Mail Call Monday - The Surprise Edition

Welcome to another edition of Mail Call Monday!!  Yes, I realize that there was NO mail today because of the Memorial Day holiday, but I got a package last week (and one the week before) that needed to be shared.

Thank you to Karen at K's Quilting Corner blog.  She makes Beads of Courage bags.  I commented on her blog by thanking her for her service to the Beads of Courage program.  It's a program near and dear to my heart (since DS2 had a bone marrow transplant 3 years ago.)

She inquired about his Beads and I responding by letting her know that his are kept (safely) in a Ziploc baggie (which has worked fine for my no nonsense boy.)  She was having none of it!!  She kindly offered to make THIS one just for DS2:

It was such a thoughtful gift!  Karen even went in search of the perfect fabric to match DS2's interests and favorite color.  (Totally unnecessary, but so very much appreciated!)  He was so surprised that she had gone to SEW much trouble for him.  Her kindness touched this mother's heart, too.  Thank you, Karen, from both of us!!

And then...

I got an email saying that she had put something in the mail for me.

What?!?

I was terribly confused (since DS2's package had already arrived.)  I emailed back wondering if I had forgotten to send an acknowledgement.  Or had I sent it to the WRONG Karen?!?  Not the case!!

She emailed back saying that she felt that I needed something special, too.  How sweet is that?!?!

The (unexpected) package:

The contents:

The sweet message that accompanied the adorable (GREEN) pouch:

And I might have mentioned that mine is GREEN!!!  :o))  Thank you, again, Karen!!  You certainly brightened my day (and my week... and my month... and my outlook on life.)  May you be blessed for your kindness and generosity to others.

Until next time...
Sew Happy!!!

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC16 - Week 22

Welcome to Week 22 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  I may actually get to sew this week AND some of it might actually be GREEN... just in time for a NEW Color of the Month.  LOL

On SUNDAY, I talked my husband into helping me with the next phase of my Decrapification Project.  You can read about it in a future edition of Tidy-Up Tuesday.  I also managed to start the week off right with a TINY bit of sewing by stitching up ONE Slab Block in GREEN:

If I'm not mistaken, this GREEN goodness came from my friend Jean's scrap stash.  Thanks, Jean!! (And if they came from another friends scrap stash... I hope you will forgive me and accept my heartfelt apologies.  I appreciate ALL the SCRAPS!!!)

MONDAY is the NEW day for Knit Group.  Not really my preference, but it seemed to work for the majority for the summer months.  We will reevaluate come Fall.  In celebration of our new meeting day, we (apparently) sent out a (mental) memo:

Totally NOT the Color of the Month for the RSC!!!  (But... SEW typical for the CK Team.)

The afternoon was  my own and I put it to good use by finishing up the last few blocks for the UNC Two T-Quilt.  I did most of the fusing of interfacing on Saturday.  Next step, squaring up the blocks.

TUESDAY was a stay-at-home day and I took advantage of time between household chores to prepare scraps for sewing one Tiny Nine... later in the week:

I also posted Part Three in my Decrapification Project.  The steps deal with fabric relocation.  To me, it felt like one big "Shell Game."  Progress was made.  I am pleased with the end result.

On WEDNESDAY, I gathered up a bunch of quilts and headed off to Carol Woods Retirement Center to do another Quilt Talk.  The residents really seem to enjoy this now-monthly Community Outreach event, hosted by the Durham Orange Quilt Guild.  I'm a member and have volunteered 2 months in a row to share my quilts... goodness knows, I have enough quilts to share!!!

THURSDAY was one of those day where I am running here and there from dawn to dusk.  It began with taking the girls to school and ended with the CRHS End of Year Pot Luck/ Awards Night.  In between, I hosted the weekly Quilt Group, worked on a secret project, and dropped off paper/plasticware so the band kids could take care of setting up for the awards "banquet."

