From Virginia...With Love....To Boston!

My little bit of love going to Boston.

Great comforting things are afoot in the crafty world and you can be a part of it! Want to send Boston some LOVE....go here and check it out!

Peace

xo ~d

Over 200 Posts and Peeps!:) Let's Celebrate!!

These three celebrated last week...yep...four birthdays in four days the fourth

being my Mother-in-law's! Phew!!

1994 the girl is seven, the boy is five

But there were only two around to celebrate cause the boy is waiting til he comes home next week (Yeah!) and of course...the girl in in the UK!  Her present was too big to mail so we sent her a card with a photo of her present on the cover.

This is what she'll get...one day!  Every square a story...the story of the girl...that flag twirling, tuba playing, story writing, BS and MA earning, traveling all over the world girl!

 But for now I can enjoy it!

My in-law's neighbors are celebrating too...the birth of their second grandkid.  Since Granddad is a large animal Vet and they raise sheep and cattle, I used Locally Grown on the front and backed it with this fabulous farm print! I love it!  They have strict instructions this quilt is to stay at their house for when the grandkids visit!;)

Ok....now to the BIG 200!!! I recently noticed that I have past my 200th blog post and have over 200 followers!  I'm just so thrilled about it I thought I would share....

 ...share some of the bounty I received at the Sew South Retreat!!:)

As a little thank you I pulled a few things out of that pile of goodness and added a few scraps of fabric. I'll add a couple other surprises. Leave me a comment and let me know...when you finish all your WIPs...what will be your next project?Heheheh..."when you finish all your WIPS" Bwhahahaaa!:)

I'll pick a winner next Saturday the 20th and of course...international peeps are more than welcomed to enter!!

I have quite a few WIPs of my own including this behemoth...that's 15 yards of scrappy binding laying on top...I need about nine of it for that monster!

Thanks for visiting everyone...really...thanks!!

~d

The FIRST Sew South Retreat was....

... in Charlotte, North Carolina . This amazing adventure called  Sew South was all about ....

 ...meeting new friends....

...shopping at We're Sew Creative....

.... IKEA smiles...

...sewing....

 ...gluing...

 ....more sewing...

....nourishment to sew some more!

Happy finishes...

...and proud, inspiring new friends!!

After a drive home through Virginia....

...and one week later....I still haven't opened my duffle ...I still can't look at all the glorious stash we received...then it really will be over...I don't want that feeling to be over!!

Thanks so much Jennifer....thanks so much!!

~d

ps...I really can't express how awesome this weekend actually was so go here to the Sew South flickr group and read what others so eloquently wrote!

Don't Forget to Be Awesome!

This year at work I'm in charge of Block of the Month program.  

There will be thirty different blocks by years end...

....here are the first eight...very scrappy.  I love them.  

Too bad I have to wait a year to put them all together!

 In the meantime I finally finished the top of the Mystery Quilt we did last year. It's not quite my cup o'tea but it was a nice challenge and I love the fabrics.  Kerry and Penny have to really stretch to hold it up it's so huge!  Penny will be quilting it next month! Yeah!!

 Last year during our visit with the girl in the UK I was lucky enough to celebrate my birthday and the girl's roommate, Rose, gave me a lovely package of fabric squares. I used them to make a little case for  the Acer computer my dad gave me and a scarf! Thanks Rose!

Here are a few Reverse Starburst blocks I made for Krista. Each little square is 4" before stitching. Love them.  Google it to see quilts made with this block!

 The girl at work at The Story Museum....being Awesome!;)

~d

I'm in a Magazine....sort of!;)

 Really my pal Jo of Avery Homestore in Edinburgh, Scotland (MyBearPaw) is in the new UK magazine Homemade!

Here is the cover of the first issue.  I made the little owl...

 ...using Jo's pattern that is featured in the magazine!  Isn't he cute?  Everyone should have a guitar tummy and flannel back!

