Fountain Hills :)

 Today my spool parts from Suebee arrived!  I have already sewn up a few.  She included a cute little sewing machine part too.  I have to find something fun to put that in!

 Yesterday Kathy and I met my mom to do the craft show at Fountain Hills.  We made a stop on the way and I found the golden calf.  I sure hope this means my luck is changing and this year will be better than the last year!  We looked like tourists taking our picture..I had to explain to one guy walking by giving us a crazy look that we were from Wisconsin (we love cows, what can we say!).  My daughter Hannah is now collecting those cool little cows and this made me think of her which always makes me smile!

 Here is the fountain in Fountain Hills.  It was a spectacular day to be out and about and the view was so relaxing.  There was great music too!  I bought a few little things and enjoyed walking and walking and walking, til I could walk no more with my mom!

 Today Kathy and I sewed up our 35th Ave. BOM blocks.  This month there are four of them.  Kathy didn't take a picture of hers yet.  These didn't want to all line up like they are supposed to and I wasn't overly thrilled with the, but they don't look too bad from a distance.

Tonight we watch Argo at home and I did a lot of hand sewing on my hexies.  I added a row in both directions.  This has been one heck of a long term project...I remember sewing on it in so many places, the memories...the day we waiting a zillion years for Hannah and Mac to jump from a plane (the weather didn't want to cooperate) I got a lot done on this too!  I am almost out of cut fabric for this, so I will cut some more and keep on keeping on.
I also finally got the label on baby Oliver's quilt and a bag to put it in and baby Colton's too.  :)

Snippet of Sewing...

 After work tonight Kathy worked on her clues for both the mysteries we are working on and so I putted around, sewed a few more spools and decided I should see how many I have made and take a photo.  Lots of lime greens and purples because those colors are in Easy Street and I cut them from scraps!  Need more variety, but I have a whole wipes container full of cut pieces for more blocks so it will happen.

Read a blog the other day (I already forgot whose it was, darn it) and the gal had done clay yourself so I had to do one too.  Here I am, looking good--haha!  

Working tomorrow, but hope to get in some sewing this weekend!

Sewing at Becky's House!

This morning Becky and I met up at "Market on the Move" and got lost of veges for cheap.  Then we got to sewing!

 Borrowed Becky's pictures to show you what she was up to today while I sewed at her house.  Lots of Christmas present making ticked off her list!  Love the skirt for her daughter, pillowcases for both kids and a gift for a friend....

 and best of all, she is making these little stars with leftover bits and pieces of fabric from any clothes she makes for her kids.  Eventually she will have a whole quilt full of memories.  I love this idea and wish I would have done something like this when my kids were young...maybe for the grandkids one day when I have them!

 Meanwhile, I did clue 5 of Easy Street.  These went together so well for me!  I trimmed just the inner part like Bonnie showed and they all line up so nicely.  These are just fingerpressed so they didn't behave for the picture, but loving them.  Becky had to give me one turquoise square because I was one short at last count (unless I miscounted when I barretted them in tens).  I am linking up with Bonnie at Quiltville if you want to see how everyone else is coming along on Easy Street!

 Kathy is caught up on clue four and has her clue 5 cut, but didn't sew at all today.  Maybe tomorrow!

 I also sewed ALL my hst's for the NYE Mystery!  I trimmed the pages and cut four of them but have lost of cutting left to go...I am using triangulations paper which I find to be really easy and accurate for me.  I want all the "presewing" done so this quilt zips together on NYE.  I also made about five spools at Beckys' and here is my stack so far.  I need to take a picture of them on the design wall soon!

In other news, Hannah got her box of Christmas gifts today and Mac got a slip that his was in!  YAY they arrived in time!  Here is Hannah with her cat GreyBear posing with her Anita's Arrowhead Christmas Quilt.  It matches her Christmas tree skirt and now she has an official Christmas quilt!

Behind on the Blogging! Stepping Down Easy Street!

While Kathy is in MA for her father's funeral and Randy is in Ohio for his brother's funeral I have been home sewing and sending my prayers and love out to both of them and their families.  They say bad things come in threes, so I am not sure what we will be hit with next.  Kathy's father was 85 or so and ready to go be with his wife but Randy's brother was only 51 and it is such a sad thing to bury your younger sibling as Randy and several of his sisters had to do.  So since Coleman and I are holding down the fort here I have been sewing.  I made this Zip up bag for Mac.  He loves Batman and anything comic.  Already filled it with bathroom supplies and wrapped it up for him.

