Super Sunday or...

Mail Call Monday on a Sunday???  I suppose that will have to do!  :P

Welcome to another edition of Mail Call Monday... even if it IS still Sunday!!!  This past week I received some mail:

A package from a fellow Criminal Knitter (where it's a Crime NOT to knit along!!)

Photos of me wearing the cozy Full to the Brim hat by Threebagsfulled:

From the RIGHT:

From the BACK:

From the LEFT:

Any way you look at it...

It was a GOOD day!!!  Thank you for your generosity, RJC537!!!  :o))


And then...


I got an envelope in the mail from Kat at Kat and Cat Quilts blog:

With a card inside:

Which included a thank you to ME:

AND...  A gift!!!  :o))

Better still, I actually COLLECT quilting pins to put on my Quilt Guild name tag!!

Thanks, Kat!!  It was so sweet of you to recognize and show your appreciation for my participation in your Covered In Love December Block Drive.  I was happy to send some String Pinwheel blocks to support your cause.

NOTE:  It's not too late for YOU to make some String Pinwheels for the Covered in Love project!!! The blocks just need to arrive by the middle of January so that quilts can be made.  I don't believe that you will regret it.  You use some of your stash, help a good cause, and have FUN in the process!!

That's it for this edition of Mail Call Monday (on a Sunday.)

Until next time...
Quilty Christmas!!!
(Or whatever holiday to which you subscribe.)

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC15 - Week 51

Welcome to Week 51 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  Without a Color of the Month, I have put my rainbow sewing on hold.  ALL of my projects will be carried over to next year's challenge (with another one or two added in for good measure.)

The only scrap sewing that is getting done this week is for the 2015 Bonnie Hunter Winter Mystery.  I pulled red, gold, grey, and neutral scraps, along with some black yardage.  As I've said before, I wouldn't normally use Bonnie's color combination, but this time, the stash demanded it.

Remember:  It's NOT TOO LATE for YOU to join in the Mystery Quilting FUN!!!

SUNDAY included a trip to get DS1 from college for break and a visit from a lovely couple who gave us details of an upcoming vacation.  It also included rummaging through THIS bag of scraps (because you KNOW that I just HAD to do SOMETHING scrap-related!!  :o))

The bag o' scraps came via my friend Dee Dee's sewing room.  She wasn't at the Bee Meeting/Birthday Party in October and had finally gathered enough scraps to make what she considered a "decent" gift.  Believe me...  It has a gracious PLENTY!!!

Thank you, Dee Dee!!  I'm looking forward to making something fun with all of your wonderful scraps.

On MONDAY morning, I dragged myself out of bed to play Santa.  Well, I did have to drag myself out of bed (as I'm sick AGAIN!!), but the only thing I did was gather the quilts for my great-nieces and nephews.  I popped them into a box, along with a note for my SIL, and one of my BILs came by on the way from my MIL's house.  He'll be driving the box to the family Christmas party.

Thanks, Gary!!!  I feel MUCH better about sending these gifts up with you (instead of  via the US Postal Service!!)

TUESDAY was a (forced) stay-at-home day.  Not a bad thing with the way my throat hurts, but forced none the less, as DS1 took my car to go visit his girlfriend.  Enjoy... (while I sit at home hoping that nothing happens that would require me to leave the house!)

On WEDNESDAY, I had a voluntary stay-at-home morning.  Here's what I accomplished...

N - O -  T - H - I - N - G !     !    !     !    !

... but in the afternoon, I had a hair appointment, visited with friends, and enjoyed Girl's Night Out.

THURSDAY, as you well know, is my day for Quilt Group.  Today we enjoyed our Holiday Party at Ella's house.  She makes 2 kinds of soup:

... And we bring the fixings:

What a lovely day!!

Since it was Quilt Group day, I thought I would share the scraps that Candy gave me at last week's meeting.  Not sure how I managed to miss sharing them last week, but I did.  :o((

Thank you, Candy!!  There are some wonderful, usable scraps in this bag and I'm looking forward to sewing with them.  :o))

After recovering from the late night at DS2's Winter Concert last night...

Sorry!  The base player, pianist, and vibe player didn't make it into the photo of the 2015 - 2016 CRHS Jazz Ensemble.  Stage lighting made it impossible to get a good shot of the trumpet section.  Not to mention the fact that I was at the VERY BACK of the auditorium and that blasted recording mic cuts the band in half!!!