I enjoyed talking with friends at the dinner and was shocked at the award ceremony.  In a good way.  DS2 was recognized for being in Marching Band, Jazz Band, and the various Honor Bands that he was selected for during the year.  Not so shocking.

But, THEN...

The director announced the two BIG awards chosen annually.

Guess who won the John Phillip Sousa Award?!?!

That's right.  DS2!!!  I couldn't be happier for him.  :o))

A handwritten note from the director accompanied the award.  Such a wonderful added touch!!

A quick check of one of my favorite blogs told me that Kat at Kat and Cat Quilts has posted the June Block Drive for Covered in Love.  If you've got some blue and yellow scraps, please consider making a block or two for this wonderful cause.



FRIDAY turned out NOT to be another stay-at-home day, so I worked extra hard upon my return!!  Check out my Design Floor Friday post for my latest project.

On SATURDAY, I joined Angela's LINK PARTY and will enjoy an afternoon of sewing with my good friend, Needleb.



Until next time...
Get Scrappy!!!

Design Floor Friday {On a Saturday}

Welcome to another edition of Design Floor Friday!!  This week's post was delayed.  My apologies.

Short and sweet... THIS quilt is making up for my last T-Shirt Commission.  It's practically making itself!!  You've GOT to love a quilt that flies together...

I give you UNC Two:

Since this photo was taken, I have assembled the columns and am ready to begin assembling the top.

Until next time...

Celebrate small victories!!!

The Decrapification Project - Part Three - The Fabric

Decrapification (de-crap-if-ic-a-tion) The term coined by Rosamaria on Ravelry Thrifty Knitters group meaning to declutter a LOT of stuff (from a room or area.)

I liked it so much that I decided to use it for a blog post (or 2 or 10!)

Digging deeper...

In the last Decrapification Project post, I addressed the scraps (of which I have a gracious plenty!) This post will address the rest of the fabric.  I showed you the hiding places in Part One.  Shall I refresh your memory?  OK... If you insist.  :o))

Step Six - Reorganize the fabric stash.

Some of the drawers in THIS pair of dressers aren't being used to their fullest potential:

The same may be true of THIS tall chest:

It might also be the case in THIS small chest:

SEW... let the wild rumpus start!!!

There once was a HUGE stack of jeans living in this corner.  They are ALL GONE!!!

This corner has been occupied by a random stack of stuff for the past 5 YEARS!!  No longer!!

While I was at it, I removed a layer of fabric (and yarn) from this corner:

You may not be able to tell by looking at the photo above, but if you scroll back up the page to where I first introduced you to the tall chest, you will DEFINITELY see a marked difference.  I've been busy!!

Until next time...
Sort it out!!!

Mail Call Monday - Scrappy Swap

Welcome to another edition of Mail Call Monday!!  This week's post shares the happy mailbox from last Wednesday (AFTER posting that day's package.)  Lori at Dakota City Quilter and I did a little swap.  I sent her a bag of scraps and she sent me a FQ... eventually.  Life got in the way and it was several weeks before she sent her package.  So long that I had forgotten ALL about it!!!  LOL

That made this squishie all the more special:

The contents:

The promised FQ in GREEN (my favorite and hers!) along with  a stack of "bricks" and a couple of Bonnie Hunter's favorite marking pens (which I haven't tried.)  Thank you, Lori!!

Lori included a nice note explaining how life got in the way, which I totally understand:

Here's hoping that Lori's toothache is better and she's busy using up some of the scraps that I stuffed in her envelope.  I know that I'm going to have some big fun with the fabrics she sent me!!!

Until next time...

Hooray for squishy mailers!!!

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC16 - Week 21

Welcome to Week 21 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  This week may or  may not be filled with GREEN sewing.  (Green being the Color of the Month for the RSC.)  I'm trying to set my studio to rights after the MAJOR overhaul that took place last week.  SEW... I'm not holding out much hope.

Let's see how the week progressed, shall we?

