Are your feet getting cold???

Because I think Hell is freezing over!!! I have won something! Me! Granny! Yes, folks, the world must be turning on a different axis,,, the man on the moon has turned into cheese,,, and Santa has come early this year!! can I get a "Whoop Whoop???"

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the Divine Miss Em at http://emsscrapbag.blogspot.com/ was given an entry to a 12 week quilting class given by Annie Smith at http://simplearts.com/blogs/ make all the blocks for this beauty.

But, life being busy, she could not accept it and she (in the kindness of her heart) offered the class as a giveaway. Boy, I wanted to win that, I have NEVER had ANY lessons on quilting, and have always done it my way, which I'm sure is the wrong way. But, alas, I lost,which did not suprise me, because I have never won a giveaway, EVER!

Mary at http://needledmom.blogspot.com/ was the lucky winner. Well, ladies, guess who got an e-mail yesterday asking if I would still like those classes?? ME! That's right, Mary was traveling and would miss the first few weeks, so she has shared!!! What a sweet heart she is!!! oh, can you tell how excited I am? In the speed of light, I was registered and classes start on Thursday!! wowzie wow wow!! I have to get a book, I have to get some fat quarters, I have to get a hold of myself! Being an "almost winner" is wonderful!

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This is what we did this weekend! My brother had his yearly Fish Fry and so we played, and ate, and laughed, and ate some more!

Tony, Jakey, & James


Elly, Jakey, Jonnie, Liberty

Elly

"the gang" (Elizabeth had a birthday party to go to)

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So, now I have to go the LQS for some supplies to start the class, I'm still working on the "Blue Beast" she is soooo big, but I am half way done with the binding now, so I'll have a fresh start on the new blocks.

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Have you all signed up for finn's annual New Year's Eve UFO Finish Challenge? I signed up for 6 finishes,,,,EEK! I'm going to have to get a move on!

Hope all your UFO's get finished this year!

lyn

Who could it be, now?

The giveaway was sooo much fun for me, the talented ladies who entered all had their own reasons to "pick" or "no-pick" and I kept a tally.

PICK: 21

NO-PICK:22

plus, a very diplomatic scrappy quilter, who did not commit either way.

(you know who you are,,tee hee)

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Most of you commented "this is the way I would do it, but you do it the way you feel is right" which reminds me of how uniquely personal quilting decisions are. We all have our own little quirks and quips, don't we?

Being a woman of a certain age, I've come to not only accept my own imperfections, but embrace them and even giggle at them.

So, I left that little mistake, thinking it was nnooo biiiggg ddeeeaaalll! It would never show in the end, and I really could find plenty of bigger problems to fret about....

And, you knew what was going to happen, didn't you? that darn old quilting Karma bit me....hard!


I turned, upside down, not one,


not two....

but THREE blocks,,,and it was AFTER some of the borders were on,

Boy, oh, boy, did I have to pick!! Crappity Crap Crap Crap!

That should teach me a lesson, Never think the Quilting Karma's not watching!!!

So, now to the Best Part! I was most scientific in the draw, and hand wrote all the names on a paper, cut them and folded them, tossed them in a basket, and had Mr. Wonderful pull out a name.



He pulled a winner,,,,and another winner was attached and fell on the table...that means a winner, and almost winner!

So, the Cinderberry Stitches pattern and fat quarters will go to Deb who has three wonderful blogs, and one is dedicated to donations crafts! Please go visit her, and she will definately inspire you!

The almost winner is Sue, who does not have a blog, but I'll e-mail her, and let her know she should, she just seems so sweet in her comments. I have three more of the same fat quarters, so I'll send her a "second place prize" since Mr. Wonderful dropped her. (ouch)

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Thanks to all the dear stitchers who played along...and now I'm off to read all these wonderful bloggers!

Hope all your blocks are turned the right way!

A "Thanks For Sharing" Giveaway!

I have been sewing my leaders and enders all year, (if you haven't already done them, go check out quiltville.com/leadersenders.shtml) It is a loooonnnngggg process, you could just whip up a basketfull of HST's, but then you still have to use a scrap to start strips on other quilts. So, my thrifty nature is drawn to this system. and, after a ton of scraps, I have acquired enough HST's to make a full size quilt for the guest room. I LOVE the scrappiness of this project, and I was anxious to get it done. I sewed squares into blocks, blocks into strips, laid it all out on our bed to make sure no two adjoining squares had the same fabric...

and BOOM! Mr. Wonderful dropped a bomb, he announced, in a pleading tone, that he rreeeeaaalllyyy loved this one. The best one yet, wouldn't it look good on our bed? Did I have to make it for the guest room? Nobody would be able to enjoy it unless we had guests.