...  I went to my regular FRIDAY morning Knit Group.  It was our LAST meeting of the year.   :o((

LOOK!!!  Something quilty, handmade by a local artist, hanging on the Xmas tree at the coffee shop:

Bonnie Hunter release Clue 4 of Allietare!  I did all of the cutting for my quarter-sized version:

REDS

NEUTRALS

BLACKS

EVERYTHING... READY TO SEW!!!

But first...  a trip to the grocery store on a beautifully crisp afternoon:

While temperatures plummeted, my own artsy DS1 was busy making THIS:

And THIS after a wire-turning seminar at school:

NO!!!  That is NOT a hangman's noose... it's the knot used in rock climbing, which DS1 and his girlfriend do for exercise on-campus at "The Wall" and off -campus out in "the wild" (at area parks.)

SATURDAY is Angela's LINK PARTY for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  Please join me in having a look to see who has finished projects full of rainbow goodness.

Please note:  This will be my LAST timely link-up of the year.

I will be late to Week 52's LINK PARTY because of the Holidays.  If Angela will allow it, I will link-up on the 29th or 30th with my Year In Review post.  I've been working on it as the months passed and it will be a sight to see.  Please join me as I take a look back at all of the quilt blocks made during the 2015 Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  You will be surprised at just how much YOU can accomplish when you work on a project (or projects) a little at a time...  I was, too!!

Until next time...
ScrapHappy Holidays!!!

Mystery Monday Link-up!! Allietare! Part 3

Welcome to another edition of Mystery Monday Link-up of the 2015 Bonnie Hunter Winter Mystery!!  The THIRD Clue, found HERE, was delivered on Friday.  Believe it or not...  I actually got it done ON Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (THAT doesn't usually happen!!)

Not a bad bit of work this week:

And...

It included the extra bit of cutting!  Not much, though.  Just a few rectangles to go along with these scrappy (or not) 4 - Patch Blocks.

Note:  Extra cutting was also included in LAST week's instructions!! However, I missed it at the end of Part 2.  Oops!!

Andimc13 casually mentioned it after the fact, but I was warned about it this week.  Thanks, Riochtolann!!  (*Waving to Ravelry friends!*)

Go visit Bonnie's Link-up to see more Mystery Quilt FUN.

Until next time...
Be mysterious!!!

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC15 - Week 50!!!

Welcome to Week 50 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  (And pardon me while I have a panic attack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  How can there possibly be only TWO more weeks in the year?????????

SUNDAY afternoon, my family attended a neighborhood party.  While waiting to depart, I took some photos of the progress made on my Allietare while sewing with NeedleB yesterday:

On MONDAY morning, I thought you might like to see the piecing that I got finished on Sunday:

Good luck to my MIL, who had knee replacement surgery scheduled for today.  Love ya, Mom!!!

TUESDAY was an unusual day.  There was a doctor appointment in the morning, followed by a visit to the local Donation Quilt Group.  I don't get there very often, but saw a lot of friends and met a few new ones.  It made for an enjoyable day... and then I headed off to work!

WEDNESDAY is normally my "stay-at-home" day, but after finishing a load of laundry, I realized that I needed to do a quick grocery run.  Since I was out anyway... I stopped by the nail salon for a nice Holiday shade!  :o))

On THURSDAY morning, I went to Quilt Group... and finished a KNITTING project!  My Tubularity has been in the works for more than a year.  Here I am, testing out buttons:

FRIDAY's Knit Group was a bit delayed, due to our leader's doctor appointment.  I went at the normal time to work on weaving in some of the MANY ends on my Tubularity (shown above.)  I spent some quality time with my sewing machine during the afternoon, then took DS2 to get his (long overdue) flu shot.  Have YOU gotten yours yet???

As if I hadn't done enough for the day, my family drove to visit my MIL, my SIL who is leaving for Boston in the morning, and the SIL who had just driven in from NJ to relieve her of her nursemaid duties.  MIL is recovering nicely (if you discount her pain med induced babble!)

On SATURDAY, my Quilt Bee had their annual Holiday Pot Luck.  DS2 had TWO concerts, AND I had to be at work in the evening!!!  Add to that a stop at the grocery store on my way home (at nearly midnight and you have a clear picture of today!!!)  Just another busy day in the life.  LOL

Here's a shot of the (unprecedented) surprise ending to this year's PRISM Concerts...

