Getting Started with Mario

Hello!  :)

On Monday I sat down and got started making the blocks for the Super Mario Brothers QAL.

As I mentioned this quilt will be a surprise for my son for Christmas. I know he will absolutely LOVE it! The QAL mentions using Pellon stick-n-wash Stabilizer for the blocks. It's way to expensive for me so I'm making the blocks without it or any other stabilizer. The first block I made was the Green Mushroom block . . .

It turned out really cute! It was hard lining up all those 324 1-1/2" blocks. It's not perfect but it's good enough for me. It took about 5 hours to complete this block. There's a lot of tedious work there. It is totally worth it though. The next block I made was the Cloud block . . .

Of course it's not perfect either. I sense a trend here.  :(  Oh well. It's very cute!  :)  That was all I had time for that day.

On Tuesday I sat down and worked on the Fire Flower Block . . .

I like the way it turned out too! I have a feeling I'm going to love all the blocks. They are pretty big at 18-1/2". They are going to make a really nice quilt. I also managed to get the Goomba block done that day.

I messed up one of his teeth and had to re-do a section but it was a quick fix. He's definitely cute (in an ugly-cute kind of way).

Even though it's taking a while for each block I'm very much enjoying the end result. I can't wait to work on the next block. It won't be until Friday or Saturday though as the boy comes home early tomorrow and will be around for a couple of days. During this time I'm hoping to get started quilting my Vintage Holiday quilt. That's when I'm not busy with family and Thanksgiving. By the way . . . wasn't it just Halloween???

Here's my official Mario Quilt Countdown

Blocks to make 12        

Blocks completed 4        

Blocks remaining 8

~

1-1/2" Squares
Started with 3888
Used 1296
Remaining 2592

Until next time . . .

A New Day ... A New Quilt!

Hello!  :)

I'm on a roll! I don't mean just the fact that I've been sewing everyday. I mean I've published a post on my blog every day since Thursday! That's 5 days in a row! While that may be a normal occurence for some people it's very rare for me. I love it! That doesn't mean it will be a habit though . . . so sorry. For now it's great so let's enjoy it while it lasts . . . k?!

A while ago I came across an awesome Quilt-A-Long on Cut to Pieces blog.

It's a QAL for a Super Mario Brothers quilt. How awesome is that?!!! It's definitely for me! I know a certain autistic boy who's been begging me to make a quilt for him. He's actually asked for a quilt with Super Mario, Spongebob and PacMan. I'm not sure yet if I'll be able to incorporate all of them for him but I'll definitely give it a try. For now I'm doing the QAL Super Mario quilt for the front and will be using Spongebob fabric for the backing. I may even add PacMan in there somewhere. It depends on how big it turns out. We'll have to wait and see on that one.

This is the perfect Christmas present for my son! It's going to be a surprise for him. That will be a little hard as he lives with me. I;ll be working on this only when he's in school, sleeping or with his dad. Right now he's with his dad until Wednesday so it's the perfect time to get started on it. I got all the fabric out last night and began cutting.

This quilt is made with 3,888 1-1/2" squares. Yes that's 3,888 little squares! Just a little intimidating for me. I sat down yesterday and began cutting. Hours later this is what I had . . .

and another view . . .

That's a LOT of squares! Today I will begin plugging away on this quilt. It's made up of 12 different characters. The blocks will finish at 18-1/2" each. I wonder how many blocks I can get done in a day. I'm hoping I finish at least one. We'll have to wait and see how far I get.

Until next time . . .

Traveling Stash UPDATES!

Hello!  :)

Welcome!  :)  This is where you find updates for the 8 Traveling Stash boxes traveling around the US!

What is a Traveling Stash Box?  It's a box that's filled with a collection of fabrics, patterns, thread and other quilty fun! When you receive a box you take out what you like, replace it with items from your own stash, hold a giveaway and then send it to the next lucky person. You can find all the rules and guidelines (including how to save on postage) here.

The current GIVEAWAYS are listed in RED below.

Be sure to enter to WIN a box today!  :)

Here are the latest updates as of 11/24/12 . . . 

