On the Whimsy Road to Yoyoville

I have been pacing the floor waiting for Whimsy to arrive!

Phone calls & e-mails were sent to those who might take pity

on me. Including to Joanna!

I know I only have a itty bitty small perspective of what it's like for

a lot of the designers and shop owners out there.

Moda does do a great job of keeping us fabriholics supplied...

but they aren't kidding when they say "hot off the press".

This morning this little package was hand delivered to me!

Tonight it will be sliced and diced- big exhale! I can relax now...

and if you are wondering why this little package is so important...

I can tell you that a week from now it will be made into the next project

for the Fig Tree Club! The class is on March 6th. Nope, can't tell what the project is... only that

it's very sweet. A week certainly is plenty of time... but since I work, that tends to interfere with

my allotted sewing time, ya know what I mean?

Now I did have a back up plan...

I happened to have a bundle of Whimsy I have been playing with. I "obtained" it last Market, from a wonderful someone who supplies my habit!

I thought I would dive into my bundle left overs to start the new FTC project if all else failed...

but all is well now!

So, here is what I have been playing with...

My yoyo's are made, 4-patches are done, and I only have 20

yoyo's left to hand sew onto the background fabric!

Then all I will need to do is the houses! Next stop will be in

Yoyoville! (By Bunny Hill) It really has gone by fast. The yoyos are addicting.

I only said "are we there yet" a couple of times!

I just love the way it's coming together with the Whimsy group!

Some Progress & A Little Digressing

Remember when purchased this?

I was wondering what I was going to do with this wonderful little bundle.

But then I ran across this... and...

Okay, I might be the last to know about this but on March 1,

Moose On The Porch Quilts is hosting a Jelly Roll sampler.

It sounds like a lotta' fun.

The plan is that there will be a new block every two weeks... the blocks will be designed by 12 different, extremely talented designers.

But before I could really commit to doing that... well, I did sign up right away... but then I thought, I had better get my Red & White Snowball quilt, aka "Leftovers"finished and checked off the list! So I did. Unfortunately, in my haste and not until I went to take this photo did I realise that this puppy had wavy borders! Yikes! What the heck happened to my measuring & cutting rules? Obviously they went out the window! Every bit of this quilt was so precise... I "assumed" that it was perfect. And you know how that goes!

So, since the sampler doesn't start until next Monday I have time to do some reverse stitching and try putting on those borders again. Correctly.

Here is the photo... and I tried to crop off the borders... you can still see a bit up at the top of the picture... but please, don't look!

Here is my other p-r-o-j-e-c-t. Talk about a love/hate relationship!

Holy cow!

When did I start this? A year ago last September or October. I started collecting the fabrics then and then started cutting the 1 3/4" strips. I cut and cut and cut some more. Sewed strips... and more strips. Not enough. Cut & sewed some more.

Then my darn fire detector's battery died, which means it was beeping and very annoying. So I proceeded to replace the battery. (warning: this is where I digress a bit)

I pulled my sewing chair over to the spot so I could stand on it & reach the detector... but I felt a slight tug and as I looked back I saw my foot petal cord wrapped around the leg of the chair...

and without a blink of an eye the sewing machine flew off the table and splattered into several (seemed like hundreds) pieces. Well, I was so mad at myself that I just picked up the machine, turned off the lights, walked past my husband and went to bed. I think it was about 7 o'clock.

The machine was taken to the Sewing Hospital. It was a mess, inside. But, the "doctor" decided we could try some super glue on it's cracked parts to see how they would hold. And then, if that didn't work, we could start ordering replacement parts.

This is when I became disenchanted with this quilt. Points. Bias edges. It was getting the best of me. The honeymoon was over with this guy!

Then we moved into our new house... so everything got packed up, relocated and some things just got "put away". The problem was that it was suppose to be a gift for my oldest son. Christmas past that year.. I took it our and worked on it a few months ago in hopes of getting it done by last Christmas. Nope! He had gotten a king size bed and needed it bigger!

*!#@*!@, ya know what I mean?

Back to cutting & sewing strips.

Saturday: Finished, I won and now I can send that guy packing! (i.e. the quilt)

It goes off to a wonderful son who will appreciate it and who will not care that the points aren't ALL matching.

Did the pattern really say for a beginner??? Seriously!