 Jo also has a two-page spread in the magazine and this is where I come in....see that red sticky arrow up above the table in Jo's workshop room?  It's pointing to MY little mini hanging on her wall!! Hahha!!  That awesome couch/pillow/lampshade piece is something Jo made for me in the Hoop Up! Swap!:) Aren't you jealous?  Jo said I was the first person to ask for her autograph.  I'm sure it won't be the last time she's asked as Jo is an amazingly creative person and I foresee many more projects in magazines from her! Thanks Jo!

 Here's another finish...the boy has a good pal who just became a daddy for the second time.  The wee owl is going to two year old big brother Cash, the quilt is going to his new baby sister Clarabel!:)  Daddy is a musician....I think he'll like the fabric! The flannel backing is fantastic. I need to use flannel more often!

You know that when something is finished there is always another project waiting in the wings.  My pal Amy at During Quiet Time sent me three fun charm packs of Asbury that I won in her giveaway.  I'm going to use those with this great stack of solid charms Pam gave me last year for the perfect and perfectly easy picnic quilt....now the weather just needs to warm up!

Hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day....I did!;)

~d

Little Finishes

Hope all in the Northeast are staying warm...we dodged that storm just having about 1.5  inches of snow and loads of wind.  Today is glorious!

With all this messy weather I have been getting some things done.

 This is Eclectic Manor made from the windows/door theme at the Bitty Block Swap.  If you want to read the Manor's story and see who made each wee block check it out here.  I made the mouse door in the attic!:)

 Here is Eclectic Theater made from the movie theme blocks....read the Theater's story here! I made the drive-in theater block in the middle row on the bottom....I should have picked better fabrics for it!

 January's theme at The Sketchbook Challenge was Artist Dates....I really never made time for myself to go somewhere and just draw.  At the end of the month I realized I was going to mess up my streak of posting a picture every month since the Challenge began January 2011...so I got to it!  The boy gave me a French Press for Christmas so I had coffee on the brain!

It's Ruthie's turn at the Bitty Block Bee.....she picked Harry Potter so I made her a feather and the Knight's Bus....I forgot the bus should have been purple but Ruthie didn't care....thank heavens!!:)  My turn is coming up in May...I have finally have an idea....it's a secret for now!!

Things are really starting to heat up for the Sew South Retreat next month in Charlotte, NC.  I'm doing a few of the fun swaps and one of them is a Sample Swap.  We'll be put in random groups of five and swap little homemade goodies.  I made jewelry pouches.

Little drawstring bags with six pockets on the inside.  Love those colors.  Should have made one for myself!!  We just received our Supply List and I'm so excited. We will be making a clutch purse, a duffle bag, a foundation paper piece project AND some lounge pants!  I've made all that before but this time I'll be with a bunch of like-minded peeps....sewing+talking+food=so freaking much fun!!  

I also received some fun mail this week...aren't these itty bitty wooden birds adorable? I showed my Dad a picture and he made these for me.  I want to put a more colorful trim on them but for now this will do.  They are sitting on my shelf....just being cute! Thanks Dad!! xoxo
~d

Love From Utah and California....and Back Again!

  Wonderful friends have I...yep...wonderful friends and I'll give you a couple of examples! 

Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter had several copies of 

Sweet Celebrations  for sale in her shop.  Amy has an awesome project in the book! Alas I was too late to buy one but lookie, lookie what she found and sent to me!!! For Free!! No pay....nada!!

How wonderful was that?  A thank you note just didn't seem like enough so...

 ...I made her this!  It's a copy of the little apple she has on her logo.

Oh...and look inside the book!!!:) Thanks bunches pal...I can't wait to try out your Love Notes wall hanging and my little thanks is flying to you right now!:)  

See this cutie...this is Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts....she sent me some Julie love via my pal Kerry who helped out at Road to California.

 Kerry took this photo of Julie at the show in front of her booth....look at that smile and her booth was amazing!  You can see more photos here.  Julie wasn't content to send me this paper note with Kerry...no...

...she sent me ALL this....her new book Toes in the Sand and her Hex N More ruler!!

 So this is my thank you to Julie....her blue jay feather logo.  I think her brother drew the logo.

Inside... another autograph...I'm getting quite a collection of those!:)

Ladies....my heart is full...thank you so much. I hope you both feel the love I put into these little minis!:)
xo
~d