Kermit's Path starts to look like a path :)

Miss Angela, over at http://cuttopieces.blogspot.com, has dubbed my version of her Zig Zag Quilt Along, Kermit's Path. And it finally started looking like a path yesterday! :) Yipee! I spent most of the day, that wasn't filled with kiddos and family, ironing, sewing, and ironing more :) I wound up with 20 "paths" of the same fabrics and 8 "paths" with different fabrics on either side of my Kona Basil. I worked out a really cute layout for it and am itching to see it laid out. BUT we gotta make cuts first and sew and iron more before the laying-it-out stage hits :) I'm trying so hard to be patient! Working on my other bazillion projects should keep me busy- HA!! Here's a few of my favorite "paths" to give you an idea of the Basil- I think I am gonna just go ga-ga over how it looks all put together! I am soooo going to love the darker backgroud :)

I have also been working on my folding- another one of Angela's amazing tutorials! It is easy, I just am really slow. I don't know why but I am not too lickety-split at it :) As long as it looks lovely like this, I am good :). Look at that Kona rainbow--Drool!!

Exercise can kill you...

That's why I just simply don't do it :) HA!! Well, in moderation, exercise is a very good thing, and I need to be better. It's that whole "the kiddos keep me too busy", "I sew during my exercise time", "I hate running" thing :)!!

Growing up, I danced- lots. And I adore dancing still, but over the years I have tried to find some other alternatives to help keep me in shape. Running is NOT an option. Actually, I hate it- there are not many things in life that I will claim to hate, but unfortunately, running is one of them. I like walking, but in the mountains, in over a foot of snow all winter, it doesn't work. And summer gets too dang hot :) hehe! Excuses, excuses, I know :). I like my elliptical, but it fades in time too.

So the one thing that has kept me going- that I started back up today (after our mini vacations in so many rows) is Yoga! I LOVE the stuff! I have many DVDs but my favorite instructor for "my" style is Susanne Deason. I love Amazon too- that's where I buy all her stuff :). So it's a win-win. I get exercise and Amazon makes money.

Today I tried a new DVD and it was a hit! (And no, you will not get a picture of me in my yoga outfit :). )So back on the exercise train I go- and I will create time to sew!! :)

Oh my merci-ness- I WON!!

Ok, let me preface this by saying, I rarely, if ever, win anything I need. Every once in a blue moon I will win a little something cute or fun, but it is hard for me to find a specific use for. Well, Miss Kaelin is having a wonderful quilt along over at http://theplaidscottie.blogspot.com/ and Pink Castle Fabrics sponsored a giveaway for foundation piecing papers. I really needed these since I want to follow along but make a slight variation to the quilt- more of a pickle dish shape in the end- and I don't have a clue how to paper piece! Since I needed them really bad- it's been on my "to buy" list for weeks now- I knew there was no way I could win. Fast forward to today... I went to the mailbox and found this -->

Oh my stars in the morning- for REAL!!!??!!! I was in shock! I flew inside to my computer and went straight to Kaelin's blog. I had been out of town the day she announced the winner but had tried keeping up with blogs on my phone. I think I saw the first winner and didn't even remember that there were 2 winners. What an awesome surprise that was to see my name there! Oh wow! I danced the Happy Dance and proceeded to squeal every few minutes for the rest of the afternoon. Every time I look at my desk, I get all smiley inside :) Thank you so much Kaelin and thank you Brenda of Pink Castle Fabrics!! I can hardly wait to get the fabric together to start!! And I get to learn something new!! Yipee all around!
This is what I have done lately- cut out almost 600 squares for the Hello Pickles quilt I am making using Karen's wonderful instructions! She's over at http://feistyeily.blogspot.com/ and she makes some beauties too! Stop on over and see the Christmas version of her original quilt that she's working on for Angela right now- it's YUMMY!! Makes me wish it was Nov.1- yes, I put up my Christmas tree that early :) It takes me 3 days- I have a 12' tree with an insane number of ornaments- so you gotta have some time to enjoy it :)! Sorry, I like tangents...
Then here is my second block for the We Can Do It Skill Builder Sampler quilt along (you can follow along at http://sewnbyleila.blogspot.com/). It is a 9-block square and I wanted to try an O's and X's pattern to mine. It's harder to see with it all being pink, but the all being pink part is important, so that is what it had to be :). I like it, even though it is busy- it's pink, and that's what counts! And I really like the fabrics in this one!
I also got almost 100 green strips cut for Angela's Zig Zag quilt along over at http://cuttopieces.blogspot.com/. She said I should call it Kermit's Path, and so it is! Love it! It's so sad that I will probably have to explain to it's recipient who Kermit is :)! He may be familiar with him through old VHS's, but so sad he's not still around on tv! It makes me smile and I am so excited to start piecing!!

Back to busy! Make like sunny today!

1965...