Now, another weekend finish... a quilt that provided therapy for me unlike the last one that made me need therapy! An Acorn Quilt Co. pattern.

Well, really the quilt was finished, it just needed the backing.
Easy peasy!

Lastly, I finished my Schnibbles for next month.

Just kidding... this is not a Schnibbles! You didn't really think I would show you- did you?

This is another one of "those". There are suppose to be 3 more just like it to make one quilt about 70" square. I'm thinking I will stop right here.

Oh, back to the machine: The super glue is still holding poor "Betty" together!

The quilt: I should have the binding on it by his birthday... one month away, exactly.

A name for it? I'm thinking: Make mine a double! No,, just kidding, I'm not sure.

Any suggestions?

Highlights of My Little Get-Away

The hubs and I went to Livermore to see our DS & soon to be DIL.

I can't believe that I didn't make sure my camera was charged before I left!

There were so many things I could have taken pictures of...

starting with my visit to In Between Stitches!

I didn't have to get but a couple steps inside the door when my heart skipped a beat for

this group that was displayed there...

Nicey Jane... by Heather Bailey;

the collection reminds me of vintage sheets... which just happens to be a favorite obsession of mine right now. So, of course I had to bring a sample of each home with me.

Next day: The same problem continued. We had a large Nikon and

a digital camera with us and we only got a few shots

before the batteries were dead on both of those. That's a total of 3 cameras down now! *g*

We went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The exhibits were so facinating! And they have Pinguins too!


I love the sea lions approach to life.

Just relaxin' in the sun!

I did pull out my cell phone to take some photos of the sea horses.

They are the most precious little creatures in the sea.

It's a leafy sea horse. Aren't they amazing?

I can't forget to mention the fantastic food we had. Jill cooked one night and on Valentine's Day she made Boston Cream Pie (heart shaped). It was my first time to have it! It was seriously delicious! Now I really have to start a diet!

Hmmm... I heart 3 day weekends... but wait! you know what that means?

A 4 day work week! Woohoo!

Flowers, The Language of Love

Here are some of pictures of quilts that

I took while I was at the Road to Calif. last month.

I don't think I have shown you these yet.

Mixed in are some of my flowers.

and a favorite quilt of mine.

and a favorite little story of mine...
I was in a wedding once when the Priest expressed the "recipe" for love & relationships.
He said: Patience....................... patience..............

patience.................
and this went on for about 5 minutes with short
and long pauses in between.
Which really allowed you feel the true meaning of the word!

I loved it!

I hope your weekend is filled with gifts of love and you get to spend time doing what you love!
Have a wonderful weekend!

Highlights of My Day

I wanted to make these for Valentine's Day.

Sweetwater has such fun things going on and

their fabrics are my latest addiction. Their blog

always has cute ideas & sweet little projects.

Each of the hearts has a different label. I was able to get these done this morning (before getting ready for work) and I plan to put tins of chocolate covered Altoids in them for little gifts.

I had lunch today with a special quilting friend at a special little restaurant, well, Tea House.

I haven't been there for a long time. I think I had forgotten how cute this place is!

The food is absolutely wonderful also. And a Red Hat is not required!

Good food, good friend and such a pleasant atmosphere...

I hated to go back to work. I will have to make a mental note to come back and look more closely a their gifts. Here is a little glimpse.

Not a bad way to spend the day all in all... even if you do have to work.

What I Accomplished Before Superbowl Started

I was working on this over the weekend.

But I didn't calculate the border correctly, so I am one side shy!

But before continuing on to any other projects I thought I should attend to

my messy quilting room. There were scenes like this all around me.

Jen (Miss Punkie Pie) and I had corresponded about doing a room makeover...

but it looked like I at least needed to find the floor.

So, I started to work on the piles of debris all around me... which led to more piles.

But, I think it is starting to take shape and become a workable space again.

I also tried to do some window treatments where there had been none.

I am still working on it but thought I would give you the idea. I still need to add to the sides of this window to make it match the other one.

I dressed up my girl in the corner with fat quarters of Fig Tree fabrics.

I remember seeing that done in a picture of a booth... I think it had been from market.

I also tried to make a little skirt for the table from the yards upon yards of tulle I have.

My original idea was to cover the table top in oilcloth and then add a skirt.

I might still have to do that. I don't think the fabric used on the top will be very functional.

I had to stop there for now. I want to make a cover for my chair also. Maybe with some Quilt Soup fabrics. I will have to ponder it until I can work on it some more.

