BLUE AND WHITE DISAPPEARING 4-PATCHES

Shown are my blocks for the Blue and White D4P Swap I'm hostessing on my Friendship Group.  We made sets of 5 alike, but I had fabrics where I only got 3 or 4 blocks so this actually is stacks of same fabric, 8 sests, 40 blocks in all.

With 14 swappers making a total of 79 sets, that's 395 blocks to sort through and swap out, trying to make sure everyone gets all unique fabrics.  Busy day ahead for me!

There's a tutorial on how to make these blocks (easy-peasy, much simpler than it looks).  You can link to it from my tutorial page at the top.

PERIODIC TABLE OF SEWING ELEMENTS

This is so funny!  If you are like me and have trouble reading the fine print, click here to go to the blog post containing the table.  First you scroll down thru the sewing room  lab, and when you come to the table you can click to save/print it if you want.  It's a geek freebie.,   Clicking  here  will show a larger view.

You have to love a quilter with a sense of humor, and a geek who loves design.

FLIMSY FRIDAY aka FINISH IT UP FRIDAY

Many of us in blogland are participating in Flimsy Friday (aka: Finish it up Fridays), a day to get those quilt tops made into quilts.  I have a stack of completed quilt tops that aren't quilted and bound, so this is really good for me.

However, today I'm sorting blocks for a swap I'm hostessing.  They are lovely blue and white Disappearing 4-Patches.  Pretty, pretty!  Just one more set to arrive before I can swap them out.  More on that later.

FORGET ME NOT LAUNCHES

Esther has launched her new mystery BOM, Forget Me Not.  This will run for 12 months, and includes lots of choices, as well as room for unique embellishments as this quilt is a wall hanging.  Oh, my kind of quilt!  I have so much going already, but for sure I will at minimum dowload the patterns (free for one month), and follow along on her blog and group.

By the way, did you notice some changes on my blog.  The tutorials are all in one place, easy to find now, in a tab at the top.  The labels (of which there are many, but if you're looking for a certain thing, that's the place to go) are at the bottom.

WONKY TREES

My Wonky Houses Swap group decided to add wonky trees.  I signed up for some in green and some in color.  These are 5" x 8" (the houses are 12" squares).  Here's a sampling of mine.  By the time I finished the colored ones, I think I finally had my wonk on!

Here's my whole forest.  I do believe that top-right one is pointing rather rudely, and could benefit from attending Disney Cast Academy to learn how to point the Disney way.  Just sayin'.   

I selected one of color and one green to keep.  The others have made their way to Jane. They are due May 1, but I hate when I run close to deadlines. You never know when life will get in the way!

Ready for FWS

I have everything ready to start in March.  It feels good to pull this out.  Yeah!  I love these fabrics from Annie's Farm Stand line, and think this will be a bright and cheery quilt.

Donna is closing sign ups the end of the month, if you are interested (see previous post).

FARMER'S WIFE SAMPLER QUILT ALONG (FWS QAL)

Some of you have noticed a new button on my blog.  Yes, it's the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt Along 2012 (FWS QAL).  Yippie!  I got the fabric to make this quilt last year, but then I couldn't find a group, or anyone, to do it with. The only groups I found had just finished up.  Well, as you know, quilting is much more fun when shared, so into a box it all went -- book, EQ CD, fabric, motivation. 

Then, while blog hopping, I found Brywood Needleworks, and she just started a FWS QAL last month.  Yeah!  I'm not too much behind.  I left both DJ and SBS in Michigan, to take a break and get my mojo for those back.  But, I miss working on a sampler quilt.  Match made in heaven blog land.

It's still open for sign ups, so if you've always wanted to make this quilt, join the fun.  Donna promises laughter, tips, prizes, etc., along the way.  Just click on the button icon here in this post, or on my sidebar.

HAPPY DANCING!

It's been a super Saturday.  First I went to Stashbusters, a free event at my LQS.  Once a month they run this event where they present ways to quilt using up your stash.  Of course you end up buying new things while there, so it's win-win.  You get a 15% off coupon for everything not on sale that you buy that day, plus I won the door prize of $15.  Yippee! 

