Still behind, but closer...

to catching up!  I had a slight snag in getting started on the postage stamp quilt which I explained in a recent post about my order from the Fat Quarter Shop, who are fantastic, by the way!  Hopefully tonight I will get the top all sewn together.  But here's my 24 A blocks and 24 B blocks:

Happy Monday, everyone, or whatever day it is for you!

Postage stamp quilt, grandson, and my winnings from December!

Not necessarily in that order.  I recently got some instruction from my daughter regarding linking on my blog.  I'm still not too swift, but hopefully I'm improving.  I'm typing this now on my new Toshiba laptop that my son in law, Matt, found for me on the internet at a great price.  He's my go-to expert on computer, cameras, electronics, etc.  And I just HAVE to show you this guy, their son, my grandson!  I love this picture of him!  He'll be three months old on February 1!  Wow!

I am still plugging along on my postage stamp quilt. Rachel from http://www.psiquilt.com/ started a quilt-along.  It's a lot of work, but fun!  And by the way, I purchased two jelly rolls, one White, one Natural, from http://www.fatquartershop.com/.  I decided to use the Natural for this quilt because it seemed to go better with the Sugar Pop by Liz Scott jelly roll I already had.  There was a defect in one of the strips - I could not get a quarter-inch seam, no way, no how.  So I called the Fat Quarter Shop and they immediately sent me half a yard of the Natural, no questions asked, no charge, which made me very happy and will serve to keep me as a customer and encourage me to recommend them.

Halfway there!

AND yesterday the mail carrier brought me a goody all the way from N. Ireland!  Back in December I won a giveaway from Karen of http://lisnaweary-quilts.blogspot.com/ which I had completely forgotten about.  My winnings is a pattern AND fabric to make these adorable trees:

The green is really pretty with gold stars (the pic didn't come out too good).  And here's a close-up of the red fabric:

Thank you so very much, Karen!  I'm going to have fun making these trees!  I fell in love with yours on your blog. 

Have a great weekend everyone!  Go bless and be blessed!

Envelope pillow to complement baby quilt

My improv design:

Do you like it, even though it's wonky? (She knows who the question is posed to) 

And the back:

Another sorta oops, but I like it!

It might need some adjusting, some cinching of seams and tightening of corners.  Opinion, please.

That's all for now - gotta run!

Another beginning...

I signed up to do a Postage Stamp quilt-along with Rachel from
.  The link is below if you want to check it out.  I'm getting a late start, though, due to a glitch in the ordering of my solid bella jelly roll.  It finally arrived yesterday, so after work today I started in stitching and ironing.  I'm using a Sugar Pop jelly roll by Liz Scott and a natural solid jelly roll purchased from the Fat Quarter Shop http://www.fatquartershop.com.  For those of us who are joining in the quilt-along, the Fat Quarter Shop is giving a 20% discount.  It's not too late to sign up!  And when we finish our quilts and post them on flickr, we will be entered into a giveaway!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelgriffith/5320499218/
I have about 22 more strips to sew together, then I can cut them into 2 1/2" strips (must check Rachel's instructions first!)  So here's a photo of my Sugar Pop jelly roll fabric if you're interested.  I think it's going to be very pretty when it's all done.

Have a great weekend, everyone!  I hope you have a fantastic one.  May you all bless and be blessed!

More logging fun and new fabric! (Uh-oh! I blew it!)

I just realized I need 144 of these blocks to make a queen-sized quilt!  Yikes!  I don't know if I am up to THAT! But it is fun, and easy, too.  Do I even have enough scraps??  Will I have to buy more fabric, even though I'm on a fabric diet???  But wait, I already blew that one (yes, another diet down the drain :-)  But I just had to.  Malka Dubrawsky finally had some fabric bundles on her Etsy site that I've been trying to purchase for months now but kept missing out on because someone continually beat me to the chase.  So I could not resist when I saw more bundles being offered.  Okay, okay, I know I should not have been anywhere near any Etsy site because that spells trouble from the get-go, right?  But it's so tempting!  And just look at these babies.  Aren't they so very pretty?  Can I get a chorus of agreement from you all???

