spring to finish challenge updates...

jacquie over at tallgrass prairie studio is having her second annual "spring to finish" challenge. i participated last year and it really is a kick in the pants to get moving on things you need to finish.

since she posted the opening of her challenge, these are the items i've finished. some swap blocks, a couple items for the {urban} homegoods swap (should be mailed tomorrow or friday to my secret partner), my first quilts for kids quilt and most importantly - boo's long awaited quilt.

i hope to have quite a few more finishes before she closes the challenge. i have a bazillion QOVs to make...several started, one finished top waiting for the LA quilter, more planned. i have a secret project that i'm starting to think i'm going to scrap. i'll work on it and finish it, but it might not be in time. i have some other blocks for a couple shows/contests that i need to work on and have finished in may. and i'm handquilting my bee pieceful wonky stars quilt. this last one i'm really excited about.... in the words of boo last week: "we'll have TWO quilts!?!" see...even the 7 yr old knows we're severely lacking in quilts that we own. sigh...

now it's back to work! i figured i'd give an update before i start to forget all that i'm working on!

quilt for kids

i've just completed my first quilt for kids quilt. right now, downy detergent is sponsoring the program and sending simply cute labels for your quilts with the kits.

this is mine:

isn't the dogs flying airplane fabric adorable?!?

it was a weee bit windy out...

but you can see the cloud/sky fabric they sent for backing in this photo.

since the photos, i've washed and dried the quilt so it's completely crinkly in that i-want-to-snuggle-in-it way. right now, the little quilt is sitting in a box next to me, patiently waiting for the mailman to come along and send it on it's merry way to pennsylvania and then to a small child who needs some comfort in a hospital.

stop on by the website and order yourself a kit. you never know what cute fabric you may receive. like westychic. or scruffycat. or {karamat}. (ok...so i shamelessly just plugged 3 other members of the houston modern quilt guild...)

speaking of! did you see our little blurb yesterday? i've got to take some better pictures....maybe steal snappy's camera for meetings. ;-P

i am such a doofus...

it started innocently enough...

taking pictures of boo and his new quilt. it only took me over a year to complete it once i started. (have i mentioned that i've had the fabric since before he was a year old?)


but then we ended up like this:





and this:




even this:

we played with rolly pollies. boo took about 35 pictures of the dog all over the yard. i gave the dog water in a plant pot. i played with my camera settings (as seen above). i even tried to take pictures of the freckles on boo's hand that sprouted recently.

why you ask? because i am a doofus and locked us out of the house. luckily my nice neighbor was out front and let me borrow his phone. the only number i remembered to someone who has a key was my hubby's work cell.

a half hour later or so:

even the dog was so excited he tried to knock snappy over!

aaaahhhh.... my hero!!

so almost 2 hours after i got home, dinner is almost finished and kiddo is getting out of the shower.

listening and working

listening to the fantastic playlist that snappy and i put together for our wedding reception.... working on happier thoughts and well, work (although slowly and half-mindedly).

had some good times at the HMQG this weekend and some accomplishments over the last few nights. i'll update you all on that tonight with pictures.

three are on their way...

i have a big box sitting next to my desk here at work today. it's stuffed with three QOVs, all destined for 1st class petty officers seriously injured during combat assignments. right now, i'm sending them to washington, d.c. and from there the QOVs will be separated.




one will go to tampa.

one will go to san diego.

i'm not sure where this third one will go to, but in the end 7 of the 12 total requested will end up in san diego.

i have names and rates for each individual. sometimes i get a history or story to go with each quilt. when [A] sends me the names for the labels, the quilts are no longer just pieces of cloth and thread. they have become that much more special and they belong to someone. like here...he didn't expect it, but he deserved it 100%.

so off go QOVs #4, #5 and #6... My first 5 and the first of many for 2010.

generosity!!

Bindings Ready
Originally uploaded by Quiltiferous

do you see these lovely and beautiful bindings? they're coming to me...to be used on my upcoming QOVs that the navy requested. i *heart* the ones in front with the diagonal stripes and little stars - can't wait to use them!

thank you quiltiferous for offering your time and materials to make these. they will be definitely be used on those QOVs. since you make QOVs too, you know what it is that we're giving back.

happy easter!!

this is how my easter weekend began:



fence building for the "little" black dog. do you see the boy and his dog supervising the work?



later, that same horse dog spent time under my sewing table. do you see the threads that fell on his head during my sewing?


and finally... this is what i woke up to:

my hubby and his new sewing machine. it was a present to himself and he is finally making visible progress on the quilt he's had planned for 1 1/2 years.

spring progress so far...

happy april fool's day!! it's also the start of easter weekend today for those of us celebrating the season. i helped participate in an april fool's prank this morning. rather - continue it at the request of one of my boss's wife. she's got it coming this year.... i'd watch out if i were her!

i realized i haven't posted much of my progress lately with pictures... sorry about that! i have been INCREDIBLY busy sewing and quilting. believe me, i spend more time with fabric, 1/4" seams and the iron than i do in my kitchen or living room lately. including the last few days while my FIL and his friend are visiting and helping snappy build our back fence. there will be one happy doggie after this week!!

without further adieu... pictures!

first up... i finished up (with the lovely assistance of a good friend) my first QOV of 2010:

miss k. helped with the binding. she volunteered her services after hearing of the request for 10 QOVs as soon as i could get them done. she did the binding as i continued piecing more squares.

this is the 3rd QOV with the same longarm volunteer from QOVF. let me tell you... i love the work fran does. can you see the varigated red/white/blue thread she used on this one? looooove it! she really does help pull it all together beautifully.

while miss k. was cutting binding fabric, etc at my house, i worked on stitching the rows together on the QOV that snappy and i made blocks for. the previous evening, he and i laid them out, arranged, rearranged and finally pinned.

it's ready to go to the longarmmer! my plan is to get one more quilt top together and send them to one volunteer at the same time. try to cut my shipping costs and wait time down. but then, maybe it's better to use multiple people when i'm in a time crunch? not sure yet...

and because i don't seem to tire from watching this clip... it never gets old...really... ;-P