Modern Mini Quilt Swap Recieved

I received my Modern Mini Quilt from the swap that the Modern Quilt Guild hosted this year and absolutely love what I received.

I totally love it and my partner did a great job of making something that I love.  =)

Gratitudes:

1. For a great swap experience

2. For having some money in savings

Weekend Progress

Made progress this weekend on multiple fronts.....

Finished sewing these scrappy blocks together and found the hand-drawn sketch I had made of the alternate blocks I needed for what I was going to do.........but guess who didn't put down how many I needed of them?   oops......so it's back to the drawing board on what I want to do with this quilt next.












Next up was finishing up my mini quilt for the Modern Mini Quilt Swap with the Modern Quilt Guild.  It is quilted and bound and labeled.   Just waiting for time to be mailed off.

I ended up echoing the "beat" and then on alternating rows of stitching did an match-stitch echo of it.    I used a variegated thread in colors of gold, brown and yellow for the front, and a dark brown thread for the back.

Finished size is 16" square

Back of the swap quilt.



Gratitudes:

1. Work went well today.

2. Friends that are a blessing no matter what is going on in my life.

Modern Quilt Guild - Mini Quilt Swap Quilt

Last year I had decided to take part in a swap hosted by the Modern Quilt Guild.   Quilts are to be mini quilts, and will either be exchanged at Quilt Con in February or mailed to swap partners before the show. 

My swap partner said she liked earth tones, geometrics, and negative space.     This is the finished top.   The pieced units are a smaller version of the ones I used in the Heart Beat block seen here.  My original plan was to do a miniature of the table-runner layout, but I decided to simplify and not do the connecting blocks.   I then played with the layout and ended up with this.

Am currently debating on how I want to quilt it.  Current two possibilities running thru my head are to echo the 'peaks/valleys' on both sides, or to some modern cross-hatching using the 'peaks / valleys' as guides.  This will be quilted sometime this month.

Gratitudes:

1. That God is in control of things and knows where He wants me to live with the townhouse where I'm currently living going up for sale this month.

2.  For safety (traffic and weather) in the drive back home from Phoenix over the New Year's holiday weekend.

Final 2017 Progress

Made progress on several more projects while out here in Phoenix.

Got the sections for my mini swap quilt for the Modern Quilt Guild.   Will press and trim them to their 2.5" size once i'm back home again.


















Put these 6" blocks together.   They were one of my many UFO's and as best as I and friends can date them, are from a swap back in 1998.  I've got 5 more blocks, 4 of which will be used for the corners of the first border.   Remaining border will be the same WOW that I used for the corners on the top and bottom rows.   And then a final border will be a green 30's print.

 And I finished off this small Cross-body purse that is my last Christmas gift for the year.   It will be mailed off with the other gifts for my friend and her family this coming week.

Gratitudes:

1. Wonderful weather while I was out here.

2. Hopefully an ok forecast for when I'm driving home (once back into Texas)

Swaps.....

I used to do a lot of swaps, and have what seems like a bazillion blocks from those swaps as a result.  Here's the tote that most of my UFO blocks live in.  Most of these are from swaps, a few tho are things I started and just never completed.  Last count on my spreadsheet was 23 different sets of blocks....and that doesn't count the ones I've pulled out of this tote so that I could get them made up.   And I'm not even sure that is up-to-date.   Nor does it count the umpteen finished tops that need quilting.

While I've been in round robin quilt swaps before, I've haven't swapped a finished quilt where each person completes a quilt and then swaps with someone else.

And because I've missed swapping over the last few years (never mind the fact that I don't need to!), I've decided to step out of my comfort zone a little and I'm going to participate in the Modern Quilt Guild Mini Quilt Swap.   You can check it out at this page. 

It is a one-to-one swap, so there is no mystery about who you're swapping with.   The time frame is now through Feb 2018...which is also when I need to get my piece for Stretching Art completed, but I should have plenty of time since this is to be no larger than 24" by 24".  I'm looking forward to stretching my skills and seeing what I can come up with.  =)

Gratitudes:
1. For God's provision through all of life's ups and downs

2. For improved health through the Trim Healthy Mama life style

Stitching Santa Goodies

I took part in the #StitchingSanta2016 Swap this year and have had lots of fun choosing things for the name I was given.   She hasn't posted yet about what I sent, so I can't post pics of what I sent.

But I can post about the wonderful goodies that I received from my Stitching Santa.

First up was 7 FQ's that I'm looking forward to finding a project for.  










Next up were two lovely stitched potholders.  These are hanging on my mantel at this point.   There was a cute zippered pouch and a yummy Ghirardelli peppermint bark candy bar.  

 Also in the package were four cute crocheted coasters, a crocheted banner, and some fun colors of embroidery thread.   The thread is currently in the pouch, and the banner will eventually end up hanging from the mantel once I find where I put the remaining hooks.

My thanks for all of the wonderful goodies go to Abigail who blogs here.

Gratitudes:
1. The many blessings that are present in my life.

2. For family near and far that I've been blessed with.

Goodies in the mail......

