Purple Charity Quilt All Done!

I took this off the frame a while ago but what with the camera issue...  There are so many different things that I quilted into it you could look at it several times and not see the same thing twice.  It says things like "Mom Dreams of Africa"  "Daddy dreams of Mom".  I tried my hand at meerkats and feathers.  As you know DD did quite a bit of quilting on it, in addition to hearts she made flowers and other fun things.  My DH ended up adjusting the tension and while he was at it made a couple of nice combinations.  I didn't photograph them because after he was done I liked them so much I added more and more outward layers so you can't tell what he did from what I did.

DH's quilting to the right flows into mine

A friend of mine and I will be headed up to Quilt 'Til You Wilt in August and they are my local chapter of Quilts for Kids so I think I'll just run this up there when we go.  That will keep it local as the local chapters give to their local hospitals.  What do you think of the quilt though?  Is it pretty enough?  As a practice piece I guess I'm concern some will judge DD and I that this isn't the most colorful contrasting beauty I've ever stitched...

A block for Myra

Have you heard about Myra?  She is a quilter in New Zealand who is currently fighting her own battle with cancer.  Now the way I read it her friend Karen also went through the same thing a couple of years ago and all of their quilting buddies collected and made an applique heart quilt to for her.  So now Karen is putting it all together to make one for Myra as well.

Are you in?  If so all the details are here at Selvage Blog it is requested that all blocks be applique hearts.  Any form of applique and any embellishments you want are fine.  It's only a 6.5" block on white on white or cream on cream so even if you do hand work it sews together in a jiff.  Hearts can be pastels of pink, purple, or blue.

Heart for Myra

So here's mine.  I started with a scrap of paper as I really wanted it to reflect who I am.  First I thought perhaps I could do something with water and a palm tree within the heart, but then when I stumbled upon the idea of a Bandaid I had to do it.

My heart is white on white with a blue heart that has a little Bandaid on it.  The Bandaid is a tube of floral fabric that I managed to find a spot of plain print just big enough to make the Bandaid and then I hand stitched the little dots over the padded area.  For the applique I took two pieces of the same fabric sewed them together cut one side open turned it and then carefully stitched the hear down so that my stitches only show on the back.  If you know what method that is tell me and then we'll both know.

I still need to add my name and location and then true the entire block to 6.5" but after I do it will be off to Karen in New Zealand for Myra.

Good Deeds for the Week

I wanted to take a minute to tell you what I did this morning.  As a long time member of Disney Movie Rewards I donated 100 of my points to their "Family Movie Nights DVD Donation".  By doing this I donated a movie to Gifts in Kind International and as Disney is matching the donation to them right now they get two DVDs with my single donation.  As just one Disney movie comes with a points card in it for 100 points that means I bought one movie and donated two all for the price of one movie! 

Do you have any Disney DVDs?  If so check inside them for the points card all expiration dates have been extended so don't worry if it says it's expired, then just follow the directions on the card.  You can donate trees or DVDs or simply sit on your points a while to see what you can earn.

Sometimes donating is hard, I know I've felt that way; "What can I do?  I'm just one person," but every little bit helps.  I switched all of my Ebay auctions to donate 10% of my sales automatically to the ASPCA, which means at least a $1 from every sale goes to help them. I say take that - you sad commercial with all the weepy puppy dogs and cats that I can't afford to adopt. Truly, I hope next time I see that commercial I can smile at least a little bit instead of cry knowing that I helped out too.

I just received a thank you note from Quilts for Kids in the mail the other day as well. I collect thank you notes that I receive for the quilts I donate. I have this idea that one day I will frame them all and decorate my quilting studio with them. You know- for the day when the Studio moves out of the kitchen.

What have you done lately? Oh I know you've done something nice, a donation of old clothes or a quilt perhaps. I happen to know that everyone who stops by this blog is great at donating things. I know you don't talk about it, but you do it all the same. Maybe you feel you could give more but truly every little thing you do helps someone somewhere. Take a minute and tell me about it.

