progress!

Well, I've gotten a few things done this week! Yeah! First off, the kids camera cases! The Boy Scout one is obviously David's (left over fabric from his birthday quilt that he will get in November!), Elizabeth chose monkey fabric, and Anna's is the pink tiger print... :o)


I also finished up my Emma's Legacy quilt top, all I had left to do was put the two borders on it. This was made with the fabrics that I had won from Carrie (Miss Rosie's Quilt Company) a few months ago. It is her pattern, as well. It looks complicated, but went together really easily! I love these fabrics!

Next was Block 4 of the "Holidays At Home" BOM. The center block was already done (month 2) but this month we added everything from those 9-patch blocks out, to frame the center block. This now measures 22-1/2" square. Only two more months to go on this one! :o)

And last but not least, I had been meaning to post this pic the kids took last month when they went to the park down the block - they took it with their cell phone... (Yes, I'm a meanie, they share a cell phone! They are only 12!)

It is Elizabeth in blue, David, then Anna in the red shirt. And of course, Jimmy in the front... :o)

Hope everyone is having a good week! Next, I am working on my PIF gifts... :o)

happiness!

Today, happiness is getting 125 mirror pouches DONE! Woo Hoo! If you missed the story behind these, you can read it HERE. Anyways, 18 straight days of work and more than 100 hours later, we have 125 mirror pouches for gifts for the girls that go to the Father/Daughter Royal Purity Ball on August 21st.

This is a picture of all the pouches, almost doesn't look that impressive! HA! But I do like how they look on the Trip Around The World quilt on my bed, almost looks like they were made to match! :o)

Now back to other sewing! About the minute I was done with these pouches and had them boxed up, the girls were asking about their camera bags... So I guess that is next on the list... :o)

Thanks for visiting! Have a great week!

July Schnibble - Joy Luck

After Jimmy goes to bed (after stitching mirror pouches all day), I have been working on the July Schnibble pattern, "Joy Luck". I finished the top up last night. I like that the borders on this one was different than alot of the other ones she has done. I used the "At Water's Edge" by Moda charm packs that I received from Carrie (the Schnibbles lady!) a few months back as a prize. The sashing fabric is Kona Champagne. I love the gentleness of these colors!

Thanks for visiting! I will have an update on the mirror pouches VERY soon! :o)

pouches...

So here is what 125 pouches look like! :o) Finished the pouches last night and started on the mirrors this morning! The mirrors are SO much quicker! I am on mirror number 20 as we speak!! :o)

So hopefully, these will be done this week! I am glad I can do them, but am SO ready to move on to something else! :o) Have a good week!

2010 Designer Mystery BOM

I couldn't resist, and signed up for the 2010 Designer Mystery BOM over at Fat Quarter Shop. Because I signed up a month into it, I got both my June and July blocks this week. :o) Here is June's block:
And this is July's block:

Update on the pouches -- I have 105 pouches done! Still have to do the mirrors too, my sister had ordered them and brought them over the other day... :o) The mirrors will go alot faster. I set a goal of 10 pouches a day, which I have done pretty good at. But that means not much else gets done... Oh well! :o)

Boy Scout camp

David and Jim had a great time at Boy Scout camp last week. Our troop went to Tesomas, in northern Wisconsin, this year. (about a 7 hour drive). I think these pictures best show how good of a time David had:

Here is the basket that David made for me. He completed FOUR merit badges at camp: Basketry, Art, Archery and FingerPrinting.

He was also tapped for Order of the Arrow! (You can read some about it HERE.) I couldn't be more proud of David, he is growing up into a very nice young man. :o)

friendship...

Remember last fall, when I received this BEAUTIFUL Psalms 23 bracelet from Tricia at "Notes Of Sincerity"?

Well, a few weeks back, Tricia and I were talking and I told her I would get a box together of some scrap fabrics that I didn't want anymore... And here is what I got in return:

A beautiful pair of earrings for me, a pair of earrings for each of the girls to wear to the Ball with Jim in August, and a phone fob! :o) Thank you so much, Tricia!

