Whew..final finish for our UFO challenge

The Tran-quilt-ity email group had a UFO challenge going on from the New Year until the end of March. To be honest, I didn't really want to sign up as I thought I would feel pressured. Not in the least. Turned out to be a great motivator for me. As soon as I got the first finish done, I couldn't wait to get to the next one. I still have a bunch of UFO's, but I did get 6 done , I made 2 (and finished them!) that were not on the list and only started a few others. This has been a great success and I plan on still working on the UFO's even though the challenge is over. Thanks, Carol, for that great idea!!
Here is a pic of one of my Mysteries for Relay Mystery #11 tops all completed:

And, because my girls are always so generous by letting me use their coop and run to take my quilt pics on, I promised them I would let you see them, too:

There is a diva in every group of ladies:

Now, think it is back to my nine patches.

My pups

My Hannah took these pics the other day of our dogs and I just loved them so much I had to share them with you. I promise sewing goodies will appear soon. I am finishing up the binding on one of my Mystery #11's tonight, so will show that either later or tomorrow.
Here is the furry love of my life, Luke. He is a 6 yr old Chow/something mix:

Next is Delilah..aka Ihop. She is a purebred Schipperke that we got last August from the breeder for free as they were going to have to put her down if they didn't find a home for her as she had one flaw that made her unshowable..she was born with only 3 legs. She is missing her front left leg, but she doesn't know it as she rules the house now. She will be 1 year old in May:

It is near impossible to take good pictures of black dogs, so I am thrilled we finally have some where you can see their expressive faces.

What is this and what does it have to do with a finish?

How about this funky little piece? Interesting, isn't it? Not very exciting by itself. Maybe it needs a friend or two:

Ahhh..that is definitely better! Hmmm..think it still needs a little something more, though. Ohhh..Ohh...I know..I have just the thing!! How about this????

Perfect!! My Giant Dahlia..aka A Giant New York Sunflower quilt top is now done!! It is 54"x54". I am telling you, this was a labor of love. Almost all my quilts have been strip cut and whipped together. This was all cut out using templates and scissors. There was setting in of pieces, matching my joints all up (and they DID..wonder of wonders!!) and even the border was a challenge. I LOVED the challenge of this quilt top. It really stretched me and my abilities and I really felt that it made me grow as a quilter. It will continue to challenge me as I decide how I want to quilt it and can you imagine the fun I will have putting the binding on those edges?? That's okay..this IS a labor of love..no rush. I only put finishing the top on the UFO challenge list and that is completed. Kind of a bittersweet moment for me, though. Oh well, I know another challenge is waiting for me..I just have to find it! In the meantime, I certainly have a lot of other projects to work on and finish up. Going to bed now, with Giant New York Sunflowers I am sure in my dreams! Closing with another shot of the top..don't mind the wrinkles..I was too excited to iron it up before I showed you!!

A finish and some other progress

Finished the Quilts for Kids quilt tonight. It is in the washer now and will be mailed out tomorrow. I am definitely going to request more quilts and will make a few out of my stash, but not for awhile. I need to finish up some of these other projects first.
I also got the next step done of the Jitterbug quilt top done:

Working step by step with Shellie via texts and blogs is turning out to be really fun! I can't wait to do the next part!
Next on the list is the 4th block of the Pinwheel Party:


Last but not least, I got about 1/3 of one of my Mystery #11's quilted. With any luck I should have this one wrapped up by the end of the week.
How did I get so much sewing done? A day off of work! Woohooo! Patrick had his 1 year checkup with his orthopedic surgeon. Last year at this time, my poor boy had 2 rods put in his back to correct his scoliosis. While he has had a lot of surgeries in his lifetime, this was the hardest decision we ever made. After the surgery, we KNEW we were the worst parents in the world. He was in such pain..no one would ever put their child through that, right? Well, we did and we felt awful....for a week. Then he started recovering so quickly...and sat up so straight and tall...and could use his arms so much more because he wasn't working so hard at just sitting up. Within 3 weeks he was yelling at me because he wanted to go back to school! Now, year later, he looks and feels fabulous and this surgery was the best thing we ever could have done. Thank you, Dr. Sanders...and God..for giving us Dr. Sanders!

