Swaps are starting to be completed

Those of you that read my blog on a fairly regular basis may have noticed that I tend to be an "all or nothing" swapper. . . . either I am in a bunch of swaps, or I am in none.


Well, I am currently involved in 5 swaps and 2 block bees.

Here are pictures of the pieces I am working on for the DQS7 swap and for the "Good Ol' Summertime" swap from Quilting Blogger:


I can only show one part of the "Summertime" quilt because if my partner reads my blog she might not be surprised when the quilt arrives at her door.

I'm in the process of quilting this . . . . and I thought it would be interesting to quilt 1/4" away from the rays of the sun as they lay. I've finished that part and it really does look different.


Once the quilt is completed & received by my partner I will post a full picture and some quilting details for you.


I love this block. My original intention was to be very modern with having the tessellations in different colors so that the block piecing would be harder to see. . . . and I still may make a quilt like that one of these days. But when I started working with these fabrics it just didn't seem to be the "right thing" to do.

I have this quilted, just need to make the hanging triangles, label & do the binding & it can be sent on it's way.


I hope both of my swap partners like what I have come up with.


In peace and pieces,

Pay It Forward 2009

I was over at Teresa's blog (http://sewingtrials.blogspot.com) and she is doing a Pay It Forward. I had done a post about it a year or so ago & never got any replies, but I'm going to go for it again & see if anyone really reads this.

I've copied the following directly from her blog, since I couldn't do the wording any better than what she has done.

Here's how it works:

The first five people to leave a comment on this post will get something from me.

But in return, you have to do the same thing on your blog and make something for five other people.

The details are as follows, and if you want to play, copy the following onto your blog and leave me a comment:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I send you. But you may be pleasantly surprised. It will definitely be sewing/craft related.

2. What I send will be made just for you, with love, by my own hands. See, I can go to your blog and read your posts and a really great idea will pop into my pretty little head.

3. I promise I will complete all 5 gifts this year - 2009.

4. I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be. It will be something made in the real world, that you can touch and feel, and not something cyber. If the gift is not to your liking, perhaps you'll send it forward to someone who will absolutely love it.

5. In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your blog post.

6. Send your mailing address - after I contact you to confirm.Everyone is welcome inside or outside the US. I guarantee that you will receive something from me providing you do the same for 5 other people in your blog post.

Want to join me? I'll be looking for your comments! I can't wait to get started!! I can't wait to send you what I hope you'll consider a nice surprise!!!!!!!


In peace and pieces,

My First Video!!

Our dog, Casey, loves, loves, loves cheese. . . . and that is good because she is on meds for separation anxiety. I just hide the pill in a piece of cheese & she swallows it without a problem.

Her cheese habit has also allowed us to teach her to shake paw, and she is learning roll-over pretty quickly.

I hope this video plays for you. . . . she is singing for her cheese.


In peace and pieces,

What was I thinking???

Ok, back to quilt and, hopefully, less controversial topics!

Trying to get a picture of Casey's face is pretty difficult. . . .she just won't hold still long enough. This is the best I was able to get after her most recent grooming appointment.



This doily is in progress. . . .I'm pretty sure I am on the last row, but because it is thread it is hard for me to work on it for any length of time. My hands just can't handle long term thread work sessions.



I'm in Margaret's Holiday Mini Quilt swap. . . .I thought this might be something cool. It is a design I did on EQ6.

It reminds me of pine garland tied with bows. . . . what do you think? This is also the first quilt design that I have made up that is rectangular.




I'm also in the Doll Quilt Swap #7. . . .and here is the design that I am leaning toward for that swap. Again, this was designed on EQ6. . . the colors are not the colors that I plan on using, but are just ones that I "plugged" in so I could get an idea of how it would look.




One of these days I'll figure out how to put the actual EQ6 picture on here. . . .it would make it easier to show than these camera pictures of the print out. . .but for now this works.

Ok, I'm off to see my sewing machine so I can get something else completed this weekend.


In peace and pieces,

Gee. . . . is this the change that you expected???

Warning. . . . . Political views below. . . . .this is my soapbox & if you don't want to hear it stop reading now!

Obama was supposed to be the GREAT hope for a nation facing unprecedented problems. . . . yeah, right!!

Look what his wife is doing. . . . . .and NO ONE in the USA has spoken out about this. . . . .

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/12652


As a life long Democrat I was prepared to vote for John McCain. . . . and am still leaning towards the policies of the Republicans as I see all the cock-a-maimy ideas that our "great hope" has come up with.

How many MORE years before we can get "the great farce" out of office?????


In peace and pieces,

I've had a productive weekend!!

This past weekend was pretty productive, if I do say so myself.

I accomplished the following:

A. Pieced the first block for my on-line quilt bee "A Piece of Work A". . . here are a couple of pictures:
The recipient requested a "wonky" log cabin. . . and while I am NOT an extreme perfectionist when it comes to precision piecing, "wonky" was never my strong suit. So that made the fact that I did this block so quickly (and am happy with the result) doubly amazing to me.

Now I just hope that the person I made it for likes it!


B. I got the quilt for my co-worker basted so that I can quilt it. I was able to finish the top in time for the Charming Girls Quilt Club deadline (to refresh your memories I had planned on getting this top completed & to get a Rail Fence lap throw quilted and bound. . . at least I got something finished). One of my friends and I got this monster basted on a couple of tables in the Sunday School room after church on Sunday. . . and I say "monster" because it is 84" x 104" and I don't have any spot in my house where I could baste it. . . .unless I wanted to take all the furniture out of the rooms!! LOL

I wasn't too sure about the colors, or the design, because, again, these were pushing outside of my usual style. . . .but I've really come to like it.

My goal for August is to get this quilted, bound & delivered.

C. I cut & pieced the next set of 20 blocks for the Colorblock Swap that Margaret is running. The camera is charging now so I don't have any pictures. . . .

So, I hope to keep this momentum going. . . .I've got a lot of "irons in the fire". . . .5 swaps that I have signed up for, the quilt retreat in October that I help teach at, plus I'm hoping that a new quilt class I am proposing for the Community Education Department where I've taught will be running (just need to get enough people to sign up). . . .got lots to do to keep me busy!!

On the reading front I currently have my nose in another Larry Winget book, "You Are Broke Because You Want To Be". . . .and I have to say, he is one guy that I would really love to meet and have a beer with. He tells it like it is & takes no prisoners.

He also gets me thinking. . . . . .and that is the good ole "kick in the butt" that I've needed.

Have a wonderful evening!

In peace and pieces,