... the "other" high school in town brought out their Marching Band to play their Xmas parade song!!!

It was a FANTASTIC finish!!!

I missed Angela's Saturday LINK PARTY by a few minutes, but I'm hoping that I will find time tomorrow for visiting around BlogLand to see what everyone else has been up to this week.  I hope you will join me (if you didn't beat me to the party!!)

Imagine THAT!!!  It appears that I wasn't the only busy Rainbow Scrap Quilter this weekend.  I posted in the wee hours of Saturday night into Sunday morning and was STILL only number 11 to join the LINK PARTY!!!  Tis the season.

Until next time...

Get Scrappy!!!

Mystery Monday Link-up!! Allietare! Part 2

Welcome to another Mystery Monday Link-up!!  On Friday, Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.com posted the second clue in her 2015 Winter Mystery.  There were hundreds of us WAITING for the release of the next step in the construction of Allietare.  I was not among them, as I had totally forgotten to check for it until late Friday afternoon!  (Oops!!  Sorry, Bonnie!)

My friend Needleb and I got together on Saturday morning to work on this installment in the Mystery. We always have SEW much FUN!!!  Sew, press, cut, repeat:

While this was a fairly manageable clue, I have decided to make only 1/4 of the components for Allietare.  I may change my mind after the reveal, but for now, this is all I feel able to manage.  Here I am, drawing the lines to prepare for sewing:

As usual, I had to go a bit further with my piecing.  Can you see the double-sewn corners?  Wouldn't want to waste usable fabric:

My "geese" units have been pressed:

But...  The sewn neutrals, are still awaiting their date with the iron (because these little off-cuts got in their way):

Can you really blame me?  Just LOOK at this adorable (tiny) HST unit:

Check back HERE for all of the previous instructions of Allietare gathered in one place. THIS LINK will take you to this week's LINK-UP.  Go have a look.  Not everyone is using Bonnie's colors and it's SEW much fun to see how everyone is progressing.

Until next time...
Be mysterious!!!

Presenting...  Allietare!  Part 2:

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC15 - Week 49

Welcome to Week 49 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  I am feeling rather disconcerted to find that we are this far into 2015 and the end of the year is upon us.  The 2016 Rainbow Scrap Challenge has already been announced.  Quilters all over the world are planning their projects and I am no exception!

SUNDAY afternoon, I took another look at my list of potential blocks for the RSC16, as I will be losing a HUGE chunk of time due to work, holidays, and an upcoming vacation.  After reviewing the list, I have decided that I may just continue working on my RSC15 blocks, as there aren't really enough for the quilts that I have in my head.

On MONDAY afternoon, I gathered my November offerings for the RSC Month in Review and posted them below...

ONE (1) Maverick Star:

ONE (1) Slab Block:

ONE (1) String Block:

ONE (1) Tiny Nine:

For a TOTAL of...

FOUR (4) Quilt Blocks made during the month of  Light/Bright GREEN:

Fortunately, there were FOURTEEN (14) Rainbow Crumbs made to add to the total:

4 + 14 = 18

SEW...


My adjusted total is EIGHTEEN (18) quilt blocks made during the month of November:

TUESDAY was the FIRST day of DECEMBER...  YIKES!!!  How HAS the year passed so quickly? I have had SEW much fun during my first year of participation in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  I am not ready for it to be over.  (Lucky me, Angela is already planning for the RSC16!! In preparation for a REALLY LONG night, I had a regular cup of coffee with dinner and headed out to work concessions at a local university...  Only to find that I couldn't go!!


Why, not, Joyful?!?!


While I love the CRHS Band program, I was NOT WILLING to miss DS2's High Brown (Red) Belt test for karate!!!  He has trained long and hard (NINE YEARS) for this and we were notified by the school that we needed to be there (whether DS2 wanted us there or not!)  Next stop, BLACK BELT! Fortunately, someone was able to take my place at the concession stand.  Whew!!

On WEDNESDAY, I had hoped for some time to work on one of my commissions... however, the Band Fruit Fundraiser culminated with fruit delivery today.  Since I wasn't scheduled to work, I signed up to help sort and distribute the boxes.  Nearly 300 boxes of fruit, fresh from Florida, USA!!  They were delivered to a warehouse type space at the school.  A warehouse space complete with an open bay door!  It was like being outside in the cold and damp all afternoon.  My allergies were NOT happy by the time I left (just before 5 PM!!!)

