ORT's ~ Exchanges ~ Hermits ~ Stamps

Hello!  :)

I'd like to share my ORT's for July with you . . .

You might be asking yourself, "What are ORT's?" Well let me tell you!  :)  They are the old ratty threads that are leftover when stitching. As you know I've been stitching pretty non-stop lately so my jar is pretty full! There are lots of wonderful colors in there aren't there?! Sharing my ORT's is part of the Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long (how fun is that?!).

Next I'd like to share some exchange goodies with you! I took part in another stitching exchange over at "Stitched With Love Exchanges". I'm really enjoying participating in these exchanges! Thanks Lainey! No one gets to share what they sent or received until everyone has received their package and Lainey tells us it's time to share. Then she posts all the goodies everyone sent and received on the "Stitched With Love Exchanges" blog. You can view all of the goodies here.

This last exchange was a Patriotic one. Here's what my partner April sent to me . . .

Isn't it fabulous?!!! I was so happy when I opened my package!  :)  I love Americana stuff. I actually used to decorate my whole house with it. Now I've toned it down but still have some pieces around. I've actually already stitched the pattern she gave me up into a pillow for the 4th which I shared with you previously here. I also use one of the ribbons she gave me on one of my "Celebrating Red White & Blue" quilt blocks here. I love all of it! Thank you so much April for your kindness and sharing your talents with me! I really appreciate it! Here's a close up of the stitched piece she did for me . . .

I'm planning on doing my bathroom in Americana very soon and this will be hanging on the wall in there year-round. For now it's sitting on a table in my living room. It makes me smile every time I see it!  :)

Here's what I sent to my partner Kim . . .

I was really happy with how it all came out. I hope she was too!  :)  Here's a closer view of the pillow I made for her . . . 

Does it look a little familiar to you? It should! I made one for myself for the 4th and shared it with you here. I also stitched a bigger version of the same design and put it on a block for the "Celebrating Red White & Blue" blog hop which you can see here. Can you tell I like this design?! I love hearts and I love patriotic things!

The next exchange is a "Tea Party in the Garden" exchange. I am preparing a "Garden" package for my partner and I will be receiving the same theme in return. Actually I haven't really started yet. I've been swamped lately. I finally did sit down tonight and ordered the pattern and supplies necessary for the piece I will stitch for my partner and also a couple of extra goodies for her.  :)  It should come quickly as I ordered the items from 123stitch.com and they usually ship items pretty quick. They have great prices and low shipping too! It's one of my favorite places to go for my stitching supplies!  :)

Speaking of stitching . . . this is the weekend for the next

I will definitely be participating and stitching this weekend. I'll be back on Monday to tell you all about it!  :)

Before I go I like to tell you about some items I'll selling over at eBay in case you're interested.

Do you like to stamp? Don't you just love Stampin' Up! stamps?!!! They're absolutely fabulous! I used to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator until a few months ago. I had to give it up as I just didn't have as much time for it anymore. I have lots of great stamps and other items in my personal stash. I've found myself needing to raise some cash pretty quick so I decided to part with some of my lovely, cherished stamps. 73 sets of them to be exact! (Don't worry I still have more! I know!)

Anyway I'm telling you this because I thought you might want to get some of these awesome stamps for yourself. If you're interested you can check out my eBay stamp auctions here. They all end on Monday, July 23rd (or sooner if you use the "Buy it Now" feature). If you do decide to purchase any of them please let me know you came from my blog and I will include a special surprise for you with your stamps! Just a little gift from me to you to say "Thank You!" (My auctions are only available to those in the US . . . sorry!) Have a Great Weekend!  :)

Until next time . . .

Traveling Stash UPDATE!

Hello!  :)

Can you believe it's already the middle of July? Where does all the time go? Thanks to all of you who are helping to keep the Traveling Stash boxes moving!  :)  Currently they are all traveling or just arriving at their new destinations. Hopefully we will get some giveaways posted this week!  :)  I have emails out to all the recipients asking about the status. I would appreciate it if you could get back to me and let me know if you've received the box and when you'll be posting the giveaway. I know there are lots of people out there waiting for the next giveaway and their chance at the boxes! Let's keep these boxes moving!!!  :)


Here's the latest updates as of 7/19/12 . . . 

