Two Goals checked off the list!

I have gotten one of my January goals met and one has been lifted from me. I finished the gift for my Christmas Swap partner. I love the Charm Party Tote pattern and instructions. I used the basic how-to but adapted the pattern to be strips instead of charms. I think it turned out great! My partner sent me 2 fabrics and I was required to use at least 1 of them in my item. I used both! They are the 2 prints seen in the front pocket. They are also used in the purse itself.

Another friend, knowing a good bit about the circumstances in my life right now, has "ordered" me to send her the top I need to quilt this month to send to a mutual friend. I have hemmed and hawed over doing this, but finally relented.

So now I just need to pack up the purse and the top and send them off to their recipients.

And time to pick the next goal to work on!

"Belle"

Time to Set Goals

Well 2009 was a bit of a crazy and hectic year here. Did not get nearly as much done quiltwise as I planned. Hopefully 2010 will go a bit smoother, although I am not so sure it can. My younger child grads high school and starts college.... my older child grads college (on the same day her brother grads high school!) and moves out of state to get her Masters.... we still have 2 puppies, who are getting older and settling in, but still... they make like interesting! Then add to the mix an elderly mom who needs me a bit more than she has in the past and all the normal life stuff (Financial crunch, work, church activities, friends, neighbors etc.) ... Life is FULL!

So I have decided NOT to set goals for 2010. Instead I am taking baby steps and setting short term goals.

For January, my focus is on finishing up some things. Not sure they will all get done, but I hope they do!

1) I participated in a Christmas Swap with online friends and have yet to finish my swap item and send it on to the lady with whom I am swapping. Fortunately her life has been as crazy as mine and she is behind too! So I will be getting that done and into the mail!

2) I have a quilt top done and ready to quilt for a friend that I must, must, must finish this month!

3) I started a Fall Quilt Top in Sept. It is all together, but I decided to add some embellishment with hand embroidery. I am about 3/4s of the way done with that, so my goal is to finish up the embroidery this month.

4) Several years ago I started some redwork blocks... 12 of them. I have 11 done and have started the 12th. I would love to finish that 12th block this month.

5) I have a quilt I decided to tie, my Mile-a-Minute quilt. Started it before Thanksgiving. Have about 1/3 done. Would love to finish tying it in January.

6) I participated in a Snow themed block swap with online friends recently. Have all the blocks put together into a top. Would love to get the label done and the quilt sandwiched this month.

7) I participate in a quarterly quilt block lottery with friends and the blocks are due soon (Feb 1 I think). I need to make them up this month. Easy block this time around... blue and yellow nine patches.

So those are my quilt related goals for January. They are doable if Life doesn't throw me more curve balls!

"Belle"

Fall is on the way...

I love Fall. I live in the deep south and we rarely get much of a Fall. We got from hot and humid to cold and wet! Maybe that is why I love Fall and anything to do with it so much. (I feel the same about snow and snowmen!)

My online quilty sisters and I are having another block lottery. Here are my blocks... Fall Leaves... no doubt these, along with all the rest, will combine into a lovely quilt for the lucky winner!

I also recently purchased some gorgeous Fall fabrics from one of my absolute favorite online vendors... http://www.thousandsofbolts.com/ Aren't they lovely? I have a Fall Quilt in the works and plan to use these in it.

Hubby has been busy working on yet another fun scrappy quilt... he finds piecing these tops very relaxing. He has a job that can be rather stressful and this is a lot cheaper than therapy! Here is his latest creation.....

And last, but in no way least, I have another new quilting buddy.... Mia! A beautiful black and tan long haired miniature dachshund who loves her slightly older brother, Mac. Mia isn't allowed in the sewing area much just yet... she loves to chew fabric! She'll learn....

I am thankful that I have a machine that can operate without a foot pedal... not sure what would happen with those 2 swirling around underneath the table.

Happy Quilting! "Belle"

Catching up on Projects... New Toy....

Seems there has been very little quilting or sewing of any kind around here for a month or so. The summer has been full and busy instead of slow and relaxed!

This past week hubby and I made up for lost time. He finished up a quilt top he is making for a co-worker who is on his 2nd our in Iraq. Most of the fabric used came from an online quilting buddy of mine who recently made a patriotic quilt for her son on his return from Iraq.

