Welcome to Our Family...

...yet to be named male guinea pig, belonging to DD.

Personally, I like the names *Bob* and *Latte*. I think he kinda looks like a carmel latte!

DD likes the name *Ky*.

DH and DS have yet to weigh in on names...

WIP Wednesday~Link Up

Today is the first day to link up with Katie from Swim, Bike, Quilt for the 100 Quilts for Kids quilt drive!  Here are the four quilts that are ready to be mailed to Margaret's Hope Chest.

The Black and Grey 4 Patch Posie.

Animals in Boxes Twin A.

Animals in Boxes Twin B.

Racing Sailboats.


If you want to see quilts that other bloggers are donating, this link to Katie's Swim, Bike, Quilt will take you to the link up.  :)

FALL 2011 *TO SEW* LIST

Here it is!   in no particular order...as insane as it is...it is what it is...

Personal

• OQG Ugly Fabric challenge due October 2011
• LCQG Paint Chip challenge due December 2011
• LCQG Mystery quilt due January 2012
• grocery bags
• hockey lace bracelets
• Cher's Sisters' Panel challenge due January 2012~tenative
• place mats w/ table runner:  Halloween, Christmas and January
• assorted Holiday gifts
• FAB birthday gift due November 2011
• Packers flag
• Admirals flag
• Admirals photo album cover

*OQG=Oconomowoc Quilt Guild
*LCQG=Lake Country Quilt Guild

UFO's

• Cub pals' wall hanging
• red embroidery wall hanging
• blue fq wicked easy quilt
• Everglades panel quilt
• Quilt Expo 2011 kit
• Construction staggered bricks
• class quilt~blue ridge beauty
• class quilt~virginia bound

Guess I better nap then head to the fabric store cuz it looks like I am going to need MORE fabric! :)

Design Wall Tuesday???!

The beginnings of a Staggered Bricks quilt top.  First seen on my pal's LindaJ's blog.  here.

The Construction Staggered bricks finished to a flimsy.

Stash Report Week #40

An even week for me.  :)   no changes in my numbers.

fabric added this week:  +2 yards (1 yard white, 1 yard black)
fabric added this year: +200 yards

fabric used this week:  -2 yards
fabric used this year: -219.5 yards

net fabric for the year:  -19.5 yards (used)

What I accomplished this week:

pieced orange/green hot pads
pieced 4 fall place mats and 1 table runner

Goals for next week:

continue piecing quilt for Margaret's Hope Chest
start on Halloween place mats/table runner

The Great Egg Experiment Part 2

The egg balanced on end Saturday, too.  :(

Wonder if it balances everyday?!

The Great Egg Experiment

DD tried inside the house and the egg kept tipping over.

DD tried outside.

One egg.

More eggs.

Two neighbor's eggs.


Meet us here same time, same place tomorrow to see if the *Eggs Stand on End*.  The Great Egg Experiment Continues...

Autumnal Solstice

September 23, 2011 is the Autumnal Solstice.

image found here.

DD wants to try balancing a raw egg on it's pointed edge~good luck with that, sweetie!

Time for me to review my Summer 2011 *To Sew* List.

Looks like some of the more peskier projects are hanging around, still. Next week~it will be done! I finished most of the bigger items and a few items that never made it to the list.  All in all...I happy with the progress made in the sewing room over the summer.  Even though I still continue to buy fabric~I am noticing more room on the shelves.  And THAT is a very good thing, indeed.  :)





I'll be back next week with a list of sewing goals for Fall 2011. I need to put some more thought into it as we approach the Holiday season and it's sewing.  Later, 'gators!

WIP Wednesday

I finished sewing the miles of binding back for my place mats and table runner.

I was disappointed in the quilting of the table runner so I quilted some more on Baby Brother.  I have some tucks and puckers~that are on the front!  Then I remember that this is the purpose of this table runner.  Ummm~can hardly notice those tucks and puckers with all the *stuff* on it!  :)

place mat inspiration found here.

table runner:  Frame Up for Pieced Tree Patterns

Note to self:

With my dishes the place mats need about 4 inches added to the width.  Height seems okay.
 
