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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

More Love for PNG

  "Stop searching the world for treasure, the real treasure is in yourself."    ---Pablo

Here is the last of the gifts I have made for the babies in Papua, New Guinea................I had planned to try to do something with some American Indian Petroglyph motif flannel that I have but my idea was just going to take too long and I wanted to be able to get these warm quilts mailed to Gina in Victoria by tomorrow...............so, instead of the flannel quilt I quickly tied up this fleece throw which is nice and snuggly and will keep some little soul warm and happy.........and I kind of like sending all these hearts full of love..........

 Notice the top far left orange heart...........that is my label........

 and the other two quilts are labeled and ready...........


 Rolled up in the box or folded flat in the box...............lets get going!



Gina, these will be on their way to you down under tomorrow so that you can send them on to PNG for me!  







Monday, June 24, 2013

I Got Another B-I-N-G-O !

"Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling." --Margaret Lee Runbeck


Little did I know that it would take such a little thing as a tiny little cold baby to get me back to my sewing room................
and here it is.........another BINGO quilt for some sweet baby in Papua, New Guinea........




This BINGO card started out as a rectangle so after surrounding it with a green button border I added a strip of the striped fabric to each of the long sides to square it up and added one more border of whimsical zoo animal print before surrounding the whole thing with the rail fence blocks



.....I used some of the red fabric I had used in the rail fence blocks for the backing.  This quilt has a little thicker batting inside but still isn't too heavy, I think. I quilted in the ditch on each border then diagonally across the rail fence blocks......






Now back to the sewing room to see what I can come up with for the American Indian Petroglyph flannel fabric......Ta-Ta for now.............



 

Friday, June 21, 2013

Got my Sewing Mojo back with a Charity Quilt.......BINGO!

  Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.  ― Dalai Lama



I have been wanting to make some charity baby quilts for quite some time now..............my first thought was to donate some quilts to the Children's Hospital next to where I work and I also thought about donating to Project Linus.......and although both ideas are worthwhile I seemed to be dragging my feet when it came to actually doing it.................

Well yesterday I saw a post on my friend Melody's Blog (click on the link to read about it)  and my heart was so moved that I knew I had to do something.  The quilt drive is for babies in Papua, New Guinea, whose families have been displaced and moved to the high mountains where it is so cold that many babies are dying from the cold.

I not only wanted to do something but do it FAST.......I looked through my stash trying to find something bright and "baby-like" and browsed the internet for a quick pattern.......What I found in my stash was a BINGO card that I had made for a "May for Me" celebration a couple of years ago.......I had stashed it away thinking there must be something I could do with it.........I still had many of the same fabrics I had used to make it......and in one afternoon the bingo card went from this................................




To This!

I used matching fabric I still had in my stash for the back and then just quilted in the ditch on all the borders.....and made a "cheater binding" with the backing....


By the time I had added the five borders to the BINGO card it grew to be about 36" x 36"...........perfect for a newborn and still big enough to keep the baby warm for a year!  
Can we hear a big "B-I-N-G-O!"???

I am going to look some more.....I found some flannel which I think will also make a warm quilt and hopefully I can send them off next week................here is the link again in case any of you are interested in sending charity quilts to the babies in PNG......




Oh......and I did manage to make one more little project this week when I wasn't busy watching the squirrels and the birds and the flowers and the turtle.................


This little mug rug is a belated birthday gift.....since I missed the birthday I thought it might be appropriate.....(still loving my embroidery machine.....this one used an applique pattern...)

Tonight I go back to work for two graveyard shifts then off work on Monday because I have Jury Duty..............so I'm off to the shower and will talk to you all next time............Ta-Ta for now...................

 

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

The reason I can't get any sewing done......

Magic exists. Who can doubt it, when there are rainbows and wildflowers, the music of the wind and the silence of the stars? Anyone who has loved has been touched by magic. It is such a simple and such an extraordinary part of the lives we live.-----Nora Roberts

 I can't seem to get myself upstairs to my sewing room when I have all this beautiful scenery out my back door!





This little visitor was at my back door this morning...He stayed in this position long enough to let me get a photo......

then went scurrying up the Mulberry Tree and then over the wall.......
.................


so then I came to the computer and looked out the window and should be outside but our turtle, Donny.......



I did take a nap earlier so maybe after the sun goes down and it gets dark and I have no more beautiful outdoor distractions I can go upstairs and sew???
 
 

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

A Swap Block Done.....



Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.
       -----Judy Garland



I decided it was better to keep on blogging even if I only had one thing to show you today..............here is the block I am sending to Sandi, my BSA partner for June.............


 Sandi said she had no block preference but she loved oranges and harvest colors because she likes Halloween and Autumn so I found some pumpkin fabric and also some pieces from a Sweetgrass Prairie Line layer cake in my stash then added Mr. Scarecrow from my ME pattern library and....Voila!
I hope she will like it and I also hope she doesn't see my blog post before she gets it! LOL.................

Did anyone notice the author of the quote above.....Judy Garland???  I think she is reminding me that I am way behind on the Oz Hanging.......

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week............Ta-Ta for now.......

 

Friday, June 7, 2013

I'm back!


“when things break, it's not the actual breaking that prevents them from getting back together again. it's because a little piece gets lost -- the two remaining ends couldn't fit together even if they wanted to. the whole shape has changed   David Levithan



Well ok......as my Sister noticed....it has been over a month since I posted to my blog.......and I do, actually,  have a couple of things to show you....

First I want you to see the gorgeous block I received from my BSA swap partner, Marina, from the Netherlands.....

 
Marina handstitched the paper piecing on this "Wild Zinnia" block!  You can't see it as well in the photo but the print fabric is a beautiful dark navy blue with gold accents......I know I will find something fantastic to make with it......Thank you, Marina, I love it!

Marina had asked for a block in batik fabric and this is what I sent her.........
 
.......I have been trying to get the feeling of darks and lights (or at least trying to use two colors)  when I do the log cabin block and......as you can see, I am still madly in love with my embroidery machine......lol.............

I also worked on the mug rug for my swap partner, Kat, which isn't even due to be mailed until next month but what the heck.....I got an idea in my head and then couldn't stop...........unfortunately, because Kat has been one of my followers who has been checking to see if I have posted I can't post more than a sneak peek.....so here you go, Kat............you will see the rest of this next month.....lol....

 I have cut out the blocks from the Grinch panel I bought to make a couple of little Christmas lap quilts for my Grandsons but other than that.....I haven't done as much sewing as I have sitting out in the back yard watering my tomatoes and cucumbers and watching  the birds and my son's turtle...............

Oz keeps calling me so I think I will soon get back to the Oz hexagons...........don't give up on me yet!  I will talk to you next time..........Ta-Ta for now.............