Friday Night Sew-In on Saturday morning, Again :-)

Or Update #2 for August 2010 :-)

I crashed at 1 something last night (well, I should say early this morning). Since I am running to Q First in Quilting to get backing for the Zippity Doo Dah finish, I decided to make pillowcases to donate. They donated 3 pillowcases for Dillon's Auction, and I promised myself that I would give them pillowcases for the next need. They keep a supply of pillowcases that customers have donated for needs like Dillon's auction. I'm going to try to take a couple in whenever I shop there.

It's a good almost finish to my Sew-In :-). It was my first time making pillowcases, but certainly will not be my last. I used the Easy Pillowcase Pattern with French Seams found at about.com. Being me, I had to make modifications. I did not have a good accent fabric, so I did not do that on mine. Both fabrics were in my stash. This wipes out the ABC fabric, but I've still got a yard or so of the green print. They are both from the Puppy Dreams line by South Sea Imports.

Folded, wrapped in a ribbon, and ready to go:

While I'm out and about, I'll also be heading to Sandy's to drop off Husky. She's the local Husqavarna store and I like to take Husky there. Plus, she's a couple of blocks from my work, so it will be easy to pick Husky up.

I just need to sew the binding onto a quilt and then I will call this Sew-In complete and head out to do my shopping/errands.

BTW, stay tuned for a surprise! It's coming, it's coming!

~QB29

Cleaning Husky ...

This came out of Husky today ....
For size comparison, here's my bobbin case ....

Think I need to clean my machine out more often OR, better yet, take him in for his long overdue cleaning/maintenance?

I'll definitely be doing this week - today if I finish my planned sewing in time :-)

~QB29

Update - Finish #1 w/ Picture!

Just need to finish last border for Zippity Doo Dah Throw - it's coming along great! Breaking for a bite to eat and then will be back up to sew more :-)

Update: Flimsy is finished! Pic's not the greatest, but it will do until sunlight tomorrow :-)


~QB29

Friday Night Sew In Plans

I realized I didn't list my plans for tonight. So in no particularly order, here's my wanna-do list for tonight:

Zippity-doo-dah lap quilt out of a Jelly Roll and a Layer Cake
* finish 4 X 4 center (using layer cake squares)
* Piano Key border using jelly roll FLIMSY FINISH!!!! :-)

Big C's denim/flannel rag quilt (about twin size, using 8" squares)
* finish cutting denim squares last night, still need to cut rest of flannel squares
* 1/3 of squares are assembled - need to work on assembling rest

Quilt Camp Prep
* need to cut/pick fabric/trim for projects and pack so it's ready :-)
* need to make block giveaway blocks - any 12" pattern using white/WOW & 1930's

UFO's
* binding :-(

Dad's Star Struck
* work on making blocks


I may take a 1/2 day today and start my Friday Night Sew-In in the afternoon :-). I'll post updates and pictures tonight or early tomorrow :-)

~QB29

Friday Night Sew-In

Tomorrow's the night, don't forget. Make a date with your sewing machine. Keep it up late! :-)



~QB29

Now, I know y'all wouldn't want one of these ...

But just in case you do, visit Sew Many Ways. She has one that she's giving away.

~QB29

Enter Now For Your Chance To Win

(or don't enter so I have a better chance of winning!)

Rachel at P.S. I Quilt is having a sponsor giveaway. Shannon of fabrics n quilts is giving away a Moda 1933 Jelly Roll.


Go on and check it out (but if you want me to win, don't enter :-D)

~QB29

Be watching my blog ....

A surprise will be coming soon :-)

~QB29

I Spy A Swap

I am participating in Sewing in the Wendy City's I Spy swap part Deux. Here are my 20 sets of 10 ready to go:

Here are the prints:

Bows, chickens, starfish
snowflakes, paw prints, cherries, dogs
bees, letters, stars

I didn't even have to buy any for this swap. I had them all in my stash (imagine that, lol).

I can't wait to see what I get back!