For the past few years I've been in an annual swap known as a "Shoebox Swap".   Basic rules are to fill a 'shoebox' with 12 FQ's in each of 2 different colors/themes chosen by the recipient, add a handmade item (ornament, needlebook, mug rug, etc), and add chocolate or other treat.   Everything is collected over the course of a year, and then sent off at the beginning of December.

 My shoebox arrived this past Saturday and contained lots of yummy goodness in it.   There was a wonderful selection of pink FQ's and batik FQ's in colors that I can use for block backgrounds.

And two types of yummy chocolate, one of them with a tin I can use for other things once the chocolate is eaten.  Cute socks, quilted coasters and a couple of cute embroidery patterns rounded out the box.

Thank you Marla for such great goodies!

Gratitudes:
1. No fog on today's drive to work.

2. I'm almost finished with quilting the t-shirt quilt!

Vacation Doings.......part 1

Lots of traveling going on these days and for the last couple of weeks as I work my way to the end of a three-week road trip that has taken me to Indiana, Tennessee, and Texas.   Have driven through several other states including Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas before I finally make it back to Wyoming.  Good thing I like driving!

There has been sewing and stitiching going on while I've been traveling.  I stayed with my best quilting buddy, Susan in TN and got the blocks for two different swaps completed.  In addition I finished off three small pieces of cross-stitch.   Two already have plans for them - a mug rug and a needlebook.   The third one (the fox) will probably also end up as a mug rug.  Did find the perfect fabric to go with the foxes while here in TX.  =)

The current cross-stitch project that is in the works.  this will end up as part of a Christmas gift for someone.  Still need to find fabric to go with this....keep hoping I'll find some owls while shop hopping, but no luck so far on that.  

Swap blocks for a monthly lotto swap that I've been participating in the last few months.

 Swap blocks for an international swap that I'm in this year.

And last, but not the least I've been able to visit 6 of the quilt shops here in the Dallas area that are participating in the Row-by-Row shop hop.   And here are the goodies that I've collected so far.   More shops will be visited on the way home.  =)

Fabric, some but not a tremendous amount.  Several pieces for swaps that i'm in or for Mug Rugs.

Scrap Bags of fabric, all from one store.   Approximately 7 yds of fabric (mainly batiks!) for $17.

And the 6 row-by-row patterns that I've collected so far.  More to come from OK, KS, NE, and WY on the way home!

Gratitudes: 

1. 3000 miles of safe travel so far....only 1200 to go!

2. Fun doing the row-by-row shop hop so far.  More shops to go on the way home.  =)

BOM Finished and swaps

I finished off the green and blue BOM that I've been working on this year, well finished off the top at any rate.    Most of the sashing was added over the span of a couple of mornings before work.  Finished that off last night.   That left me with just the borders to add today.  

I didn't want to piece them because of the print that I used would not look good if just butted together.   So I had originally thought that I would need to add a pieced element in order to make everything fit together.   After not being able to figure out what I wanted to add, I decided I would check the piece of the floral fabric to see what length it was.    And unlike what I normally do, I had plenty of fabric to do the side borders on the lengthwise grain of the fabric, with more than enough fabric leftover to do the top and bottom borders widthwise of the fabric.  Woohoo.   The corner blocks are from one of the leftover fabrics from the quilt.

In other quilty work, I've joined a couple of swaps.   The first is a 'Favorite Fabric Swap", where each participant sends a fat-eighth of their 'fav fabric' to each of the other participants.   Each person also chooses block pattern that they are willing to make for everyone else from the fabric that they receive.  What each person ends up with is a set of sampler blocks that are all ready to put together in a wonderful quilt.   I've participated in the swap several times before and am looking forward to seeing the blocks that I'll get back.   The fabric that I sent out is a red/blue/cream floral.  It is a small print but I think it will make a nice quilt for a wounded female soldier and will eventually go to American Heroes.  

I've also received the first fabric from one of my fellow swappers and have finished off my block for her.   Margaret sent the cutest kids fabric with all sorts of sea creatures on it and a lovely gold to go with it.   I added a turquoise moda marble to round out the fabrics needed for my block.   The pattern I used is called "Next Door Neighbor" and can be found on Quilters Cache.   I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the fabrics that will be sent for this swap.

The last swap that I'm in at the moment is the Secret Santa Soiree that is being hosted by Suzanne.  I'm looking forward to the swap and have heard good things about what was received last year by those who swapped.

Gratitudes:
1. A working heater at home with fall temps starting to cool off.
2. Meds for the sinus infection seem to be finally starting to work.

Fav Fabric swap....

Love taking part in Fav Fabric swaps. They are a great way to get back blocks for a sampler quilt all made with a common focus fabric without having to make them all yourself. I finished up two of the last three blocks that I need to make for the current one that I'm in this afternoon. Will mail them out tomorrow. Picture of the blocks is to the side.

Now back to the task of finishing up the set of 8 quilted wallhangings that I'm working on finishing up. 2 down and 6 more to finish. Once done they will go to back to church to be given to the kids who made the blocks.

Gratitudes -
1. Travel last weekend to Phoenix went well.
2. Interview for the Phoenix Teaching Fellows program went ok.