TRAVELING STASH BOXES:
BOX #1:     Kristy @ Cotton Addiction won the Giveaway! The box arrived! She's gathering goodies for the box and will be posting the Giveaway soon!  :)
BOX #2:     Sherry @ Books, Hooks, Stitcks, Etc. won the Giveaway! The box has arrived! She posted pictures and will be posting the giveaway soon!  :)
BOX #3:     Irene @ Hilachas won the Giveaway! The mailing of the box to her was delayed. Now Irene is on vacation. She will post the giveaway when she returns. Sorry for the delay!
BOX #4:     Karen P. @ Sew Peachy won the Giveaway! The box has arrived! She's decided what to add to it and will post the Giveaway soon!  :)
BOX #5:     CeLynn @ The Sunflower Patch won the Giveaway! The box is on it's way! She will let me know when it arrives!  :)

OTHER BOXES:
PASS IT ON BOX:
Jen @ Quilter's Daughter posted the Giveaway! It will end at midnight pst on Saturdays, July 21st. Don't miss out!  :)
LEAP YEAR BOX (giveaway on on the 29th of each month):
Melinda @ Melinda Quilts Etc. won the Giveaway! The box is on it's way! The next giveaway will be posted on the 29th!


Find all the Traveling Stash posts here.

Click here for the Traveling Stash Rules and Guidelines.

Until next time . . .

A Friday Night Sew-In Celebrating the Red White & Blue!

Hello!  :)

Welcome to day 14 of the "Celebrate Red White and Blue Blog Hop"! There are only a couple more days left. Have you been hopping around and looking at all the fabulous blocks? I have. They're awesome!  :)  You can go here to find the entire schedule and links to the hop so you can start at the beginning. Don't miss out!

Here's Today's Hopping Schedule . . .

Diann C

Quilt Monster in my Closet

daisy and jack

sewingly along . . . You are here!  :)

MoomMist

Susie's World

Thanks so much for stopping by today to view my blocks. At first I thought I'd come up with 3 blocks and then put a table runner together in the end to tie them all together. Then I thought that I'd just make a bunch of blocks. Then I was thinking about what patterns I should use. After looking through some ideas I decided to just wing it. I hope you won't be disappointed. I actually came up with six 12-1/2" blocks. I took pictures of all of them outside and inside so there will be 2 pictures of each block. I hope you will like what you see!  :)

My first block came about by chance. I've been doing a lot of cross stitch lately. I actually made this one design for a swap. I liked it so much I made another for me. I used a different fabric then normal so it turned out bigger than I wanted. I decided to put it aside and made a third one for myself. I looked at the discarded piece and thought what should I do with this? Then it hit me. I'll use it in one of my Red, White and Blue blocks! Yes! That's it! Here it is . . .

Cross stitch and quilting combined! I echoed the cross stitch piece with fabrics from my stash. I think they accent it nicely! Here's another look . . .

A funny thing happened while I was working on this block. (Actually it wasn't quite so funny at the time.) I figured out the measurements for the stripes and began sewing strips together. Then I realized I'd forgotten to account for the 1/4" seam on both sides. Uggghhh! (This is something I do quite often.) So frustrated but eager to keep going I put it aside and cut new strips and started over. Then when I got to the center stripes I mismeasured again and sewed too many stripes together. Instead of picking it apart I sat it aside again, cut more strips and continued on. This time I got it right! Third time's a charm!  :)

What did I do with the all those strips I had already sewn together? I made two other blocks with them.  :)  Waste not, want not I always say!  ;)  (Plus I hate ripping out seams!) With the first of the two mistake strip blocks I appliqued some blue stars. I decided to blanket stitch around them in a golden yellow perle cotton thread. Another block finished.

Yea! Simple but sweet. The closer photo isn't really a good one (sorry).

Here's the other block I made with the mistake strip blocks.

This time I didn't have as many stripes to work with so I added a blue field and two appliqued stars with a patriotic eagle print fabric. I blanket stitched around these in a golden yellow perle cotton thread as well.

There are the first three blocks! All similar but different. Made by accident or was it fate? Hummmm . . . ;)

The next block is my favorite.

I had some beautiful vintage inspired fabric. I didn't want to distract from it's beauty so I just accented it with some stars and stripes. It needed a little something more. Hummmm.... I found some cool ribbon I had in my stash. It was perfect! Very simple and sweet!  :)

4 down . . . 2 more to show.  ;)  The next block is a basic log cabin with a historical fabric as the centerpiece.

I used lots of patriotic fabrics from my stash to complete this block.

Last but not least . . .

I'm not sure what this block is called. Is it a pinwheel? Is it a star? It's definitely red, white, blue and patriotic!  :)  The center fabric is my favorite find this year. It reminds me of the peace and love of the '60s. The other fabrics are favorites as well.

Well that's it! 6 red, white, blue patriotic blocks. What am I going to do with them? I'm going to make up a few more and combine them all into a throw quilt for me and the hunky dude. I'd eventually love to have one for every holiday and/or season. 