Global Change Quilt Project

As the place I want to visit most in the World: Africa is near and dear to my heart.  So when my friend Vicki told me about this project I knew I had to participate.  First I went looking for my orphan blocks.  They are looking for 9 1/2" and 12" blocks (note: not 12 1/2") so anything extra or perhaps that measured a little bit small would be perfect.  I found more orphan blocks than I thought I had, so I took them all and made them into the requested sizes.

According to my friend's forwarded email the proceeds for these two quilts will go to built a well and latrines at a school in the Central Africa republic also known as CAR.  You can read all about it here.  The mailing deadline is July 31st so go get digging.

I'm sending five 12" blocks and seven 9 1/2" blocks, but you can do as little as one and as many as you'd like I'm certain they'd appreciate them all.

I knew those coin stacks I started and then didn't know what to do with would come in handy.

Happy Turtles

Just this very morning I finished up the Hawaiian Appliqué Turtle quilt I was working on. This quilt went fairly quickly taking about 24 hours from start to finish. This quilt is a Linus Blanket and will be headed off to the Linus Project just as soon as I wash it. No shopping time required for this quilt as I worked to only used items from my stash. Threads on hand, fabrics on hand, and yes even batting.

I considered adding detail to the turtles but I wanted to give it some thought first to ensure anything I added would child friendly. Now that everything else is done I think the turtles are great just the way they are and need no embellishment.

I even stitched in a bit off luck. If you look at the quilting lines on the side with the gray stripes some of those gray stripes have little four leaf clovers quilted down them.

Now I'd like to take a moment to point out that this is a Give a Day Get a Day Get a Disney Day Project that Disney is sponsoring. As a handicapped individual it would be impossible for me to help out on site at a habitat for humanity home for example. But this I can do and so can you. There are many projects on the list that do not require standing for long periods of time. I was doubtful myself, but I found that by entering my zip code in the link provided above a variety of home based volunteer was available. Granted not the places I have done charity quilts for in the past, but it's good to share the love around. If don't think you'll use the park ticket you can even donate it to children in the community.

I love the concept of this, as I think it can unite families in teaching children about helping others. The only thing I don't like about this project is it is ONLY for children 6 years and older. As my four year old helps me quilt on a regular basis I find this limiting, both while working on the projects and also when I take her to the theme park as children over 3 require theme park tickets to enter the park. I'm certain there is a good reason for this apparent oversight. 

Don't forget if you're going to participate:

1. Select what you'd like to do and make the commitment. You Must Sign up BEFORE completing your time.

2. Complete your time within two months. That is the time limit set by the two projects my husband and I are participating in, but the time limit for your selected project may be different. If your project like mine requires you to ship something be sure to complete your project and mail it in plenty of time to allow for delivery within your time.

3. For those doing at home volunteer follow the information in your provided packet. Most of the at home jobs I looked at required a photo of you doing the work.

He cooks and bakes too!

For years now my husband has bemoaned that he can cook but he can't bake. Well I'm here to tell you that I have slowly been bringing him "around to momma's way of thinkin'" as just yesterday he made this - oh so yummy cinnamon rolls.

I've been in cohorts with Mary Jane's Row for the Row Robin. That is one quietly speaking quilt! And the things it has told me to do!!! All the same it's blocks are completed, and after putting sewing it all together I will of course post a photo. I believe after I wrap that up, I will work some more on my Carpenter's Wheel Charity Quilt.

This morning I went online flannel shopping, you see it's been so cold we have had one comforter and one quilt on the bed together. Considering the combination you can only imagine... They do not like being on the bed together at all. If the quilt doesn't give up the ghost and slide down off the top, the comforter will creep out one side and way. So I've been talking to my DH about making a quilt for "our" bed, such a crazy concept I know, but this would be a special flannel quilt that would resist falling off, because after all what else is flannel for. So I played around at one very nice website only to discover a 9 flannel bargello would run $45+/- for the top. ACK! If only I had a bigger fabric budget, because that is in no way "expensive". So then I started trying to find less expensive flannels from there. That is not an easy task, and I dare you to do better, looking of course for "adult colors" namely red and blue for it's strong and beautiful contrast.

