Pumping Iron & Sew and tell

I pumped iron all day yesterday and I'm not sore today. In fact I'm feeling a little better. See I was pumping iron into my veins. My fickle blood count has dropped again and now I'm also anemic so hence the pumping of iron. But I was able to finish binding this quilt. Aren't I talented? How many people do you know that can pump iron and bind a quilt all at the same time. Now that is multi tasking at it's best. I'm calling this quilt; I'm A Maverick Star. It will go to a little boy with spina bifida who has been spending to much time in the hospital. I'm hoping it will bring comfort and joy to him. I'm linking up with Amy for Sew and tell. Check out what other great things have been created this week.
Speaking of comfort and joy I have to tell you about a truly amazing woman. I met Ginger three years ago when I had my first visit to the chemo lab. She had a brand new baby. While she was pregnant with him she found out she had breast cancer. Four weeks after his birth she started chemo. Because the chemo lab is not a real happy place she had started bringing prizes for the patients there. My first visit there she told me chemo sucks and we need to do something to make it better. Yesterday she told me how on her good days she would load up her three children and go to businesses bald and with no boobs (that's how she put it) and totally play the cancer card to get donations for chemo patients. She has been in remission for almost three years now and she continues to bring this comfort and joy to chemo patients. To check out what she does, leave up lifting thoughts for patients or to donate to her cause you can go here. She makes such a big difference in so many lives. Thank you Ginger for all you do!

Ginger sent me a button. If you want to use it here it is. Since I am computer illiterate I'll ask that you make a link back to her sight. Let's see if we can help Ginger make a difference in the lives of many that are facing such great odds. Thanks.

I'm a List Kind of Person

I'm a list kind of person. I make a list every morning of what I want to do each day. I find it helps me stay on task and gives me focus. I find great satisfaction in crossing things off. A little confession. I sometimes add things to my list that weren't there to begin with just cause I did them and I want to cross them off. As a mom so much of what I do doesn't look done for very long; the laundry, dinner, housekeeping) So having a list is proof that I actually did something each day. Silly I know but it helps me feel good about each day. Especially those day when I rush like crazy and seem to have nothing to show for it.
I also keep a list in my sewing room of projects I'm working on. I make a grid. I have a place for the name of the project, a place to check when it's cut out, when the blocks are sewn, when they are put together, when the top is done, when it is quilted, and when it is bond. It gives me in a quick glance what I need to work on. Which helps me with my next list. Each week I make a list of things I want to accomplish in my sewing room. I can look at my grid and see what needs to be done and I make a list to further those projects. Yes I'm probably a little OCD. Here is one of those lists.
In my quilt guild we make a list of 10 projects each year that we want to finish or at least move a little closer to completion. Then every other month we pick a number and we have two months to finish that project or we owe the guild a fat quarter. Here is my list. I work ahead. But it is a chance thing, cause sometimes the ones I work on are not the ones that get picked.

That happened this time. I had finished almost half of my list I thought I was doing good and then #1 got picked. My #1 is the Christmas Cottages that were giving me grief here. (Thanks to everyone that gave advice. I really appreciate it.) I was about to give up on them and just give the guild a fat quarter. But I had this Nicey Jane by Heather Bailey I thought the twinkles in it would be fun with the Christmas quilt. So I changed the background on the Santas. Used the blue I had for sashing and put the Santas in the corners so my name still works, (A Santa on Every Corner) I sewed on the last border this morning. Now I just need to quilt and bind it. I thinking of a red binding what do you think?

A Little Further Down the Road

I watched How to Make an American Quilt this weekend. I was disappointed. Making a quilt is such a wonderful thing. A process that unites bits and pieces to create something lasting and beautiful. And while the quilt they created was beautiful the movie should have been called How to make a Dysfunctional Family. Sorry if you liked it.
I've been working on the process of my own quilts this weekend. Not that that is anything new. I'm always working on a quilt. But I moved these beauties a little further down the road.

I pieced a back for my maverick star.

I thought these little men in spaceships (Cogsmo by Cosmo Cricket) was perfect. Thank you Julie for the wonderful fabric. So good to have a sister that designs fabric.

