no wasting the scraps and other stuff

That L'amour is so sweet and I had enough scraps left for a small table topper or a place mat for my sweetie!
It's about 12" by 16" and I feel better about not wasting scraps.

 

And now some thank yous are in order.

I commented on Kati Cupcake's blog when she wanted feedback on a new pattern "My Favorite Bag" and won a copy of the pattern!

 

Isn't it cute?  I can't wait to make it!

A drawing was held by Monica from Happy Zombie and I won a Swanky turnover and she threw in seven very cute pink and green slices of a layer cake:

 

Thanks again Monica!

And last weekend I participated in a virtual "Sew In" for the Seasons BOM group organized by Sandi of  A Legacy of Stitches  and hit the jackpot.  It was a secret "Little Pink Bag" until it arrived and look at all of the loot!

 

There is a Holly Taylor panel, a cupcake cookbook, a Schnibbles pattern, a rotary cutter case, a piece of vintage kitchen fabric and MORE!  Wow, how nice is that of Sandi?  Thank you again Sandi.

I had better get sewing.

Got a Little Sidetracked!!

Aneela at Comfortstitching is celebrating her blogaversary this week and she generously sent a limited number of her cute patterns to her readers.  I have been a reader and admirer for a long time and was lucky enough to be one of the receivers.

I have not done embroidery for YEARS and have been wanting to get back to it, so as soon as Aneela sent the PDF file, I immediately started on it and was obsessed with the stitching and stuck with it until I completed it!  It was so much fun.

This is Hiliary the Hula Girl

I'm not sure how I am going to use this little cutie, but I will find something to sew and include her.  And I will be ordering another pattern from Aneela at Comfortstitching because this is so much fun.  Go check all the cute stuff she makes!!!

Joseph's Coat Progress Update

I am supposed to have 14 blocks finished by the end of the month to keep up with the quilt along, but I have had a FEW distractions.

Here is were I am so far:

Edit:  The background is Kona Chocolate and the petals are Santorini by Lila Tueller. My crappy camera makes the background look black.
Back to stitching.

Valentine Sewing Party!!

Final Edit: 8:30 PM Sunday January 24th

I finished all three table runners.

Criss Cross Applesauce pattern from Let's Do Lunch by Atkinson Designs using one L'amour jelly roll by Sandy Gervais for Moda. 

 

I was determined to get the color right.

 

This are my projects for the Valentine Sewing Party, but they are a secret, so here is just a hint of what I am working on:

So I have one jelly roll of the lovely L'amour by Sandy Gervais for Moda, the Let's Do Lunch book by Atkinson Design that I just won and some secret gifts to send out.  All three will be the same and the jelly roll will be enough to complete them all.

Number One is finished.  Number two is ready to have the binding hand stitched and Number Three is cut out!

Updated at 3:15 PM CentraL

 

 

Two finished including labels.  These will go in the mail Monday.  Now one more to finish.

Edited 5:15 PM Central

 

Making strips for the last Valentine project for the party.  Don't these L'amour prints just make you smile?

Edited 7:50 PM Central

 

The last of the four-squares ready to put together!!  Yippee!!

I'm just as surprised as you are!!

My blogging friend Natalia from Piece N Quilt asked me to be her guest blogger today! Thanks Natalia!  I am very honored.

Stop over there and check out this post and see what I have to say!  Here is one photo I included and told about:

I'm back in my quilting grove!

Thanks everyone on the sweet comments and prayers after my Dad's passing.

...and just when I thought this week couldn't get any toughter...

The city water line that we had repaired this summer and finished replacing all of the landscaping before winter....decided to break AGAIN three feet away from the first break.

Here is what's going on out my kitchen window this morning.

Count to ten and start over........

My Daddy

Dad and me in 1972

My ninety year old Dad passed away this morning at 12:47. He was an amazing father (nine children), grandfather (twenty-one grandchildren), and great-grandfather (thirty great grandchildren plus my first grandchild on the way) and husband (married sixty-eight years).

He lived in the same town for all ninety years and was baptized, confirmed, married a faithful member of the same church for his entire life.

I am so blessed to have had both of my parents living on their own only seven miles away.

Dad has had untreated (his choice) lung cancer for a while and it just took over his body this week. He went from sitting at the table eating lunch and playing cards with us on Wednesday to complete restlessness, pain, breathing difficulty and agitation on Thursday. I was at his side when he took his last peaceful breath this morning.