I did not find anything cheaper... But what I did find is diaper flannel over at one of my new favorite fabric haunts, for only about $2 or so a yard! YIPPIE! Now I'm thinking can I dye it? Sure enough I can... I'll just need extra dye, and more fixative. Sounds great hu? So that's my plan for the future anyway.

While shopping for flannels, I started poking around for purples for Jessica's quilt. I found about 7 fabrics that would put her quilt top around $35, but I still think it would be cheaper and more fun to go to Joann's and pick around in there for a while. Who knows maybe Jessica will offer some insight without knowing it.

Snap...Click, does it look better in a photo?

That was the question I asked myself as I took a photo of this quilt. I have been hard at work over the past 24 hours working on the Carpenter's Wheel I told you about in my last post. This is a purple Quilt for Charity. My darling daughter just loves purple. When she saw part of it earlier she said "Who are you making that quilt for?". I explained it was for a child who doesn't have one. To which she said "okay, purple is my favorite color" and walked away. Later when it was unfurled for the photo, she did something similar and commented again that her favorite color is purple. Well ladies and gentlemen this quilt will just about wipe out my entire stash of purple fabric, so of course I will have to buy more. Yardage this time, not just fat quarters, and I plan to pick out something nice, so that dd of my can have a purple quilt perhaps for her birthday. There's plenty of time to plan for it. Perhaps even work on it under the cover of her sleeping so she wont know.

The apple quilt has slid firmly into a father's day gift. No matter, I already knew what I was doing for Valentine's before the apple quilt inspiration. I've had food poisoning over the past weekend, so in spite of what it looks like with the purple Charity Quilt, I haven't really felt up to working on something as big as the apple quilt.

A Plan and Everything for the Plan

Happy February! Most everyone I know is happy to shake the dirt of Jan. and leave it behind them eagerly looking forward to a new month still bright with the possibilities. As for me I am looking forward to have a little spending money in my pocket, perhaps to buy a little fabric with, but for now I have some eye candy to share with all of you.
This is the current layout plan for the apple quilt. It will involve a bit of seam ripping, but I think the black on the diagonals will suit it just fine. That leaves me with four squares of apple fabric and four squares of embroidered apples. And a deficit of 8 blocks for the completion of this quilt. I'm not sure how it will work out. I'm hoping it will come to me as I purchase a bit more black and sew together a bit more of the layout. I have also added another block to my sampler. This was a nice looking block from a BOM so of course I couldn't help but go ahead with the pattern. Aside from planning a Dresden plate and or a Grandmother's fan, I will also be sewing a circle block into this Spring Sampler of mine. So be on the look out for those.
A couple of copyright issues have arisen on the Quilting Board, so I will be posting my personal creation, the April BOM (block of the month) right here first. Yes, that's correct a previously unpublished Elizabeth Rogers original will appear right here for my follow bloggers to see. Look for that sometime later this month.

I have also begun to process a concept for my Charity Quilt 2009. This one is destined for a suffering young child, as I have heard quilt lore that if an ill person sleeps under a quilt. The quilt having been made of love will heal the sleeper. This is to be a large Carpenters Wheel in Shades of Purple. I look forward to working on it.

Now before I depart I would like to offer my congrats to my Row Robin ladies. I have had confirmation from all but one that their rows were sent out by our Jan. 31st deadline. Kudos to all of you. As we embark on the second row look within yourself for the answers that lie within.

Roll in with the Holiday Cheer

I've been up to my knitting when my hands are free. I'm need to pay attention to what I'm doing, but all the same I'm up over 18". That's only 30" from my goal for my scarf that I'm planning to send overseas.

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving weekend, even if your Thanksgiving wasn't perfect perhaps you got the perfect gift or you put up all your Christmas things? Well I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It was the Thanksgiving that almost wasn't but my sister came in and saved the day. We had a great time laughing and joking all afternoon. Sometime around 6 we settled down to eat all different kinds of food. Some that was Amazing all the way down to okay. Let me just tell you my husband's mashed potatoes and gravy was even better the second day and that's saying something since it was great to begin with.

