Fun fabrics... take 2

Stopped at my LQS, Quilting Possibilities, last week and picked up a couple fabrics. I had fun with the scraps again and came home with this haul of black and whites.  I have to say that my "Cheers"greeting whenever I walk in the door there always makes me smile.

 

I got some other fabrics in my scrap bag, too, but the black and whites were the majority. I also hit up another fabric store that is near me. Stitch and Sew is one store that has a ton of fabric. (and they are generous cutters there too... Yay!)

I picked up some great prints, most out of the the sale box. Those are usually just $5 a yard. Love those boxes.

 

 

I also went through the "get rid of this fabric" table and found a couple great pieces. They sell off the samples of decorator fabrics that they no longer carry so I picked up a pack that had 5 27" squares of the fun square decorator and another that is the stripe which is 1.25 yards by the width of the fabric.

 

Well, I better get back to sewing. I have been sewing, but the lack of a laptop has put a damper on editing photos so I am struggling with sending photos from my phone to my email to upload.  I am not a fan of posting from the iPad, either. Oh well, I will figure it out eventually.

 

Edited.... now I hope the photos are there...  ugh!

 

 



Strip baby quilt

I think I have figured out a little more about the iPad that my father is so graciously allowing me to borrow until I decide on a new computer. So here goes...

About a week or so ago I was just playing with strips of fabric that I have, mindlessly sewing to relax me because lately my stress level has be at the overflowing like the waterfall in my background picture. As I pieced the strips came together so nicely I decided it would make a cute little baby quilt/play mat.

I love all the colors together, so happy and playful. 

I quilted it by stitching about a quarter of an inch away from the seam on only one side. I then used my scraps and whipped up my scrappy binding. 

This fun little baby quilt is backed with a pillowcase. (I always keep at least one sheet prewashed in my stash and if it is from a set, then the pillowcases end up in  my stash, too.  I love how much fabric you can get out of a pillowcase when you unpick the seams!)

This quilt measures 29.5"x30". I used my favorite warm and natural cotton batting to give it a nice weight, not too heavy and not too light. It is machine quilted and machine bound with a fun scrappy binding.

I think that I will be putting this one up in my etsy shop since I just made it to relax.  I just have to figure out how to upload the pictures from the iPad.  

Horse Show Ribbons

A while ago I was sent two boxes of horse show ribbons from my dad's cousin.  She sent me probably over 500 ribbons!  She asked me to create a ribbon wall hanging quilt.  So they sat and sat until I got up enough courage to start on it.  Seriously, I was afraid to start it.

I sorted out my ribbons and well... the kinda took over the entire living room and dining room.

After I sorted them and stared at them for a while.  I needed to have the ribbons tell me what to do (hmmm... now I sound crazy).  I came up with my blocks.  

 They are all made of ribbon, but sewn onto a white cotton muslin for stability.  .   As you can see, the main ones all have writing signifying different places and states that they travel to with their horses.  The center will be areas for her to hang either the rosettes from the ribbons I have taken apart or hang future ribbons that she wins.

Now that I have the blocks done I feel I am well on my way to getting this thing completed.

Now, to keep going with it and not let my sewing ADD take over and move to something else.  

At least this is for my 100 Day Hustle list  :)

Poor pink laptop :(

Ahhh... the magical smoke came out of my computer!  My little Acer pink mini laptop is done.  :(

Today there was a little pop and then a poof of smoke came out of my computer where the dc port is and my laptop shut off.  The little prong in the port broke loose. :(  My poor little pink laptop is done.  I let is sit for a bit and then tried to see if it would work just on battery. I had 20 minutes to get off what I could before the battery died.  (Note to self, back up more times than once every 8 months or so).

So I got off my photos and application stuff and score reports and some other important things.

I called around to see about getting it fixed and I was quoted that it could range from $100 to $600.  No way!  That is crazy when I can get a new mini laptop for $200 to $300.  I am sad, I loved my little pink laptop.  I got it in 2007 after my hp fried and I couldn't go without a computer at school.  The price was right and it was pink...I loved it!  So now the search begins.  And the all important question... should I go pink again?

