Friday, August 29, 2008

Pieces from my scrapbag..: Finn's New Years Eve Challenge....

I'm gonna join in on this No Stress Challenge...giving myself a realistic goal. I have a long list of UFO's, but I think I can finish at least 6 by the New Year. I'm not counting the things I'm working on this weekend. They are a personal challenge. For me, this new challenge will start Tuesday, Sept. 2.


Pieces from my scrapbag..: Finn's New Years Eve Challenge....

3 Day Weekend

YEA!!! What are your plans for the holiday weekend? I am having a sewing marathon to see how much I can get done. Last night I sorted all my "I Spy" fabrics and pre-cut squares and want to see how many tops I can get put together. I also pulled out a bunch of fabrics that will work as backings (I hope). I would love to get at least 2 boyish ones done. The ones I have ready to be sold are all girly! I also pulled out kid fabrics that I have enough yardage of to use as focus fabrics. I want to work on some stuff I can finish fast. I'm going to make these pretty simple designs, although I'm tired of just plain old squares sewn together or Square-in-square. I think I will whip together some bright pinwheels or 4 patches to use too.

I promise to post pictures!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

In 1969

I was only 2 1/2. Mom reminded me at the concert that 1969 wasn't a very good year for our family. Grandma was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in January and was in and out of the hospital 6 times during the year. This was before all the wonderful things they can do now. She passed away August of '74. I can't imagine living 5 1/2 years with the cancer. Dad was working 2 jobs and Mom was raising 3 kids at the time. She said we were constantly farmed out to babysitters. My youngest brother wasn't born yet.

Anyway, here are 2 pictures from the concert. Someone videotaped the entire thing and is supposedly putting parts of it on YouTube, I will see if that happens and let you know.

Here is a picture of "First Friday Folksingers". I am the gal smack dab in the middle. The set is a "magic bus" and the numbers 1969. I tie dyed all the t-shirts except the one on the far left.


And here I am performing my solo "Both Sides Now" with Charlie accompanying me.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Recent Finishes

Well, almost finished anyway. I don't know why I have a hangup with doing borders. I have 3 other tops that just need borders to be finished.

Here is a Fall Sampler I did with a MSN group. I actually have 2 sets of these blocks and hope to get the other set done before the 1st too AND the borders put on.
I'm going to do a skinny border of brown and then a nice colorful fall leaves print. I haven't decided on backings yet.

And here is the smaller of the "Not so Amish" Disappearing 9-patch quilts. This is 36 inches square currently and the other is 60. With borders they will be 48 and 72.


For the borders on this one I will use a skinny black strip, then a Red strip and then another slightly wider black strip. That's my plan so far anyway. I'll back both of them with solid black.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Not-So-Amish Progress

I had 44 blocks. I have now cut all the quarters and squared them up. I've had to toss some of them as they were so wonky they are unusable. But I have enough for this to be a good queen size. There are about 15 different colors with the solid black.

I have a lot going on this week with getting ready for our Annual Summer Pops Concert at church. This year's theme is "1969 and the music of Woodstock". I will post some pictures afterwards because this is a real trip. Everyone is wearing tie dye and hippie clothes. What's funny is that several people had saved their clothes and can still fit into them. I'm singing "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell, and the Folksingers group I'm in is singing "Let's Get Together" by The Youngbloods, "The Boxer" by Paul Simon, and "Joy to the World (Jeremiah was a Bullfrog" by Three Dog Night. I wish I was still singing in the Rock Band, as one of the songs they are doing is 'White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane. Courtney is singing the lead and she definitely sounds a lot more like Grace than I would. LOL.

Also trying to get the last week of the Summer Program with the kids finished and get things started for the new school year and the new Private Kindergarten class I'll be teaching. Been a while since I had to do lesson plans and work on curriculum. I'm glad that it's going to be a very small class. We're starting with 6 kids enrolled and she won't give me more than 10. Several of the kids need a lot of 1 on 1 attention because of behavior issues. I think I have a plan in place for helping them. We can hope...

Friday, August 8, 2008

One of the groups I'm in does a swap where we exchange a set of blocks and our swap mate makes the top. This is what I'm getting back from my swap mate

I LOVE IT! I would have never thought about setting them this way. I think I'm going to call it "Stars over Wyoming" as it reminds me of the trip DH and I took through Yellowstone.

I can't wait to get it back and see it in person! Thanks JaDee!


Tuesday, August 5, 2008

I have just go to do this!

I was reading Bonnie Hunter's latest blog and saw this quilt she just made. Fungly.
I will have to make one of these as soon as I get a few other things done. I've got tons of fabrics just perfect for these blocks. Nice and bright and wild and Scrappy. Just the way I like them.

Friday, August 1, 2008

GO!

Adding the list to the sidebar of things that I would like to get done before the end of the year. I have lots of other projects, but I know there won't be time. Most of these are things I'd like to get finished in time for the Craft Fair at Southwest Airlines (where DH works) that is November 24th. I've rented 1 booth space and asked for 1st or 2nd floor. We won't discuss what happened last year... let's just say we were on the 3rd floor and people were out of $ before they got to us. At least that's what we hoped. That's our story and we're sticking to it!