It's A Sister Thing Swap - Mine Arrived! (8/28/2013)

It came!  It came!  My It's A Sister Thing Swap from my partner came!  Woo hoo!  Two packages in a week, happy days (more on the other package in another post)!!

Michele of Quilts From My Crayon Box is hosting a swap called It's A Sister Thing Swap and I have had a blast so far.  Once I got my partner's name I immediately started stalking her.  So fun to be able to say I was stalking someone without getting weird looks! ;o)  I posted a sneak here and have her box all ready to go, just waiting for the weekend so her package doesn't sit on her porch all weekend long.

Now my partner that made me something was a real treat!  I love her blog and her cute little Sonja too (her sewing room antics crack me up).  Can you guess who it is yet?  Well, it was Bea!!!  hee hee.  Bea blogs over at Beaquilter (love the play on her name) and has a bunch of fun stuff - I am a fan of her EQ tutorials which is what drew me to her in the first place.  Now I just know her as a fearless quilter who does her thing and makes learning not look so hard.  She's even managed to pique my interest in those AHHHHs from Hillbilly Handiworks and I don't do hand sewing.

So, onto the package.  It was STUFFED.  Didn't think there was that much in the envelope until I pulled it all out and it got a chance to breathe - puffed right up it did!  Here's what she sent my way:

Fun little portfolio made from dog and paw print fabrics - love it!  It is my new idea book for projects.  I usually send myself an email with an idea when I have one on the fly - this way I can write them all in one place and actually see them instead of a list of emails.

She sent along the scraps from the portfolio and four fat quarters - I think my favorite fat quarter is the one on top with the birdies on it.  That is currently being lovingly patted when I walk by my sewing table.  The scraps I am going to make a mug rug with to sit by my machine methinks.

This Lazy Girl handbag pattern looks fun!  SewSweetness has one similar to it that I have been eyeballing - now I can try this one out!  She also sent three AHHHHs along - I think I might be hooked.  Grrrrr is what I say to another addiction!

Ignore the things in the basket - they were already here.  The basket is one of her that she made out of wrapped laundry line and zig-zagged the edges together.  It fits my notions perfectly next to my machine.  She has one with Sonja in it here - I told her the package could only have been better in Sonja was in it!  ;o)

This owl block is too cute no?  It is going to be made into a market bag I have a pattern for.  Those little owls are too funny!

Some labels she tried out on her embroidery machine - not too shabby!  One is actually on one of my projects I am sending my partner already :o)

I love these fabrics - they are perfect, especially the flowery fabric.  These are both going into my hand sewing kit so I have a mug rug wherever I go and a pin cushion that stays in my kit!

Aren't they all fun?!?!  Some of it is already in use, some has projects already planned for it and the rest is in the wings, waiting for just the right time.  I have to say this swap has been a total blast and I am really glad I participated - it has been a great way to stretch myself and give stuff away (I really like to give things away).

I'll post up what I've sent off when my swap partner receives it - next week!  I hope she likes it because I had fun looking for all the right stuff!

Here is what I see every once in a while - O can really creep me out!

woof woof meow

Sister Sneak Peak (8/18/2013)

I can't keep this in - I AM HAVING SO MUCH FUN!  

Michele over at Quilts From My Crayon is hosting a swap called "It's a Sister Thing Swap".  I am having so much fun!  Did I say that already?  

I can't resist posting a peak of what I am working on right now.  Enjoy!

I can't wait for the reveal day!  I can't wait!  I can't wait!  

Happy dance :o)

woof woof meow

Modern Mini Mystery Round Robin REVEAL DAY! (7/24/2013)

Hi hi!  How are you?  I am busy!  It has consistently been in the 80s-90s here and that is just TOO HOT for me to be in my sewing room.  So, I've been working in the yard, playing at the coast and getting some good time in with my girls.  Mom came up for another visit - that was fun too!

Enough about all those things, I'll post about them in a day or so.  Today, you are here for the Modern Mini Mystery Round Robin Reveal Day!  First, a big Big BIG THANK  YOU to Michele of Quilts From My Crayon Box for hosting the MMMRR for 2013.  I saw that I missed it last year and was very intrigued.  I participated in the Quilt U Be Mine Round Robin she hosted and had a blast, but I almost overdid myself, I did two spots - AGHHHHHH!  I was just going to sit out and drool over this round but Michele asked if I would like to participate and that was the kicker, I was in!

There were 6 of us in each group, at least one international participant.  I shared my round with these lovely ladies:

Diane

Kim

Bea

Ann

Laurel

All five of these lovelies sent me awesome pieces to work on and I hope I did them justice.  I did try to keep the "modern" part of the MMMRR with what I did, one of the blocks I just did plain borders with a flange, I was totally stumped as to where to go with it.  For some reason I didn't take ANY pictures of what I did to Laurel's block which is a bummer because I really enjoyed working on it.  Here is what I did (outer border of each - minus Laurel's block).

