Happy Halloween!

My DD sent me the link to this cool video...

...and I went in search of more information and found this companion video:

....and I just had to share!

4 Patches 4 Hope: Progress

Saturday afternoon, I started pulling fabric scraps from the bins and cut them into 2.5" squares.  I really didn't count... just chain pieced and chain pieced some more.

This blocks will go out in today's mail.

If you think you'd like to help out, just click on the 4Patches4Hope button on the right or below.

Civil War Block 44: Union

I just love blocks with a zillion itsy-bitsy pieces.... but I will NOT let it deter me!

There!   Done....

4 Patches 4 Hope

On October 4th, Regina of The Queen Bee's Buzz started a drive to collect 4-patch blocks and to raise funds for the American Cancer Association in memory of her mother who lost her fight with cancer this past summer.  October 4th was her mother's birthday.

Regina has started a blog for her project 4 Patches 4 Hope to keep track of the number of 4-patch blocks donated and the amount of funds raised.  Details are simple...  where to mail the blocks and how to make a donation are all included on this blog.  Please know that you do not have to make a donation if you'd like to contribute blocks.

Regina's goal is 1000 blocks and $4,000 by February 28, 2012.  The 4-patch blocks will be assembled into “comfort quilts” and donated to the Anderson Medical Center in Anderson, SC and the Pluta Cancer Center in Rochester, NY. 

I learned about this project from my blog friend Linda of Stray Stitches, who has already sent off her 4-patch blocks...

Photo blatantly swiped from Linda at Stray Stitches

...and I plan to make some scrappy 4-patch blocks this weekend in memory of Regina's mother and in memory of my mother who lost her battle with cancer in 1970.

Have a few fabric scraps and a couple of minutes?  Make a 4-patch... make a donation... make a difference! 

JL QAL Group Photo

...of the blocks I've completed, not our QAL group!

Thirty-one blocks completed, 17 more to go!

Is that right?  6 x 8 = 48 - 31 = 17...  yes, I think that's right!  

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A blog friend posted this video and I did indeed *LOL*... wanted to share and brighten your day!

Jacob's Ladder Block #8

I love purple anything and picked the purple mini flower print for the eighth JL block.

I think it's about time for a group shot, yes?

Jacob's Ladder Block #7

There are four mini prints that came with these floral FQs and I liked how the first turned out.... so I decided to make another mini floral for block #7.

This print is a dark blue-green flower and makes me think of moss peeking up thru a flagstone path.

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Without further ado, the winner of the 30K Views Give-away is...

Congratulations, Marianne!  I've emailed you for your shipping info!

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And congratulations to ME for learning how to use the Snipping Tool!

A Milestone...

...and a give away!

Sometime during Saturday night and Sunday morning, the blog went over 30K views... pretty amazing to me.  So, I thought we'd have a little celebration give-away!

I found a tutorial for a "Simple Sewing Companion" and thought this might make a cute give-away!

This is the prototype but I can see making several more for gifts...

The sewing companion comes with a couple of things...  a needle case and a pair of sewing scissors!

There is room for a tiny pencil, a measuring tape, and thread as well.  A nice little case to carry your sewing supplies with you.

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Give-away rules:

1)  Enter by posting a comment letting me know you'd give this little sewing companion a good home!

2)  If you are a "no-reply" blogger, please give me a way to contact you.  If there is no way to contact you, I will draw another number.

3)  Entries will be taken from the time this posts until I get home from work on Monday evening, at which time I'll draw a number, using Ms Random Number Generator.

4)  The winner will be notified by email Monday night and posted on this blog on Tuesday morning.

Simple enough, yes?    Good luck to all!

Civil War Block 43: Right Hand of Friendship

One of the easier blocks, Right Hand of Friendship allowed a variety of interpretations as shown on the Civil War BOW Flickr site.

I chose a two-color star and am pleased with the results.... however, others have also come up with some spectacular blocks!  I am tempted to make several of these blocks just to have different versions in my CW quilt.