What a Girl's Gotta Do

I'm a trooper but I had to throw in the towel (boxing terms).

I have been "under the weather"

and finally had to give up and go to the doctor yesterday!

Once they get you though... they seem to want to keep you. I had to go back and see another one again today and get poked prodded and biopsied and get some medicine too!

(those pills almost glow! scary!)

What I really want is to just soak in a hot tub& then curl up on the couch in my sweats & vegitate!

I have a rule though...

for every 15 minutes I have to be at the doctor's office... I get the same amount in $$$, to treat myself to something indulging to kind of make up for the pain and suffering!

So, I actually had a full punch card and my doctor visit was just a minute or two away from Quilter's Paradise, so I popped in to allow myself 15 minutes of shopping bliss.

(Before returning to work).

Now, had I not been sick and trying to manage with a raging migraine I would have thought to take some photos of their fantastic quilt shop!

I could kick myself... but I have been abused enough.

I got that little jelly roll of Oz, because I was jealous of those Schnibblers who won the Oz layer cakes from Carrie! I had been wanting this pattern and they had it there right by the front door. It's by Laura Nownes & Diane M. They had one made up in the store... it was so cute. I also spied this scrap bag- I recognised that it was Astor Manor in the little window! I loved working with it in Sunday's Best, so I couldn't resist!

I am just finishing up on this quilt. I had ran out of squares for some reason while in the middle of making it... but I made a phone call and a friend of mine came by with her stash of Authentic and let me pick out what I needed! That was a "Bail Out" of the best kind...

and no government needed!


I finished this little blanket and got it in the mail for a sweet little baby girl born in December. The little scotty was made by my "Bail Out" friend and has lavender in a little pouch inside to help the baby sleep.

This here is calling my name.

It looks like it's going to be so fun.

I did the one year before last.

I didn't get to do last year's BOM.

The FQS block of the month doesn't start til June.

The fabric is by Kate Spain & is so cute; like vintage Christmas wrapping paper. The blocks are designed by some wonderful and talented women, like:

Anka's Treasures, Bonnie & Camille, Bunny Hill Designs, Fig Tree Quilts,

Minick & Simpson, Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, Pieces from My Heart, The Pattern Basket

to name some of them.
Um, eee, uhhh... should I?

The Givers & the Getters'

Is Getter even a word? Oh well, it's probably better than "takers".

I am so happy about all of your Madeline quilts! They are so fun and it's so amazing to see them made up, some just a little bit different than the next! It was a great pattern!

Today we get to pick the winners, randomly, of course.

Carrie will be announcing her winners on her blog as well. She is picking one winner from Pink Pincushion and one winner from A Quilting Life.

I get to pick a couple of winners from Sherri's blog and Sherri will be picking winners from my blog... just trying to keep this all "fair and square"!

Here are the shops that will be providing the wonderful prizes for you:

Quilter's Paradise is offering a $25 gift certificate to a lucky Schnibbler from our parade!

Cottage Quilts is donating a $25 mini shopping spree to one of the parade winners!

Just like the picture shows... the Fat Quarter Shop is giving away a $50 (wholly cow) gift certificate to one of our lucky winners!

Bear Paw Quilts is giving two charm packs of April Cornel's

newest group, Natures Notebook, and a Sunday's Best pattern.



Quilt Taffy has a wonderful gift for you too! A pattern and a charm pack of your choice.




So here we go...

The first two winners are picked by Carrie...

who will each receive a layer cake from Miss Rosie herself!




and the winner from Sherri's parade is:


Sandy at Crazy Bout Quilts

and from my parade is Gloria's Madeline from Hooked on Quilting.

The winners from Sherri's parade are:

Darlene from Quilting Daze will receive the gift certificate from Cottage Quilts!!!

and Paulette (no blog) ! Paulette is the winner for the Quilt Taffy prize!

and the winners from my parade are:

Kim, from Kim's Big Quilting Adventure will get the gift certificate from Quilter's Paradise!

Cindy from the blog: Sew Cindy wins the gift certificate from the Fat Quarter Shop!

and my last winner is An Encourager! I love the colors here! She will receive the prize from Bear Paw Quilts!

Congratulations to all of our Schnibblers for such beautiful work and for making the commitment to get'er done! It truly is a win-win kind of thing!