Upper Left - Ann's was free-form applique; Upper Right - Bea's was just straight up lines;
Lower Left - Diane's was from a pattern called "London Tube"; Lower Right - Kim's was a fun butterfly print and flange

When I sent my block off I asked the ladies of the group to keep it with the browns and gold tones.  And they did!  I was inspired by the pictures I saw over at Fabric Mutt, you can see the original explanation here.  Here is what I sent off to the group.

Fun huh?  I love, love, love that giraffe print in the middle.  Well, what I got back was even more fun - these 5 ladies are amazing.  AH-MAY-ZING (Zing Bot couldn't say it better BB fans!)  Check it out.  The is the first 4 rounds, my center block and the magic they swirled around it. 

Trust me, what you're gonna see next will knock your socks off.  Here are some close ups of the fifth round - appliqued Masai and goats. 

  

Totally pulls that giraffe print into an African theme and POW.  Right?  Right?  Finally, here is the finished piece, the final round pulling everything in and making it nice and tidy - just my style :o)

I love this piece!  I got it the first week of June and it has been hanging on my bedroom wall ever since, every time I walk by it I smile.  I still haven't figured out how to quilt it.  I'll definitely do it on the longarm, I think I prefer it over FMQ on my Juki.  Any ideas?  I know I want to mimic the patterns in African print fabrics - geometrics and lots of repeats. Back onto the bedroom wall with it!

Thanks for visiting and don't forget to make sure and visit the others linking up with Michele for the MMMRR Reveal Day!

Here is some Molly love.

woof woof meow

Glimpses and a GIVEAWAY! (5/30/2013)

Hi hi!  Boy have I been busy! 

Here are a few glimpses of what has been going on here, but not all - I'll post more later.

Booty from Quilter's Safari Shop Hop 2013

Farmer's Market Haul - fresh beets and beef bones

Baby Jackson's Quilt almost done

Olive and Provolone Loaf from Cheeseboard Collective in Berkley

The big news is that I have a Travelling Stash Box to giveaway! 

Katie over at Snuggle Up with a Dish from Karma keeps tabs on all of these travelling boxes - THANK YOU KATIE!!

Here is what popped out of my box.

12 FQ, 8 half yards, 2 full yards, 1 yard+, 11 orphan blocks, 150 charm squares, 1 paper piece kit, 3 stamped cross stitch pillowcases, 2 types of lace trim, 1" elastic, 3 spools of navy fusible bias tape, straight pins, hand needles, measuring tape, seam ripper, 3 quilting patterns, 4 clothing patterns, 1 bag pattern, 1 Christmas trim pack, bag of DMC floss, 4 cross stitch patterns and a "learn how book"

Fabric

Patterns

More patterns

And here is what I took.

And here is what I added.

8 FQ, 3/4 yard, 2 quilting patterns, white marking pencil

Interested in some of this fun booty?  Here are the rules for the Travelling Stash Boxes - read them and if you're up to the challenge, leave me a comment telling me your favorite vegetable and I'll put you in the drawing!  My followers get an extra entry, just let me know in a separate comment.  I'll draw Wednesday June 5 at 6pm PST.  Good luck! 

Here's some Linda love for you from my trip home last weekend.

woof woof meow!

Covert Robin - What I Got & What I Sent

Hi hi!  I hope April has been a good month for you :o)  It certainly has been quick for me!  A couple of months ago I signed up for the Covert Robin: A Mystery Gift Exchange over at imagine gnats.  you get the name and contact info of another person and have time to stalk them, figure out what gifty you're going to make them, then send it to them.  Someone else has your name as well, so you get to stalk your mail carrier too!

I'll start out with what I got.  Kim was the one who got my name and she stalked me (and the girls) well! 

She sent a box full of goodies that included a new tote with the cutest embroidery ever,

a stack of fat quarters (gonna use them in one of my table runner designs), a zippered pouch for my rotary cutting supplies (and a new blade!) and lastly - but probably most importantly to the girls, a little sack of treats for Annie & Oakleigh.

They're all too cute and very thoughtful - I loved this swap!

Next is what I sent.  The name I got was Heidi's.  She had just started her blog so I had a bit of an anxiety attack when I went to stalk her, but her blog told me all I needed!  First, it is pink.  Second, she mentions starting her own business.  Two things I can work with!  What new aspiring business owners have is a lot of stuff to carry around so, out came Amy Butler's Nappy Bag pattern that I absolutely LOVE.  I headed over to the LQS in Corvallis and found these yummy fabrics. 

Off to the races I went! 

When I made this bag for myself I didn't add all the pockets that there are in the pattern and ever since I have wished I did, so no pocket scrimping for this one (plus, she needs all the pockets she can get with a new business!). 

Off it went and I anxiously waited for Heidi to get back from her work travels and get her gift!

