a scrappy block challenge!  Just one  block - quick and easy - to be finished and posted at a linky party on February 8th!  You can see all the guidelines on the post linked above, and I hope you'll join in!  There are GIVEAWAYS!!  Woohoo!!

So tell me - what are you working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Friday, January 27, 2012

Can I get a Whoop-Whoop?? Funky Geese!

Hi, all!


It's finally Friday!  I hope you've had a great week - I feel like I got a lot accomplished this week, even though I've only got one near-finish to show off today.....


This quilt is being made for a young man, 14 years old, who was diagnosed with lymphoma recently.  His colors of choice?  Red, purple and lime green!!  So here's what I came up with....


Sorry about the picture - it rained here all day long!


The red and purple piece behind the grey top is the backing - but it looks pretty interesting as a border!  I'm hoping to get this quilt on the frame and quilted tomorrow, although I'm still trying to decide exactly how to quilt it.  I'd like to have it ready to deliver by Monday.  I'm thinking about binding it in a semi-scrappy binding - strips of Kona Coal interspersed with scraps of the lime, red, and purple fabrics.  What do you think?


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So that's my accomplishment for the week...

What have you been working on?

As you can see, it doesn't have to be a finish...

So write a post and link up!

(If you don't have a blog, you can link to a pic in Flickr)

We can't wait to cheer you on!!

Hugs!

Sarah




PS If you don't already know about it, check out this post which talks about my scrappy block challenge - there are prizes!!  Join in!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

What's Cookin' at The Sweatshop, Week #18 - Lots of Quilts and a Challenge/Giveaway!!


Hi, all!


Well, we're finally off to the races at the Sweatshop this year!  We've finished six quilts and have a bunch more in the works - but before I show them to you, I'd like to extend a challenge to you!!


You may recall my blogpost where I talked about this great book that I got for Christmas...




Cut The Scraps!, written by Joan Ford and published by The Taunton Press, is the most useful book I've found for organizing and using your scraps.  She recommends cutting your scraps into 5", 3.5", and 2" squares, and then provides about 20 patterns that use those sizes. Most of the patterns are quilts, but there are a few bags, table runners and other things in the patterns too.  


One of my commenters asked if I was going to do a scrappy challenge, and the thought kind of stuck in my head.  There are lots of scrappy quilt challenges going on right now, though, and if you're like me, you don't have time to enter all of them, unfortunately...  So I thought it might be fun to have a scrappy block challenge!  Short and sweet, no long term commitment.  


So my challenge is this - using the three sizes in Cut The Scraps!, create a block!  Here are the guidelines:


1.  You can cut the squares down from the designated sizes, 
but you can't use any larger.  
2.  You can add solids if you want.  
3.  Finished blocks can be any size.  
4.  We'd like your permission to use your block 
creation in quilts for the quilt ministry 
in the future.
5.  And for you overachievers out there, 
yes you can enter more than one block!

There will be a linky party on Wednesday, February 8th to show off your finished blocks (that's two weeks - is it enough time?  If not, let me know - if enough people need more time, I'll push back the linky party date!)  Each block you link up will become an entry in the giveaway - plus if you promote the giveaway on your blog, you'll get an extra entry - just leave me a comment on this post to let me know you've done it!

And did I mention prizes?  When I thought about this challenge, I decided it would be great to be able to give away a copy of the book - so I wrote The Taunton Press and asked them if they would donate a copy.  And guess what showed up in my mail yesterday?


That's right - a copy of the book for one of you!!





And Shannon from Fabrics N Quilts is donating three prize packages just like this one:




Check that out - a Moda charm pack, a pattern, and a spool of Aurifil thread!  Woohoo!!  So we'll have four giveaway winners for this challenge......

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And now, it's time for an update on the quilts we made this week!


First up is this cute charm quilt, made by quilt ministry member Debora.  It went to a 3-year old boy in Florida who has a tumor in his eye, and had to have his eye removed.




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Next is this gorgeous postage stamp quilt, pieced by Sharon and finished here in Nashville.  This quilt is going to a gentleman in Arkansas suffering from cancer.




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Here's another quilt pieced by Debora - the pattern is Bricks and Blocks and she highly recommends it as an easy quilt!  This one is going to an older gentleman who is dealing with the end stages of cancer.




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And oh, this beauty!  How I wish I had Sharon's piecing skills.... This one is going to a member of our church who is suffering from multiple serious health issues.




