So Sweet

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!  Mine was great - but more on that later.  First a little eye-candy.  My sister has a new addition to their family.  This is Natasha, a kitten they adopted a few days ago.  She is so completely adorable I could hardly stand it.  If I weren't so worried about my own cat being displeased by smelling her on my clothes (he has "behavioral" problems) I probably would have spent the entire day playing with her and holding her.  I do so love little kitties!!!  BTW, this was one of the few pictures where she is standing still - she's a bundle of energy.

Merry Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Max turns 6!

My younger nephew, Max, turned 6 yesterday!  The family got together over the weekend and celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese's where the boys had a ball!

My mom made him a Disappearing Nine Patch (D9P) quilt with a fussy cut dog print that came out really great!  I love the way she planned the print and colors.  I wouldn't have immediately known this was a D9P pattern if she hadn't told me!

Here's my two nephews together - Jackson and Max.  Love those boys!!

Holiday Bingo Game 2010

The Quilt Shoppe is having another Bingo game on their blog for the holidays.  It was fun last time around even though I didn't win.  Go to their site for all of the information you need here.  The game starts on Friday, December 10 and you need to get your words registered with them the day before.  They have daily prizes as well as a grand prize.  Can't wait to start!!

Dear Jane Block J-6

Here's my latest Dear Jane block - created over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  I paper pieced this one even though I probably could have made it without the paper.  The pieces are SO tiny!  I don't have the block in front of my right now, but I'd say the squares in the center are 1/2" or smaller.  I have other projects to work on and finish before the beginning of the year, so I'll probably put my DJ on hold again for a little while.

Dear Jane Block K-12

I've had a couple of finished Dear Jane blocks to be posted waiting in the wings.  Just too darn busy over the Thansksgiving holiday.  The good thing about these blocks is that they are so small (4 1/2" finished) that they fit in my scanner and I don't need a camera to get them posted!  This one was a quickie - paper pieced on one foundation.  Another one will be coming soon!

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

Wishing everyone a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday!

Dear Jane Block I-8

I finished another Dear Jane block today!  I had the center portion finished a few weeks ago, but I wasn't able to put the last pieces on until today.  It felt great to get something done that wasn't for a deadline! Today I also finished the binding on a quilt that will be a Christmas gift, so that was quite a relief. Tomorrow I might just work on another DJ block. Things are going to be getting very busy with the holidays coming, so this weekend I plan to do fun things for me. We'll see how much actually gets done...

Tote Bag Roundup

Sorry about the generic line drawing picture today, but I'm sitll dealing with my camera issues.  I just wanted to link up to Skip to My Lou, which has a listing of tote bag tutorials.  I've been wanting to make some easy market bags, possibly for Christmas gifts.  There are a few on this list that look like winners.  Hop over to this post to find links to 10 tutorials.

Sweet Zips

I made a couple of these cute zippered pouches for gifts recently and I wanted to share them with you. Unfortunately, my camera is wheezing its last dying breaths at the moment, and I wasn't able to get any pictures of my own before I gave them away. The picture above is from Terry Atkinson (shown with permission), who generously posted the pattern on her blog for free during the Falloween blog hop last month. You can get the pattern on this blog post, which also explains who she is. If you don't know her by name, you certainly know her patterns. She's designed some famous ones, such as Yellow Brick Road. I can't remember how many times I've made that particular pattern. It is a favorite for baby/child quilts. However, I never seem to be able to find it when I need it, so I think I've bought it about three times! Someday when I get my act (and sewing room) together, I'll have a pile of the same pattern!

More Holiday Blog Hopping!

Another blog hop is going on this week. I sure love these - lots of great ideas and new-to-me blogs to read as well! Each blog you visit will have a project as well as a cookie recipe. You can find the master list here. Each designer will present one project on their day, but they will all have cookie recipes every day - that's a lot of recipes! Be sure to comment on each post to be entered for a grand prize drawing, as well as daily giveaways. Happy Hopping!

Veterans Day 2010

Heartfelt thanks to all who have served.

Handmade Holidays 2010

I almost missed the start of Handmade Holidays over at Sew, Mama, Sew! This is the fourth year that they've had Handmade Holidays and it is something that I've really started to look forward to each year. The Sew, Mama, Sew! blog will feature links to tutorials every day in November to help us get going on making holiday gifts. Each day has a theme, and they will have several links to theme-appropriate gift tutorials, as well as links for a recipe, a printable, and a shop. You can also enter to win prizes each day. I have found some great ideas in years past. Check it out soon (and often)!!

Yay Giants!

That Girl's Quilt Along

Jennifer from That Girl, That Quilt is having a quilt along with weekly posts on her blog. It looks like a good one! Fast to make and, even better, stash busting! You'll need a charm pack (or 40 5" squares), and some solid fabrics. She's already gotten started, but is still in the beginning stages. Right now she's on the fabric cutting step. I have so many things going on right now, but I might have to sneak this one in...

You can find the previous posts here: First post (not the quilt in the picture), Week 1 (supply list), and Week 2 (cutting).