Make-A-List Monday: I'm dreaming of a white . . . Halloween!

Hey y'all!

How was your weekend?

This is what it looked like from my sewing room on Friday afternoon:

Yeah. My kids were so excited. Me? Not so much. To battle the unwelcome snowfall, I grabbed a cup of drinking chocolate (I have a killer awesome recipe that is more like drinking melted chocolate than cocoa - AWESOME!) and browsed through the Friday finishes and the Blogger's Quilt Festival. I made my list of nominations for the festival, which was fun.

As for my list last week, well, here it is:

• Quilt and bind zig zag quilt

Done and my James is so happy (he claims it is HIS quilt because I backed it in orange Minky, and orange is his favorite color, so of course it's his!). Checking it off my 4Q FAL list. Hooray! That's four done. And a gazillion to go!

• Cut out my Weekender bag (and accessory bags from the extra fabric!)

Done. I cut out the dandelion bag, complete with lining and piping and handles, although I need to cut one more top panel. This pattern doesn't give you great instructions when you're dealing with directional prints, so I have to order more of my lining material before I can cut that top panel. Not super happy about that one.

I also cut out the duck for my quilted version and the exterior fabric for my umbrella girl one. I might have also cut some more duck for a Christmas quilted one. Yes, I'm getting carried away. It's what I do.

• Slowly get started on my Weekender bag

I've got the piping made and I'm working on the exterior panels with pockets and handles - my machine is giving me fits and skipping stitches. It did it on a line of topstitching, so of course I had to pick it out. The bag itself is not so bad. It's my machine giving me fits!

Just waiting for payday so I can order my zippers. Making the piping was . . . tedious. I used Steam-a-seam, which is awesome and I've read makes it even faster, which terrifies me to do it the other way.

In the meantime, I made my quilted pieces of out Gypsy Girl.

 

When these are done, I"ll start on a Christmas one. Because I need a Christmas Weekender bag. You don't? Whatever. You're just in denial, that's all. You really need to just embrace the insanity.

• Finish piecing Richard Scarry #1 top

Still working on this. Once birthdays are over (did I mention I have THREE birthdays coming up - the 3rd, the 4th and the 6th), I'll have more brain power to devote to piecing a top. I need to hurry though. The little man who will get this quilt keeps saying my string quilt is his. Silly boy. But I can't correct him until HIS quilt is done. I'll share until then.

Could you resist this face? I know I can't!

• Piece minky backs for 3 quilts

I pieced the back for my Holiday Hostess quilt, that Richard Scarry quilt, my Easy as Cake quilt, my nephew's Max and Whiskers quilt, and my other Richard Scarry quilt. So I did FIVE! Wahoo!

Okay, on to this week:

• Finish piecing the Richard Scarry quilt
• Sew up some birthday drawstring gift bags (I hate wrapping paper!)
• Baste, quilt and bind the Richard Scarry quilt so Henry will stop feeling left out!
• Cut the white fabric I need for James' Richard Scarry quilt
• Continue working on the Weekender madness bag

That's it. In non-sewing lists, I have to go trick-or-treating on Wednesday, make three birthday cakes, and three birthday breakfasts, and three birthday dinners, and get all the gifts together for those three birthdays (I'm so very glad I did the shopping back in August!). I also woke up this morning with a super fun head cold. And I think I got it from my sweet baby girl, so we're chilling in the recliner until we feel better. Ha! I wish.

Have a lovely week!

Finish It Up Friday meets Blogger's Quilt Festival

You are my sunshine . . .

My only sunshine . . .

You make me happy . . .

When skies are gray . . .

(nice of the weather to cooperate with gray skies!)

I love this quilt. It's big. It's bright. It's warm and cozy.

There's not much of a story here. I've always loved yellow and orange. I love citrus. I love daisies. I love sunflowers, yellow tulips, Lemonheads, orange slices, lemon meringue pie, and canaries (Tweetie bird especially!). That's it. I started collecting the fabric in the throes of a Seattle winter, so I suppose I was counteracting the gray skies.

See, I could break into song again: 

I've got sunshine, on a cloudy day . . . 

