I thought you might like a little inspiration on this fine summer day.

Yes I know that they are Christmas stockings, and that the need for super cute

Christmas stockings is months away. 

I did make this very nice tutorial for you to make some of your own.

I am also currently having a Christmas fabric swap going on right now.

That way you can make these very cute stockings.

I had so much fun with this swap last year, and I know you would too.

At the present moment I have a grand total of

 three people signed up for my swap. 

I need at least twenty people to have a swap.

So that means that I need to have seventeen more people to sign up.

Here is the link to the sign up page.

Click there, put in your name, and go shopping.

I promise you will not regret it.

Have a fabulous weekend.

Christmas in July

Have you heard about this party going on?

I thought it would be so much fun to play along.

You may remember this post.

I did have my swap, and I did get my fabrics.

 They were adorable and just what I needed.

The only problem was that it was only 200 fabrics.

I know one would think that would be enough.

For a normal person that would be enough.

My quilt however requires 525 circles.

I really wanted 525 different circles.

I did finally start making my circles.

Aren't they adorable.

I made them this past week while on vacation.

They were used as the poker chips.

I hear that the red ones were worth the least, and the blue the most.

I finished the last of the circles last night.

I was at the hospital with Good Looking.

He thought it might be fun to throw out his back 10 days ago.

Since it wasn't getting any better we spent eight hours at the ER.

Good times....good times.

He has two, not one but two blown disks.

The good news is that the last of the circles are done.

They are air drying on the deck.

It shouldn't take long since it is 95 degrees outside.

I sprayed them with the homemade starch

It was faster then painting them with the starch, and worked fabulous.

One of my favorites, because with a name like Robyn...

I know you want some for yourself.

You may not have a need for 525 circles but you know you want

at least 200 4" squares.

The rules are as follows

Go to the store, or to your stash and get 10 Christmas fabrics

You will need 1/4 yard or a fat quarter of each one.

Cut them up into 20 4" squares.

I provided you with a tutorial here.

Show your love for me by sorting them into twenty separate piles.

Although I love doing these swaps, I do not love touching 2,000 separate pieces of fabric.

Place your precious cargo into a self addressed stamped envelope.

Send it to me, I will shuffle them around, 

and send you back 200 different fabrics for all of your Christmas crafting needs.

I know you want to do it.

Here is the link to the sign up page.

Click on it, leave your name and email, and I will send you more detailed info.

I am hoping that we can have more then one swap, so tell your friends and family.

I hope you have a great day.

The packages are in the mail and on their way.

Hopefully you will have them by the weekend.

I would first like to thank everyone for their kind words,

it really did make me feel better.

Second I would like to apologize for the label 

on your swap packages.

I took a picture and everything so you could see how uncute they are,

(The computer died on Friday and after being fixed

 it doesn't want to find my pictures.)

Anyway I made a cute little label,

sent it to the husband to print it off for me at his work.

They came back not as I designed them, but just like a man did it.

I promise it was going to be cuter.

Anyway it doesn't matter, 

all that matters is that you are getting your fabric. 

My friend Kim brown who is fabulous and was in every swap,

made her first rainbow quilt.

I am able to show you those pics,

I guess the computer likes those pictures.

Here is the front, 

I mean really what is cuter than that?

Here is the back,

the grey and yellow dots are suppose to look like moons.

Did you notice that the quilting looks like clouds.

How cute is her label.

She embroidered it and everything.

She is so good.

Here is a close up for good measure.

I LOVE IT!!!!

If you make one let us know.

I hope you have a great weekend.

I am going to the midnight showing of Hunger Games with Baubi.

She is so excited.

I am looking forward to sleeping all weekend to make up for it.

The Rumors are True

One day last summer I went to Quilts Etc.

It is a great place, they have everything, and it is just too fun.

They have a whole room that is just depression fabrics.

Anyway I was looking at their novelty fabrics and over heard a conversion.

There was a lady at the cutting counter talking to the lady cutting her fabric.

Like most quilters she was complaining about the ridiculous cost of cutting blades.

That is when I heard the most amazing thing.

She said, "Have you heard about Harbor Freight Tools?"

I was really beginning to wonder what in the world a tool store had to do with quilting.