TRAVELING STASH & OTHER BOXES:
BOX #1:     Sharon @ Vrooman's Quilts is the winner of the Giveaway!  Congrats Sharon!  The box will be arriving soon!  :)

BOX #2:     Becky @ The Quilting Booklady is the winner of the Giveaway!  Congrats Becky!  The box will be arriving soon!  :)

BOX #3:     Ella @ Throw a Wench in the Works is the winner of the Giveaway!  Congrats Ella!  The box will be arriving soon!  :)

BOX #4:     Wendy @ Stitchduchess Crazy & Sane Quilting World is the winner of the Giveaway! Congrats Wendy! The box will be arriving soon!  :)

BOX #5:     Pat @ Amity Quilter has posted the Giveaway!  It ends on Tuesday, November 27th, 8pm PST!     ENTER HERE!!!

TWO SISTERS BOX:     Lori @ Sew French has posted the Giveaway!  It ends at 10:00am on Saturday, December 1st!     ENTER HERE!!!

PASS IT ON BOX:     Lisa @ In the Boon Docks is the winner of the Giveaway!  Congrats Lisa!  The box will be arriving soon!  :)

LEAP YEAR BOX #2 (giveaway begins on the 29th of each month):     Wendy @ Stitchduchess Crazy & Sane Quilting World has received the box!  Stay tuned for the Giveaway on November 29th!  :)

MIA- LEAP YEAR BOX #1:     In the middle of September this box was mailed and never arrived. It's lost in transit. If the original box shows up we will continue with it at that time.  UPDATE:  The mailing label has been found. The original mailer filled out paperwork describing what's in the box. It may just show up yet! We'll have to wait and see. Keep your fingers crossed!  :)


Find all the Traveling Stash Rules & Guidelines (including how to save on postage) here.

Find out about all the Origins of the Traveling Stash Boxes here.

Find all the Traveling Stash Posts here.


Until next time . . .

I Can't Believe it!

Hello!  :)

Yesterday I worked on my Vintage Holiday quilt some more. I managed to get the sashing and the borders done. Do you know what that means??? That means I have a finished quilt top!!!!   :)

I can't believe I finished it so quickly! I'm really happy with how it came out!  :)  It really came together pretty quick. I've never finished a quilt this fast before. This is my first Christmas quilt and will be for me and my family. As you can see by the picture I was sandwiching it together with the batting and backing. I actually have it all pinned and ready to quilt. I will be hand quilting this with some red and white perle cotton. It will take a little while though as today I've started working on another quilt. I'll share more about that another day. I do plan on having this finished in the next week or two though.  :)

Until next time . . .

What I Did on My Friday Night Sew-In

Hello!  :)

Did you notice the title of this post? It kind of reminds me of the infamous, "What I did on my summer vacation" from my school days of long ago. Do you remember those stories we had to write about what we did?

Anywho . . . last night I participated in the Friday Night Sew-In

I had the chance to work on my Vintage Holiday quilt with that awesome Dear Mr. Claus fabric I shared with you yesterday.

I sat down to start the night off with that pile of prepped fabric. I couldn't believe I was actually prepped and ready to go (a rare occurrence for me).  ;)

The night started out well and keep going pretty darn good. I managed to get all 12 blocks done! Yea! It was a long night but I really enjoyed watching them come together. I had a couple little hiccups here and there but nothing major (thank God!).  :)  I even added a little bit of rick-rack to some of the ornaments for that extra little touch. Here are Blocks 1 & 2 . . .

Blocks 3 & 4 . . .

Blocks 5 & 6 . . .

Blocks 7 & 8 . . .

Blocks 9 & 10 . . .

and the last ones . . . Blocks 11 & 12 . . .

I'd say it was a pretty productive night!  :)  When I purchased the fabric for the quilt I couldn't afford to get the backing I wanted from the same line. I figured I'd see if I had something I could use or pick up something less expensive. Yesterday JoAnn's had their "Holiday Inspirations" Christmas fabric for 65% off (for one day only) so I went to see if they had something that I could use for the backing. I found a great fabric that doesn't match perfectly with the fabrics on the front but does match perfectly with the binding fabric. I got 4-1/2 for only $15.75 (that's only $3.50 per yard). Now that's a deal! Here it is . . .