This pic would have come out more true to color if I could have taken it outside, but, alas, it WAS 12:30 in the morning.  The moon is out - maybe I should try some moonlight photo shooting some night. (Note to self:  check with favorite son-in-law on the aspects of the dos and don'ts  Ha!

On another note, I am still mulling over my Liebster Award selections!  I think I have two that I've settled on, I just need a third one.  Hmmmmm....

Well, my creative friends, till you tarry again, bless and be blessed!

XOXO

All wound up and logs on a wall

This is a "California Job Box" (printers used to use these drawers to put the letters of the alphabet in) according to my hubby, which I finally located up in my attic where its lived for the past ten years, maybe more.  I originally had it on my kitchen wall with miniatures in it, and when I relegated it to the attic I knew someday I would find another use for it.  I saw this use on someone's blog - cannot for the life of me remember who, but I love the idea.  Maybe you have a California Job Box hanging around your house doing nothing but collecting dust? 

And here are my logs on the wall.  Very traditional, but I like it nonetheless.  I'm using up scraps, did not buy any fabric!  

On another note, I just discovered that I've been nominated for the Liebster Award by Shruti!  Thanks so much, Shruti - what an honor!  Out of all the incredibly talented bloggers out there, you picked me?!?!?  I have to pick three people now, too!  It's going to be tough, let me tell you!  Every day I so look forward to spending time on Google reader to see what will knock my socks off, and I'm invariably never disappointed.  So stay tuned - I will be nominating three of my favorites, hopefully by the end of the week, but how to choose is a huge difficulty.

Have a good week!  Bless and be blessed!

What have I been up to, you say? (Lots of pretty pics coming up)

                                  Lights             -           Darks

                                   Placing log upon log

I never thought I would make such a traditional quilt - but I LOVE it!  So far I've only made two blocks, but it IS addicting!  I can't wait to finish a quilt.  I'm using scraps till I get the hang of it but some day I will make a Log Cabin quilt with specific vibrant colors like some of these:

                                      Bright and pale batiks

Bright Batiks

                                 Earthy Batiks - just two logs used

                                           

 I think this is mostly batiks but the book doesn't say.  I wish the pics were better - this is really very pretty!

 This one is called "Finger Lakes".  Again, mostly batiks, if not all.  I didn't take a picture of the full quilt - this is just the detail.  And, again, very pretty!

Snake River is all Asian fabrics which I seem to have a penchant for, and here's a detail, although not a very good picture.  All of these are pictures of pictures, which never work out very well, at least with my pitiful photog skills.

 A friend let me borrow this book and I love it!  I just may have to purchase it somewhere, somehow.  There's LOTS of helpful hints for beginner quilters and experienced alike.

                      Gotta get me some of these trays!

"The Value of Value"  I'm still trying to grasp this concept - it ain't easy!  The book explains all about it and how you can look through a peep hole or take a black and white picture which really helps in deciding how to determine if a fabric is dark or light when it has lots of different shades.  (Oops - our insurance envelope got in the pic.  Oh, well.  A little free advertising for Amica - they won't mind.)
So that's what I've been up to, along with back to work full time, helping my daughter with a bridal shower which was held at my house yesterday - it was fun!  And my grandson came to the shower unexpectedly!  What a thrill!  Some one of these days I might actually get to babysit :-)  (Hint, hint to ((she knows who))
And also, lest I leave you without MORE pics:  I've also been having fun doing mug rugs!  Here's some of the ones I've made so far - others were given away as Christmas gifts, and, alas, I lost the pictures I had of them.

                                This is the back of the last one down below - vintage.

                                This peacock has some French writing on it   ???

                                Cute little gnome!  Crazy (messy) quilting on back:

                               Pansy, one of my favorite flowers.  So happy-looking.

                                 Linen fabric on back.

 This is the front of the first one up top - vintage fabrics.  (I don't know why the pics don't post in order when I upload multiple pics at a time - argh!)
That's all for now!  I hope you enjoyed my picture show as much as I.
Have a wonderful weekend!
                                                    

Having fun taking some pics of a snowy day/night.

Neighbor's house

Pinecone light - snow still falling lightly at 8 p.m.

Daytime shots:

                                                                    Home sweet home

                                                    

                                                           Last one:

I hope those of you in NE have weathered the storm with not too many difficulties, and got a day off work, as I did!  Yaaay!