6x6?

Ohhhh it is coming together!

Took me A WHILE to arrange the placement of each block - had to keep the pink daisies and brown polka dot fabrics from touching....didn't like the look of them "T-ing" -- but I think I have it laid out now!

Next...the scary part-- SEWING THE ROWS TOGETHER! I know, I know...it's all in the pressing and pinning. I can do this!

But first....back to getting this

...all attached to this:

Quilt Along - Week 3 - Sewing & Cutting!

Finally finished sewing up the strips for the QuiltAlong today....and then cut each strip into blocks (I did 11 x1.5 "squares--ended with 36 blocks and about 10 7x 11.5" blocks)...

WEEK 4 is already posted! Can't wait to get these blocks sewn together!!

Sewing Basket Make-Over

Yes---I did the unthinkable. I took the LONGABERGER FABRIC off the lid of my LONGABERGER SEWING BASKET! (It was Garden Splendor, for those fellow or former cult members! But shhhhh!! Don't tell Tami or Rachel! hee!)

But how lovely is this? All Anna Maria Horner fabrics (from her Garden Party line). So loving piecework these days....

Yo, yo, yo...YO YO!

Yo-yo-ing right along here.....this is a great portable project for me right now - plus one I can do on my lap at night while watching tv, chattin' with the hub, etc. (Plus Little Miss likes to sort the yo-yo's and dump them and then rebag them.....love when she repeated the colors with me...then started to announced the colors each time by herself - "blue blue blue" (until you prompt -- "oh that is a green one!" and then the next bunch "green green green" -- hee.)

And the documentress* in me had the idea to lable 24 baggies to keep these babies corralled and CAT-HAIR FREE (ish) - figured the lablels will tell the story of where we were and what was happening as each batch of yo-yo's (49 = one 12" square) is completed.

(*I know it's not a word...but it should be, don't you think?)

Fabric fabric everywhere...

....but not in the trashcan!

That's right. I admit it. I cannot toss even the SMALLEST smidge of fabric. Is it just me or do you "real quilters" and seamstresses do this? I have a stash of cut pieces as large as 9" squares, and my "save this piece because it is AMY BUTLER FOR HEAVENS SAKE!" and the 2x2" pieces awaiting assembly into a postage stamp quilt...all the way down to piles of snips from the yo-yo's.

And yes...I actually sat today and stitched a fistful of the yo-yo scrappies onto a piece of canvas.

Don't ask how much time I spent arranging and rearranging the bits and pieces.

It's a sickness, isn't it?

Quilting Pays Off!

visit http://www.oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/ for details!

OMG OMG OMG!! I WON I WON I WON! Can you stand it? I won the PROFESSIONAL ROWENTA IRON GIVEAWAY on the OLD RED BARN CO. Quilt-Along this week!!

weeee! Cannot wait to get my hands on it!! Do you SEE THAT POWER STEAM BURST?

Thanks, Dana!

Quilt-Along Week Two! The CUTTING!

Oh yeah! Thanking the OLFA goddesses for NEW ROTARY BLADES! Just finishing cutting my fabric into 2 1/2 inch strips (all 12 pieces!) -- love when the cutter zips through the fabric in crisp, clean cuts!

I gotta tell ya, it was hard to slice up some of these! But it will be pretty in the end, right?

Right, Cath?

I cannot wait for the PIECING!

Yo!

YoYo's are my latest obsession....but I don't want to applique them on teeshirts or purses....I want a full coverlet! Of course.

....and,um, did you know it appears you need a mere 24 12" squares to make a twin-size quilt?

And guess how many of these midgies equal one 12" square? that's right...about FORTY-NINE.

FORTY-NINE. FORTY. NINE.

In the words of Miss Mikayla, reporting on an episode of "Whatever, Martha" in which she made a yo-yo quilt - that will take "a WHILE." .

No joke.

(I KNEW I should have bought the EXTRA LARGE yo-yo maker!)

Quilt Along!

Um...right. I know I don't have time for another new project....but could not resist this one!