I basted it with safety pins and started quilting. Just a simple stipple all over. I'm hoping to finish the quilting today.

Then I'll baste my string quilt that I pieced this back for. I'm hoping for a lot of finishes this week.

I've got so many quilts hanging on hangers just waiting to be quilted and bound. It's definitely time to put in the effort to get a few finishes. I know it will be so worth it.

Grandpa's Wrench in Grandma's Garden

I went to visit grandma this week. She is an amazing lady. Love her to death! She told me a joke.

She said,"They say I should exercise, but I'm pushing 90 and that's all the exercise I can handle."

She just cracks me up.

Speaking of grandmas I finished Grandpa's Wrench in Grandma's Garden. If you want to read the story behind this quilt you can go here and here. Thank you to everyone who gave input on this. I decided to follow Teri's advice and keep it simple. I hand quilted it and added the prairie points. Thank you Teresa for that great idea. I wish I had notice that the ones in the bottom corner were turned over when I took the picture. Now it's dark and I can't fix it. Oh bother.

It's Friday so I'll be linking up with Amy's Sew and Tell. Go have a visit and see what else has been created this week. There is always such fun stuff to oogle and inspire.

What's Black and White?

I've found some time to play with the black and white fabric I bought here. I cut it into strips. Made me some foundation pieces. Sewed the strips to the foundation for these string blocks. I love that I was able to take this picture outside. Look no snow! Green grass! Finally!

I then sewed the blocks together to make these blocks that I am totally in love with.

I'm hoping to have a top done soon.

It's a Revolution

I love my little quilt group. They have been so good to me in the last about 13 years. They took me in and mothered me. I think I'm the baby of the group. They taught me how to do so many things quilty. Giving me tips and trick to make things easier. They were there for me when I first got sick. I remember a package coming in the mail the day I went in for a surgery. It meant so much to me. I will never forget that little kindness and so many others over the years.

Now it's my turn to give back. As president I'm trying to make a fun year for them all. I have a wonderful board. They are dependable. They go the extra mile to make my job easier. All the ladies are so kind to overlook my many mistakes as I conduct and carry out guild business. They play so nicely by following my lead to use scraps. They have made the most beautiful scrap quilts. They have even gone along with my rebellion to tradition quilting.

(My son thinks its so weird when I say I feel like a rebel when I do liberated quilting. He says, "Mom your quilting."

"I know I tell him but this is not my grandma's quilt. I'm breaking all the rules." Then I give a wicked laugh

He just rolls his eyes.

But I must say I was pretty proud of the revolution I started at quilt guilt last week. I taught these wonky stars. The ladies did a beautiful job and I do believe they enjoyed breaking a few quilty rules.

Here is Mary Jo's

Loretta's

Sue K's

Sue T's

I didn't get a picture of Denise's she was chain stitching them and when I came around with my camera she had a lovely chain but no stars.

Let the revolution begin. (insert wicked laugh)

Sew and Tell Friday- Scrappy Binding finds a home

I missed Amy's sew and tell last Friday. To make up for it this week I have two sew and tells. First this simple quilt (free pattern here).

Alex's bug in the background. He got rid of his soccer mom van, actually it died on him. I love that he has a bug, brings back so many good memories for me. Just hearing the sound of the engine makes me smile. I had several friends that had bugs in high school. Now those were some fun times. And when Alex was born we had a little red bug. When we couldn't get him to sleep at night my dear hubby would drive him around in that bug and it put him to sleep every time. Hopefully this one doesn't have the same effect.

Anyway back to the quilt. I bond it with the scrappy binding I made here. And quilted stars in the border. Brights and black are a favorite color combo for me. N tells me I should have used a brighter green. For N you can never have to bright a green. His room is neon green if you remember.

I also finished DD's curtains. We used green jumbo ric rac for the tie backs.

She loves them.

Make sure you check out all the other lovely sew and tell. There are some really talented ladies out there doing some pretty amazing stuff. Also check out the fun stuff at Poppies at Play and A Few of My Favorite Things

I Flitter, Flee, I Fly

Do you ever feel like a butterfly. Flitting from one project to the next. There are so many wonderful projects to choose from it is easy to get distracted. I have these three pretties that just need quilting and binding.

