Brown Baggin' It cont'd.....

Here's what I've got completed so far.


My lovely half square triangles.  Hoping the black will read like more of solid, after it all comes together.  I pulled the black with fall leaves from my stash, it was Sweet Memory's.

And, now.... It's time to slice the ham!

Hehehe. ;))  Hope that's not too offensive to all you piggy lovers and collectors.  ;)

Brown Baggin' It

It feels great to be back to "normal," whatever that is. ;) For the last two weeks our lives have been consumed with...

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
So, none of you knew I got a sweet package in the mail last week! ;)  It was from Amanda, in New York.   My kids are amazed that someone I do not know would send me something in the mail. 
With this lovely card, that she made, and she sells on etsy, her shop is here.
 

 
Now, if you haven't signed up for the Brown Bag Quilt Swap, yet, there's still time! :)  Just click on the button, it'll take you where you need to go.
Wanna see what was in the box? Well, here it is.



And, of course, there's always a ringer...pigs, pink pigs. Lol!

Just a little to bright for me, so I gave them a bath.  After all, who has ever seen clean pigs? So first I got them wet.  Then, I put them into a bath of.....coffee. Yep, that's right, coffee.

Just enough to take a little of the brightness out. Yeah, I added one tea bag just for good measure. :)
Then out they came, just a little more subtle.  Whatta ya think?

I'm already working on my quilt, working late into the night, last night.  All the while playing Words...with Friends.  ;)  
More to come...stay tuned.

Follow the Bouncing Ball

Fall is here, and, so with the arrival of the brisk morning air....comes Patriot Basketball!  Wooohooo!  I'm pretty sure we're ready.  Well, I KNOW four of us are, the other two...yeah, we're all ready.  Patriot Basketball is our local home school team, and they kicked off the boys season Monday night with the start of their yearly camp.  Four nights of four hour practices, which payoff, because last year(can I brag just a little ;)?) two of our teams won their divisions at Nationals, in Springfield, Missouri.  Here's a picture of the 14u team just after their game:

So, we're excited to see what this year holds.  With the beginning of the season comes new shoes...

And for me the Cathedral Windows quilt comes out of hiding. :)  This is our third year to be involved in the Patriots' basketball program, and the first year I felt like I had a lot of down time, just sitting at practices.  So, in the spring of 2009, our local quilt shop offered a Cathedral Windows class, I knew it was the class for me!  Up to that point I had always said, "If it can't be done on machine, I don't have the time to do it," but after seeing the units, and realizing it was a highly portable project...let's just say, "I was up for it."

So now, when we have this going on out on the court...

This is what is happening in my lap...

And when little eyes see this on the table

They can't help but want to join in! :)

Little Guy called this his "Extreme Quilting."  Yes, there is some testosterone flowing there. ;)  Lol!  May just have to keep that one. 

The team motto for this season is "Laying it Down"  John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."  May we all practice what we preach, and follow the bouncing ball.

p.s.  Yes, the girls play, too. :)  They start next week...more to follow ;)

Stash Report

Can you count fabric pulled?  ;)  Nah, guess you can't, but here's what I've got to be cut next

Hopefully, it'll be ready for a picture next week!

Now, on the the Stash Report.....

Fabric in:  0

Fabric in YTD: 12.75yds

Fabric out:  2.5yds

Fabric out YTD: 20.25yds

So, I can still say...Total Fabric out YTD:  7.5yds

At least I'm moving in the right direction(for now).  :)

What have I been working on all week?  Mostly monogramming, that goes out the door before I even think about taking a picture, but I've also been working on some sweet little dresses, that will be finished tomorrow.  So, be sure and check back in the next couple of days to see, but for now here's a peek... ;)

 

Have a wonderful week, thanks for stopping by.  Y'all come back, now, ya hear...;)

Thanks For Sharing

One of the reasons I enjoy blogs is all the great ideas that people share.  Especially in areas where I need help!  A couple of weeks ago Rea Ann, over at Stash Manicure, posted a really great tip on organizing.  Click here to see ;)
So, wanting to implement this idea as soon as possible, I set to work looking for containers as they came through the door(if sweet Archer brought home the groceries) or off the shelf(if I went to the store myself).  I was so proud of my first find!