~QB29

Friday Night Sew-In on Saturday morning

I sewed, but not until this morning. My Sunday School class has an outing later today and I volunteered to bring cookies. I went to bake them last night and finally gave up in frustration. I'm going to need my landlady's maintenance man to come out and look at my oven. It would bake the first cookie sheet fine, and then manage to turn off and not keep the temperature for the 2nd sheet. By the time if finally decided to reheat, the cookies would be in over 30 minutes. After burning half the cookies (checking every 2 minutes :-() and having one batch come out half raw (after 30 minutes!) I decided to call it quits. I'm going to run to the store and buy some here in a bit. It got to the point where I was turning the oven off completely between cookie sheets, letting it cool, and then turning it back on. I don't know how long it's been doing this, as I usually am not putting consecutive items in the oven. One pizza and I'm done. One batch of brownies and I'm done. One tray of open faced sandwiches and I'm done. :-(

So after spending hours in the kitchen last night, I knew I was too tired and frustrated to even attempt to sew. I let myself sleep in this morning and then got up and worked on a baby quilt. I'm going to quilt as I go (using the sashing to connect the blocks, as shown in Quilter's Cache Method 2). I made 6 large blocks, have the batting and backing cut for each, and will work on quilting them the rest of this weekend. I used 6 fat quarters in a stack-and-whack method. Below are five of the rectangles. The sixth is basted and ready for quilting.



Below is the backing. It is Amy Bradley's Funny Babies Pink Diaper Pins.


So how was everyone's Firday Night (Saturday Morning) Sew-In?

~QB29

need advice: looking for a basic backup machine

Hi everyone,

My mom is looking for a basic sewing machine to have as a backup when hers is in the shop. She just wants to be able to do basic piecing with it (straight and some zig-zag/buttonhole/applique). She found one that is on both Amazon.com and Overstock.com. It is a Brother LX 3125. She also found another Brother on Amazon.

Brother LX 3125 @ amazon

Brother LX 3125 @ Overstock

Brother XL2600I @ amazon

First question: Does anyone have any experience with either machine or Brother's in general? Good? Bad?

Second question: If you don't recommend either machine, what are other(s) you would recommend? She'd like to stay under $100.00 including tax and shipping.

Third question: Has anyone ordered off Overstock? Do you recommend (or not recommend) it? I order off Amazon.com all the time, but have no experience with Overstock.

Fourth question: Anyone have a basic machine they would like to sell (and in the Lex or Cinci area) that would be a good backup?


Thanks,
QB29

Cookies!

My Sunday School class is having an outing next weekend. I volunteered to make cookies. I want to make 2 or 3 different varieties. I may do some Chocolate chip cookies, but I also want to try making lemon cookies out of a lemon cake mix. Has anyone ever made cake mix cookies before? About how many do you get out of a box? Besides lemon, what other cake mix flavor are good for making cookies? Any other ideas for easy cookies besides a cake mix?

Thanks!
~qb29

VBS Crafts

5 - 8 boys, 9 - 12 boys & girls - decoupaged a clear plastic plate using modpodge, scrapbook paper, and cutouts.




Wednesday's craft - 5 - 8 girls - Made a keychain out of pony beads and plastic lacing.

Wednesday's Craft - 3 & 4 boys/girls - They threaded the yarn through the holes and then decorated the plates using leftover tissue paper from Tuesday and with crayons and markers


Monday's craft: Paper Windsocks!


My sample from Tuesday disappeared, but it was tissue paper popsicle stick frames. We glued 4 sticks together to make a frame, added a hanging ribbon, and then glued a piece of white paper in the middle. The kids decorated the paper and then glued tissue paper onto the frame. You can see a similar craft someone did here.

We were in charge of the 3/4 boys & girls and the 5 - 8 girls.

Friday Night Sew-Out

I had a Friday Night Sew-Out tonight at a friend's. She and the other two ladies paper crafted

Jen's notebook - she takes the black and white composition books (on sale for a quarter right now!) and decorates them:

Jillian's Happy Birthday banner (sorry for the poor angle) -- her grandma turns 75 in the next few days and they are having a special party to celebrate. Jillian used the Cricut to make a cute Happy Birthday Bannner:

while I worked on hand quilting my Bonnie Quilt. I got six fans done. Tonight was my first night doing Baptist fans and so far I am enjoying them. Of course this is a small quilt (wall hanging), so I'm sure that helps.





