Teacher Bags

My teacher gifts are finished. Yipee! I have been quilting for 9 1/2 years and I have made some really cute stuff (and not so cute), but I have to say these bag are just about cutest things I have ever made. They are so stinkin cute, they are off the cuteness chart!!! And they are made with just "stuff" I already had. Well, except for the buttons that I got yesterday for $3.79. Yipee and Yeehaw! And that my friends is what pushes them beyond fabulous. I made 4 bags. One for each of my two darlings teachers, one for myself and one for my friend Kristee's teacher. Kristee and I have been friends since before we could drive. That is over half our lives. Needless to say, we have buried some bones together. So when your one of your lifelong friends asks you if you would mind making her a teacher gift too, you say "Absolutely my friend, no problem." I am thrilled with how these bags turned out! Quilting makes my skirt fly up constantly!!! Happy Sewing!!!

Collaborative Improv # 2

Yipee! It got here yesterday and it is CUTE! Victoria@Bumblebeans and I did this little improv swap, where we each quickly pieced a small top together (out of scraps) and then sent it to the other to do "whatever". This is what I sent her and just look at what she sent me back. It is darlin!!! Not only did she quilt the dog out of it. She HAND QUILTED the dog out of it! And she did it in about a week. I have been staring at it since I got it yesterday. Luv it, luv it, luv it! Thanks V, you rock!!!!! And since this has been so much fun, we have a little something, something to come. Yeah!!

Coming up roses

It is that time of year again. The end of school is soon and I need teacher gifts. So in between all the non-quilting things I have had to do this week, I started putting together bags (with one for myself.) These are just body of the purses but I wanted show how cute these flowers were. I gotta tell ya, they are so stinkin' cute, they are off the cuteness chart!! These flowers are made from old t-shirts and I just cut up old blue jeans for the denium. (I don't want to tell how long I have been holding on to the jeans I cut up.) I'm going to line them with leftover fabric. So when I'm done, I'll have super cute purses made out of just "stuff" I had. Doesn't make me feel quite as bad that I haven't cleaned out my closet for a while.
I do want to add that I got the idea for these cute little flowers from Penny @ Sewtakeahike. She had a tutorial a little while ago. And after seeing it, I thought these flowers would be cute on a bag. And they are!! And alot of fun to make! Happy Sewing!

Red and White blocks

I thought I'd give you a quick look at the red and white square-in-a-square blocks I zipped together for my block exchange. They were due this morning and I had them finished in plenty of time despite the fact I started cutting them up and sewing together on Mother's Day. A very good way to spend a Mother's day, I might add. The exchange was 14, four block sets (2 red and white, and 2 white and red.) Are you wondering where the blocks I received are? They are in a sack in the back of the closet, where they are going to stay until I get a) my big quilt finished and b) another little project I'm going to work on the summer going. In the mean time, they will be just fine living in the closet until their "time" comes. Happy quilting!

My Baby Boy is Ten

Holy Smokes, time has flown. It just doesn't seem possible, but I'm the mother of a ten year old. Ten years since I went to the hospital and had him and my brother came to see us and and I let him hold my precious bundle you joy and he said, "Sister, you have had a nose with a baby underneath." And since my brother has been agrievating me all my life, I, of course, ignored him. Until a week and a half later, when the pictures arrived in the mail. Yikes!! I had a nose with a baby underneath! Hey coming out the birth canal is a rough ride. And by the time those pictures arrived he was perfect and beautiful. And as I look at this tall, skinny, goofy, freckled face kid I can still see that chubby little baby I bathed in the kitchen sink.
The very first quilt I made was for him. He still sleeps with it on his bed but he also sleeps under "the coolest quilt ever", a Texas flag quilt. Probably not the last quilt I will make him. So happy birthday, my darling boy, and happy gave birth day to me. Hey, I think that is appropriate after what my body went thru to have him, especially my bladder.

The eagle has landed

Yipee! Victoria got her quilt today and she loved it! I really not sure which one of us is more excited! Anyway, here it is and it turned out cute!! Can you see her daughters hand and foot prints? That is bobbin work. Very easy to do and looks great! Quilting is an awesome thing!!!!

Sneek-peek Monday

Victoria @ Bumblebeans and I are doing a little improv collaboration. Here is what she sent me with her blessing to do anything my heart desired to it. (She is FABULOUS!) And here is the sneek-peek I sent her yesterday. I could not help myself. It is the back of the finished quilt. I put this little cutie in the mail Friday, so hopefully she will get it today and I can show the finished "product" and a few steps in between. Happy quilting Monday!

Happy Mother's Day

What a fabulous day. First of all, I haven't cooked a meal. (And I'm not planning to.) I have spent my day cutting up fabric for a block exchange I'm doing in my Bee. Fifty-six red and white square in a square blocks are due on Wednesday morning. (I won't tell you how long I have had to get these babies together.) So, all the pieces are cut and there is still plenty of daylight and I don't have to cook dinner, so I'm thinking I'm gonna start sewing. Yehaw!

Show and Tell

What is the best part of a quilt guild meeting? Why Show and Tell, of course. That is certainly true at the AAQG. At last nights meeting that was certainly true. I do want to add that I enjoyed the speaker as well. She wasn't doing what I'm doing, but I could certainly appreciate her work and let me be honest, I like anyone who can tell a good story.
My show and tell last night was my improv piece that I put together lickety-split. Here it is after it has been quilted (and washed to give it that drawn up look.) I liked this piece before I quilted it, but I gotta say the quilting has added so much texture that this piece is really singing now. Luv it, luv it, luv it! Quilting is awesome!