Pay it forward...

I signed up for a Pay it Forward on Audrey's Blog a few weeks ago. So, that means that I need to pay it forward here on my blog. I will take the first 3 people who respond, and send them something handmade within 365 days. The catch? Well, you must then old a Pay it forward on your blog. See, it just keeps going spreading handmade goodness to the world. I will send anywhere in the world, so please ( please oh please so I don't feel like the kids with no friends) sign up!

Peace be with you.

Tying up loose ends!

This week I have been tying up some loose ends in my sewing room. You know, the projects in various stages that have been pileing up for ....YEARS. Yep, those are the ones I've been working on. I found these blocks hidden at the bottom of a box, and decided to sew them together. After putting them up on my design wall and moving the around for a little while I decided on this lay out. I had 10 blocks...not such a great number, but I realized if I saved one out I could use it on the back. The colors are much brighter in real like, and I am in love with it. I only wish I had made more blocks. It would be a great baby quilt. This little baby only measures 18X18. I am still contemplating boarders, but for now it is hanging from the roman binds in the living room. It gives a new meaning to " living with " a creation! And yes, those are my feet :-)

I have been sitting on a charm pack on Moda Sweet for about 8 months now, and finally decided to cut into them. I found this quilt while blog surfing, and decided to give it a go. This baby measures 32 1/2" square with each block a whopping 16 1/2" . I think I'm going to add white boarders and keep it simple! ( sorry for the less than stellar photo)

I am currently working on a placemat for Place Mat swap #2 over on Flickr. I am really excited about this one, and just hope my partner loves it as much as I do! I will post a photo as soon as I know it has arrived safely in Australia!

Happy Fall, Happy Weekend, and Peace be with you.

The big 3 and DQS7...

Yep, The Shmoo turned 3 yesterday, and it feels like I have been working up to the big day for weeks! My mom arrived on Wednesday to help out, and see her " Spider Monkey". She whipped our house into shape, put up all of our pictures/quilts/etc. on the wall, cooked 3 nights in a row, and took care of The Shmoo while J and I went on a DATE! Yep, she's awesome, and we all wish she lived closer!!!!

In the sewing world I received the most wonderful Doll Quilt for DQS7 over on Flickr.

Yep, it's amazing, and that is me in all of of my glory :-) The quilt was immediately snatched up by my mom and J. They had been looking through all of my swap quilts in search of the "Perfect" one to hang in the dining room. Well, this was the one they were waiting for, so it went from the envelope up on the wall! You can't really see it in this picture, but there is a woman, a man, a little boy, 2 cats, and a dog all in the various windows of the houses ( I have a house obsession at the moment). Terri really did her homework on this one. AND, she sent The Shmoo a book. We love books at our house. J and I are book addicts, and The Shmoo has a decent library for a three year old!

I'll be back tomorrow with some up to date project photos!

Peace be with you

A week of projects!

After getting over super sensative self I decided to get some work done.  So, this has been a week of many projects. 

Sunday, I made these bags for my former advisees.  There are actually two more, but I figured this post was picture heavy enough.  My girls ( yes, they are still mine) started the first day of their Senior Year in High School last Monday, so I put these bags filled with goodies in their mailboxes bright and early Monday morning.  They were a big hit!

Monday I tackled my Old Red Barn quilt along Zig Zag quilt.  I have been collecting fruit and veggie fabrics, and decided that this was the perfect project for them.  I had the squares cut already, but drew all of the lines, sewed, ironed, cut, and sewed some more for almost 5 hours to get the top done.  However, once I put it on our bed I realized it was too small.  So, this week it will get large white boarders on it to make it work!

Tuesday I threw this baby quilt together.  I had a charm pack of Snippets that I was holding on to for...well, that was the point, nothing really, so I decided to make a mini version of Crazymomquilts 9-patch quilt along to see what my larger one will look like.  Note to self: make sure your blocks are all 6.5" BEFORE you start sewing.  I did quite a bit of Un-sewing to make the sashing line up properly.

