A Quilting Swap

This is not a swap I am doing but one,

one of my swapping friends is doing.

Her name is Josie and though I have never met her in person

I am sure she would be a blast to hang out with.

She is hosting a swap with a friend on hers.

Her friends blog is Mrs. Pickle's so I am sure she is going to be fun too.

It is a quilt along swap, and sounds like fun.

I am going to be to busy this year to join but if you would like to,

and you are going to be a good swapper,

Go check it out, and happy quilting. 

Memory Quilt

I have been thinking about how to tell this story,

Do I tell you all the details?

Do I tell you names and dates?

Do I just show you the pictures, and let you know what I did?

I have decided to tell you the story without names, and not too many details.

This September Good Looking had a neighborhood reunion.

Like a high school reunion but with the kids he grew up with.

While we were there everyone was telling me how much they liked my quilt.

I had asked Good looking's facebook friends to vote for it,

and so they all knew me because of it.

Fast forward two weeks.

I was downstairs sewing, and the girls came downstairs

 to tell me that an army man was at the door.

It was one of his friends from the party.

He had googled our house

and was standing in my living room asking for a favor. 

You see I learned at the party that his son had died this summer.

He was just fifteen, he had died a month before his sixteenth birthday.

He was now in my house asking if I could make his wife a quilt

 out of his son's clothes for her Christmas present.

With out hesitation (which I think surprised him) I said yes.

Here is the finished quilt.

Like most teenage boys he liked his graphic tees, and super hero's.

His jeans, I tried to use the ones that were the most worn out.

He was a rugby player,

It just happened that the piece that was on his sleeve

ended up next to the one on his shirt.

I don't think that if I had planned it that way, it would have worked out. 

This is the shirt that he never got to wear,

it still had the tags on it.

My quilter put his name and his dates on it.

The inside boarder is his robe, and the outside his jeans.

That black square is his rugby shorts.

I bound the quilt with his flannel shirts.

Good Looking's friend insist that I put his rugby bag on the back,

and that it still be functional.

His son like most teenager's left his stuff everywhere, especially his dirty socks.

He wanted to keep the bag working, so he could keep a pair of dirty socks in this bag.

I feel so honored that I was the one with the opportunity

to keep the memories alive in such a special way.

I know it must have been so hard this Christmas, the first one with out
buying boy toys, video games, and making his favorite holiday treats.

He was their only son.

In their tragedy they were able to help three teenage boys grow to men,

with the donation of his heart, and kidney's.

Also this Christmas a father of seven was able to be at home

 with no more health worries, thanks to his liver.

I hope I did this story justice, and that you go squeeze your kids

and let them know that the world would not be the same with out them.

Patchy Stockings

What did you do with your Christmas swap fabrics?

Here is what my sister did.

Aren't those just about the cutest stockings you have seen?

Did you want to make some yourself?

Here is how you do it, or at least how we did it.

Take all your squares and separate them by color, we did bright red, dark red,

 greens, blues, etc.

We then went to the store and bought 5/8 yard for the lining, backing, and such.

Match light and darks, we wanted to tie the backing into the front so we matched

three with the backing fabric.

Lights and darks.

You need twelve blocks or 24 squares total.

match together and mark a diagonal line down the center of each block.

With your quarter inch foot stitch on one side of the line.

Flip it over and do the other side.

Please save you life and sanity by chaining them all together.

Now cut on the line you drew.

 Two triangles, press first then open, and press toward the dark side.

lay on top of each other, opposite of each other.

Draw another line.

Repeat.

You end up with this super cute hourglass.

Easy peezy lemon squeezy.

Are you ready for step two.

Lay out your squares the way you want them to be layed out.

We liked the dark fabrics alternating.

Sew them together in rows, and then the rows to each other.

Then take your stocking pattern.

We made up ours.

I like to have a big toe and and big opening.

I made my pattern on poster board so I could easily trace it onto the fabric.

Trace pattern on three layers of fabric.

It is important that you lay your fabric out this way,

with wrong side up and then right sides together.

Sew with right sides together the patch fabric, and the backing.

