One xmas gift done

I made a small bit of progress! I got a xmas gift done (and one for me)! I found if I make something I like for a gift, it is better to make 2 right away. Otherwise I never go back and make one for me. Aren't they cute!

Work has kept me quiet lately. My boss has been joking I"ve been putting in 22 hour days - but he knows that isn't too far off! So whenever a new dept comes asking for my time he says as long as it fits in the 2 unused hours of my day! So that gives you a bit of an idea on why I"ve been so "quiet" lately!

Falling Behind

Yes, I'm falling behind on everything, including work because of the flood. So my head is just spinning and I"m not being too productive at quilting right now. But I did finish Augusts Quilter's Blessing block! Augusts block was "Sipping Hot Tea". Well I do like tea, but I LOVE Diet Coke! So here is my Aug block! Not too bad considering I can't draw for anything!

Back to work

Back to work today. Electricity was still via generators and the bottom floor will be off limits for weeks. It was totally filled with water. Here is a picture of the flood waters going into our parking garage! The windows on the bottom of the building are the second floor to the back towards the parking garage, but ground level in the front of the building. And who knows what else is lurking in those waters......

I"m "down" for a bit....

Just wanted to let you know that I"m "down" from email for a bit! I hadn't been able to get into my email all weekend. I finally called a co-worker to see what was up. Seems our building flooded out in the rain this weekend and they shut down all the servers and electric to our building! So if you are expecting a reply from me - hang in there! I"m hoping we are back up soon!

For a bit of eye candy today I'm giving you a peek of my Hugs and Kisses from the Cat quilt. This quilt will be going to a good friend of mine for Christmas. I have the top done now, but haven't had a chance to get a better pic. Soon I promis!

Another project I worked on at camp

At camp I also worked on the Christmas panel I got out in Delaware! Sorry for the bad pic - but I didn't want to bother anyone to hold it, and I already sent it home with the long-armer down there! But I think it turned out pretty cute for a panel quilt! I also used the scraps to make 3 small quilts! Guess I don't have a pic of those - I'll have to take one later! Maybe I'll get them quilted up first!

Now I"m busy figuring out a small quilt for our Christmas small quilt exchange! Laura, Sossy, Heather and I drew names again this year to exchange a small quilt. Last year it was whatever style the person who we drew liked. I had gotten Laura and made the above one. This year it is a small quilt either Christmas or Winter! Oh so many choices! I can't decide!

Fun, Fun, Fun!

Oh my gosh - I had so much fun this weekend at camp! Seeing Laura, Linda, Sossy and Jan is always a blast! We laughed so much, slept little, ate lots and sometimes even sewed! I"m still trying to get "back in the swing of things" so I thought I would share what I got done on my mystery quilt. Laura did the mystery again this year and they always are so cool! Above is mine - minus the last outside border of HSTs. Isn't it awesome!

And this was Laura and mine little corner of the world for the weekend - can you tell the theme was Hooray for the Red, White and Blue!

And check out some of the other mystery quilts! It is so much fun to see the same quilt all done up in different fabrics! Aren't they GORGEOUS! I didn't show Jan's - she can show hers on her blog! It is really cool!

Can you tell I love sleeping!

I've been busy making pillowcases for the quilts I"m going to work on at camp! Well some others also! The tennis ones are for my daughter and her little sister on the tennis team. The batik and blue ones are fabric my nephew picked out and insisted he needed pillowcases out of them because the ones I made him a year or so ago are worn out. He picked the fabrics and told me what needed to go with what!

The brown snowman fabric ones are for my other daughter who saw this at another quilt shop and wanted pillowcases out of them! But the fabric goes with the panel quilt I"m making at camp. And the green Smore pillowcases are for me and go with another quilt I"m making at camp!

Last is the Notes from the Cat pillowcases I"m making my friend. She has 3 cute cats and her quilt I"m also working on at camp! But look below at the notes - they are hysterical!

Camp Kit #3

And here is the main project I want to work on at camp. It will be a xmas gift for a good friend of mine. All cut and kitted up for fun at camp!

Getting Ready for Camp - 2

Got fabric cut today for one more quilt to work on at camp! I won't give away how it will look, but the center will be this panel. I rarely do things with panels, but this just looked like a quick fun project.

And I made 2 really fun Smore Pink Pillowcases!

A little bluework

I got 3 more bluework blocks done while I was gone! I"m only 1 behind now! Aren't they cute!

