Rainbow Scrap Challenge--for the Love of Purple!

I am very happy to say that I spent much of Sunday sewing away in purple for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge Sampler!  This one is antique tile!  I didn't place my pretty fabric in the same place Angela did but it turned out alright anyhow!

This one is pinwheel or somthing like that.  Nice movement in this block!

This one is cracker (not the best picture) but I really like this one!

Flying geese...I made these following Eleanor Burns method because usually that works perfectly for me.  These three turned out but the others were not quite as good as usual.  Luckily I can never remember that each set will make four geese so I made two sets.  So I have extra not so good geese for something wonky later!

This one is the knot block.  Love how it came out too!

So here are all the purple blocks so far for April.  I added in one of my churn dashes and the kitty block too so my collection of purples is growing!

My Purple Heaven and an Ipod Case!

 I added a few more rows to My Blue/Purple Heaven!  I also finished the rest of the star blocks!  They still need pressing and trimming and to be put into rows and added, but I imagine I can get that done this week!
Kathy and I decided to try making ourselves an ipod case tonight too.  I found one I really liked on etsy, but I didn't want to spend 23 dollars on it when I knew I could make one.  So I searched the web and found a cool blog at Dog Named Banjo with a free tutorial.  She had lots of great pictures so even I could follow along.  Her ipod is a titch smaller than mine so I should have made it a little bigger, but didn't realize til it was too late.  I may make another later on bigger, but for now I am happy to have a case for free!

Sewing and Knitting with Becky!

Becky came over tonight for a few hours and we did some gabbing and watched some DIY network.  I seem to get into that every Spring for awhile.  Becky was knitting and finished up a pretty scarf that is more intricate than I would try.
I worked on My Blue (Purple) Heaven.  I made enough star blocks to add two more rows.  I also cut and sewed more parts for the last twelve star blocks I need to make.  I am SO happy that I have gotten back to this one.
I see Angela has posted a few more purple blocks so I plan to hit those in the morning before getting right back to this!

Arizona Blankets for Kids--Quilting for Charity!

 Kathy is all locked and loaded with her ipod for our charity sew day!

 Samantha is already sewing away before I have even set up my machine!

 A room full of fellow quilters working hard!

 The picture below is Christine's very first quilt!

 

 Here is my first of the day.  Nemo!

 Kathy's first one!

 Lunch!

 My second one.  So cheerful, I hope the little one loves it!

 Samantha is done with her quilt!  So beautiful, I really loved the plaid in this one.  I also love Samantha's self satisfied smile!

 Kathy finished another one.

 My third one.  It has Thanksgiving themed fabric.  I guess these three tops count as my NewFO's for April!  The best part being someone else gets to finish them up!  Linking up here!

 Christine's number two...really cute little lambs on it.

 I have not yet met this guy, but he is a quilting dynamo!  I am not sure how many quilts he quilts in a day, but both days we have gone he has been doing them by the stack.  Here is quilting the one I made last meeting!  He is fast!

 I did manage to finish up my purple leaders and enders while I was there, they came in handy as actual leaders and enders!

Purple Marches On!

I have been rather stalled on My Blue (Purple) Heaven from the Bonnie Hunter workshop last February.  Pattern is here:  http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2005/06/my-blue-heaven.html so I thought I should just start putting the blocks I had done into a quilt top so that I might be further motivated to finish up the twenty something stars I need to sew!  Bug jumped right on for a photo too!

 I caught up on the last two Quilt Cam's that I missed which was fun!  Bonnie even mentioned me on the second one, though I was working and not playing with her as I prefer to do!  I looked around my messy of stack of stuff and thought I needed to cut more of the larger purple triangles before i could do any more blocks.  So as you see on the computer above I cut a bunch.  Then I promptly found this stack below--all cut and sewn together for centers for all the rest of the blocks I need.  HA, I should not leave projects half done without leaving myself a note!

 I made a few more stars...

And lots of lozenges.  Kathy piled up a bunch of stuff but that is how we roll.  I am almost out of purple lozenges...good thing since we are almost to the next color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge! I will be linking up when I get a chance with SoScrappy!

And one more row is on--tomorrow is charity sewing all day but I hope to get back to star blocks in the late afternoon and maybe, just maybe move this quilt along!  OOOOH happy accident, I just looked at the borders for this quilt and I will be using those extra triangles I cut tonight--WHOOT WHOOT!