This one is still on the design wall. I think I have almost figured it out. And I'll be putting it together soon.

And a sneak peek of a little something I'm working on.

I bought this fabric yesterday because I have an idea for a black and white quilt.

And while at the fabric shop I found this fun fabric. I just knew my DD would love it for curtains in her room. I thought the butterflies would match the butterflies she has in the border of her quilt. And purple has become her favorite color. I have one set of curtains done and just need to make them for her other window. I'll try to remember to take a pic tonight since the ones I've tried to take durring the day are not working. Taking a picture into a window is hard.

Well I hope everyone has a great day and that you find time to flit to your favorite quilty project.

Hoping For More Healing

I have a dear friend. The one who's mother, I'm making this for. Our lives are tightly woven together. We share a similar challenge, we both have a blood disorder. We often joke because she has the opposite problem I do. Where my blood often is unable to clot she suffers from blood clots. So we joke that we should mix our blood half and half and then we would be fine. Well she has had a bad go recently. Spent some time in the hospital with complications from this problem. Yesterday was her birthday, which she is celebrating when she feels better because she is mad that this has put a rain cloud on her day and she wants a happy day when she celebrates. But I made her this anyway.

I told her it was part of my treatment. I also made her a cute little dishcloth from Nanette's tutorial. I used up the rest of my scrappy binding that I made here and put on a quilt I still need to show you. I'm hoping that these happy colors that bring me joy and healing when I sew with them, will bring joy and healing to her also.

Oh What an adventure

We had quite an adventure this week. It was my children's spring break. Well at least the younger three, unfortunately Alex's was two weeks ago so he couldn't come on our little adventure. We went to Southern Utah to visit my parents. We hiked the petrified sand dunes in Snow Canyon.

Spent a day in Zion's Nation Park. Where the boys hiked Angels Landing. I'm scared of heights and have a bad knee so DD and I did Emerald pools, the river walk, and Weeping Rock.

Thursday we went to Baker Dam where we rode motorcycles and canoed.

Then to top off this wonderful week my parents gave me THIS for my birthday.

Which isn't for a couple of weeks but they didn't know if they would be coming up north between now and my birthday so I got it early. I was squealing and doing the happy dance from the moment I saw the carrying case. Aren't my parents awesome!

Not Quite What I Had Planned

I made three sets of these Santas to go with my Christmas Cottages for Nanette's exchange she did a couple of years ago. I thought it would be fun to have them between the houses and call my quilt 'A Santa On Every Corner.

But when I put them with the cottages on the design wall. I was not thrilled with the effect. I don't know if it's because of the background and I would like it better if the background was different. I kept it neutral to go with the neutral background of the houses. Or if it's because they don't have faces yet and I like it better when the Santas are jolly and smiling at me.

I'm almost wondering if I should just keep it simple and stick with the blue background?

What do you think?

Our Easter Weekend.

I hope everyone had a nice Easter weekend. Although the weather was chilly and we got more snow on Easter we had a lovely weekend. DD went to the city Easter egg hunt and despite freezing her fingers made quite a haul.

On Sunday after my children had found their Easter baskets. The Easter bunny likes to hide them here. We set up N's quilt and tied it while we watched LDS general conference. Awhile back he told me wanted a quilt with a big fluffy batting in it. I told him I wasn't messing with a bat that was over an inch thick so he would have to make the quilt himself. So he pulled fabric from my scrap bag and sewed this top. I think he did a pretty good job.

And it was a fun way to spend our Easter that was a little to chilly to enjoy outdoor activities.

Sew and Tell- Twirling in Spring

It's Friday and time for Amy's Sew and Tell.

My DD has grown and with Easter this weekend it was the perfect time to make her some new skirts. So we went shopping at JoAnn's and she picked out some fun fabrics. I measured her waist and cut elastic so that while she was at school I could make her this little skirt.

Perfect for twirling in.

It was so cute and fun to twirl in we had to make three more.

Then to spoil all our twirling fun mother nature played an April fool's trick on us. This was our backyard yesterday morning. Looks more like winter than spring.