Then with right sides together, sew the lining pieces

leaving an opening on one of the sides.

We put prairie points on the cuff, so we didn't cover up the piecing we did,

Here is how it goes.

Five inch square (we made five per stocking)

Press in half

Press in half again.

Line them up along the opening of the stocking, interlocking the points together.

Baste them in place. 

Sorry I did not get a picture of this step,

feel free to kick me in the shin the next time you see me.

Turn the stocking inside out and press, slip it into the lining, right sides together.

Don't forget the hanger. I made them five inches by two and a half.

(fold in half, sew together, turn inside out)

Now sew them together.

Remember that opening we left in the side?

pull the stocking inside out using that opening.

It will look like this.

Close the opening.

You can hand stitch it closed, but I figured it is a stocking,

 and who is going to be looking on the inside to see how it is sewn closed.

Stuff the lining to the inside, press it and you are done.

And just like that you have the cutest stockings on the block.

Have you used your squares yet?

Now are you sad that you didn't get in on the swap.

I will be doing it again I promise.

Until then I hope you have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Rectangel Reverie Palooza

Lat year I found out about Monica of The Happy Zombie.

I love her, her posts are so funny, and she knows her stuff.

Not to mention how CUTE her fabrics are.

Last year she posted her quilt called Rectangle Reverie.

I fell in love with it, I had been buying red and white Christmas fabric for years.

Every year I would go the Joann's and get whatever red and white fabric they had.

When I saw Monica's quilt I knew that I was finally going to put my collection to good use.

At this same time Grandma Kath wanted to make quilts for her daughter's.

She has never made a quilt and wanted to learn how.

I figured that this would be an easy one, with no corner's to match.

Since the pattern calls for ten fat quarters, and I had ten half yard pieces,

we made two red ones. Then headed down to our friendly neighborhood Joann's.

When we got there we found all the Christmas fabrics on sale 90% off,

and with Kath's teacher discount, are you kidding me!!!  

Kath liked the Debbie Mum's best, so that is what we got for the other two.

Did you want to see?

This one is mine, how cute is it!

Here is the back

My little back patch with all the fabrics from the front.

I love it and can't wait to make some more.

Here is the quilting, Picnik didn't like my pictures this morning, so I couldn't highlight it.

The red ones got snow flakes.

The Debbie Mum's got holly berries and stuff.

I am so happy with how they turned out.

How many quilts did you make for Christmas?

Curse the Small Children

I have so much to show you,

just the things I finished this last week are amazing.

I made a baptism dress out of a friends wedding dress.

Then I made her a dunking dress using the lace from said wedding dress.

I have another friend who every year for Christmas has a chocolate party.

Yes you heard me right, a chocolate party.

She invites all her friends over makes all the fondant centers and lets you go to town.

I of course had to make the girls skirts for this occasion.

I found the cutest Christmas fabric at the Joann's of Christmas chocolates,

They are adorable, with jumbo Chocolate rick rack.

Also a week ago today,

 I was binding four quilts, they are Christmas quilts,

once again adorable.

If you wondering well lady where are your pictures of these lovelies,

especially pictures of the chocolate.

This is where the title of this post comes into play. 

Lala and Baby Sister were playing with my camera and now, 

it is no where to be seen.

They were having so much fun taking pictures of themselves,

 and sneaking in to take pictures of me.

Of course they can not remember for the life of them where it is now.

 That is why I am saying

 "Curse the small children!!!"

I am now offering money to who ever finds it.

It is hard to tell a story on the world wide web with out a picture.

When it is found I will be posting the pictures I promise.

If it is not found my sweetie is getting me a new camera for Christmas.

Although that makes for a very boring blog for the next month.

Have fun, hope to be back soon with pictures to show. 

I'm Back

I know this might sound strange but I don't like posting while I am doing a swap.

I am afraid that people will think..

"You got some nerve having fun while holding my fabrics hostage."

or

"Woman just get my fabric in the mail."

As of Monday all the swaps are done and in the mail, so I am back.

It took longer than anyone ever thought,

Some got my address wrong, some forgot, some dropped out, and I had to fill their spot.

