Applique Thursday Giveaway

Life is still so busy - babysitting twice a day into the evening, anniversary (44th) coming up, board meetings, and book sorting............I'd rather be quilting!!!  So here's what I got done in the 10 minutes I had - two more leaves on Anna's Garden block 5:
I'm forgetting how to do teeny tiny rounded points!

Okay, so you can be doing applique or other sewing projects here's this week's giveaway. It's Four Blocks Say More.. by Toni Phillips & Juanita Simonich. This is their second collection of quilts to piece in a weekend. You know how I like big pieces and few of them in a block and I thought this book would be just what I wanted, but I've never gotten to it even with the couple that have applique in them. These finish at between 84-96 inches square - that's big for me. So I'm passing this on to someone who'd like it.


To win this copy, all you need to do is comment or link to have a chance for it to be yours. Or do both and have two chances. Submissions end Wednesday night. Use the blue link below. And remember, it doesn't have to be applique (that you share that is) - I love all sorts of eye candy.

Easy Street 11/26/12

Half done with first step.  Here's one batch.  Incandescent bulb made some look yellow, but they are really b & w.

I'm linking to Bonnie's Easy Street at her blog.  It will be fun to see what people are using.

Design Wall Monday 11/26/12

Down on my design floor is the 5th VA lap quilt.  Cut some squares and made 5 blocks for this 20 piece, 9 1/2" block quilt that finishes at 36 x 45 - the size they want for wheelchairs and to cover the feet in bed.  We'll be at our 60 quilts very soon and then we can deliver them.
It would be nice to get them there for Christmas.

I'm linking to Judy's Patchwork Times and Lyn's BOMs Away.  Go on over to see what others are doing.

Stash Report 11/25/12

Things are winding down to normal again, and while it was fun, I'm so glad I survived.  What with the train trip for our Senior group at church (took all day!), the arrival of out of state company the next day, two birthday celebrations, a presentation at my LG, babysitting kids off from school and then Thanksgiving Day - it was BUSY.  I hardly turned on the computer or hardly picked up a needle.  But I did have to finish two for the guild meeting - just had binding to do.  I was able to hand off the isolette quilt
and the 4th VA lap quilt

I love the quilting Carol did on this one.  It's just perfect for it.  I pulled three yards for cushioning my tree ornament for the Christmas steal game at the guild. That was a ufo I finished - and no, I forgot to take a photo.  I also bought 2.75 yards of fabric for Bonnie Hunter's new mystery.  Here are my numbers:
Used/Donated last week:      3.0  yards
Used/Donated YTD:        174.82 yards
Added/Bought last weeks:    2.75 yards
Added/Bought YTD:          38.79 yards
Net Decrease YTD:         136.03 yards

How are you doing on destashing or making sense of all that fabric?  Anything done is good, so share with us.  I'm linking over at Judy's Patchwork Times. Visit and be inspired.


Design Wall Monday 11/12/12

I'm quilting that isolette quilt in between cleaning.  But coming off the wall is this St. Anne's Sewdality quilt:
It's brighter than it seems in the picture.  This quilt is one of our prayer quilts that we give to low income mothers at their post-partum visit.  One member made the embroidered blocks (Thanks, Deanna!) and provided some of the fabric. I put the top together. Then a couple of members sandwiched, pin basted, and tied it.  Then Isabelle took it home to be bound - thank you all.  We're going to silent auction it at the Altar Society boutique so that we can buy batting.

I'm linking to Judy's Patchwork Times.  Go on over and see what others have on their design wall.

Stash Report 11/11/12

Looking at another busy week with company, birthdays and usual madness, so this may be my only post for the week.  I used 1 yard to back the isolette quilt and will use another .25 to bind it.  I'm going to use the same dark blue with suns on it as in the flimsie.  Here  it is pinned and ready for quilting.  Then I used another .25 yards to make blocks that I sent off to Vesuvius Mama for the quilts she is assembling quilts for Hurricane Sandy victims.  I also used another .75 to sash and bind the Halloween quilt. So my numbers are:
Used/Donated last week: 2.25 yards
Used/Donated YTD:   171.82 yards
Added/Bought last weeks: 0.0 yards
Added/Bought YTD: 36.04 yards
Net Decrease YTD: 135.78 yards

It would be nice to get to 150 yards for the year, but if I don't I'll be happy with my goal from January of 100 yards even though a big chunk was donated.

Here is a update on my cosmos - they're opening up nicely in the kitchen garden and I have a bright spot to look at on dreary days.  They're more orange than this, think my color was oof on the camera.


How's your destashing going?  Go on over to Judy's Patchwork Times to see how others are doing.