Only problem I ran into was that my hubby and Tall Guy didn't read Rae Ann's post, and I had to rescue this baby from the trash, not once, but TWICE!  As soon as I saw it I knew exactly what was going to be put in here.  Very rarely do I buy fabric for an entire quilt all at once, but in May of last year, I did.  How do I know the date?  Well, it was on the receipt, of course, that was still in the bag with the fabric!  I have been wanting to make an Ocean Waves quilt, and when I found this line from Moda last year, I knew I had to have it. :)

It fit perfectly into my green container.  Yes, I washed(scrubbed) it twice.

 I included the receipt to remind myself that, even though the container might have been free, the fabric was not.

And I even got a nifty little handle! ;)

I've since been to the store, and will never buy spinach in a bag again! 

I'm the new kid on the block, all of you know much more than me, BUT, on the off chance you've never visited Stash Manicure, click on the button up at the top left column of this blog.  You'll be glad you did, I know I am!!

Sometimes You Just Need a Laugh!

My friend, Jennifer posted this to her Facebook Page, several weeks ago. Since then I've watched it and laughed every time. If you've already seen this, feel free to skip it. If not, my advice would be to make a trip to the restroom before you watch it. ;)  Enjoy!

What's Up, SewGirl?

Ok, wake up, Jan.  It's been over a week!  A lot has been going on, and I'll catch you up a little at the time.
First, school has been in full swing for over a week now, with one vacation day ;).  Little Guy has finally given in to the fact that he MUST "do" school now.  When we went to by supplies he told Jewel, "Don't buy me any school supplies!"  The other three basically picked up where we left off in May.

I've completed three more blocks in my stash buster quilt(you'll see them in a minute).  When I find time to work on it, it goes surprisingly well, and comes together quicker than I thought!  Even got to use a block in a lesson to demonstrate one square inch.  Who says quilting is just for me?  I quilt so I can have examples to enrich my children's education...yeah, I know, that's reaching a bit far, but you can't blame a girl for trying. ;)

So today, while the rain poured and the children read I decided to tackle a project I had been putting off.  You see, I've always wanted a design wall, but never really had a place for one.  So yesterday I had an idea, okay, everyday I have many ideas, this one just happens to be doable. :))  I asked sweet Archer if he had a spare board out in the shop and could I borrow his staple gun.  Soon after I was presented with a six foot board, cleaned and sanded.  I already had bought a bolt, yes, a bolt, of flannel some time back, that I was going to put on the back of a quilt, obviously never made it.  So here's what I had:

There is no real wall space in my sewing room.  It's an upstairs bonus room that I am so grateful for, but as so often happens half of the room is under a sloped ceiling.  What I do have is this portable closet that I use to keep extra t-shirts, sweatshirts and the petite skirt from my wedding dress.

My sewing table sits just in front of it so it's hard to get a good picture.  Can you tell where I'm going with this? ;)  I measured the height and it's about 80 inches high and just under 60 inches wide.  Since, my flannel was just over 40inches wide, I decided it would be easier to cut the length of fabric for the width that I needed, and sew the selvages together.  Don't ask me why, in the moment it just seemed like the best way.

Just fixing to attach the flannel to the board when two of my most willing helpers decided I must be making a play mat, instead of a design wall.  Lol 

After lots and lots of staples :)I rolled it up...

And headed upstairs...where I unrolled it about half way and sat the board across the top of the closet.  I know, it looks huge, and true, I could have ironed it, but I'm thinking those wrinkles will fall out...eventually.

So now I have my own, and may I add, portable, design wall!

I can audition blocks without laying them out on the bed, or on the floor downstairs, and running(okay, walking) upstairs to look down.  Here are the five completed blocks for my stash buster quilt.

We all know that almost everything looks better set on point...

The bonus is that I did not spend a dime(at least not today)!

I know the pictures aren't great, I"m a QUILTER, not a photographer. LOL

Many thanks and blessings to SewCute!!  My friend and Words Buddy!