What do you think? I really love it! It's called "Candy Cane Snowflakes" by Beth Logan. It's a pretty thick fabric and not paper thin like some fabrics from JoAnn's are. Doesn't it look great with the striped binding I'm using?

I had a great Friday Night Sew-In! I hope you did too! Thank you Heidi and Bobbi for hosting! You're the best!  :)

Well I'd better get going so I can work on the quilt some more. Maybe I can finish the top today and start cutting another one. All I have left for this one is the sashing, and borders. They should go together pretty quickly. I'll probably go ahead and get the binding ready to go too since it's already cut. Wish me luck!  :)

Until next time . . .

Friday Night Sew-In Prep

Hello!  :)

I told you I'd be back!  ;)  I really need to get my butt in gear as I'm really behind in all my plans. I still have two quilts to make for Christmas gifts that I haven't started on yet. I do have the fabric and patterns so at least that's a start. I'm hoping to get started on one this weekend and the other next week. I don't really do well working on multiple projects at once but that's what I'm going to have to do with the two quilts I need to make. I'll explain and share more details with you later.

For now I'm starting another quilt. Yes I am crazy!!!  ;)  Months ago I fell in love with Moda's Dear Mr. Claus fabric line. It was love at first sight! Really! I love the vintage vibe and the colors! It's soooo me!!!  :)  I knew I just had to make a quilt with it. Then I saw Camille Roskelley's "Vintage Holiday" pattern. I instantly fell in love with it. The "Vintage Holiday" pattern with the Dear Mr. Claus fabric was a match made in heaven! I saved my money and finally got the fabric and pattern!  :)

Okay so the timing's not really great, but who cares. I have the pattern and fabric and Christmas will be here very soon so I'm getting started on it. Here's another view of all that vintage goodness!  :)

Yesterday I managed to sit down and get all the fabric cut for the quilt.

I'm so excited to get started on this and see how it comes out! I can hardly wait. This is what I'll be working on for tonight's Friday Night Sew-In.

Be sure to come back tomorrow to see how much I got done. I'm hoping I have a very productive night. What will you be working on tonight? I'd love to hear about it!  :)

Until next time . . .

Fall Exchange Reveal!

Hello!  :)

First I'd like to say so sorry that I've been absent. I've had the worst cold ever. It just hit me and never seemed to let up. I'm finally feeling much better.  :)

While I was sick I got the okay to share what I sent and received in the Fall Cross Stitch Exchange I participated in, through the Stitched With Love Exchanges. If you'd like to view all the goodies that were exchanged you can view them here.

I'm so happy I finally get to show you what I sent my partner Jaime.

I sent her a fall pattern with the necessary floss, some needles, fall colored ribbon & buttons, a cute metal acorn and a beautiful fall colored towel. The pillow is a Country Cottage Design. It's actually the October Cottage of the month. I just changed it so it says "Autumn" instead of "October". I'm really happy with the way it turned out. Here's a close up . . .

and the back . . .

Here's the wonderful package of goodies I received from my partner CJ.

She stitched a beautiful fall piece for me. She also sent me a hand-made card, lots of patterns, a couple of kits, some floss, needles, fabric and beads. I was definitely spoiled!  :)  Thank you so much CJ! I love it all! Here's a close up of the fabulous piece she stitched for me . . .

She did a great job, didn't she?! The next exchange is the Christmas exchange. I've finished stitching the piece for my partner while I was sick. I haven't completed it yet though. I better get going on it as I have to mail it out by the 26th. That's only a little over a week away. That will be the last cross stitch exchange for the year. I'm looking forward to more stitching exchanges in 2013. I can't believe it's only a month and a half away. This year has definitely flown by. As a matter of fact where did the first half of November go??? I didn't get much done while I was sick and now I feel like I'm so far behind. Stay tuned for another post from me tomorrow (I know shocking huh?). I have more to share!  :)

Until next time . . .

Traveling Stash UPDATES!

Hello!  :)

Welcome!  :)  This is where you find updates for the 8 Traveling Stash boxes traveling around the US!

What is a Traveling Stash Box?  It's a box that's filled with a collection of fabrics, patterns, thread and other quilty fun! When you receive a box you take out what you like, replace it with items from your own stash, hold a giveaway and then send it to the next lucky person. You can find all the rules and guidelines (including how to save on postage) here.