The official stats:

• Quilt Measurements: 82.5" X 102.5"

• Special Techniques used: string blocks (is that special?); lots of patience; backed in Minky 

• Quilted by…MOI! I FMQed big flowers in each block, then straight-lined down the white strips

• Best category: You pick: Favorite Two-color quilt, Favorite bed quilt or Viewer's Choice

Thanks for stopping by. Have fun at the festival - I know I will be!

I'm also crossing this one off the 4Q FAL list and the 100 Day Hustle. And I'm linking up with crazymomquilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict. Phew. I'm spent.

If you need me, I'll be joining in the Friday Night Sew-In with my Weekender bags and that zig zag quilt. I'm taking it nice and slow with my Weekender bags. As in, I'm waiting on zippers, I need some more interfacing (I thought I bought enough?), and I keep distracting myself with an idea for another one. Yeah. It's bad over here.

Thoughts on Bees and Swaps and Shoes and Ships . . .

Okay, not shoes and ships. Although I do want these for Christmas:

Source: zappos.com via Jennie on Pinterest

But that list is for my husband, so back to talking about Bees and Swaps.

I LOVE seeing bee blocks and pillow swaps and pouch swaps and all that. I feel like the geeky kid on the playground, who wants to join in but just doesn't know how.

Well, if the playground taught me anything, it's this: start your own game!

I am a research junkie, so before I start my game, who is interested? What are you interested in swapping? I'm thinking smallish, like pillow covers or pouches or a combination of small things. I'm also thinking Christmas, but would that be too stressful? I don't want it to be stressful, just fun.

Give me your thoughts and I'll put it together. If you are interested in doing a bee next year, let me know as well. I'd really like to do one, and I'm fairly certain I'm intelligent enough to do it.

WIP Wednesday: Can't Help Myself

My Weekender pattern arrived Monday afternoon. It completely derailed any logical plans from that point on.

As I've been waiting for it to arrive (like, for three WHOLE days!), I've been drooling over all the awesome bags out there, like this one, or this one, or this one. I've got serious Weekender bag envy. I MUST have a patchwork one.

So I bought some duck cloth at JoAnn's Monday on the way to swimming lessons (multi-tasker, that's me!). And I cut it out Monday night. And I might have forgotten to baste that Halloween zig zag quilt as I got lost in the piecing of my bag.

Um, hi, is this not awesome? I know, humble much Jennie? (If you don't like it, don't tell me. It's like telling a mother she has an ugly baby. Not cool. Or true. Every mother has a beautiful baby.)

I don't have the material yet for the lining. Or the piping. But I just had to piece these panels. It had to be done. Didn't it? Tell me it had to be done, please.

Okay, and I completely cut out my "plain" ones (as plain as bright pink dandelions and London umbrellas can get!).

Off to quilt that zig zag quilt. Ya know, before Halloween is over!

Linking up!

Squeeze Your Own Bundle Competition

I wish I was cool enough for the Fat Quarter Shop to ask me to put together a fat quarter bundle. I do love the bundle competitions I've stumbled upon over the last several months.

Well, there's another one, over at a new favorite blog Blossom Heart Quilts.

This time, we're building a bundle from the fabulous collection at Fresh Squeezed Fabrics. I spent a pleasant hour or so, browsing and choosing fabrics.

Here's my bundle, titled "June Cleaver's Bake Sale." The title is important in this contest.

What do you think? I chose the focal fabric first, the brown novelty print. Then I searched around for fabrics that coordinated with it, and fell into the "theme" of my bundle. Pennants, because you have to have pennants at a bake sale. Pearls, because, well, it's June Cleaver, right? Gingham and polka dots are so retro. In fact, there is a dress that Lucille Ball wears that is polka dotted and I want it.

I like my little bundle. I hope, I hope, I hope I win. I really struggled, because I thought I should pick fabrics that the judges would like. But in the end, I went with what I like. If I'm going to win a bundle of fabric, I want it to be fabric I like.

Make-A-List Monday: why do I bother?

Boy did I get sidetracked last week! In a BIG, but not bad, way!

My list from last Monday:

• Piece the orange minky into a back

Checkity check check. You don't really want a photo of this, do you? I can go take one. I do have mad photography skills. But I won't. Imagine it, mmm-kay?