Quilting buddies are great about sharing fabric!

I played around a while back with some scrap strips (2 1/2") and came up with some blocks. I took part of them and added sashing and put them into a top this week. This will go into a pile of quilts here to be used when someone is cold or to be given away when there is a need. Last year we had an apartment complex burn and 8 families lost everything they had. I so wished I had some quilts to donate to them. I am working to create a pile of quilts to have on hand for when someone needs one... or even wants one. My kids' friends hang out here a lot and many come from less than ideal family situations.

Several have said that they want a quilt all their own. If I had some made up, I would just say "Here.. take your pick." So that is part of the plan too!

Some online quilt buddies and I do a quarterly block lottery. I won the last one... gorgeous mini-bowties made from repros on white backgrounds. SO I got to choose the next block.

I picked Buckeye Beauty (easy block that has several neat layout options) and fall fabrics. We draw in August, so just in time for the winner to get some blocks for a Fall Quilt. Here are a few of the ones I made:

A couple of weeks ago I made a bit of an impulse buy... but I think I am going to be pleased I did. I have been toying with the idea of an embroidery machine. I looked at some wonderful ones, but they are way outside my budget. I decided to just let it go and look again next year. Then one night I was looking at Craigslist and came across an add for a basic Brother embroidery machine. A bit of research and I found the seller was asking $100 less than the cheapest retail price I could find. Further inquiries and I learned she was the mom of 2 children.. toddler and infant... bought it 4 months ago with the intention of learning to sew etc. Got in over her head and needed money more. So I bought it.

I finally had time to play with it today. One thing I love is that it has the applique stitch. I have a basic Brother sewing machine (you can see it in the picture too) that I love and have used for 5 years, but it doesn't have the applique stitch. I have not tried the embroidery features yet. That is very new to me, so will take a bit of time and patience on my part.

Hopefully now that summer is winding down, I can get back into some sort of routine and find some quilting time each week!

"Belle"

What every quilter needs!

I got the most wonderful Mother's Day gift.... a new quilting buddy! I absolutely love dachshunds and when we had to put down my sweet Woodrow (age 15) 2 years ago, it broke my heart. I wasn't a quilter when we got Woods.... that came later. He loved to lay under my feet while I sewed... in fact, he taught me how important it is too turn off the sewing machine when not in use... I was up doing something else and he rolled over onto the foot pedal and all of a sudden my machine was sewing air! Woodrow was a smooth coat dark mahogany red standard size dachie... my new baby is a miniature (should top out at 10 lbs)... long-haired... strawberry blond dachshund. He is soo handsome with the cutest little curls on the tips of his ears.

He has decided his favorite place to sleep when hubby or I am playing with fabric is in a box of scraps... and when I sew he takes up residency under my feet just like my sweet Woodrow.

I have no doubt you will see more pix of Mac popping up on this blog. After all, I think every quilter needs a furry quilting buddy!

"Belle"

Quilt Stimulus Package -- Great Deal!

I am on a quilting email group at yahoogroups called Real Women Quilt. One of the ladies there was telling us about a Quilt Stimulus Package. I was sure this was some cute ha-ha someone had come up with, so I went to check it out.

It is not a ha-ha at all... it is a great deal for anyone who has a ton of tops that need quilting (like me).

Joanne is offering a special deal on her long arm quilting services from March 15 - April 15... but there is a limit to the number she can quilt, so you have to act fast.

Her prices are super before the discount... which makes the discount even better. Check it out... http://splittingstitches.blogspot.com/2009/03/update-on-stimulus-package.html

Barb

A Very Special Quilt

DH decided to make a black and white quilt for our son's 15th birthday (in 2007!). It turned out great... very big... but great. There is a hint of red in it also as I had one piece of red fabric that he wanted to use. It has musical instruments on it and our son is a musician. Well, this poor quilt top (like so many others here) has been waiting patiently to become an honest to goodness quilt and that finally happened this past week. DD and I were out of town... DS was busy with friends and a music GIG... so DH took advantage of alone time and quilted the quilt... bound it too! It turned out great! He used a red thread and a basic grid quilting pattern. The quilt has 3 basic blocks.. a large 1 patch, a 7 patch that uses 6 small squares and 1 rectangle to create a sort of faux 9 patch look, and then a traditional 9 patch. DS loves it! So do I!