So, plan B.....make it larger to fit our bed, which is a California Queen, back to the old scrap bag!

That meant I had to start a new quilt to produce more Leaders and Enders, right?

I started a matchy-matchy blue Irish Chain. Every so often, I veer from the scrappy and I have to do a matchy-matchy to renew my sense of order, and to show off some of my favorite fabrics. I stripped, and I blocked, and I was merrily ironing along, When I stumbled upon a disaster...EEK! What the...........surely, Mr. Wonderful must have gotten up in the middle of the night and tried to sew blocks, because "I" would not do this. "I" was careful. cautious, vigilant!!! "I" fastidiously made sure ALL of my seam allowances were lined up PERFECTLY! Of course, he denied all accusations.

Girls, you have all helped me soooo much, through all of my foibles, frustrations, and fretting, so would you continue to help this old gal out? I will share a beautiful Cinderberry Stitches pattern and 3 fat quarters, if you'll leave a comment in answer to this question:

"Would you un-sew this seam and return it to it's perfected state? Or would you leave it, and pray the Quilt Police never lay eyes on this quilt?"

To get a second entry in the giveaway, post this on your blog, so I can get other opinions. I will have Mr. Wonderful pick the winner on Friday.

Here's hoping all your seam allowances are straight!

lyn

Busy times for little ones...

School has started, so we had our last camping trip for the summer,,,which is always sad, for the kids, AND for Granny and Papa.

We have to wait for the weekends to take them, and if they have sports or cheerleading, we don't get the extended time with them.






But on days when Jakey has to go in for his chemo, Mom and Dad bring him into the city the night before, so he can get his spinal tap early in the mornings. (The staff has requested a minimum of people in the clinic, because of the H1N1 virus.) So that means Granny and Papa get the delightful company of Elizabeth and Jonny, (who really is a little angel.) He is the best 2-year-old I've ever known. And I've known quite a few. Today is Jakey's first day of pre-school, and he was just a little nervous last night. He just had his treatments on Friday, and he is pumped full of chemo, steroids, and antibiotics, which magnifies any stresses in his little body. He was a little excited this morning, so we have Jonny today, just in case Mommy had to stay at the school for a few hours.

With the kids in school, I have been putzing with my scrappy "Jacks in Six" (thank you, Finn, for telling me the name of this block!) I now have enough to make a queen size quilt, so I'll be stitching them together soon.

I did get my Friendship Bag Swap package out to "Anne" last week, (ssshhh! its a secret, so don't tell her) and I think she will be getting it in the next few days...I hope she likes it! I hopped over to her blog, and she does a lot of crochet and knitting, and in one of the pictures, she had her yarn in a plastic store bag. That gave me the idea to make her a bag that would hold 3 or 4 skeins of yarn. The ones in the tutorial were tiny, but I'm sure the "bag police" would not arrest me for giving a larger bag...???...

I know I'm early on this swap, but I never know when I'll get a minute or two to play with Bessie (my machine) so that is done and I can start on Christmas gifts,,,,EEK,,,did I say the "C" word? It is looming up fast here, and I have a lot to do. time flies! the older I get, the faster it goes!

Hope all your 2-year-olds are angelic!

lyn

I've given up...

...on pinwheels, I love the movement they give a scrappy old quilt, but couldn't make up my mind on what to do with them,,,

So, I took all of my 240+ "leaders and enders" and ironed themand sorted them so I would not repeat the same HST in a block, I was very careful!and I squared them up, and I squared them up....And, yes, then I squared them up....and put them together,,,,and I STILL got two of the same HST in one block (probably many blocks) ok, I happen to have a nifty little "unsewing tool" for just such an occasion. Guess what I'll be doing this evening?

Does anybody know the name of this block? I have seen it, but I never knew the name. You all know I'm pattern-impared, so I cannot follow by all the beautiful patterns out there, (maybe that should be my next goal) I have to "see" it, then I can figure out in my head how to make them. It's a pain, but I can live with it. I could not find my way out of my own kitchen with either a pattern or a recipe,,,I sew and cook by feel.

Last week, we had the girls, and we are acostomed to finding little notes around the house that say "We Love you" and sweet little girl sayings...But I was intrigued when I saw this one on the buffet, to: world

from: Liberty

"I bleavan fairy's"

so, I'm spreading the word,,,now all the world knows, Lib,

Hope all your fairy's are as precious as this one!

lyn