I do not do Black Friday. What are you going to do with you see a scooter going at full throttle? You're just going to walk on your own way to get there. I tell you what I think they have governors on those things so they can't go fast. I can't imagine what it would be like. Instead Rob and I watched the "Mork and Mindy" Marathon that was on all day. Me on and off, Rob all day. You can see so much into the future parts of Robin Williams in that show it's just amazing really.

My daughter loves Eggnog, who would have guessed, right? Well not me. I think the price of it is up this year, but based on how she's been drinking it, I might need to make sure to have some in the house all this Holiday season. I even have baking plans this year.

We put the tree up yesterday (Saturday) and I have high hopes that Rob will get all the outside lights done today. We shall see I suppose. He's told me such pretty ideas I'm really looking forward to it. The photo above is without the flash. Funny how it all changed when the flash is on.

Currently on the back of my mind is the apple quilt I'd like to make for my husband, I already have the pattern picked out. As well as the child's quilt I'd like to make for Charity in 2009. So far I haven't decided which charity I will make it for. My sister asked if I might be just donating it through one of the local hospitals. I tried to look up doing something like that, but I couldn't find anything. I couldn't even find anything for giving a quilt straight to St. Jude's, if you can believe that. Oh well all that is slated for 2009, except maybe the apple quilt. I feel like I'm falling behind in what I'm working on because December is getting here so quickly. Tomorrow in fact. Take care all!

Caught ya Cutting!

The Perinatal quilts are boxed up and ready to go. Just between me and the rest of the world I hope I get a thank you note.

Today my husband cut fabric. Yes, it's true, he cut felt for the wooden hobby box he made. It's this amazing blue color. Now if I could just convince him to cut my fabric too! The camera is oddly "missing" so I don't even have a photo to show for it.

I've been kitten sitting a little bit. Mom's new Kitten Lilly has been to see us. Can you believe Jessica is more clingy now that Lilly is here? ACK, honey that's mommy's neck!

Tonight is movie date night. I have a date with my husband to be on the bed with popcorn and a movie. It's called "How to Make An American Quilt" I'll let you know how it goes. The movie the date perhaps not so much.

I had been working like a crazy person, but all I sewed today was one rosebud block and I'm not terribly happy with it, so there. Tomorrow the order I placed from an embroidery store online is suppose to arrive. YIPPIE SKIPPY FOR ME! I ordered 100 needles, I'm so sick of them breaking and leaving me low on needles. Some other stuff too. Lilac thread, because one of the flowers I'm embroidering requires TWO purples and I only have one. More green, you would not believe how much green gets eaten up making embroidery plants. LOL, and some wash out stabilizer, so I can make beautiful ornaments for Christmas to make you drool.

Now here's a bit of philosophy, or some such. Isn't it strange how we all have a certain level of trust? A trust in our abilities to read people, a trust that were we are and what we do is "safe" both on and off the Internet. Sometimes that trust is deserved, and sometimes it's broken, but all the same we continue for the most part to be ourselves? And then once in a while... We meet a blast from the past, and because of our sense of self, of what we trust and what we don't, that we find ourselves completely unable to trust the person from our past? Perhaps it's a case of "you're not the person I knew". I'm not certain. When you figure it out, explain it to me, so we'll both know.

It's all in a bunch of work...

Wow I am so tired! Rob stayed up watching a movie last night, and knowing I couldn't sleep with that particular movie on, I just kept reading my new book. We didn't get to sleep until after 1AM, what a fool I am! I'm completely dragging the ground today.

But I have great news! The 2 sets of perinatal quilts are done! Remember those are going out to Bridging People and Places Charity, and I have worked on them since I began quilting! They range in size from 8" - 26" square.

