100 Day Hustle with Kelsey Sews

Can you believe we are almost done with September??  And that Christmas is really just around the corner??  Whoa.  The past 2 months have been a bit of a whirlwind for us...my father-in-law passed away, I had surgery, my sister and her family moved here from ♥ CA ♥ and are staying with us until they get their feet on the ground, school started back, and I could just go on and on. Work has ramped up, taking more of  my time, causing me to really re-evaluate how I spend my "off" hours at home....cuz we're never really "off" are we??  Most days I really love my job, but all I really want to do is spend my days quilting in my jammies...just bein honest!!

Anyway the purpose of this post is not to glorify my busy schedule (haha!), but to say that sometimes I just need a list, a plan to get the fun stuff done, the stuff that isn't completely necessary to day-to-day life, but is pretty important to my mental health!

Kelsey over at Kelsey Sews is hosting a 100 Day Hustle...because it is officially 100 days till the end of the year (as of yesterday...what's new, I'm behind again)!! This will be a great opportunity to get stuff done!

So here's my to-do list:

1.  Branson-superhero quilt.  My sweet husby has been waiting patiently for a quilt of his own.  This is priority one!
2.  Finish my EPP quilt.  I am still not sure if I want to hand or machine quilt this one but I just need to make a decision and get 'er done!
3.  New stockings and placemats for Christmas for my kitchen
4.  Piece my queen-sized Single Girl quilt...notice I am just planning to have it pieced by then.  No need to get crazy!
5.  Make baby quilt for my new niece or nephew!!  He/She is due in April-ish, but I would sure love to have something done by Christmas!
6.  Make Christmas quilt with my bundle of Brr fabric
7.  Start a new project using my Out to Sea fabric....still mulling that one over.  Depending on the gender of our new family member, #5 and #7 could be combined

Another fun tidbit is I have finally upgraded by well-worn, beloved Blackberry to an iPhone...and I ♥♥♥ it!!!  So I am now on Instagram, because you can't have too much social media :o)

WIP Wednesday

Yes...posting about this quilt again :o)  I had originally decided to hand-quilt this one, but I think my impatience is going to win out.  I sat down last night to start, but I just don't have the patience...this coming from the girl who hand-pieced a quilt that is almost 90 inches square.  Anyway, am I going to ruin this by machine quilting it??  Is it weird that there is a little bit of guilt involved, like I'm taking the easy way out?? 

Modern Baby Chevron Quilt

I've been in a bit of a slump lately...hate that.  This weekend, I finally dug out my sewing machine and whipped together this super easy baby chevron quilt top.  I have never made a solids-only quilt before and I have to say, I really like it!!  The negative space kinda scares me in terms of quilting...but I'm sure it's not that scary once you just get moving and do it.

The colors are 2 of my faves ~ gray and cheddar yellow.  I am thinking of some super simple quilting and binding it with this solid color...kona glacier.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Labor Day weekend!!  Another major accomplishment this weekend is getting my EPP quilt basted...my sister was HUGE help!!  Now onto quilting that one....

Linking up this week to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced!

Fabric Intervention

Why is it that whenever you are trying to NOT spend money and buy more fabric, that is when all the wonderful fabrics come out???  I am trying REALLY hard to not buy anything right now, but I feel my resolve slipping as I see these floating around ~

Chicopee by Denyse Schmidt for sale at So Bright Fabric on Etsy

or this one

Madrona Road by Violet Craft for sale at Westwood Acres on Etsy

tying with this one as my FAVES right now

Out to Sea by Sara Jane for sale at Westwood Acres on Etsy

What's a girl to do...except buy them all and pray for an opportunity to use them!!  Just kidding :o)  Seriously, does anyone else collect fabric??  Seems like I buy it and set it aside for that "perfect project" and then it just sits on my shelf in it's pristine bundle-y goodness, like a vintage toy on my husband's shelves...that's for you babe!

14 Years...and Counting!

Today the husby and I celebrate our 14th anniversary!!  We don't usually do anything too big for our anniversary, just out to eat and a gift for each other.  This year, though, we are getting our passports and have put a deposit down to reserve our spots for next June's trip to Europe!!  I am BEYOND excited about it....11 days of European bliss with my sweetie :o)  I CANNOT wait!!!  The only bad thing is that I have put myself on strict fabric-buying diet....I'd rather save it up for Paris *sigh*

Honestly, it's pretty amazing for me to think we've been married for 14 years.  We've been thru so much together, and I just love this man more than I ever have before.  And I'm not just sayin it, either.