THURSDAY morning is for Quilt Group!  With the US Thanksgiving holiday last week, it seemed like AGES since we had been together.  We enjoyed coffee, cookies, and chatter.  Oh!  And there was a fair amount of Show and Tell, too!  :o))

During the afternoon I worked on blocks for Kat of Kat and Cat Quilts Blog.  Now to get them in the mail tomorrow!  She is hosting a Block Drive during the month of December for an ongoing project at her local hospital.  This month's block is a String Star and Kat has posted a tutorial (even though it's a REALLY EASY block!!)  Her Covered in Love project really touched my heart and I wanted to contribute.

**  Please make sure that ANY BLOCKS are mailed by the FIRST WEEK of January, so that they can be assembled into quilts for the hospital patients.  You can view the separate blog post HERE.  It's got a few more pictures that you might like to see.

On FRIDAY morning, I was off to Knit Group.  The afternoon was SUPPOSED to include a trip to the Post Office (but didn't) and multiple loads of laundry.  (I won't be home tomorrow to take care of that task.)

SATURDAY was a(nother) busy day!  The morning was devoted to baking and quilting with a friend.  The afternoon was filled with meetings, parties, and parades.  OK!  So really only one of each, but still... it took up HOURS and HOURS of time, well into the evening!

I joined Angela's LINK PARTY and would love for you to go have a look at what the other RSC Quilters have been up to this week.  You'll find me at link number 4.  I'll catch up with you over there later tonight (because the brownies need to come out of the oven before they burn!)

Until next time...
Get Scrappy!!!

November = Light/Bright GREEN = Productivity

Especially, when you add in a Rainbow of Crumbs!!!

Design Floor Friday - Covered in Love

Welcome to another edition of Design Floor Friday!!  It's been quite some time since I have had anything to share here.  Today,I'm not really making a quilt.  There are, however, four quilt blocks on the floor that I wanted to tell you about.

These block were made for Kat of Kat and Cat Quilts Blog.  Once I finish this post, I'm off to get them in the mail!!

Kat is hosting a Block Drive during the month of December for an ongoing project at her local hospital.  About Kat, from her blog:

In my day job, when I'm not quilting, I work as an RN at East Texas Medical Center in Tyler, Tx.  I work on a Med-Surg floor where I see a lot of people nearing the end of their lives.  Heart failure, COPD, Renal disease, the kinds of things that people live with for years and years before they really start to die from them.  It's rough, for the patient's, families, and nurses.

This month's block is a String Star and Kat has posted a tutorial (even though it's a REALLY EASY block!!)  Her Covered in Love project really touched my heart and I wanted to contribute.

I started out with the color card that Kat provided on her blog...

 Then checked my fabric scraps... because you KNOW that I have MOUNDS of scraps!!!

I decided to start with PURPLE:

Next, I moved on to BLUE:

Yesterday afternoon, I decided to check my GREEN scraps:

Finally, last night, I scrounged in my SKY BLUE fabric strips (and found just barely enough!!):

Would you like to see a better glimpse of the fabrics that were used???

Purple:

Blue:

Green:

Sky Blue:

NOTE:  If YOU have ever given me any scraps and you happen to recognize one of the fabrics... it's probably yours.  Thank you for sharing with me so that I can share with others!!!  Not to "call anyone out", but I need to thank Britt, Candy, Dee Dee, Diane, Donna, Gayle, and Joanna.  Thanks, ladies!!  (If I missed YOU, please forgive the oversight and just blame my 50-year-old brain, as it seems to be malfunctioning more frequently since the momentous occasion.)

I contacted Kat earlier this week for permission to feature her program on my blog.  She was thrilled to hear that I wanted to invite YOU to participate in her Block Drive!!

Kat knows that December is a busy month, but even ONE block helps make a quilt.  If you can fit making just one block into your schedule, it would be greatly appreciated.  If you can make MORE, so much the better!!

Please make sure that ALL BLOCKS are mailed to arrive by the FIRST WEEK of January, so that they can be assembled into quilts for the hospital patients.

Don't worry if you aren't able to participate this month.  Kat is now hosting a different Block Drive EVERY MONTH!!!  Just make sure that your blocks are in the Covered in Love mailbox by the FIRST WEEK of the following month.

Until next time...
Give joyfully!!!