The single one is my favorite of all of them, that being a bit funny as those Log Cabins has been an issue for me (getting them the correct size for the Block Challenge). I'm not going to give you closeups of the others, but you can see the first ones I made by clicking on the charity quilts below. Each one is different some are bound with satin. That was my first choice, but at $4+ per package, it didn't seem worth it. I can't imagine how much money it would have taken to bind them all. Some of them are bound using Eleanor Burn's scrappy style quilt binding. Now that I like! You take the scraps from your quilt and put them together to make the binding. Some color combinations this worked better with. For instance shades of yellow scraps looked better to me than the shades of blue and yellow scraps. I enjoyed this project, and am glad to send them on their way to their new homes. May others find comfort and peace in what I have created.

My heart is still heavy, but they say time heals all wounds. I'm not sure about that. (as Elvis plays "I'm so lonesome I could cry" in the background)

While I worked on the charity baby blankets, I had the new sewing machine embroider the flowers for the blue quilt I'm working on. I'd like to have 20 when I'm finished, but size of the fabric, ect. will surely come into play (gasp, I haven't bothered with the math yet, oh no!) LOL! I have completed 8, I feel that's good progress for two days.

I'm thinking about joining the local guild again. There are some problems over that, but I'm struggling, a huge part of my day is sewing, or thinking of quilts and of course taking care of Jessica. It really puts a stopper on what I can talk about if that's not interesting to the people around me. I wonder about that. How did I get so wrapped up and interested in doing, quilting, and creating? And what did I do before? I can't really remember...

Unfinished Projects Challenge

Spider Lilly's in the Moonlight, sometimes wonderful things happen that we never planned. These Lilly's were right in that very spot in when we bought the house, and right next to it is a Spineless Cactus that has grown from knee high to as big as a man in the time we've owned the place.

Hi everyone, one of the members of the quilting board has issued a challenge to finish our UFO's by the 31st of December, those are unfinished projects that were left for a period of time. Abandoned. Lost. Forgotten, for whatever reason. Perhaps it had nothing to do with the project itself, but rather other things that needed to happen first, a different project, children. Whatever. Any project that has been left for a period of time is eligible. I have really taken this to heart, and have been working diligently on my first UFO. The Perinatal Quilts. I love working on these really I do, but life has gotten in the way a couple of times.

As some of you may know this is grief work for me, so it's very emotional and raw. Okay not so raw now but certainly tender. I had wanted to get them done and in the mail to the charity by Christmas and this has just been the drive I needed. Currently I have 16 done! Of my two part set of 20, number seventeen has it's binding more than halfway on and then it's down to three. Perhaps I can even have them done by the end of the month. It has surprised me with these. What started out as just ten tiny little quilts, how long could it take? Has turned into at least 20 blocks and an untold number of borders. I'm here to tell you that's a quilt! One nice big quilt. No photos of this UFO will be posted again until it's done and ready to mail. I'm hoping by not posting I will continue to stay motivated.

What are your current UFO's? It doesn't have to be quilting, it could be any craft, perhaps it's the flower bed that you haven't done anything with. Just think if you winterise it now, it will be already to plant in this coming spring. Of course if you plant Gladiola's, Tulips or Daffodils you wont have to plan in the spring at all.

My other UFO's you all know about. The red 18 point star quilt that I love to hate. Honestly, I'm afraid when I cut it down to fix it I will mess it up and then I'll be out of the right kind of fabric or something. DH tells me I should create the block as I think it needs to be on a completely different fabric (scrap of course) to be sure it will be the right size. I think he's right, but tell me what can I do with a 17" triangle filled with half square triangles? LOL!

The next one is the Blue applique quilt. It needs a couple of things a butterfly embroidered on the basket handle, rosebud blocks to go all around for the first border, and then hopefully embroidery flowers of all types to go around. How many of you can see that in your head? Trust me it will be beautiful I just know it. Anything dealing with embroidery is on hold until my thread order gets here. Oh there goes the mail man! It's here! Finally!

Now with all that excitement where was I? Oh yes I've also been waiting to finish the Bargello until the new thread got here. since from here on out it's a quilt as you go, I needed thread to match the muslin I plan to use on the back. You can see it in the photo the smaller of the two big spools. Boy I hope that Maxi-Lock thread works out swell. My New Machine has made even Sulky Rayon make lint! I'll write a review after I've used a bit of it.

