The Relay For Life Quilt is FINISHED :D

I am super excited today :)  I ran over half of my miles this morning :)  It was a year ago, the last time I was running regularly.  The last run was at the Utah Valley 1/2 Marathon with my two sister in laws.  I had to pull out at mile 9 with severe ITBS :p  I also ended up with a stress fracture in my right foot :ppppp  I couldn't do any activity for nearly 2 months.  This half marathon was supposed to be my debut run after being hit by a car the previous October (2010).  I was pretty devastated.  I cried a lot.  By the time I could get out and move again, I was pretty much too down on myself to get myself going again.  Anyway, fast forward to now, I am back in physical therapy and working on the running thing and the weight loss thing.  Not being able to run has wreaked havoc on my weight management.  So, long story short, I am happy to be running and losing weight again :)  Now for the quilt stuff...
After lunch today, I pieced the back for the quilt, basted it, quilted it and then hand stitched the binding on :)  (this process was interrupted several times with dinner, a birthday party and a few other things)  The photo shoot was kinda funny because the sun was setting and my boys can't hold still :D

The boy's weren't much help, so I tried the mail box :)   It seems to hold a bit more still!

Lastly, I decided to take a few inside of the house for good measure :)

I did an all over stipple quilting.  My eyes are closing as I type.  I think I am pooped out!  I'm hoping to get Ashley's All Fenced in basted and quilted tomorrow.  She is away camping with our church until Friday at noon.  It will probably be my last chance to quilt it before her birthday in early July.

I am going to be linking this up with Elizabeth and SHOW OFF FRIDAY over at a Pieceful Life :), Sew & Tell Friday with AmyLouWho and Sarah over at The Fabric Addict for CAN I GET A WHOOP WHOOP???

Relay For Life Quilt Top is Finished!

I have time tonight to get it all the way done, but I want to watch a movie!  So here are the shots of the finished top.
This first picture is of a block that I think is pretty clever.  I am sure someone else invented it first, but I haven't seen it before ;)  I made a block that is a pocket with a zipper in it.  What little boy does not need another place to store his treasures!  No frogs, please :)

My boys think that Skylanders are the best thing to put in it.  When I put the Wii remote in it my boys were worried I was going to give it away with the quilt ;D

Here is the completed top.  Since all of the blocks were different sizes, I added  sashing to the top and right side of every block and then cut them all to 10.5" square.  I thought it would look different.  I am not sure what I expected...  Any hoots, I ended up having to add a border to two sides to complete the trim.  The zipper block is not trimmed on the two outside edges.  You know, "One of these things is not like the others.."  I like that it is different :)
PS- my boys all want a pocket in their quilt now ;)  I think I will put them in all of the children's quilts that I do now.

I am going to bind it it all scrappy like.  I used my stash for the whole thing.  I may have to go buy backing :p  We'll see if I can piece something together so I can stick to my total stash, scrappy goal :)  Actually, most of the quilt is scraps and only the sashing was sash.. or just a REALLY large scrap, about a 1.5 yard scrap ;D

I'm linked up with http://freshlypieced.blogspot.com/

Relay For Life Quilt

I started on the Relay for Life quilt today.  I am using scraps from many different quilts for this one, focusing on the blue ones.  Here are the blocks I have made so far.  They are wonky and not the same size.  I am going to make 3 more tomorrow and then figure out how I want to square them up :)

The goal is to have the quilt be no more than 60" in length.  We shall see what happens ;)

I Know What I'm Going TO DO Today :)

...or later this week ;) ...or maybe next week ;D
#1 Make the Relay For Life auction quilt (due June 8th)
#2 Dresden Plate Table runner for my mom (tuesday)
#3 My dads birthday quilt (June 14th)
those are my top 3.
REALLY important stuff that needs to get fit in some where:
#4 Granny square blocks for exchange
#5 Ashley's All Fenced in Quilt

Here is last's week list.  Let's see how I did ;)

#1 I need to make the quilt top for the Relay for Life auction (due June 8th). NOPE!!!
#2 I am teaching a class on how to baste and machine quilt Wednesday night.  I will use the charity auction quilt :)  ...two birds, one stone thing.   The lady who invited me to teach the class had a quilt of her own for me to quilt :)  She dropped me off some brownies on Saturday as a thank you!  Yes, I will work for chocolate!!
#3 Tomorrow is quilt guild.  I will either finish up the charity quilt top or work on my dads birthday quilt (due Flag day) OR the granny squares for the block exchange in June (date TBD)  I ended up making the blocks for the Vintage Gingham Quilts for my neighbors who moved
#4. I have got to get Ashley's All Fenced In quilt basted and quilted (due July).  I really should do this today as she is out of town and won't be back until lunch tomorrow.  Maybe I will hurry and baste it.  But then I'd have to make a decision on the back... :p  I didn't even get close to this one :(
#5 Now lets see, what is on the back burners.... well, they aren't on fire this week, anyway ;)
my knit baby blanket :)  I didn't get to any of these except the Gingham Quilt !!! TWO done!!! :D
my nephews surf shop quilt
Melissa's messenger bag
something for Miranda
Chrisann's quilt (the AWESOME kindergarten teacher)
My bed quilt
My flea market fancy quilt