Thank you so much for visiting me and viewing my blocks! I hope you liked them!  :)  Thanks Jane and Madame Samm for hosting! It's been fun! Don't forget to check out all the other wonderful blocks!  :)

Also before you go . . . since I finished these up on Friday these blocks will be my submission for the Friday Night Sew-In.

Heidi and her cousin Bobbi host this monthly event. It's always fun to get together online with women from all over the world and sew on the same night of the month.  :)

Until next time . . .

A Week in Review

Hello!  :)

Hope you're having a nice week!  :)  Mine's been sad. A good friend of mine lost her battle with cancer this past weekend. She was only 46. She was always a happy, cheerful person. She always brightened my life. I am missing her terribly and am very sad.  :(  I will always remember her fondly and smile when I think of her.

This past week I was able to make some progress on the Autumn Sampler I've been working on. Here's where I left off last week . . .

And this is where I am at today . . .

I haven't done all the detail backstitches yet but I have done the main ones to keep up with the design. I will work on the detail ones when it's all finished. I am happy with my progress so far after 3 weeks. Tonight I'll be starting on the center sections. I really love all the different sections and details of this design. It really helps it to flow and makes it easier to work on.

I have also finished stitching a couple of other pieces this week as well. They are both Lizzie Kate designs. The first is "Think Autumn" . . .

The second one is a "Halloween" Flip-It . . .

I'm not quite sure how or when I'm going to finish them yet. Can you tell I can't wait for Fall to get here?! I hate summer and the heat love fall!  :)  For now they are put aside while I work on the Autumn Sampler some more. I'm sure I'll start some other small project this week as well since it's a nice break from the large project.  :)

This week I have also been planning some red, white and blue quilt blocks for the Celebrate Red White and Blue Blog Hop that's been going on.

Have you been checking out all the other wonderful blocks? There are lots of great ideas out there! :)  My day is coming up this Saturday so stay tuned!  :)  That's what I have going on how about you? What have you been working on?

Before I go I'd like to talk about one more thing. Don't you just hate it when you go to leave a comment on someones blog and you have to verify the words (and now numbers) in the box? I know I do. That's why it bothers me to say that I had to turn on the word verification for comments left here on my blog. I wish I didn't but those bad people out there in cyberspace kept sending spam via comments to this blog. Why don't these people do good with their talents instead of harming bothering others? I just don't understand it. The world would be such a better place without having to protect ourselves from all those bad people out there. So please still leave me comments. I really do enjoy reading them and try to respond to everyone. While you're typing those silly words and numbers in those word verification boxes and cursing me please remember that I'm there with you. I don't like it either but it's one of those necessary things. Sigh.................

Until next time . . .

Traveling Stash Update!

Hello!  :)

Hope you've had a wonderful week! I hate to do this but I need to remind those of you participating in the Traveling Stash boxes that by entering the giveaways for the boxes you are agreeing to the rules which include:

1. Be an active blogger. Post about receiving and the giveaway on your blog in a timely manner.
2. There is a note in the box that logs where the box has been. Please add your info and place the note back in the box.
3. There is a list of Rules and Guidelines in the box. Please read and follow these and return the list to the box. 
4. You may take anything you like from the box. Just replace every item with comparable quilt shop quality items equal to the amount taken.
5. Ship the box to the next person in a reasonable amount of time.
6. Due to the amount of postage shipping is only within the USA.

I've highlighted areas that need to be addressed. When you receive a box you need to post about receiving it and the giveaway asap. The rules state "in a timely manner". This should be no more than one week. I know sometimes life gets in the way. We all have those times. I'm only asking that if you don't think you will be able to get the boxes posted and sent back on their way in a "timely manner" to please don't enter the giveaways. The boxes are always traveling and moving so there will be plenty of chances for them to come visit you when the time is better. Personally I had a lucky month and won two within a manner of days a little while ago. While it was great it was also kind of overwhelming. Two boxes to go through. Two boxes to replace items in. Then the expense of mailing two boxes out. I've learned my lesson and now I don't enter every giveaway. I would really appreciate your help with this. I don't mind keeping track of where these boxes are but I really don't like having to bother people and remind them to keep them moving. It would really be great if you guys could just do your part to keep this a fun experience. Afterall the quicker the boxes move around the more people there will be who get to participate! Thanks!  :)

Here's the latest updates as of 7/14/12 . . . 