The current GIVEAWAYS are listed in RED below. 

Be sure to enter to WIN a box today!  :)

Here are the latest updates as of 11/16/12 . . . 

TRAVELING STASH & OTHER BOXES:
BOX #1:     Melinda @ Melinda Quilts ETC has posted the Giveaway! It ends on the evening of Tuesday, November 20th!     ENTER HERE!!!

BOX #2:     Becky @ The Quilting Booklady is the winner of the Giveaway! Congrats Becky! The box will be arriving soon!  :)

BOX #3:     Melinda @ Tilda's Twisted Life has posted the Giveaway! It ends at midnight EST on Tuesday, November 20th!     ENTER HERE!!!

BOX #4:     Lisa @ Squares Around the Quilt has posted the Giveaway! It ends Monday, November 19th!     ENTER HERE!!!

BOX #5:     Pat @ Amity Quilter is the winner of the Giveaway! Congrats Pat! The box will be arriving soon!  :)

TWO SISTERS BOX:     Lori @ Sew French is the winner of the Giveaway! Congrats Lori! The box will be arriving soon!  :)

PASS IT ON BOX:     Sharon @ Vrooman's Quilts has posted the Giveaway! It ends at midnight EST on Sunday, November 18th!     ENTER HERE!!!

LEAP YEAR BOX #2 (giveaway begins on the 29th of each month):     Wendy @ Stitchduchess Crazy & Sane Quilting World has received the box! Stay tuned for the Giveaway on November 29th!  :)


MIA- LEAP YEAR BOX #1:     In the middle of September this box was mailed and never arrived. It's lost in transit. If the original box ever shows up we will continue with it at that time. UPDATE: The mailing label from the box has been found. The original mailer filled out paperwork describing what's in the box. It may just show up yet! We'll have to wait and see. Keep your fingers crossed!  :)


Find all the Traveling Stash Rules & Guidelines (including how to save on postage) here.

Find out about all the Origins of the Traveling Stash Boxes here.

Find all the Traveling Stash Posts here.


Until next time . . .

Traveling Stash UPDATES!

Hello!  :)

Welcome!  :)  This is where you find updates for the 8 Traveling Stash boxes traveling around the US!

What is a Traveling Stash Box?  It's a box that's filled with a collection of fabrics, patterns, thread and other quilty fun! When you receive a box you take out what you like, replace it with items from your own stash, hold a giveaway and then send it to the next lucky person. You can find all the rules and guidelines (including how to save on postage) here.


Here are the latest updates as of 11/9/12 . . . 

TRAVELING STASH & OTHER BOXES:
BOX #1:     Melinda @ Melinda Quilts ETC has received the box! Stay tuned for the Giveaway next week!  :)

BOX #2:     Sew Cal Gal @ Sew Cal Gal has posted the Giveaway! It ends at midnight PST on Thursday, November 15th!     ENTER HERE!!!   :)

BOX #3:     Melinda @ Tilda's Twisted Life is the winner of the Giveaway! Congrats Melinda! The box will be arriving soon!  :)

BOX #4:     Lisa @ Squares Around the Quilt is the winner of the Giveaway! Congrats Lisa! The box will be arriving soon!  :)

BOX #5:     Rachel @ Suzmademedoit has posted the Giveaway! It ends at midnight PST on Tuesday, November 13th!     ENTER HERE!!!   :)

TWO SISTERS BOX:     Lori @ Sew French is the winner of the Giveaway! Congrats Lori! The box will be arriving soon!  :)

PASS IT ON BOX:     Sharon @ Vrooman's Quilts is the winner of the Giveaway! Congrats Sharon! The box will be arriving soon!  :)

LEAP YEAR BOX #2 (giveaway begins on the 29th of each month):     Wendy @ Stitchduchess Crazy & Sane Quilting World has received the box! Stay tuned for the Giveaway on November 29th!  :)


MIA - LEAP YEAR BOX #1:     In the middle of September this box was mailed and never arrived. It's lost in transit (MIA). If the original box ever shows up we will continue with it at that time.  UPDATE:  The mailing label from the box has been found. The original mailer filled out paperwork describing what's in the box. It just may show up yet! We'll have to wait and see! Keep your fingers crossed!  :)


Find all the Traveling Stash Rules & Guidelines (including how to save on postage) here.