We also ran to Walmart to get supplies and stopped by the dollar store.

~QB29

Super Simple Fruit dip and craft night with friends

Take thisAnd this


And you've got fruit dip!

Add some fruit and you're good to go :-). A friend's invited me over tomorrow for a craft night. Some other ladies from church are coming as well. We're going to order pizza and everyone's bringing a side dish. I'm bringing a fruit tray (minus any kiwi, though I was tempted to get it to add some more color to the tray, lol.) I think I'm going to work on hand quilting my Bonnie Quilt. With school going on, it's just sat in my sewing room since I finished the top. I'll be attending a retreat in the fall that Bonnie's coming to (not as a teacher) and I would like to be able to show her a finished project. So I guess I better start quilting!

~QB29

No Sew Week

This week is VBS at church. We have it each evening through Thursday. I am working in crafts. Originally we were told to plan for 30 to 40 5 to 8 year-old girls. Turns out we also have 3 & 4 boys/girls. Last night we made paper windsocks. We had 54. Tonight we had 71. We made Popsicle stick frames and decorated them with tissue paper. Tomorrow night we are planning on having 2 different crafts. The 5 - 8 girls will use plastic lacing to make key rings. The 3 & 4's will decorate paper plates and thread yarn around the edges. I am roughly estimating 90, based on prior experience. Everything is a patriotic theme, so we are using lots of red, white, and blue :-).

That said, it is a no-sew week for me. If I remember tomorrow, I will get pictures of all the samples to show off.

QB29

cute idea for a geeting card

I've been seeing this quilt pattern mentioned a lot lately:

Butterfly Block Tutorial
Bee in my Bonnet's Butterfly Quilt

Isn't this a cute block? I think one butterfly would look really cute on the front of a handmade card. Don't you?

~QB29

My fun afternoon/evening .... and my mom sews

Look whom my mom and I babysat for a few hours today.... Isn't he getting big? He's almost 19 months now! His big brother had a baseball tourney.

Also, my mom sewed for me. I'm working on a Bonnie Hunter Star Struck quilt for my dad and brought up several squares/strips to make the blocks. She wanted to sew for me, so I all I had to do was "match" the small squares to the rectangles. She even got into the matching with me on the last set :-).

My mom sewing:


2 of the ones she worked on. I had all the strip sets made. She just added the corner triangles. I even got her to do the bonus triangles :-).




The stack that she did:

All for now :-)

~QB29

~QB29

I'm a winner (again :-))

I just saw over on Diary of a Quilt Maven that I am a winner. Thank you! I'll be looking forward to using the bundle. It looks beautiful :-)

Thank you!

~QB29

I'm a Winner!

The other day, the Dabbling Mum had a giveaway. I won! Isn't the card the cutest?

Thanks DM!

~QB29

I think I need to start Basting ...

I've got four baby quilt tops ready to baste and quilt. A fifth is almost done. It just needs the border and the rest of the applique stitching. :-). Guess we know what I'll be doing this weekend!

~QB29

Another Design

Yet another MS Paint Design. I found some golf fabric on sale last weekend. I'm planning on using it in the center of the blocks. Block A is the diamond - I will make it with a cream background. The center is golf tees on green. Block B is the Framed Square. It is a golf course. The blue will be close to the water on the print. I may not have enough to make all the Block A/Block B blocks, but will supplement with other greens. The border will be a green. If I can find another golf print at a fantastic price, I'll use that. Otherwise, it will just be green :-)

This will be for my Uncle - he loves golf.