And on this trip I finally got to the ocean! I went with my oldest daughter Holly and my 2 nephews and niece. We had a great day! I even saw a whole school (or is it pod?) of dolphins swimming by not far from the shore! Holly tried to snap a pic but they all turned out looking like sharks! There were about 5 of them! A first for me! The water was freezing, but I went all the way in with my youngest nephew. The others wimped out!

Eye Candy before I"m gone

Just thought I would leave you with this eye candy before I"m gone for 2 weeks. I"m off to watch my sisters kids and mom while my sister gets to go to Ireland for a week! How cool is that!

So here is the center of my Orange Crush! In a few weeks I hope to have time to get the borders on.

The blue and teal quilt is done!

And for today eye candy - the blue and teal quilt I made for Holly to give a very special friend for her new apartment. I just LOVE how it turned out! Oh and that is another friend helping me hold it for the pic - I"m hiding behind it!

Don't you just love the backing fabric and quilting!

Top is finished!

Here is my brother's finished top! It is off to the quilters now!

Smores Information

Several of you have asked what line of fabric it is below. It is Smores by Me & My Sister Designs for Moda. Isn't it wonderful!

And several of you have sent me questions but I can't answer because you have no reply for your ID, and when I go to your profile you have no blog listed and no email. So please forgive me if I don't respond. I don't want to bore people with how to set it, so if you need help let me know. And if your afraid to put your normal email linked up to it, open a gmail account and use that. I love gmail!

Getting Ready for Camp

I haven't done much to get ready for camp in a few weeks, but I did kit up one project. Is this just not the cutest fabric you have every seen! And the sewing is quick and simple - the perfect fun camp project!

Hint #3

Well I think if you read my blog regularly, hint #3 kind of gives it away! But here it is! My mom bought this fabric for me to make for my brother for xmas. When he was visiting her house this spring he fell in love with hers that I made and mom said he walked around all week with it on! So she wanted to give him one for xmas.

Here is my mom's all finished, and hanging on my wall before I surprised her with it!

The pattern is from Laps from Fats for family and friends - Book 3.

Hint #2

Hint #1

I got to do some sewing this weekend. Here is hint #1 of what it is....

Tomorrow night we are off for the Cubs vs Brewers game. Should be lots of fun!

An update with my life

Well not much to tell that is exciting, but I"m SOOOO BUSY with work I"ve had no play time. All work and no play is making this girl very, very cranky. I threw a hissy fit in front of the kids friends last night. I"ve just had it with everything! Will this ever stop? I just don't know.

But on the quilting news front - even though I"ve not had time to "play" I did take a few minutes and enter the county fair with things I had done. It was another very good year for me. I think I"d be embarrassed to tell you how many ribbons I won, but I will say a lot!

Very top is my Smore Sunbonnet Sue doll I made a few years ago. I never remembered to enter it in the fair - I always think quilts. So last year I made a note on my list for this year. And look it! I got a first place for the Doll Category and Grand Champion for the whole Domestic Arts - General Category! My first every Champion. I was excited even if it wasn't a quilt.



And I got quite a few 1st places and down. Thought I would share some of them here.

Another Favorite Tip

Here is another favorite tip of mine. This one for making applique circles. I took a class once with Karen Kay Buckley - it was one of the best classes I"ve ever taken. Well she makes her applique circles with heat resistant mylar circles. I love this way! She started buy using metal washers from the hardware store. Then the washers went mylar. And now she produces mylar circles just for this! I got mine from Connecting Threads, they come in many sizes within a package, and there is a smaller circle package and a larger size circle package.

Start by tracing around the circle on the fabric, then cut about 3/8" or so around the circle. Make a running stitch around the circle near the outside edge leaving 2 thread tails hanging.

Next you need Magic Sizing, a paper cup and small cheap paint brush. Put the mylar circle in the center of the piece, pull the strings to gather around the mylar circle. Hold and paint on some magic sizing onto the back with the paint brush (spray the magic sizing in the paper cup, it turns to liquid). Let me tell you - I needed 4 hands to do this and take pictures!

Use a hot dry iron and hold the iron on the circles until the magic sizing dries.

Then gently open up the circle where the string tails are and slip the mylar washer out. I have a pile of circles here that have the washers pulled out.

Then gently pull the strings again to get back the shape and knot the thread, then trim off tails.
In no time at all you have a ton of fun circles to applique down. I then use Roxanne's Glue Baste it to attach them to where I want them on my applique piece and sew them down without having to turn under edges or remove freezer paper!