I promise next time I will be nagging you constantly, so that no one forgets.

I have it all planned, the fun and sarcatic emails I can send.

Maybe it will be like childbirth,

and in March I will have forgotten all this nonsense and think it will be fun to have a swap.

I have been busy and I do have things to share,

I will be back to do just that shortly.

We are going to have hurricane force winds here tonight, so I will be hunkered down and ready to share.

Until then have a great day.



Halloween '11

How was your Halloween?

The weather was perfect here yesterday, today is another story.

Yesterday the sun was shining and the birds were singing.

OK I don't know about the birds, but it was sweet.

Today the sun is gone, the clouds and rain are here, and the wind is blowing.

I am so glad that the weather was nice yesterday,

so that the girls didn't have to be bundled up hiding the costumes.

I don't know how many you made, but my grand total was eight.

I will start with the oldest and work my way down.

I am to lazy to picnic them all so bear with me.

Baubi

She didn't know what she wanted to be until a month ago.

She decided on Robin Hood.

Funny story....

I didn't start making hers until Sunday.

I miss cut the skirt, (that is what I get for doing it on Sunday)

I made a matching green ruffle slip, that is what she wore to school.

I went Monday morning bought another yard of fabric, came home,

finished the skirt, rushed to her school to give her her new skirt.

On the way stopped to get gas, and locked my keys in the car.

Good times. 

My sister asked her son what he wanted to be for Halloween,

 and with out hesitation asked

"What is Baubi being"

He was Little John

(I did not make his costume)

It is fun to have cousins who love each other so much.

Gowyn

Is finally done with Cinderella, and wanted to be something spooky.

I made her be a Gray Ghost.

She wasn't sure about it, but she warmed up to it.

Pretty spooky, huh.

We painted her face white.

Her dress was gray satin and lace.

Like last year, her best friend Tai came to play along.

(I didn't make his either)

They had so much fun together.

Here they are playing dead.

Lala

She anounced this spring that she was over Arial, and liked Belle now,

So that is what we did.

I think that she looks pretty fabulous.

So does she.

I asked her if she liked it and she said...

"No I LOVE it"

Here she is twirling, because like I have said in the past,

she is our #1 twirler.

Baby Sister

Since she cut her hair this summer, we made her be Rupunzel with the short hair

I have a niece who is very girly and princess 100%,

but when my sister asked her what she wanted to be she said

some warrior princess from star wars the clone wars.

Now since she has naturally long blonde hair, we made her rapunzel with the long hair.

Yes I made them both.

My sister made her braid from a wig,

she even put lights in it so that it would gleem and glow.

Her natural hair goes down to about the second pink flower.

Now if you are keeping track at home we are to five costumes so far, here are the other three

Ash-Nanna

(That is what Baby Sister calls her)

My sister has been planning for a year for my niece to be Mulan.

She gathered all the fabric.

She combined patterns.

She cut it out.

She started sewing it up...

and that is when my niece said NO!!!

She wanted to be something poofy,

she wanted a ball gown, and that is what she got.

we went through the stash and had all the fabric to make her a

Snow Queen

(or as she says a snow princess)

I combined two patterns, so that we could add some fuzzy trim.

Her skirt had six skirts, I am thinking that is poofy personified.

See her fancy sleeves.

She does have a pretty cute face,

could you say no to that face?

OK here are seven and eight..

The Chubbers

My sister has twin girls, and they are chubby little babies.

Everyone calls them the chubbers.

When you have two little girls, with cute chubby legs, and naturally curly hair,

there is only one thing they can be for Halloween and that is...

Shirley Temple

They were not quite sure what was going on.

Look at those legs, and those dimples for elbows.

So cute and squishy.

When we googled ShirleyTemple dress

there were two that came up the most. 

This polk a dot one.

And this pink ruffle skirt one.

She didn't want to leave her dad's side.

They were pretty funny trick or treaters.

they would hold on to their candy until they got to the next house,

then they would put it in their buckets, and hold onto that candy until the next house.

Now you know whay I have been away from this blog.

I will get back on it I promise.

To all my swappers, I will be going to the post office this week.

I promise.