• Quilt R2D2 quilt

Yessiree Bob! 

• Bind R2D2 quilt

I forgot to put on this list "accept many hugs and kisses for this quilt." I've totally done that. Blogged last Friday. If you want the so-called pattern (really, I'm not a pattern writer, but I'm happy to share what I did), just leave a comment or send me an e-mail.

• Baste zig zag quilt

Getting clear floor space is a challenge. I will get this done today. The back is pieced. The top is pressed. Just need sleeping kids and a clean floor. Yeah. When pigs fly.

• Make a mug rug for someone special

This is half done. The top is finished. Just need to quilt and bind it. Yep, I used Lori's apple tutorial from her Row-Along.

• Make myself a sleep mask using this tutorial 

Got it cut out. My pattern piece disappeared (got turned into a paper airplane I later found out). I'll stitch it up later today. 

• Get my daughter started on her cross-stitch project

She's serious about this project. It's for her papa for Christmas (because every law student should have cross-stitch art by their desk). She's loving it.

And then there are the things I didn't have on the list. Like baste, quilt and bind my yellow and orange string quilt. Oh boy, did I EVER! I'll blog it on Friday for the Bloggers Quilt Festival. It's so cozy and awesome and my husband actually helped our boys clean their room, so it's magical too.

And now, for this week:

• Quilt and bind zig zag quilt
• Cut out my Weekender bag (and accessory bags from the extra fabric!)
• On a side note, is anyone else driven to distraction by the awesome patchwork ones out there? I want one. I have the fabric. I'm going to distract myself piecing it. It's gonna be awesome, just wait!
• Slowly get started on my Weekender bag
• Finish piecing Richard Scarry #1 top
• Piece minky backs for 3 quilts

I'm not putting anything else, but don't be surprised if I do things not on the list. It's in my nature, I suppose.

What's on your list for this week?

Finish it up Friday: May the force be with you . . .

Please don't remind me how long it has taken me to finish this quilt. My almost seven-year-old has been reminding me constantly. I had a reprieve this summer, when it was so hot, but the cooler weather reminded him.

First, a little story. About this quilt.

It was a wedding gift, over 11 years ago. When my William moved to his own room and big boy bed, he adopted this quilt. It was never my favorite quilt, but it quickly became his. A queen-sized quilt is hardly a security blanket size, but it was his favorite and so it went everywhere with us.

It's been well-loved. The binding has been threadbare for quite some time, and I knew I could fix that, but when the backing gave out completely, revealing a batting that was falling apart as well, I knew it was a lost cause.

He has other blankets, but he needed a new favorite.

Earlier this year we introduced our kids to Star Wars: A New Hope. We've gone no further as they next two installments are a bit scary for them still. But he loved R2D2 from the beginning, so I designed this quilt for him.

If you're interested, I might be persuaded to share the pattern. It's not all that complicated. Just squares.

My husband needs to work on his quilt holding skills. He's forgiven, though, because he threw out the word "binding," proving he speaks quilt!

The blueish black star fabric from Michael Miller actually glows in the dark, which I think is just awesome. He loves it too. I FMQed some loops and stars on the background fabric, and just did some straight lines around R2. Tugging that quilt through my machine was a serious workout that my shoulders are still feeling.

It's bound in a Star Wars fabric I found here.

It's backed in red Minky, which makes it the most coveted blanket in the house.

I'll be making a big pillow for his bed out of the remnants of his favorite quilt, just so he'll have a part of it still. The things we do for spontaneous hugs and kisses. I've gotten several over the last couple of days, which makes all the wrestling I did with this one while quilting it completely worth it.

And I can mark this one off the 4Q FAL list, and the 100 Day Hustle. Phew. I'm making a sizable dent in the list (3 projects in the first 2 weeks!). Here's hoping I don't burn out too quickly.


Because look what's basted and quilted (I took this photo yesterday afternoon, but I got some time last night to finish the quilting!).

Yep. A quilt for me! Okay, I'll share it with my frozen husband who sleeps in a hooded sweatshirt. He's looking forward to this quilt, let me tell you! I've got all the quilting done. Time to bind! Should be done with that tonight or tomorrow. I'll blog this one next week, in time for the Blogger's Quilt Festival. Hooray!

