Update: Scrappy Christmas Block Swap

Looking for the original post about the swap? Scroll down one!

Just a quick update on the swap before we board a plane for the beach (update added to original swap post).

And if you've been daydreaming about what you might make with your blocks, check out this gorgeous tree skirt by AudreyPawdrey:

More details here. Posted with permission of AudreyPawdrey.

Scrappy Christmas Block Swap

UPDATE (to the above posted update): Thanks so much to Elizabeth for posting about the swap! I'm a bit overwhelmed by the response, but I do like a nice even number which means we have about 5 more spots (6 blocks = 1 spot; 12 blocks = 2 spots). WE ARE FULL! I will be sending out all the details when we return home from the beach on Saturday.

Please, please remember to leave your email address. I'm without emails from the following:

Andy
Lee Ann
Bridgid
Jo
Celeste
Tracey
Jeanette
Ginny
Melissa (from SC)
Humming Cat

*UPDATE OUT, back to vacation!*

Yes, it's still July.

Yes, I'm a planner at heart, and I would like to finish a Christmas quilt *before* the actual holiday.

I would really like a scrappy Christmas quilt, but I don't want to buy a lot of miscellaneous fabric to make my quilt look scrappy.

You?

How about you join me for the 2009 Scrappy Christmas Block Swap?


It's easy! You can choose to commit to 6 blocks or 12 blocks, and get the same in return. We will be making blocks using Elizabeth's Scrappy Starling block tutorial at Oh, Fransson! (thanks, Elizabeth!). The blocks you create should feature holiday fabric, but do not have to be made solely of Christmas fabric. Feel free to include your favorite seasonal colors, polka dots, stripes, and fun patterns. When you finish your blocks you will mail two blocks to each of your team members. Deadline for mailing is September 1, which gives you plenty of time to back, quilt, and bind your quilt by the holidays.

Show your interest by commenting on this post...be sure to include your email address if you are a no-reply/anonymous commenter! I will allow signups until August 1, or until I feel overwhelmed.

*Also* if you really enjoy making these blocks you can send me an extra block and I will assemble a quilt to be auctioned with all proceeds being donated to charity. Because Christmas is about giving!

Photo courtesy of Oh, Fransson!Now imagine this quilt in holiday fabrics keeping you cuddly warm all through the holiday season (or looking lovely as decor for our friends in the southern hemisphere)!

PS Those of you who expressed interest to me before this post will get an email from me to confirm participation...or you can comment here and I will consider you committed!

Bloggy Friends Meet Up

Courtney and I have been emailing, swapping, and blog-visiting for almost a year now, and when she mentioned that her family would be visiting Ohio we jumped at the chance to get together! We had intended to meet at a local minor league baseball game but standing room only made us rethink that. Instead Charlie and I spent the morning following Jaxon around COSI and met Courtney for lunch, and then her crew of kids and cousins enjoyed the museum.

The disappointing part of missing the baseball game was the 3 or 4 hours we could have had to sit and talk. As it was we filled an hour and a half with non-stop chatting...and of course, gift exchange!

I made Courtney a wristlet to commemorate her journey from Texas to Ohio and as a thank you for knitting me mitts.



But it looks like I still owe her that thank you, as she brought me gifts as well!

This little lidded dish is the color of the paint I bought for my sewing room walls! Until the room is reassembled it is in a place of honor on the shelves.

And the artist who created the bowl also gave Courtney a free berry bowl (actually, I think one for each of us) because of a small crack in the bottom. Beautiful!


Courtney, I enjoyed meeting you so much, and can't wait to meet up again!

Addict

Do you find yourself trolling fabric web sites in anticipation of your next score? Do you pine for the mailman to bring you that next hit of fabric bliss? Do you hoard certain fabrics knowing that it could be your last taste of that line?

Welcome to Fabric-holics Anonymous. Only I'm not so anonymous. You might remember my after-Fourth-of-July posting of a few new fabric acquisitions...it hasn't ended there. As many of you can understand, money is a bit tight for us right now so I am now reliant on gift cards and Etsy sales. I keep a separate bank account for Etsy transactions, and everything I sell goes into this account for replenishment of sewing necessities. That account is now depleted so I guess I better get to work filling my Etsy store!

Z&S Fabrics was having a "clear out the store" sale as their orders from Market are starting to roll in. I got this order for under $15 including shipping!

From bottom up, half yard cuts of: Prints Charming's Two Young Street for Marcus Brothers, Jackii Jones's Nearsighted for Marcus Brothers, Rosemarie Lavin's Mambo for Windham, Kathy Hall's Mid-Century Modern for Andover, Anna Griffin's Mackenzie Christmas for Windham

And when I was writing the post about this Orla Kielly-like fabric I discovered the rest of the line. OH MY! I found it at Rainbow Fabrics.

Apples and Apple Trees for Timeless Treasures

And.....

Home Sewing is Easy for Alexander Henry
....for a project to be revealed later!

And lucky for this addict, I won a gift certificate from Kathy at Pink Chalk Fabrics for choosing a selected fabric combo. Now I need to decide, do I put that GC toward the fabric I need to make new curtains for the dining room, or do I buy some of my selected combo...or some Summer Soiree??

But lest you believe I sit in piles of raw fat quarters, I *did* actually make a little something for myself.


Pattern: Wide Leg Lounge Pants from Amy Butler's In Stitches

Fabric: Route 66 for Alexander Henry

Result: Not love...I might take out the drawstring and do some elastic. The pants have a low rise and tend to loosen and droop the longer they're on...I think I should have made a "lounge dress" instead!

The day after....

The party is over...the dishes washed and put away...but Jaxon's new gifts cover the living room floor and I didn't have the heart to take down the decorations. So the dining room remains in this state.

I have a lot to tell you, but I am going to dole out it all out slowly...so stay tuned for some new fabric, a couple of finished projects, a bloggy friends meet up, and info on the scrappy Christmas block swap.

I'll leave you with the birthday boy in his new shirt...already out of date as he is now 3 years old and 3 days!

The right way to celebrate independence....

....is to buy fabric!

The last of my birthday JoAnn gift cards....

All from the clearance rack...a microsuede from the home dec dept., and flowers, stripes, and fruit

And *most* of my FatQuarterShop.com gift cards from Mother's Day...

Half yards of "Apple" From Timeless Treasures (reminded me of Orla Kiely), and two prints from "Wildwood" From Free Spirit

A fat quarter pack of Jewel Tones from Michael Miller

Two charm packs and two one yard cuts of "Have a Sheri Berry Holiday" from Northcott (I had a hard time deciding between that and this)

I couldn't help myself when it came to the Christmas fabric...good thing I am going to be organizing a scrappy Christmas block swap!

And another way to celebrate independence:

With the cutest boy in the U.S.!

Then and Now

Today is our eighth anniversary...sometimes it seems it has gone so fast and sometimes it seems eight isn't a big enough number!

Here we are then....


And now....


I made my honey some lemon bars.


I made *me* a dress (from this free pattern).


Notes on pattern...the cut is very generous. If I make this one again I will cut the top to small/medium (and I am a 37 bust). The elastic thread didn't like me much at first...it worked much better when I stretched a bit when I wound the bobbin. Also, I added an inch and a half to the length, and then cut off four inches when I hemmed -- it's got plenty of length!

I'll try to get a shot of me wearing it soon...perhaps when we celebrate our anniversary this weekend. It's so nice that we get fireworks for our celebration...forget that "other" national holiday!

Thanks to those who showed interest in a Christmas block swap. I'll start organizing after Jaxon's birthday next week.