A little hustle in your step... well more like sewing

Over at Kelsey Sews, Kelsey is awesomely hosting a 100 day Hustle link up.  You see, she kindly pointed out that as of September 22, there are 100 days left of the year.  Yikes!  I can't believe that is all that is left of the year.  Where did it go?!?

So I have decided to link up.  I love lists and I like even more being able to cross things off a list.  And I have a huge growing number of projects that I really need to get done.

Here we go...

1. Complete horse show ribbon quilt.  This is my total number one thing to do! - Done!
   
2. Haunted house mini quilt for LQS (This has to be done before October 9) - Done!

3. T-shirt quilt.  Just got the shirts, but I need to get this done

4. Matt's space quilt - currently a box full of space fabrics and an awesome sheet with space theme I found for the back.  This will be twin size and his Christmas gift.  The only thing with the back is I have to decide if I will use the fun sheet or if I will go with fleece.  He has pointed out to me many times that his favorite part of his baby I made him quilt is the fleece on the back.

5. Mom's blue quilt.  This will be made of 2.5" squares and the blues will fade like waves.  Planning for this to be 80"x80" and her Christmas gift.  I have all the fabrics (they fill an entire reusable bag from my LQS!).

6. Finish Mom's hand stitched pillows.  I started these quite some time ago and they got pushed aside (... actually to the bottom of the blue quilt bag of fabrics.)

7. Work on my kayak quilt design.

8. Patchwork chevron with Lucy's Crab Shack - Not even started.

9. Christmas charm quilt - I have a ton of charms cut for it.

10. Quilt for Aunt Carol for Christmas.

11. Christmas things for my two sisters.  (I have no idea what to make them yet!)

I am also adding to the list... learn to use my good friend Linda's quilting machine.  She has had it for quite some time and she has never used it!  So I will move into her sewing room (aka basement) and in the most selfless, benevolent, charitable way I will learn to use her machine... you know... so I can show her how to use it... not so that I can quilt the pile of tops that I will be accumulating as I complete this list, nope not at all.

I think I have a few more things on my to-do list that I can't remember at the moment, but I am sure I will remember them eventually.

So I am linking up to Kelsey's 100 Day Hustle.  Wish me luck on crossing off things on my list!

Happy Birthday Mom...

This past Friday, September 14, was my Mom's birthday. I won't say her age because I am sure she would not appreciate it.. but for fun say that my age = x; x + 32 = mom's age. For her birthday I decided to dye her a little bundle of fabric so she had something new and fun to play with on her new machine that my Dad got for her. (She picked out the Singer 160th anniversary edition).  I have some blues, purples, and pinks in the bundle.

I also decided to make her a yo yo pillow... well it will be one eventually since it is not put together yet.  She has mentioned a few times that she remembers as a child sleeping under a yo yo blanket her Mom made her.  So I decided to make her a little pillow.  I made a bunch of yo yos and put them together.  I will take more pictures once I put it on the backing and make it bigger because she has requested it be longer.  

Mom was surprised with both her gifts.  She also got to see both my sisters, my nephews, and my brother in law this weekend so it was a fun birthday weekend for her.

Friday the 14 was also a strange anniversary for me.  It marked exactly one year from my date of injury to my knee.  That day changed so much for me... it has been over a year since I have run or been in my kayak.  I have made slow progress with my two surgeries and many physical therapy visits and I believe I might just be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  It took all summer, but I can now kick my leg in the pool and now cry in pain!  Wohoo!  I am hoping that I will be able to kayak by the time of the November Tohickon release.  We will see when it gets closer, but hey a girl can dream.  

Kindle Cases

Just popping in to show my fun new Kindle Cases I made up this weekend.  I saw that on Hopeful Threads there is a Remember September project where they will be sending out e-reader cases and pillow cases to out the deployed battery of Melissa's husband who is a great blogger at Sew Bittersweet Designs.

I made these two fun cases.  I hope that they like them.  I pulled out my mustaches (that you know I love!) and appliqued them on with heat and bond and then some fine machine stitching.  I free motion stitched loops on one and wave like curly cues on the other.  They are closed with elastic and a button.  Can't wait to send them off.