Current size: 14 x 17

Help me...

...I've been sewing in circles!  :)

technique by:  Susan Breier

Design Wall Monday

On the design wall today, my fall place mats and table runner.  I think next time, I will make my skinny strip even skinnier.  I didn't have enough of either focus fabric for four place mats so I am going to be rocking *the mix and match* look for fall.  :)

place mat inspiration found here.

table runner pattern: Frame Up by Pieced Tree Patterns.

Stash Update Week #39

Another week has gone by and another report to add.  :)  I shopped a little and I had a few finishes.

Fabric added this week:  +5 yards
Fabric added this year:  +198 yards

Fabric used this week:  -13.5 yards
Fabric used this year:  -217.5 yards

Net fabric this year: -19.5 yards (used!)

What I accomplished this week:

made 8 Cancer Recover bags
pieced, quilt and bound *Racing Sail Boats*

Goals for next week:

make place mats!

DH commented that perhaps, it was time to use place mats again. 
WooHoo! I'll be making seasonal place mats for awhile.  :)

The stash addition: Some Halloween for place mats and muslin for backings.
+5 yards.

*Racing Sail Boats*

In between my two guild meetings yesterday, I was able to finish sewing back the binding on *Racing Sail Boats*.

Thanks to LindaJ, who helped me with the pattern and Pam, who named the quilt.  :) 

Why I really finished *Racing Sail Boats* so quickly was because I was challenged to make *something * with the star and stripes backing fabric.  I had won it in a draw in July at the Oconomowoc Quilt Guild.  The stars/stripes fabric feels more like a homespun but it was a Moda on the selvage.  Won't my friend, Sharon be surprised that I actually accomplished the challenge!

The Ebb and Flow pantograph from Lorien Quilting.



This one will be for *100 Quilts for Kids* as I will be sending it to Margaret's Hope Chest.

Both Guilds?! Really?!

As Shrek would say, "Really, Really!"

Both the Lake Country Guild and the Oconomowoc Quilt Guild are hosting UFO Challenges this sewing year. 

Why don't y'all just knock me on the side of the head with a two by four....really?!

 

Two UFO Challenges running concurrently!  As least I get to 'double dip' if I should elect to participate.  :)  UFO image found here.

I feel this should be my new motto.  That is, after I un-earth all my UFO's and decide which ones I will try to complete in the next sewing year. Sewing image found here.

 REALLY?! Two UFO Challenges?!  I'm speechless...

Key Leash

As I was trolling the web last night and since my key leash is looking pretty sad, I decided to make a new one.  Stephanie at Loft Creations posted this tutorial.  I followed it~sorta.  :)  Next time I will need to find the fusible interfacing to stiffen up my key leash and maybe, follow her sewing instructions. :)

The blue snowflake is the old leash and the white on black polka dot is the new.

And yes, I am still rocking my Southlake Carroll Dragon's key chain~even though I have been gone from Southlake, Texas almost 5 years now!  Doesn't seem that long ago, now does it?!

WIP Wednesday

I quilted *Racing Sail Boats*~thanks Pam for the name!

I used the Ebb and Flow pantograph from Lorien Quilting.

I also made the binding. This is straight of grain because the stripes were printed on the diagonal. How cool is that?  Will be interesting to *see* *how it goes*.  :)

A Sewing Plan GONE Awry!

My sewing plan went awry today! Has that ever happened to you?!

I planned one thing, did another, only to end up with something entirely different than expected! lol!

I was sewing up this staggered bricks that I first saw on LindaJ's blog.  I had gotten fabric that I thought *went with* two different fabrics that would be the outer border.  Then I decided it needed an inner border...black would do nicely, I thought.  Well, I stuck this piece of black and white checkered fabric and wow!  I really liked it.  So~I thought~let's use the checkered fabric and I'll find some race cars in the cupboard.  On went the checkered fabric...you guessed it! I must have used the race cars because I could NOT find any!  ummm...the first two potential border fabric didn't look *right* with the checkered border so instead of rip...rip...rip...I found this other sailboat fabric.  I had less than a yard so I needed to be creative with the cutting...then I cut it wrong!  arggghhh.