The orange Minky meant for my Halloween zig zag quilt is being delivered today. I've got a date tonight (what?!), so that will have to wait until tomorrow. But then tomorrow we're having baby girl's birthday party, so it might have to wait until Monday. But that's okay. Just knowing it's here, in one non L-shaped piece is fine with me. I'll at least try to get it pieced over the weekend, maybe basted.

Linking up with Amanda Jean at crazy mom quilts and Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

The Long Weekend: oh yes, I did!

 

Have you heard about what Lori H. Designs and Heidi from Fabric Mutt are doing?

Only the awesomest blog hop of the year!

*My apologies to the other blog hops out there. I'm sure you are nice hops. I'm just so excited about this one.*

The idea: to dust off your copy of Amy Butler's Weekender Bag pattern (or buy a new one because you can't seem to locate yours no matter how big of a mess you make in your sewing room searching for it). Not just dust it off, read the list of "ingredients," freak out and eat some chocolate and put it back on the shelf.

Nope. We're makin' 'em. We're going to sew them together. We might even sew two. Or three. Might. We'll see how painful the first one is.

I read a funny blog about the construction of this bag. It's been likened to childbirth. Sure, it's painful (I don't think you can get epidurals for sewing projects), but in the end, you will be giddy with the results. So I hear. Since I did the childbirth thing five times, I think I can handle this bag.

So here's my fabric selection #1:

I love dandelions. I've also ordered this in yellow with a yellow ticking stripe. If they had it in aqua you know I'd be all over it, but I could line a yellow one with aqua . . . see what I mean about making three? Or four?

And fabric selection #2 (which I will pair with Kona Ruby and line with Kona Pear):

I bought that umbrella print ages ago when I lived in Seattle. I know I'm not the only one who gets fabric out and admires it but doesn't really know what to do with it.

My brother's girlfriend would also love one of these for Christmas, so I've got to find a nice peachy fabric. This is proving to be difficult.

So join the fun my friends! There's prizes involved, which sold me on it. It was on my 4Q FAL list anyway. Better and better!

Make-A-List Monday: all is well!

No more about the Great Minky Fiasco. Promise. Well, an update. My replacement fabric will arrive by Friday.

My list for last week:

• Piece Halloween zig zag top

Done. Love how it turned out. I had a bunch of leftover HSTs from piecing the single color zig zags. Since I really didn't know what I wanted to do with them, and I wanted the quilt a wee bit wider, I made a wonky mismatched strip. What the heck, right? And I put it dead center instead of trying to hide it on the side. My kids won't care, and I kinda like it.

• Piece spider web top

Not done. Laid it out on the floor and didn't like how small it's going to be. Picked it up and am now trying to figure out how to make it bigger!

• Cut and sew five candy corn pillowcases for my little monsters

Done. I used this tutorial and I'm happy with how they turned out. My three biggest kids have giant pillows, so I had to make some adjustments. I'm glad I figured these out so I can make some Christmas ones too.

• Piece red minky back for the R2D2 quilt (yes, I actually got my hands on some!)

Done and basted. I had to move my couch in order to baste it. But knowing that gives me enough space, I know I can get my monster string quilt basted as well. Getting started on the quilting first thing.

• Piece orange minky back for zig zag quilt

With the L-shaped minky piece, that would be a no. But the new stuff is coming - should be here by Friday.

• Piece red minky back for Easy as Cake quilt

Didn't have enough for the two red minky backed quilts, so this is on hold. Although fabric.com is having a sale on minky - $9.74 per yard, plus free shipping over $35. I just ordered the minky to finish six quilts. I'm a little giddy over here.

• Take pictures for 4Q FAL post (tomorrow!) - which also means doing a lot of ironing for said pictures

Done and the post is here.

I did things that weren't on the list when I couldn't do other things. Do you do that? In frustration, I glanced at my never-ending to-do list, picked something that looked like fun (and it was) and jumped in, feet first.

So I got my trick-or-treat bags done well before Halloween. I blogged them on Friday if you want to see.

We postponed little missy's birthday party until everyone is feeling better. And until I can sanitize every surface of the house. I'm Queen of the Clorox Wipes these days.