I had a blast doing the swap and meeting both Kim and Heidi - two more great bloggers!  Thanks ladies, for participating!

Here's what I am looking at, so I am off for a snuggle.

woof woof meow!

MMMRR Round 2 Sneak Peek (3/28/2013)

Hi all!  Sorry for the long time between posts - things have been crazy here and my head hasn't been in the game (or on my shoulders sometimes) for the past few weeks.  I did find some time to get into my sewing room though and cranked out the borders for my Modern Mini Mystery Round Robin group.  I had fun doing them!  The first border was super stretchy so I needed something to stabilize it so I went with the strips to help keep it from changing shape everytime I looked at it.  I think the design mirrors the middle block a little and like I said, I had fun designing and sewing them up.

Now its off to the next person and I am awaiting the arrival of my next round.

Here's a little Sandy Annie love.

woof woof meow!

FNSI and Modern Mini Mystery Peek (2/25/2013)

Hi hi!

Last Friday Josh was in Portland so I signed up for FNSI at Handmade by Heidi and set to work!  I didn't get anything finished, but I did finish cutting a project, almost finished another (needed more fabric) and started designing my MMMRR border.

I finished cutting up Baby Jackson's fabric (and I am still drooling over it)

I started cutting up the fabric for the Costa Maya quilt, but ran out of one of the fabrics so I had to order more.  Luckily I found some, Children at Play by Sarah Jane came out in 2011 and the flannel was even harder to find.  But - Aspen Fabrics had a yard left and I snatched it up!

Then, I started designing the borders for my first round of the Modern Mini Mystery Round Robin going on with Quilts From My Crayon Box.  I finished it tonight, so here are some photos.

Just photos, I don't want to give too much away!

 

 

And, a little Doodle love:

woof woof meow!

Quilt U Be Mine (2/14/2013)

Reveal Day is here!  And I am so excited to show off what the lovely ladies of my groups did with my center block!

First off, I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Michele at Quilts From My Crayon Box for putting the Mini Mystery Row Robin together, keeping track of all of us, and for providing awesome support to those of us who had mini crises of what to do!  She rocks and I am so happy to be part of this Row Robin!

I was in two groups, since I am a glutton for punishment and decided, "Hey, its almost the holidays and I will be gone for at least a week in November and December.  Why not commit to TWO groups when I have never done something like this before?  How hard could it be?"  Yeah - maybe if I didn't care what I put out could I get things whipped out every month the next day, but I am too picky and not skilled enough yet.  I agonized over some of them!  So many ideas and only a month (or two weeks if you take into account that I had two blocks a month) to do each!  Gahhhh!  But, in the end, I had a blast and both of my groups were full of ladies that are totally awesome.

I had a few borders that I did that were my favorites, most I didn't for some reason take pictures of, but the last three I did get snaps of.  Here is the post for the pictures I did end up snapping.

My first group was Group 4:

Vicky

Rachel

Renae

Me

Here is what they came up with:

Isn't that too cool?!?!

My second group was Group 6:

Melinda

Terrie

Vicki

Me

And here is what they did with my second block:

Hee hee - happy dance here!!!

I sent out the same block to both groups - very different results no?  These ladies are fabulous!  I can't wait to see their tops revealed on their blogs and over at Your Crayon Box, the blog Michele has set up for those who don't have blogs to share their tops too.  So, go here to Michele's blog for the linky party and here for the non-bloggers' posts and share the bloggy love, it is Valentine's Day!

woof woof meow

QUBM and MMMRR peeks (1/29/2015)

Hi hi!  I just sent off the last rounds of the Quilt U Be Mine Round Robin to my two groups.  I had a blast doing all the rows!  I can't wait to see the reveal on Valentine's Day.  I also can't wait to see my two mini quilts.  I sent off the exact same block to both groups so it will be interesting to see what the differences are in each (or similiarities?).

For some reason I only took pictures of the last two additions that I made.  By far my three favorites though!  The first is a Dresden fan row.  Didn't get enough of the Dresdens when I did Dare to Dresden.

The second and third are both paper pieced rows.  They took me most of the weekend to do, but I still really liked doing them and am very excited for the lady who gets them - I could frame them and put them on my wall by themselves!

I am also sending off my center block for the Modern Mini Mystery Round Robin 2013.  I've been staring at a box of batiks from my Safari Quilt that I dug out of the closet a few weeks ago.  When I saw the pictures that Heidi over at Fabric Mutt took at the Road To California Quilt Show, I was inspired by one of the quilts to make my wonky centered block.  And those batiks were calling to me, and the giraffe fabric was REALLY screaming at me.  This is what came out.  I love it!

I hope the other ladies in my group enjoy working with it - I can't wait to see what happens to this one too :o)  Off to work on the baby quilt for my sister in law - lucky baby, all these great batiks, I want it!  I'll just settle for being the first to drool on it instead ;o).

woof woof meow