A productive sewing weekend

I have been working on and off on a bunch of projects, and this weekend I made good progress on some of them.

I made 196 hst's for my 30's quilt, Jitterbug, that I am working on while Shellie works on hers.


I got the Quilts for Kids quilt all quilted. Now I just have to buy some fabric to bind it with. I don't own any neon colors!!



Last but not least, I got the background put on my Giant Dahlia (Giant Sunflower) top. Now for the borders on this and it is a complete top!! This by far the most difficult top I have ever worked on. Lots of seams to match up, it is working with almost all bias edges, etc. When I get the borders on, I will take some more closeup pics of the different fabrics, etc.



I still have some energy, so not sure if I am done for the night yet, or not, but even if I am, I will be a happy camper!

Pinwheel party, block 3

Here is a picture of this week's block in the Pinwheel Party:

I am still pleased with how this is turning out even though it is definitely different than the rest I have seen. Hope I still like it when it is done!
I am feeling very befuddled. Lots to work on, and I want to work on them, but just not motivated to. I better force myself to find it, because I cannot afford to start something new!!!!

It's a sickness

I found a pattern I just HAD to make right away. Ever have those? You are going along, minding your own business and then you see it. IT. The project you NEED, and you didn't even know it. I found IT the other night. Wasn't even sure WHY I needed it, just knew that I did. After I started piecing it, I realized WHY I needed it. It is more 9 patches! I swear it is a sickness, this 9 patch obsession of mine. Here is a pic of the new 9 patches:

The biggest difference between these and my last 9 patches is the size. These measure at a teensy bit over 2 inches for the whole block!

I decided I needed to make 2 of these..one for me and one for some friends. I had some batik squares that I bought when Shellie, Regina and I got together. I wasn't sure why I was buying them at the time, but I thought they would go great for this pattern.
Here is the finished top #1 (the other top is almost done). It measures in at 20 inches square and has about 375 pieces! I can't wait to finish these up. I think it is going to make a darling little table topper.



I also got 1/2 of my big 9 patches all finished up and hope to get the rest done today. Shellie and I are starting our 30's quilts today, too. We will be sewing together via the computer. What an age we live in!
Well, off to run one fast errand then back to the sewing. Hope to have more to report later!

Pam's log cabin

I started my weekend great by getting this quilt for my friend, Pam, done last night. She made this quilt for a friend who is dying of cancer. I volunteered to quilt it for her and I know our friend, Jim, is going to love it. (Yes, I pointed out to her that one of her blocks was set wrong, but we figured Jim would expect that of us 2 goofs and would love it more like that! lol)

With that done, I am debating what to work on next. Sooooo many choices, sooooo little time! I think I just might work on a little bit of it all! lol I have all these projects going on that I just LOVE. Usually there are one or two that I am not crazy about, but not this time. That's okay. Rainy and damp weekend here make for a perfect sewing weekend.
Will update progress later!!

Pinwheels, swap blocks and happy nine patches

For anyone who is playing along on the Pinwheel Party with me, the second block is now up. I think the new ones go up every Monday. Here is mine:


I looked at pictures of other people's blocks on their flicker page and it seems that mine will be the funkiest! Everyone else used either a whitish or black background and really pretty bright fabrics for the pinwheels. Oh, well. I kinda like how this is turning out in my shirt fabrics. Guess I will have to see what I think when it is all done. I never was one much for the norm lol.
I did all my cooking yesterday for the month and boy, does it feel good to know I have 29 days until I have to do it again!

Today I got the first set of blocks from Marie Bostwick's Womens Heart Health Month swap and they are GORGEOUS!! I am so excited about these blocks, I can't stand it. I would LOVE to show you the blocks I received, but some from the swap might be peeking and I like to keep them drooling until they receive their own!! The deadline for me to get all the blocks is March 31st, then I have to mail them out to the participants, so it won't be until the beginning of April that I get to share them with you.

Remember my smiley 9 patches I made a few weeks ago? Here is one of them now. Still not telling what they are going to be when they grow up. Can you guess?



I seem to have tons going on right now and am doing little bits of them all. Hopefully soon I will have something good to show you!!