But I do have a list for this week:

• Piece the orange minky into a back
• Quilt R2D2 quilt
• Bind R2D2 quilt
• Baste zig zag quilt
• Make a mug rug for someone special
• Make myself a sleep mask using this tutorial
• Get my daughter started on her cross-stitch project

There. If I get any more ambitious, I'll start quilting the zig zag quilt. Maybe. I'm thinking of really living on the edge and using orange thread, if I can find it. Wouldn't that be wild? Okay, wild for me.

Winner Winner Candy Dinner!

We did the super scientific method of choosing a winner. And my boys took it very seriously, apparently.

Yep. Thirteen comments. Thirteen slips of paper.


A hat (James offered his NRA hat for the occasion).

A three-year-old instructed to pull just one piece of paper out of the hat.

And the winner is:

#1 (who says the first comment doesn't ever win?) - Carla of Dancing Moon! Carla, I checked your blog. Have you bought a lottery ticket lately? Because you should really consider it. You are winning at everything!

Congratulations! I've sent you an e-mail. Send me your address and we'll get this package o' fun in the mail on Monday! Have fun playing around.

Friday Finish: You've Got to be Kidding Me!

Just one more day for my giveaway! Winner announced tomorrow!

'Kay, let me vent, pretty please?

No one could be more tired of the Minky fiasco that has go on around here. I thought I'd solved it. I found a seller on ebay and the Minky actually arrived on my doorstep. I thought this was an improvement on the stuff that never showed. Twice.

I was wrong. What the what? I ordered five yards. So I got five yards of half the width of the fabric, or two full yards, full WOF and one yard half the width. Are you confused yet?

I admit my mistake. I should have read the ebay listing more closely. In my defense, I'd like to say that I don't know of anyone, anywhere, who cuts and sells fabric this way. I thought I was buying a full yard. Like, the entire width of the fabric, not half. This was just baffling to me. And completely useless.

See, I finished my Halloween zig zag quilt top.

Measured it and got out my orange Minky to cut and piece the back. And I get the L-shaped nightmare. Seriously. I have nightmares where I'm being chased by an L-shaped orange piece of Minky. Not good.

I'm sending it back, because it is absolutely useless.

And so I drowned my sorrows in bag making. Not as tasty as chocolate or ice cream, but so much healthier.

Out of the Minky travesty came these cuties:

My kids question if they are big enough for the candy haul they are intent on. I say one full bag is plenty.

And they're so cute!

The boys get the spiderwebs:

The girls get the owls:

And I get the leftovers.

Just for fun. No trick-or-treating for me. I just wanted one too. I used Ayumi's tutorial again and did them assembly line style. I did make them a smidge deeper (to accommodate all that candy, right?), but I just love love love how they turned out.

And, hey, I can mark this one off the 4Q FAL list, and the 100 Day Hustle. How cool is that?

And now to the weekend. I wish I could say I had plans, but they've all been put on hold. Someone was kind enough to share a fun little virus with us called hand, foot, and mouth disease. Yeah, not thrilled. Baby girl's birthday is going to have to wait until she's feeling better. So far, just two are sick. I'm holding my breath, and disinfecting every last surface in the house. Over and over again. Not fun.

I think I'll make some fall-ish just because gifts. Just for fun. And watch more Downton Abbey re-runs. Am I the only one who obsesses over Mary's eyebrows? I want them. And the clothes. Especially any of her red dresses.

Cannot. Freakin'. Wait. Weddings? Kisses? Shirley MacLaine? Lovely.

Speaking of Downton, have you seen these three cross stitch patterns?

Source: etsy.com via Jennie on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Jennie on Pinterest

This one is my favorite:

Source: etsy.com via Jennie on Pinterest

Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts and Sarah at Confessions. Thanks to both you ladies for motivating me to get things done each week.

4Q FAL List {made while singing "I like big lists and I cannot lie"}

I needed an extra day to get all my pictures taken. As some of these are repeats, I thought the least I could do was take a new picture. Although not all of them are new pictures. Forgive me. I started to feel I was wasting valuable sewing time ironing a bunch of quilt tops for pictures. Oh, and if you're looking for the giveaway, it's over here.

