Bleh!

 I hate being sick, and after the last two weeks, I should be healthy for at least 6 months!  A constant fever with body aches like I haven't had since I was in basic training!  I am blessed to have wonderful friends, though!  I had hunkered down on the sofa for a few days and made the kids and DH answer the phone.  One call was a friend who asked if it was alright to drop some stuff off.  The kids said sure.  In came a HUGE box of fabric and a HUGE box of yarn.

This most of the acrylic.  It is piled so deep!  And I have to be honest, I buried the colors I loved so the kids wouldn't claim them!

This is the box of cottons. I think there should be plenty of dish clothes for the bazaar in November.  In fact, since I was laying on the sofa watching LotR for the millionth time, when I was n't dozing off....

...I made some up!! Seven dish clothes ready for bazaar.  In 11 months, I will really glad I had these done early!   I love the candy colors, but I think I'll keep some of the dark blue.  And if there are any colors D1 & D2 for their hope chests, those will move to the keep pile.




And for my big finish.....

...a quilt!  This one drove me nuts.  Not the quilt itself, just the timing.  I think I should never attempt a project of this scale (umm, really anything bigger then a dishcloth) in the holiday season.  And stitching the binding while I was sick didn't work either.  I would fall asleep and drop the needle.  But at least I was UNDER the quilt while I stitched the binding!! :)

Also, in my internet surfing, I found this: 

http://sugarlanequilts.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/birthday-love-stash-sign-ups-and-pledge.html

While I was in the midst of thinking about how to get birthday present done.  So I have signed up for that as well.  And while I have a half-finished list of birthday projects already, she posts some gorgeous ideas and inspiration!  I think I am half way through my first project.  I just need to finish the top (the scary part) and do the details. My first BLS project will be, I hope , if I don't mess it up to badly, and small stuffed TARDIS.  I think I spelled it right that time.  By special request from the youngest Dr. WHO fan in the house. 

And the holidays begin!

Well last week was pretty good.  I finished the second cat quilt, and it looks amazing!

E should be getting it today!  I think it may be her favorite new blankie!  Next up for quilts is an other scrap quilt, that also follows the ROYGBIV. 

I also finished and mounted the cross stitch kit I had for the frame I found in the garage.

 

The kit came with one of the issues of Mollie Makes, and while I really liked it, I had nothing to do with it when it was done, so it just sat in the package.  When I found the frame, the light bulb went on!  I did repaint the frame from green, to a chocolate brown.  I left some green visible, and under the green was a creamy white.  Now I just need to find my chicken wire.  I know we have some left somewhere!!

I also finished these cute keyrings.

I thought about stuffing them with catnip, but decided that the cat can my error projects instead.  These will hang on the wire in the frame when it's done.  They are so darn cute, but a little big for putting on keys.  Again, these came with our Mollie magazine.  And sat around because i had nothing I could do with them when they were done.  So getting this frame done will help get a lot of little things taken care of!

With Thanksgiving this week, I have no idea what will actually get done.  We don't do Thanksgiving day at home, we go to dinner at our church, followed by dessert at the in-laws.  The kids have so much fun at the church dinner, I have to wonder if I have ruined adulthood for them.  Gathering with friends and family, tons (literally, I think) of food, room to play, and nothing they can break. It's an amazing event.  I haven't been able to pick a best part yet.  Every year the whole event is my favorite.  Even when we clean up and pack away the left overs, it's great.  The first year there was so much food, they were packing meals to send home with everyone.  Someone then called one of the homeless shelters the next week to see if they could use the food. So from the second year on, there is usually a caravan to take all the leftovers down.  I get weepy just thinking about all the wonderful, beautiful things I've seen happen at the church dinner. 

At least the quilt is bright and cheerful! ;)

I am going nuts.  And I may go postal if I hear "since, you're, well, more available" one more time.  It's code for "you don't do anything else all day so you can do this project because I have a job."  I was telling a friend about that comment and she was shocked that people actually say this.  (She works, so it's not something she hears)  I told DH that someday, when I have time, I'm going to get network t.v., buy some bonbons and sit around watching soap operas all day.  Just to see if it can be done.  But maybe that's my inner witch talking.  In my free time (not really, but we'll go with it!) I finished another quilt!  I loved how this quilt came out! 

I also finished this little basket for myself.  A few weeks ago I had made one for E, and never bothered to finish mine. So one stressed out, sleepless night I finished it!  I think it turned out cute, although I had to eliminate a ton of batting.

I also finished some more dishcloths.  I think I am almost out of  cotton yarn, but who knows.  I'll keep making them until I run out, and then see if there is time for more before bazaar.

This week is carnival, so I may not get much done by next week.  We'll see. I may be able to sneak in sometime in the mornings before the kids are up!

a long project finished!

I have one very exciting finish from last week, as well as another not quite as exciting.  The smaller project was a mixer cover for my MIL.  She had redone her kitchen, and had room for mixer to be out.  And available.  But that leads to dust.   After she saw my sewing machine cover, she commented that she love something like that for her mixer.  So, she's getting one!

And my big finish for the week!  This has been 3 (or more) years in the making.  A charm quilt for my best friend.  And no, I didn't use charm packs.  These are real scraps from real projects. 

 The grand total for fabric, incuding backing and binding, is 206!  E  loves it!   I loved how the edges looked after binding the sides.

So now I need to finish mine.  Which has smaller patches, so will take a bit more everything.  Maybe  I will work on that this week.

Summer break has started!

And I am all sorts of confuzled!  But I did get a few things done last week.  First off, a few more dish clothes.  I really like the red and white, but it makes me think of Christmas!  I love these fill little bits of spare time, and I may get a ball of yarn to keep in my purse or in the car.

THIS!!!!!!

This is the big super secret project I have been working on!   A couple weeks ago I had posted some fabric chosen for a special surprise.  You can find it here.  Well, the big day came and went.  Our beloved teacher has retired! As her big retirement surprise, we made a quilt for her.  The kids in D2's class did a skit about an infamous quilt not finished by a specific lady's 16th birthday.  Nor her 18th, and not her wedding.

I'm not sure I ever heard so much laughter at an awards assembly!

The skit ended with the students presenting this beloved teacher with her quilt.

She is now retired, and the infamous quilt top is still not finished! 

However she now as a quilt that is hers!  And if she can get her unfinished quilt top from her mother, we have volunteered to finish it so she can least enjoy the memories associated with it.

I am not sure I have ever completed a project that brought so much out of so many people.  Between the giggling kids and the laughter (and some tears) from the grown ups, I realized THIS is why I love sewing.  

And to Mrs. H- for all the years you've put into our children, THANK YOU!