A New Sew along

I have joined Cj, a quilting buddy from Homesteading Today, in a sew along called Playing at the Pinwheel Party. They will be publishing one block a week for 12 weeks and then the borders. It looks really great and I love Cj's first block. I haven't started mine yet, but think I am going to do mine in fabrics from old shirts. If you are interested in joining us, just click on the link on the left of the page. Hurry, though..the weekly patterns are free for only a little while..then you have to pay $1 for any you missed!!

Well, I got my fabric together for the sew along and made my first block tonight. Here it is:

I promise it is square! lol I am sure this is not how the designer planned on the quilt looking, but I have to admit..so far I like it!

Be careful how you text!

A friend of mine texted me this afternoon about some problems she is having with her sewing machine. Some tension and needle problems. She asks me some questions and I send back the answers. She then sends me this message:

"Ya right. i thought so but im not all knowing...you sex more...you have done a lot lately....share the secret"

Hmmmm...lol. After the coffee that was in my mouth shot out of my nose and I could stop crying from laughing so hard, I sent her back a message to read what she had just sent me. I could only hope that she meant that I SEW more lol.
She sends back:

"I told you that sew and sex would get me one day."

hahahaha...soooooooo many ways to take that. As a woman who has 6 kids, I would have to agree...sew and sex DID get me!! lol
Hope that gives you all the laughs it gave me and my friend. I still crack up everytime I think of it. I may just have to save that message for anytime I am having a low day.

First March UFO finish!

I just finished the hand sewing on the binding on my Scrappy Mountains quilt. This is definitely my favorite of the quilts I have made. I wish you could see this one in real life. The colors are so much more vibrant. It is the biggest one to date for me, also. It is 85 x 93. Now I have to decide what to do with it. I have 2 people who have expressed an interest in buying it, but I have no idea what to price it at. The other option is to gift it or donate it. My gut says to gift it to my daughter and her husband, but it is also big enough for my 2 oldest sons who are both over 6 feet tall. Sigh...decisions..decisions.
Well, tomorrow will be pinning my friend's quilt and then starting to quilt it. Not sure what is next on the agenda..I just know I am going to keep up this pace until I get more of these UFO's done!!

Game is still on!!

Last night I finished quilting one UFO and got the binding machine stitched on. Tonight I will be doing the hand sewing of the binding while watching American Idol. When I got home from work today, I got the top for the Quilts for Kids all sewn up.

I am glad I am donating this one as it really doesn't do a thing for me. I really, really liked the fabrics, but this is wayyyyyyyy too bright and busy for me. Even my kids didn't like it. Oh well. Hopefully it will put a smile on some child's face! After Idol I am going to pin my friend's quilt for quilting and hopefully will get that done by Thursday. Not sure how long it will take me to sew the binding down on this UFO, but hopefully will be soon so I can cross another one off the list!! Well, back to lap 2 of the quilting Olympics!!

I got my game on!

After a week of little to no sewing, I am wayyyyyyyyy behind on what I need to get done. I have my UFO list and I have added 2 new projects that need to get done..one NOW. My best friend, Pam, made a gorgeous log cabin quilt top for a friend who has cancer and it seems doesn't have much time left. Pam has never machine quilted, so I volunteered to get it done for her. I also signed up for the Quilts for Kids and need to get that done. So, I have my buddy, Trace Adkins (Lordy, that man is SEXY!), singing to me and I am now entering the Quilting Olympics! I have adopted Trace's song, I Got My Game On, as my theme song and I am ready!
Ladies and Gentlemen...start your engines....on your mark, get your machine set.....SEW!!!

Quilts for Kids

I signed up for the Downy Quilts for Kids program and look what I got in the mail!

Isn't that the cutest fabric ever? These quilts are donated to kids in the hospital to cheer them up and this quilt will definitely put a smile on some child's face! Having a son who has has many, many surgeries and spent many times in the hospital, I know how much something like this can mean. And come on...can the organization make this any easier?? They send you all the fabric you need, (all of it is precut even!!) and the directions and a tag for you to add on to it. The only thing you provide is the batting and the time and love. What a bargain. Please think about helping out. Even one quilt is one more child snuggled in love!!