So, the back burner still is burning on low.  Now that my sewing cupboard is cleaned out, I can work a bit better :)
Gingham quilt  DONE BABY!!!
chevron quarter square triangle quilt
the April and may $29 girl quilts
Mac's birthday quilt (the $29 moose quilt from April) due sept
Will's birthday quilt (due December)

So what are you going to do this week?  Let's see your list :)  Link it up baby!  (yes, I've gone linky CRAZY)
 (yes, I am kinda knocking off of Phineas & Ferb ;)  They are pretty hilarious!

I AM A STAR!!! ;D

Sweet Bianca over at Sweet Diesel Designs let me know that Jeni over at In Color Order picked my Retro Flower Quilt as one of her favorites!!!  HOLY SMOKES!!!  I am going to be bragging on that one for a while!  (my poor family ;)

Following up on yesterday's post, I thought you might like to see the "after" pictures of the clean up.  I still need a better organizational system, but at least I can see the floor and know where most of my fabric is ;D

My cupboard is better, especially the top shelf!

I reworked my little bins and stacked and refolded fabric to lay nicely :)

Not much of an improvement, but what is do be done?  I need to get a few more selves for this side.  The bottom bin is large pieces of fabric.  The bags are my minky stash :)

This side has the bin on the bottom of large pieces of fabric.  Next comes some more fabric covered by my batting.  The pink bin on top has ribbons and buttons and other miscellaneous notions.

I REALLY love this little table.  It was under the stairs in our home when we bought it after my hubbies grandmother passed away.  I am pretty sure that it was her sewing table.  It has a tape measure printed into the top on one edge.  It's a little rickety, but aren't we all ;D

OK, so this corner is just going to have to be horrible forever!  The bottom white bin is my yarn topped by project boxes.  The large bag on the top left is my salvage stash ;)  Directly to the right of that bag is my pressing towels and cloths with my yarn in the back for the baby blanket I am knitting.

Now, you are not off of the hook!  I still want to see your stash :)  Be sure to go back and link up your pictures :) HERE

SHOW ME YOUR STASH!!!

I've got to tell you that my stash is eating my little sewing room corner alive!!!  I need more bins and some clever ways to use them.  I need shelves... I WANT my stash to look like Cut to Pieces stash..

Doesn't this look AWESOME?  Can you hear the angels singing? ;)

I also LOVED Sew Katie Did's Katie Petersen's quilting set up HERE.  She's got a small space, but not small quilting style!  LOVE it!!!

Karen over at Sew Many Ways has a TO DIE FOR sewing room.  You can see it HERE.  Be prepared to be AMAZED and envious!

My mom also has an AMAZING sewing room.  I'll have to take pictures and post them one day when I am over visiting her home.


But alas, mine looks like this (you are warned, the following pictures are graphic and disturbing)...

yes, the sack is full of fabric :(

 The fabric is EVERYwhere and has no place to go :(  I want to know what you do.  How do you manage fabric EXPLOSION?  What do you do when your stash is trying to take over your house?

I just LOVE the linky parties and wanted to get in on the fun :)  ...so here is my first attempt :)  I want to see what your stash looks like.  BE BRAVE and take a picture of your stash and link it here for the WORLD TO SEE :)  As you can tell I have NO shame and showed you mine.  Now, show me yours ;)

Oh, wait!  I have one rule... you can link to any post, even if it is old, it just has to have a picture (or two) of how you store/hide/organize your fabric :)  It will be fine, were all friends :D  Don't be a chicken!

ps- Be sure to link back to my blog to share the fun! xo
PPS- I even did the first one to get the linky party going :)

Fun. Fresh. FABRIC!

(This was a test text from my phone.  Now I can send pictures AS I shop!!!  ...look out! ;)

Shopping :)

I had a $10 gift card at Gracie Lou's so of course I had to spend it :)

I bought a yard of this :)  I have had my eye on it for a long time now and just REALLY had to buy it!

On my way out of the store these beauties caught my eye :)

This was the picture from my phone that turned out blurry.

This is the blurry photo after I ran it through a program to sharpen it up.  I read about it on a blog this morning..but I can't remember where :(  I think it looks better.  What do you think?

Here are the rest of the AWESOME family.  HAVE to make something with these.  I don't know who they are, but I have a SERIOUS crush on them ;)