Now see that pretty purse clasp? Oh how I've wanted that. Just knowing I have it to make a little kisslock change holder, or perhaps a small purse just delights me. I was thinking about using it on my Halloween trick or treat challenge, but I might like it to much to put goolies on it!

Oh and those teal blue string beads? Those are to fix my sister's pants. Then have little sequins on the pockets and while she didn't point it out I noticed they were coming off. So I'm replacing them with some of these, I'm planning on hand sewing them on real good that way I can get a couple of passes through the bead with the needle.

Any other UFO's? Oh yes, I'll need to quilt all of the quilts above, and the last heart baby clothes quilt, but one thing at a time. I think I have enough to keep me busy till the end of the year!

An old HS friend of mine is having knee surgery, so I was thinking of sending a care package, but you know that's just one of the little things we do at the drop of the hat because we want to.

Bridging People and Places Charity Perinatal Quilts

Oh boy oh boy, I'm so proud of myself, I just wrapped up another three perinatal quilts today. Just one problem with that... Two of them where the size I'd already made! Yep, so for a set it is But my set is like this
3 Extra Small Preemie (10x10 to 12x12), 0 Extra Small
3 Small Preemie (14x14 to 18x18), 5 Small (14x14)
2 Medium Preemie (20x20 to 22x22), 1 Medium (20x20)1 Large Preemie (22x22 to 24x24), 0 Large
1 Term (26x26 to 28x28)... 0 Term
I suppose they'll be getting two sets from me then. Because these are done and ready to go. I'm hoping to have them all done before Christmas. I don't know why it just seems like a good deadline for myself.

Tonight when I was putting Jessica to bed I had the last one, a Noah's ark theme all pinned and ready to sew the binding on. (I pinned it while I waited for her to fall asleep), so when I got up and gathered everything together to leave (yes I remembered the pins) I reached for her door and the pin box hit the door and pins flew! So there I was all haunched over picking up the darned pins in the dark hoping like a maniac that I picked them all up. That's the last time I take pins with me without the pin magnet thing! :D

Picture Day, at least for you it is

Isn't life special, today while I relax on my hind-end, as today is a do nothing-icky-rainy day you get postings and photos, which will hopefully motivate me to sew some more. Oh and I'm feeling a bit better, I just have to be careful how I sit down.

First up we have my two reject Log Cabin Blocks. It's heart breaking to me that they are rejects as I find them to be quite pretty. Oh they are rejects because one is to small by 1/2" and the other, rumor has the lady wanted a red center. :(

Next up is a little ditty called "Housewife", This block is brown, tan, and, off white, it made me nuts to take it seeing as it made me think of all the poop a housewife deals with on a day to day bais, but takes a decent photograph. This block also has the honor of being my very first pinwheel. They are not so hard to make after all. Though just a note, this is the block I had to cut extra fabric for, that I made the brown and green pinwheel with that you saw a few days ago.

My next star is not a star at all, rather a block I was concerned with at first but turned out quite nice. The pattern colors left much to be desired but marilbela had an eye for color that I never would have combined. That perhaps is the point of the Challenge Swap is it not?

And last but not least is the third in my set of 12 perinatal quilts. I really need to get moving on that project. This last one wraps it up for the Extra Small Preemie, so now I need to look up the next bigger size.

I have offered my baby quilt making services up to my sister, to make a baby quilt for a lady she works with (my sister is currently working with three pregnant women). I saw the perfect fabric for it at Joann's, it's cheater fabric, a baby pink patchwork that is as soft as the day is long, it just needs a backing, batting and bound up. I'm not quite sure, but something tells me I'll be buying all I need for it. Of course not normally a problem, but a bit of an issue with "what we've got is, really all we've got".

I hate that, things that normally we'd just do, suddenly I find myself thinking, if you would only pay us a little bit for dh's efforts it would really help us out... But in a time when no one seems to have much money, it's only my thoughts that hurt me.