Wednesday I finally put this little cutie together.  I have had the blocks sitting around for almost 2 years now.  I made a similar one for a friend's baby, and ended up with extra blocks.  So, I threw the blocks up on my design wall last week, and have been looking at them for awhile.  It was not quite big enough on its own, so added a coin boarder.  I really like the way it turned out!  

Thursday was basting day.  I commandeered a friends kitchen floor ( ours is about 1 square foot total) and got to work.  Let me just say that this is the first time I have taped the backing fabric they way you are " supposed to", and it really works---imagine that :-)

Friday I turned a King size flat sheet into an XXL twin sheet for a friends son.  He is about 6'5" and has never had a sheet that fits him.  Well, he is off to college and so I went to work.  It ended up being 56" by about 133" long....HUGE really.  But, it fits him perfectly, so it looks likeI will be making a few more once they find some fun sheets.

Saturday I had a request for 16 bags for my former employer.  They need them by Wednesday, so I've been a sewing machine.  Here are the first 6- well, actually there are 8 in the photo, but the baby ones are just for fun!

Sunday was spent at a Family reunion for my Husband's family.  It was a long day for family, and everyone  slept soundly last night ( to say the least).  Today will bring more bags!  I'll post a picture of the finished projects soon.

Peace be with you.

Thin skinned!

My mother has always told me that I was thin skinned...you know, get my feelings hurt easily.  And, you know what, she's right ( aren't they always).  Well, today while I was visiting bloggy land I got my feeling hurt.  Was it intentional?  I doubt it, really, but none the less, I am taking it as a sign to step away from the computer for a bit.  

My weekly list of chores and sewing is long, so I don't think I'll get bored.  Any-who, wishing you all a wonderful day, and hoping that someone says something kind to you!

Peace be with you.

Ladies of Leisure?

That is what I am calling the women I know who have been laid off from said school ( no need to name names).  Most of us have kids, are educated, and are now with much too much time on our hands.  Today when I dropped The Shmoo off at school I was asked by another mother, "what are you going to do now?"  My reply..."go for a long walk, eat some breakfast, and then sew the day away."  She did  not look amused.  But hey, being lady of leisure is hard work!  

What I failed to tell her, since I was sure her question was more sarcastic and judgmental than actually friendly was:  I will be calculating all of the expenses I'm not sure I can pay while on my long walk, and hope that when I get home I can find something that is remotely interesting to eat. And while I am sewing the day away I will be anxiously waiting for the phone to ring with a job offer! Nope, I did not share that with her.  Because, really, it's none of her business what I will be doing with my time!  

Clearly I needed to walk longer than an hour!

However, J helped me take this lovely photo last night.  This quilt has been on our spare bed for almost 2 years with no binding on it.  Yesterday I washed and dried it, and laid claim to it. Last night, I snugged under it while reclined in my new recliner, and nearly fell asleep.  Now that's a good quilt I tell yah!

This was my first true scrap quilt.  The only purchased fabric is the boarder, and well, I needed it!  I asked J if he was jealous, and he said " yeah!  The Shmoo has my quilt on his bed, you have this new love, and I have nothing."  Well, if this lady of leisure stuff continues I'm sure I can find the time to make him his own quilt.  I mean, one that he can actually use, because I think The Shmoo may have staked some claim on the original!

Peace be with you

What? You say you need a new Bag?

Yep, that's what The Shmoo told me on Monday.  Okay, he did not technically say that, but his school did.  The new law for Pre-Schoolers in our area is that if they eat lunch and stay for rest time----they must brush their teeth.  So, I clearly had to make a cute bag to hold said toothbrush and toothpaste ( fluoride free says the state).  I happen to find this amazing tutorial over at Orange Flower last week, and it seemed like the perfect fit.  Plus, I was able to use my favorite fruit and veggie fabrics ( always a plus)

While I was whipping up this little baby I also made The Shmoo a wet bag to hold all of his wet clothes from school.  It's currently  in the wash, so I'll have to post a picture of that another time.  But, we have moved from 3 sets of wet clothes, to two sets, to only one today.  We have lost 2 pairs of Thomas undies to the trash though....poor Thomas.

Peace be with you!