~QB29

I started a 2nd blog

Hi everyone,

I started a 2nd blog to talk about what God shows me during my Bible time, what I learn during church, etc. If anyone wants to visit, I'd love to have you. It's called Becca's Bible Reading and is at http://beccareadsthebible.blogspot.com/

~QB29

Girl Baby Quilt Design

What do you think? This sketch was made in MS Paint, so don't mind the simplicity of it. The blocks are 8" and the sashing is 2". The border is 4". It should finish around 40" square. The green will be the same throughout all the blocks. The flower will be scrappy (I'll use 9 different prints). The yellow will be the same throughout. The flower, leaves, and sashing will be tone-on-tone of small prints. The border may be one of the flower prints or may be a medium to large scale print (not necessarily pink, will depend on what I have and what works). I'll probably bind with the border. I'm hoping to use up some more of my floral stash that went into this and this.

Once I look at the fabrics I have left, I may use a pale pink for the flower centers/sashing instead of the yellow.

Comments?

~QB29

Bible Reading this Morning

I was reading in Proverbs 7 this morning and noticed something.

7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
11 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,
14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.
15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
19 For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:
20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.
21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
(I bolded for emphasis)

I've read this passage several times over the years and haven't given it much thought. This morning I realized that if we put ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time (vs. 8/9), then the decision's been made. (vs. 13/21). The harlot caught him, she caused him to yield, she forced him. The young man didn't choose to go with the harlot. He chose to make himself available to her. Applying this to my life, I see that it is even more important that I watch where I go places and when I go places. Even if I have no intentions of sinning, if I put myself in the wrong place at the wrong time, I may get caught up in the sin and not have a choice. It will find me. (vs. 15).

~QB29

EQ7

So any one have any thoughts on EQ7? I got it in my mind that I want it :-). My mom told me she'd buy for my bday since I've not really asked for anything yet. When shopping this weekend, we saw that the local store carries it. My mom asked about the price and the girl said it's eligible for the birthday discount (1/3 of your age percent off). So my early birthday present is turning into a late present :-(. Oh well, it's not like I need to design any quilts right now. I've got plenty of other patterns to choose from.

So the question for y'all, is, do I need EQ7? Pros/cons of using? Please share!

~qb29

Jill's 1000th Post Giveaway

Hi everyone,

My friend Jill is celebrating. She just made her 1000th post. She also has her blog anniversary this month. She's having a great giveaway. Go check it out! But, to give me a chance to win, please refrain from entering :-) JK, enter if you'd like. She's got awesome prizes. I also have a link in my sidebar.

~QB29

funny video

A blog friend posted a link to this and I just had to share. Enjoy!

~QB29

Cool Giveaway

Monica is having a special giveaway. She is celebrating her blog anniversary and her 100th post. Check it out. :-)

~QB29

Friday Night Sew-In

Some of my friends have been mentioning the Friday Night Sew-In for awhile now. I thought I would join them. This month's Friday Night Sew-In is July 23rd. To participate, go to Heidi's blog post about it.

I'll let you know that weekend what I was able to sew!

~QB29

If it's not one thing, it's another ....

My sewing yesterday morning basically set the tone for my sewing last night. I managed to redo the seams on the binding, but then it took me an hour to finish off the binding. I don't know what I was thinking, but I kept sewing the beginning and ending of the binding together in a 90 degree angle. Then when I finally got the angle right, I kept making it too big or too small. I think I literally spent an hour working on it. Oh, and both my bobbin and my spool ran out on separate attempts. But, the good news is that I finally got it finished and machine-sewed the binding down.

But more was to come...
I went to print the labels and realized I only had about 30 minutes on my laptop. And that my power cable was sitting on my desk. At work :-(. So I went to print the labels. First I had to change my black ink because it was out. So I did, but did not do so correctly, because when I went to print the labels, only the colored part of the name printed. Nothing in black printed! By then my laptop died. I fiddled some more with the printer and tried reinstalling the cartridge, but I won't know until later when I'm back home and ready to print again with a powered laptop if it's correct now.

Of course I couldn't find my quilt label pen anywhere, so I couldn't hand write the info on the label. I'll get one this afternoon to have on hand.

I did get photos of the quilt this morning, but since I'm at work I don't have a card reader. I'll upload the photos this evening. I also finished a UFO top. It's ready for basting. I'll post a picture of that as well.

