Collaborative Quilting

So I volunteered my sewing services to my school for a charity auction and then realized I had so many other projects going on that I would never get anything done. So what is my solution? Recruit unsuspecting victims to help me out!

Mwahh haa haa haa! (evil laugh)

So I convince my work friends Kristie and Lynn (both fairly new to sewing) that we should start a "Stitch-n-Bitch" sewing club and have some fun crafty time together outside of work. They agree, but of course... little do they know what they have just agreed to!

I wrangle them over to my place and pitch them the idea. That together we create a wall hanging quilt to donate to the school's charity auction the next month. It was to benefit our school library which will be undergoing a very large overhaul this coming summer.

To my surprise, they agree. So I decide rather than tempt fate by bossing them around even more, I let them pick a pattern, a theme and some fabrics. They chose to create a "calendar quilt" since that meant that we would only have to make 12 blocks. We each picked a month or two to start on and dove right in.

Bless her little heart, Lynn, we found out, had never sewn a thing before this. Kristie had only started sewing last summer and claimed to be deathly afraid of quilting, but she is a whiz with figuring out patterns and the mechanics of most sewing machines. We started slowly, but as they got the hang of it, we quickly created a fabulous quilt.

I was really happy - as were they - with the final product. We each made some of the blocks and then I quilted and bound it. In the auction it sold for 175 dollars! Wowwza!

Next month, a full bedroom set! (just kidding)

Unknown Doo-Dad

My grandmother Kelley was a collector. Depression glass, yarn, costume jewelry, you-name-it. She had closets and rooms full of stuff that she probably hadn't seen in years. When she passed away, my folks inherited a large wooden cabinet full of tiny drawers. Most of the drawers were filled with either buttons or spools of thread (all sorted by colors).

While home for the holidays this year, I raided the cabinet looking for some treasures to use in my sewing adventures. I came across these costume jewelry-looking things. I wasn't sure what they might have been used for, but I thought I might find a new purpose for them.

They have a retractable/extendable little rod on the back. It pushes out longer and then retracts back to it's original length. Do you know what this could be? I'd love to hear if you do!

Thanks!

Homage to Heke

I love my thithter, I really do. We don't always say it or show it - not nearly as much as we should. We live very far apart most of the time and have for a very long time now. But I always enjoy seeing her.

This year we were both able to be at home with the folks for Christmas. It was a short but fun visit. I hear all about her younger men (hee!) and I pretend I'M the older sister when I tell her about my life being married and settled (neither of which she is right now...).

She is a super cool, vivacious, silly, intelligent woman. I like to joke that we are ying & yang. I teach children and try to nurture and foster a love for knowledge (that's middle school teaching glorified). She helps to design video games to rot their minds. Well, not really right now. She's moved on to more socially responsible gaming projects, but I like to joke about it just the same.

Every time we see each other there's always the first big hug, the sneak "booby attacks" (don't ask), and of course, when we part there's the obligatory airport self portrait.

I wanted to write all this down just because I don't say it out loud enough. I love you Heather! You're the betht thithter ever!

The quilt that I'd forgotten!

While in Florida, I visited with my friend Sarah, whom I've known for over 20 years now. She had a throw quilt on her couch that I had made for her daughter, Marguerite, when she was born. Marguerite is about 7 now (maybe 8? I'm so bad with ages!).

I had completely forgotten that I had made this for her! It was one of my first "full" quilts and I had lots of help from my mom, especially in the quilting and binding of it. It has been well-loved at the Grainger household, even by their dog, Gonzo, who likes to chew holes in things. Sarah has had to repair several "Gonzo holes" in this quilt.

It still looks great, though, and I was admiring my super-wonky piecing. It was definitely a LIBERATED quilt. It was nice to see something I had made be used and loved by others. Yay!

Christmas in Florida

I love going home for christmas... but for the past few years, we haven't been able to get down to see my family. So this year, we decided it would be worth the trip and we flew down to Florida for the holiday.

It was so nice leaving the sub-zero temperatures of Illinois to spend some time in tropical Florida weather. The temperatures never dropped below 70 or so during the day and we had lots of sunshine.

We visited Epcot over in Disney on our first day there. Not my favorite Disney park, but fun with the family. We then spent some quality time with the family and had some time for shopping the after christmas sales with my cousin, Neva.

Hubby and I got to go to the beach twice - once we drove to my old beach hang-out, Manatee County beach on Anna Maria Island. Then two days later, we drove over to St. Pete Beach and hung out in the historic Pass-a-Grille Beach area, had lunch, and soaked up the sun.

We did lots of outdoors stuff, too, like driving to see my friend, Sarah, up in Gainesville and visiting the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings historic house near there. We also did some hiking with my folks at a new nature center in Lakeland. Saw lots of gators there!

All in all, it was a great trip. We were very sad to have to return home to the frigid temperatures, but Stinky was happy to see us!

I've been away for so long....

It's been a busy time lately!

This always happens around this time of the year. It's close to the holidays, the first trimester is coming to an end so there's lots of grading and paperwork to be done at school. And yet I find myself coming home and attempting to do something creative.

Like this





and this









or this!

A Cool Fabric Giveaway! Yippee!

Katie, from See Katie Sew, is celebrating her two year blogoversary with a fabric giveaway! And not just any fabric, but some of her favorite prints from people like Amy Butler, Sandi Henderson, and Erin McMorris. She's filling a flat rate box with as much fabric will fit! Wohoo!

There might even be some vintage fabric in there too. - Gasp!



These are just a few samplings of what is already making it into the box.

So how do you win? Well first by leaving a comment mentioning a new blog that you think she might like. If you'd like to "earn" more entries into the contest, post about this giveaway on your blog with a link back to it in your comment, and you'll receive 5 extra entries. Plus, you'll receive an extra entry for every person that you refer that mentions that they came here through your blog.

She'll pick a winner on Wed Nov 5.

Good luck and be sure to mention that you heard about this giveaway from Shannon at Crafty Turtle!