 I talked to Kathy on the webcam last night and made this Moth in the Window block while we gabbed.  Recognize the plaid?  It was the back of my Dad's quilt.  Love seeing those fabrics turn up in other quilts!

 This morning after some cleaning and organizing and fabric folding, Becky came over and we worked on clue three of Easy Street.  We both finished it off and got in a few spools too.  We both agree we are loving Bonnie's color choices!

 Here are all the parts for the mystery so far.

 Here are a few of my spools.  Got more cut too, really need to sew more!  Linking up to Bonnie here  Bonnie's mystery Monday link-up.
Grab your cup and meet me there.      

 I made a pair of pillowcases for Reid (my cousin's son) for Christmas too.  Hope he likes them.  I need to make a pair for Kathy and I too.  We got new sheets and since we have six pillows on the bed we need more pillowcases!

 I also dug out all my half square triangles that were bonus triangles and trimmed, and trimmed and trimmed them for pinwheels--clue two of Tobacco Road.  I have 25 blocks made and have trimmed all the rest of the hst's so I can make more tomorrow.  I hate the trimming, but am happy to use up leftovers from Carolina Christmas and I am not sure what all else!  Made the eight half four patches today too.

Tomorrow Kathy (sewing buddy) invited Becky, Barb and I over to sew.  I am sure some will be finishing up Easy Street clue three, Becky has some Christmas items for her kids she wants to sew, and I think I will work on pinwheels for Tobacco Road.  Or I make take spools, or both!

My oldest son turns 26 on the 9th (today since it is after midnight now) so he and I went and saw Red Dawn which was really a good remake to celebrate.  It was nice, he and I haven't been out by ourselves in forever. Went to the late movie and it wasn't crowded at all so that was nice.  Now I am free to sew in the afternoon and should still be home in time for the Packer game!  I hope you are getting in some sewing!

Can You Believe it? More Sewing!

 Kathy and I worked on getting the borders on this Lil' Twister quilt.  Kathy also prepped the backing and made a scrappy Halloween binding.  We ran out of energy to get it all tied and whatnot, don't think this one will be done this Halloween.  However, now we think we should make a Christmas one!

 Since Kathy ran out to JoAnn's and picked up black fabric for the borders on the other quilt, I finally was able to get borders on this wallhanging which will be for Coleman.
I also worked on my bow ties...but didn't take a picture of those..made one more spool with the scissor fabric that was leftover from Grandma Nan's quilt several years ago.  Cut one up for Becky and Kathy too!  

We had a really nice weekend...got in lots of sewing and life is finally feeling better.  The weather here in Arizona is now perfect and is the reason we love living here--at least in the winter!

Sewing with Bonnie, then with Barb!

 I got up and grabbed some coffee and started sewing with Bonnie in my PJ's!  See she is holding up another completed block and you can see the ones I made today too!

Norway fabric, a block for me and one for Bonnie!

Someone commented to Bonnie about European fabric and Bonnie said something about always trying to find unique or unusual fabric we can't get her in the States which got me to thinking I had fabric from Norway from almost a decade ago.  I have been saving it for something special and the only thing I have used it for was an apron once.  I thought it might work though it does make for a busy block!  I made Bonnie and I matching blocks--so will send hers off to her next week.  Maybe it will wind up in her quilt, or in her backing for it.  I had leftover bits so I made a third one only the third one has the opposite colorway.  Not sure what I am doing with that one, if I find someone making "Moth in the Window" I may just send it on to that person.  

Barb invited me over to sew for the evening, so I finally showered and dressed and loaded up to go sew.  I worked on my two brown SoScrappy Rainbow Blocks for October.  Just have pinwheels to go.  This is of course another Bonnie pattern, Jack in the Box.

I also worked on one hundred flying geese for Hawaii Sunset.  This isn't he final picture, but in the end there were a hundred..so only one hundred more to go!   Finally feeling like I may finish the geese up before Christmas, lol!