SUNDAY, while scrolling through RSC Quilters posts, I found that I had missed Angela's posting of the Column Along block for May.  She provided a tutorial with links for other Flying Geese methods.

MONDAY was errand day... banking, a trip to the Will of Good, and a grocery run.  I even remembered to stop by to have my car inspected!!  Another task ticked off the list was my Mail Call Monday post.  You can read about my latest acquisition HERE.

TUESDAY came and I was car-less.  DS1 took it took it to work, so (by default) it is a stay-at-home day.  :o((

I am choosing to use my car-less-ness as a blessing.  After breakfast, I put on the first load of laundry and fired up the computer to post the next installment of The Decrapification Project.  THIS POST deals with scrap storage.  The resulting solution makes me immensely happy!!

If you missed the first post in the mini-series and want to find out how I dealt with the room layout, feel free to follow this LINK.

On WEDNESDAY, I stayed home to work on a variety of household chores.  After all of the tasks for the day were completed, I went to meet friends for dinner and a glass of wine (or two.)  We had a bit of a revolving door, with friends coming and going at different times, but it still made for a very pleasant evening.

THURSDAY morning was Quilt Group.  My chauffeur arrived promptly at 9 AM.  (DS1 needed the car for work and I didn't have anything scheduled for the afternoon.)  My friend, Joanna, kindly agreed to pick me up before and deliver me home after our meeting.  Thanks, Joanna!!

The entire family met up at DS2's Spring Concert in the early evening:

It was the final concert of the year, as well as the final concert of his high school career.  I'm not quite sure how I feel about that fact.  At least there's still the Pot Luck/Awards Night next week!!

FRIDAY was another stay-at-home day.  My friend Cindy came over to offer some storage solutions for my sewing room redo.  Thanks, Cindy!!  You did a great job of prodding me along.  :o))

On SATURDAY, I joined Angela's LINK PARTY and attended my Quilt Bee's Sew Day at the SECU Family House.  One of our members works at the house and arranged for us to meet there.  I'll let you know how it goes.

As for GREEN sewing this week... there was NONE!!  In fact, there was no sewing at all.  :o((  I did, however, receive a lovely FQ along with a lovely stack of "bricks" and a couple of Bonnie Hunter's favorite marking pens from Lori who blogs at Dakota City Quilter:

Thank you for the wonderful swap, Lori!!  I hope you found LOTS of usable scraps in the bag that you received.  Thanks for lightening the load!  Need more???  Just let me know.

Until next time...
Get Scrappy!!! 

Wonderful Wednesday - The Quilt's in the Mail

Calico Ric Rac,

Reality was faced.

It found a better place

OUT of my space!!!

Thank you, Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts, for inspiring me to do the (previously) unthinkable.

A recent post recounted her tale of letting go.  At first, I was totally blown away!!!  HOW could she POSSIBLY give away a quilt top that wasn't intended to be a gift.  I'm not THAT kind of quilter!!

YOU heard me right.  I am a selfish quilter.  If I didn't make a quilt specifically for a donation or a gift, it's MINE. ALL MINE!!  I would NEVER consider giving a project away before its completion.

Well, friends...

Never say NEVER!!!  After reading Amanda Jean's story and being so aghast at the thought of the letting go of an unloved project, a vision of a certain UFO popped into my head:

Something extraordinary happened...

My next thought was of giving this quilt top to Covered in Love.

And do you know what???

A wave of peace washed over me, like a weight being lifted from my shoulders.  I know it may sound cheesy, but it's the absolute truth!!

That was before the peace was replaced by a (small) wave of panic... which was then followed by the calm that comes from knowing deep down that you have made the right decision.

Watch your mailbox, Kat.  Calico Ric Rac is headed your way (as soon as I can dig it out from under the quilting table!)  It may take some doing to get it to the size you need for your charity, but I have faith that you will figure something out!!

Until next time...
Lighten the Load!!!