FNSI: Four More Stars

I decided to finish up the second batch of star blocks for John'aLee of The Scrappy Appleyard for this month's FNSI project.

In addition to the weekly Civil War blocks, I will be quilting and binding quilts for the remainder of this year.

I'm not much at straightening up until I finish a project so....  if I finished the stars, then I could put away those fabric scraps and make my cutting table a bit less cluttered.

I'm still intrigued about how different a block can look just by changing the colors and values around...

...so much so, that I see a star quilt happening next year.

In the meantime, these four star blocks, along with the previously blogged about star...

...will be sent out to John'aLee in Monday's mail.


Thanks, Bobbi and Heidi for hosting another successful Friday Night Sew In!

Tonight's the Night!

The Friday Night Sew In (FNSI), a modern sewing circle, is this evening!

Bobbi of Crafty Vegas Mom is hosting this month and there are already 162 folks signed up and raring to go. Heidi of Handmade by Heidi will be working on three projects, one using Circa 1934 fabrics!

I love sewing circles, even though this one is a virtual sewing circle... it's so much fun sharing what we're working on the next day.

By the way, did I mention that I found a photo of the first sewing circle I belonged to?

A Visit by the Fabric Fairy!

A long-time friend and her DH are down-sizing and she called to see if I would like some fabric.  Of course, I said, "Yes!"    ...and the copier paper-size box was sitting on my front porch yesterday afternoon.   As you may imagine, the box wasn't in the house long before I had to open it.

On top, was a five yard cut of Jinny Beyer Blendables in a soft pink...

....followed by a Christmas-y green paisley of unknown maker since the selvedges were removed and the fabric had been washed.  There is two yards of this fabric, which is 108" wide!

Next, was a Robert Kaufman print... large roses in a soft yellow gold.  Two pieces, each two yards of the extra wide fabric, one washed, the other not.  The roses are about 8" across...

After removing the gold roses, guess what I found?

 ...a plastic shoe box full of...

...fabric squares and triangles and diamonds and HSTs and oh my all the different fabrics!

Wow!  The box is going to keep me busy going thru all the different fabrics... it is stuffed full!

If you see a Fabric Fairy, be nice to her... you never know what surprises she might have in store for you...

Another Jacob's Ladder QAL Block

I used another print with a light background for my sixth block...

I do like how the flowers peek out through the openings.... and no *oopsies* this time....  I think...   


Don't know if I'll ever get done with this JL quilt at this rate...   and I ask myself why I'm worrying about it!

Another Star Block

...for John'aLee of The Scrappy Appleyard who is making quilts for the loved ones of a soldier who was killed in Afghanistan, one week before he was scheduled to come home.

If you're interested in donating a block or two, check out this web page.

Civil War Block 42: "H" is for Hospital

Thankfully, after last week's challenging block, an easier one...

...what a relief!

*eeek* Spiders and bats...

...have invaded!   Run!

*eeek*   There's a SPIDER after me!!!

...and a fruit bat!

Oh, no!   I can't get into the house to hide.......

The granddaughters were with me this weekend... and they helped me make Halloween costumes for them!

Quilt Blocks for a Fallen Soldier

John'aLee of The Scrappy Appleyard has put out a second call for quilters with some red, white, and blue scraps to make a star block (8.5" or 12.5") so she can make five quilts for grieving family members... her daughter who lost her fiance a week before he was to return home... 

...the mother and  two brothers of the fallen soldier, and the soldier's best friend who was with him when he was killed in Afghanistan.

John'aLee has received enough blocks to make two quilts and has extended the deadline until November 31st.

Although I've sent a couple of blocks, I'm going to dig into my scrap bins and make a couple of more.

I'm thinking that if I can make one block per week until mid November, I can send John'aLee another five blocks.

Do visit John'aLee's block The Scrappy Appleyard and read the story and see all the beautiful blocks that have been sent already.  Consider sending a block...

The Scrappy Appleyard

3218 Knobview Drive

Nashville, TN  37214

Blocks can be 8.5" (8" finished) or 12.5" (12" finished).