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This pretty quilt uses some scraps that one of you lovely readers sent me after I commented on how cute her quilt was - they've been sitting here waiting for just the right home for a while!  When Deborah (yes, another one - we have about five in the group!) spotted them, she wanted to use them in a quilt, so we came up with this design (I saw a similar quilt out there in blogland, but can't remember where - sorry I can't attribute!) and she put it together!  I love the whirligigs and bow ties....  And check out the back!  




This quilt is going to a woman who just found out that her cancer prognosis depends on how aggressive she's willing to be in her treatment.  We hope this quilt gives her comfort and courage for the days ahead!




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And this quilt, also pieced by Sharon, is going to a gentleman with cancer of the bladder, liver and bones.  I love the bow ties on this quilt!




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We've also had some great donations in the last few weeks - one of which are these two dies for the AccuQuilt GO! Cutter...


I can't wait to use these - they look like fun, don't they?

And I processed a huge fabric donation that came from the lovely Carmen, who I don't think has a blog of her own - here's just a sampling of the beautiful fabrics she sent...


Look at all those beautiful batiks!!  I can't wait to plan a quilt around these...

And here's another piece that came in just the nick of time (or in God's time - which is probably truer!)  I had a quilt back that needed to be about 10 inches larger, but couldn't find just the right piece of fabric to enlarge it in the stash.  I set it to one side and opened up the boxes from Carmen - and found the piece on the left side of this picture!


The color is perfect, the words on it are comforting - it's perfect!  And just the right amount to finish off the back of this quilt!  

So that's what we've finished this week.  We've got six more quilts in the works right now - lots going on at the Sweatshop!  And always scraps to cut up - so I don't think we'll be getting bored any time soon....  And we found out this week that we will be getting permanent space for the Sweatshop at church, where we can store all our fabric and keep our sewing machines up all the time!! Woohoo!! Of course, that's probably some months in the future, as they need to shift around all kinds of things (we're just part of a major reworking of our space at church) but it's coming!  I'll keep you updated as things move along - - - I'm excited!!

Thanks to all of you who participate in this ministry - whether you sew, donate, cut, pray, find us space to work, or just cheer us on!!  We couldn't do it without you!!

Hugs!

Sarah


PS If you're planning on participating in the Scrap Block Challenge, I'd love to know!  Let me know in a comment....  ;-)

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Make-A-List Monday #79! It's only Tuesday because of the storms...


Hi, all!


Well, Monday morning came - and I was ready to do a blogpost - but my internet wasn't!  I think the storms on Sunday night really did a number on my ISP's system...  I waited all day for it to come back up, and I'd get it for about thirty seconds, then it would pop back out again.  So - - - thank heavens for Panera and free Wi-Fi!!


With my hot chocolate in hand and a speedy internet connection, I'm ready to confess how I did on last week's list and share the list for this week!  Here's the rundown on last week...




1.  Quilt the five quilts needed for the ministry.
Done!  I not only got five of them quilted, all are bound 
and one has been delivered!  I'll show pics of all five 
finished in tomorrow's Sweatshop post, but here's a recap
of what I worked on...



2.  Piece the flying geese top.
Partially done.  I've got about half the flying geese pieced,
and I'm working on squaring them up.  Hopefully I'll
get this top finished today!

3.  Put together kits for quilt ministry members.
Done!  I put together seven kits before last Wednesday
night's meeting so that new members would
have a project to work on.  Sorry I don't have a
pic, but I forgot to take one before coming to Panera!

So that was last week.  Not too bad!  I wish I'd gotten the piecing done, but I'm really glad I finished up those five quilts - they've already got homes waiting for them so I can deliver them all this week.  Here's the list for this week...

1.  Finish piecing the flying geese top.

2.  Quilt at least two more quilts for the ministry.

3.  Cut down more scraps.

4.  Try to dig through and store the fabric in piles in my studio!  (Find the chair again!!)

Well, I should be able to get through that, and maybe a little more! Here's hoping, anyway!  My quilting time's a little limited this week because I'm picking up Lilli after school all week so I just have to get going a bit earlier to get everything done!

And because this post is a little picture-poor, here's a shot I took of Lillibug yesterday -  can you tell she really didn't want her picture taken?  



And be sure to tune in tomorrow for the Sweatshop update - 
I've got a challenge for you, with prizes!!  
I'm really excited about this and hope you will be too!