Tricia is doing a "scraps for custom-made jewelry" swap, for anyone that is interested! Her jewelry is first-rate, I can tell you from experience... I couldn't be happier, and from what I hear, she is pretty happy with her new fabric scraps. :o) Stop by her "Notes of Sincerity" blog, you won't be sorry!

camera case

Well, I have 31 pouches done! Chugging right along! But last night, I wanted to treat myself for getting past 30, so I stopped and made this little camera case:

It was quick and easy to make. It probably only took me about 1/2 hour to make, but I am sure the next ones I make will be even quicker, now that I know how it's put together. Anna has picked out elephant fabric, David could have a Boy Scouts one, and I am sure I have some left-over orange fabrics to make one for Elizabeth... :o) And then even more... :o)

HERE is where you can find the pattern, it is a for-sale pattern, but well worth it! :o)

Hope everyone is having a good week! Back to my mirror pouches... :o)

oh geez!

Sometimes, I wonder how I get myself into these things... :o) For the past three years, my sister has been the chairperson for our church's Father/Daughter Royal Purity Ball. It is a wonderful event, that my daughters have enjoyed with Jim each year. My sister, Laura, does a great job organizing it. Each year, I have volunteered my sewing services, to make something that would go into the gift bag that each girl gets at the end of the night. The first year, it was sachets, last year was fabric baskets. This week, my workspace is looking like this:

What am I making? Mirror pouches! And you might say, why does it look like I have so much fabric and batting squares on my board?!?!? Because I am making ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE mirror pouches!

They are really lovely, and go perfectly with this years theme, which is that you (as a young girl trying to live purely) are a beautiful girl on the outside as well as the inside!

Here is the pouch. They are made entirely on the embroidery machine.

This is the mirror part. This one doesn't have the mirror in it yet (duh!) but I wanted to test stitch one, to see how they are put together... :o) The outside satin stitch on these will coordinate with the text and satin stitch on the pouch. Oh, and those piles of fabric and batting on my board -- DON'T include the fabrics and batting for the mirrors! HA!

By the way, each pouch takes 34 minutes to stitch out. 34 minutes X 125 pouches = 4,250 minutes! That's almost 71 hours! :o) And that doesn't include the mirrors! Ha! Good thing I have six weeks to get these made!

So sometimes, I wonder how I get myself into these things... :o) But I know I will feel good about it, when they are done! All 125 of them! :o)

this and that

A little of this and that for today's post! :o) First off, I finally pieced my first two Klosjes blocks! These are 3-1/2" square, at this point... Love them! I am using 1800s repros charm squares! (Ordered more, so I have more variety!) Mary Ann, I finally got started! (Although I still need gentle reminders!)

And dear Beatrice sent me a few more pink Dear Jane blocks! She is so sweet to do some of the applique blocks for me! Her applique is beautiful! Thank you so much Beatrice!

I am working on my "Emma's Legacy" quilt, from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. I won the pattern and jelly rolls a few months ago, from Carrie, in the Schnibbles parade. I love, love, love these fabrics! I was a little scared, cutting the 60* angles, but I took my time and they turned out fine! :o)

And I have to include this pic of one of our cats, Lefty... :o) Imagine my surprise when I turned around and found Lefty perched HERE:

Shirley over at Bits and Pieces, has been talking about posting about things that make you happy. Today, what makes me happy, is my family, and especially my husband. Jim (dear husband) and David (12-years-old) left this morning for a week of Boy Scout camp in northern Wisconsin. (We live in central Illinois.) So why does this make me happy? Because Jim is such a great dad. He came into the trios lives when they were about 5 years old, and even tho their "real dad" lives in the same town as us, Jim has been more of a father to them than I could have ever dreamed! He has been with David in Scouts, since David entered as a Tiger Cub in First Grade. So my family makes me happy... :o)

Hope you are having a good day! Thanks so much for visiting!