I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband and children to help me through this.


I’m going to miss my Daddy.

Button Heaven

My DIL asked what I wanted for Christmas, and since they are already giving me my first Grandchild, I really don't need anything else, but she insisted, so I said buy me a couple of cute buttons. Well, she went way overboard on Etsy and look what I got:

They are all handmade!!  How fun will these be to use on special projects??  Thanks to you and my wonderful son!

Nice People

I received these lovely squares in the mail from Wanda of Exuberant Color on a drawing she had before Christmas.  Wanda does such wonderful things with fabric and I am going to see if I can do something respectable with these squares.  Thanks again Wanda!!

And also before Christmas my name was drawn by Julie of Jewel's Arm Candy and she sent me this Amy Butler pattern for the Kimberly Bag along with enough Nigella fabric of Amy's to make the bag as it is shown on the pattern!  Thank you Julie!  I am gathering my notions to get this made!  It is so cute.

 

And some of you again may think I'm lucky (but my husband just thinks I spend too much time reading blogs) but I have one more treasure to report!  After Kathy of True Creations did some fun things with Terry Atkinson, she had a drawing for some of Terry's patterns and my name was drawn for Terry's Let's Do Lunch book.  Well, Kathy surprised me with four fatquarters of Neutral Territory by Terry Atkinson and Liz Lois.  Thank you Kathy - they are beautiful and I don't know what to make first!

Get it Done Sewing Retreat

Carol of Carol's Crafty Creations and Amanda of Scapsational are have a Get It Done Sewing Retreat on Saturday March 13th!!  Check it out! Join in on the fun!

Strip This Quilt

So what have I been working on lately?  I finished this quilt last night.

Back before Christmas I won the One Pack Doll Quilt challenge by Vickie of Spun Sugar Quilts .  The sweet prize was my choice of TWO jelly rolls from the Fat Quarter Shop!  Well, one I chose was Nature's Notebook by April Cornell for Moda.  I used the Strip this Quilt pattern from Green Fairy Quilts.

The quilt and binding took all but one strip from the jelly roll. With seventeen degrees below zero weather, I was not ready to head out shopping for backing and I found this flannel in my stash from at least 25 years ago and it match exactly!  I was not sure of the quality, so I washed and dried it and it was even softer with very minimal shrinking - so I found my backing.

I am NOT so proud of the quilting.  I had a great plan in my head, but it didn't quite turn out as planned.

But the quilt is so soft and cozy and will be a great surprise for my sister who is visiting from Texas (only because of a family get together - why else come to MN from TX in January?).

Wait and see what other jelly roll I chose!  Thanks again Vickie!!

Updates

It took until today, but I finished this ornament.  Susan from Hanging on By a Needle and a Thread told about these and I had to try them.  Very fun!

My fabulous win from Pat's at A Little of This and a Little of Pat  for her Anniversary give away was a choice of gift cards or magazine subscription!  How nice is that?  Well, I chose a JoAnn's gift card and went shopping on line for some new rulers.  I got the three pack shown in the photo BUT also found the rolling sewing machine case on sale for $29.99 and NO SHIPPING charge. So my give away win from Pat was also used for part of the sewing machine case!  I love the case and will use it for retreats and am using all of the rulers already.  Thank you so much Pat!

I also won a CD of Christmas Piano Songs from Kerry of Kerry's Kronicles.  I received it before Christmas and am still enjoying it.  Thanks Kerry!

Kerry Murphy

Favorite Fabrics 2009

Kim at True Up wants to hear about what we liked in 2009! And she is having a giveaway for telling her!!

My are my ten favorites for 2009:

- Favorite Quilting Weight Cotton Collection – Authentic by Sweetwater

- Favorite Home Decor Weight Fabric or Collection – Drawing Room by Anna Maria Horner

- Favorite Overall Designer – Denyse Schmidt

- Favorite New Designer  - Dena Designs

- Favorite Geometric Print -  Mezzanine by Patty Young

- Favorite Print from Japan - Princess and Frog Gauze

- Favorite Organic Print or Collection - Cloud9 – My Happy Garden

- Favorite Holiday Fabric or Collection – Moda Figgy Pudding

- Favorite Solid/Nonprinted – Kaffe Shot Cotton - Pine

- Favorite New Fabric You Worked With in 2009 - Minkee