TRAVELING STASH BOXES:
BOX #1:     Kristy @ Cotton Addiction won the Giveaway! The box is on it's way!
BOX #2:     Sherry @ Books, Hooks, Sticks, Etc won the Giveaway! The box is on it's way!
BOX #3:     Irene @ Hilachas won the Giveaway! The box hasn't been mailed yet after two weeks. Bobbie @ From This to That said she will mail it this week. The recipient, Irene left on a two-week vacation today. She will post the giveaway when she returns. Sorry for the delay!
BOX #4:     Karen P. @ Sew Peachy won the Giveaway! The box is on it's way! (Sorry for the delay! Sue's been having computer problems.)
BOX #5:     CeLynn @ The Sunflower Patch won the Giveaway! It will be traveling to her Monday!

OTHER BOXES:
PASS IT ON BOX:
Jen @ Quilter's Daughter won the Giveaway! The box is on it's way!  :)
LEAP YEAR BOX (giveaway only on the 29th of each month):
Melinda @ Melinda Quilts ETC won the Giveaway! The box was mailed and will be arriving soon! The next giveaway will be posted on the 29th!


Find all the Traveling Stash posts here.

Click here for the Traveling Stash Rules and Guidelines.

Until next time . . .

Happy 4th of July!

Hello!  :)

Happy 4th of July!!!  :)

I did it! I finished my patriotic pillows before the 4th! Yea!  :)

Okay I'll admit I didn't finish them until 11:00pm but hey I made it!  ;)  I would have finished them sooner but I ran out of stuffing and had to go get more.

Here's a closer look at the pillows . . .

"4th of July Flip-It" Designed by Lizzie Kate

Stitched on 14ct Hazelnut Aida

"Summer ABC's" Designed by Lizzie Kate

Stitched on 14ct Hazelnut Aida

"Liberty" Designed by Michelle Lash

Stitched on 14ct Oatmeal Aida

"Americana Heart" Designed by Joy of the Needle

Stitched on 14ct Oatmeal Aida

"July Stamp Flip-It" Designed by Lizzie Kate

Stitched on 14ct Beige Aida

This last one is the first complete finish of the 12 monthly stamp pillows. One down only eleven of these left to go!  ;)

I hope you have a Happy 4th of July! Stay safe!  :)

Until next time . . .

What I've Been Working On...

Hello!  :)


I've been pretty quiet here but busy behind the scenes. The last time we talked I had started the Autumn Sampler. This was my progress then . . . 

After working on it all week I've gotten a little farther along . . .

I'm still enjoying working on it. I finish one section and then I get to decide where to go next. It keeps it fresh and fun.  :)

Over the past couple of weeks I've managed to work on a few patriotic pieces for myself too. Here are glimpses of them . . .

And this one I already showed you . . .

This one is part of my twelve month collection, which I already showed you.

I'm planning on getting these patriotic pieces finished in the next couple days. Then I'll show you the finished pieces. Some of them are already half way done.  :)

With all the patriotic inspiration flowing . . . Have you heard about the "Celebrate the Red White and Blue" Blog Hop?

It started Sunday, July 1st. Participants were to create and share 10-1/2" or 12-1/2" quilt blocks. There have already been some wonderful blocks shared. The blog hop goes through July 16th with 6 participants each day and some hosting giveaways too! You can find the schedule here. I will be participating on July 14th. To be honest I haven't even started any blocks yet, but I will have them ready to go on the 14th. Afterall I am a procrastinator extraordinare!  ;)

Until next time . . .

Traveling Stash UPDATES!

Hello!  :)

Thank you for visiting! Below you will find the current status of the Traveling Stash boxes. I check on their status daily and update the post. I would appreciate it if you are one of the lucky ones who win a box if you will let me know when it arrives, when you post your giveaway, when you announce the winner, and when you mail it out to the next lucky recipient. It really helps me out! Thanks so much!  :)


Here are the latest updates as of 7/8/12 . . . 

TRAVELING STASH BOXES:
BOX #1:     Kristy @ Cotton Addiction won the Giveaway! The box will be traveling to her soon!
BOX #2:     Cindy @ Quilt Doodle Designs posted the Giveaway! It ends on Wednesday, July 11th!
BOX #3:     Irene @ Hilachas won the Giveaway! The box is traveling to her.
BOX #4:     Karen P. @ Sew Peachey won the Giveaway! The box is traveling to her.
BOX #5:     Sara @ Southern Transplant won one of the Giveaways when box #2 was split! She received the box and will post the Giveaway this week!

OTHER BOXES:
PASS IT ON BOX (has different rules):
Jen @ Quilter's Daughter won the Giveaway! The box will be traveling to her soon!
LEAP YEAR BOX (giveaway only on the 29th of each month):
Melinda @ Melinda Quilts ETC won the Giveaway! The box will be traveling to her soon! The next giveaway will be posted on the 29th!


Find all the Traveling Stash posts here.

Click here for the Traveling Stash Rules and Guidelines.

Until next time . . .