Spring, where are you?

I mean seriously...where is the sun?  I am so tired of being cold I cannot even talk about it.  So, I've been working on Spring swap quilts!!!!  

This one is paper pieced with my own added little creature :-)  I almost couldn't send this one in the mail.  It made me smile the whole time I was making it.  Hopefully is makes its new owner smile as well!

This one was also a paper pieced quiltie made for a Flickr swap.  I was able to use only scraps for this one.  The white and flower fabrics were left over from my Bushfire Quilt squares, the batting was from my mom's Valentine's Day quilt, and the backing was a piece I received in a scrap swap!  So, I would call this a" Green" quiltie :-)

I'm still working on my charity quilt for school, and one for our  bed :-)  The one that I made in the 9th grade  is not quite cutting it anymore.  

I have fallen in love with the RJR farmers Market line.  I have plans to make a star quilt with a different fruit or veggie for each star.  We'll see how it goes.

This week will be spent mostly working on the Amy Butler Weekender Bag for the We The People swap due March 7th...yeah, it's the whole " works best under pressure" thing again.

Hopefully I'll have some photos to post later this week.  Until then, Peace be with you.

Swapity swap swaps...

Today was a swapity mail day! I sent out all 8 ( yes, 8) fat quarters for the Sew Mama Sew FQ swap, and received 3 swap packages in the mail.

This one is a paper pieced quiltie for the STUD flickr group. I love the bright colors, and the polka dot boarder makes me smile!!

This cutie is for the 6"-12" Flickr swap group. The theme was children's literature, and my partner used " The little old lady that lived in a shoe" as her inspiration. I am a shoe lover, so it could not be more perfect.

And this final beauty of a package is from my swap partner through Katy's swapity swap. The fabrics are not only beautiful, but so very soft to the touch. I'm not sure I can cut them up! And, she sent a sweet card, and the loveliest buttons all wrapped in fine ribbon.

I feel totally spoiled today, and after the week I've had....I NEEDED IT! Thank you to each of my swap partners for making my day! Peace be with you.

Any UK readers out there?

I am looking for the Sew Hip magazine issue #1.  I cannot seem to find it here in the states, but would love to own a copy.  I'm happy to pay, or swap for some fab, mini quilt, or hand made bag.

Thanks in advance!!!!  

Hearts, hearts, and more hearts

That's what my week has been like!  I completed 10 Valentine's Day bags this week!  4 for my advises, 4 for my senior leaders, and 2 for dear friends who have been my support system over the past few weeks. 

These are made using the Bend the Rules sewing book...it's such a fun book and very easy pattern.

 These were made using the tutorial from Pink Penguin's blog.

It's a fun bag to make, and is a great Scrap Buster project!

Will I get a lovely handmade bag in my mailbox this weekend?  Probably not, but I love making/giving them and that is truly what it's about. So, I wish you all a love filled Valentine's Day, and a peaceful weekend!  Peace be with you.

Live Laugh Love

I finished my mom's quilt last night, and let me tell you that I will NOT be quilting another large quilt myself for quite a while! I had two things working against me:

1. I used flannel on the back. Lovely to snuggle up with, but a pain in the rump to quilt ( says me)

2. I gave myself 36 hours to quilt ( I wrote LIVE LAUGH LOVE around the entire boarder) , bind (hand sew it down ), wash and dry the sucker before I had to put it in the mail.

Yes, I work best under pressure, but The Shmoo started screaming " I don't like GG's Blankie" by the end of the day.


However, it turned out lovely, and I know she will love it...and really that's all the matters!


On to make some stars for the Brush Fire Quilt Project! Peace be with you.

Bushfire Quilt project...

Please take a moment and check out the Bushfire Quilt Project over on Flickr.  Tia is collecting 12" star blocks to put into quilts for the victims of the bushfires in Victoria, Australia.  My heart aches for all of the people who have lost loved ones, homes, communities,  as well as for this lovely country.  Help if you can, and please spread the word among all of your quilting friends.  

Peace be with you.

Hiding among the fabric....

* Note- Blogger and I are usually good friends, but last night we had a fight....so we had to sleep on it, and now we seem to be friends again!

That's where I've been! When I get stressed I do one of two things- Eat or Sew. I got the stomach bug last week, so eating was out. My machine has been running at top speed for 6 days straight, and probably won't get a break until March when the Shmoo and I head to North Carolina for Spring Break.

You may wonder what exactly I've been working on ( okay, you might not have wondered, but I'm going to tell you any way)....

1. Blocks for Flickr groups- Sew Connected 2, Buzz Cuts, and the Cottage Quilting Bee

2. Mini quilts for flickr groups- STUD ( 3 minis), 6"-12" quilt swap ( 2 minis), and mini quilt in a bag ( 2 out of 6 completed already)

( This one was a " Plain Jane" using Liberty scraps from my Sew Connected 2 group)

3. 4 Valentine's Day bags for my advisees ( just have to put the drawstrings in them all)

4. 6 Valentine's Day bags for my Student Leaders and The Shmoo's nursery school teachers( just have to top stitch the tops closed)

5. Amy Butler Weekender Bag for the swap Tracey is hosting on Itching 2 B Stitching.

6. Valentine's Day quilt for my mom-photo above. She has been ( okay, always is) amazing since my job loss, and I wanted to send her hugs and a new quilt to tell her I love her!

7. Pillowcases for J as a " low budget" Valentine's Day gift.

So, I better get off this computer and back to the sewing machine.

Peace be with you.

And the winners are....

...numbers 21 and 105 ( generated by Random.org).

So, the fabric will go to: Kelly at Handmade at Home, and the bag filled with scraps to: Doris at Threads of Conversation.  

Thank you to everyone who visited my blog...come back and visit again soon.

Peace be with you!

Let the games begin....

So, I have decided to give away two items in the IMAG's International Stash Busting Giveaway ( that's a mouth full.  The first are these 4 half-yard cuts of coordinating fabs.  Their cute, cheerful, and scream S-P-R-I-N-G which most of us will have to wait months to actually enjoy.  So, tell me what you would use them for, and hopefully you'll win.  

The second item is this bag I made which I will fill with scraps before mailing off to its new  home.   It has a square bottom and holds a small grocery bags worth of stuff.  It's fully lines, and STURDY!     So, get commenting and let's have fun!

                                                                             

Sneak Peak....

Well, not really a sneak....

When it rains it pours and a Cutie Hooty!

 I thought losing my job was enough bad news/ drama for one week.  However, I was wrong...I    " caught" the stomach bug from The Shmoo, and spent 6 hours with my head in the toilet Friday night into Saturday morning.  I hate to throw up-I haven't done it since I was in labor with The Shmoo, and I cried about it then.  I used words that rarely pass my lips, and forced J to sleep with The Shmoo so that he didn't get sick as well ( and so he did not witness my sprinting from the bed to the bathroom every few moments).  Well, as it turns out the little man was not over his bought with the stomach monster.  So, I spent last night in bed with him as he threw up on 3 sets of sheets, 2 sets of jammies, and a very tired and weak mama.  I had to snap this photo of him this afternoon watching Thomas and resting his " ouchie tummy". He then had a sudden burst of energy and needed to take some pictures.  A budding artist maybe? 

 It's a good thing he's so cute, cause I am one tired mama tonight!  

On a crafty note I completed this cutie tonight for one of my students.  She turned 18 on Friday and loves Owls.  So, a Hooty it was. This is a Melly and Me pattern.  It was very easy to follow.  He's pretty cute if I do say so myself ( and I do!). 

Stay tuned tomorrow for the stash giveaway preview.  Peace be with you!