She went on to say

"I heard they have 45mm blades for like $2.00"

"I think they are for a carpet cutting tool or something"

"I think I saw it on a blog, is it true"

The cutting lady had no idea what she was talking about.

Flash forward to last month.

Over Christmas I got Good Looking to paint Baby sister's furniture.

It is now bright yellow and adorable.

I wanted to find really gaudy vintage pulls, and spray paint them orange.

I went to the re-store and they didn't have what I wanted.

Then I thought maybe Harbor Freight might have some.

I went in and asked, the nice man said they don't sell cabinet pulls.

I thanked him and turned away and then a small voice said in my head

"cutting blades"

I quickly turned back and asked him 

"Do you have round razor blades?"

He said "Yes they are for carpet cutters, but I am guessing...

(while giving me the up down look)

that you want them for quilting"

He walked me to where they lived and I found them.

Not only do they really exist, they really are less than $2.00.

On the day I was there they were on sale for only.

$1.79

I was so excited I bought a bunch.

There are two per package.

I quickly grabbed all my rotary cutters, and went to town.

The blades fit perfectly in these fiskars rotary cutters.

Look at those beautiful sharp edges.

Truly makes my heart go pitter pat.

Now before you start cutting all your squares for the swap,

run don't walk to your local Harbor Freight, and get your self a nice little stash.

If there is not one near you I found them on their web page.

Go here and get them shipped directly to you.

No need to thank me, really it is the least I could do. 

Still open

My first swap is full.

Yeah I am so happy!!!

Swap #2 still has two openings,

So go sign up here

Kelly green and purple are the colors that are left there.

Swap # 3 still has a lot of open space.

If you already signed up for one and are thinking that you might want more fabric,

(scrappy quilts take a lot of fabric)

You can sign up here

I am going to be working on emails today with all the extra info.

I just have to wait for Good Looking to leave with the kids ;)

If you are still wondering if you should,

Here are some projects to tempt you with.

Not to mention all the scrappy quilts going on on pinterest.

You will like what you get back I promise.

OK go already and sign up.

Here I will make it easy on you,

I won't even make you scroll back up.

Sign up here

and here.

Have a great Presidents day.

Start you engines,or fingers what ever.

Today is the day!

It is snowing, and gloomy.

So let's get swapping.

If you are new, I will let you know what I am talking about.

Every spring I host a color charm swap.

It goes like this.

You go to the store (or your stash) and get ten fabrics of the same color.

All you need is 1/4 yard, or a fat quarter.

Go home and cut them up into four inch squares.

Here is a tutorial.

You then send me your cut squares in a SASE

(self addressed stamped envelope)

I take your fabrics, I do the little shuffle and you get back

200 different fabrics all the colors of the rainbow.

Now I am not going to lie to you.

I have had problems in the past.

I am trying something different this year,

I have set up a spread sheet in Google.

Follow the link, choose your color,

and add your info.

Now if you want to be in different swaps,

you can with out fear of being lost in the shuffle.

I am going to have three swaps this time.

Here are the links

Spring Swap #1

Spring Swap #2

Spring Swap #3

Just a reminder the colors are 

Red

Hot pink

Light Pink

Orange

Yellow

Lime Green

Kelly Green

Aqua Blue

Royal Blue

Purple

Also just a reminder,

This is NOT Yellow

This is

This is not Green

This is

This is not Orange

Yep you got it, this is.

I am excited to try out my new spread sheet system.

I hope it really helps keep everything straight.

OK are you ready,

Get set,

GO!

  Oh one more thing the deadline is going to be March 7th

I am going to Hawaii on the 4th of April and I have to have this all 100% done.

Oh and one more, one more thing, I am happy to have international swappers

It makes it a lot more fun. If you are planning on plying with us, I did have to change thing up for you this time.

 There will be a fee of sorts, I have to have in my Paypal account the shipping funds before I will mail your package to you, and with fees and such from Paypal the fees are going to be this. 

$13.00 US for Canada and 

$20.00 US for everyone else. 

I will send it back to you in a  priority package with a tracking number.

I hope this doesn't count you out but I had a hard time getting paid back last time.

OK, now lets go.

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. 

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.