So, even though I am on a strict fabric-buying hiatus, my sweetie bought me the FQ set of Lilly Belle for our anniversary...isn't it yummy??  I may or may not have sent him the links to these from Julie's shop on etsy.  I ♥ The Intrepid Thread!!  Now...what to do with it!

Brrr! Giveaway Winner!!

Sorry for my delay this morning, folks!!  Yall rocked my socks off with the response to this giveaway!! I had no idea we were all so ready for winter, lol!  so without further ado, our giveaway winner is:

I will be contacting you shortly :o)

Thanks so all of you who entered, shared, and started following!!  I love the online blogging community...I have met so many great people!

do. Good Stitches - Promise Circle

Have you entered the giveaway for some great Brrr! fabric yet??  you can enter HERE!

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I am so excited to share that this month is my first month as the host of one of Rachel's do. Good Stitches Quilting Bees!  My bee is the Promise Circle.  I chose the name Promise because of the wonderful charity that we will be donating our quilts to....Threading Hope.  This charity takes quilts to children in poverty-stricken and war-torn countries.  I love that they personally take the quilts you make to the kids and send you a picture of the child who received it.  I know it's "just a quilt" but it's more than that...it's a promise that others care.

So, I along with 9 other quilters will be making and donating a quilt each month.  If you are interested in joining a do. Good Stitches quilting bee, take a look at the flickr page and sign up!

Christmas in August - Giveaway!!

I started writing this post in July...and then just didn't have time to finish it.  OH WELL!!  So here we are with my Christmas in July post....in August!  Yay!!  I love this fabric...the polar bears are just too cute for words ♥

Fabric is Brrr! by Laurie Wisbrun.  Fabric.com was having an awesome sale in early July and I just couldn't resist :o)  I'm planning to make a queen bed quilt with it...although not sure about the pattern yet.

So, is anyone up for a giveaway??  I'd love to share my new fabric with someone!  Up for grabs is 4 fat quarters from any of the fabric in these pics...you get to pick!

Giveaway Now Closed

Enter to Win!!

Here's how:

1. Simply leave a comment here in this post telling me which 4 prints you'd like if you win :o)

OPTIONAL SECOND and THIRD ENTRY:

2.  Become a follower and leave me a comment telling me! 

3.  Share about this giveaway on your blog, facebook, twitter, and leave me a separate comment telling me! 

That’s 3 possible entries, folks! Enter now through Saturday morning, August 11th. A winner will be selected using random.org and will be posted on then!
 
This giveaway is open to EVERYONE! If you're a "no-reply" commenter, please include your email address in your comment so that I can contact you should you win! International folks are welcome!!
 

Good Luck everyone!!!

Life Happens

I hope yall will forgive me for the personal post.  Sometimes life just has a way of hitting you right between the eyes.  My father-in-law has been sick for a while, just gradually getting worse as the years go by.  We all knew he was declining, but none of us knew how bad he was.  He passed away this past Sunday.  It's one thing when you hear the news, but another completely when you're there when it happens.  I am so glad we were there, but it has been a heart-wrenching time.  Looking thru pictures, planning his funeral, dealing with all the details I have never had to think about...it's all overwhelming, and sad, and eye-opening to how short life really is.  Foot surgery is still a go for tomorrow morning...pray for my sanity.

In other news, my sister (my absolute best friend, right after my sweet husby) and her family are moving here from California....starting the drive on Sunday!!!  They are going to be staying with us until they get settled, and that means giving up my sewing room.  I have a LOT of packing and moving still to do...but it is SOO worth it :o)

Hope yall are having a great week so far...and that I will be posting something wonderfully quilty very soon!

WIP Wednesday

Okay, how did a week pass by already??  I have been working like crazy on my EPP quilt...and it's coming along!  I have spent every spare minute I have in my day to work on it. I was trying to get it to a finished status so I could baste it over the weekend....foot surgery scheduled for next Tuesday and I know I will be next to useless for a few days.  Thought it would be nice to start the hand-quilting while I am laid up.  Anyway, I don't think I am going to make that timeline...sad!  Oh well, I can still work on it and get it finished up!  I still have a huge stack of fabrics to make more diamonds, but I gotta be honest, I'm kinda done mentally....it is obviously not done yet and I don't know how much bigger I want to make it.  I love, love, love this quilt, but I want it done already!

this is what happens every time I lay our a quilt...the cat immediately lays on it :o)  at least she likes my quilts!

and here she is again....my EPP quilting buddy!

Here she is....101 stars big!!  My goal was 100 stars, and now I am not sure when to stop.

I LOVE how the back looks...all those itty bitty stitches, holy crap!

I'm linking up this week to Lee's at Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday: