Getting Ready for Road

Ekk!...I found three more UFOs while packing up the supplies for Road next week:

- tiny pre-cut Winding Ways kit from John Flynn
- t-shirt with fabric panel..this is truely old..my kids were really small when I bought the panel..but I still like it! I think it may go with the fabric for the shorts..hopefully a new outfit!
- another set of fabric set aside for a quilted sweatshirt..I may put these back into stash...cuz if I make the Laurel Burch one, I probably wouldn't need another quilted sweatshirt..

I am using the village of Oia on Santorini as inspiration for my Happy Village...if you know me, you know of my fascination with the island of Santorini (or Thera) and the possibility of it being the source of the Atlantis legend. Someday I hope to actually go to Greece...

I love the stacked house architecture..and the blue domed churches.

Serendipity

The other day, I was looking for a brown knit glove that I could turn into a chipmunk (an idea from Pinterest)...I collect chipmunks and squirrels..have since I was a child..and this cutie is just too fun not to do!

I have a bag of singleton gloves that my Mom gave me..Once upon a time, a properly dressed lady would wear gloves whenever she went out and every once in a while, a glove got lost..so over time my Mom built up a small stash of these really soft doeskin gloves - they were way too expensive to just toss, even just a singleton! She gave them to me so I could make dolly shoes.. The bag has other types of gloves as well..a tricot one and some winter gloves..even a leather mitten from when I was small..

I was sitting here thinking about what I could use to substitute for the band-aid I was using to keep my middle finger from getting turned into hamburger..when serendipity struck - I could use one of those doeskin gloves!..I cut the thumb off one (my Mom's hands are tiny.....mine are not!) and so far, I am loving my new thimble..it's lightweight, it doesn't make my finger sweat..it's almost like it is not there, but it keeps the straw needles from poking holes in my middle finger!!

I normally HATE wearing a thimble..most of them are too noticeable..hot and unbending, heavy...or they let the needle still poke me - I have one leather thimble that has a piece of metal at the tip that is supposed to let you push a needle thru a stiff patch..but the straw needle eyes just get caught in the edge and worse, they go thru and poke my finger.. for hand quilting, I have a paddle thimble but its not very useful for piecing or applique.

and oh yeah..I did find a brown knit glove in the bag to make Mr Chips! He is going to go to Retreat with me.

Heart's Garden Progress

It occurred to me that I haven't taken a picture of the Heart's Garden quilt in a long time..

This is the front minus the borders. It is a Quilt As You Go quilt so all of this is finished. The two longest seams gave me the most trouble in getting this together..the quilt is so heavy that it was hard to get it pinned correctly..I did the lower long seam 4 times before it was correct..but it looks good now! The borders are being worked on currently... and I have a poem from my Mom that will go on the label and some pictures of my Sis and I wearing clothes made of the fabrics that these scraps came from that will also go on the label.

Here is the back, again, minus the borders, which will be the light blue. I am planning on putting the label in the bottom blue diamond. I thought by making the quilt two sided that I would use up a lot of the fabric.I think the scraps must be multiplying the the container as this quilt has used up the merest smidgen of the available fabrics..Some are mostly gone..like the green for the front sashing and most of the dark blue for the back sashing..but there is still TONS of fabric left! LOL..

Here are the top and the bottom borders, pinned. The bottom border is almost all the way appliqued.

Here's the pieces left for the side borders..I think I need to make a few more! I ended up using double of the leaves since they look cute in pairs..

The UFO Tub...

...contains the following projects:

three 2010 New Year's Day Mystery quilts from the About.com forum (it should have been just one, but DH didn't like all the scrapy-ness going on and convinced me to split it into three smaller chunks - they will be cute baby quilts)
Cape Blanco Lighthouse - class project from Road to CA
Columbia Gorge - another class project from Road to CA
Hummingbird - yet another class project from Road to CA
Sunflowers and Tea (this one is hanging up on my closet door..but its still unfinished) - another class project from Road to CA
Laurel Burch blocks from Chris's stash that are going to be put onto a sweatshirt
material for a pair of shorts for me
material for a purse with several patterns
Giant Dahlia wall hanging
Alex Anderson Sawtooth Star kit
Beyond the Reef kit (small wall hanging)
Spinning Stars
Mini Sunflower Whole Cloth (pillow size)
Paper pieced star
Cheater panel pillow top for practicing hand quilting
Two potholder panels (they were pocket panels but I decided I didn't want the pockets on an apron that I made)
HSTs from making my sister's quilt which should get made into a baby quilt
Quilter's Run blocks from 2009
New York Beauty Cat pillow
Materials for DH's Movie quilt
Gingerbread girl apron
Valentine pillow kit

currently being worked on quilts that are not in the tub:
Heart's Garden
Wee Hexie Basket
Prairie Flower 

not in the tub but needs to be finished:
Beaded Kaleidoscope - need to figure out a hanger for it

Oh My Stars!!!  This tub is too full..LOL
Will have to do a recap at the end of the year to see what made it out of the tub.

Christmas Gifts 2011

Here is the annual roundup of gifts I made for Christmas 2011:

 I made a bunch of shopping bags for my DD and DXDIL: (they fold up into the little pouch)

And some taggie blocks for my new grand nieces:  (made on the treadle) Quilt Inspector Dustie on duty!

And an Angry Bird for my DD's friend: (who evidently loves the game)

I made some tissue packs, swiffer covers and crisscross coasters as well (but alas, no pictures)

Heart's Garden Update

I have finished prepping all of the small hearts and cutting out all of the leaves for the borders of my Heart's Garden quilt. Now..on to building the borders and appliqueing them.