I'll use this for a baby boy at church who is due in July. We have 2 more boys coming up in October plus a "surprise us" that month as well. We also just had a baby girl come a few weeks ago and the ladies are having a shower this month for her. So that's four quilts I want to do over the next several weeks before school starts back up.

~QB29

Valuing a Quilt for Donations

Hi Everyone,

Maybe you can help me. Please do so if you can.

When I mail the two quilts (Dillon's Critters and Floral Rows) for the auction I have to include a value. This is what they will reference when sending the tax receipt and should be the value I could sell it for. What price should I use for each of the these quilts?

Dillon's Quilts - all fabric & batting from stash, including a charm pack (so only had to cut 4 of the squares)
40" X 40", machine pieced & quilted

Floral Rows - all fabric in top from stash, some pre-cut from other projects, including batting. Did have to buy backing/binding
about 40" X 48", machine pieced & quilted

So the question is, what do I value them at? I've never sold any of my quilts - My family, friends, and church family give me more than enough babies to quilt for, so I have no need (or time) to make quilts for sale.

Thanks,
~QB29

Sewing in the Morning

probably shouldn't be done by me:


My attempt at making binding this morning. I have no idea what I was thinking, but at least I was consistent. I did this on all 4 seams!

~QB29

Any Helpers?

Does anyone want to help me with my paper? I would like to have a couple of eyes read over it to check for proofreading/logical flow of the report. It's 22 pages double spaced (what can I say, I like to talk, lol) though about 3 pages are graphics.

The report is due on Thursday, but I am planning on turning it in on Wednesday since I have to drive down to campus (45 minutes each way) and hand deliver a professionally bound copy before the office closes at 4pm. So I would need any corrections/recommendations by tomorrow evening, say around 8 pm, so I can incorporate them into the report.

If you decide to help me, please explain why you are suggesting a correction/recommendation so that I can improve myself as a writer.

If you're good at proofreading or know APA style very well and would like to proofread it, leave me a comment. If your email is set to "no reply" you'll need to leave your email address in the comment.

Thanks,

~QB29

Next Top is Pieced!

Here's the next top I'm working on. I got it pieced tonight and will (hopefully) baste and quilt it tomorrow, that is, if I don't fall victim to the dreaded Sunday afternoon nap illness. Okay, it's not so dreaded. I rather enjoy when I am stricken by it :-). Backing and binding will be in a light cream very similar to the sashing strips.

~QB29

giveaway ....

Hi everyone,

The Dabbling Mum is having a giveaway. She's giving away a hard copy of "A Beautiful Day: Morning Light Series"and a handcrafted greeting card. For more information, go to her blog. Or don't - that means a better chance for me to win :-D.

~QB29

3 Visits to the Same Quilt Store in the Same Day!

Well, my title about sums up my day so far. I started out this morning running to JoAnn's. I went by the quilt store first, intending to get a jelly roll for this quilt but when I got there I suddenly couldn't remember if I needed a honey bun or a jelly roll. This store doesn't sell the magazine the pattern will be in (Quick Quilts) so I ran to JoAnn's to get what I needed and check the shelves. They don't have any. So I try Target and Meijer since they're across the street for JoAnn's. Mejier carries it, but still had the June/July on the shelf and the pattern's in the August/September issue. I'll just have to wait until it's on the shelf :-(.

So I headed home, but my car detoured me back to the quilt store for visit #2 to pick up some blues for the snowman quilt I'm going to make at Quilt Camp. The sample uses a variety of fabrics, but I'm going to do mine in blues & whites, so I need to stock up.

I came home and decided to see if I can get a second quilt made to go along with Dillon's Critters. I pulled out my leftover 4.5" squares from this and another baby quilt, also a disappearing 9-patch. I decided I didn't want to do the D9P this time, so it will be a surprise what I'm making. To get it finished this weekend I needed backing and realized I didn't have any creamy/white that would work, so back to the store I went for trip #3.

I told one of the owner's (Cora) about making the quilts for Dillon and about the auction. Guess what??? She donated three pillowcases for me to send. I'll be including them in the package I mail out on Monday.