Stella!! clued me in to the Old Red Barn Co. Quilt-Along.

In six weeks we will have a completed quilt? NOWAYSHUTUP! Let's get started!

Week one is gathering supplies and selectin fabrics (no easy feat! 12 1/2 yd pieces required!) After much deliberation...I pulled together my fabrics from my stash... plus a quick trip to Joanne's (note the CHOCOLOATE LOLLIPOP (Anna Maria Horner) at last being used!)

A few pics from INSPIRED.

....didn't take enough photos by far....but here are a few shots of some of the projects....

Place your orders!

Specially for my WASSIMA girls!

Pink, Red, Orange, Blue, Black or White frames.

How much do I love this stamp?!

One down.....six or eight to go!

Finished my Jennifer Stewart project from INSPIRED today. Loved this class...want to make one in GREEN with my new Heather Bailey fabrics!

...and a yellow one....and a pink one....and PURPLE ONES FOR Cynthia and Sandy! (hee! KIDDING!)

Jennifer Stewart wins the prize for most fabulous presentation in her classroom...her set-up was divine--Heather Bailey fabrics for table cloths...silver trays lined up holding bowls of glitter....a tiered stand holding spools of ribbons and lace....and a lovely tin tray filled with antique buttons....I so appreciate her attention to details! I didn't want to leave the class--the three hours felt like 3o minutes and I could not wait to unpack my stuff and finish this project today. Now THAT is inspiring!

Swirls, girls!

Inspired.

Miss my TRIBE already....wish you were all here and we were elbow deep in our projects together! (instead of unloading the dishwasher and doing laundry!)

Nik--this pic is for you! First thing I bought when we arrived on Thursday at Inspired was the Heather Bailey Flutterby kit (so bummed I missed her class...but it was only offered early in the day...). I finished putting the book together on Thursday night - but no photos yet....her papers were as lusious in person as I had hoped...and I finally got my hands on some of her fabric in the vendor fair....wish our local shops carried her!

More soon! xoxo

P.S. Dietra-thanks for sittin' up late with me in the Crop Room - hope my girlie butterflies and flowers didn't give you HIVES....hee! Shannon---I owe you such a huge apology and RAK---how did I not mention how much I loved/love the ATC holders you sent to me?!?!

ONE MORE SLEEP!

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!!!!!!!

One more sleep 'til Aim and I take to the highways en route to INSPIRED! Weee!!!

Let's see...how much is left to do in the NEXT TEN HOURS?

1. Still too much laundry
2. Still packing
3. Supplies are awaiting their final arrangement/packing into the TWO carryalls I am allowing myself (yeah, right. I believe me, don't you?)
4. One apron done. Number two? We shall see...
5. Haircut didn't happen (how rude that salons aren't open 24/7 so I can fit in a cut/color on MY TIME! hee)
6. Pedicure - self-administered. Not nearly the same as that sitting in the massage chair while your feet are soaking in that luxurious bathtub whirlpool thing....but CHECK!
7. Photos are PRINTING! semi CHECK!

Can't wait to see my peeps!

P is for PANIC!

OMG! How can it be only FOUR MORE SLEEPS 'TIL INSPIRED?!?!?!

Can wait to see my WASSIMA peeps and hug you all and squeal over our projects. hee.

(Yes, Larry. It is indeed like GIRLSCOUT CAMP FOR GROWNUPS. We make no apologies!)

Left to do? Oh not much....you know...the usual....

1. A zillion loads of laundry


2. Pack


3. Finish acquiring/sorting/packing/organizing/reorganizing/rechecking supplies! (Determined NOT TO OVERPACK. Keep reminding myself!)


4. Figure out the route Aimee and I will take to get there on Thursday....(think "Lucy and Viv Take to the Road" ...oh yeah. Geographically Challenged meets Directionally Challenged. Thank heavens for navigation systems!)