Yep, it's the 4th quarter and I've got a doozy of a list. The impending holidays will do that to you, especially if your kids are like my kids and want to listen to "Jingle Bells" already. They get it from me.

I had an amazingly productive weekend prepping projects, making sure things were all cut out so that I can just sew my little heart out now. I find that I don't often get large chunks of time to sew, so I'd rather have everything prepped and ready to go so that when I do find 15 minutes here and there, I don't have to worry about cutting something.

Last quarter, I finished nine of the 20 projects. I could have had two more finished if the Great Minky Debacle hadn't happened. As it is, I am happy to say that 15 yards of red and orange Minky have arrived at my house, so clearly the Minky sanctions imposed on this corner of Idaho have been lifted. Did a little happy dance when that box arrived, let me tell you!

I do better with a bigger list, so here it is, in all it's overly-ambitious glory:

• My Halloween zig zag quilt: up first for obvious reasons.

• My Halloween spider web quilt: again, duh?

• My son's R2D2 quilt

• Trick-or-Treat bags for my trick-or-treaters

• The Sunkissed Granny Squares quilt - going to be hand-quilting this. My mom is coming to visit in November, so I'll ask her to bring her little quilt frame so I can work on this while watching reruns of Downton. Will January EVER get here?

• Lucy's Crab Shack triangle quilt - the top is done, so now I need to acquire a back and baste, bind and quilt.

•  Some Lucy triangle bathmats with the leftover triangles.

•  My yellow and orange string quilt that needs to be on my bed because my popsicle of a husband is freezing. If I get this done and on the bed, maybe he'll let me sleep with the window open a crack. Maybe. 

The trouble is, I need a huge empty floor space to baste this monster. I keep meaning to go up to my church and use the gym floor, but I really can't do it with five sets of feet running around. But the goal is to get it done in time for the Blogger's Quilt Festival on the 23rd (am I right?). So I'd better get a move on!

• Easy as cake Christmas quilt: if you'll recall, I complicated things adding that extra border, so I've got new backing plans (the Minky is popular around here these days) and will get this baby quilted up now.

• Holiday Hostess Christmas quilt - acquire the backing (methinks red and white polka dot minky), baste, bind and quilt

• Richard Scarry quilt #1

• Richard Scarry quilt #2 - same quilt, different backing for different son

• My super cha-cha tree skirt: cut and ready to gather and stitch. So. Freakin'. Excited. Just like this one, only red and aqua from Cherry Christmas.

Source: prudentbaby.com via Jennie on Pinterest
• 
  

•  My Cowgirl Salt Water Taffy quilt - a small hiccup that will require more fabric, but etsy to the rescue and I'll be finishing this top soon. Going to back it in hot pink Minky for my baby girl to use on her big girl bed later next year.

• Dare I put my Sew Cherry Granny Squares on the list again? I want to at least get the borders on this quilt before the end of the year.

• A Max and Whiskers quilt for my dog-loving little nephew for Christmas: it's cut and ready to piece. I'll back it in chocolate brown Minky for super snuggle factor. My brother's family has a three-legged Weimaraner named Hilde that is his best friend, so this fabric is perfect.

• My red string quilt - at least make some progress on it!

• New stockings for the whole fam damily. Because they need to coordinate with my new tree skirt. Silly. Don't make me explain. My husband doesn't even get an explanation. 

• A collection of Christmas gift bags (trying to avoid the whole mess of wrapping paper this year). I'm going to use these two tutorials: A Quilting Life and In Color Order.

• A Weekender Bag for me. Pink dandelions and ticking stripe. Could it get any better?

• A duffel bag for each of my children for Christmas. Maybe one for me too.

• Finally, finish this cake slice wall hanging. It's about dang time - and if I don't, my baby girl will just wander off with the blocks again.

I expect to get quite a bit done in October and November and then a huge push in December. Fortunately, we're staying home for all holidays, so I'll get to have a supervising adult in the house while I sew. I've asked, like I do every year, for sewing time for Christmas. My law student gets almost an entire month off in December/early January, so there's no reason he can't give me a couple of days of child-free sewing.

Linking up at Quilter in the Gap for the final party - come on over with your list. Prizes for finishes - what could be better?