Also I ran into a gal who used to work at one of my favorite LQSs that closed last summer, and one of my on-line friends who used to stitch there on open Saturdays too.  We actually met on-line, but then realized how close together we live, so started meeting to stitch.

Then when I got home Sonoma Rose was in my mailbox!  This is Jennifer Chiaverini's latest historic novel.  I wasn't expecting it to get here until Monday.

Even the weather was gorgeous today -- mid-60's and sunny here in Central Florida.  I'm a happy camper!!!

CARD MAKING

I enjoyed making these cards last night. Card making is one of the monthly activities with our neighborhood association at the clubhouse.  The lady bug brad in this one is sooo cute!  I think it's bound to make someone who's under the weather feel better.

And, of course, who doesn't love St. Patrick's Day?

The best part of course, was the chatter and laughter, and getting to know the neighbors.  Following card making four of us stayed on to play Hand and Foot, a new-to-me card game.  It's quite popular here, and not too complicated.  However, it was nice of the gals who offered to play a game with me, open-handed when needed, for learning the game for the first time.

STOLEN QUILT

Bonnie Hunter is trying to help spread the word and hopefully recover this stolen quilt.  Please spread the word if you can.

Click here for details.

DEAR JANE SECRET SISTER GIFT

My DJSS February gift arrived yesterday.  I love the three FQs.  The yellow is almost the color of my great room walls, and I'm planning a quilt for there, so................  The little orange thing is a mirror for your purse, and the soap smells divine -- lavendar and rosemary.  It's made with goat's milk, olive oil, etc.  My skin can't wait to try it.  Thank you DJSS, if you are reading.

And a little not to her, the black/red/whites I'm gathering are the fun novelty ones that you see in the LQSs.  If you look back to last summer you'll see some of my blocks with them.  I'm also planning a quilt for next summer with reds in a variety, but just red and a bit of white or cream, but no other color.  Thanks for asking.  So many plans, so little time.

WONKY HOUSE BLOCKS READY TO MAIL

It's Flimsy Friday, but rather than working on a flimsy, I instead finished up wonky house blocks.  All those chefs are making me hungry for pizza!  With mushrooms!

We're including a siggie with each block.  Here's mine.

The perspective is a little off in the pics.  The siggie is only 5" and the blocks are 12".  They'll be in the mail tomorrow.

COUNTRY COTTAGES

Shabby Fabrics if offering a cute, free, BOM this year.  The first two blocks are so sweet!  Check it out here.

Wonky Houses Swap

Here are my first 4 blocks for the Wonky Houses Swap (see side bar for link).  I'm calling these, "Whooo's coming to dinner?".

FLIMSY FRIDAY

It's Flimsy Friday and I'm busy making and stitching down the label for the dino quilt.  Each of the swappers made a label (bottom 6) and mine are on the top -- one saying Happy Birthday, and the other saying made by.................

How are you progressing on Flimsy Friday?  Getting those flimsies turned into quilts?

DINOS!!!

The Dinos are done!  The quilt is quilted (mainly walking foot and then some free-motion) and bound, and displayed on a twin bed.  They are roaring in my washer right now.  Tomorrow, on Flimsy Friday, I'll add the label, force them into their box, and send them off to Ohio.  This has been such a fun quilt!

Thanks you to all the row swap participants.  I especially appreciate all the detail the swappers put into this.  The spines wiggle, the eggs unsnap to reveal dinos inside, Brendan's name is on one row, just so much heart from everyone went into this.  I do love my Friendship Swap Group!  Hope they had as much fun working on dinos as I did on their gardens, chocolate, quilt rooms, etc.

Jinny Beyer Palette

Look what was in my mailbox!  Fabric Depot had a sale on Jinny Beyer Palette fabrics, and one of the gals in my Birthday FQ swap requested fabrics from that line.  Well, of course at $1.71 a quarter yard cut, I ordered some for applique.  There's a few half-yards in there (to make the FQ) too.  What yummy fabrics!  Guess which one you are getting, Debbie.