5. Finish APRONS!


6. Figure out which photos to bring...


7. Print photos.


8. Remember to charge phone, camera and video camera for Thursday drive. (and pack chargers!)


9. PEDICURE!


10. Haircut?

C is for Coffee, Cookies and CRAFTING!

Ohh...had a blast last night with my BFF AIMEE at the Creative Inkling class! (AIMEE--SERIOUSLY - why do we not take fabulous pictures of ourselves when we are together?!? sheesh. ) The crop was at the House of Coffee coffee Shop in Peddler's Village - the project was a minibook made of cardboard coffee cup sleeves....how clever is that? And the embossing powder was COFFEE SCENTED! oh for cute!

And oh my stinkin' HECK the new Bind-it-All is PINK and I finally have one after coveting it for oh-forEVER! (NIKI AND EMILY - GET YOURSELVES OUT HERE TO CRAFT WITH ME! It is fabulous!)

{Loved the color of that chalkboard in the coffee shop...forgot to ask Dave the Barista if he knew what brand that paint is....would love to do a wall in the kitchen....hmmmm....}

Happy Face.

#1 Answer to "where have you been and what have you been up to?" is "Having adventures with Sirryha." Last weekend was the ZOO, today was a bit of shopping (new clothes and a stroller! Hello summer---we are ready for you now!) and in between was lots of walks (and lugging home HUGE ROCKS from the pit in front of the mailboxes...please don't report us to the homeowners' association! Rob and I return them when she isn't looking!)...and visits to the park for swinging, swinging, swinging, playing on the sliding boards, and watching the ducks.

Can't stop grinning over these photos from today! She was so funny! Totally posing and flirting and hammin' it up for the camera. (She is in LOVE with CHAPSTICK. Burt's Bees and Banana Boat Sunscreen for Kids versions. Yes...she eats it. And then tries to wipe her teeth and tongue off with her fingers.)

And then she gives me this face when I say "smile!" [CLICK!] priceless!

...and 75 or so snapshots later...I think she's officially "bored of this."

I, on the other hand, cannot get enough! SERIOUSLY. How do full-time moms get anything done besides staring at their lovebugs? And squishing and hugging and kissing their whole face? Seriously. And how on EARTH do you stand the wait until they can talk in full sentences?

I can't stop! Seriously!

Artfest Envy

Ever since discovering Teesha Moore's art journals back in 2006, I have wanted to go to ARTFEST. I have discovered so many creative artists through links from Teesha Moore's site and from reading about the teachers each year. And then came ARTFIBERFEST, which I also came to dream about....and now? In the works is JOURNALFEST. Oh how I want to go! (This is the part where I usually start talking about auctioning off a few body parts to finance the trip!)

ARTFEST was April 1-5 this year. And now some of the attendees and teachers are blogging about it....which I so appreciate and can't wait for each year. How much do I want to take THIS CLASS? How is it that I don't know any CARTOONISTS? I really want to hang with this Theo Ellsworth guy. How much would I love this class?!?! Check out Pam Garrison's class example. Seems the instructions were to "doodle blindly" with markers on a page. Then, find images in the doodles and outline and color them in. So I see Pam Garrison's and I immediately try my version (again--I don't know the full instructions, I just started with swirly shapes. Some drawn in deliberate fits and starts, others without looking.) And then I outlined some forms and used my colored pencils to fill in.

SERIOUSLY! How fun is THAT? A flamingo and a peacock and various swirly feathered friends. I cannot draw. I doodle and I color - but I can't draw. Apparently, my DOODLES can!

I can't stop...I am filling in all the blank pages of my art journals with these scribbles!

For my sister*....

...because she loves SPRING and her garden and digging in the dirt and being outside in the sun.

Come on SPRING...GET HERE ALREADY! (It was 40 degrees this morning. Wha? We have the FIREPLACE GOING TONIGHT. Seriously.)

This was inspired by the oh-so-inspiring Donna Downey, she herself. I want to make one in every color.

(*Shhhhh! Don't tell! I don't think she reads my blog daily and this isn't in the mail to her yet!)