So if you're ever in the Lexington area, go to Q First In Quilting on Old Harrodsburg Rd. The ladies that own it are super sweet. Even though it's been months (I think beginning of Feb) since I've been in there, they remembered me :). I can't praise them enough. The store is spacious and well-lit. You'll love it, I promise!

~QB29

Dillon's Critters is Bound

I am calling this quilt Dillon's Critters because it is in honor of 4 yr. old Dillon and is made using the Critters charm pack my mom gave me for Christmas. Dillon is the little guy in my sidebar. He suffered an injury at birth that resulted in several disabilities. A local (to them) organization has an annual corvette-only car show, which includes an auction. Every year they choose a child to benefit from the event. This year it is Dillon.

This picture shows the front of the quilt. The inner border, binding, and backing are the same yellow print. The quilt is about 40" x 40". The charm squares finished are 4 1/2". I quilted it using a yellow that matched the backing. I did diagonal lines (X's) on the charm squares, stitched in the ditch around both edges of the inner border, and then 3 parallel lines in the outer border.


Back of the quilt shows the quilting really well.


While I was taking photos I found my summertime friends.

The back of my townhouse is a wasp magnet. This is my third summer here and probably my tenth wasp nest I've destroyed. Yep, I destroyed my friends' home :-).

Today I'm running to JoAnn's or Hobby Lobby to get printer fabric so I can make a label for Dillon's Critters. Other than that I'm going to work on organizing my sewing room and either start a new project or work on a UFO.

~QB29

It's Quilted!

I've got the top quilted and just need to bind it. I'm heading back up now to bind. I'll label it tomorrow. I need to run to JoAnn's to get the printer fabric so I can make a label.

~QB29

Top is Basted, thanks to Walmart :-)

Yeah, it's basted. I did end up running to walmart. I had to stop by and get batteries anyway. The smoke detector started chirping this week and I had no 9-volt in the house (the one in the sewing room, not a sleeping bedroom, plus there are 3 others on the same floor, so I didn't run out and do it Tuesday at midnight when I got home nor last night after my class).

Now for the photos:
first up - the whole quilt. It is made up of the Critters charm pack my mom gave me for Christmas (plus 4 more squares to have enough)


Up close of the borders. The yellow for the inner border is also the backing. I got a ton of it on clearance awhile back.
The next two are close ups of several of the fabrics in the charm pack. The charm pack had 2 each of 17 different prints, but I didn't like 1 of the prints. That left me with 32 and for the 6x6 I needed 36, so I added 2 additional prints. Can you tell which ones? You'll have to look at the whole quilt to do so :-D




This quilt is being made in honor of Dillon, the little boy I've mentioned before. He's the one who went to China last year for stem cell treatment. A local (to them) organization has chosen him as the recipient this year of the proceeds from their annual car show. They hold a corvettes only car show and also have an auction. This year's event is August 8 from 11 AM to 4 PM. It is in Barto, PA near Bally. If you're in the area, they would love to have you come to the car show. If you can't make it, but would like to do so, the website has directions for you to send in a donation for Dillon.

I'm going to quilt and bind it this weekend so I can get it in the mail on Monday. I'll post a picture after I'm done with it.

~QB29

If I were my safety pins, where would I be?

Great. Now that I finally get a chance to sew and have a top ready to be quilted, my safety pins are nowhere to be seen :-(. What did I do with them the last time I sewed? If I can't find them soon, looks like I'll be making a quick trip to walmart. Of course, as soon as I get back with the new ones, I'll find my container.

~QB29

WV quilt Camp

Anyone up for a quilt camp in St. George, WV? My information packet for this September's session came in the mail today.

I've been to this one twice in the past. It's held twice a year (September & April) but because of school and other conflicts I have not been for a couple of years. It is at YMCA Camp Horseshoe - a summer camp facility located in Monongahela National Forest outside of Parsons, WV.

Sewing takes place in the lodge. The main room houses 40 quilters and the smaller room houses 9 quilters. You pick your spot when you register and can request a nearby sewing mate, though these are assigned as registrations are processed, so you are not guaranteed to get your choice.