FLIMSY FRIDAYS

Last Friday, some friends on the Applique Boutique Yahoo group and I decided we'd devote our Fridays to getting our quilt tops made into quilts (thanks for Debbie M.'s idea).  This could be working on binding, labeling, quilting, or even putting a top together -- anything that would get those near-finished projects done.  Gals who didn't have a near-finished project pulled out a BOB (bag of blocks or other UFO).  

I'm getting positive response to this idea on my blog, so I decided to create a button for anyone who wants to participate.   The picture is just three of my unquilted tops from my plethoric pile of them, LOL!  You don't need to be part of a group or link back anywhere.  Just add this button to your blog and link to this post (so gals will know what it's about).  Work on one of your flimsies on Fridays, and post about it on your blog.  Let's see how far this idea spreads!  I hope you'll be joining us.

FLIMSY FRIDAY

A group of online friends are starting an effort to get our flimsies (completed quilt tops) made into quilts.  We decided to dedicate Fridays to this.  It can be doing the binding, quilting, or putting the top together.  Anything that gets these UFO's finished.  This first week, I stitched together this quilt top.  It's from a row by row swap last year.  My theme was dinosaurs and I made the row with the blue, orange, and green dinos, to set the tone.  The other rows were made by the other swappers. 

Everyone put in such detail!  Some of the eggs open to reveal dinos inside.  One row has Brendan's name (my 5-year-old DGS, who the quilt is for).  Another has wiggley spines.  I love them all.

Now to get it basted and quilted and in the mail soonest!

SJSS GIFT

My Jan. gift arrived today from my new Dear Jane Secret Sister for 2012.  She sent two beautiful FQs, a sweet wall hanging, needles, a book mark, and a Mary Englebright notepad and nail file.  Certainly cheered up my day!  Thanks SS, who ever you are.

Spring Pillowcase

I accomplished a lot this month.  But as far as finishes?  Done-dones?  This cute bunny pillow-case is it.  I've had the fabric for a while, and this is what I originally bought it for, so it's nice to get it done.

It will probably be a gift this spring.

SWEET SCRAPS

My dear friend, Rosa, sent me these sweet scraps to start my first block of Harrington and Hannah.  Oh, I see a snowman nose there, a hat, scarf, heart, etc.  These are such soft fluffy wools.  They do wool right in Canada!  And look at the cool Canadian stamps.  Neat-o.

Rosa, you are so kind and generous!  Can I send you some Florida sunshine in return?

Promises and Borders

Have you seen this gorgeous BOM for 2012.  It is a free pattern in 10 months.  Lovely.  The promises are scripture promises of God's word.

You can access the blog, etc., here.  New patterns are posted the 3rd of the month.

OPAM

I've decided to join OPAM again this year, although I did cave at the end of 2011.  OPAM stands for One Project A Month.  That's completed.  Done/done.  Not a BOM or a flimsie.  A done/done.  It is encouraging to set this goal.  You get lots of nice cheers from around the world when you finish something.

It doesn't have to be a huge quilt.  It can be a bag, a pillowcase, a knit scarf......whatever you finished that month.

Some projects are meant to be WISPs (Works In Slow Progress).  And when you finish one, it's a big cheer.  But at OPAM we celebrate the small stuff too.

Peg and Kris run this challenge.  You can read about it, and sign up if you want to, on their blogs.   Kris and Peg are so chatty and so nice, it really makes it fun. And did I mention prizes?

Now off to resurrect those UFO's that are near completion.  Hmmm.................

The Raspberry Rabbit

I just discovered the Raspberry Rabbit blog (thank you Rosa), and their cute new free BOM, The Adventures of Harrington and Hannah.  Shown is the January block.  Each month the bunnies will be sharing something, this month sharing a carrot with the snowman.  Sweet.  Click on over here to read more about it.  I always wanted to give wool applique a try............hmmm..................