Find out about all the Origins of the Traveling Stash Boxes here.

Find all the Traveling Stash Posts here.


Until next time . . .

A Very Productive Day!

Hello!  :)

Yesterday I was in the mood to sew! It's been a long time since I've wanted to just sit and sew. I actually managed to get quite a bit done. Every time I finished a project I picked up another one and worked on it. I made my first bag yesterday. Yes I've never made a bag before. Here it is . . .

Isn't it adorable?!!! It's made from all Ruby fabrics except for the inside which is just a red plaid I keep on hand. (You can never have too much red plaid laying around!) Here's the other side . . .

I finished them both the same so it doesn't matter which way it's facing.  :)  Here's a side view . . .

And the other side . . . 

Since I love red so much I quilted it with red thread.  :)  Did you notice? Here's a view of the inside . . . 

It's an awesome sturdy little bag. I love it! I got the tutorial from Sharon over at Daisy Cottage Quilting. You can find the tutorial for the bag at the following links:

• Part One . . . http://daisycottagequilting.com/2012/09/03/daisy-tutorial/
• Part Two . . . http://daisycottagequilting.com/2012/09/04/daisy-tutorial-part-2/
• Part Three . . . http://daisycottagequilting.com/2012/09/08/daisy-tutorial-part-3/
• Part Four . . . http://daisycottagequilting.com/2012/09/08/daisy-tutorial-finale/

I didn't follow the above tutorial for the handles. I used this tutorial she just posted the other day for them.  :)

The tutorial I followed showed a Halloween bag. It was funny . . . every time I showed my hunky dude the picture of the bag he kept asking why I was making a Halloween bag the day after Halloween. I kept showing him the fabrics I was using but he just didn't get it. In his defense he was tired.

The next project I worked on was the Fat Quarter Shops 2012 Designer Mystery Block of the Month. It started back in June. I have the supplies for the first 5 blocks already and the 6th one will be out soon. Since I'm so far behind I figured I'd better get working on them. I started with Block One.

It's not perfect but it's done. I'm really loving the Vintage Modern fabrics, which I knew I would. I can't wait to play with the leftover scraps from the blocks.  :)  Here's Block Two . . .

This one is off too. Oh well . . . at least it's done. I might go back and fix it as it does bother me. Here they are together . . .

Looking good!  :)  I wanted to work on more of them but I wanted to get another project done first so I moved on. I'll get back to the rest of the blocks another day.

The last project looks pretty simple but it's for someone I love very much . . .

My little Doobie!  :)  I always seems to kick his water dish and spill the water all over the floor. Then I wipe it up and put a towel under it. I decided he needed a doggy food mat so here it is . . .

I found the cute dog bone fabric at JoAnn's. The batik came from a traveling stash box. It reminds me of little paws (okay maybe bird feet . . . lol). Here's the back . . .

It's just a simple little mat to put his food and water bowls on. Maybe I won't kick the water now. Of course I need to mop the floor before he can use it. Nothing but the best for my boy!  ;)

That's it! For yesterday anyway. I got a lot done, huh?! It felt really good. There's still a big pile of things to catch up on so hopefully I'll be able to start again on Monday. If I can get some of this finished and off my mind I'll be able to start on the quilts I need to make before Christmas. I'm quickly running out of time. At least I'm enjoying it again.  :)

Have you heard about the . . .

Cheryl over at Gone Stitchin' has started another Friday night for us to all sew and craft together. It's a great idea with us being so close to the holidays. She has the blessing of Heidi and Bobbi from Friday Night Sew-In. This Friday Night With Friends will take place the 1st Friday of the month which happens to be today!  :)  I'll be participating! Will you? Be sure to go sign up and craft the night away! Later this afternoon I will be taking my new bag filled with cross stitch supplies to my friend Karen's (from Sew Much 2 Luv) house to stitch and spend Friday night with her. I'm really looking forward to it.  :)

Until next time . . .