They have several exciting classes scheduled. You can pick and choose which classes you sign up for, sign up for all of them, or sign up for none. The classes are very low-key. At the time(s) specified on the schedule, the instructor will meet the students around an instruction table and demonstrate/review the next few steps for the project. The students then go back to their sewing stations and sew :-). The instructor is available for any hands-on help that is needed. If the instructor sees that the students need more help, an extra class time or two will be called. Unless advance preparation is needed by the instructor (such as kits or preparing patterns), you can usually sign up for a class during the camp. I did this once and others did multiple times. Sometimes the project image does not inspire you, but everyone working on the project does :-).

Housing is in the cabins, which are heated. There is a heated bathhouse nearby. There's nothing fancy about these cabins - it's your typical summer camp arrangement. However, a new building right next to the lodge where we sew has opened since I last went, which has attached bathrooms and is more handicap accessible. There is an extra fee for this building and it is asked that you request it only if you need so, since space is limited in it.

The kitchen staff prepares all the meals for us. They always do a wonderful job. You won't go hungry :-). Additionally, most everyone brings snacks to share on the snack table, so there's plenty to eat between meals.

Best of all? No cell service and no emails, so my work can't contact :-D.

If anyone is interested, here is the link for the information packet: http://www.hi-y.org/Quilt%20Camp%20Packet%20-%20September%202010.pdf
Here is the link for the website: http://www.hi-y.org/chprograms.html#quiltcamp

You can arrive anytime after 1 PM on Tuesday, anytime on Wednesday, or anytime on Thursday. The price is adjusted based on how many nights you are spending. The first meal is Wed. for lunch. If you arrive Tuesday, you are on your own until then. There is a McDonald's about 15 minutes away or pack something in a cooler. There has been a refrigerator & microwave in the sewing lodge in the past. I'm assuming they are still available and you could put a sandwich or two in so you won't starve until lunch on Wednesday.

I NEED HELP! Please help me out :-)

Dear Blog Readers,

For those of you who don't know, I am currently working on my M.S. in Applied Computing, concentrating in Software Engineering and Business Computing. As part of my business classes, I am taking Strategic Business Corporations. For this course, I am doing a report and presentation that analyzes Google searches. I have created a survey to help me understand people's use of Google. If you could take this survey for me I would really appreciate it. Also, if you don't mind asking others in your household or friends to take the survey, please do so. Feel free to share the link with as many people as possible.

Here is the link: Click here to take survey

Thank you so much!

~QB29

I think I might have found a gym to join :-)

There's a church near me that has a Recreation & Outreach Center that includes a fitness center & walking track. I'm going to check it out tonight. It's open 6am - 9 pm M - F (closes at 5 for church on Wed though) and from 8 am to 2 pm on Saturdays. Are you ready for the cost? Get this .. it's $25 for the walking track only or $50 for both the walking track & the fitness center. That's not the monthly cost, that's the annual cost! I've already decided, without even checking it out yet, that I'm forking over the $50 tonight :-).

~QB29

Secrets :-)

My church does "secret sisters" every year. We draw names and then spend the year secretly praying for the lady whose name we drew. If we want and are able, we send little notes or presents throughout the year, letting our secret sister know we're praying. I'm being very sneaky about my sister this year. I set up a secret sister email address and emailed her. She has no idea who I am, but yet is able to communicate with me. Isn't it fun being sneaky?

~QB29

I think I'm going to make this!

(photo courtesy of Julie Herman, aka Jaybird Quilts)

Play School Quilt by Jaybird Quilts. It's a new design she added this week.

It was on Moda Bake Shop recently and looks super easy to make.

~QB29

Trominoes

Who thinks this would make a good quilt pattern?


It's called Trominoes and it's my latest project for school. We had to write a recursive program that would cover a 2^n X 2^n board with trominoes, leaving blank only one square. And guess what? It's done and it's only Monday and the project is not due until Thursday :-).