Worked a bit on the Cheddary Challenge at home earlier too.  Got another block together and a few more bow ties.  Got two spools done today too!  

I did check to see what the UFO challenge is for October and lo and behold it is Smith Mountain Morning.  I got the binding on that before going to Barb's and will post pictures tomorrow.  It needs a label and then it is off to Monica and Bob's!  

I am not planning to do this month's Schnibble since it is a large quilt and I am just not motivated to get to it.  

What We Worked on This Week...

Did a few more spools for Bonnie's Challenge.  

Got some more Bow Ties done...

Did some cutting and added to my strips in bins and to my strings which I don't think I have ever posted about.  This dresser my mom redid when I was twelve.  I begged for it to be mine and it has survived countless moves and may actually be the piece of furniture I have had the longest.  Should have taken a picture of the front of it too, but here the drawers are pulled out so you can see how I put my strings in sort of by color.  The bottom drawer is where my quilt tops and backings wait to go to the longarmer.  

 Kathy continues to work on a twister border for the Halloween Twister quilt.  Last night I cut a ton of leftover bits into spools for me and a few for Becky.  My basket is now overflowing!  The leftover bits went into the strips and strings.  Every time I get in a cutting mood I am moving through the smaller pieces of fabric I have.  What I don't find a use for goes in a bag for BJ!  She loves scraps.

Spoolin' Around--Sewing Day at Barb's!

I worked a few hours this morning and then headed over to Barb's house to sew for the first time.  Barb worked on putting the binding on this quilt and then she worked on the bag below.

 Kathy (sewing buddy Kathy, not my Kathy) picked the fabric out for her and coached her along since she was finishing up three of the bags for future gifts.

 These three are Kathy's.  She accidently forgot to cut the stripes in the "correct" direction, and in the end all of us liked it better this way.  I may just have to use stripes on one of mine that I make.  I made one of these a long while back with Nimble Thimbles (all these gals are from that group) and have been meaning to pick up more of the special interfacing stuff so I can make some more.  They make good gifts.
I borrowed these pictures from the gals' facebook pages because I forgot to take pictures while I was there. Becky was also there and she finished up a baby size quilt and worked on her spools.  I spent the majority of my time cutting out my spools.  If you haven't heard by now, Bonnie Hunter has put out the next challenge instead of bow ties, we are moving on to spools and doing some Spoolin' Around!  http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2012/08/spoolin-around-leaderender-challenge.html 

 I sewed up my first seven spools, mostly with fabric that Becky traded me.  I spent the majority of time cutting and cutting and cutting. I gave Becky a bagful and had one for Suzy...then I realized that I hadn't cut enough of the little squares...I was cutting four like the directions said, but not four for each stack.  Blonde moment and so I had to go back through ALL of the stack and try to match up squares and recut more squares.  I still have a stack that needs squares cut, but I was so sick it after a point.  Next time I will do better, lol.  On the other hand, I cut squares for the lights--which didn't need squares so now I have a bag of light squares.  Talking and cutting and tired...that is my story!

In the end I had this basket for myself (some Becky gave me) so I have plenty to get started on anyways.  I need to get some backs pieced, but I am just soooo tired that I am not counting on it happening!

Christmas Through the Year Sewn Up with Bonnie!

 Since Bonnie was on the webcam again (and even answered my question and commented on my comment) sewing I thought I better get up and sew a bit too.  So for Christmas Through the Year I filled 5 pounds of rice in this little sleeve type thing and now someone will have a nice hot pack.  I made two more smaller ones, but was out of rice, lol!

 Bonnie mentioned the possibility that this Spoolin' Around block will be her next Leader Ender project--she is SO on the same page as me, I have been collecting spool patterns and really want to do a project with them.  There are some really cool patterns out there, these little ones would make a good wall hanging for my sewing room though!

Next up I sewed two wine bags out of leftover fabric "Wildflower" from the last Schnibbles, Dimestore.  I found the pattern on Moda Bake Shop here.

 http://www.modabakeshop.com/2011/02/charming-wine-gift-bags.html

So a few more gifts made, and I will be making more of both of these items.  Really easy!

I also updated my UFO's so that I could marvel at the progress I have made this past year with Judy's challenge!  http://moderndiary.blogspot.com/p/ufos.html if you want to see how it is coming along!