Finished size for my Quilt Gone Awry:  46 x 64.  Another *What WAS she thinking quilt* for me.  :)

Design Wall Monday

After our summer hiatus, my day guild meets this week.  We supply cancer recovery totes to two local hospitals' Breast Cancer Treatment Centers. Sadly, I'm thinking the supply will be low.

So I made up a few bags.  Well, I went a little overboard and made my personal donation quota for the whole year. :)  Thanks to DD and DH being gone yesterday afternoon, I made up 5 bags and made three this morning.

Hop on over to JudyL's Patchwork Times to *see* other bloggers' Design Wall Monday.

Stash Update Week #38

Some in, some out...a pretty balanced week.

fabric added this week: +5 yards
fabric added this year:  +193 yards

fabric used this week:  -13 yards
fabric used this year:  -204 yards

net fabric for the year:  -11 yards (used)

What I accomplished this week:

finished Animals in Boxes Twin A and Twin B!
sent 4 QOV's, 4 photojournals and 4 pillowcases to Alycia

Goals for next week:

continue sewing!!!!

My 9-11 Quilt

In Memory...

Of All Who Lost Their Lives in the Tragic Events of 9-11-2001

Of All Who Lost Loved Ones in the Tragic Events of 9-11-2001

Of All Who Lost Their Lives Fighting for Our Freedom

Of All Who Lost Loved Ones in the Fighting for Our Freedom

THANK YOU!

Quilt Expo 2011

On Saturday, DD went to work with DH so that I was able to go the the Quilt Expo.

I always enjoy visiting the quilt exhibit, but I really like visiting all the vendors!

I was able to find a few items to follow me home. I really, really like the vendors that pair fabric and a pattern together.  The roll of fabric is my choice with the free pattern.  The others are 1 yard cuts that will be made into the cancer recovery totes~I think!

+5 yards







I also have a few ideas swirling around in my head...like I need new ideas to muddy the waters, right?!  I should record them here so that I don't forget about them!  I took a few pictures of the show quilts to remind myself.  :)

Have You Heard?!

The DC Modern Quilt Guild is hosting 100 Quilts for Kids. If you hop on over to Kate's blog~Swim, Bike, Quilt~she explains it all!  You can also click on their logo in my sidebar and it will take you to the informational blog post.  I am planning a couple of donation quilts to Margaret's Hope Chest and The 100 Quilts for Kids quilt drive and prizes sweetens the deal!  A win-win!

So~here's what I've got to donate.

I Spy Animals in Boxes~Twin A.

I SPY Animals in Boxes~Twin B.

The twin's back.  Well, only one back but they are they same. After all, they are twins!  Look~there is even a label in the lower corner...















The inkblot panto.

pattern inspiration found here.

inkblot panto found here.

bias binding tutorial found here.

QOV's Are On Their Way!

I finally got my act together.  I dug out my Stampin' Up! Service and Sacrifice set, trolled the gallery for ideas and created  the cover for my photo journals.

Look who was waiting!  My packaged was checked in and is currently on its first leg of its trip.  In about a week, the quilts, photo journals and pillowcases will arrive at Alycia's.

WIP Thursday

I quilted Animals in Boxes Twin A on Labor Day and it has sat over the long arm until today.

I quilted it with the Inkblot panto. I wanted something simple to hold the layers together and not block the animals in boxes. :)

I did make bias binding out of the stripe material so that I would have a diagonal binding. I followed Bonnie Hunter's bias tutorial, found here. I thought I was making enough binding for Twin B also but no~I forgot to double my number so only bias binding for Twin A. At least, I will be able to practice making bias binding again. :)

I've been working towards my goal of finishing up the QOV's so that they will be ready to send to Alycia~more on that later....

Design Wall Monday

Meet the twins!
Animals in Boxes 'A'

Animals in Boxes 'B'


pattern inspiration found here.

I seem to have an over abundance of *fish* fabric and I'm not even a fisherman or for that matter, like to eat fish. :) Go figure...

To *see* what other bloggers are working on, hop on over to JudyL's Patchwork Times.