New Year's Eve Partying :-)

My church is having its annual Watchnight service on Thursday. It includes a potluck meal - every family is suppose to bring a dish to share. It usually works out that enough people bring main dishes, side dishes, and desserts. This year, I'm bringing two desserts.

First up: Chocolate Pretzel Buttons from the Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen site. They're easy to make.

Second up: More brownies! Instead of making them with peppermint, I'm going for a cookie flavor. I'm using Hershey's cookies 'n' cream candy bars for the frosting and chopped oreo cookies in place of the chopped peppermint candies. For ease of serving, I'll go ahead and put them in muffin cups like before.

Have a safe New Year's Eve and see you next year!

~QB29

Some Goals for 2010

An email group I'm on has been discussing setting resolutions or goals for the coming year. I've been thinking about them ever since I read the first email regarding the subject. Some of them are quilty, but the ones I've been thinking about today are not quilt related. So here goes ....

1. Lose 10 percent of my body weight.
2. Exercise at least 3 times a week.
3. Eat a balanced diet, with less fast food then I've been eating now.

I'm trying to keep my goals simple so that I actually have a chance of doing them without getting frustrated with one and solving that frustration by doing none :-).

I'll have more later this week, some quilty and some non-quilty.

~QB29

My newest design!

For Christmas I received fabric from 3 different people! My Aunt sent backing fabric plus three different focus fabrics. My mom gave me a charm pack, and my sister gave me a honey bun roll. I've dug into the honey bun roll and here's the design I've come up with:

The 16-patches are made up of 1" squares. The white border to each of the 16 patches are actually the white print that was in the honey bun. The sashing is also 1" wide. The cornerstones will be one of the "lighter" prints in the honey bun. The white inner border will probably have to be a white solid or tone on tone, as there is not enough in the honeybun to do a white inner border. The pink will be one of the prints, but I am ordering a couple yards for the border and binding. The quilt will finish at 39" - 43", depending on how wide I make the outer border. The minimum I'll make it is 4", but I may make it 6", depending on how it looks.

The honey bun was Mary Engelbreit's "Baskets of Flowers" for Moda.

I'll post a pic when I'm done sewing the top. I hope to finish it this weekend. I'm getting the boys tomorrow afternoon and keeping them through supper on Monday to help my sister out. Her daycare is closed all week, but she can't take the whole week off work.

My mom gave me the Critters Charm Pack from Studio E Fabrics.

I'm not sure what pattern I'll use yet.

~QB29

peppermint brownies - another view

I cut them into small rectangles and placed each in a cupcake liner for easy serving. Plus cutting them up meant know one noticed the giant hole left from taste testing one or two or four or 12 (okay, maybe it was just 2).

~QB29

Look what I made ....

Not quilty, but yummy! Peppermint Brownies :-). Bake a box mix of brownies (or your own homemade recipe) as directed. As soon as you pull it out of the oven, top with about 15 Ghiradelli dark chocolate mint filled squares. Pop back into oven about 1 minute. Spread melted chocolate over brownies. Immediately top with chopped peppermint candies (the star light mints or candy canes). Let cool and enjoy!

I'm having them for dessert tonight, but I may have to have a test taste this afternoon. I'll let you know how they are. The recipe is from the Ghiradelli site, but I substituted a box mix for the homemade mix they had.

QB29

win a $20 gift card

Rhonda over at ravelly1 is giving away a $20 gift card to her favorite store, Common Threads. If you would like to win, follow her instructions here.

~QB29

love tracking numbers....

I'm waiting on a package from Fedex. They have excellent tracking info.
At 6:06 PM on Sunday the company electronically sent the info to fedex.
The package arrived at Fedex at 6:00 AM the next morning.
That night at 10:24 PM it left the origin facility heading to another Fedex locatin.
It arrived there at 10:25 am the next morning.
At 6:12 PM it departed for the sort facility that services my area, arriving there at 8:38 PM
It arrived in my city at the local Fedex at 7:42 AM this morning and ....
at 8:36 AM was scanned while being loaded onto the "fedex vehicle for delivery"

Now if I could just GPS the truck to see where it is in my fine city, lol.

Woo hoo, it will be here today :-D.

~QB29