In other news, I lost 3.6 pounds this week for a total of 27. something!  My fitbit really helps keep me moving and I even made it to 11,000 something steps yesterday for a new record!  Kathy has also lost 25 pounds, and now my sewing friend Becky has joined up and she has already lost 12!  Hope your weekend is quilty!

Here Kitty Kitty!

Here Kitty Kitty Block pattern is over at VT Quilter if you need to make a purple (or any other color) 6.5 inch unfinished block.  April is almost over and I only have a few purple blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge done!  I made a few more purple leaders/enders lozenges too.

I will be sewing all day tomorrow, but at a charity sewing event...AZ Blankets for Kids with a few friends of mine.  Should be a really fun day!  This afternoon I am planning to finally plant my herb garden (seeds are soaking now!) and sew whatever catches my fancy!  Have a great weekend!

Linking up with Angela's Rainbow Scrap Challenge from last week!

Playing Around on the Blog!

Sew at Home Mummy is doing a beautify your blog series and look what I was able to make here at work between calls!  My very first picture with print on it!  LOL, cannot wait to get home and actually follow her directions and make myself a new header and such.  So happy that some folks are good at things like this and teach the rest of us!

In other news, I did not sew diddly squitsky last weekend (not sure if you noticed the lack of posting!) but I did read a book (The Red Queen) cover to cover and got in plenty of exercise!  I did do some handstitching on my second elephant but that was about all that was crafty that happened.  I am hoping to be more in the mood this weekend!  

Purple Passion Saturday!

 I spent much of yesterday and today's sewing time cut PURPLE bricks for my lozenge leader/ender challenge and then sewing some of them.  I am about caught up to the point where I can go back to doing them as leaders and enders!  I now have 167 I believe.

 Many--if not most of these purples are from the fabulous fabric thrift sale I went to a few weeks ago.  A few were mine, but lots and lots of the fabrics in this quilt are going to be from those findings.  Kathy and I watched "Fruitvale Station" last night and some Titanic themed things today.  If you have not seen Fruitvale, it was an excellent movie.  Sadly it is based on a true story but really has a message for us.

 We have also decided we are going to plant a herb garden this year....we ordered the stuff and are still waiting on part of the kit to arrive before we can do the actual planting.  Meanwhile, I have been reading this book and have marked off the pages for the herbs we are going to grow.  I am doing better with remembering to water my succulents too...when summer really gets going here in Arizona, all these things are coming in the house!  I may wind up putting them in the window of the Packer room until I get my dream window in the kitchen...so I will have room for herbs there.

My sewing friend Stella (who was in the PHXMQG but moved away) thought of me when she found this gnome fabric--so she sent it to me.  How sweet is that, it made my day...random acts of kindness rock!
My parents are moving again---hopefully buying a house in Cave Creek (they have a counteroffer to the counteroffer in right now) so tomorrow we are heading up to help them pack again.  Are you counting how often them move?  I went to nineteen schools before graduating high school and then since I was married to a military man I moved tons after that too...the longest I have ever lived anywhere is about five years...this house is about to break the record on the last house I lived in on Lake Wissota which was about five years.  Anyway, since we have been here (five years in June) my parents have moved six times--or is this move seven?  My siblings and I are SO over it but my mom loves to decorate and I swear she thinks it is easier to move than to Spring clean--especially when we help her!
Oh, lost 1.6 pounds this week--so I am just over 20.  Kathy lost 6.2!  Her total is around 19...whoot whoot!  Still getting in my exercise daily!

Antiquing for some Steps!

Stopped in at 35th Ave. to pick up our blocks on Saturday and someone shared their flimsy of another quilt...too cute in purple!

After that Kathy and I decided to go to the Antique store to get in some steps for our fitbits in a fun way.  I have not been to this place in over a year so it was fun to check out all the quilts and machines the way Bonnie always does!

I loved this fan quilt.  Nothing I would ever try to make mind you!

Stacks of quilts!

This machine is really similar to the one I have at home. 

Another pretty quilt I would not attempt!  And another cool machine!

Thought this donkey qiult was pretty cool!

A not as old singer in a cabinet.

Loved both of these quilt.  Hexies and bubble gum pink, what is not to love!