More Block Challenges

Yikes! I fiddled around with the settings so much the last time I was here, I personally did a little double take!

What's new? I'm chewing away at my block challenge blocks, I refuse to let them get the best of me. I currently have redone Buzzard's Roost to be more juvenile, which is completely crazy because someone else has made one nearly exactly the same as my first one, but whatever.

I have also completed Card Trick in red white and blue, and the autograph star in the colors of my choice, a very nice "notions print" with red details, I will be signing that one before it leaves. I am also working on "Housewife" which is brown and tan. I refuse to add my personal opinion of these blocks as it's supposed to be a challenge, and after all it's not for me. I'd imagine other's will be grumpy about my choices too. My only real complaint today (I can't seem to help it) is that the Housewife makes you cut double the fabric you need for the inner pinwheel, which could be used elsewhere or for a different project if only they told you to cut triangles instead of squares. Oh well to late now. Yippie me I get to have a second poop brown pinwheel!

I am working on the pattern for my sister's x-mas quilt hopefully she will love it, and I am seriously considering a pattern called wintergraphix for my mother.

I swapped my first fabric swap, and received two fat 1/3rds (it's a 1/3rd of a yard cut in half crosswise), one which is a lovely random blue, and the other is navy with blue flowers, hopefully both will be used in my sister's quilt.

I received the labels for Jessica's baby clothes quilt back. Bless Loretta, they are lovely and big! In the middle of her efforts her sewing machine decided it had been subjected to to much work, so there is a little embroidery detail I'm going to put in personally (by hand!) on the one that wasn't finished, and put that one on Jessica's quilt, leaving the completely machine embroidered one on to go on mine.

Quilt Trivia

I'm now hard wired to the Internet. Less portable than before, but oh so much faster than that silly card!

Hmm, let's see. I made a handkerchief halter top, certainly for beating around the house, not much else, but oh so cool and comfortable! I made another neonatal quilt blankie. That reminds me I have got to get those quilt sizes so I can work on the next bigger size, I didn't want to make the wrong size and have to redo it.

I finished a pillow for Jessica yesterday. One side has the Ohio star quilt block and the other has the heart block. The binding is the backing that will be used on her quilt, which I did swirls and curls all over. She liked it so much she stuck it on her dresser and hasn't touched it since. A good thing? I'm not sure.

The quilt block swap that I'm going to be part of will be putting out information soon. I'm rather excited about that. I can hardly stand to go and pick out fabrics.

I am going to make a blue quilt for my sister for Christmas, I'm not sure what else I will use, but I have begun collecting blue fat quarters and have been considering a kings cross block, if only because I watched a quilting show the other day that told me how to make it with all different fat quarters. What is a "fat quarter"? A fat quarter is also sometimes called a "flat quarter". If you go to the fabric store and tell them you want 1/4 of a yard they cut 1/4 of a yard off the fabric long ways. So you get a piece of fabric that is around 44" X 9". But if you buy a fat quarter you get a piece that is around 22"X18"! How you ask? A fat quarter is a yard cut in half, and then cut in half again the OTHER way. Resulting in rectangle better suited for cutting. There are books galore that utilize fat quarters, because it's little enough to give you a great variety and also allows you to play with the quality of the fabric without going for the entire yard. Lately, I've been buying 1/2 yards and cutting them up the middle and sharing one of the halves. Trust me it's loads of fun to know you don't HAVE TO buy the whole yard. Joann's puts their fat quarters (which they call flat quarters) on sale for $1 each ALL the time, any print. That's only about $4, not a bad deal at all. So why you ask am I paying around $20 a month to be part of a Bali Batik fat quarter club? I'm not really sure... All I can figure is that it's because they are coming so nicely matched?

None of this is to be confused with FAT BACKS fat backs are a trademark name that one simply wonderful store sells. Just one lovely FAT BACK will cover the entire back of your quilt, no piecing required.

So I suppose the simple way to keep it straight, is Fat Quarters for fronts, and Fat Backs for the Backs.