Winner of Applique Thursday Book

This is the crazy week for me which repeats every second week of the month.  No progress on my applique - had too many deadlines for the church group and the guild. I hate it when that happens. And with the time change my biological clock is so mixed up.  It wants me to go to bed at 9 PM.  So much to do - spent all morning with the Sewdality group - to which my mom came.  Then home for a quick lunch and on the the retina specialist for Mom.  What was suppose to be a 30 minute appointment turned into a 3 hours appointment.  There went the day. I hope you had some quilty moments today.

I had lots of eye candy last week.  Visited a lot of new blogs from the comments.  Thank you all!  This week's winner of the book giveaway is Bzystitches from Russel, KS.  Congratulations!  I'll be sending out your book as soon as I hear from you.

Okay, off to start getting ready for my next company - Have a great remainder of the week y'all!

And here's another reason life has  been blah:

Much brighter than it really was - the first of our dismal days of no sun, just gray.

But here comes the cosmos!  Look at all those buds. These are sulfur cosmos.

WIP Wednesday

or what I'm working on.  Actually, my part is done - I just make the charity flimsies and pass them on to other St. Anne's members to work on.  That way at least 3 or 4 of us work on each quilt and pray over them.  But I might get this one back to bind, so I'm calling it my WIP.  And if you'd like to know why I'm working with Halloween fabrics after the date, see my previous post.

Did you have some quilty time this week?  Would love to see it.  I'm linking to Esther's WOW.  Go see what they are doing over there.

Design Wall Monday 11/5/12

Here's what's on my design wall: 
Yep, it's a Halloween charity quilt.  And why am I making this now - LOL.  Well here is St. Anne's members reasoning:  Our quilts are given to low income first time mothers when they come in for their first post-partum visit.  One may have had her baby near Halloween and is gaga about Halloween as a lot of people are. So she may love to have this one for her baby.  I'll actually get to count some of this fabric toward my stash report next Sunday as the sashing and binding will come from my stash - all the rest is scraps from St. Anne's.

What's on your design wall?  Go on over to Judy's Patchwork Times and see what others have up on their walls. That's always fun. 

Oh and don't forget to visit my Nov 1st post for the book giveaway!  Ends Wednesday night.  Lot of people seem to want this book.  It could be yours.

Stash Report 11/4/12

Not many weeks left in this year, but I reached my goal!  In 2013, however,  I want to reach my goal with more actual use of fabric in quilts than in donations( gave a 5 yard piece to the Guild this week), and I'll have to buy some fabric to make what's remaining work. Also, if I'd finish some of those forever UFOs, I might use a lot more cuz they all need backs - "grin".
Here are my numbers:
Used/Donated last week:  5.00 yards
Used/Donated YTD:     169.57 yards
    Added/Bought last week: 0.0 yards
Added/Bought YTD:        36.04 yards
Net Decrease YTD:        133.53 yards.

How's your destashing going? Go on over to Judy's Patchwork Times and see how others are doing. I'd like to know how you are doing, too!

Oh and a reminder - it's not too late to link or comment to win the Applique Thursday giveaway of Emilie Richards' Love's Knot book.  Go to my Nov. 1st post. Good luck!




Applique Thursday & Giveaway

Got a tiny bit further along with my Anna's Garden block 5
I wanted to do at least a leaf a day, but didn't happen.  I did learn that I've got to cut inside the lines of these templates (might be the thickness of the fabric I"m using), or else they come out too fat as you can see by the two in upper left quadrant. The lower left leaf is much more the size they're suppost to be.  But I'm not changing them - LOL.

Unfortunately, my sister-in-law could not come to visit as planned what with Hurricane Sandy cancelling flights and my brother-in-law is in the hospital for a failed heart valve. Please keep them in your prayers.

I decided to go ahead and post another book giveaway.  This one is:

This Quilt along with Emilie Richards -Lover's Knot has seven projects - traditional quilts.  One is applique.  I like the borders these have - more true to the time they were popular, and the very detailed instructions she gives us.  The featured one doesn't have any borders.  I'm liking that look.  I'm thinking that is why I like Judy Laquidara's quilts - she has interesting borders.

To win this copy, all you need to do is comment or link to have a chance for it to be yours. Or do both and have two chances. Submissions end Wednesday night. Use the blue link below. And remember, it doesn't have to be applique (that you share that is) - I love all sorts of eye candy.

I'm linking to Melissa's TNT - go see what others are trying.

SAHRR Round 5 and 6

  Ready to show rounds 5 and 6. Actually, the prompt for 5 was make 4 of something. So I chose four patch, and actually since that made my q...