So - - - what are you working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah


PS - If you commented in the last few days and I haven't responded, it's not because I don't want to - I haven't been able to get on the Internet long enough to respond to my emails and they are stacking up!  But I hope to get back to all of you soon.....  Hugs!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Can I get a Whoop-Whoop?? Making Progress....


Hi, all!

Can you believe it's Friday again already?  Seems like this week has just flown by!  But I've made some serious progress on a bunch of projects....  No finishes, but progress!  So here's what I've been working on this week...


This pretty quilt was pieced by quilt ministry member Debora, and this week I quilted it and prepared the binding...


...and I also quilted this beauty, pieced by Sharon, and prepared the binding for it....


....quilted this great postage stamp quilt (again pieced by Sharon) and prepared the binding for it (I'm so glad ministry member Pam took it home to bind!)...


...and Sharon also pieced this scrappy bow tie quilt, which I quilted today.  No binding yet for this one!

I've got one more quilt to put on the frame tomorrow, then I can take my sewing machine off and go to sewing on the bindings.  Guess what I'll be doing this weekend!  Handwork!!

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So what have you been working on this week?

Remember - it doesn't have to be a finish!

(Thank goodness!!)

Link up and show off -

We want to cheer you on!!

You have until Saturday at midnight to link up.

Join in the fun!!

Hugs!

Sarah

Monday, January 16, 2012

Make-A-List Monday #78! A Busy Week Ahead.....


Hi, all!

Are you getting back into your normal routine after the holidays?  It always seems to take a while - at least for me! - but eventually, things start falling back into place.  I hope it's the same for you!  

Here's how I did on last week's list...

1.  Cut out a quilt for a boy with Hodgkins' lymphoma.
Done!  Now I just need to get sewing on it!



2.  Put borders on a donated quilt center for a man's quilt.
3.  Make a backing for that same quilt.
I actually got three quilts ready for quilting,
 and my sewing sisters brought two more that are ready 
and now have backs.  So I have five quilts ready to quilt now!


4.  Organize and put away some of the fabric in my studio!
Done! I've made a little bit of a dent in the stacks, 
and a big dent in the tubs of scraps 
(3 people took home large sacks of scraps to cut up) 
so it's coming along!


So not too bad on last week's list!  But here's what's on the list for this week...

1.  Quilt the five quilts needed for the ministry.

2.  Piece the flying geese top.

3.  Put together kits for quilt ministry members.

And that's where I'm going to stop, because while it's a short list, it's a fat one!  Plenty to keep me busy this week.....

What are you planning on working on this week?

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And now, on a separate note, I want to share my favorite pin cushion with you - as requested by my friend Beth over at Love Laugh Quilt!  She's hosting a Pincushion Parade to see everyone's pincushions - fun!  



This cute little pincushion was made for me by a lady in our sewing group at church - it's completely hand pieced and made out of tiny log cabin blocks.  It's not very big - just about the size of a real baby chick!  Isn't it adorable?


I hope you have a great week!!


Hugs!


Sarah

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Check This Out!!

Hi, all!


I hope you'll go check out my friend Annie's blog - she's starting a new Saturday linky party designed to help you keep all those ambitious New Year's resolutions - you know the ones:


1.  I want to lose weight!

2.  I want to exercise more!

3.  I should eat better and healthier!

Lots of good information, encouragement, sometimes even recipes - and there are prizes, too!  So go check it out!!


Hugs!

Sarah

Friday, January 13, 2012

Can I get a Whoop-Whoop?? New Beginnings...

Hi, all!


A new year has arrived, and that means new beginnings, doesn't it? I haven't finished much this week, but I have started on a couple of things - one a long term project, for sure!




The first thing I've been working on is a quilt for a 14 year old boy with Hodgkins' lymphoma.  His choice of colors is red, purple and lime green, so I'll be making that great flying geese quilt with those colors set in Kona Coal.  That whole quilt has been cut out, just needs to be sewn together!




And here's my long-term project - I recently purchased this book, Cut The Scraps! And I highly recommend it....  not only does it recommend a system for cutting down your scraps, but it gives twenty patterns that use those scraps!  So this year I'm tackling the tubs of scraps that we've accumulated since starting the quilt ministry..  This is only the beginning....




...because (keeping it real) this is what my sewing studio looks like right now!




So I think it's time to dig out!!!  Wish me luck.....

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So now it's your turn!

What have you been working on this week?

Show us!  We want to know!!

Anything is worth a whoop whoop...

even unfinished!

You have until Saturday night to link up!

Join the party!!!

Hugs!

Sarah