I'm sure that's enough for now. So here's hoping all of you have a Happy Father's Day. I couldn't wake up enough to wish my husband a Happy Father's Day, and of course my father is dead, so I have spent the day fighting the pain in my foot to make a Giant Cookie Cake for my husband. Lucky me I can have this short break during nap time, before I have to pull out all the stops for dh's favorite dinner. Did anyone else see those Blue SuperMan-SuperDad gift bags at Hallmark? DH is getting one of those, filled with goodies.

Photo Updates!

I have photos, yep I can hardly believe it myself. Firstly the quilt top is done. It's been done since Friday. Each corner has a applique or patch from Jessica's clothes that didn't quite fit in the quilt. The "daddy's girl" is one, with "if they could just stay little", "our baby", and a super soft polar bear from a snowy white sleeper that I bought make up the other three.

Saturday we went to Wally World to buy fabric for the lady who will be making my quilt label. I wanted to pick up some things to make a nice goodie bag for her and my daughter found POLKA DOTS! I'm sure Walt Disney had no idea what a polka dot revolution he started with Minnie Polka Dotted Dresses. So now, because I'm a sap, and wanted to try my hand at it, I made a sun dress for my daughter. Yes, you see it correctly those are green polka dots on pink. We also bought the shoes that same day, they are the light weight ones that feel like they are made from foam. I'm proud to say the ENTIRE outfit was $10!!!



This is the center of my nine patch the applique heart wreath I think I mentioned. I have no idea what to put in the center I was going to put in a bunny as was in the heart wreath's on my "Bunny" quilt from when I was little, but alas the bunny pattern has been lost, so I will either have to make my own or do something else.



And last but never least, I have two of my perinatal charity quilts done. This is the extra small preemie size, I'll need three like this. I put that satin binding on it, though that stuff is $4 a pack from Wally World, which blew me away, here's hoping the three packs I bought will make all the quilts (somehow I'm doubting it).

I suppose I have time for a Little Note...

Let's see. Oh yes, I've begun putting Jessica's quilt together. Everything was going rather lovely, until I was off. So now I have a whole bunch of seam ripping ahead of me that I am not looking forward to. I have the backing material, it's a creamy color with swirls and pink flowers. Rather typical quilt back if I suppose. Haven't found anything to go on the back of mine yet but we'll see.

I did not like the way my applique hearts looked on my glorified patchwork so DH bought me some invisible thread and I plan to resew them.

I have begun working on my charity perinatal quilts, I need 3 Preemie Extra Small, 3 Preemie Small, 2 Preemie Medium, 1 Preemie Large, and one Full Term. Currently I have two of the Preemie Extra Small completely quilted awaiting me to dream up a binding for them.

Tonight is Turkey Dinner, as in it's been six month's since Thanksgiving and mommy is craving Homemade Thanksgiving Turkey (ours was so good last Thanksgiving we didn't have LEFTOVERS!) Currently my Turkey is done, a lovely 12 pounder, complete with the gravy and Homemade APPLE PIE, I'll be whipping up some old fashioned lumpy mashed potatoes, and green beans in a little while. Don't you wish you could have dinner at my house?

The breeder of the munchkin kitten my mother bought is trying to pull out of the deal because she thinks mom will breed her, yeah right, we lived in Arkansas for 4 years we know how babies are made, and I'm telling you there is no way mom is going there. So the lady is demanding more money, ect. Mom is beside herself about it, and it doesn't help matters, the lady is telling her she will never be able to buy a cat of this breed ever anywhere. What a mess.

Charity Baby Blankets

Today I found a website. For creating keepsake items for families who loose their baby at or near birth. Bridging People and Places One person at a Time makes and gives quilts and other things to People in need, such as children who have been abused or suffer from serious illnesses.

A requested set of blankets add up to need exactly the number of heart squares I have left over (okay so I would be like two or three short). Do you know where I'm going with this? Bonus dh bought like 5 yards of poly-batting for me when it was half off, and I have those three yards of Winne the Pooh Blue Toile with Pooh Bear looking up to the sky, heaven perhaps? So I'm thinking way better than a throw for my chair is those little blankets. Maybe?