I wasn't around then, but I heard that it was a good year :). One thing that was good for sure was this--- I was tickled to find it at a chain thrift store today- hard to find things that aren't beat up there. I searched and the closest I could get to a pattern name is "floral". I was really bummed because there was no lid, well, according to Pyrex Love, it was not made with one. Yipee- I didn't miss out on a lid :). And it is in PERFECT condition- I am so excited! And I love the divided dishes - I know there are some that don't, but they are one of my favorites! I use them the most :) And orange is great!! It made me smile- a nice reminder of spring! And don't you just love my roll of batting in the background :). Have a happy vintage day...

Binding!!

I worked all day today free motion quilting squares- more and more huge squares on my Bottled Rainbow quilt! And I LOVE it- oh, so much better than the loops ever dreamed of being :)! Yipee! It was worth unpicking for over 8 hours to be able to quilt it in lines. And it was my first line project too. I really like the look. I got the binding cut, sewn and stitched on the front. Now to pin the back and hand sew away :)!! hehe! I'll be busy tomorrow!
I can hardly wait to put in the the wash and watch it come out crinkly :)!! Oh, I have a hard time being patient! It will be worth the work- the colors just make me smile, and the Kona Ash with the lines on it look great! So excited!

Then I'll be on to my next project- or several at one time, probably :) Here's how my first block of 36, it was 3 a month, not 1, HA!, turned out. I love the Pink-ness! Going to be so much fun seeing all the pink in this one :)

That's my progress at the moment- wait a day or two and I'll have FINISHED Bottled Rainbow pictures- woot, woot!! :)

Ou la la and a big Oops!

Missing in action again- we wound up having a surprise weekend long vacation for a great- grandma's birthday. It was so nice to get away and just be together- hotels are magical places for kiddos :). So it was good, but now I'm back, ready to get going, big time, on these projects!

I finally have so pretty fabric to show :) Yipee! Here's the home decor weight fabric for the first bag I'm making with help from http://sweetbeebuzzings.blogspot.com/- keep your fingers crossed that it turns out alright- I'm a little nervous to try this :) But with such pretty colors, it will have to be cute!

Then here is the green fabric for the quilt along over with Angela at http://cuttopieces.blogspot.com/! I'm doing a boy version of the zig zag quilt and had a request for shades of green, so here they are! Now the tough part is deciding if I dare put it on a white background or a soft green Kona shade. Hmmmm, any opinions???

Then for the Pickles quilt I am making from the lovely tutorial from http://fiestyeily.blogspot.com/, I had a request for wild, fun colors! I asked the lovely ladies at http://www.etsy.com/sewfreshfabrics to make me an "unafriad of color" bundle, but with less flowers. They were so wonderful to create this group, just perfect and so happy too :)!!
For the We can do it Sampler quilt at http://sewnbyleila.blogspot.com/, I am going to make an all-pink version- so excited about this! One block a month is completely do-able! Nice steady pace :) So here are my pinks- all ready to go -- yummy!

Then, for the quilt along with Jeni at http://incolororder.blogspot.com/, we are doing a warm/cool value quilt. On my list of "To make" quilts is an orange/aqua quilt, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity! I love some pictures I've seen on Flickr of orange and aqua value blocks, so this will be fun to see a whole quilt like that :)

These two fabrics are both favorites- the trains becuase trains have always been big at my house, and the campers are just perfect! We love camping and these cuties fit right in! I could buy a bolt of these :)
So now, cutting will keep me busy for a year! :) hehe! I have to seriously get busy on cutting to keep up with all my groups- off to Joanns to get a new rotary blade :) And lastly, I was so excited last Wednesday to quilt my Bottled Rainbows quilt. I had thought and thought about it and decided that loops would be a fatastic contrast to the "square-ness" of the blocks. Well, I got about a tenth of the way through and looked at it- it did NOT look good to me- I didn't like the contrast and it made me feel yucky inside. Oh dear! So I turned off the machine and grabbed my lovely seam ripper. I have picked for over 6 hours and have about 1/3 to go- oh dear!! I do not like it when I oops, especially on such a beloved quilt. But it will be the way that looks best by the time it's done- at least it's fixable, right?! :) Oh well, I'll get some more blisters and hopefully have it done by THIS weekend! HA!

Have a great start to the week! And enjoy the sunshine!

Getting so close!

No, I have not fallen off the earth- we just got back from our "stay-ca-tion"! We had a blast going and doing all within about an hours drive! It's so fun finding things close that give you the perfect opportunity to have fun with your dear family! So now I'm back- posts will be regular again :)--

My Bottled Rainbows is peiced and ready to go! Here it is in the nice sunshine- finally! I was so excited that Rachel mentioned it over at http://stitchedincolor.com ! Oh the stories this quilt tells- each square has it's own narrative, and then there are a few things running through them all! I have been itching to get this one finished. Therefore, I have been not so patiently waiting on the remaining fabrics :)! They finally came, and I am going to be throwing myself into this today- yipee!
Here's the Kona ash for the border- I may throw some of the stripe in at the points where I have to stitch the border- still working through this in my head! Then the Remix argyle for the back, and the stripe for the binding. I looked at the remix stripe, but this one was more "Us"! It is an Alexander Henry print and I loved how the lines look like crayon on either side of the stripe- too perfect! So there is all, ready to be cut up and put back together! YAY!! Here goes...